R2-D2 bunker vent, painted by unnamed street artists, Folimanka park, Vinohrady, Prague 2, Czechia
R2-D2 bunker vent
Unnamed street artists · the domed ventilation shaft of the Folimanka civil-defence shelter painted as Star Wars’ R2-D2, October 2017 · Folimanka park, Vinohrady, Prague 2
Photo: JiriMatejicek, Wikimedia Commons, 26 May 2024, CC BY-SA 4.0
Above the Folimanka nuclear shelter in Prague, one of the concrete air vents sticks out of a hillside in the park. In October 2017 someone painted the dome white and blue, gave it R2-D2’s red dot and lens, and set a concrete leg on each side. The Czech news agency ČTK reported on 24 October 2017 that the Prague 2 town hall would not remove it, and the mayor said she liked “this decoration of the unsightly shaft.” Nobody has publicly taken credit. The paint and legs wore away and were restored by summer 2022, and the newest dated photo we found was taken on 26 May 2024.
5 things to know
- The town hall let it stayČTK, 24 October 2017: “Radnice Prahy 2 zatím nebude odstraňovat robota R2-D2 z Hvězdných válek” (“The Prague 2 town hall will not remove the Star Wars robot R2-D2 for now”). Mayor Jana Černochová: “Nelegální sprejerství samozřejmě nepodporujeme, ale tato výzdoba nevzhledné šachty se nám líbí.” (“Of course we do not support illegal spraying, but we like this decoration of the unsightly shaft.”) ČTK via archiweb, 2017
- A nod to Karel ČapekThe mayor tied the robot to the writer who made the word famous: “Kde jinde by měl stát robot než v městské části, která je tak spojena s autorem tohoto termínu, Karlem Čapkem?” (“Where else should a robot stand than in the district so connected with the author of the term, Karel Čapek?”) The Prague Review reported the same Čapek remark. ČTK via archiweb · The Prague Review
- Two legs were addedAtlas Obscura: the artists “added two concrete pieces to either side of the concrete dome,” which turn the round vent into the droid’s body. The Prague Review noted that the two arms “weren’t previously part of the bunker vent.” Atlas Obscura · The Prague Review
- Worn down, then restoredExpats.cz wrote in September 2022 that over about five years the paint eroded “and the additional concrete ‘legs’ were eventually lost,” but that the vent had since been fully restored and “the concrete legs have been replaced.” The same summer another Folimanka vent was painted as a Minion. Expats.cz, 2022
- A shelter for 1,300 peopleThe vent belongs to the Folimanka underground bunker, built in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Prague’s tourism board says “The bunker could hold 1,300 people.” ČTK described two 125-metre corridors and supplies meant to last 72 hours. Prague City Tourism · ČTK via archiweb
Check-in guide
- 📍
- On the park hill above the Folimanka shelter in Prague 2-Vinohrady. The shelter’s armoured doors are on Pod Karlovem street (Prague City Tourism); The Prague Review says to turn right into the park from the bunker and climb a long flight of steps (The Prague Review). Atlas Obscura lists the address as 48 Bělehradská (Atlas Obscura).
- 🌳
- Expats.cz describes the R2-D2 vent as “up a park hill,” unlike the Minion vent, which is on a Folimanka sidewalk (Expats.cz). The May 2024 Commons photo is filed under Park Nad Bělehradskou, and its camera position is within a few metres of Atlas Obscura’s point (Wikimedia Commons, Atlas Obscura).
- 🧭
- The Maps button uses the camera position of the May 2024 photo, 50.068490, 14.431920; Atlas Obscura gives almost the same point, 50.068509, 14.431949.
Sightings
- 201724 Oct
ČTK: town hall lets it stay
- 201725 Oct
Prague Review visit photos
- 201829 Apr
Commons photo
- 20224 Sep
Expats.cz: restored
- 20238 May
Commons photo
- 202426 May
Commons photo
Every stamp links to the dated source. Green stamps are photos taken at the vent on a known day: The Prague Review’s visit on 25 October 2017, and three Wikimedia Commons photos with camera dates of 29 April 2018 (Eliška Jindříšková), 8 May 2023 (Alena Pokorná) and 26 May 2024 (JiriMatejicek). The 2024 photo shows the droid still painted, with both side blocks in place and graffiti tags over the lower dome. Amber stamps are dated reports: ČTK’s story of 24 October 2017 that the town hall would leave the robot alone, and Expats.cz’s report of 4 September 2022 that it had been restored after its paint and legs wore away. We found no dated photo newer than May 2024 and no report that it has been painted over.
On the record
Praha 2 nebude z výdechu bunkru na Folimance odstraňovat robota
“Nelegální sprejerství samozřejmě nepodporujeme, ale tato výzdoba nevzhledné šachty se nám líbí.”
