To all whom it may concern!
In its Statement of August 24, 2005, the Government of the Czech Republic expressed its deep recognition to all former Czechoslovak citizens, in particular those of German nationality, who lived before World War II in the territory of the present Czech Republic and who remained loyal to the Czechoslovak Republic during Hitlerian aggression, actively participated in the struggle for its liberation or were persecuted by the Nazi regime. The Government of the Czech Republic at the same time expressed its regret that some of these persons did not live to see after the end of World War II the recognition they deserved. Instead, at variance with the then operative legislation, they suffered wrongs as a result of measures applied in post-war Czechoslovakia against the so-called enemy population. The Government of the Czech Republic expressed its apology to all the active opponents of Nazism who suffered such wrongs, irrespective of their later citizenship and residence.
A documentary project launched by the Institute of Contemporary History of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in cooperation with the Museum of the City of Ústí nad Labem and the National Archives in Prague, in pursuance of this Statement and with financial support by the Czech Government, is to chart the history of opponents of Nazism among the then citizens of the Czechoslovak Republic, to capture and to gather evidence of their life and contribution to the struggle for European democracy. At the same time, the project is intended to inform general public of the fate of these antifascists. Its outcomes will be presented not only in professional studies and editions but also in the form of travelling exhibitions, radio and film documentaries, international conferences and an educational project addressing primary school pupils and secondary school students. From autumn 2008, the outcomes of the project will form part of the permanent exposition of the Museum of the City of Ústí nad Labem.
The project testifies to the interest of the Czech society in these historical phenomena and events as well as in the traditions the democratic Europe subscribes to today. And the legacy of the active opponents of Nazism in the Czech Lands is undoubtedly part of them.
In an effort to contribute to deepening historical memory, the project team invites international public to respond to the following questions:
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Do you belong to antifascists who were citizens of the then Czechoslovak Republic?
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Are you a relative or an acquaintance of such a person?
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Are you in possession or do you know of any valuable evidence of their activities, including photographs or other documents?
Anything that can help create and complete this historical picture is welcome.
Please contact us at:
Ústav pro soudobé dějiny Akademie věd České republiky
(Institute of Contemporary History of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic)
Vlašská 9, 118 40 Praha 1
Česká republika
Tel.: 00420 257531122
Fax: 00420 257531122, 00420 257532553
antifa@usd.cas.cz; www.usd.cas.cz