Memory of Lidice: 340 victims of the Nazi terror in moving ceremony

Memory of Lidice: 340 victims of the Nazi terror in moving ceremony

Lidice, Tschechische Republik - On June 29, 2025, the destruction of the Czech village of Lidice by a German occupation command in World War II. On the occasion of this tragic event, delegations from the Czech Republic and Germany are active in order to maintain the memory of the 340 victims and keep the memory awake. The Lidice Initiative, which has existed since 1979, was launched by Ernst Uhl, the former secretary of the Bremen Evangelical Church. Their goal is to improve the relationship between the Czechs and Germans and to deal with the terrible past.

on June 10, 1942, as a retaliation measure for the assassination attempt on Reinhard Heydrich, Lidice was attacked. 178 men over 15 years were shot, 195 women deported to Ravensbrück concentration camp, and 86 of almost 100 children were murdered. This unprecedented brutality has buried deeply into the collective memory. It was only after the war, in 1947, was the foundation stone for a new Lidice, which was rebuilt 300 meters from the original center. Today this village is not only a place of remembrance, but also a symbol of peace and reconciliation.

memories and memorial lessons

The latest memorial events have shown how important it is to pay respect for victims. As part of a visit to a Czech delegation in Bremen from April 24th to 27th, 2025, a memorial hour took place at the Lidice monument in the ramparts. The ceremony, which began on April 25 at 10 a.m., included greetings from Edda Bosse, the President of the Bremen Evangelical Church, the Mayor of Bremen Dr. Andreas Bovenschulte and Pastor Dr. Bernd Kuschnerus. The commemoration day was part of the annual tradition that is reminiscent of the atrocities of National Socialism.

Following the memorial event, the German guests had the opportunity to get in personal contact with Jiri Pitin, a survivor of the massacre. These encounters are invaluable to give the victims a face and to strengthen the human connection between the two nations.

cultural bridges build

Ernst Uhl, who was appointed honorary citizen of Lidice in 1994, was not just a pioneer for memory work. He also collected 300,000 D-Mark for the “Oase” meeting center in Lidice, which was inaugurated in 1989. The center not only offers living space for seniors, but also a place of encounter and dialogue. In May 2024, another rose was planted in Lidice in the "Garden of Peace and Reconciliation", a tradition that is growing steadily. Of the original flower bed with 1,000 roses, over 25,000 can now be found in the garden of the commemoration.

The Bremen delegation will continue to plan further visits to Lidice in the future, including encounters with the Evangelical Youth Bremen. This commitment is part of the greater goal of maintaining the memory of the sacrificial times and ensuring that such atrocities do not happen again.

The events and memorial lessons in Lidice are not only an honorable memory of the deceased, but also an invitation to dialogue and understanding, such as Kirchen-bremen.de reported.

The story of Lidice, however, begins much earlier, with the first mention in chronicles from 1318 and the establishment of the St. Martins Church in 1352. It was once a blooming mining work that ended tragically when the National Socialists took power. The destruction in 1942 meant that the name Lidice worldwide became a symbol for resistance to oppression, as can be read on lidice-Memorial.cz

A lasting reminder that reminds us of it: The story of Lidice teaches us that we should never forget the teachings of the past to make a peaceful future.