ÚZSVM continues its work on the transformation of the prison into the Museum of Totality

Uherské Hradiště – The Office for the Representation of the State in Property Matters (ÚZSVM) has had all buildings in the area of the former prison in Uherské Hradiště meticulously measured and documented. In the future, it is to house a Museum of Totalitarianism, a district court, a public prosecutor's office, and probation and mediation services. The measurements of the area will serve as a basis for architectural-historical and technical surveys and for the assignment of a competition for project documentation for the planned reconstruction. The office, which took over the area three years ago, announced this today in a press release.

For the reconstruction of the prison, known primarily for the brutal methods of the communist State Security investigators against political prisoners in the 1950s, the office has also launched a website www.uzsvm.cz/vezniceuh. Interested parties will find a timeline with key moments in history and the present, information about the reconstruction of the area, or future plans.

The former Uherské Hradiště prison has been abandoned since 1960, having ceased to exist during the reform of state administration. During World War II, the Gestapo used the prison as a gathering place for political prisoners before their transport to concentration camps. After the war, people's courts took place here, and public executions were held in the prison courtyard; during the communist era, people inconvenient to the regime were imprisoned here. Since then, the area has deteriorated. The state plans to repair it in the coming years.

According to director Kateřina Arajmu, the ÚZSVM wants to "accelerate the reconstruction of the prison to the maximum." In August, it intends to announce public contracts for the necessary surveys, followed by the preparation of documentation for the zoning decision and building permit.

The prison area was transferred to the management of ÚZSVM in 2017, and a year later, its use was selected based on a prepared study. According to the investment plan approved by the Ministry of Finance, the state should invest approximately 436 million crowns in the reconstruction.

According to the study on the use of the area, the Museum of Totalitarianism should occupy about a quarter of the space in the former prison. It is to take up approximately 2,000 square meters across three floors. These are parts of the building that include a chapel, solitary confinement cells, and adjacent hallways with rooms. The building is to host two permanent exhibitions, the Museum of Totalitarian Regimes dedicated to the history of the prison and the Iron Curtain depicting communist propaganda.