In Letech, there could be a replica of the house and an avenue, perhaps even part of the pigsty

Prague - The memorial to the Romani Holocaust in Lety near Písek could include a replica of the original building, a tree-lined avenue, or a mound with a cross. There is also consideration to leave one of the pig farm buildings, which was built in close proximity to the site of the former concentration camp for Roma, after World War II. This was mentioned today during a debate organized by ROMEA and co-organized by the Museum of Romani Culture in Prague. Another similar event is planned for spring directly in Lety.

In the calm, memorial part of the site, the relatives of the victims want a stone mound with a cross. "We envision that in places where the foundations of buildings are preserved, they would be indicated in a contrasting manner," said the director of the museum, Jana Horváthová. There is also a plan for an avenue where the number of trees would symbolize the number of victims.

At the current administrative building of the pig farm, there should be an entrance to the part with a visitor center. There, the museum plans to establish a permanent exhibition on the Romani Holocaust, and will also display archaeological finds from the camp. Some of the current buildings may remain. "If we completely demolish the pigsty, it will lose the horror of what the communists built there," said Rudolf Murka on behalf of the relatives. According to others, it is important to build a replica of one of the original buildings with original furnishings and bunk beds.

The Museum of Romani Culture is supposed to take over the building from the company operating the pig farm at the end of March; there are still reportedly about a thousand pigs remaining there. Then it will issue a tender for the demolition and reclamation of the buildings and the removal of ecological burdens. According to Jaroslav Kolčava from the Ministry of Culture, approximately 117 million crowns has been allocated for this, and another million euros will likely come from the Norwegian funds. According to him, about 120 million of these total approximately 140 million crowns will go toward demolitions and reclamation.

According to historians, the camp in Lety was opened in August 1940 by the protectorate authorities as a punitive labor camp. It was for men who could not prove their source of livelihood. It was also supposed to accommodate nomads. A similar facility existed in Hodonín near Kunštát. In January 1942, both camps were transformed into collection camps, and in August, gypsy camps were established in both locations. From then until May 1943, a total of 1,308 Roma - men, women, and children - passed through the Lety camp, 327 of whom died there, and over five hundred ended up in Auschwitz. After the war, fewer than 600 Romani prisoners returned from concentration camps. According to experts' estimates, the Nazis murdered 90 percent of Czech and Moravian Roma.

The Government Council for National Minorities supported in mid-February a proposal to designate the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Romani Holocaust as one of the significant days in the calendar. It also condemned the statements of the Vice-Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies and leader of SPD Tomio Okamura, who stated that the camp in Lety was not fenced and that the imprisoned could move freely in the vicinity. He later apologized for his statement that the camp was not fenced. However, he said that the fence was wooden and that no one usually guarded it. Some deputies suggested that Okamura be dismissed from his position as Vice-Chairman of the Chamber for his statements, but the motion did not pass on the agenda. A special session of the Chamber on the topic is expected next week.