The exhibition in New Town presents the Holocaust museum project

Prague - The exhibition "Paths to the Memorial" at the New Town Hall presents a project in which today's Bubny train station is to be transformed into a center for discussion about the Holocaust and its legacy. During World War II, thousands of Prague residents were deported from Bubny station to concentration camps. In March, the organizers plan to lay the foundation stone for the memorial, which will be a monumental sculptural work by Aleš Veselý that refers to the transports.
    The exhibition presents the future architectural concept of the memorial and introduces visitors to the project of a permanent exhibition. It will last until February 1 and is accessible free of charge.
    The foundation stone of the memorial will be the "base track" - Veselý's object is a track inclined towards the sky with sleepers, reminiscent of Jacob’s ladder. The object will be 20 meters tall. It is to stand at the site where people passed during deportations. The sculpture may also act as a raised finger - in that case, more connected to the present than to history, the organizers state.
    It is a challenge to bring the concept of a memorial to the stigmatized past of the 20th century to realization and to make it accessible to the public as soon as possible. "The unveiling of Aleš Veselý's monumental object will not just be a new sculpture in the public space of Prague, but primarily a message to the public and politicians that the concept of transforming Bubny station into the Memorial of Silence is ready for realization," adds the project's author, documentary filmmaker and director of the non-profit organization Memorial Šoa Prague, Pavel Štingl. The transformation of the station into a modern memorial of contemporary history has been prepared by the organization since 2012.
    The now non-functional object is to become a platform with a permanent exhibition, educational programs, seasonal exhibitions, and a space for meetings according to the organizers' vision. The non-profit organization Memorial Šoa has signed a lease agreement with Czech Railways for 50 years. The study for the reconstruction of the object is being prepared by the architectural office of Romana Kouckého. The project is being ensured by the Deltaplan studio.
    According to the project's organizers, Prague is one of the few European capitals that does not commemorate the victims of the Holocaust in public space. "We have a dignified memorial for the deceased who did not return from the transports, which are the names on the wall of the Pinkas Synagogue. But Prague lacks a center where these matters can be discussed," Štingl previously stated. Information about the Memorial of Silence can be found at www.bubny.org.