
25 minute read
Czech Culture
from Vestnik 2021.06.14
by SPJST
Slovanská Podporující Jednota Státu Texas
Česká Část
ROČNÍK 109 ČISLO 11 14.červen.2021 Podpora ★ Lidskost ★ Bratrstvi´
BENEVOLENCE HUMANITY BROTHERHOOD
Uředni orgán SPJST ★ Založené roku 1897
Učme se česky Let Us Study Czech
Lekce Sedmá Lesson 7
Read the following out loud. Get family or friends to help with the pronunciation; do them together. Clip and save each lesson, and compile them into a notebook.
děkuji - thank you prosím - you are welcome (means “please”, but used instead of English “you are welcome”) rádo se stalo - I was glad to do it není zač - don’t mention it
S S S
Ďekuji is singular. Sometimes it is as děkuju. Děkuji is more proper and is more often used. Plural is děkujeme. It is not necessary to add an equivalent of “you,” but it could be done, and it is often done. Then it is děkuji ti when we are close to the person addressed, or děkuji vám if the relation to the person addressed is more formal.
S S S
The most common reply to the word děkuji is the word prosím. Rádo se stalo and neni zač is used similar to “I was glad to do it,” or “don’t mention it,” in America. dovolte prosím - with your permission, (please)
odpusťte (prosím) - excuse me, (please)
promiňte (prosím) - I am sorry, pardon me.
nic se nestalo - it was nothing
S S S
The word prosím is the most common courtesy word. The original is, “I beg you” and only from the context can you tell whether the word prosím means “I beg you,” or whether it serves as “please.” Prosím is shown above in parenthesis because its use is optional, making it more polite.
S S S
The words odpusťte and promiňte mean practically the same. The informal address would be promiň and odpust to be used only with those persons with whom you are on a “thou” basis. The “thou” and “you” basis sounds archaic in English, but there is an important difference in the relation between persons whom we address “thou” - in Czech, ty - (the verb tykati si), and persons we address you - in Czech vy - and, therefore, the verb describing the relation is vykati si.
Pokračovaní. To be Continued.
CHM presents Czech Film Night
The Czech Heritage Museum and Genealogy Center is presenting Havel: Co Byste Obětovali pro Prvdu a Lásku? What Would You Sacrifice for Truth and Love? on Tuesday, July 13, 2021, at 6 p.m. at the Beltonian Theatre just off the charming courthouse square at 219 East Central Avenue in Belton. Admission is free of charge.
Havel was featured this spring in the 2021 Czech That Film festival.
There will be no matinees for July and August.
The Havel film cleverly and artistically connects the former president’s actual experiences to his resulting plays.
The federal government slowly increased control until it was heavily censuring the humanities. Then came the Prague Spring in the beginning of 1968, and it looked like freedom had arrived with the title “Socialism with a Human Face.” Czechs began to travel, the Beach Boys gave a concert, the press asked important questions. But it only lasted until August, when the soviets clamped down harder than ever.
Art, music, books, and plays were especially scrutinized. Paintings could not be abstract; music could not be rock and roll. Clothing and hairstyles had to conform. Pet dogs were not allowed. These arbitrary rules were enforced by creating an atmosphere of social pressure and a fear of surveillance.
Film director Milos Foreman said, “The communists are so cruel, because they impose one taste on everybody, on everything; and who doesn’t comply with their teachings and with their ideology is very soon labeled. The censorship itself, that’s not the worst evil. The worst evil - and that’s the product of censorship – is self-censorship, because that twists spines, that destroys character.
A related film, The Magical Voice of a Rebel was shown on June 8 for Czech Film Night. The film is a documentary about the singer Marta Kubišova. The July film is a dramatic about Vaclav Havel. What ties the two films together is the 1977 human rights declaration document, Charter 77, and the Velvet Revolution. Both Havel and Kubišova were collaborators and signed Charter 77.
