August 29, Friday. Vojna Memorial
After breakfast, we began our overland journey
to Cesky Krumlov, stopping along the way to visit the Vojna Memorial, a
Communist Concentration Camp. Located in the middle of a forest, Vojna was
originally built by German POWs after World War II as a labor camp to work the
nearby uranium mines. With the communist takeover in 1948, Vojna transitioned
into a notorious forced labor camp for political prisoners of the communist regime until 1961. Today, the Vojna
Memorial is a powerful reminder of the many Czech victims of the communist
regime.
The rectangular gray areas show where more buildings once stood.
 |
| Guard posts ringed the camp |
|
|
 |
| Prisoners who violated the rules were sent to this underground bunker. From left: Roy, Arnet, Odell, Al, Nancy, Me |
|
|
Sleeping quarters.
After leaving Vojna, we stopped for lunch at a restaurant in Pisek, a picturesque
Bohemian town founded in the 13th century on the banks of the Otava River. I loved Pisek and would like to live in a charming, quaint village such as that. The stone bridge is the oldest remaining bridge in the country, built before the
end of the 13th century.
 |
| sand sculpture |
 |
| sand sculpture |
 |
The house "U kouli" (the
balls)
|
Once part of one of three medieval gates - the Putim Gate. When it was
demolished in 1836, canon balls found near the gate were set into the facade
of the house, hence its name. The front of the building also preserved some
Renaissance graffito.
 |
The deanery church of the Virgin
Mary's Birth
|
A three-nave building from the mid 13th century, originally with twin towers.
One of the towers was raised in 1489 and now reaches a height of 70 meters.
Upon arrival in Cesky Krumlov, we checked in to our hotel and then headed down
to the hotel restaurant for dinner accompanied by traditional (Medieval) Czech
dances. Two of our group, Alyce and the
bus driver, were invited to join in.
 |
| The bus driver and Alyce taking a lesson in Medieval dancing |
No comments:
Post a Comment