A free Powerpoint presentation offering a teaching resource about the Lidice atrocity of 1942, Sir Barnett Stross, the Lidice Shall Live campaign, today's Lidice, todays links between Lidice and Stoke-on-Trent, and the UK and international fine art competitions for children. A very cross curricular offering and a wonderful resource for raising aspirations among today's young people. Great for Local History, World War 2, Art or Citizenship related projects
4. Lidice 9th June 1942 – 503 inhabitants
Men employed as miners and steelworkers
in the nearby city of Kladno
School photograph
June 2nd 1942
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5. Reinhard Heydrich
1904 - 1942
Considered to be Adolf Hitler’s successor
Installed as Deputy Reich Protector of
Bohemia & Moravia on 27 September 1941
Considered the Czechoslovakian people to
be slaves for the German war effort.
Increased the working day from 8 hours to
12 hours
He famously proclaimed, “We will
Germanize the Czech vermin”
5,000 Czechs executed in first 4 months
Czechoslovakians knew him as “The
Hangman”
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6. Operation
Anthropoid
27th May 1942
Heydrich’s burnt
out Mercedes
Minutes from London
meeting which gives
confirmation of the
decision to execute plan
The British trained Czech
partisan assassinators Jan
Kubiš and Jozef Gabčík
Left at the scene:
Stengun Mk II and
hand grenade
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7. Nazi Retribution
On hearing news of Heydrich’s
death, an enraged Adolf Hitler
ordered the Gestapo to
“Wade in blood” through
Bohemia.
As a result many Czechs were
summarily shot and hanged
without trial and 13,000 arrests
were made
Hitler wanted to
“Make up for
“his” death”
Following Heydrich’s
assassination public executions
in Prague were commonplace
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8. Lidice – 10th June 1942
The Men - 192 murdered
Early morning 173 men were executed at
Mr. Horak’s farmhouse
First shot in batches of 5
Then batches of 10
The 19 not in the village at the time were
shot later in Prague
The remains of Horak’s farmhouse.
Nearby lies the mass grave in which
the executed men were
unceremoniously thrown.
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9. Lidice – 10th June 1942
The 173 men murdered in Lidice
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10. Lidice – June 1942
Women & Children
Kladno Grammar School
June 10th – 12th
On the gymnasium floor strewn with a little
straw the women and children spent their
last three days and two nights together.
The Gestapo made detailed descriptions of
the children, identifying hair and eye colour
On the 12th the children were forcibly
separated from the women
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11. The Children
82 murdered – 9 “Germanized”
19 of the 82 Lidice
children, murdered
at Chelmno on July
2nd in specially
adapted gas vans
Postcards written
home to parents – July
1st. The children’s fate
had already been
decided.
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12. The Children
The ditch near Chelmno
where many thousand
children were laid to rest
This propaganda image promoted the
Nazis’ Lebensborn programme and
contains two “Germanized” Lidice
children. Their experience was far more
traumatic than the picture suggests
Dress of Lidice girl
found near site
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13. The Women
60 murdered
Ravensbrück
concentration camp
A photograph of
the Lidice women
on the day of their
liberation.
143 survived.
They returned to
find devastation
and discovered
the deaths of their
men folk.
Badge worn by
Lidice women
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15. Lidice
June 11th 1942 – late 1943
The systematic
obliteration of the
village begins
A professional
film crew is
hired to record
the events for
promotional
purposes
The Nazis steal the savings of the victims to pay for the destruction of the village
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16. Lidice
June 11th 1942 – late 1943
Re-routing the river
Hitler Youth violation of the
cemetery included the removal
of gold teeth from corpses 16
17. Lidice
June 11th 1942 – late 1943
Hitler Youth uprooting the
trees
Transporting the rubble out on a
specially constructed narrow gauge railway
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18. The only living thing to remain
in Lidice.
