The field stretched as far as you could see. To the untrained eye, it would appear as though it was a peaceful park and today it is. People called to their dog rolling in the grass in the distance and children were eating ice cream sitting in the sunshine and someone peacefully mowed the grass of the giant field along the pathway. One would never guess that only seventy-six years ago this was a small town with most of its inhabitants working in mines and factories nearby. A town that was completely destroyed by the Nazi’s during World War II.
One of the most powerful men of Nazi Germany drove from his home in Paneske Brezany to the Prague castle everyday. On May 27th, 1942, when he was enroute to work, in an attach planned by the British Special Operations Executive, he was assassinated. After he was killed, the Nazis went on a witch hunt in search of the killers and retaliated against the whole town in the process. All of its inhabitants were sent to concentration camps or brutally murdered; very few survived. Those who did had nothing left as the entire town was demolished. Everything was bombed and burned.
The idealistic landscape and architecture was a great juxtaposition against the atrocities committed in this location and the way the museum was designed. The museum matches the story; it is dark, grim and cold. The park is quite the opposite. While the museum tells the important story; the park takes a different approach. The pathway is inviting. Even in the bright sun, everyone walked from one end to the other in search of pieces to the puzzle. As you walk along you not only are able to see the memorials but are able to visualize what was once there.