National Memorial to the Heroes of the Heydrich Terror

After the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich (Operation Anthropoid), the offenders, together with 5 paratroopers, hided in this crypt in the Karel Boromejsky Church, also known as the Saints Cyril and Methodius Church. After treason, over 700 SS-troops layed on 18 June 1942 siege to the church. After a 2-hour gun battle, three men in the crypt were killed. One of them was Jan Kubiš. Jozef Gabčík and the three remaining paratroopers committed suicide when the Germans flooded the crypt. In the battle, also 14 SS-soldiers were killed and 21 wounded.

All people involved in the church, like the priests and bishop Gorazd, were arrested and tortured. On 4 September 1942, all men were executed.

The crypt is now a memorial and all the marks of the gun battle also remained.

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Source

• Text: Fedor de Vries
• Photos: Lennard Bolijn