Holocaust memorial in Valašské Meziříčí

The Holocaust Memorial in Valašské Meziříčí commemorates the town's Jewish residents who were deported and murdered during the Second World War. It stands on Vodní street, close to the Rožnovská Bečva river, on the very spot once occupied by the local synagogue.

Where is the memorial and what does it look like?

The memorial occupies a small plot on Vodní street, right by the bank of the Rožnovská Bečva, in a quiet part of Valašské Meziříčí. Its central feature is a three-dimensional Star of David, built from sections of railway track — a form that directly evokes the trains used to deport the town's Jewish population. Next to the star stands a marble plaque engraved with the names of one hundred and fifty Holocaust victims from the town and its surroundings.

Why was the memorial built on this exact site?

The location was chosen deliberately. It once held the town's synagogue, which was torn down in the 1950s; gravestones from the nearby Jewish cemetery were reused at the time as building material for houses. The decision to erect a memorial here was made in 2002, and the project was carried out in cooperation with the Jewish Community of Ostrava, which has kept the memory of the region's former Jewish community alive.

When was the memorial unveiled, and why that date?

The formal unveiling took place in November 2004. The date was chosen symbolically, on the eve of the 62nd anniversary of the forced deportation of Valašské Meziříčí's Jewish residents to the Terezín ghetto, from where they were sent onward to the Auschwitz and Treblinka death camps. Timing the unveiling this way linked the day of the original deportation directly to the day a lasting memorial finally stood in its place.

What does the star made of railway tracks represent?

The choice of railway track as the sculpture's material is deliberate. Rail transport was the very instrument of deportation — residents of the town were taken by train to Terezín, and from there onward by rail to the death camps. Shaping the tracks into a three-dimensional Star of David, a symbol of Jewish identity and faith, fuses the marker of persecution with the symbol of the people who suffered it.

Frequently asked questions

How many names are engraved on the memorial? The marble plaque bears one hundred and fifty names of Holocaust victims connected to Valašské Meziříčí.

Who was involved in building the memorial? It was built through cooperation between the town and the Jewish Community of Ostrava, following a decision made in 2002.

Did a synagogue really stand on this site? Yes. The synagogue of Valašské Meziříčí was demolished in the 1950s, and gravestones from the nearby Jewish cemetery were reused as building material at that time.

When exactly was the memorial unveiled? The ceremonial unveiling took place in November 2004, on the eve of the 62nd anniversary of the deportation of the town's Jews to the Terezín ghetto.

Where exactly can visitors find the memorial? The memorial stands on Vodní street in Valašské Meziříčí, close to the Rožnovská Bečva riverbank, in an easily accessible part of town.