Lidice

Last Wednesday (2/3) I went on my second ECES orientation trip. The trip was all about studying Czech resistance to the Nazis during World War II. I could write for weeks about everything, so I will try to give you a semi-abbreviated version. To explain the trip I need to give a little historical background first. In 1941 a Nazi leader named Reinhard Heydrich was appointed Protector of Bohemia and Moravia (the Czechoslovakia). After Hitler, Heydrich was the most feared man in the Nazi Party. At this same time a group of Czechoslovak loyalist were living in exile in England and claiming loyalty to the former Czechoslovak president. The group in England decided that they needed to assassinate Heydrich to attempt to free Czechoslovakia from the Nazis and to show that the group was not going to allow the Nazis to take Europe without a fight. After over a year of training and planning the assassination happened in May of 1942. After Heydrich’s death Hitler was furious and was determined to retaliate against the Czech people. There were thousands of arrests and an intense manhunt for the perpetrators of the assassination. The assassins hid out in a church in Prague and were eventually found. However they did not go without a fight. There was a shootout that lasted for a few hours before the Nazis overwhelmed the men. The men all committed suicide on the spot. In his final attempt to Punish the Czech people Hitler ordered the town of Lidice destroyed, and on June 10th 1942 the down was totally destroyed. All men were killed on the spot, children determined to be worthy of “Germination” were to be adopted by SS families, all others were killed, and the women were sent to concentration camps.

The trip started at the church in Prague where the assassins hid. The church was called The Orthodox Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius and was huge. At one point the church was a Catholic church however it somehow became a Greek Orthodox Church later. The first thing that the group did was go down to the basement of the church where there was a small museum and theater room. In the theater we watched a movie that was all about what I wrote about in the above paragraph. We then went into the crypt where the assassins hid. We then went into the chapel where most of the fighting with Nazis took place. The church/ museum was fascinating and I have already promised some friends who weren’t on the field trip with me that I would go back with them. I wouldn’t say the church was a point of personal pride like it is the to the Czech people but it was a source of relief. Far too often when studying World War II and the Holocaust I have read about apathy and an overwhelming willingness to support Hitler. This church was a shrine to those who had the courage to say enough.
(Memorial outside of the church)

After the church we boarded the buses to go to the sight where the town of Lidice once stood. It was very strange. The town stood on a hill and was surrounded by trees. That day it was sunny and the “town” was absolutely covered in snow. There were several memorials at the site. There was a memorial to all of the children, a cemetery, and a cross surrounded by trees. There was also a museum behind the town. I had a lot of trouble processing what had happened there. I spent about an hour walking around the site where Lidice once stood and couldn’t even imagine what had happened. I obviously come from a much bigger city than Lidice, but I couldn’t imagine what happened there happening in my hometown or even my neighborhood (which is about the same size as Lidice was).

(Lidice)

Wednesday was a day filled with a whirlwind of emotions. I was able to take solace in the fact that there were people who gave their lives to fight Hitler and Nazis. I know that these heroes will always be remembered. It was also a day filled with tremendous sadness. Seeing Lidice was heartbreaking and the pictures of the children that lined the wall of the museum will always stay with me.

(The children's memorial)