Historical Prague

Tuesday, June 12

On our way to our first destination we walked past the place where we saw the  sculpture of a man hanging from an umbrella.  What did we notice this time?  Across the street we found his mate: a sculpture of a woman hanging from an umbrella.  New rule: we really have to look up more!

We continued down the river to a museum called The National Memorial to the Heroes of the Heydrich Terror.  First the background story…

In the late 1930s Hitler’s Germany was creating chaos throughout Europe and threatening war on many fronts.  Czechoslovakia had mobilized their armed forces in anticipation of a German attack.  In 1938, as an appeasement offering, England and France signed a pact with Germany and Italy called the Munich Agreement in which Czechoslovakia was given to Germany.  Czechoslovakia was not part of these negotiations.  When news of the agreement reached Czechoslovakia the government disbanded the army.  Many members of the military fled to fight with the Western powers.  This allowed German forces to annex the German speaking regions of Czechoslovakia known as the Sudetenland.

The Czechoslovakian people were not happy with the occupation and resisted in many ways.  To counter the resistance Heinrich Himmler created a new post called the Director of Reich Main Security Office and staffed it with a man named Reinhard Heydrich.

Heydrich was an SS Obergruppenfüer and General of the Police.  He instituted harsh and brutal methods of suppressing Czech nationalism and resistance.  As a consequence the Czech government in exile together with British Special Operations devised Operation Anthropoid – a mission to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich.

Two Czech soldiers who had escaped to England parachuted into Prague with the aim of killing Heydrich on his way from his countryside home to his office in Prague Castle.  One soldier, Gabčík, stopped the car by standing in the road.  He tried to fire his machine gun but it jammed.  The second solider, Kubiš, threw a grenade that wounded Heydrich and himself.  The car managed to escape but Heydrich died of his wounds several days later.

The soldiers were betrayed by another resistance member and were found hiding in the basement crypt of the Saint Kryil and Methodius Cathedral.  They died resisting arrest.  With the help of their informant the Germans were able to discover many members of the resistance.  They arrested over 13,000 and executed hundreds along with their entire families.  Intelligence falsely linked the assassins to the village of Lidice which the German’s completed destroyed.

The basement of the Church is now a National Memorial.  The entire story, along with many documents and photographs, is told through a series of displays.  The crypt contains memorial sculptures of several of the main participants of Operation Anthropoid including Gabčík and Kubiš.

(Memorials to Gabčík and Kubiš)

We also went upstairs to see the church.  It’s an Eastern Orthodox church that has been fully restored to its pre-war condition.  There are two trap doors, one in the front and one in the back, that lead to the crypt.  The carpets are rolled back in those areas to make them easy for visitors to find.  The bishop and church priests were executed for their role in hiding the soldiers.

A number of movies have been made about these events.  For a more complete version of the story you might want read this: Operation Anthropoid.

We continued walking south along the river and had lunch at a nice little restaurant.  Deborah had a spinach salad and I had a burger made with short ribs.  Both were delicious.  We ate everything before remembering to take a picture – that’s never happened before. 😉

We continued on our way until we reached Vyšehrad Castle (Upper Castle).  It’s a fort complex surrounded by high walls that was probably built during the 10th century.  The large grounds, which cover almost 90 acres, are set high on the river bank affording wonderful views of the surrounding area.  There are many things to see and do.  The main attraction is a large Gothic church dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul.  It was designated as a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II.

The cemetery contains the remains of many famous Czech writers, politicians and other notables including composers Antonín Dvořak and Bedřich Smetana.  The artist Alphonse Mucha is also buried there.  Many of the gravestones were carved by famous Czech craftsman.

Some of the other things to do and see include the Rotunda Church of Saint Martin, a picture gallery, the underground labyrinth that contains some of the original sculptures from the Charles Bridge and several red clay tennis courts.

(Saint Martin’s Rotunda)

We walked the entire perimeter before viewing the rotunda church.  It’s a small  round building dating from the 11th century with a long and interesting history.  It is the oldest rotunda in the city.  We were not able to view the interior as it was closed.

Next we visited the basilica.  It’s a huge building in typical Gothic style with a long center aisle and chapels all along the sides.  The church underwent extensive renovations in the 1980s and is in immaculate condition.  The walls of the nave and ceiling are now decorated with Art Deco frescos.

(Art Deco Frescos)

Every chapel has a beautiful stained glass window.  Near the back is a small treasury containing many beautiful and precious objects including reliquaries with the arm bones of Saints Kyril and Methodius.

 

(Stained Glass Windows)

The weather was turning rainy so we decided to leave.  We intend to come back and see more.

Distance walked: 6.3 miles