A labor camp was rediscovered in Prague, Czech Republic, in 2021. The labor camp was in Letna Park at the site of the Stalin Monument. The Stalin Monument was revealed in 1955 but removed with explosives in October 1962 because Stalinism was not relevant in the Czech Republic anymore. The pedestal remains and now holds up a 75-foot metronome.
Stalin Monument
Stalin used forced labor to make money for the economy for war, post-war reconstruction, and the quasi-war. Almost all production mining plants and infrastructure construction were forced labor. People in forced labor camps were overworked, not paid, and required to work in non-ideal conditions. The labor camp was rediscovered because the initial reason for the search was to look for remains of the fortifications added to the Prague Baroque bastion fortification. A fortification is a wall used to defend an area from attack. It was soon discovered that the fortifications were gone after 1859 because the area was turned into a park.
Example of a Labor Camp
The positions of two barracks were found on the west side of the camp only by the corruption of the soil where they used to be. The third dwelling was 30% recovered on the south side. The archeologists found out that the bathroom did not have a heating system because of the coal in the urinal. Some of the chimneys and roofing of the kitchen survived demolition. The foundation of the sewerage system and a well were uncovered as well. Lost items and food waste, which consisted of coins, combs, small bones, and peach pits, were found.
Blueprint of a Common Dwelling
The presence of women in the camp was revealed after finding female buttons. The archeologists also pieced together what they ate from the scraps they found. They recovered almost 1000 duck bones because of them being eaten. It is concluded that at least 89 ducks were consumed and were probably brought to the camp all at once because of their age. Pre-adult to adult duck bones were discovered at the camp.
Basement of the Kitchen
The labor camp closed in 1954 and was destroyed. The remains of the camp were covered with multiple meters of dirt, and the park was created. The Statue of Stalin was completed in 1955 with the remains of the labor camp right next to it, which is disturbing. After the statue was removed, the space was repurposed for several reasons. It was the meeting place of Prague’s first rock club in the nineties, and a statue of Michael Jackson was placed on the pedestal briefly in 1996. Behind the pedestal is an area where people hang out and skateboard. The Czech government has been thinking about how to redo the space, with one idea being to build an aquarium.
Written by: Mikayla Faires
Sources:
“Czech Archaeologists Discover a 7,000-Year-Old Neolithic Settlement.” Radio Prague International, 12 Aug. 2024, english.radio.cz/czech-archaeologists-discover-a-7000-year-old-neolithic-settlement-8825442.
Hasil, Jan, et al. “The rediscovery of a labour camp on the construction site of the Stalin Monument in Prague.” Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Archaeologica, no. 37, 30 Dec. 2022, pp. 7–29, https://doi.org/10.18778/0208-6034.37.01.
“Stalin Monument (Prague).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 May 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalin_Monument_(Prague)#:~:text=Stalin’s%20Monument%20(Czech%3A%20Stalin%C5%AFv%20pomn%C3%ADk,was%20demolished%20in%20late%201962.