lidice memorial

Its very touching place and you can't stop thinking about cruelty what happened there. Rose garden is very pretty. Just wished it wasn't build because of memory of horrible event.

Located about 20kms from Prague, we took the local bus from the city centre. Not very popular with English-speaking visitors, but a profoundly sad place to visit. It reminds me of Roman remains - foundation stones and markers indicating where buildings once stood: the church, school, mayor's home.The interpretative centre is fantastic and the footage broadcast showing the village's destruction is thought provoking and chilling (a German family donated the movie reels after discovering them in the attic of a grandfather, who participated in the village's destruction).The memorial garden that remembers other European 'martyr villages' is a nice touch and helps place Lidice's wounds in their wider, European context.

easy to access by car from prague, car rental is fairly cheap. Self guided trip very easy to follow English guide notes. Very moving experience about a horrific time and unforgettable.

We visited the Lidice Memorial by bus quite easily from Prague and found the experience very moving especially the audio letters from the tragic children asking relatives for help which sadly could not arrive!We also placed a small toy at the foot of "The Monument of Children" which is customary and as a mark of remembrance and respect.

The Lidice memorial is just behind the airport. Getting here may not be easy if you do not have a car, though.It's difficult to say I enjoyed the site. But it is an experience that I will not forget. The whole village erased by an error during World War II. The atrocities of the nazi regime are painfully visible.From the parking lot, you can walk through th rose garden to the memorial and from there you walk across the valley passing what is left of the Novak farm, where the killing took place, the school and the church to end up at the original cemetary of the village.The rose garden is very beautiful in summer. The statue of the 82 children is very moving, especially because every day people keep up leaving flowers behind. This is something that is certainly not yet forgotten in the hearts of Czech people.

This is a place that should be visited if in Prague. It is a short ride to the town and it takes about 4 to 6 hours to see all that is here. There is the museum, town site, old graveyard, rose garden, walk through the new town, gallery, and the area around the museum. Very tragic event in Czech history and it should never be forgotten

Saw this site briefly mentioned in booklet purchased after visiting Terezin. After a quick google of the name Lidice and a look at You Tube I knew we had to visit on the last day left before returning home, but how to get there.Thankfully through using info on their website and other search engines we:Took metro line A all the way to Dejvicka.Turned left out of the station and walked 100 m ( away from the huge roundabout) to bus stop number 2 on the opposite side of the road to the hotel Diplomat.Caught bus number 56 ( which runs between every 1/2 - 1 hour) on the line Prague - Kladno.The journey is around 20 mins, you pay the driver once on board and it costs about 29 kr one way (1 euro ish). The driver will usually help to confirm whee you gave to get off at the intersection when the bus turns to go towards Bustehrad.Anyway once you arrive it is only a short walk across the road to the memorial.I will leave the emotional side for you to experience but the staff at the entrance were very helpful and kind, the short film gave a bit of background prior to the execution and destruction followed by the museum which although minimal was so, so powerful with the exhibits they had.We purchased the map of the site, the leaflet and the guide "Lidice before Lidice today" which we used to get some idea of the village layout. However, due to the fact the Nazis burnt, blew up then removed the rubble from the buildings, diverted the stream that ran through the village, cut down all the trees, destroyed the cometary and exhumed and desecrated the bodies before bringing in tons of earth to alter the landscape - it was hard to imagine some buildings being here let alone a thriving, ancient village.You can see the base of the Horak farm as well as the locality of the church and school but the rest have vanished. Beautiful monuments can be found including the amazing Memorial to the Child Victims of the War (check out the back story of this monuments creation).most moving is the grave of the Lidice men, all of whom were executed on that day.Without a shadow of doubt this should be included on an visit to Prague, despite not being on many tours offered. It has been the highlight (and amazing experience) of our week in Prague. It will stay with me long after we return home.

Their is a marvelous museum at the Lidice Memorial. A visit starts with a film that switches between scenes of life in the village to scenes of the rise of the Nazi's and the start of the war. It is available, as are short films in the museum, in English. After the film, we entered the museum showing 8 different aspects associated with the village, its destruction and the fate of the men, women, and children who lived in the village. The 8th piece was very interesting. Women (mothers and female children who survived) and men (surviving male children, as all the men - anyone over 15 - had been executed by firing squad) who survived told their stories.

The heavens wept on the 10th June 1942, the day this village was decimated, flattened literally by the hideous interplay of heroism and vengeance. This memorial was built in loving memory of the hundreds who were cruelly murdered and the few who lived to tell the story. May the souls of Lidice be at peace.

Visiting Lidice to pay my respects to the 500 people affected by the horror that occurred here in 1942 was at the top of my 'to do' list on my recent trip to Prague. I took a bus from Prague for something like 36 crowns; buses leaves the main station on a regular basis and it is about a 20 minute trip. The museum is a moving testimony to what happened, with detailed exhibits and videos. After touring the museum, I wandered through the site of the former village (I strongly recommend buying a map for 13 crowns at the information desk). Initially, it is difficult to fathom the horror that took place here, given the beautiful rose garden, rolling hills, peaceful lake and sunny day. The understated and effective monuments, however, bring the story to life. I was particularly moved by the common grave of 173 men, marked by a simple cross, and the foundations of the the Horak farm, where the shootings took place. The Children's Monument, location of St. Marys Church and the school, and the original cemetery are equally moving. Although an incredibly sad story, I took comfort in the fact that Ledice and its residents, which the Nazis attempted to wipe from the map, will always be remembered.