Czech native brings document restoring business to texas

The Czech Heritage Museum and Genealogy Center in Temple and the SPJST Home Office welcomed visitors, from left to right, Lindsay, Michal, and Chloe Peichl, and John Hillman of Waco. The Peichls own Paper Restoration Studio where they restore antique documents. They have been in business for more than a decade and have worked on restoring pieces dating back to the 13th century and as late as original Andy Warhol prints, the mid-century pop artist, as well as protected art buyers from making uninformed purchases. Michal is a native of the Czech Republic, and his expertise began at The Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Slovakia. For more information, visit www.paperrestorationstudio.com; email michalpeichl@gmail.com; or call 347-834-6973.
In 1989, when crowds gathered in Wenceslas Square in Prague and called for the overthrow of the communist regime, Havel announced success from a balcony above the crowds. The crowds sang the Czech and Slovak national anthems, an act of national identity that had been silenced for decades. He invited Marta Kubišova to sing her signature song from 1968. It became the anthem of the Velvet Revolution. (Lyrics are below.) One segment of the July film depicts Havel and other dissidents at his country cottage collaborating on Charter 77 after the arrest of the rock band Plastic People of the Universe.
Non-conformists were punished even jailed and tortured. Both Havel and Kubišova suffered for their art and for signing Charter 77.
A Prayer of Marta
Let peace remain with this country! Let hatred, envy, grudge, fear, and strife cease! Let them cease! Now, when your lost sovereignty is returning to you, finally returning to you. The cloud drifts slowly away from the sky and everybody reaps what he has sown. Let my prayer speak to hearts not burnt by the time of wrath, like flowers by frost, like frost. Let peace remain with this country! Let hatred, envy, grudge, fear, and strife cease! Let them cease! Now when your lost sovereignty is returning to you, people, finally returning to you.
Today, Marta Kubišová is considered a Czech national heroine. She had already found a place in the hearts of Czechs when she was in her twenties, as a famous singer and television star. In 1977, the communist party arrested the rock band Plastic People of Universe. A small group of dissidents, including Vaclav Havel, met secretly to draw up a written demand for the government to respect human rights. Marta Kubišová was there the whole time, working with Havel on the document as well. They called it Charter 77 and then they signed their names to it.
This one signature meant the effective end of her career at the time. The communist party put out false stories and faked photographs to ruin her reputation. She lost her job in television, and no one would hire her to act or sing.
But in November 1989, when Czechs and Slovaks gathered in Wenceslas Square in Prague to protest the communist regime, Vaclav Havel asked her to stand with him on a balcony overlooking the crowds and bring back her signature song, A Prayer of Marta. She had originally performed the song as a character in a film, but it became popular as a single and she was asked to sing it at all her concerts. Now she was welcomed back at one of the most pivotal moments in Czech history. If it had not gone well, if the revolution had not succeeded, she probably would have been punished even more. It was a very brave act to sing on the balcony in November 1989.
The interesting thing is that those lyrics were meaningful to the situation at hand.
Marta Kubišová
Save the date . . . October 17, 2021

Celebrating Heritage Day is back! Save the date of Sunday, October 17, 2021, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Sokol Dallas, 7448 Greenville Avenue in Dallas, Texas 75231. The event is presented by the American Czech Culture Societies and its member societies - Sokol Dallas, SPJST, WFLA, KJT, KJZT, VH Czech School of Dallas, and RVOS. This will be a day of family time. Stay tuned for more information, or contact Bob Podhrasky at pod@att.net; Nina Marcussen at czechschoolofdallas@yahoo.com; or Lynda Novak at magiclady_46@hotmail.com.
Let hatred, envy, grudge, fear, and strife cease!
Let them cease!
Ever since that day, this song is considered the anthem of the Velvet Revolution.
And Marta Kubišová grew to be not only the sweetheart of the Czechs, but also a national heroine.
