Red Army memorial in Jihlava

The Red Army Victory Monument stands on náměstí Svobody (Freedom Square) in the heart of Jihlava, one of the largest town squares in the Czech Republic. Carved from sandstone, it honors the Soviet soldiers who liberated the city from German occupation in May 1945, and it has remained a fixture of the square for more than seven decades.

Where exactly is the monument located?

The monument occupies a central spot on náměstí Svobody, surrounded by greenery and benches, close to the townhouses and administrative buildings lining the square. Given the square's scale, the monument is visible from most of the streets leading into it, making it one of the natural landmarks of the city center.

Who designed the monument, and when was it unveiled?

A design competition was announced in June 1945, barely a month after the war ended in Europe. Of the submitted entries, a jury selected five award-winning designs, and the commission ultimately went to Antonín Kalvoda, an academic sculptor from Prague. Carving the sandstone monument took several years, and the formal unveiling did not take place until 1951. Its official name is "Pomník vítězství Rudé armády" ("Monument to the Victory of the Red Army"), and it is listed in the Czech Republic's central registry of war graves and memorial sites.

What stood on this spot before the monument?

Since the mid-19th century, náměstí Svobody has hosted a succession of monuments that shifted along with the region's political changes. Between 1859 and 1881 the square held a monument to General J. F. Kempen von Fichtenstamm by sculptor Emanuel Max; from 1881 to 1919 it was replaced by a monument to Emperor Josef II, cast at the Blansko foundry. After Czechoslovakia's founding, a monument to Jan Hus by sculptor Vladimír Foit occupied the site from 1928 to 1939, before being removed during the German occupation. The current Red Army monument is therefore the latest in a long line of memorials that have marked shifts in power on Jihlava's main square.

What condition is it in today, and has it been restored?

In the summer of 2020, the city carried out a thorough conservation of the monument. The work, commissioned from local stone restorer Tomáš Drdla, ran from July to August and included cleaning the stone, removing earlier unsuitable repairs, injecting cracks, reinforcing the structure, and applying patina and water-repellent treatments to protect the surface from moisture. The restoration cost 137,100 Czech crowns, covered by the municipal budget. The City of Jihlava remains the monument's owner and custodian.

Frequently asked questions

What does the monument on náměstí Svobody commemorate? It commemorates the Red Army soldiers who liberated Jihlava in May 1945, when tank units belonging to the army of General Grigory Kravchenko reached the city on their way to Prague.

Who created the monument? The design came from Antonín Kalvoda, an academic sculptor from Prague, who won the competition announced in June 1945.

When was the monument unveiled? It was formally unveiled in 1951.

Has the monument been restored? Yes — in the summer of 2020 it underwent a thorough conservation that included stone cleaning, crack repair, and moisture-proofing treatments.

Was this the only monument ever placed here? No — the same spot previously held monuments to General Kempen von Fichtenstamm, Emperor Josef II, and Jan Hus, in that order.