Desecrated Jewish tombstones used in a pedestrian project in Prague have become a new memorial in honor of the Jewish cemeteries that were destroyed under the communist regime of the former Czechoslovakia.
The new monument, which is named the “Return of the Stones,” was unveiled Wednesday, and it consists of 14,000 pounds of broken headstones. The monument was a collaboration between sculptor Jaroslav Rona, and his wife Lucie, an architect, according to the Guardian.
Broken Jewish tombstones used to pave Czech square made into memorial | Czech Republic | The Guardian https://t.co/AoNmLbCUEd
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“The idea is that the memorial acts as a place of meditation and commemoration for those people who know that the cemeteries where their relatives lay were destroyed,” Rona said. “They can come here and spend some time.”
The project, which cost the equivalent of $32,000, was funded by private donors and a public crowdfunding campaign, according to the outlet.
Prague’s Jewish community commissioned the memorial after the tombstones were uncovered in the city’s Wenceslas Square. The excavation of the stones began in May 2020, and they were initially used in a project to honor Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev when he visited the country in 1987.
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More tombstones are expected to be discovered in the square in the future, and they will be used to expand the memorial, according to the outlet. No names were identifiable on the headstones.