The Czech Heritage Museum and Genealogy Center is located at 119 West French Avenue Temple, Texas. Find us online at CzechHeritageCenter.org and on Facebook. Susan Chandler CHM Administrator —SPJST—
Schulenburg Public Library offers free Czech language classes
Schulenburg Public Library - in partnership with Czech Ex-Students Association of Texas - will offer Czech language classes online for children and adults. Participants in this free summer program will need a computer with a microphone, speakers, and access to the internet. You can take these classes from the comfort of your home.
Tuesdays - Beginning Czech (for adults)
Starting June 15 8 to 8:45 a.m.
Wednesdays - Beginning Czech (for children with parental supervision)
Starting June 16 8 to 8:45 a.m.
C z e c h C u l t u r a l C a l e n d a r
Tuesday through Saturday Czech Heritage Museum and Genealogy Center, 119 West French Avenue, Temple. Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. To arrange a private small group tour, contact the Museum: czechheritagemuseum@gmail.com; or leave a message 254-899-2935. Exhibit through June: “The Bonfire of Liberties: Censorship of the Humanities,” an exhibition by Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Museum hosts Czech Films - Matinee at 3p.m.; Night - 6 p.m. on the second Tuesdays of the month at Beltonian Theatre, 219 East Central Avenue, Belton. Admission is free. There will be no mattinees in July or August.
Every First and Third Tuesday Evenings Tarok Parties—at Czech Heritage Museum, Temple, 119 West French. All ages and anyone interested are welcome. No admission or fee. Jimmie and Carolyn Coufal are award-winning tournament champions who not only teach beginners, but also help experienced players increase their skill. For information, call CHMGC 254-899-2935; find them on Facebook; or on the web at https://czechheritagemuseum.org.
Monday through Saturday Czech Center Museum Houston, 4920 San Jacinto Street in Houston, Texas 77004-5719, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit revamped exhibits. Experience the culture, art, music, and stories of many Czechs, Slovaks, and people of all cultures who left their country to seek liberty and democracy in America. For info, call 713-528-2060; or visit czechcenter.org.
Through November 15 Exhibit: Texas-Czech Wedding Apparel and Tradition—at Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center (TCHCC), 250 West Fairgrounds Road on US Highway 77, La Grange: exhibit includes 10 dresses that have been donated by our members and are from weddings that occurred from 1883 to 1946; view fragile mementos; and leave with an understanding of Czech culture and traditions that are still alive today.
July 18 SPJST Lodge 6, Cottonwood Fried Chicken Drive-thru Dinner—at the hall, 700 South Czech Hall Road, West. —SPJST—
Thursdays - Ceska Beseda (topics: Czech Communities of Central Texas)
Starting June 17 8 to 8:45 a.m.
To register for the classes and lectures, send an email to schulenburgpubliclibrary@yahoo.com. Thadious Polasek Library Director Schulenburg Public Library Lodge 67, Schulenburg —SPJST—
Connect with your heritage for all day fun for the whole family! Co-sponsored by Czech Heritage Society of Texas and Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center, Czech Family Day is Saturday, June 26, 2021, at TCHCC in La Grange, located at 250 West Fairgrounds Road.
Everyone is welcome to attend! You do not have to be a member to attend so bring your friends. The day’s schedule is:
8 to 11 a.m. Czech off the Miles Marathon for TCHCC. Join in when you arrive. $20 Marathon entry or collect donations/pledges.
9 a.m.
Registration for the Czech Family Day activities inside TCHCC. Czech Family Day is free of charge! Food is separate cost. 9 to 11 a.m.
Random activities inside the TCHCC until the marathon is finished—dominoes, tarocky, rock painting, genealogy, museums and village touring, and more
11 a.m.
Perníčky (cookie decorating)
Hanslik Hall 11:30 a.m.
Introductions and Recognitions
Hanslik Hall 12 noon
Lunch - Hamburgers by Koopmann Catering 1 p.m.
