Pardubice rejected the relocation of the Liberation Memorial, the proposal did not receive enough votes

Pardubice - The Pardubice City Council today rejected the plan to relocate the Liberation Monument from the 1950s to another location. The proposal needed 20 votes but received only 17. The opposition club TOP 09 was advocating for the relocation of the statue of the Red Army soldier at Republic Square. The topic keeps returning to public debate; proponents of the relocation have never gained the necessary strength for the councilors to support it.

"The monument was not erected as a memorial to the end of the war. It is propaganda of its time, originally even intended to be a statue of Stalin. For many witnesses and victims of the communist regime, it is not a neutral historical backdrop, but a symbol of the power that harmed them," said councilor Ondřej Müller (TOP 09).

Former mayor Štěpánka Fraňková (Living Pardubice) recalled that the city wanted to relocate the monument a few years ago during the renovation of Tyrš Gardens. According to the proposal by architect Tomáš Jiránek, an open space with a view of the castle could have been created there. The plan was unsuccessful at that time. Therefore, the councilor supported the relocation of the sculpture.

Mayor Jan Nadrchal (ANO) stated at a press conference last week that his opinion has not changed. He does not mind the statue being in its place, but he is also not against its relocation. He will respect the council's decision.

The initiative that Müller is part of also wishes to relocate the monument. They brought attention to the topic twice last year to the city council. According to them, the sculpture was intended to draw attention to itself and obstruct the view of the castle. Originally, the pedestal was meant to host the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Replacing the dictator with a Red Army soldier was merely an improvisation, the representatives of the initiative wrote.

"Let us not rewrite history, let us not suppress facts, and let us work together to restore the charm of this place in the center of Pardubice that was suppressed in the 1950s. The upcoming reconstruction of Republic Square is an ideal opportunity not for distorting history but for correcting it," stated the initiative.

Some councilors want to leave the sculpture by Josef Malejovský from 1957 where it is. "We have long said that we are for the Red Army soldier to remain in place. We certainly would not oppose education, so that it is clear under what conditions it was created, so that today's young people can see that. We certainly do not think it would be good to demolish or relocate the statue," said councilor Jan Mazuch (ODS).

With further arguments came the mayor of the I district, Filip Šťastný. "I speak with people who are against the relocation. They are not people who would be supporters of the past regime. Witnesses believe that if we hide the remnants of the past, we will forget it, and it tends to repeat itself," said Šťastný.

He suggested it would be appropriate to let the residents decide. Deputy mayor Jan Hrabal (ANO) also wanted to shift the responsibility to the people. The city has experience with a plebiscite in the case of the Green Gate. "Why not repeat the referendum," said Hrabal. Several councilors advised against it. Even before Hrabal's statement, Vojtěch Jirsa (Pirates) considered the referendum an unsuitable solution. "That will only become a subject of cultural wars; if we do not want to support greater polarization of society, then let’s not hold it," said Jirsa.