The Pear Tree
Now protected by the Czech
government
At the time of the atrocity a
small sapling
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19. Lidice
June 11th 1942 – late 1943
The cross was erected at the site of the mass
grave by Soviet troops who liberated
Czechoslovakia in Spring 1945
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21. Sir Barnett Stross
Born Christmas Day 1899 in
Poland. Jewish faith
Family moved to Leeds 1902
GP Shelton from 1926
Councillor for Shelton from
1937 - 1945
MP for Hanley / Stoke Central
1945 – 1965
Died 14th May 1967
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22. Sir Barnett Stross
Founder of the international
“Lidice Shall Live” campaign
Successfully fought for
improvements to working
conditions for miners and pottery
workers
Donated land for The Mitchell
Memorial Theatre
Key figure in the establishment of
Keele University
Designed the largest Memorial
Rose Garden in the world.
Completed 1955
Knighted Valentine’s Day 1964 for
services to arts
Sir Barnett Stross was granted “Freedom
of the village of Lidice” in 1957
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24. North Staffordshire Miners
Empathy for fellow
mining community.
Staffordshire miners
donate one day’s
pay per week to the
campaign
Sneyd Pit Disaster
January 1942
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25. Lidice Shall Live
From its base in Stoke-on-Trent the campaign spreads to an international level
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26. Lidice Shall Live
Rebuilding the Village – 1947 >
Barnett Stross with delegates from The North Staffs Miners’
Federation in Lidice in 1947 inspecting the devastation left by the
Nazis. They help to plan a “new” Lidice
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27. Lidice Shall Live
Housing & Memorial Rose Garden
The main phase of the “model mining
village” was completed in 1950
Barnett Stross presenting the plans
for the “Friendship & Peace Park” to
Lidice residents – opened in 1955
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28. The Rose Garden
The beautiful
“Friendship &
Peace Park” is
the largest
rose garden in
the world.
Designed by
Barnett Stross
it contains
hundreds of
variants of
roses from
across the
globe.
The
“Lidice
Rose”
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29. Lidice Today
The Stoke-on-Trent
based
campaign donated
the equivalent of
£1 million
to ensure a new
Lidice would rise
again.
Adolf Hitler had
proclaimed that
Lidice would “Die
Forever”
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30. Lidice Today
The Memorial Museum
A visit to The Memorial Museum and
gardens is a humbling experience for all.
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31. Lidice Today
The Lidice Gallery
houses “The Lidice
Collection”, a priceless
collection of paintings
and sculptures
commemorating the
atrocity. Donated by
celebrated international
artists following a call by
Barnett Stross in 1966
The Lidice Gallery
The Lidice Gallery is home to The International Children’s Exhibition of Fine Art.
The largest fine art competition for children in the world.
Barnett Stross
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32. Lidice Today
Annual Commemoration
Each year the people of
Lidice, the Czech
Republic and the world
commemorate the men,
women and children
murdered, and the
complete obliteration of
the old village.
Children’s choirs from around the world unite
in friendship at The Festival of Lights:
musical performances celebrating the values
of courage, determination and friendship
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33. Lidice & Stoke-on-Trent’s Bonds
Today
The people of Lidice know much about
Stoke-on-Trent and its heritage.
Many people support Stoke City FC. Many
people love to listen to Robbie Williams
In Stoke-on-Trent once more
adults and children are beginning
to annually commemorate the
atrocity and celebrate the
village’s rebirth.
The people of Lidice have never
forgotten the role Barnett Stross
and Stoke-on-Trent people
played in rebuilding their village
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34. Lidice & Stoke-on-Trent
Celebrating Achievements
A great way for Stoke-on-Trent’s young people
to celebrate the rebirth of Lidice and to cement
the bonds between our two communities is by
entering The UK Children’s Art Exhibition and
The International Children’s Exhibition of Fine
Arts
All entrants receive a certificate of
“Recognition and Achievement”
There are
outstanding
contribution
awards at
county,
national and
international
levels.
For primary,
secondary
and special
school pupils
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