CS / EN

Agla, Terezín

Basic Information

Location
Česko > Ústecký kraj > okres Litoměřice > Terezín > Terezín
Location Details: 207 Tyršova Street, courtyard of the Magdeburg Barracks

Coordinates
50.508747, 14.152061

Type
Sculpture, symbolic, Holocaust monument / memorial

Location
Ghetto, Museum

Artist / Maker / Company
Kirill Postovit (Sculpture)

Whom the Monument Commemorates
Jewish victims

Iconographical Subject
Menorah

Material
Sandstone, basalt, iron

Dimensions
Width: 180 cm
Height: 156 cm
Depth: 50 cm

Commissioned By
Terezín Memorial

Dates

2018 Unveiling

Description

The form of the symbolic statue of AGLA is characterised by several interrelated iconographic motifs. The main block of the sculpture depicts two faces (male on one side – Adam, and female on the other side – Eve), accompanied by birds referring to the Garden of Eden. The stones, mounted at the upper part of the sculpture, symbolize both the menorah (the seven stones represent the seven arms of the candelabrum) and are a reminder of the dead and can be interpreted, given the context, as a commemoration of the victims of the Holocaust. The sculpture is placed in the quiet space of the courtyard of the Magdeburg Barracks and thus complements the exhibition of the artwork of the ghetto prisoners.

History

The placement of the AGLA statue in the courtyard of the Magdeburg Barracks is the result of a long-term collaboration between the sculptor Kirill Postovit (*1964) and the Terezín Memorial. This had already led to the creation of a figurative monument at the memorial site on the banks of the Ohře River in 2008. The AGLA sculpture is thus the second significant outdoor installation by the artist, but in this case the work was not created for a specific space. In general terms, the intention of the work is to combine the motifs of Jewish religious tradition (AGLA is an abbreviation of the words Attah gibbor l'olam Adonai = You are mighty in eternity, Lord) and a reminder of the victims of the Holocaust in the form of stones attached to the upper part of the sculpture. It was installed in the courtyard of the Magdeburg Barracks in 2018.

Sources

Websites

Other

E-mail correspondence with Kirill Postovit, November 2024.

Entry Author

Jakub Hauser