Thank You America!, War memorial at Křižovatka U Práce, Plzeň, Czech Republic
Thank You America! is a war memorial at the Křižovatka U Práce intersection in Plzeň, consisting of two stone columns with inscriptions in Czech and English. The columns stand at a busy street corner and present a straightforward design that honors the liberation through its simple but visible placement in the city.
The memorial was created in 1995 by Jan Soukup and Pavel Mutinský to commemorate the liberation of Plzeň by American forces in May 1945. Its construction decades after the end of World War II reflects how the city chose to mark this important moment once political circumstances allowed.
The site becomes a gathering place during the Liberation Festival in May, where Czech citizens, American veterans, and diplomatic officials meet to honor the shared past. These annual meetings show how the bond between the two nations remains alive in people's lives today.
The memorial is located at Americká 818/2 on a busy street corner, making it easy to reach and notice while walking through the city. The inscriptions are readable in both Czech and English, allowing visitors to understand the message without needing additional information.
During the communist era, authorities routinely removed flowers and flags left at the original memorial location to prevent public expression of gratitude toward the West. This practice reveals how political tensions shaped even small acts of remembrance in those decades.
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