Memorial Tour in Prague
Many tourists wonder how Prague could survive the war without any significant damage. Not that much true though, but comparing to other cities in Europe, Prague was one of the lucky ones. In this post I would like to take you for a virtual tour to tell you more about what you can experience on my Memorial Tour. Just in case you are still note decided to book.
Memorial Tour usually starts next to the Municipal House. This is the best place to talk about changes in our history, how we transformed from thousand years old Czech Kingdom to Czechoslovakian Republic and how Nazis took control over the country. The Municipal House was the location of the Czechoslovak Declaration of Independence in 1918. It is here, where literally, the freedom was born.
Let’s immerse to the streets of Old Town and talk about how life changed under Nazi rule. Did you know, that in the first days of occupation, Nazis ordered a change-over to a right-hand traffic system, and we had only 9 hours to prepare for it? Many brave people joined protests that culminated in November 1939 when all Czech universities were closed and over 1200 students were sent to Nazi concentration camps. We will see the Charles University, the symbol of democracy and fight for the freedom.
There are so many brave people that put their lives for our country. Many of them were members of the resistance, many others died in the last days of the war when they stood against Nazi occupiers. Streets of Prague were full of barricades from any material they could find — cobblestones, furniture, cars… We will see the traces of this fights, that are still visible — you just have to know where to look. And of course, we will also talk about the Jewish community and their members, who were send to various concentration camps all over Europe. Did you know, that Nazis made a decision to protect all synagogues, just to use them as their museums?
The major part of our Memorial Tour will be about one of the bravest actions that was ever done — Operation Anthropoid. The Butcher of Prague or The Blond Beast are two (of many more) nicknames of Reinhard Heydrich, the new governor of Czech lands. He arrived to Prague in 1941 and immediately started persecutions of Czech political and intellectual personalities. He also gave orders to establish a ghetto and to start with the Jewish transports. He eventually paid for all what he did to Czechs in 1942 when two Czechoslovakian paratroopers from the resistance tried assassinate him. To know how it all happened we will visit the church of St. Cyril and St. Methodius in New Town district.
Are you interested to know more, to see it all? Just join me for Memorial Tour.
P.S. I will try to show you also the Petschek Palace. This building was build shortly before the WW2 for the merchant banker Julius Petschek, with all the modern gadgets such as tube post or paternoster lift. During the Nazi occupation the Palace became the Gestapo headquarters. The horrific tortures and interrogations took place in its basement, and there is a small exhibition about what happened in the rooms nowadays. Petschek Palace is used by the Ministry of Trade and Industry today, therefore the visit is only on request.
Are you interested to know more, to see it all? Just join me for Memorial Tour provided by Prague Journeys.
