Lidice

In consequence of the revenge, called "Heydrichiad", the village of Lidice was burnt up and - in fact - completely deleted from the map as the village was set on fire and the remains of the buildings were bulldozed. Local people were murdered or transported in concentration camps. After the war, 143 women and - after a very careful investigation - also 17 children returned home. Not only a single man arrived as all 173 adult male inhabitants of Lidice were murdered..

Restoration of the village of Lidice

When the war ended, the village was newly built some 500 metres from the original, destroyed village. At the place where the old village of Lidice used to be, a memorial to commemorate the massacred victims was erected. A museum dedicated to the tragedy was built in the village.

Why was the village of Lidice destroyed

Why it was just the village of Lidice that was deleted from the map? It was a cruel coincidence. On 3rd June, Jaroslav Pál, owner of the factory in Slaný that produced batteries, opened a suspicious letter which was addressed to his employee, Anna Marusczáková from Holousy. As it was written in the letter, "Dear Anna, Let me apologize for late writing… I have implemented the plan. On that day, I was sleeping somewhere at Čabárna. I am all right. See you this week for the last time before we part forever. Milan." The owner of the factory got the idea that the person who had written the letter may be involved in Heydrich´s assassination so he alerted the police. The girl, Anna Marusczáková, who did not know the real name of her lover, mentioned during the interrogation that her boyfriend had asked her to give kind regards to the Horák family in Lidice from their son. The interrogation was followed by the police roundup in Lidice. Members of Horák family and Stříbrný family, whose sons joined the Czechoslovak troops in England, were arrested. House searches and interrogations did not reveal anything suspicious. Anyway, on the following day the boyfriend of Anna Marusczáková was identified. It was Václav Říha, a worker from Vrapice near Kladno. He was married and he was afraid that his affair with the girl from the nearby village will be revealed so he wanted to split up. With the help of his co-workers, he sent the letter to her in order to raise an assumption that he had been involved in the resistance fight and that he was leaving to hide in the forests around Křivoklát and join the partisans. The Gestapo police in Kladno soon found out that none of them had been involved in the assassination. Unfortunately, in the meantime, Karl Hermann Frank, hoping that he would strengthen his position and increase his chances to be appointed the German Empire Protector, decided to use Lidice as an example of his vigour and decisiveness. On 9th June, during Heydrich´s funeral ceremony in Berlin , he submitted Hitler his plan of example revenge - and he was provided approval instantly. Because of him, innocent men, women and children had to suffer so much.

History

The history of the village dates back to the 14th century. The village of Lidice was first mentioned in 1318. At present, it is considered a significant sacred place.

GPS: 50.1435222332, 14.1901258339  Edit

Altitude: 349 m  Edit

Foundation (year): 1318  Edit

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