Guided tour in English: A walk to the dark past of the hill of Letná in Prague

Archaeological Summer: A walk to the dark past of the hill of Letná in Prague

The Hill of Letná in Prague, a dominant terrace above the city and an important Prague public space, played significant role in Czech history for many times, gloriously and ingloriously, often literally darkly. In this context, we can mention the encampment of the crusaders of Sigismund of Luxembourg in 1420, the occupation of Prague by the French and the Prussian during the War of the Austrian Succession in 1740´s and 1750´s, in the revolution of 1848, the events of the Second World War and the dramatic weeks after its end, and finally the remarkable fate of the J. V. Stalin monument, whose foundation is still preserved as an archaeological structure par excellence in the Prague cityscape.

In spring 2021, a rescue archaeological excavation was carried out in the vicinity of the monument´s fundament during the construction of a water basin, primarily to search for traces of historical military activities, but which resulted in the rediscovery of the forced labour camp, used during the construction of the Stalin monument. The research has received enormous media interest and, above all, has enriched Prague archaeology with a completely new type of site from a recent past. The tour will present the topography of the camp, it’s almost negligible remains in today’s park, as well as the remarkable finds that were recovered during the field research.

Hasil, J. et al. 2022: The_Rediscovery_of_a_Labour_Camp….

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