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A village in the Kladno region, Czech Republic. 343m above sea level and 479ha in size. The village whose name became a symbol of Fascist atrocity during the Second World War is situated 8Km east of Kladno. Today it has 160 family houses and a home for the elderly giving the village 423 permanent inhabitants, however, it was not always like this.
Lidice's history
Lidice was just one of many
ordinary villages in central Bohemia and had existed since the 13th century.
It consisted of a Baroque church in the middle of a courtyard, a road containing
a vicarage, a school, and the family houses of miners and iron workers
who were employed in nearby Kladno, it was situated just above the surrounding
farmland. The occupation of Czechoslovakia by the German army, and but
mainly the assaination of Heydrich the German puppet ruler sealed Lidice's
fate. Despite the fact that Lidice had no involvement with the assaination
the Gestapo found reason for revenge and chose the village for the brutal
acts that they were to perform. On the 10th of June 1943 173 men of the
village were shot, the women were taken to a concentration camp in Ravensbruck
and the children were taken to a camp in Chelmno, Poland where they were
all killed apart from a few who were chosen for re-education with German
families and were found after the war. In all there were 340 inabitants
of Lidice who were victims of the Nazi massacre. The village was burned
and levelled to the ground so that by 1943 there was just flat ground.
The news of what happened at Lidice spread around the world, and, after
the war the Czechoslovakian government decided to build a new village of
the same name. In 1947 the foundation stone was laid, and from 1949 life
returned to the village as it was slowly built.
Places to visit
Lidice national
cultural monument
Includes an area of consecrated
land containing the common grave of the men of Lidice, the foundations
if Horak's farm, the church, school and old Lidice's cemetary. Here you
will also find a museum and statues dedicated to the child victims of the
war.
Museum - Memorial
Lidice
There are the historical documents
which cover the Lidice tragedy. Apart from the main exhibition which has
an audio guide, there is also a video which was made from valuable footage
when Lidice was destroyed. From 2001 the Memorial Lidice is a conributor
organisation to the Czech Ministry of Culture, for more information search
at http://www.lidice-memorial.cz
Lidice Today
After more than 50 years, Lidice
offers pleasant and peaceful living in family homes to all its citizens.
There is mains water supply and sewerage, recently installed gas and telephone,
and currently all pavements are being renewed.
Enterprise,
services and shops
There are not many opportunities
for enterprise in the village, however, there is a carpenter, and a car
and taxi service. There is a restaurant ' Na Hristi' which has recently
opened, and in the main courtyard, a parade of shops providing groceries,
household goods, confectionary and a drugs store. The local community center
was sold to a private owner and is currently closed due to lack of funds.
In additon there is a Post Ofiice and Police station.
OAZA Lidice
A new building in Lidice is
"OAZA"
- an ecumenical centre of social, cutural and spiritual services. It has
6 sinlge rooms and 2 double rooms within the complex and was built during
1997-1998. In addition it also contains a doctors surgery, library, spiritual
area and large communial area.
Education
Children of primary school
age attend a school in Bustehrad - a small town in close proximity to Lidice.
There has been a nursery school in Lidice since 1972, it has a relaxed
family atmosphere, having room for 25-30 children and is run by the headmistress
Mrs. Eva Novakova.
Communities
and organizations
Lidice's women and children
are members od the Czech union of fighters for freedom.
Fotball team - TJ Sokol Lidice
Brigade of volumteer firemen
Czech fishing union
Czech hunting union - Orel Lidice
Local government
The council consists of nine
members. The mayor is Mr Vaclav Zelenka, the deputy mayors are Mr Rostislav
Vondruska and Mrs Hana Pokorna. The secretary is Mr Miroslav Cermak, and
the financial officer is Mrs Michaela Holubova, who is also the registrar
of Lidice, Makotrasy and Hrebec.
There is a newsletter that has been
published by the council for the last six years for the inhabitants of
Lidice, its editor is Mr Marek Vesely.
The local registry office is very
nice, being used by couples from all over the Czech Republic, not just
those from the Kladno region.