World wars memorial in Slovany

The World Wars Memorial in Slovany recalls the air raid that struck this Plzeň district on 18 April 1945, killing or wounding around a hundred residents and destroying fifty houses. The memorial stands at the junction of Olšová, Kaštanová and Květná streets, right in the heart of Slovany.

What exactly does this memorial mark?

Rather than a generic tribute to wartime suffering, the memorial responds to one specific event in the district's history: the air raid of 18 April 1945, among the last Allied attacks on Plzeň before the end of the Second World War. That day, bombs destroyed roughly fifty houses in Slovany, and close to a hundred residents were killed or injured in the rubble. More than eighty of them are listed by name on the memorial itself.

Where does the memorial stand, and why there?

The memorial occupies the corner where Olšová, Kaštanová and Květná streets meet — right next to the area that suffered the worst damage. The choice of site is both practical and symbolic: this junction sits at the center of the bombed neighborhood, so residents of Slovany pass it as part of everyday life, not only when a formal anniversary calls attention to it.

Who was behind building the memorial?

The initiative came from the Český svaz bojovníků za svobodu (Czech Union of Freedom Fighters), an organization of war veterans and former combatants. The roughly fifty thousand koruna cost was largely covered by the town hall of Plzeň's second municipal district, which includes Slovany. Preparations — from the initial idea through gathering documentation to the physical construction — took two years.

How was the list of victims' names put together?

Establishing exactly who died in the raid was not straightforward more than seventy years after the event, with few witnesses still alive. Those preparing the memorial worked with the Plzeň city archive, drawing on cremation records and the death dates they contained to identify people who had actually died as a result of the bombing of Slovany that April day. That archival work eventually yielded more than eighty confirmed names, which were then engraved on the memorial.

Is this the only memorial to war victims in Plzeň?

No — Plzeň has several memorials tied to the Second World War, including ones dedicated to the May 1945 uprising and to victims of other air raids on the city. What sets the Slovany memorial apart is its narrow focus: a single, dated event and specific, named residents of the district, rather than a general tribute to wartime loss.

Frequently asked questions

When did the air raid the memorial commemorates take place? On 18 April 1945, in the final weeks of the Second World War.

How many people were killed or injured in the raid on Slovany? The bombing killed or injured around a hundred residents of the district and destroyed fifty houses.

How many names are engraved on the memorial? More than eighty — the number confirmed through research in the Plzeň city archive.

Who initiated the memorial's construction? The Czech Union of Freedom Fighters, with financial support from the town hall of Plzeň's second municipal district.

Where exactly does the memorial stand? At the junction of Olšová, Kaštanová and Květná streets in the Slovany district.

How long did it take to build the memorial? Two years passed between the initiative and the completed memorial.