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#Post#: 18052--------------------------------------------------
A "Cool" Mausoleum Experience
By: Nikola Date: July 15, 2019, 6:10 pm
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This is going to be a slightly longer post. I'd like to share my
recent experience with you.
I visited a rather unusual place on Sunday. There is a monument
on top of one of Prague's hills, originally built in honour of
the WW1 Czechoslovak Legion. However, the turbulent events of
the 20th century resulted in its being used for several other
purposes. For a short period of time, the Wehrmacht used it for
storage, but that was nothing compared to what the 1950s had in
store.
Moscow had had preserved Lenin on display and so the Party felt
that our country should have one of those, too. And why not the
most detestable one? Might as well, right? That's how the body
of the deceased Klement Gottwald, the Party leader and president
of Czechoslovakia, ended up there, thus, in a way, spitting on
the legacy of the legionaries he himself had fought against in
WW1 (before he deserted the army). He became president shortly
after the coup in 1948 and was responsible for a series of
purges, not only against non-communists but even his fellow
politicians, old friends who had helped him up. He suffered from
health problems stemming from syphilis and alcoholism. The
doctors had warned him that he shouldn't fly but he went and
attended Stalin's funeral anyway (possibly to double-check
Stalin was actually really dead as he feared him greatly). He
died soon after his return.
There was a delay as a result of the slow decision-making
process after his death. This, according to some, led to decay
that could have been avoided. Eventually, the embalmed body was
put in a mausoleum, created inside the monument. Each night, it
descended into the basement thanks to a special, vibration-free
lift. There, in the underground laboratory, it was kept at a low
temperature and checked regularly. A special lighting ensured he
looked a bit less dead for the visitors. It is quite impressive
how many people (124 employees + a bunch of Soviet doctors
staying at a secret place outside Prague) were busy looking
after the body of someone who, at least in my opinion, deserved
so little respect.
The whole spectacle lasted until 1962 when the cult of
personality went out of fashion. The body (according to some
already partly decomposed, according to others intact) was
cremated. If you visit the monument now, you can wander around
the control room and underground lab, it's a very interesting
experience.
The monument
[img width=300
height=200]
HTML https://www.praguehere.com/wp-content/gallery/armadni-muzeum/%C5%BEi%C5%BEka.jpg[/img]
The control room
[img width=300
height=177]
HTML https://1gr.cz/fotky/idnes/12/023/cl5/KUZ41692e_IMG_7544.JPG[/img]
The laboratory
[img width=300
height=169]
HTML https://media.novinky.cz/085/310856-top_foto1-g1tl6.jpg?1332838801[/img]
#Post#: 18054--------------------------------------------------
Re: A "Cool" Mausoleum Experience
By: NealC Date: July 15, 2019, 6:40 pm
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Wow that is crazy!
Very interesting post. Thanks :-)
#Post#: 18060--------------------------------------------------
Re: A "Cool" Mausoleum Experience
By: Truman Overby Date: July 16, 2019, 6:12 am
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In a thousand years this story might sound 'crypt'ic to humans
alive at that time.
Thanks for posting it, Nikola. I know next to nothing about
Czechoslovakian history. Truthfully, this is probably the only
thing I know about Czech history.
#Post#: 18069--------------------------------------------------
Re: A "Cool" Mausoleum Experience
By: Nikola Date: July 16, 2019, 11:58 am
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I'm sure there's a lot more weird stuff I could write about. Or
if there's anything you want to know, just ask. I'll do a
research and then pretend I knew it ;)
#Post#: 18077--------------------------------------------------
Re: A "Cool" Mausoleum Experience
By: Alharacas Date: July 16, 2019, 12:39 pm
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Well... for starters, how about that "Velvet Separation"? Why on
earth...? Particularly since, according to wikipedia, only about
36% were in favour of separating, on both sides?
#Post#: 18078--------------------------------------------------
Re: A "Cool" Mausoleum Experience
By: Nikola Date: July 16, 2019, 1:01 pm
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[quote author=Alharacas link=topic=1236.msg18077#msg18077
date=1563298780]
Well... for starters, how about that "Velvet Separation"? Why on
earth...? Particularly since, according to wikipedia, only about
36% were in favour of separating, on both sides?
