Sunday, August 6, 2023 – 1:00pm

Central Park East, Two Rivers

Friendship Table, a sculpture by renowned Czech artist Vaclav Fiala, will be installed and dedicated in Two Rivers’ Central Park on Sunday, August 6. The work shares design elements with Fiala’s World War II liberation monument in Two Rivers’ Sister City, Domažlice, Czech Republic.

Friendship Table is circular and will have a tree growing through an opening in the middle—a symbol of life and ongoing friendship. On the table top lay two granite hats signifying two friends—one American, one Czech—sitting at a table for a meal and conversation (as the relationship between Two Rivers and Domažlice has fostered many friendships).

Vaclav Fiala is an award-winning Czech sculptor whose works have drawn praise and commissions across Europe, Australia, and the United States. Fiala studied art in New York City after the Czechs freed themselves of Soviet oppression in 1989.

Fiala heard of Matt Konop’s Czech-American connection in 2015 at a performance of The Accidental Hero in Klatovy, Czech Republic. The production is a one-man show about Konop written and performed by his grandson, Patrick Dewane. In 2017, Two Rivers and Domažlice became Sister Cities. Shortly thereafter, Fiala was commissioned by the city of Domažlice to create a memorial to the American liberation of the city. Fiala then indicated he would be honored to create a monument for Two Rivers.