What is Lidice? A village that was destroyed by the Nazi in what was then Czechoslovakia during the second world war. This was in retaliation of the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich by British-trained Czech resistance fighters. On 10 June 1942 Nazi soldiers entered Lidice and executed all 17 men – males over 15 – while 307 women and 88 children were taken to concentration camps. Only 146 of the women and 17 children are known to have survived. Seven younger children were seen as sufficiently Aryan to be placed with German SS families – they returned to Lidice after the war, unable to speak Czech. Lidice was razed to the ground. All this was filmed and broadcast by the Nazis.
Why are we twinned with it?
‘Lidice lives’ was a campaign in the second world war, originating in the Midlands, aimed at highlighting the barbarity of the Nazis and insisting that lives will not be forgotten.
What is Lidice today
Lidice is a village / small town today of around 600 people, some seven or so miles outside of Prague. (You can get to it easily and cheaply from Prague by public transport – metro and bus 319. An uber from Prague would be about £30).
The present day village of Lidice is adjacent to what was the old village which is now one large site of remembrance. The site was reinvigorated in 2001 as part of post-soviet era reconstruction. A small but ‘perfectly sized’ museum and gallery were built and the rose garden re-worked.
There are a foundations of one or two buildings but nothing substantial still stands. There are various monuments and sculpture on the site, including a life size one of children taken away and killed in gas ovens in Chelmno and a cross from the old church. There are further statues: a mourning woman standing by the grave of Lidice man; mother with her child; a woman covering her face from the flames of the burning village; a boy and a girl called with the title ‘Peace’. There is a collection of modern art too – this was inspired by an invite in 1967 – the 25th anniversary of Lidice extermination.
The museum itself has various multimedia displays – you can ask in advance for a guide but you do not need one. There are lists of people who died, nazi photographs of the massacres and interviews with survivors. Texts are in English, German and Czech.
Each will be moved in their own way, what got to me were the photos of everyday life in the 1920’s and 1930’s: school photos, people posing for weddings; working in the fields; meeting up in cafes. Why could these lives not have been frozen in time?
The life-size sculpture of the children who never came back is moving but overwhelms but what got me was the handful of flowers and toys visitors – children themselves – had left. I heard too from a guide about the killing of one boy who was 14 at the time of the massacre. They left him and came to find him a few weeks later when he reached 15 to execute him. The shock of Nazism is its utterly cold and systematic nature.
The rose gardens has an appeal for English visitors as it was an initiative of Sir Barnett Stross, started with a donation of 29 thousand rose plants from 32 countries of the world. Rose gardens are popular in the Czech republic and the one in Lidice is extensive and impressive, though July was probably not the most stunning time of year to see the blooms.
Who to contact in Lidice?
In respect to the museum I met Jindrich Minx, and explained to Jindrich about Coventry twinning and showed the Coventry Telegraph article about the rededication ceremony for the memorial to Lidice in Coventry attended by people from the Czech embassy. He knew so much about the history of Lidice and had heard the name Harry Wheatcroft but explained that Barnett Stross is more well-known (an avenue is named after him in Lidice).
Just how much can you pack into a life? Sir Barnett Stross (1899 –1967) was a doctor reformer and MP. He set up practice in the Potteries. He campaigned for safeguarding against the silicosis that was affecting pottery workers. He gave free medical care. He sat on Stoke council and became an MP. He led the movement to remember Lidice forming a committee immediately after the massacre in 1942 with Czechoslovak President in exile, Edvard Beneš, Will Lawther, President of the Miners’ Federation, and Soviet Ambassador Bogomolov in attendance. ‘Lidice lives’ was a reply to Hitler’s statement that ‘Lidice shall die’. Today, there is a sculpture commemorating Lidice Shall Live in Stoke which features 3,000 tags bearing the initials of people who promise to share the story of the movement.
Can we develop the link further?
Lidice is a more village /small town and the memorail site only has two or three staff. Lidice has very many international links, the link with Coventry is just one. It is difficult to see how we or they can find the time and opportunity to find projects to work on in the future. However, if you are travelling to Prague, then do visit Lidice. If you are working working in a school then you might wnat to find otu about ICEFA Lidice. This is a competition for children from 4 to 16 years. The main theme is recommended by the Czech Commission for UNESCO and it is up to children to interpret this and choose their preferred medium: paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, 3D and animations. Find out more at: www.mdvv-lidice.cz/en
For more on Lidice go to:
https://www.lidice-memorial.cz/en/ – this is the official site in English (there are Czech, German and Russian versions. )
http://www.lidice.cz not an official site but covers a lot, mostly in Czech, but there are many photos
There are many videos posted about Lidice on YouTube, this one gives a sense of the past and present. (This is a link to an external web site, the material is credited to James Truswell).
Coventry Association for International Friendship 