The Zámeček Memorial in Pardubice is likely to open in September 2021

Pardubice – By the end of June next year, the construction phase of the reconstruction of the Zámeček Memorial in Pardubice should be completed. After that, the individual exhibitions will be equipped, which will take several months. The National Cultural Monument is expected to open to the public in September next year, although the exact date is not yet certain.

"We are discussing the installation of exhibitions, and the contract with the East Bohemian Museum is being finalized. Some objects need to be in an environment with a certain temperature and humidity; sometimes it is possible to set the optimal level in the new facility within 14 days, but sometimes it can take up to two months," said Deputy Mayor Jakub Rychtecký.

The restoration of the place where Nazis murdered nearly 200 Czech patriots during World War II will cost approximately 40 million crowns. The city hall will receive more than 21 million crowns from European grants.

The underground space being created according to the designs of architects Jan Žalský and Vít Podrášký in collaboration with historian Vojtěch Kyncl will give the memorial a completely new appearance. The materials for the interactive exhibition are also being finalized. The spoken part, such as films, will be provided in collaboration with historian Kyncl by actors from the East Bohemian Theatre.

A portion of the greenery, especially the bushes behind the current memorial, will be removed. This will uncover the original embankment, in front of which executions were carried out in 1942, and which will become part of the memorial after remodeling. Unlike the current state, it will be accessible year-round. The entrance will be from Průmyslová Street, where a parking lot will be created. The current monument will remain the dominant feature of the national cultural monument.

The memorial stands on the site of the former training shooting range of the reserve police battalion Böhmen, which the Nazis transformed into a Gestapo execution site in the summer of 1942. From June 3 to July 9, 1942, 194 Czech patriots were executed here, their bodies were cremated, and the ashes were dumped into the Elbe River. A memorial was established on the site of the execution in 1949.