In the autumn, the Zámeček Memorial in Pardubice is expected to open to the public

Pardubice – In the autumn, the Zámeček Memorial in Pardubice should open to the public. The national cultural monument is undergoing extensive reconstruction, during which it will significantly change its appearance. The rough construction, which is set into the ground, was completed last November, the internal wiring is finished, the entrance ramp is complete, and work is beginning on the landscaping of the surrounding area, said Jakub Rychtecký (ČSSD), Deputy Mayor of Pardubice, to ČTK.

"Everything depends on how successfully we can create the necessary climatic conditions for the individual exhibits. The construction part will be completed in mid-summer, then the exhibition will be outfitted," Rychtecký stated.

The new building must maintain a stable temperature and humidity. Optimal conditions can sometimes be established within 14 days, but it may also take two months. Some of the exhibits will be loaned by the East Bohemian Museum, which will also install them.

The underground space, being created according to the design by architects Jan Žalský and Vít Podráský in collaboration with historian Vojtěch Kyncl, will give the memorial a completely new form. The exhibition will include not only displayed documents and objects but also an interactive section. The spoken word, such as films, is provided in collaboration with historian Kyncl by actors from the East Bohemian Theater.

During the reconstruction, the original rampart, where executions were carried out in 1942, will be uncovered, and after remodeling, it will become part of the memorial. Unlike in the past, it will be accessible year-round. The entrance will be from Průmyslová Street, where a parking lot will be created. The dominant feature of the national cultural monument will remain the current memorial.

The memorial stands on the site of the former training shooting range of the backup police regiment Böhmen, which the Nazis converted into a Gestapo execution site in the summer of 1942. From June 3 to July 9, 1942, 194 Czech patriots were executed here, their bodies cremated and ashes scattered into the Elbe River. In 1949, a memorial was established at the site of the executions. The current renovation will cost approximately 40 million crowns, with more than 21 million crowns being obtained from European grants.