Protektorátní hranice

Protektorátní hranice marks the former Protectorate border that ran directly through the village of Žďárek from 1939 to 1945. Žďárek lies in the Liberec district, on the eastern edge of the Turnov administrative area, bordering the Jablonec nad Nisou district. During the war, the village held an unusual position: it was the very last municipality of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, with the border running just behind the village toward Jílové, separating the occupied interior from territory annexed to Germany.

Where did this border come from?

The line at Žďárek was a direct consequence of the 1938 Munich Diktat, which forced Czechoslovakia to cede its border regions, largely inhabited by German-speaking populations, to Nazi Germany. As a result, for seven years — from 1938/1939 until the war's end in 1945 — Žďárek sat literally on the seam between two administrative regimes: the remaining Czech lands, reorganized as the German-controlled Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, and territory directly incorporated into the Third Reich. For the villagers, this meant living the entire occupation in the shadow of a border crossing that split what had once been a single region into two separate administrative and control zones.

What was life like in a border village?

The fact that Žďárek became a frontier settlement had consequences that reached well beyond the war years themselves. Because of its special position, the village stayed administratively attached to the Turnov district all the way until the state administrative reorganization of 1960 — meaning the echo of its former border status persisted for fifteen years after the border itself had ceased to exist. The village's name has nothing to do with this border history: Žďárek comes from the word "žďářit," an old term for clearing or burning forest land to prepare it for grain cultivation, and the first written mentions of the village date back to 1600, long before the dramatic events of the twentieth century.

What is worth seeing in the area today?

Modern Žďárek sits scenically between Turnov and Hodkovice nad Mohelkou, with elevations ranging from 342 meters above sea level in the valley of the Mohelka stream up to 488 meters on Hrobka hill. This varied terrain makes the surroundings popular with hikers and cyclists looking for quiet routes with views toward the Krkonoše foothills. The village also has a monument dedicated to those who fell in the First World War, standing near the municipal office — a reminder that twentieth-century history left its mark on this place more than once, and not only through the protectorate border.

Frequently asked questions

Why did the Protectorate border run through Žďárek? Because the 1938 Munich Diktat handed the neighboring border areas over to Germany, leaving Žďárek as the last village on the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia side.

How long did the border exist? It existed from 1938/1939 until the end of the war and the dissolution of the Protectorate in 1945.

Did the border shape the village's later history? Yes — because of its earlier border status, Žďárek remained part of the Turnov district until the administrative reform of 1960.

Does the village's name relate to the border? No, the name comes from "žďářit," referring to clearing forest for farmland, and is far older than the border episode — the first mentions of Žďárek date back to 1600.