Way of the Cross to Freedom (Jáchymov)

The Way of the Cross to Freedom in Jáchymov in front of the Church of St. Joachim and St. Anna was created by the sculptor Roman Podraszek in memory of political prisoners who were used to mine uranium in Jáchymov, Horní Slavkov and Příbram during the communist regime in Czechoslovakia . Luboš Hruška created a way of the cross for the victims under the communist regime, which can now be found in the meditation garden in Pilsen .

This memorial was established on the initiative of the Confederation of Political Prisoners. It consists of 15 stones that represent the former prison camps: Barbora (thorns), Bratrství (wire netting), Eliáš (grid), L-Elko [Vykmanov II] (Judas' purse), Mariánská (roses), Nikolaj (tied hands ), Rovnost (Christmas bell ), Svornost (spring and tears), Vykmanov [I] (barbed wire), Hornoslavkovsk (flowers), Prokop (rope), Svatopluk (chain), 12 [XII] (candle), Příbram: Bytíz (ball with chain), Vojna (linden branch). The conclusion is the large stone "Gate of Freedom". Every year, on the last Saturday in May, an act of remembrance for the victims of the Czech gulag takes place on this way of the cross. The monument was inaugurated on May 25, 1996.

Between 1949 and 1953, 18 prison camps were set up in the area between Jáchymov and Horní Slavkov. In 1961 around 65,000 were obliged to mine uranium. They were forced to mine uranium, which took place here until 1964. In less than 15 years, 7,940 tons of uranium were mined and over 1,000 km of tunnels were driven. In total, around 100,000 political prisoners and over 250,000 conscripts passed through the camps. It is believed that around half of them died while doing forced labor. The Jáchymov Hell Educational Trail begins at the Way of the Cross and leads to the Unity Pit .

Web links

Commons : Křížová cesta ke svobodě (Jáchymov)  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://www.pametnimista.usd.cas.cz/jachymov-pametni-kameny-tzv-krizova-cesta-ke-svobode/
2. ^ Pustejovsky, Otfrid: Stalin's bomb and the "Hell of Joachimsthal". Uranium mining and forced labor in Czechoslovakia after 1945 . Lit, Berlin 2009, OCLC 463781385 , p. 442 .
3. ↑ Naučná stezka Jáchymovské peklo: Jáchymov. Retrieved March 31, 2018 (Czech).