Public collection underway to preserve bronze group sculpture of 82 murdered Lidice children
The brutal massacre of Lidice by the Nazis in the summer of 1942 sent shockwaves around the world. Communities created memorials and organized events in memory of the victims, and some towns were renamed Lidice in defiance of the Nazis’ efforts to erase the village from the map. Eighty-two years after the tragedy, its legacy has not been forgotten. Today people are contributing to the reconstruction of the Lidice Memorial that serves as a memento to future generations. The biggest contribution to date has come from the United States.
The sculpture of 82 children murdered by the Nazis in the summer of 1942 –which stands on the site of the Lidice Memorial - is well-known around the world. It is the work of academic sculptor Marie Uchytilova who dedicated twenty years of her life to the artwork with a view of representing every single Lidice child gassed in the Chełmno extermination camp.
She cast the first three statues in bronze from her own savings, but regrettably died before she could see the monument’s completion. It was only thanks to donations, from at home and abroad, that the entire bronze sculpture of 82 children was cast. The first thirty statues were installed in 1995 and the memorial was not completed until 2000.
Some time ago, the memorial’s administrators announced that due to time and weather conditions the bronze sculpture was in need of major repair and conservation work. Since the funds that could be provided by the Ministry of Culture for the project were inadequate, the Lidice Memorial launched a public collection to help finance the repair work.
Administrators have so far raised around 1.7 million from small donors. But the effort got an unexpected financial boost from an American donor who bequeathed an unexpectedly large sum of money to the Lidice Memorial.
In his will, Donald R. Yadesky bequeathed $165,000, or roughly CZK 4 million, for the maintenance of the memorial site. Yadesky, who lived in Lawrence Park Township, Pennsylvania was a long-time supporter and member of the Friends of History Society.
"We don't know his exact connection to Lidice, but we have been able to find out that he did this in memory of his beloved parents and out of respect for the men, women and children murdered in the Nazi punitive action for the assassination of Nazi protector Reinhard Heydrich," Tereza Stehlíková of the Lidice Memorial told the news site Novinky.cz
The 4 million crown donation will be used exactly according to the donor’s last wishes. The sum of $85,000 is to be used for the restoration of the foundations of the Horák farmhouse, which are located in close proximity to the common grave of the murdered Lidice men. Another $80,000 is earmarked for the restoration of the Memorial to the Lidice Child Victims.
Stehlíková, said that it is rare to see a large donation from a private individual. The biggest single donation so far was just over CZK 100 000 to the collection for the children's memorial. According to preliminary estimates, the restoration of the memorial to the child victims is expected to cost around CZK 13 million. The collection will be closed at the end of this year. If the memorial manages to raise the necessary sum, it will begin with restoration work next year and the sculpture should be fully renovated in five years’ time.
Contributions to the project can be made via Donio.cz
