Czech town has exotic statue as part of planned archaeo-eco-park

Bohdalice, South Moravia, May 23 (CTK) - A copy of one of the Easter Island's Moai statues has been erected near Bohdalice as the first of the 20 statues to form an archaeo-eco-park warning of a catastrophe similar to one that destroyed the Easter Island civilisation, Jiri Novotny from the Manner group told CTK.

The park is to be completed in two years.

The Moai sculptures will be "telling the story of the Easter Island people, who, consumed all timber on the island in order to build statues, by which they destroyed the local ecosystem. Europe is in a similar situation now," Novotny said.

The first sculpture, a giant head, was unveiled near the Manner group's environmental-friendly farm by ten enthusiasts on Wednesday.

Before, they chose one of the Moai statues in the Easter Island, photographed and measured it.

In Prague they created its polystyrene copy, which served to make moulds. Afterwards they composed the statue of the moulds in Bohdalice and poured concrete inside.

On Wednesday, the moulds were removed.

"We hope that after visiting the site and acquainting themselves with the Easter Island's history, people will understand that we must approach nature more carefully than so far, otherwise we'd exhaust all resources and end up like the Moai builders," Novotny said.