German tank helps Czech man win back family land

dpa German Press Agency
Published: Friday October 20, 2006

Prague- It never fired a shot, but a German tank parked in a strategic spot helped a Czech man win a long battle over property rights, a report said Friday. Officials in the eastern city of Ostrava this week granted Maxmilian Simek's request for several lots he claimed were seized from his family by the Czech Republic's former communist regime.

Simek fled to Canada in the 1980's but returned home after communism fell and began lobbying for the property, which the local government inherited from the regime.

Simek's fight intensified in April 2004 when he rolled the World War II-era tank to city hall's doorstep and demanded restitution.

After backing down, he parked the tank at a crossroads, where it sat while he continued a verbal battle with officials. The tank became a local landmark and a symbol of Simek's defiance.

Under the deal with officials, Simek told the Mlada fronta Dnes newspaper he would remove the tank and "agree never to stand up against the town again."

© 2006 dpa German Press Agency