In Litoměřice, a red beech tree will take the place of the Soviet soldier monument

In the Czech town of Litoměřice, city council members have decided that the demolished monument to a Soviet soldier will be replaced not with a sculpture, but with a tree — a red beech. The decision was made at Thursday's council meeting, despite the fact that a completely different project had won the official architectural and artistic competition.

The monument to a Red Army soldier with a submachine gun had stood at the edge of Jiráskovy sady park since 1975 and was taken down in June last year. To decide what would replace it, the city held a competition. The winning entry was a project by sculptor Štěpán Beránek titled "On the Edge of a Dream" — a modest figure of a pensive young man. However, council members instead chose the project that had come in second place: rather than a sculpture, it calls for a natural element — a red beech surrounded by other mature trees.

Why they didn't choose the winner

Councilman and historian Filip Hrbek (ODS) said before the vote that a tree growing from the earth is something positive and beautiful, and if placed well, it would blend naturally into the park's overall appearance. He explained his support for the tree option as a matter of frugal, sensible stewardship: the winning project, in its proposed form and scale, would hardly have fit within the budget allocated for its realization. Another argument he made was that a tree, unlike a sculpture, is free of political baggage.

Residents of the city also backed the tree option. At a recent public hearing attended by 104 people, the red beech project received 78 votes.

How the Soviet soldier disappeared

According to Litoměřice's city hall, besides planting the tree, other work will be carried out at the site — including rearranging the benches and stone blocks.

The original monument, called "Honor and Glory to the Soviet Army," had stood at the main entrance to Jiráskovy sady park since 1975. After years of debate, it was dismantled in June last year — and the soldier left the park not all at once, but piece by piece. First the figure's right arm (without the weapon) was removed, then the back, and finally the main monolithic section with the helmeted head, torso, and outstretched left arm holding the submachine gun.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz