Monument to Soviet Tank Crews, Tank memorial in Lešany, Czech Republic
This memorial displays an IS-2m heavy tank, a Soviet fighting vehicle, mounted on a stone pedestal five meters high. The tank bears the number 23 and its gun barrel points westward.
Unveiled on 29 July 1945 on Štefánik Square, now Kinský Square in Smíchov, the monument was dedicated by Marshal Ivan Konev and city officials. It commemorated the arrival of Konev's 1st Ukrainian Front, specifically Dmitry Lelyushenko's 4th Guards Tank Army, in Prague on 9 May 1945. The IS-2m tank carried the number 23, although the first tank into the city, Goncharenko's T-34-85, bore I-24.
The number 23 on the turret gave rise to a local saying: 1945 + 23 = 1968, linking the tank to the Warsaw Pact invasion. After 1989 the monument was widely seen as a symbol of Soviet occupation rather than liberation.
The memorial now stands at the Military Museum Lešany, where it can be viewed alongside other military vehicles and exhibition pieces. The location is well-accessible and provides context about Soviet-Czech history.
In 1991, art student David Černý painted the tank bright pink and added provocative elements, transforming it into a symbol of resistance against Soviet influence. This unconventional artistic intervention sparked debate about how societies interpret war memorials.
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