The construction of the Žižkov II housing estate in the 1970s sought not only to increase residential capacity but also to expand the civic infrastructure. As part of this urban development project, a nursery school for 90 children was included. It was a prefabricated building with a reinforced concrete frame and a ceramic facade, consisting of three interconnected pavilions—the central one two storeys high and the two on the sides single-storey. Two of the pavilions were designated for three classes of 30 children each, while the third housed the kitchen, laundry, and the caretaker’s flat.

Part of the nursery school includes a spacious garden which gently slopes southwards towards Žižkova street and the River Sázava. In the spring of 1979, shortly after the building was completed, eight ceramic sculptures by the sculptor and ceramic artist Olga Sigmundová were installed there.
All of the sculptures are under one metre in height to fit in with the scale of the children’s world. Their material—hard and durable chamotte clay—and their installation on concrete bases also reflect their intended audience. The sculptures are sturdy enough for children to sit or climb on.

Three of the sculptures depict animals— a cat, an owl and a butterfly or snail—and are composed symmetrically with two faces. Two sculptures represent forms from the plant world—one spherical, resembling a pollen grain or seed, and a taller one shaped like a bud. Three other plant-themed sculptures have not survived.

By cutting through the ceramic surface of the sculptures, the artist created numerous openings in most of the pieces. Whether intentional or not, the interiors of the sculptures have since been filled with pebbles, twigs, pine cones, and other objects from nature. The perforations are complemented by simple finger-drawn lines and delicate textures related to each creature.

The sculptures in the garden of the Žižkov Nursery School are somewhat overshadowed today by the abundance of newer, more colourful playground equipment, but it is fortunate they have remained in their original location. Even now, they undoubtedly leave an impression on the children they were originally designed for—in both scale and aesthetic.