Marshal Konev Statue in Prague

In the Spring of 2020, the Prague 6 Municipality removed the monument to Marshal Konev from Náměstí Interbrigády (International Brigade Square). The statue had a long history of contestation and was eventually removed in 2020 following a successful petition campaign the previous year. During these thirty years, many actors played a role in its fate, from civil and private citizens to high-ranking government officials in both the Czech Republic and other former socialist countries. The statue’s removal represents the culmination of a struggle between two readings of Konev: one that portrays him as a liberator from Nazi occupation and another that focuses on his involvement in communist-era control and repression. This case illustrates how contemporary Czech society reconciles with its Socialist and Soviet-era political heritage in juxtaposition to its current alliance with the West, and how a local symbolic and historic contested history can influence diplomatic relations.