In communist times, marshall Konev was an undisputed hero - leader of the first ukrainian front, liberator of Czechoslovakia - an idol. Strangly, his memorial in Prague wasn't innaugurated until 1980. The table beneeth stated that Konev "...saved Prague from destruction on May 9 1945." That isn't true. The day Konev with his troops entered the city was two days past the capitulation of Germany and yet fourth of the Prague uprising. The time of the innauguration taken into account, it's obvious that the statement is not a product of blind thankfulness after the war but a blunt propaganda. Therefore the municipality decided to add another table: correct, strictly unemotional and more detailed. It was installed just today, symbolicaly on the 50th anniversary of the occupation of Czechoslovakia. It states that Konev lead the troops that first arrived to Prague in WWII, that he suppressed the Hungarian ravolution of 1956, supervised the construction of Berlin wall and was personally involved in the preliminary inteligency operations before the occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1968. That puts his personality into very different perspective, doesn't it?
By the way: Konev has also a street named after him in Prague. It's one of the longest.
2022