Conversational Czech Language
Class: Hanslik Hall 1:30 p.m. - TBA 2 p.m. - Czech Bingo: Hanslik Hall 3 p.m. or after Bingo -
Time for Museums, Village,
Genealogy, etc. 5:30 p.m. - Česky Večer (Czech Evening) in the front of the
Center with music from 7 to 10 p.m. by the Czechaholics Band
Food, Drinks, 50/50, More
Bring your lawn chairs. —SPJST—
Czech Off the Miles Marathon at TCHCC on June 26 The Czech Off the Miles Marathon for TCHCC will be held on the Texas Czech
Czech F Heritage and Cultural Center grounds on Saturday, June 26, 2021, and will start at 8 a.m. and end at 11 a.m. The event will beamily Day
Saturday, held in conjunction with the annual TCHCC/CHS Family Day which will con-June 26, 2021 Co-Sponsored by the Czechtinue during the day until 3 p.m. The Česky Večer will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. thatHeritage Society of Texas and the Texas Czech He evening.ritage & Cultural Center
Conn Connect wi ect with your th your Heri Heritage tage


Czech Heritage Museum says “Thank You”
The Czech Heritage Museum gratefully thanks SPJST District Four for the recent donation of $500.
Recently, SPJST Lodge 160, San Angelo donated memorial gifts for Thomas Strube and Robert Benevidez to the Czech Heritage Museum. These tributes have been published on the Museum website at CzechHeritageMuseum.org on the Memorials page. Thank you to the members of SPJST Lodge 160, San Angelo.
Susan Chandler Museum Director Czech Heritage Museum and Genealogy Center —SPJST—

This is the first year that we will hold a Marathon. The Marathon will circle the beautiful TCHCC grounds. Participants may walk, bike, or jog. Donations can be collected and turned in beforehand or laps will be counted for pledges. All proceeds go to TCHCC.
A minimum of $20, either collected in donations/pledges or paid, is required for all marathon participants. Children under 5 are free of charge with paying adult.
Overall individual prizes for most donation/pledge money collected are as follows:
First Place - $300 Visa Card Second Place - $200 Visa Card Third Place - $100 Visa Card
Rules 1. $300 Visa Card, a family/individual must raise $300 to be entered in that drawing. 2. $200 Visa Card, a family/individual must raise $200 and will be entered in that drawing. 3. $100 Visa Card, a family/individual must raise $100 and will be entered in that drawing. (All $300 entries will be entered in all three drawings. $200 entries in number 2 and number 3 drawings.)
Organization/Business Prize
Be sure the business name is filled by your participants!
Every organization/business that collects $1,200 or more in donation/pledge money will receive a free day rental for their use of the TCHCC Hanslik Hall on the day of their choice.
All donations for the Marathon can be turned in by Tuesday, June 22. Pledges are due by Friday, July 9. Send to TCHCC, PO Box 6, La Grange, Texas 78945.
Thank you in advance for your support. Everyone is invited to participate! You do not have to be a member of TCHCC or CHS to participate.
Our goal for 2021 is $25,000. Donations levels can be found on the website www.czechtexas.org or by calling TCHCC at 888-785-4500.
The mission of Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center, Inc. is to preserve and promote the history, language, culture, and heritage of the Texans of Czech ethnicity and to share it with the public by providing educational and interesting cultural and historical programs and exhibits for all age groups. Submitted by, Mark Hermes Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center —SPJST—
Czech Heritage Museum appreciates James and Michael Hosch

Thank you to Micheal D. Hosch, left, and James R. Hosch, both of Lodge 200, Bruceville-Eddy for volunteering at the Czech Heritage Museum and Genealogy Center in Temple on the afternoon of Thursday, May 20, 2021. Their assistance was greatly appreciated. —Kenny Lange CHMGC, Temple
Register for June 26 pictorial tour of UNESCO Sites in the Czech Republic
Texas Czech Genealogical Society (TCGS) is offering a free boarding pass, with the ability to choose a comfortable first-class seat in your own home as you cross the Big Pond to the Czech Republic to visit unique, outstanding UNESCO sites. Our own Lifetime Member, Dr. Miroslav “Mirek” Koudelka, will be your personal tour guide.
