CAMPS IN THE PŘÍBRAM REGION
The development of the Příbram uranium district began systematically after 1948. Geological surveys confirmed extensive deposits, and within a short period new shafts were opened – particularly Bytíz, Vojna, Láz and Háje. As production expanded, camp infrastructure was established. Some sites built upon facilities dating from the Second World War, while others were newly constructed. Prisoners were transferred to the area from the Jáchymov region as well as from other prisons across the country according to current labour demands. Transfers between individual districts were not exceptional but a routine instrument of system management.
VOJNA (LEŠETICE)
The Vojna camp was built between 1947 and 1949, originally using German prisoners of war at the Vojna I and II shafts. After the site was taken over by the Ministry of the Interior, it functioned from 1949 as a forced labour camp and in 1951 was reorganised into a corrective labour camp attached to the uranium mines. It operated until 1961. During the 1950s, several hundred to more than one thousand prisoners were held here at the same time. Guarding was carried out by units of the National Security Corps (SNB) and later by the Interior Ministry’s Internal Guard.
The compound was surrounded by double barbed-wire fencing with a firing zone and equipped with watchtowers, an assembly yard, punishment cells and an infirmary. Prisoners worked primarily at the deep Bytíz shaft, as well as in building and maintaining the technical infrastructure of the mines. The regime was harsh, work quotas were high, and disciplinary punishments were common. Today, Vojna is the best-preserved authentic site of this type in the Czech Republic and serves as a memorial to the victims of the communist regime. In the Way of the Cross to Freedom in Jáchymov, it is commemorated by a separate stone bearing the symbol of a linden branch.
BYTÍZ
The Bytíz camp was established in the early 1950s directly next to the deep shaft of the same name and became the largest labour centre in the Příbram region. Its capacity ranged from approximately one to two thousand prisoners depending on the period. The site included accommodation barracks, administrative buildings, punishment cells and technical facilities. Bytíz gradually absorbed prisoners from smaller or closed camps and became the main hub of the Příbram branch.
Work was carried out under demanding deep-mining conditions, with high dust levels and radioactive exposure. Protective equipment was minimal and health consequences were long-term. The regime corresponded to the standard of uranium camps – strict guarding, regular roll calls, isolation and disciplinary measures. Bytíz is also symbolically commemorated in the Way of the Cross to Freedom in Jáchymov by a stone bearing the symbol of a ball and chain.
BROD
The Brod camp functioned as a smaller labour and redistribution facility connected to the main mines of the region. It served for the temporary accommodation of prisoners and their assignment according to current mining needs. Administratively, it fell under the Příbram command and operated under the same security regime as the other facilities – fencing, guards, assembly yard and punishment cells. Its significance lay primarily in logistical support.
LEŠETICE
Lešetice formed an operational unit together with Vojna. The site included warehouses, workshops, technical facilities and transport links to the mining operations. Prisoners were deployed not only underground but also in construction and technical work related to infrastructure development. The location represented an important support base for the entire Příbram mining district.
LÁZ
The Láz camp was established in connection with the opening of the shaft of the same name in the first half of the 1950s. Prisoners worked here in deep mining as well as in surface operations. Although smaller in capacity than Bytíz, the regime was equally strict. With the decline of mining and the reorganisation of the district, the camp was gradually closed and most of its structures disappeared.
HÁJE
The Háje complex included several shafts and technological facilities where prisoner labour groups were deployed. Prisoners mined, sorted and handled uranium ore. Conditions corresponded to those in the other Příbram camps – high physical strain, minimal protection from radioactivity and strict control of movement. Háje was an important link in the production chain of the Příbram district.
The Příbram branch was fully integrated into the centrally controlled system of uranium mines. The registration of prisoners, their redistribution, work quotas and security measures were based on a unified model developed in Jáchymov. The camps were not isolated institutions but parts of a single mechanism aimed at maximising the extraction of a strategic raw material.
A common feature of all camps in the Příbram region was the combination of extremely demanding labour, radioactive exposure and a repressive regime. Prisoners worked without adequate protection, often with insufficient food and limited hygiene. Many carried the consequences throughout their lives. After the decline of uranium mining in the 1960s, the camps were gradually closed and most traces disappeared. The commemoration of Vojna and Bytíz in the Way of the Cross to Freedom clearly demonstrates that the Příbram region was a full and integral part of the entire system of uranium labour camps.
