Obětem nacismu

Obětem nacismu (To the Victims of Nazism) is a memorial standing on Sadová street in Karlovy Vary, on the very spot once occupied by the town's Great Synagogue. It commemorates the victims of Nazi terror between 1938 and 1945 and the destroyed synagogue itself — and its own history, marked by relocation and eventual return, mirrors the fate of the city's Jewish community across the twentieth century.

What stood here before 1938?

At what is now Sadová 899/27, an imposing synagogue designed by architect A. Wolf stood from 1877 onward, built in a Moorish-Romanesque style with one large dome and two smaller side domes. The building could seat around 1,200 worshippers and was formally opened on 4 September 1877, making it one of the largest and most representative synagogues in the Karlovy Vary region.

What happened during Kristallnacht?

On the night of 9–10 November 1938, during the nationwide pogrom known as Kristallnacht, the Karlovy Vary synagogue was set on fire by the Nazis and effectively destroyed. The surviving ruins were finally demolished in 1939, and the site of the former synagogue stood empty for years afterward.

How was the memorial created, and what does its inscription say?

In 1957, a memorial was erected on the former synagogue site to honor both the destroyed building and the Jewish victims of Nazism. Its inscription, translated, reads roughly: "On the remains of the synagogue burned by the Nazis in 1938, this monument was erected in eternal memory of our victims of Nazi tyranny in the years 1938–1945 and our heroes who fell in the Second World War." The text combines remembrance of civilian victims of persecution with remembrance of fallen soldiers — a common approach for postwar memorials of this kind in Czechoslovakia.

Why did the memorial disappear from Sadová for decades?

In 1986, the memorial was relocated to the Jewish cemetery in the Drahovice district of Karlovy Vary to make way for the construction of the Bristol Hotel on the site. It did not return to its original location on Sadová until 2002, when its restoration was supported in part by the Czech-German Future Fund, an institution that finances projects commemorating the shared, difficult history of the two countries. Today the memorial stands exactly where the synagogue once did, closing a symbolic loop in its story.

What should visitors know before going?

The memorial sits in the central part of Karlovy Vary, within easy reach of the town's main spa attractions, so a visit can easily be combined with a walk along the colonnades and thermal springs. It is a quiet, modest site without dedicated tourist infrastructure, visited mainly by people interested in the history of the local Jewish community and the town's wartime experience. It's worth knowing that Karlovy Vary holds other related sites of memory as well, including the Jewish cemetery in Drahovice, where this very monument spent two decades before returning to Sadová.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Obětem nacismu memorial in Karlovy Vary commemorate? The victims of Nazi terror between 1938 and 1945, together with the town's Great Synagogue, which was destroyed during Kristallnacht and once stood on the same site.

Where exactly is the memorial located? On Sadová street (address Sadová 899/27) in Karlovy Vary, on the grounds of the former synagogue.

When was the synagogue on this site destroyed? On the night of 9–10 November 1938, during Kristallnacht; its surviving ruins were demolished in 1939.

When was the memorial itself erected? In 1957, directly on the site of the former synagogue.

Why did the memorial stand elsewhere for a period of time? In 1986 it was moved to the Jewish cemetery in Drahovice to make way for the construction of the Bristol Hotel; it returned to Sadová in 2002.

Who supported the memorial's return to its original site? Its restoration and return were financed in part by the Czech-German Future Fund.