THE RED TOWER
OF DEATH
This seven-storey building of red bricks was used as a sorting house of uranium ore belonging to a communist working camp Vykmanov II. between 1951 and 1956. Among others, heroes of western resistance, pilots, soldiers, catholic priests and intellectuals worked here under inhumane conditions. They were considered enemies and the greatest threat to the communist regime. The camp of Ostrov belonged among those most feared. The so-called “L” camp was known to be the camp for elimination. Men who worked here were called pejoratively “jailbirds” and their destiny was to be eliminated. The function of most buildings in the premises of the camp was completely changed at the turn of the 50 ´s and 60 ´s of the 20th century. It became a part of the newly established factory Škoda Ostrov, which is well-known all around the world for its trolleybus production. Their products were exported to many countries. Production was completely concluded in 2008. The building was declared National cultural heritage and it was transferred to the hands of Confederacy of Political Prisoners of the Czech republic. In 2019 it was listed among 22 sights belonging to the Mining region of Erzgebirge / Krušnohoří, registered since then at the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage.
Open to the public at specific times
Guided tours available