A crane transported an M4 Sherman tank to the premises of the the museum that has been setting up in Pilsen

A crane transported an M4 Sherman tank to the premises of the the museum that has been setting up in Pilsen

On Saturday, October 11, a special crane moved a 30-ton M4 Sherman tank over the roof of a building on Klatovská Street in Pilsen to a new extension of the historic house at Klatovská 19. The city is building a museum in the premises. The completely renovated tank will be its largest exhibit. The move itself, which required the closure of Klatovská Street, took less than an hour and was watched by hundreds of people behind barriers. The technically demanding operation was carried out by an AC 500 crane with a 180-ton counterweight and a total arm length of approximately 80 meters. Six trucks delivered the crane accessories.

 "The legendary M4 Sherman is a symbol of freedom and the end of the war for Pilsen, and I am delighted that it has been renovated and placed in a dignified location," said Mayor Roman Zarzycký. The "Pilsen" Sherman comes from an American base in Vilseck, Germany, and was transported to Pilsen in 2011, where it had been on display at the zoo and botanical garden ever since.

According to First Deputy Mayor Pavel Bosák, the operation was carefully planned, requiring the dismantling of trolley wires, restrictions on public transport, and the temporary closure of Klatovská Street. "The building at Klatovská 19 has been empty since 2002 and, once opened, will offer an experiential exhibition on the liberation of western Bohemia by Allied troops and will also open up the the Loos interiors, which are part of the building," said Pavel Bosák. The entire project should be completed in the second half of 2026, and the museum, including the exhibitions, could open in the spring of 2027.

The Sherman was transported for renovation in April 2024. This was arranged by Pavel Rogl from the Military History Club of the 16th Armored Division. "This tank continued to serve after the war, so it had a lot of non-war-related equipment installed. During the renovation, we cleaned it of rust, dirt, and everything that was not original. We searched for a number of spare parts, many of them in the USA, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Of course, we focused mainly on original parts. The tank was supplemented with all components," explained Pavel Rogl.

"In the basement, the exhibition will take visitors through wartime Pilsen, show them the production of weapons at the Škoda company, and let them experience the atmosphere of bombed Pilsen, which will be enhanced by a war shelter simulator. I am delighted that the museum will also have educational benefits for pupils and students from Pilsen and the Pilsen region," said Lucie Kantorová, Deputy Mayor for Education and Tourism.

The exhibition will also include projections about the Pilsen uprising, liberation, and the end of the war in Pilsen and Europe, as well as the period of new totalitarianism. Part of the exhibition will be dedicated to Liberation Festival Pilsen and veterans. Thanks to the reconstruction, Loos' interiors will be permanently accessible, and visitors will learn about Adolf Loos, the principles of his work, and the moving stories of the Pilsen families who were his clients. The author of the reconstruction and exhibition design is architect Ludvík Grym. The exhibition is being prepared and the museum will be operated by Plzeň-TURISMUS.

For the renovation of the house at Klatovská 19, the city received a grant of CZK 69.4 million from the European IROP (Integrated Regional Operational Program) through ITI (Integrated Territorial Investment) and a grant from SFPI (State Investment Support Fund) for the revitalization of brownfield sites as part of the National Recovery Plan in the amount of CZK 54.4 million.

Pictures: Zdeněk Vaiz

Source: plzen.eu