THE WAY OF THE CROSS TO FREEDOM
Introduction
The Way of the Cross to Freedom consists of the central monument “Gate to Freedom” and a series of stones symbolising individual labour and internment camps. The author of the cycle is the academic sculptor Roman Podrázský (1943–2001). The ceremonial unveiling took place on 25 May 1996 in the presence of the then Minister of the Interior Jan Ruml; it was blessed by Abbot Vít Tajovský and Prior Hugo Pitel. Today the ensemble forms the first stop of the educational trail “Jáchymov Hell”. The criteria according to which the camps were selected and the stones arranged have not been conclusively identified.
Gate to Freedom
The double-sided sculpture forms the central point of the Way of the Cross. It depicts a broken prison grille falling onto a man collapsing to the ground, accompanied by the years 1948–1989; on the reverse side a female figure is shown.
L (Elko) – Judas’ Purse
Effectively a liquidation camp featuring the so-called “Tower of Death”, a manual crushing facility for uranium ore. It consisted of two barracks – one primarily for clergy, the other for Western war veterans and prisoners considered problematic, for example after escape attempts. The smallest and yet one of the harshest camps. The preserved “Tower of Death” is intended to become a museum of forced labour.
Barbora – Thorns
The Vršek camp at the Barbora mine, the highest-located camp in the Jáchymov region. Notorious for harsh winters and the so-called “walking in the wire”. It recorded one of the highest numbers of injuries and deaths among the camps.
Vojna – Linden Branch
Příbram region. The camps here were established immediately after the Second World War as prisoner-of-war camps. In 1951 they were transformed into camps for political prisoners.
Rovnost – Christmas Bell
A labour camp already existed here during the Second World War. After the war, approximately 3,500 prisoners of war were interned. The mine was originally called Rudolf II, later Werner, and after 1945 Rovnost. The camp commander Albín Dvořák, nicknamed “Paleček”, became notoriously known here. Several camp buildings and the so-called “Paleček’s Castle” have survived.
Eliáš – Bars
The camps Eliáš I (Upper or Old) and Eliáš II were intended for prisoners with shorter sentences. A uranium ore processing plant was located here. Together with the Adam and Eva mines, the complex formed one of the largest industrial centres in Czechoslovakia at the time.
12 (Dvanáctka) – Candle
Horní Slavkov region. The escape of twelve prisoners from this camp was described by participant Karel Kukal in his book “Deset křížů”.
Ležnice – Flowers
A camp in Horní Slavkov, one of four camps in the area, situated directly within the mining complex.
Svornost – Springs and Tears
The oldest mine still in operation. The camp of the same name lay about seventy metres above the shaft and was connected by a staircase of roughly 240 steps. The stairs were known as the “Mauthausen Stairs” or the “Stairs of Death”. An original punishment cell was discovered in the area.
Prokop – Noose
Horní Slavkov region. The mine and camp bore the same name. A relatively large camp for approximately 1,400 prisoners.
Bytíz – Ball and Chain
A camp for about 2,200 prisoners in the Příbram region, in operation from 1953. Prisoners were transferred here from closed camps and also from Leopoldov. In 1962 part of the camp collapsed into a shaft eighty metres in diameter.
Svatopluk – Chain
Horní Slavkov region. Mine and camp of the same name with a capacity of about 1,200 prisoners.
Mariánská – Rose
Interrogation rooms and punishment cells were located in the basement of a former Capuchin monastery. The camp itself stood along the road to Lípa. The Adam and Eva mines were nearby.
Bratrství – Shackles
One of the oldest Jáchymov mines, with approximately eighty kilometres of tunnels and crosscuts. The shaft, labour camp and central camp bore the same name. Prisoners were distributed from here to individual camps. In 1954 Vykmanov took over the function of the central camp; since 1974 the site has served as a repository for nuclear material.
Vykmanov – Barbed Wire
Prisoners here built housing estates in Ostrov for civilian employees of the Jáchymov mines. Due to poor hygiene, insufficient food, frequent searches and prolonged roll calls regardless of weather, conditions were comparable to those in the shaft camps.
Nikolaj – Bound Hands
The practice of “walking in the wire”, known as the “Jáchymov bus”, was also applied here. One of the largest camps. Prisoners worked at the Eduard mine.
