Pink Tank - Clio

By A Mystery Man Writer

On April 28, 1991, residents of Prague woke up to the tank on top of the Monument to Soviet Tank Crews painted a striking, rebellious pink color. Originally made to honor fallen Soviet tank crews of WWII, the monument was placed in Kinsky Square, Prague, and painted in traditional shades of military green for 46 years, until a group of students led by David Černý gave the tank a new pink style in an act of self-declared civil disobedience. The monument had faded into the background by 1991, but this fresh coat of pink paint reminded people of the memories attached to the tank. Soviet officials and members of the Czech government waged an unofficial battle centered around the color of the tank, painting it pink to green and back again, until the tank was retired to a military museum south of Prague. This, along with some ironic timing related to the number 23 that was originally painted on the tank, has made the monument a fascinating indicator throughout the years of how opinions about the USSR, Czech government, and even somewhat the Nazis has changed. (The video below shows the 1945 installation of the tank on top of the monument, and the location of Kinsky Square has been pinned.)