TCGS has brought Mirek to Texas a number of times as a speaker. More than 10 years ago, Mirek gave the following information on the UNESCO Sites: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization lists the most important sites all around the world that create the world cultural and natural heritage. The countries which signed the agreement about the world heritage promised to preserve and maintain the sites for future generations. In one report, some 750 places around the world make up this list. Our Fatherland, the Czech Republic, has one of the highest concentrations of UNESCO sites in the world. This collection of sites includes historical town centers, Christian and Jewish holy sites, chateaux surrounded by wonderful gardens, a village in the folk Baroque style and more. Did you know that the Jewish section of Trebic, Zamosti, has a particular special status? It is the only solely Jewish site outside of Israel to come under UNESCO’s protection.
Mirek has served as a tour guide for numerous Texas Czechs. Those who have traveled with him know he loves to give clients a quiz. So be warned ahead of time! (Hint: This article will include not only the quiz, but the answer as well).
As Mirek greets you, with a morning cup of coffee in hand, perhaps your first quiz might be: “Which city is the most beautiful in the world”? The answer: Those who have seen Prague know the answer.
And so, while we are not definite on Mirek’s photo travel route, we know we will enjoy a visit to: Prague, Cesky Krumlov, Telc, Zelena Hora, Kutna Hora, the Lednice-Valtice area, Kromeriz, Holasovice, Litomysl, Olomouc, Brno, and Trebic. Between each site you may be given a quiz, some of which could be:
Quiz No. 2: What is the largest sculptural group in Central Europe? The answer: Look for it in Olomouc.
Quiz No. 3: Where is the only Jewish site on the UNESCO list from outside of Israel? (This was listed above). The answer: Trebic, a town in southwest Moravia.
Quiz No. 4: What is one of the biggest Czech inanimate movie stars? The answer: The town of Telc, aka “The town of happy loves.”
Quiz No. 5: Where can you get the best dumplings with hot blueberry sauce called zahour? Need the answer? The next time you come to visit your homeland, I will bring you to the picturesque village of Holasovice.
And, finally, Quiz No. 6: Not all sights on the UNESCO list are centuries old. Where is the youngest Czech one, less than a century young? Answer: Brno.
Traveling to the sites begins at 10 a.m. (Central time – US and Canada) on Saturday, June 26, 2021. (Boarding begins at 9:30 a.m.). Remember your ticket and boarding pass is free of charge, but you must register in advance by logging on to https://rebrand.ly/TCGSevent or going to the TCGS website at www.txczgs.org, going to “Events,” and clicking on the registration link in the flyer.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Texas Czech Genealogical Society is excited to invite you to join us as we board the free flight across the Big Pond, enjoy Mirek’s unique and charming way of presenting the UNESCO sites in photos, and return home in time for lunch in the comfort of your own home. (Maybe it would seem even more authentic if kolaches were purchased ahead of time and enjoyed with your coffee during the tour). Get ready to fly with us on Saturday, June 26. Boarding begins at 9:30 a.m. with arrival in the Czech Republic and the tour beginning at 10 a.m.
If you have problems registering, contact Leslie Gerik Nelson at lesliegeriknelson@gmail.com or by phone at 254-717-9878.
Sit back and enjoy the trip. No mask required. Charlene Hurta Lodge 200, Bruceville-Eddy —SPJST—

Cooking with Czech Recipes submitted by Czech men
Cooking with Czech Recipes, published in April 2021, has been an unprecedented success! A huge part of that success has been the recipes included in it which were submitted by our Czech men!
