The Memorial to the victims of Communism is a series of statues in Prague

Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

 commemorating the victims of the Communist era between 1948-1989. It is located at the base of Petřín

Petrín

Petřín is a hill in the center of Prague, Czech Republic. It rises some 130 m above the left bank of the Vltava River. The hill, almost entirely covered with parks, is a favorite recreational area for the inhabitants of Prague...

 hill, Újezd street in the Malá Strana

Malá Strana

Malá Strana is a district of the city of Prague, Czech Republic, and one of its most historic regions.The name translated into English literally means "Little Side", though it is frequently referred to as "Lesser Town", "Lesser Quarter", or "Lesser Side"...

 or the Lesser Town area.

It was unveiled on the 22 May 2002, twelve years after the fall of Communism, and is the work of Czech sculptor Olbram Zoubek

Olbram Zoubek

Olbram Zoubek is a famous Czech contemporary sculptor and designer.There is an extensive permanent exhibition of Olbram Zoubek's sculptures and art in Litomyšl Castle Vault Gallery.-External links:* *...

 and architects Jan Kerel and Zdeněk Holzel. It was supported by the local council and Confederation of Political Prisoners (KPV). http://www.kpv-cr.cz

It shows seven bronze figures descending a flight of stairs. The statues appear more "decayed" the further away they are from you - losing limbs and their bodies breaking open. It is supposed to symbolise how political prisoners were affected by Communism.

There is also a bronze strip that runs along the centre of the memorial, showing estimated numbers of those impacted by Communism:

• 205,486 arrested
• 170,938 forced into exile
• 4,500 died in prison
• 327 shot trying to escape
• 248 executed

The bronze plaque nearby reads:

"The memorial to the victims of communism is dedicated to all victims not only those who were jailed or executed but also those whose lives were ruined by totalitarian despotism"

Controversy

Prior to the memorial being unveiled, there were reports in the local media about an apparent political row over who should attend the ceremony.http://www.radio.cz/en/article/28266 President Václav Havel

Václav Havel

Václav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...

, a leading dissident in the Communist era was not invited until the last minute, and then declined to attend.

The memorial has not been universally welcomed, with some artists saying the memorial is kitsch and others critical that female figures women were not included. One of the statues was damaged during two bomb blasts in 2003, no group has admitted carrying out the attacks.http://www.radio.cz/en/article/47274

External links

• http://www.prague.net/memorial
• http://www.radio.cz/en/article/28266
• http://petrinhill.info/#cont
• http://www.muzeumkomunismu.cz
• http://www.kpv-cr.cz