This church may be less well known than many in Prague, but inside it reveals the story of an act of great heroism from the days of World War II. Two Czech partisans, Jan Kubis and Jozef Gabcik, had assassinated the hated deputy Reich- Protector of occupied Bohemia and Moravia, Reinhard Heydrich. They were hiding out in the crypt along with five of their comrades when they were betrayed to the Gestapo by one of their own. There followed a three hour siege, during which 800 members of the SS and Gestapo were held at bay, until Kubis and Gabcik took their own lives. The crypt today is a compelling place to visit, with a strong sense of the events that unfolded there many years ago. There is a small museum and shop, and a film made by the Nazis with dramatic footage of Hitler attending the state funeral of Heydrich. At street level you can see the air vent with the surrounding stonework still scarred by the bullets that were fired at it in an attempt to dislodge the Czech partisans. It is also possible to follow the story to its final dreadful conclusion by visiting the village of Lidice, outside Prague – shortly after the assassination the anticipated reprisal took place there, the men shot, women and children deported to concentration camps and the village dynamited.
www.pravoslavnacirkev.cz
Resslova 9a, 120 00 Praha 2, Czech Republic
+420 224 920 686
Google map: bit.ly/Z2hECq
Is this your business?