How did the Communist regime approach heritage conservation? What led to the devastation of so many historical monuments? And why did some buildings survive while others were knocked down? These are just some of the questions addressed in a new research launched by historians from the Czech Academy of Sciences.
Thousands of monuments in the Czech Republic fell into ruin during the five decades of Communist rule. Many of them were left abandoned, deteriorating beyond repair, while others were simply razed to the ground.
Although the devastation of historical monuments was mapped quite thoroughly in the past, comprehensive research focusing on Communist-era heritage conservation was never carried out.