Rath: The Memorial of Resistance in Břežany will have an interactive character

Prague - The Memorial of Czechoslovak Resistance, which the Central Bohemian Region wants to build in Panenské Břežany near Prague, will utilize the latest technologies and will be primarily aimed at young people. Governor David Rath (ČSSD) said this to journalists today. According to him, it should not be a boring exhibition with information panels. The memorial will have an interactive character that would engage the youngest generation, plans the governor.
    "Our goal is to present that era, the Nazi occupation, and the Czechoslovak resistance, especially to the younger generation, meaning students of higher grades of elementary schools and high school students, and of course, anyone from the general public who is interested," said Rath.
    Currently, a study is being prepared, which will be submitted for comments to the Military Historical Museum. "Given that it is aimed at the younger generation, our requirement was to make maximum use of the latest technologies, which means computer animations and computer games," stated the governor. An interactive exhibition depicting the assassination of the acting Reich Protector Reinhard Heydrich will be created at the memorial, for example.
    The plan to build the museum in the so-called upper castle, which was used during the war by the prominent Nazi leader K. H. Frank, is reportedly not liked by the mayor of Panenské Břežany, Libor Holík. According to him, this exhibition could be created rather in the lower Břežany castle, which was inhabited by Heydrich's family. Recently, Heydrich's son Heider visited the castle accompanied by Holík and researcher Jaroslav Čvančara. The media then reported that Heydrich wants to seek funds from European funds for the renovation of the dilapidated building, which has sparked resistance from, for example, the Union of Freedom Fighters. Heydrich later denied this.
    In this context, Rath stated that the region had to base its decision on what buildings were available and pointed out that the lower castle is privately owned. He also argued that the exhibition should not be about Heydrich, but rather about the Czechoslovak resistance against fascism. He described Holík's activism as bizarre and almost absurd. "I hope he doesn’t come next time with a grandson of Adolf Hitler," he added.
    The governor pointed out that there is no similar memorial in Czech territory. "It can make Panenské Břežany famous, and moreover, it will save the small castle," he believes.
    Heydrich, who was among other things a co-author of the so-called Final Solution to the Jewish Question, was sent to Prague to break the domestic anti-Nazi resistance. The assassination attempt against him is considered one of the most significant actions of the Czech resistance. Paratroopers Jan Kubiš and Jozef Gabčík attacked the acting Reich Protector on May 27, 1942; Heydrich succumbed to his injuries on June 4. Immediately after the assassination, martial law was declared, mass executions began, and Nazi terror culminated in the annihilation of Lidice and Ležáky.