Obj. ID: 45055
Modern Jewish Art Holocaust Monument at the site of the synagogue in Kroměříž, Czech Republic, 1980s(?)
To the main object: Synagogue in Kroměříž (Kremsier), Czech Republic
Who is Commemorated?
300 Jews of Kroměříž, victims o the Holocaust, and the former synagogue
Description
The monument is located down a slope on a grassy area off Tovačovského Street. It faces the large modern House of Culture which is partly built on the site of the former synagogue. A paved path runs from the street between the House of Culture and the monument. A semi-circular area paved with granite blocks opens off the path. In the center of this is a small square enclosure at a slightly lower level, paved with rounded cobblestones. In this area are set the two parts of the bronze monument: a 2-meter tall bronze statue of a woman and a low concrete base upon which lies a bronze slab in the form of the Tablets of the Law.
On the bonze tablets are sculpted in bold raised letters – instead of the Ten Commandments - a commemorative text that mentions the destruction of the synagogue and 300 Jewish fellow citizens who were victims of the Nazis.
Two benches with metal bases and wooden seats are set near the path, but within the curve of the semi-circle.
The Kroměříž sculpture depicts a woman whose body is a tree trunk. The bottom of this “trunk” sits directly on the pavement, without any separating base. The figure’s arms and head are recognizably human and female. Her face is anguished; she raises her arms in front with palms out to ward off a terror and evil. From a distance it appears thar her hands are raised in the manner of a woman lighting the Shabbat candles on Friday night, but instead of having the palms face her body as she welcomes the Sabbath, here the palms are facing outward to stop (unsuccessfully) the impending doom.
The monument is visible but not prominent from the nearby major street. It is easy to overlook. There are benches as part of the installation. The best view, however, is from the deck of the House of Culture, and from the tables of the Center’s café/restaurant.
Inscriptions
In Czech:
Nedaleko
Tohoto Místa
Stála
Synagoga
Zničená
Dynamiten
5. Listopadu
1942
K uctěni
Památky
Tří set
Židovských
Spoluobčanů.
Oběti
Nacistického
Holocasutu
Translation: Not far away [from] / This Place / Was standing / The synagogue / Destroyed / By dynamite / November 5 / 1942 // [This] monument / Honors / Three hundred / Jewish /Fellow citizens. / Victims of / The Nazi / Holocaust
Commissioned by
Municipality of Kroměříž?
sub-set tree:
Central paved square on which monuments stands is 206 cm on each side.
Base with inscription is 72 x 81 cm.
This figurative monument stands next to the local House of Culture on Tovačovského Street that was built (in the 1980s?) on the site of the destroyed but once impressive domed synagogue of Kroměříž, designed by prominent Viennese-Jewish architect Jakob Gartner (1861-1921) and opened in 1910. The synagogue was a major building in town and appeared on many postcards in the interwar period. It was blown up with dynamite by the occupying Germans on November 5, 1942.
About 300 Jews of Kroměříž were deported from Kroměříž and died from deprivation or execution. A matzevah-type monument to Jewish victims was erected on the site of what remains of the Jewish cemetery in 1962.
The sculptural monument near the synagogue site was installed in 1994 and is an expressive figurative work by Czech sculptor Olbram Zoubek (1926-2017). Zoubek was a dissident artist under communism who today is best known for his monument to the victims of communism in Prague.
Gruber, Samuel D. “Czechia: An Unlooked for Holocaust Monument in Kroměříž (Moravia)” Samuel Gruber’s Jewish Art & Monuments, July 6, 2022., https://samgrubersjewishartmonuments.blogspot.com/2022/07/czechia-unlooked-for-holocaust-monument.html (accessed August 26, 2022)