Pardubice approved the new form of the Memorial Zámeček

photo: www.zamecekpardubice.cz

Pardubice - The Pardubice city council approved the design of the Memorial Zámeček. Of the eight proposals in the competition, the concept by architect Jan Žalský won, who has also created exhibitions for the memorials of Lidice and Ležáky. All proposals will be presented this month by the Gallery of the City of Pardubice. CTK was informed today by Deputy Mayor Jakub Rychtecký (ČSSD). Germans executed the inhabitants of the Ležáky settlement and other patriots at this site during the Heydrich period; the location is a national cultural monument.

"The proposal addresses the site in a sensitive way, while the memorial itself remains the dominant element. The exhibition, which is newly embedded underground, does not disturb the solemn nature of the site," said Rychtecký.

The winner of the competition will soon begin working on the project documentation. The architect proposes to carry out the work on the memorial in two phases. In the first phase, he suggested removing not only the fencing but also the current building that houses the exhibition. The new exhibition will be underground, accessible via ramps with the names of the victims displayed along the sides. However, the demolition of the current building has its opponents.

"Any demolition in an area registered as a national cultural monument is very problematic from a preservation standpoint," said Jan Linhart, Chairman of the Pardubice Friends Club, some time ago.

In the second phase, the original access areas will be removed, and there will be modifications to paths and greenery, along with the installation of outdoor illuminated carriers that will provide information about the memorial. The dominant feature will remain the granite monument itself. The city plans to reforest the area, thus bringing its appearance closer to that of 1942.

"The memorial should not only be a place describing the lives of the victims of Nazi oppression or a site for memorial acts, but it should also serve to understand the roots of Nazi ideology and racial and national hatred," stated jury member and historian Vojtěch Kyncl, who, along with Blanka Jedličková, is the author of the conceptual design of the Zámeček Memorial.

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

The memorial is located near the Larisch villa, where the Germans interrogated inhabitants of Ležáky and other people. It is owned by the Czechoslovak Legionnaire Community, which is gradually trying to repair the dilapidated building. The city, the region, and the Ministry of Culture have already contributed to the renovations.