When the Cooking with Czech Recipes team would receive a recipe from one of our Czech men, or a recipe submitted in memory of one who has prepared a special recipe, our smile would become a little brighter. We are thrilled to be able to share these recipes with you in our cookbook. Look at the listing of these Czech men:
Danny Leshikar . . . Kenneth Voytek . . . Edwin Hlavaty . . . Richard Lesikar . . . Victor Wiesner . . . Edward J. Marek . . . George Lesikar . . . Rudolph Rusnak . . . Kenneth Voytek . . . Dr. Mark Labaj . . . Mirek Koudelka . . . Charlie Machacek . . . Josef Pytr . . . Dan Mares . . . Steve Orsak . . . L. D. Krejci . . . John Husak . . . James Hollas . . . Patrick Janis . . . Barry Malac . . . Vlastic Malac . . . John Matush.
Thanks, guys! You are awesome! In honor of these special men who shared their wonderful recipes, TCGS is offering this new cookbook for $32, with free shipping on orders received between now and June 20.
The book contains over 300 pages and is filled with more than 325 delicious recipes. In addition, there are many photos, tributes, and inspirational messages. Cooking with Czech Recipes would make a terrific gift for the man in your life and would be a great wedding gift for couples getting married this summer!
To obtain your copy (or copies), send a check for $32 for each book ordered to Nancy Machu, 3337 Bianco Terrace, Round Rock, Texas 78665. If you wish to pay with a charge card, please call Nancy at 512-971-4284 to give the charge information. Submitted by, Charlene Hurta Lodge 200, Bruceville-Eddy —SPJST—
Visit the Czech Center Museum Houston

Come visit the Czech Center Museum Houston’s new exhibit, Color Over the Border. Learn about the immigration of Czechs to Texas through beautiful murals, interactive lessons, and traditional Czech clothing. The Museum is located at 4920 San Jacinto Street, Houston, Texas 77004. For more information, visit czechcenter.org; call 713-528-2060; or send an email to development@czechcenter.org. The Museum’s new promotional video can be viewed at https://youtu.be/foQP2rufx_Y
Massacre and Destruction of Lidice
For centuries, Lidice was an ordinary agricultural village, which belonged to the Buštehrad manor, located in a shallow valley of the Lidice Creek in the Kladno district sone 20 km west of Prague.
The sleepy village of Lidice had been targeted because the Gestapo in Kladno had intercepted a letter belonging to a local family by the name of Horák, who had a son in the Czech army in Britain. This letter was labeled as “suspicious” and the ensuing action resulted.
What happened to Lidice on June 10, 1942, shocked the entire world: the German government announced that it had destroyed the small village of Lidice, Czechoslovakia, killing every adult male and some 52 women. All surviving women and children were then deported to concentration camps, or if found suitable to be “Germanized,” sent to the greater Reich. The Nazis then proudly proclaimed that the village of Lidice, its residents, and its very name, were now forever blotted from memory.
The village is today, a quiet town that lies adjacent to valleys and of meadows, with a few stone ruins of a farmhouse and church, and a striking bronze sculpture of children.
f f f f f f f f
After the Munich Agreement of September 1938, Hitler’s troops occupied the ethnic-German border regions of Bohemia and Moravia (the Sudetenland). Soon afterward, Hungary received territory in southern Slovakia and Ruthenia. Czechoslovakia ceased to exist in March 1939 when Hitler occupied the rest of the Czech lands, and the remaining part of Slovakia became a Nazi puppet state.
Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia had tragic consequences for Lidice. In order to suppress the growing anti-Fascist resistance movement, security police chief SS Obergruppenfuhrer Reinherd Heydrich was appointed deputy Reichs-protektor in September 1941. During his short reign of terror, 5000 anti-Fascist fighters and their helpers were imprisoned.
The courts working under martial law were kept busy, and the Nazis even had people summarily executed without a trial in order to spread fear throughout the country. Many people throughout the Sudetenland died on the scaffold from Heydrich’ s persecution, that he earned himself the nickname the “Hangman”.