[/quote]
It can't have been 36% of Slovaks. The vast majority wanted to
separate. The Czech to Slovak population ratio was about 2:1 so
if the 36% applies to the whole country, it must have been
mostly Slovaks plus a small number of Czechs who didn't like
them. As my student from Slovakia explained to me, they never
felt like they had much in common with us apart from the
language. We were sad to let them go, though.
#Post#: 18079--------------------------------------------------
Re: A "Cool" Mausoleum Experience
By: Alharacas Date: July 16, 2019, 1:54 pm
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Look, what do I know? It's just that this monument made me read
on a little, and that's what came up: "Czechoslovak president
Václav Havel resigned rather than oversee the dissolution which
he had opposed; in a September 1992 opinion poll, only 37% of
Slovaks and 36% of Czechs favoured dissolution."
From
HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissolution_of_Czechoslovakia
#Post#: 18080--------------------------------------------------
Re: A "Cool" Mausoleum Experience
By: Aliph Date: July 16, 2019, 2:18 pm
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The Czech +the Slovak had a kind of smooth revolution against
the Soviet Block in 1968. Moscow sent their army and stopped the
revolution. Many Czechoslovak escaped to Western Europe as did
the Hungarians before in 1956 when the same thing happened to
them. Those people didn’t have any problem integrating in the
countries where they took refuge they were mostly educated
people.
#Post#: 18087--------------------------------------------------
Re: A "Cool" Mausoleum Experience
By: Nikola Date: July 16, 2019, 2:45 pm
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[quote author=Alharacas link=topic=1236.msg18079#msg18079
date=1563303258]
Look, what do I know? It's just that this monument made me read
on a little, and that's what came up: "Czechoslovak president
Václav Havel resigned rather than oversee the dissolution which
he had opposed; in a September 1992 opinion poll, only 37% of
Slovaks and 36% of Czechs favoured dissolution."
From
HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissolution_of_Czechoslovakia
[/quote]
I see. I didn't know that. There was meant to be a referendum
but the politicians were like "we don't know how to word this
question, this is so hard... sod it, let's just do it". So
really it was two guys who decided it. I read that most people
now think there should have been a referendum. At the same time,
many of the people who were against dissolution have changed
their mind and are happy about it now. I mean, if you ask people
from Slovakia these days, you rarely hear "I wish we hadn't
separated". That led me to believe that they always felt that
way. I didn't know they felt differently at the time.
I've found a diploma thesis about the relations between the two
countries throughout history (unfortunately, it's in Czech).
It's like a never-ending soap opera. You want to scream "just
get together already" but it doesn't happen until the last
season and then they get divorced in the end. Very
disappointing.
#Post#: 18091--------------------------------------------------
Re: A "Cool" Mausoleum Experience
By: Alharacas Date: July 16, 2019, 4:48 pm
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[quote author=Nikola link=topic=1236.msg18087#msg18087
date=1563306325]
I see. I didn't know that. There was meant to be a referendum
but the politicians were like "we don't know how to word this
question, this is so hard... sod it, let's just do it". So
really it was two guys who decided it. I read that most people
now think there should have been a referendum. At the same time,
many of the people who were against dissolution have changed
their mind and are happy about it now. I mean, if you ask people
from Slovakia these days, you rarely hear "I wish we hadn't
separated". That led me to believe that they always felt that
way. I didn't know they felt differently at the time.
I've found a diploma thesis about the relations between the two
countries throughout history (unfortunately, it's in Czech).
It's like a never-ending soap opera. You want to scream "just
get together already" but it doesn't happen until the last
season and then they get divorced in the end. Very
disappointing.
[/quote]
Yeah, right. Must have been a really tough one. I can imagine.
"So, shall we say it's Yes for Leave and No for Stay?" - "You've
got to be kidding! People wouldn't want to be negative! Having
to say No when it's something they want - that's terrible! We'd
never get any reliable results." "I see. What if it's No for
Leave and Yes for Stay?" - "Same problem! Same problem!" -
"Okay. I give up."
(sigh)
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