Rotating Head , Prague, Guía del visitante y qué hacer cerca

The Rotating Head of Franz Kafka is a giant kinetic sculpture by the Czech artist David Černý, standing outside the Quadrio shopping centre in Prague's Nové Město. Its 42 mirror-finished layers turn independently, so the writer's face forms and falls apart again and again. It is one of the best-known pieces of modern public art in the city.

The story behind it

Franz Kafka is counted among the most important writers of the 20th century, yet he spent his life doubting whether his work deserved to be published. He left much of it unfinished and asked for it to be burned after his death. His friend Max Brod ignored that wish, which is why Kafka's name is known around the world today.

Černý unveiled the sculpture in 2014. It is about 11 metres tall and made of 42 panels, each one mechanised and turning on its own. For a few moments the layers line up into Kafka's face, then they twist it out of shape. The movement is meant to echo the self-doubt that followed the writer through life. Černý is known for provocative public art in Prague, including the crawling babies on the Žižkov TV Tower and the dead horse hanging in a passage near Wenceslas Square.

What to look for

• Watch the full cycle, when the layers drift into a clear portrait of Kafka and then slide apart into distortion.
• Notice the mirror-polished surface, which reflects the street, the sky and you, so the sculpture never looks quite the same twice.
• Look at how each layer turns at its own pace, which is what makes the face seem to think and hesitate.
• Step back across the square to take in the full 11 metre height, then come close to see the individual panels.

Tips for your visit

• It stands outdoors in the street, so it costs nothing to see and you cannot go inside it.
• Ten minutes is enough to watch a couple of full cycles and take photos.
• Daylight shows off the mirrored surface best, but it is also worth a look in the evening when the city lights reflect in it.
• It is close to Národní třída and a short walk from Wenceslas Square, so it combines easily with the rest of the New Town. Check current opening hours if you want to visit the shopping centre behind it.

See it on a quest

You can reach the sculpture on foot as one stop of Franz Kafka's Prague: Literary Tour. The app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle in front of what you are looking at. It suits anyone who wants the sculpture placed in the wider story of Kafka's city. One ticket covers the whole group.

It also appears on Czech it Out & Crawl Through Prague, which follows Černý's public art and other quirks of the city. You walk from stop to stop at your own pace, hear the background at each place and solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.