Giraffes, lions, zebras, musicians, and more. A wide variety of vividly painted concrete sculptures inhabiting a garden in Biskupice, a village in the Czech Republic, are sure to catch your attention. Also called ‘Biskupické safari’ (Safari in Biskupice), these are the artworks of Františka Blechová, who used to live there.
Františka Blechová (1911-2001) was born in Biskupice and first worked in the fields and later on the local collective farm. In 1940, she and her husband built a house on the outskirts of the village, and that was when she created her first artworks. Mrs. Blechová painted the foundation wall and window frames in vivid colors. However, she created her first sculptures later, around 1970 – these were a couple of storks on the rooftop of the house. The successful completion of these artworks inspired Mrs. Blechová to create even more, and that’s how various concrete animals and people came to inhabit the garden. Her vivid artworks were also noticed by neighbors and even the media.
After Mrs. Blechová’s death, her daughter took care of the house until it was sold a few years later. The new owners did their best to restore the sculptures, so after renovation, the concrete inhabitants of the garden still greet everyone who, for some reason, comes to Biskupice.