Pomník obětem heydrichiády

Pomník obětem heydrichiády (Monument to the Victims of the Heydrichiade) is a modest memorial in the central cemetery of České Budějovice, marking one of the darkest chapters of Czech history — the brutal Nazi reprisals that followed the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich in 1942.

How to get there?

The monument stands within the ústřední hřbitov (central cemetery) on Pražská třída in České Budějovice, close to the former crematorium and columbarium building. It is easily reached on foot or by local bus from the city center, since the cemetery lies within the built-up part of town, only a short ride from the historic main square. The plain granite boulder occupies a quiet corner of the cemetery, set apart from the main pathways, giving the site a subdued, reflective atmosphere.

What does the monument commemorate?

Following the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, deputy Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, by Czechoslovak paratroopers in June 1942, the occupying authorities unleashed a wave of savage retaliation known as the Heydrichiade. Hundreds of Czech civilians, accused of aiding the resistance or merely suspected of anti-Nazi sympathies, were arrested and executed in summary proceedings that bore no resemblance to fair trials.

Many residents of South Bohemia, including people connected to the area around České Budějovice, were among those put to death in Tábor, which served as one of the execution centers during this period. In line with the occupiers' deliberate effort to erase any trace of the victims, their bodies were transported to the crematorium in České Budějovice for cremation. According to historical accounts, part of the ashes were not even given a burial — some were scattered into the Vítek pond so that no lasting trace of the dead would remain.

The granite memorial stone in the cemetery on Pražská třída was not unveiled until 1968, more than two decades after the war, during a brief period of political thaw that allowed the victims of Nazism to be openly commemorated without the ideological distortions typical of earlier years. Its inscription states that this was the place where the bodies of Czech patriots from South Bohemia rested — patriots executed by the Nazis during the Heydrichiade in June 1942 and brought here for cremation.

Why is it worth a stop?

The monument is not an imposing structure or a conventional tourist attraction — it is a plain, almost austere stone, and its power lies precisely in that simplicity and in the history it recalls. For visitors to České Budějovice, a city best known for its brewing tradition and Renaissance main square, this site offers an important reminder of the price the region paid during the occupation. A visit here adds a deeper, more reflective layer to any tour of the historic town center.

When to visit?

The cemetery and the monument are accessible year-round, at any time during the cemetery's opening hours. A particularly meaningful time to visit is around June, the month in which the 1942 reprisals took place, when the region often also holds local commemorative events for the victims of the Heydrichiade.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Pomník obětem heydrichiády commemorate? It commemorates Czech patriots from South Bohemia who were executed by the Nazis in June 1942 during the reprisals following the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, and whose bodies were brought to České Budějovice for cremation.

Where exactly is the monument located? In the central cemetery (ústřední hřbitov) on Pražská třída in České Budějovice, near the former crematorium building.

When was the monument erected? The granite memorial stone was unveiled in 1968, more than twenty years after the end of the war.

What was the Heydrichiade? It was a wave of brutal Nazi reprisals against the Czech civilian population following the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich in June 1942, involving mass arrests and executions without fair trials.