A picture of a (post)forgotten tragedy by the author of the award-winning The Slanted Church
Životice: a small village in the middle of Těšín Silesia. After Munich it was seized by Poland, after 1 September 1939 it became part of the Reich as a conquered territory. During the war, therefore, completely different conditions prevailed here than in the Protectorate. The largest Germanization operation in Europe took place here. Those who did not submit were displaced or ended up in the camp. Attendance at public executions was compulsory. The martial law court sat almost continuously - often right in the death block of the nearby Auschwitz concentration camp (Auschwitz). The mayor of Životice took a clear position: cultivated warm relations with the Nazi leaders and began to speak German with the inhabitants of the village.
In an atmosphere of pervasive fear, the Životič family tried to hold out until the end of the war. They failed. On the night of 4 to 5 August 1944, partisans shot three members of the Gestapo in a local inn. What followed was the tragic morning of 6 August, during which the Gestapo murdered thirty-six men from Životice and the surrounding area. Some of them died in front of their loved ones. Others stayed behind because the Gestapo forced them to run. "Shot on the run," the report said. According to the commander of the raid, Guido Magwitz, it was supposed to be a "bloody revenge for the murdered comrades". He treated it thoroughly, because the reprisals continued until February 1945. During these reprisals, more people died and dozens were taken to concentration camps. Four of them came back. In terms of population, Životice is one of the most affected municipalities in the Czech Republic. And yet their tragedy has fallen into oblivion.
Karin Lednicka brings the story to life again. It combines the transcription of eyewitness accounts and the documentary part, drawing on careful research. The text is accompanied by a rich pictorial appendix, which underlines the authenticity of what is recorded.
The audiobook contains a slightly abridged text.
