The National Memorial to the Heroes of the Heydrich Terror

The crypt of the Orthodox Church of St. Cyril and Methodius, where seven paratroopers hid for over three weeks.

After the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich by Jan Kubiš and Josef Gabčík on 27 May 1942 at a crossroads near Kobylisy, seven Czechoslovak soldiers hid in the crypt of St Cyril and St Methodius. Both were among the seven men. This period of the second martial law, declared after the assassination, was later called “Heydrich’s terror”. The museum and the memorial in the crypt became a dignified and reverent place where the memory of seven Czechoslovak paratroopers and their brave fight against the vastly outnumbered German Nazi forces is preserved. It happened on 18 June 1942.

The contemporary exhibition was installed by the Military Historical Institute Prague in 2022. The exhibition follows the main historical events from the Munich Agreement in 1938 to the battle in the Cathedral and Crypt in June 1942. Visitors can follow the history of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, Heydrich’s transport, special training of Czechoslovak soldiers in Scotland, families of resistance fighters, Sokol and Orthodox Church and all helpers, as well as the history of the village of Lidice, which was burnt down by the Nazis on 10 June 1942. The exhibition is in Czech and English and is supplemented by contemporary exhibits and audiovisual material.

The crypt itself is a place of worship and the whole exposition ends there. It is decorated with seven busts of all seven paratroopers with their biographies, made by the sculptor Milan Benda.

The National Memorial to the Heroes of the Heydrich Terror and a Place of Reconciliation at the Orthodox Cathedral of St. Cyril and St. Methodius was established in 1995 by Jaroslav and Eva Šuvarský. The museum was built as a new space next to the original underground cellar. The new hall has been connected with the crypt since the reconstruction was completed in 1995. In 2017, the Military Historical Institute Prague took over the management of the whole memorial.

Opening hours Year-round: Tuesday – Sunday 9.00 – 17.00. Free Entrance. Guided school programs from Tuesday till Friday, e-mail reservation: pamatnik-heydrichiady@vhu.cz. Transportation: Metro station Karlovo náměstí (Palackého náměstí direction); Tram no. 2, 3, 4, 6, 10, 14, 16, 22, 24, Karlovo náměstí station;  Tram no. 5, 17, Jiráskovo náměstí station.