Reinhard Heydrich was an infamous character associated with Prague's history during World War II.
As a prominent Nazi and the Chief of the SD, Heydrich came to the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia in 1941 to serve as Reich Protector, the highest-ranking officer in the country.
His favorite method of governing the Czech state was the so-called carrot and stick policy.
This consisted of providing social benefits to workers laboring for the needs of the Third Reich, while at the same time brutally persecuting disloyal Czech citizens.
He earned the nickname "The Butcher of Prague" for his cruel attitude.
Heydrich’s assassination
At the end of 1941, Czechoslovak paratroopers, members of the Czech Resistance, were sent from England to the Czech Republic to carry out a special diversionary mission called Operation Anthropoid.
Two of them, Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš, committed the assassination on 27 May 1942, when they threw a hand grenade at the car in which Heydrich was heading to Prague Castle. Heydrich was injured and died of his wounds eight days later.
The Third Reich's retaliation for Heydrich's assassination was brutal for the Czech nation.
The Nazis imposed a harsh terror known as the Second Heydrichiad, as a result of which they murdered several thousand Czech people.
Among the most significant atrocities belong the destruction of Lidice, a small Bohemian village, which took place on 10 June 1942. The village was razed to the ground followed by mass executions of all present adults.
Where was Heydrich assassinated?
The assassination of Heydrich was carried out in the so-called Heydrich's Turn in the Libeň district of Prague. This place no longer exists today, it has been greatly transformed by the construction of the on-ramps to the D8 highway.
Today, a monumental memorial stands on this site, designed as a symbol of determination and bravery.
The three figures balancing on the edge at a height of nine meters represent an English and a Czechoslovak soldier and a civilian: the success of Operation Andropoid also depended on ordinary people.
Death of Czech paratroopers
The Czech paratroopers who made the assassination paid with their lives when one of their men betrayed and reported them to the Gestapo.
On June 18, 1942, they succumbed in a battle with a superior force of Nazi soldiers in the crypt of the Church of St Cyril and Methodius in Resslova Street in Prague's New Town.
- Address: Resslova 9a, 120 00 Nové Město
In the church, the National Memorial to the Heroes of the Heydrichiad commemorates the fate of the brave men. It includes the crypt where the paratroopers fought their last battle.
If you are interested in World War II, I recommend visiting the Church of St. Cyril and Methodius for the very strong and touching atmosphere. The entrance is free.
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