To always remember the sacrifices of prisoners of the Nazi regime, we have had a memorial built at the Richard repository
The Richard radioactive waste repository celebrates 60 years of safe operation. The spaces used for storage were built during World War II by prisoners of the Nazi regime. To honor them, a memorial was erected this anniversary year and unveiled by President Petr Pavel on Thursday, December 12.
President Pavel also visited the repository itself, where our colleagues introduced him to the daily activities of SÚRAO and the issues concerning radioactive waste disposal.
The memorial, blessed by Bishop Stanislav Přibyl in the presence of members of the Richard Civil Control Committee, was designed by typographer Vojtěch Říha and realized by Adam Vaškovský.
The symbolism of the monument highlights three phases of the site’s history on Bídnice Hill, marked by the events of the 20th century: a limestone quarry, a Nazi underground factory, and since 1964, a radioactive waste repository. The concrete blocks refer to the interior spaces with still prominent formwork, where prisoners imprinted their names into the concrete elements. Hence, the memorial bears the inscription: “During World War II, the Nazi regime imprisoned thousands of people here – citizens of many European countries – for the construction of the Richard factory. More than 4,000 died. Not a day goes by that we do not think of them.” “To the victims of a time when many people ceased to be human.”
