CAMPS IN THE HORNÍ SLAVKOV REGION
The development of mining around Horní Slavkov began systematically after 1948, when geological surveys confirmed significant uranium ore deposits. Within a short time, a network of shafts and labour camps was created, linked to the central system established in Jáchymov. The registration of prisoners, their redistribution and transfers between districts followed a unified model. Prisoners were brought to the area from various parts of the country and, as needed, transferred again to other uranium centres.
LEŽNICE
The Ležnice camp was established at the turn of the 1940s and 1950s in connection with the opening of nearby shafts. It housed several hundred prisoners working primarily in deep mining. The compound was surrounded by double barbed-wire fencing with a firing zone and equipped with watchtowers, an assembly yard and punishment cells. Prisoners worked underground extracting ore, often without adequate protection against dust and radioactive exposure. The regime was strict, work quotas were high and disciplinary punishments were common.
In the Way of the Cross to Freedom, Ležnice is commemorated by the symbol of a broken cross, expressing the violent interruption of human lives and the destruction of prisoners’ life certainties.
PROKOP
The Prokop camp was established at the shaft of the same name and operated mainly in the first half of the 1950s. It was a medium-sized facility with several hundred prisoners. Inmates worked in deep mining as well as in surface operations connected with the transport and handling of ore. Fencing, firing zones and guarding followed the standard model of uranium camps. Work took place at considerable depths and under heavy physical strain, without sufficient protection from radioactivity.
In the Way of the Cross, Prokop is marked by the symbol of the miner’s hammer and pick. The traditional emblem of mining acquires a tragic meaning here – instead of free labour, it represents forced labour under armed supervision.
SVATOPLUK
The Svatopluk camp was created during the expansion of mining in the Horní Slavkov district and accommodated prisoners working at nearby shafts. The regime matched that of other facilities – isolation, strict movement control, punishment cells and high work quotas. Prisoners were exposed to long-term physical strain and radioactive exposure.
In the Way of the Cross, Svatopluk is commemorated by the symbol of a crown of thorns, referring to suffering, humiliation and deliberately inflicted pain.
XII
The camp designated XII was linked to the shaft of the same name and served as a labour base for mining and related operations. It housed several hundred prisoners and was surrounded by fencing with a firing zone and constant guard. Prisoners worked both underground and on the surface according to operational needs.
In the Way of the Cross, the camp is marked by a stylised Roman numeral XII. The symbol recalls the technical designation of the shaft as well as the anonymity to which prisoners were often reduced within the system.
The Horní Slavkov branch was fully integrated into the centrally controlled structure of the uranium mines. The registration of prisoners, transfers between districts, work quotas and security measures were based on the unified model created in Jáchymov. The camps were not isolated institutions but components of a mechanism aimed at maximising the extraction of a strategic raw material.
A common feature of all camps in the Horní Slavkov region was the combination of extreme physical strain, radioactive exposure and a repressive regime. Prisoners worked without adequate protection, with insufficient food and limited hygiene. After the decline of mining, the camps were gradually closed and most of their structures disappeared. The commemoration of Ležnice, Prokop, Svatopluk and Camp XII in the Way of the Cross to Freedom confirms that the Horní Slavkov region was an integral part of the entire system of uranium labour camps.
