42 slewing bearings of Rothe Erde Slovakia ensure movement in the statue Franz Kafka's head

Dortmund/Prague. Just in time for the 100th anniversary of the death of the Prague writer Frank Kafka on June 3rd, one of the largest sculptures erected in his honor is being restored in his home town. The "Statue of Franz Kafka´s head" is an almost eleven-metre-high mirror sculpture created by artist David Černý in 2014. The sculpture is a so-called kinetic work of art, on which 42 mirrored stainless steel plates move independently of each other. The smooth and reliable movement of the plates is ensured by 42 slewing bearings  from Rothe Erde Slovakia.

The head stands in the middle of the Czech capital and is modeled on the appearance of the famous writer. Every full hour on the hour, the 42 stainless steel plates move silently, creating completely new shapes each time. The face changes its appearance to the point of unrecognizability, only to return to its original form after around 15 minutes. "The idea of the turning head with its different appearances is based on one of Kafka's most important works, 'The Metamorphosis'," says Ľubomír Púček, Leading Designing Engineer at thyssenkrupp rothe erde Slovakia. "We are of course very proud to be part of one of the most visited monuments in Prague." It is not only the appearance of the monument and its reference to one of the city's most famous sons that make this sculpture so unique: "The 'Franz Kafka Head' is nicknamed 'Prague's technical wonder of the 21st century', which is not least due to our products," says Ľubomír Púček.

 The 42 stainless steel plates are each controlled individually and together weigh 39 tons. Technically, the work of art has it all: solutions from industrial automation and robotics are used. The slewing mechanism is completed by Rothe Erde's slewing bearings designed and produced in Slovakia. Over the past five months, the entire work of art has been dismantled and restored, with the ingenious rotating mechanism at the center of the work. 42 slewing bearings with internal gearing and diameters of 1615 mm and 888 mm were used to set the mirror discs in rotation smoothly. "The bearings were specially manufactured for this application and modified for the intended use," explains Ľubomír Púček. The general repair, the biggest challenge of which was not only the complex mechanism but also the considerable weight of the component, was carried out by the company DEUS Automation a.s. Czech Republik.