Edvard Beneš, leader of the Czechoslovak government-inexile, together with František Moravec (head of Czechoslovak military intelligence), organized and coordinated a resistance netEdvard Beneš work. Emil Hácha (third President of Czechoslovakia, 1938 to 1939), Prime Minister Eliáš (Czechoslovak general and politician and Prime Minister of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, April 27, 1939 to September 28, 1941), and the Czech resistance also acknowledged Beneš’s leadership.
It was decided by Beneš and Moravec, together with other political and military leaders in Paris and London, that some action must be taken if they wanted to retain the leadership of the exiled movement under their control. That action was to be the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich.
Operation Anthropoid
The most significant act of resistance was the assassination of SS Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich, the Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, “The Butcher of Prague”. The mission codenamed Operation Anthropoid was to be carried out by seven Czech patriots - Adolf Opa ́lka, Josef Bublík Jan Kubiš, Jaroslav Švarc, Jan Hruby ́, Josef Valčík, and Josef Gabčík - who had trained with Polish forces in Britain.
May 27, 1942
Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš were airlifted along with seven soldiers from

Jan Kubiš Jozef Gabcik
Czechoslovakia's army-in-exile. On May 27, 1942, Heydrich had planned to meet Hitler in Berlin. At 10:30 am, Heydrich proceeded on his daily commute from his home in Panenské Břežany to Prague Castle. Gabčík and Kubiš waited at the tram stop on the hair-pin curve - for which Heydrich’s car would have to slow - near Bulovka Hospital in Prague 8-Libeň. Gabčík tried to open fire, but his Sten gun jammed. Kubiš threw a modified anti-tank grenade at the vehicle, which severely The village of Lidice - before and after Nazi destruction. wounded Heydrich. Heydrich was taken to Bulovka Hospital. He died eight days later from sepsis on June 4,1942.
Soon after Heydrich’s death, Nazi reprisals began when an enraged Hitler ordered mass executions of the Czech populace.
Thankfully for many Czech civilians, Hitler’s threat never materialized; however, Karl Hermann Frank, now Secretary of State for the German Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, reported from Berlin that the Führer had commanded the following concerning any village implicated in the Heydrich assassination: • Execute all adult males over the age of 15. • Immediately transport all women to concentration camps. • Place all children suitable for “Germanizing” with SS families in the Reich and raised as Germans. • Destroy the entire village and level the area.
The sleepy village of Lidice had been targeted because the Gestapo in Kladno had intercepted a letter belonging to a local family by the name of Horák, who had a son in the Czech army in Britain. This letter was labeled as “suspicious” and the ensuing action resulted.
Gestapo agents from Prague were joined in Kladno by two companies of police in battle-dress, and a squad of Security Police. The Security Police were under the command of SS-Hauptsturmfuhrer Max Rostock, who would carry out the executions. In the early hours of the morning, trucks filled with Security Police rolled into the small town of Lidice in the Kladno district. All men of the village were rounded up and taken to the farmstead of the Horák family on the edge of the village. Mattresses were taken from neighboring houses where they were stood up against the wall of the Horáks’ barn, where the executions would take place.


Women and Children
The women of Lidice were no more spared than the children of the village. Separated from their children, most were transported to Ravensbrück concentration camp, where 60 of them died. Many of the children were sent to Chełmno - today’s Poland - where they would be exterminated. Others were sent to Germany for re-education.
The well-organized Gestapo first secured anything of value – the town’s meager funds, accounts, property records, livestock, agricultural machinery, and food stuffs. As the population was collected, they were relieved of their money, savings books, and jewelry. The communal registry was used to identify each citizen and their age. A total of 173 men were held on Horák’s farm, 11 who were working that night at the iron works, escaped immediate capture.
The empty houses were methodically searched, and items of value loaded upon trucks – sewing machines, furniture, bicycles were all taken for the people of Lidice would have no further use for them. They plundered the village’s St. Martin