- Defunct object on Kinských Square
Tank no. 24
In 1945, a heavy IS-2m tank with turret number 23 was installed in front of the current Courthouse (originally Albrecht Barracks, later Štefánik Barracks). The tank was reportedly the first to enter Prague during the Prague Uprising.
In reality, however, it was not the original tank. The first tank, commanded by Ivan Honcharenko, was a T-34/85 medium tank no. 24, which was hit by the Nazis and destroyed. The charred tank could not serve as a symbol of liberation, so the Soviets brought in a different type. Information about the tank’s non-authenticity first appeared in the press in the 1960s, yet communist propaganda persisted with the legend.
In April 1991, the artist David Černý and his friends painted the tank pink, sparking turbulent public discussion and an official protest from the Soviet government. The authorities had the tank repainted in its original colour, also considering the approaching anniversary of the liberation in May. Nonetheless, a group of Czech deputies leveraged their immunity and repainted the tank pink once more. In July 1991, it was deprived of its monument protection and was transferred to the Military History Institute.
Entrance ramp for the tank’s installation on the pedestal, July 1945. Museum of Prague, photo by František Podobský.
The newly installed monument, with a five-pointed star-shaped flower bed in front of it, July 1945. Museum of Prague, photo by František Podobský.