“Of course we do not support illegal spraying, but we like this decoration of the unsightly shaft.” Mayor Jana Černochová, as told to ČTK by Prague 2 spokeswoman Lenka Prokopová.
R2-D2 appears on top of a nuclear bunker in Prague, Czech Republic
“There was nobody around today (25/10/17)”
The blog’s author visited the vent that day and photographed it, with the two added side pieces.
R2-D2 gets a friend as Prague fallout shelter vent becomes a Minion
“The concrete legs have been replaced”
On the restoration of the R2-D2 vent after five years of weather and graffiti. The article says the artists behind the old and new pieces had not taken credit.
The facts
- Made by
- Not publicly credited. ČTK says only that “kdosi” (someone) made it, Atlas Obscura calls them “a group of unknown street artists” and Expats.cz says the artists “have yet to take credit” (ČTK, Atlas Obscura, Expats.cz) Checked. Two Wikimedia Commons photo descriptions, written by the uploaders, name Petr Cífka and Filip Brouk as the authors (Commons 2018, Commons 2023) Unconfirmed. We found no press source or statement by them that confirms this.
- Name
- No official title. Atlas Obscura lists it as “R2-D2 of Prague” (Atlas Obscura) Reported
- Shows
- The Star Wars droid R2-D2: the domed vent painted white and blue, with two concrete pieces added on the sides as legs (Atlas Obscura, The Prague Review, Commons photo 2024) Checked
- Made
- October 2017 (ČTK, 24 Oct 2017, The Prague Review, 25 Oct 2017, Commons description) Checked. The exact day it was painted is not recorded.
- Legal status
- Not sanctioned: the mayor said Prague 2 does not support illegal spraying but would not remove it (ČTK, Atlas Obscura) Checked
- Restoration
- Repainted and its legs replaced by summer 2022, by people who were not named (Expats.cz) Reported
- Structure
- A ventilation shaft of the Folimanka civil-defence shelter, built in the late 1950s and early 1960s for up to 1,300 people (Prague City Tourism, ČTK) Checked
- Place
- Folimanka park, Vinohrady, Prague 2, on the hill above the shelter (ČTK, The Prague Review, Expats.cz) Checked
- Our photo
- The photo at the top was taken on 26 May 2024 by JiriMatejicek and published on Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) Checked. Street Art Utopia used an older photo from autumn 2017, whose photographer is not named.
- Status
- Seen May 2024: Commons photo with camera date 26 May 2024 (Wikimedia Commons) Checked. We found no report that it has been removed or painted over.
Related
- On Street Art Utopia: I Didn’t Expect That (11 Photos vol. 3) (13 October 2026), where the vent appears, and Transforming a Nuclear Shelter: The Rise of R2-D2 Graffiti (4 February 2025).
- The Minion painted on another Folimanka shelter vent in 2022. Expats.cz
- Tours of the Folimanka shelter itself (closed for building work until the end of 2026). Prague City Tourism
All sources (8)
This work
- ČTK via archiweb.cz: “Praha 2 nebude z výdechu bunkru na Folimance odstraňovat robota”, 24 October 2017. Someone made R2-D2 from the vent; Prague 2 will not remove it; quotes from mayor Jana Černochová; shelter details.
- Atlas Obscura: “R2-D2 of Prague”, published 29 December 2017. Unknown street artists; two concrete pieces added; not city-sanctioned; coordinates 50.068509, 14.431949.
- The Prague Review: “R2-D2 appears on top of a nuclear bunker in Prague, Czech Republic”, 25 October 2017. Visit and photos; the added arms; the mayor’s response.
- Expats.cz: “R2-D2 gets a friend as Prague fallout shelter vent becomes a Minion”, 4 September 2022. Appeared in 2017; paint and legs wore away; restored, legs replaced; artists have not taken credit.
Dated photos
- Wikimedia Commons: “R2-D2 v Praze 01.jpg”, Eliška Jindříšková, camera date 29 April 2018. Description names Petr Cífka and Filip Brouk.
- Wikimedia Commons: “Větrací štola sever, Folimanka Vinohrady (01).jpg”, Alena Pokorná, camera date 8 May 2023.
- Wikimedia Commons: “Praha Vinohrady Park Nad Belehradskou street art 1.jpg”, JiriMatejicek, 26 May 2024, CC BY-SA 4.0. The photo at the top of this page.
Context
- Prague City Tourism: “Folimanka Underground Bunker”. Built in the late 1950s and early 1960s; held 1,300 people; entrance on Pod Karlovem.
Artwork File · Last checked 13 October 2026 · Certainty labels follow How We Verify Art · All Artwork Files