Czech government to release funds for maintenance of Sudeten German graves
The post-war expulsion of Sudeten Germans from the Czech borderlands changed the face of the region. Homes and property were confiscated, and hundreds of thousands of German graves were forcibly abandoned. Some municipalities are struggling to preserve the legacy, but most have given up on the task. Now, thanks to a multi-million crown subsidy from the Ministry of Regional Development, that could change.
The village of Radonice, once part of the so-called Sudetenland, was predominantly German before World War II, and although most of the graves in the local cemetery now are those of former Czech inhabitants, there are still quite a few old graves bearing German names. The municipality takes care of them, whether the descendants of the displaced Germans pay for them or not. Mayor Jaroslav Santner points some of them out.
"Just last year, one of the headstones toppled over, so we had it repaired. You can read the inscription here –it says Leopold Ingrish. We have another one over there that collapsed some time ago. When I asked what we should do with it, they told me to take it to the garbage dump, but I can’t accept that."
The Radonice cemetery is the only one in the close vicinity. The mayor explains that there was a cemetery near Kojetin, not too far away, but that was completely destroyed in 1969 after the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia. He says the army destroyed it, the monuments were piled up by the stream, and the church was demolished.
Although a few years back Mayor Santner attended a lecture at the Ministry of Regional Development on the care of abandoned Sudeten German graves, he says that money for the task is in short supply and the municipality would welcome financial help from the state.
Moreover, not all municipalities are so active. There are literally hundreds of thousands of abandoned graves in the border area, and many of them are no longer even identifiable due to the devastation wrought by time and neglect.
More than three million Germans lived in Czechoslovakia before World War II and most of them were expelled after 1945. Martin Krsek, a historian at the Ústí nad Labem Museum says the state never bothered to deal with this part of the legacy.
"The expulsions of Sudeten Germans under the Beneš Decrees were a collective punishment for supporting the Nazi regime. The punishment was deportation and confiscation of property, both movable and immovable. The authorities confiscated houses and factories, but they forgot about the graves".
Krsek says that in addition to the emotional damage done, cemeteries are chronicles of communities and many graves have historical and artistic value.
“In the town of Ústí nad Labem there are tombs of very important industrial families who not only influenced life in the region, but often played a very important role in the entire Habsburg monarchy. They are the graves of people who brought the latest inventions to this region and initiated changes that contributed to the town’s prosperity. “
The new subsidy being prepared by the Ministry of Regional Development, which is expected to be approved by the government in the coming weeks, could help save at least part of that legacy.
Local municipalities and associations will be able to apply for funding from next year. According to Leo Steiner from the Ministry of Regional Development European funds should be made available for the financing of repairs to German graves from 2029. The Czech Republic made a commitment to maintain the graves of displaced Sudeten Germans in the Treaty on Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation signed in 1992.
