Kobyliská střelnice Memorial

Welcome to Prague, part Kobylisy. You're standing right in front of a place that carries a very hard history, but it also serves as an important symbol of memory. In front of you is the space of the former Kobylis shooting range. When you look at this place today, you may perceive peace and quiet, but in every stone and in every piece of this land, there is a story of courage, suffering and immense loss. It's a place that forces us to stop, to keep quiet and to think about the price of freedom.

Let us now look together at how this place was created and how its significance changed over the decades. It all started in a thousand eight hundred and ninety. At that time, there was a military compound designed to train infantry. So imagine this place in its beginnings as a space full of motion, marchars and military drills. It was the center of military training where young men learned the craft of a soldier. What is interesting, however, is that this shooting range was not only seen as a restricted military area in people around it. On the contrary, cultural events took place at certain times, concerts of military bands took place and the site became a real destination for the residents of the area. People used to come here for fun and music without knowing what a dark chapter would be written here.

Now pay attention to the site itself and its current form. Notice how the space is arranged today. What you see is the result of a long process of turning a military training ground into a piety place. The total decoration you are surrounding today was completed in the year one thousand nine hundred seventy-five. The architectural intervention here carried the signature of names like Jan Polák and Ladislav Todla. When looking at space, do not try to look for pomp, but rather perceive the atmosphere of respect and humility. The entire complex was declared a national cultural monument in the year one thousand nine hundred seventy eight, underlining its immense value to the entire community. A few years ago, namely in the year two thousand and sixteen, the grand reopening took place after extensive repairs to keep this place in a dignified state for all generations.

When you stand like this and perceive silence, it is time to move on to the most tragic part of the history of this place. During World War II, at a time when the country was under violent administration under the protectorate regime, the function of the site changed drastically. The German administration has established an execution site here. The darkest period was in the year one thousand nine hundred forty-two, in the period of the second martial law. Between May 30 and July 3 of that year, a total of five hundred thirty-nine people were executed here.

Stop for a second and imagine these people. They weren't just soldiers or strangers. Among the victims were major politicians, respected scientists, artists and clerics. Among the names that have always linked their fates to this place, for example, Alois Elias, who was the main representative of the Resistance at the time. There is also the courage of Františka Flamínek, a woman who was not afraid to fight for the truth. Here we remember the writer Vladislav Vančur, Evžena Rošický, Jan Auerhan and Jaroslav Štorkán. The name of Bishop Gorazda, who stood by his principles to the end, is written here. We also remember Václav Chikl, Jan Sonnevend or Vladimir Petřek. Each of these names represents one lost life, one broken story and one deep blow to the heart of our culture and statehood.

Now, I want to draw your attention to one freezing detail that reveals the cruelty of the system at that time. You may have rewritten that the executions took place in an open area where shots should be heard. However, the German administration has done everything it can to keep these sounds from the outside. So that neighbors and people in the neighborhood don't hear about what's going on here, they deliberately overhear the sounds of shots fired by loud cars and buses. Imagine the contrast: on one side the noise of the engines, which was supposed to create the appearance of normality, and on the other side the silent death of hundreds of innocent people. It's a terrifying example of how reality was manipulated at the time and how humanity threw up.

So this shooting range is not just a set of buildings or enclosed property. It's a place where the worst hate with the ultimate victim has been met. Since the year one thousand nine hundred forty-five serves as a piety place where we can quietly pay respect to those who paid the highest possible price for their faith in a better world.

Now, when you look around you, consider this space an open book of history. It records everything from military training and musical concerts to the darkest twists of the twentieth century. It is important that we visit such places, that we talk about them and that their stories are remembered.

I now ask you to go through the area at a slow pace. Pay attention to every detail, stop by the victims' names and let your own feelings guide you. Let this place make you wonder how important peace coexistence and respect for human life are.

Thank you for your journey to this important monument. I hope this brief interpretation has helped you better understand the importance of the Kobylis range. I wish you a peaceful walk and a profound experience of further discovering the history of our city. Goodbye.