Patton's monument in Plzen to depict story rather than figure

PLZEN, West Bohemia, Dec 16 (CTK) - A new monument commemorating U.S. army general George Patton in Plzen, west Bohemia, that was chosen by a jury today is not a figurative statue of the military commander who liberated the city in 1945 but instead consists of various components depicting a story.

A jury appointed by city of Plzen today selected the winning proposal from among 18 entries. The winning project has four authors.

Whether the monument will indeed be erected in front of the city's Patton museum must still be decided by the city council, jury member Anna Hostickova told CTK today.

The jury evaluated the winning project as being the best, with no project coming in second and three projects sharing third place.

Only one of the entries was a figurative statue. The remaining projects consisted either of abstract vertical pillars or of different plaque-centered designs.

City spokeswoman Zdenka Kubalova said the project chosen by the jury would cost around 2.8 million crowns to erect and an additional 95,000 annually in upkeep.

The public will have the opportunity to view all the entries at a special exhibition under preparation.

One of the reasons why the winning project of Petr Kostner, Ondrej Kupsa, Ondrej Peckert and Tomas Palkovsky drew the jury's attention was the fact that it contains a brief narrative. Moreover, it is conceived as being approachable from both sides, noted Hostickova.

The entryway to the monument consists of smooth pavement that symbolises the dirt flattened by Patton's soldiers. Alongside the smooth pavement are copper stripes marking the general's milestone battles, as well as data describing the course of the war in Plzen itself.

The monument's central motif is a plaque with an imprint of the general's helmet.

The other side of the monument consists of "jagged earth" that symbolises the parts of the country that Patton was not permitted to proceed liberating in 1945 because of an allied agreement with the Soviet Union delimitating the course of the demarcation line.

The 1945 demarcation line stipulated that the majority of then Czechoslovakia, including the capital, would be liberated from Nazi Germany by the Red Army. It is widely believed that this facilitated the incorporation of Czechoslovakia into the Soviet bloc in 1948.

At the beginning of the year the city of Plzen halted the project of the Military Car Club that entailed erecting a nearly three-metre bronze statue of Patton by sculptor Jaroslav Bocker.

City leaders objected to the fact that Bocker was listed as a former agent of the Communist-era secret police (StB). The statue was supposed to have been unveiled in Plzen on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War Two.

The bronze statue ended up being unveiled in the village of Dysina, outside Plzen, on May 7. The village had held a public collection to pay for the statue.

The general's 64-year old grandson George Patton Waters, who attended the unveiling, told CTK at the time that Dysina's move, which brought him to the point of tears, was the greatest honour his family could have been given.

The city of Plzen has recently held two other public architectural competitions. However, the results of both of them stirred controversy among the city's politicians, as well as the general public, and the city council ultimately decided not to go ahead with the construction of the winning projects.

General Patton died 60 years ago today. This was the only recent mention I could find

I'll have to head over to our Patton museum (which we are supposed to keep) at lunch to pay my respects.

"The 1945 demarcation line stipulated that the majority of then Czechoslovakia, including the capital, would be liberated from Nazi Germany by the Red Army. It is widely believed that this facilitated the incorporation of Czechoslovakia into the Soviet bloc in 1948."

Liberated? The western allies lost most of the countries they went to war over.

If you are ever in So. Cal. stop by The Church of Our Saviour (Episcopal) 535 West Roses Road San Gabriel, California

http://www.pattonhq.com/church.html

4 posted on 12/21/2005 7:37:00 AM PST by BenLurkin (O beautiful for patriot dream - that sees beyond the years)

I've been there, on that square, during one of their memorials. It's hard to grasp just how much the people there appreciated Patton, and never forgot even through the Soviet years where official history said he was never there.

I have a picture of Patton's grave at Ham, Luxemburg taken Memorial Day of 2001. But don't know how to post it from my hard drive. Went to the HTML boot camp site, but that is of little use to me. Would love to post it if you could help.

I have video from Pattons grave, it was one of the most awsome experiences of my life to go to the cemetary in Luxembourg. I shall never forget the rows and rows of crosses and stars of davids. Thank god for a leader such as Patton in a time of national emergency. We need a Patton now more then ever...

Also the General Patton Museum at Chiriaco Summit. On I10 East of Indio maybe 30 miles. Patton founded the Desert Training Center at that location.

"God have mercy on my enemies because I won't." General George S. Patton

Thank You Sir for your mighty wisdom, leadership, battlefield tactics and for doing what you knew to be right.

"Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men."
- General George Patton Jr

You sir were a real man!

"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

9 posted on 12/21/2005 9:01:48 AM PST by Patriot Hooligan ("God have mercy on my enemies because I won't." General George S. Patton)

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