Commemorative event marks 79th anniversary of Lidice tragedy years

The country’s political leaders, including Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, Senate chairman Miloš Vystrčil and Culture Minister Lubomír Zaorálek, attended a ceremony commemorating the 76th anniversary of the razing of Lidice by the Nazis on Saturday.

The old Lidice, a village north-west of Prague was one of two villages which were completely destroyed by German forces in reprisal for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, the highest ranking Nazi official in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.

On June 10th of 1942, all 173 men over 15 years of age were rounded up and shot, while the women and children were to concentration camps, where many died. The other village, Ležáky was razed to the ground in a similar manner a fortnight later.