Location in relation to the surroundings

The memorial is situated on the Palackého square in Uherské Hradiště near to the Secondary Professional School of Applied Art, near to the former Communist prison and District Court.

Text of the inscription

VICTIMS OF COMMUNISM // IN Uherské Hradiště convicted and executed people: ZIKMUND BAKALA *12. 6. 1925 †4. 9. 1951 / JOSEF ČUBA *29. 10. 1893 †4. 9. 1951 / ANTONÍN DANĚK *24. 4. 1927 †14. 10. 1950 / KAREL DANĚK *29. 9. 1923 † 14. 10. 1950 / FRANTIŠEK DVOŘÁK *13. 10. 1923 †14. 10. 1950 / ZDENĚK FAJKUS *20. 7. 1925 †16. 6. 1953 / ANTONÍN JÁNOŠÍK *26. 7. 1926 †23. 10. 1950 / RUDOLF LENHARD *12. 1. 1918 †24. 10. 1950 / FRANTIŠEK MANA *22. 10. 1910 †24. 10. 1950 / MILOSLAV POSPÍŠIL *6. 8. 1918 / †4. 9. 1951 / VLADIMÍR RAJNOCH *8. 3. 1925 †4. 9. 1951 / TOMÁŠ RUMÍŠEK * 21. 5. 1923 †6. 5.1951 / ALOIS ŠIMERA *14. 3. 1921 †27. 4. 1951 / JAROSLAV VETEJŠKA *14. 5. 1926 †6. 9. 1950 / JAROMÍR VRBA *5. 7. 1920 †19. 12. 1950 / KAREL ZÁMEČNÍK * 8. 7. 1923 † 27. 4. 1951 // Tortured and died in the Zherské Hradiště prison: STANISLAV ADAM *22. 5. 1901 †27. 12. 1952 / JAN BORÝSEK *12. 4. 1907 †21. 10. 1952 / JAN KOPEČNÝ *18. 5. 1884 †10. 6. 1952 / JOSEF LESKOVJAK *20. 8. 1907 †28. 5. 1951 / JAROSLAV PIJÁK *17. 1. 1914 / †18. 3. 1952 / JAN PLESL *22. 12. 1898 †21. 8. 1953 / ALOIS POHŮNEK *22. 10. 1914 †11. 3. 1949 / RUDOLF SACHER *14. 6. 1911 †8. 1. 1953 / ROSTISLAV SOCHOREC *2. 7. 1900 †19. 5. 1948 / JOSEF ŠÁDBOREK *2. 12. 1926 †27. 12. 1952 / KAREL ŠTRBÍK *1. 1. 1900 †16. 9. 1950 // ZASTŘELENÍ: ANTONÍN DANĚK * 1. 6. 1922 †15. 5. 1949 / JAROMÍR KOVÁŘ *22. 3. 1934 †8. 3. 1954 // 'We had died to let the nation live free'.

General description

The vertical memorial is situated on meadow in near to the former prison building in the town. There are engraved inscriptions and a small metal cross with a barbed wire is also situated there. Twentynine male names is divided into 3 groups according the way how they died. Sixteen convicted and later executed, eleven tortured and those who died in the prison and two politicalprisoners shot to death). Material: artificial marble and metal, Dimensions: 2 m x 0,5 m.

Condition

Good

The circumstances of unveiling

The memorial is dedicated to the memory of the victims – convicted, executed, tortured, died or shot to death political prisoners in the city of Uherské Hradiště in 1948-1955. It is situated in front of the former District Court on Palackého square and in short distance of the former infamous prison building, which was operating until 1960 (as of 1 November 1954 its official capacity was 400 people). Main Initiator of the memorial was Chairman of the Uherské Hradiště branch of the Czech Confederation of the political prisoners Mr Miroslav Minks. In its design it is very simple memorial, which comemorates a gravestone. The memorial was made by (stonecutter company) Kamenosochařství Komárek from Letovice, unveiled was on 9 October 1993 in the presence of several hundreds people and former political prisoners, their relatives, politicians, representatives of the Czech Army etc.

Later history

The memorial is situated on a symbolic site, not very far from the former prison building. Its creation is due to the members of the Confederation of the political prisoners of the Czech Republic, who organising every year event to the memory of the victims of Communism. Recently the memorial and its vicinity was renovated. 

Contemporary importance

The memorial is a symbolic memento to the victims of the Communism. It is situated on public place. The historian Mr Tomáš Jilík wrote about it: 'The small memorial was unvelied in 1993, standing close to the former jail on Palackého square as a contemporary reminder to the victims of former regime. In that place an innocent people were interogated, tortured and sentenced after the show trials. Many of them were later executed. They were primarily a participants of the anti-Communist resistance in the South Moravia region, mainly members of the resistance groups Hory Hostýnské and Světlana, but of course also totally innocent people, their family members. They were persecuted just for the fact, they knew accused resistance fighters or they syphatized with them'.

Publications, sources, links

http://veznice.uh.cz/

http://www.totalita.cz/pomnik/pomnik_uhh_001.php

http://www.totalita.cz/pomnik/pomnik_uhh_001_01.php

http://www.pametnimista.usd.cas.cz/uherske-hradiste-pomnik-politickym-veznum/

https://www.vets.cz/vpm/3873-pomnik-obetem-komunismu/#3873-pomnik-obetem-komunismu

LIŠKA, Otakar a kol.: Tresty smrti vykonané v Československu v letech 1918–1989. ÚDV, Praha 2006.