And thus our time in Prague has come to an end. Throughout the day, we backtracked history by following the steps taken when planning the assassination Reinhard Heydrich, a high ranking Nazi officer during WWII, the man who formalized The Final Solution, and the future successor to Adolf Hitler.
At the time, Heydrich was the most powerful man in Czechoslovakia up until he was ambushed by a British paratooper. He was shot at and bombed while driving through Prague and died a few days after the assassination attempt due to infections and injuries.
It is always interesting to stand in the exact spot where history occurred, it helps us understand these events better when we are fully immersed in the scene. The enthusiam that Gabe brings to the table helps with our learning process as well.
The riveting story lasted for most of the morning and was followed by our departing from Prague. On our way to Cesky Krumlov, we stopped at the former village of Lidice and learned about the history that unraveled there during the war.
On orders given by Hitler, the village was to be completely destroyed. The destruction of the small Czechoslovakian village was due to the retaliation and anger following the death of Heydrich.
All men over the age of 15 were to be executed while all women and children were sent to Chelmno Concentration Camp. After the end of the war, only 153 women and 17 children returned. By the time of their return, there was no trace of Lidice.
The trip to Lidice was informative yet emotional on many accounts. Before today, none of us had even heard of this former village. This was an insightful and worthwhile stop on our way traveling out of Prague.
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