Memorial to the Victims of Communism (Prague)
The Memorial to the Victims of Communism (Czech: "Pomník obětem komunismu") is a memorial that commemorates the victims of the communist era between 1948 and 1989 in Czechoslovakia . It is located at the foot of Petřín on the left side of the Vltava River in Prague .
history
The memorial was unveiled on May 22, 2002, twelve years after the fall of communism , and is the work of Czech sculptor Olbram Zoubek and architects Jan Kerel and Zdeněk Hölzel . Its establishment was supported by the Prague municipal administration and the "Association of Political Prisoners" (KPV).
The monument to the victims of communism shows seven bronze figures on a descending staircase. The statues dissolve the further they stand from the viewer. They lose limbs and their bodies fragment.
A bronze strip running along the center of the memorial shows the estimated number of victims of communism in Czechoslovakia:
- 205,486 arrested
- 170,938 forced into exile
- 4,500 died in prison
- 327 shot while trying to escape
- 248 executed
A bronze plaque nearby bears the inscription: "The memorial to the victims of communism is dedicated to all victims - not only those who were imprisoned or executed, but also those whose lives were ruined by totalitarian tyranny."
controversy
Before the unveiling of the monument, reports appeared in the Prague media about who should attend the celebration. President Václav Havel , one of the leading dissidents in the communist era, was among those invited shortly before the unveiling ceremony. Eventually he refused to participate.
The monument did not receive unreserved approval. Artists call the monument kitsch , others criticize that there are no female figures. One of the statues was damaged by two bomb explosions in 2003. It is still not clear who was responsible for the attacks.
Web links
swell
- ↑ http://www.kpv-cr.cz
- ↑ http://www.radio.cz/en/article/28266
- ↑ http://www.radio.cz/en/article/47274
Coordinates: 50 ° 4 ′ 52.2 " N , 14 ° 24 ′ 15.4" E