Pomník obětem komunismu

Monument to the Victims of Communism stands in the City Gardens (Městské sady) in Ústí nad Labem, in the very same park that holds the memorial to victims of fascism and the Holocaust memorial. Unveiled in 1997, the bronze monument by Olbram Zoubek recalls the people persecuted by Czechoslovakia's communist regime.

Where exactly does the monument stand?

The monument is located in the City Gardens in Ústí nad Labem, alongside the park's other memorials - the monument to victims of fascism and the granite Star of David commemorating the Holocaust. This clustering is no accident: the City Gardens have long served as the town's main site for remembering the victims of 20th-century repression, so a single walk through the park takes visitors past several distinct, thematically separate monuments.

What does the monument look like?

The monument consists of a figurative bronze sculpture accompanied by a commemorative plaque reading "OBĚTEM KOMUNISMU MĚSTO ÚSTÍ NAD LABEM 1997" (To the victims of communism, City of Ústí nad Labem, 1997). Unlike the more abstract, metaphorical Holocaust memorial in the same park, this sculpture is figurative and legible at a glance, without requiring prior knowledge of its historical context.

Who created the monument?

The sculpture was created by Olbram Zoubek (1926-2017), one of the most recognised Czech sculptors of the 20th century, known among other works for Jan Palach's death mask and for the later, nationally famous Monument to the Victims of Communism on Petřín Hill in Prague, unveiled in 2002 - five years after this Ústí version. The monument in Ústí nad Labem was commissioned by the city in cooperation with the Konfederace politických vězňů (Confederation of Political Prisoners), an organisation representing people persecuted under communist rule, and was unveiled on 22 June 1997.

Who does the monument commemorate?

The monument is general in scope - it honours the victims of Czechoslovakia's communist regime as a group, without listing individual names on the plaque. The involvement of the Confederation of Political Prisoners in its creation indicates that its founders intended it, above all, as a tribute to political prisoners - people imprisoned, repressed or persecuted by the communist authorities after 1948.

Why was it built in Ústí nad Labem?

Like many Czech towns, Ústí nad Labem sought a way to commemorate the victims of the previous regime after the Velvet Revolution of 1989. Entrusting the task to Olbram Zoubek - an artist of established reputation with a personal history tied to opposition against communism - gave this local monument added weight, years before the same sculptor went on to create his best-known work on the subject in Prague.

Frequently asked questions

When was the monument unveiled? On 22 June 1997.

Who designed the monument? Olbram Zoubek, a Czech sculptor known among other things for Jan Palach's death mask and the Monument to the Victims of Communism on Petřín Hill in Prague.

What is the monument made of? Bronze - a figurative sculpture together with a commemorative plaque.

Where exactly does it stand? In the City Gardens (Městské sady) in Ústí nad Labem, near the monument to victims of fascism and the Holocaust memorial.

Who funded the monument? The city of Ústí nad Labem, in cooperation with the Konfederace politických vězňů (Confederation of Political Prisoners).

Is this the same monument as the fascism-victims memorial or the Holocaust memorial in Ústí nad Labem? No - it is a third, separate monument in the same park. The fascism-victims memorial addresses the Second World War period, the granite Star-of-David memorial commemorates specifically the Jews of Ústí murdered in the Holocaust, and this bronze monument by Olbram Zoubek addresses a distinct historical period - communist-era repression after 1948.