Lidice's place in history should not be forgotten. As the city Hitler ordered to be "wiped off the face of the earth" the opposite has occurred and Lidice is remembered forever with the beautiful memorial and museum on the site of this former village. The memorial and green rolloing Hills allow visitors a chance to reflect of the lives of the Lidice people cut short. The Children's memorial is especially moving. Everyone needs to understand the history of Lidice in order to appreciate life and understand the reasons so many people gave their lives fighting the evils of National Socialism.

Entry into the original city is through beautiful flowering park, where there are beautiful paths. But gradually begin to realize that in these places, where there is now only a few stones, was a small town that disappeared from the face of the earth. The most powerful moment I experienced the monument of children who were sent to the gas chamber. Look on their faces and toys out there that people give, will not leave anyone in peace.

I have now been here several times first was alone and the other times with friends.It is a very sad place but somehow quite inspiring.Worth reading up on the story of Lidice before visiting to get an insight to what the memorial is about.

This is very sad place to visit, but it is good to go and explore sad story of this village. It is very close to Prague, simple to come here by bus from Dejvicka station on metro A. If you like cycling, go by bicycle. It is a perfect trip. Visit the memorial, museum and also gallery in new Lidice. More information about this place is on this web site: http://www.lidice-memorial.cz/default_en.aspx

Now getting to this memorial isn't quite as straight forward, as one would think. As I had to plan this very carefully indeed, including checking the local weather as if it rains here you'll be caught out in the open and not a good idea, bring umbrellas just in case.You'll get the green line metro to Dejvicka, and then upstairs you'll pick up a No 54 bus, to Kladno and it will take you around twenty minutes to get there. Just remember to watch for the "Lidice Memorial" sign flashing past, along with some food stalls outside, you then get off on the corner and walk back simple..?Now when you enter this very solemn place, just go to the museum building and purchase your tickets after which you'll be directed into a small cinema to watch a short film about this sad moment in time. I could have skipped this as I already knew about the violent history inflicted here, but it's worth while for people who have limited knowledge on their history, You then walk around the well documented museum complete with artefacts from the village life before and after the sad event, plus there's also a wall in here complete with all the names of the villagers on it making it a stark reminder of the losses inflicted including a blood stained shirt worn by one of the Paratroopers who took part in "Operation Anthropoid "......!After this you're free to explore the well maintained grounds/fields ? Which were once a happy rural village teeming with life probably for hundreds of years where everyone knew each other and so on. Until the day Reinhard Heydrich was assassinated by the very brave Czech Paratroopers in Prague some months earlier, and acting upon Hitler's direct orders a "Scorched Earth" policy was decreed on the village of Lidice and surrounding areas. One can only imagine the horror of these villagers when the Waffen SS unit's turned up along with the dreaded Gestapo accusing these innocent country people of their "crimes in collaborating " with the Czech Paratroopers, the atrocities committed here by the Nazi's over several days was truly barbaric and evil..!Moving on, and walking around this vast area it also helps to have a guide book or use the small map provided as there are only foundations left to see, and using your imagination is also helpful. The one poignant sight though is the standing memorial to the 82 village children, which are depicted from old photos of them and this is also very sad plus eerie, people still leave teddy's and things to this day, what's even worse is when those kids when taken away they were told to write letters back home to their parents telling them they were OK and in an Orphanage, the following day they were all gassed..! While their fathers were being shot and the mothers sent off to concentration camps and hardly any returned...!As you move around you'll come across the ruins of the farmhouse where all the men were shot including the priest, you can even see the kitchen tiles. They're all buried in a mass grave nearby which is marked, in fact the more you explore the worse it gets as we discovered later, when we found the Nazi's even dug up the village cemetery and burned the long deceased bodies using slave labour from a nearby concentration camp, truly sick.! You can stay here as long as you want, just walking around taking in the moment reflecting and it did remind me of my visits over the years to places like Auschwitz, Belsen, Dachau, places linked with human tragedy and a sense of despair. And for all those people who think it can't happen again just think the Balkans 1990's, Syria 2014, and so on, we just never learn.On a lighter note there is a small cafe as you near the exit which serves meals/snacks etc, and do check the wall out as there is a brilliant carving showing the atrocities on the day which sends a grim reminder to everyone, as they sip their cappuccinos in the sun...!There is also a large rose garden memorial which when in full bloom is a must see, I was too early for this. and please at least purchase something from the museum which helps keep this memorial going, I bought a small stone with a rose on it plus some reading material from the friendly staff although their English wasn't too good, and finally it was time to leave this well kept place which in all honesty is a fitting tribute to all the innocent victims of this era, I would highly recommend visiting not just here, but also the St Cyril Church in Prague where there is a fitting tribute to the brave Paratroopers too, lest we forget...!