Gregor Johann Mendel Monument

A monument to Gregor Johann Mendel (1822-1884), the discoverer of the laws of heredity and the abbot, stands in the garden of the Old Brno Abbey of the Order of St. Augustine. The marble monument
is the work of Theodor Charlemont and takes the form of a life-size statue of Mendel surrounded by pea plants – the model organism on which Mendel conducted his experiments. It is the only Art Nouveau monument in Brno and the first monument dedicated to a scientist in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire territory. The monument dates from 1910.

The monument to Gregor Johann Mendel stands close to the experimental garden where Mendel conducted crossbreeding of pea plants between 1856 and 1863 in order to find the rules for transmitting traits to future generations.

The monument originally stood on the site of today's turning loop on Mendel Square and was unveiled there on 2 October 1910. On this occasion, the name of the square was also changed from the original Klášterní Square to Mendel Square. During the ceremony Hugo Iltis, Mendel's biographer, gave a lecture on Mendel's life and Erich von Tschermak, the rediscoverer of Mendel's laws of heredity, spoke about the importance of Mendel's laws. 

The construction of the monument and the fundraising announcement for it were initiated by the Natural History Society (Naturforschender Verein in Brünn), of which Mendel was a founding member. The initiative to build the monument was taken by 150 scientists and other important public figures and institutions such as the Augustinian Abbey and the city of Brno. A committee made up of members of the Natural History Society chose a design by the Viennese sculptor born in Znojmo, Theodor Charlemont. The monument made of Carrara marble depicts a standing Mendel in religious habit. As a reminder of Mendel's laws of heredity, pea plants sprout around the figure and the allegorical figures of a man and a woman are depicted at the bottom. Originally, the monument bore the German inscriptions Dem Naturforscher P. Gregor Mendel 1822-1884 (To the naturalist P. Gregor Mendel 1822-1884) and Errichtet 1910 von Freunden der Wissenschaft (Built in 1910 by the friends of science), but now it only bears the text Gregor Mendel 1822-1884. The monument, originally reached by a massive marble staircase, was part of the park on Mendel Square until 1960, when it had to give way to the reconstruction of the square and the construction of a tram track. Consequently, the monument was placed in the abbey courtyard and moved to its present location in 1962.

Orel, V.: Gregor Mendel a počátky genetiky. Praha 2003. 

Menšíková, M.: Záznam o pomníku Gregora Johanna Mendela na stránkách Internetové encyklopedie dějin Brna. URL: https://encyklopedie.brna.cz/home-mmb/?acc=profil_objektu&load=221[26.

3. 2021].

Záznam o slavnostním odhalení Mendelova pomníku v roce 1910 na stránkách Internetové encyklopedie dějin Brna. URL: https://encyklopedie.brna.cz/home-mmb/?acc=profil_udalosti&load=3094[26.

3. 2021].

Olivová, D.: Záznam o osobnosti Gregora Johanna Mendela na stránkách Internetové encyklopedie dějin Brna. URL: https://encyklopedie.brna.cz/home-mmb/?acc=profil_osobnosti&load=246[26.

3. 2021].

 Záznam o pomníku Gregora Johanna Mendela v památkovém katalogu Národního památkového ústavu URL: https://pamatkovykatalog.cz/pomnik-johanna-gregora-mendela-18800111[26.

3. 2021].