The Friends of Pardubice Club do not like the modification of the Zámeček Memorial

Pardubice - The Friends of Pardubice Club does not like the planned modification of the Memorial Zámeček, which served as a site of execution by the Gestapo during World War II. The club is organizing a petition against the implementation of the repairs and has previously published a critical open letter regarding the intention. They consider the intervention in the current form of the memorial, which is a national cultural monument, to be too extensive and inappropriate; the idea of the upcoming exhibition is also contentious, said historian and club committee member Jiří Kotyk to ČTK.

"It is about building some kind of underground exhibition that is supposed to be filled with yet unknown artifacts. When I think about what has actually survived from the former Nazi execution site, I can only remember two executioner posts and the handcuffs used by the Gestapo. The question arises as to what will fill the future museum exhibition," Kotyk stated. He rejects the idea that part of the memorial should be reserved for a Stalinist gulag or that Nazi songs should be played there, which he considers to be in poor taste towards the relatives of the victims of the heydrichiada.

He also points out that in the competition for the future form of the memorial, no first prize was awarded, only other prizes. The proposed form of the exhibition is to be presented at the end of June. The authors of the conceptual design are historian Vojtěch Kyncl and Blanka Jedličková.

The club also emphasizes that the Larisch villa, where Germans interrogated patriots, is located nearby the memorial. The building was acquired by the Czechoslovak Legionary Community, which is trying to gradually restore the dilapidated structure with the help of subsidies and make it accessible to the public. "These two projects will somehow compete with each other in the future," Kotyk said. He does not find it appropriate that there should be a concert and lecture hall in the memorial, which he believes should be located in the Larisch villa instead.

The new memorial is to be created in two phases. Architects Jan Žalský and Vít Podráský have proposed removing the current building containing the exhibition. They proposed a new one underground, accessible by ramps. On either side, the names of 194 victims will be displayed. According to Kotyk, this is unnecessary, as the names are already inscribed on a stone stele in the memorial, which he considers to be of greater artistic value. The granite monument dedicated to the victims will remain on site as a dominant element. In the second phase, the original access areas are to be removed, and modifications to paths and greenery are planned, along with the installation of outdoor illuminated carriers where information about the memorial will be presented. The city will allow the forest to grow back, thus bringing the area closer to its 1942 appearance.

The city aims to open the memorial in spring 2020, 75 years after the end of World War II. The estimated costs for the first phase are 15 million crowns excluding VAT. European funding is expected to cover 85 percent of the costs, 5 percent from the state budget, and 10 percent will be covered by the city from its own budget.