The Holocaust Memorial of Roma and Sinti in Bohemia - competition results

The Museum of Romani Culture, Ltd. announces the winners of the landscape-architectural competition for the design of the future memorial at Lety. The Holocaust Memorial for Roma and Sinti in the Czech Republic.
The proposal by Jan Sulzer and Lucie Vogelová from the terra florida v.o.s. studio, along with Jan Světlík, Vojtěch Šedý, and Filip Šefl from Ateliér Světlík, received the highest rating. Roman Černohous and Petr Karlík collaborated on the proposal.
The second highest-rated proposal was n-1 - by Jakub Kopec, Klára Zahradníčková, and Tomáš Džadoň. Paly Paštika, Luboš Zbranek, and Lynda Zein collaborated on the proposal.
Third place went to the studio Andrea Govi Architetto from Italy, with authors Karolina Chodura, Joanna Rozbroj, and Marta Tomasiak.
The jury evaluated the proposals based on architectural and artistic quality, considering how well the memorial was integrated into the landscape and the degree of expression of the theme and topic of the memorial. A key factor was the degree of respect for the culture of Czech Roma and Sinti.
“We are very pleased that we managed to select a proposal on which the jury nearly unanimously agreed,” stated the director of the Museum of Romani Culture, Jana Horváthová. “The highest-rated project received a high evaluation due to its sensitive approach to the theme itself as well as to the surrounding landscape in which the memorial will be situated, and also with regard to meeting the condition of economic feasibility of the proposal.”
The estimated costs for the construction of the memorial are, according to expert estimates, 31.5 million CZK in the first phase of implementation. The memorial will be funded from multiple sources, with the main portion of the budget covered by EEA and Norway Grants.
The next phase after the completion of the landscape-architectural competition will involve negotiations between the Museum of Romani Culture and the selected architects, resulting in a cooperation agreement and the creation of project documentation for the implementation of the proposal.
The construction of the memorial is contingent upon the demolition of the industrial pig farm, which was purchased by the state based on the Resolution of the Government of the Czech Republic from August 21, 2017, No. 609. Preparations for announcing the selection procedure for the demolition of the pigsty have already begun, and the actual demolition is expected to start in the second half of 2020. The opening of the new memorial to the public is planned for 2023.
The new memorial and exhibition should honor the memory of the victims of the Holocaust of Roma and Sinti, remind, inform, educate, and stimulate discussion about the past, as well as about the current social situation and address issues of discrimination against minorities and human rights.

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1st Prize
Authors of the proposal: terra florida v.o.s., Jan Sulzer, Lucie Vogelová
Ateliér Světlík, Jan Světlík, Vojtěch Šedý, Filip Šefl
Collaborating individuals: Roman Černohous, Petr Karlík
Annotation of the proposal: Our basic compositional element is the forest. The forest, its inner space, its edge, the open space that the forest creates with its edge. Also, the forest as a community. In this case, the most general metaphor for the community of Roma. The absence of the forest as a metaphor for the absence of those who did not survive the Romani Holocaust.
Memorial: The first goal of our proposal is to anchor the memory of those who suffered in this concentration camp.
Education: The second goal is to tell the story of horror, and thus bring it before society’s eyes again.
Community: The third goal is to create a place for meeting — a meeting as an opportunity to maintain or establish friendships, a chance for mutual sharing.

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2nd Prize
Authors of the proposal: n-1 - Jakub Kopec, Klára Zahradníčková, Tomáš Džadoň
Collaborating individuals: Paly Paštika, Luboš Zbranek, Lynda Zein, Aurélie Garová
Annotation of the proposal: The Holocaust of Roma and Sinti is an open wound in the coexistence of different cultures not only in the Czech but also in the European space. To heal this rupture, whose causes and consequences far exceed the period of existence of the so-called gypsy camp into the past and present, there is no other way than to seek possibilities for a common dialogue. The memorial proposal in Lety near Písek attempts to initiate such a multi-voiced dialogue through architectural-landscape means. It seeks to commemorate the individual layers, understand the relationships among them, and further develop the diversity of this place with a troubled fate.

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3rd Prize
Authors of the proposal: Andrea Govi Architetto, Karolina Chodura, Joanna Rozbroj, Marta Tomasiak
Annotation of the proposal: The culture of the Roma, shrouded in mystery, is very unique and still undiscovered. It is ephemeral, transitional, and changeable. In our proposal, we work in harmony with Romani identity and aim to create spaces that evoke strong emotions and impressions. The memorial acts as a metaphor. It tells of the forgotten Holocaust, prejudices, ignorance, but also of memory and hope. We should not forget the unimaginable and cruel events nor transform them. A place with such a complex and impactful history requires adequate feedback.

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Competition Proposal No. 1 - replacement of expenses
Authors of the proposal: Nicolas Koff - Office OU Ltd., Joshua Kirk, Till Rehwaldt, Marco Colturi
Annotation of the proposal: A scar cuts through the land: a physical manifestation of trauma and buried history of the Roma and Sinti. Behind the cultural center, the scar leads visitors from the Lipeš pond through the loss of history to the walls of the camp, where it is dug up and entered. Just as death loomed for many detained in the camp during the Holocaust, the direction toward burial is the only way forward for those who visit the camp. Fragments of memory in the forest lead visitors to the graveyard.

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Competition Proposal No. 2 - replacement of expenses
Authors of the proposal: Martin Duba, Petr Šindelář, Tereza Havránková
Collaborating individuals: Milada Vorzová, Alice Boušková, Daniela Fenclová
Annotation of the proposal: The memorial site is based on the development of three main axes present in the landscape. The trio of mutually intersecting lines establishes the concept of three temporal planes. Presence, past, and future as the basic framework of the memorial's narrative. Each line is connected to one of the three objects and gives them a clear meaning within the whole. The visitor center is a place of presence, facts, and discussion. The victims' cemetery is an authentic site of troubled history and undeniable evidence of the Holocaust. The monument in the camp space is a place of reconciliation that should unite us in a positive vision for a shared future.

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Competition Proposal No. 6 - replacement of expenses
Authors of the proposal: Karel Filsak, Zdeněk Rothbauer, Vendula Bažová, Martin Bosák
Collaborating individuals: Marie Kordovská
Annotation of the proposal: The proposal for the second round of the competition addresses primarily the jury's comments, elaborates on a partial aspect of the proposal, and aims to remove its shortcomings. The entire project has been simplified, particularly in the area of memorial objects, along with the elaboration of the entrance object into a single-storey building. The proposal focuses more on the landscape interventions, including the area around the pond and the adjacent quarry. For the parts of the proposal relating to Romani culture and Romani memory, we anticipate collaboration with the survivors, with MRK, and other team members.

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Competition Proposal No. 7 - replacement of expenses
Authors of the proposal: Rehwaldt Landscape Architects, BY Architects, Till Rehwaldt, Markéta Zdebská, Marek Žáček
Collaborating individuals: Garth Woolison, Markéta Kupková, Marie Čáslavská
Annotation of the proposal: The memorial in Lety near Písek immortalizes the memory of the victims of the Holocaust of Roma and Sinti in the Czech Republic and reminds future generations of the cruel acts and mistakes that occurred at this place, during the war and beyond. The path of memory creates a connection between the former so-called Gypsy camp, the existing cemetery, and the new cultural-educational center, guiding visitors on a symbolic journey through the past and present toward a more hopeful future.

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