There is something about the Czechs that enjoys sticking a pin in pompous orthodoxy. It is often done slyly and with humour. It is there in The Good Soldier Sveyk and in the tales of Jara Cimrman.
And it is also to found in Czech architectural decoration. Above are some Atlases very grimly holding up the facade of a building on Brno's Svobody Namesti (Freedom Square). No humour here. Atlases like these can be found on many of the Czech Republic's larger buildings.
But if you walk down a road from the square you will find Czech subversion at work. Instead of an Atlas you get a dwarf!
