Norway has confirmed that it wants to allocate one million euros to the memorial in Lety

Lety - The Norwegian Ambassador Siri Ellen Sletner today confirmed in Lety near Písek that Norway wants to contribute one million euros (approximately 25 million CZK) towards the construction of a memorial to the Roma Holocaust at the site of the former pig farm. The Museum of Romani Culture has opened an information center at the office in Lety, which commemorates the genocide of Roma in Bohemia. Kristina Kohoutová, spokesperson for the Museum of Romani Culture, told ČTK today.

The pig farm in Lety near Písek is located near the site where a Romani concentration camp used to be. In early April, representatives of the Museum of Romani Culture took over the complex, for which the state will pay the company Agpi 450.8 million CZK, the amount of which the company has already received 80 percent. According to the museum director Jana Horváthová, the pig farm will be demolished by the end of the year, with the demolition estimated to cost 110 million CZK. A memorial to the Roma Holocaust will be built at the site.

The state is negotiating support for the construction of the memorial from the so-called Norwegian funds amounting to one million euros (approximately 25 million CZK). Sletnerová told representatives of the Ministry of Culture and the Museum of Romani Culture today that Norway will support the construction.

"She said that this is really a very important project for the Norwegian side, which they are counting on and want to support. The ambassador greatly appreciates that the Czech Republic has purchased the pig farm," said Kohoutová.

First, an archaeological survey of the site will be conducted at the pig farm for 1.5 million CZK. It will start in May and last for two months. The Museum of Romani Culture has already opened the information center at the office in Lety. "It has been newly painted, and a small exhibition titled Genocide of the Roma has been installed there," said the spokesperson.

In the summer, the museum plans to define the criteria for an artistic-architectural competition regarding the design of the future memorial site and visitor center. A memorial act will take place in Lety on May 13.

The former pig farm area should feature a visitor center with an exhibition of archaeological findings and a lecture hall for schools and group excursions. The form of the memorial will also be discussed on April 25 at a public forum in Lety. According to Kohoutová, Karel Schwarzenberg (TOP 09), artists, and experts have promised to attend.

On March 14, the company Agpi transported the last 330 pigs from the pig farm in Lety. There were 13,000 pigs in 13 halls. The pig farm, covering an area of 7.1 hectares, was built starting in 1972. Discussions about the purchase and establishment of a memorial site have been ongoing for over 20 years. The memorial to the Roma Holocaust could include a replica of the original barracks, an avenue, or a mound with a cross.