The region wants to transform the area of the memorial in Ploština

Zlín - The Zlin Region is preparing, together with the Museum of South-East Moravia in Zlín, the renewal of the memorial space at Ploština in Zlín, which is a national cultural monument. CTK was informed by the region's spokesperson Renata Janečková. The demolition of the amphitheater is planned, and a visitor center is to be built in its place. The plan also includes the reconstruction and modernization of the exhibition in house number 23, the repair of the memorial itself, and an overall solution for the exteriors in the area.

The memorial at Ploština commemorates the burning of a logging settlement. On April 19, 1945, the Nazis shot or drove 24 people into the flames and set fire to ten of the twelve houses. It was a cruel reprisal for the fact that the local people helped partisans.

"We would like Ploština to come alive. That is why we propose that a coherent complex of activities be created here, which will interestingly and attractively remind of the historical events that took place here. Whether through an exhibition that will tell the story of the logging settlement before its burning through iconographic and audiovisual elements, or multifunctional spaces for accompanying activities. These will relate both to the theme of the tragedy and to life in the logging settlement and in the region," said the deputy governor Josef Zicha (STAN).

Plans also include building a parking lot, restoring greenery, and terrain modifications, as well as creating walkways. The region aims to obtain European funding for the renewal, with the announcement of a call from the Integrated Regional Operational Program (IROP) expected this August. "The exact costs of the project will be specified after the detailed project documentation is processed," said the spokesperson. The grant should cover 90 percent of the costs.

"The expected August call will focus on streamlining the presentation and strengthening the protection and development of cultural heritage. In my opinion, the project at Ploština meets these conditions. Given that a similar call is unlikely to be announced in the coming years, we will do our best to be successful," Zicha stated.

The logging settlements scattered across the Vizovice Hills became a refuge for members of the partisan movement at the turn of 1944 and 1945. The 1st Czechoslovak Partisan Brigade of Jan Žižka, commanded by Major Dajan Baranovich Murzin, began operating in the vicinity of Zlín. The loggers provided partisans with food, basic medical care, shelter, and some also assisted them in their operations.

Several Ploština houses were rebuilt in 1947, and the newly built chapel was consecrated that same year, with plates bearing the names of the martyred loggers on its pillars. In 1975, the National Cultural Monument of Resistance was established, and in 1985, an exhibition on the fight against fascism and for liberation in the Zlín district was opened in one of the newly constructed homesteads.