Praha Bubny. Today an unused and forgotten railway station, in the past it has been the scene of many human dramas. This is the place from where in the years 1941–45 transports of Jews left for the ghetto in Terezín. Along with Jews, also representatives of many other nations who were not well seen by the oppressive structure of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia were sent away, too. Out of approximately 50,000 men and women who came to this platform, holding their suitcases filled with what they had most precious, ninety percent never returned.
The station building has been preserved in its original shape, not much has changed here since the war, and for a long time only few historians and enthusiasts of history knew about the dramas that had played here. It wasn’t until around 70 years after those events that the Monument of Silence began to appear here, reminding not only of those who were sent to prisons and concentration camps, but also of the holocaust in general.
The name Monument of Silence refers to the silence that accompanied the departers, dormancy and numbness of the city, feeling of freeze of humanitarianism. In 2015 in front of the station a monument was embedded, the Gate of Infinity (or the Gate of No Return) by Aleš Veselý. The monument is a 20-meter high railtrack facing the sky, placed exactly on the sidewalk where Jews stepped towards the cattle wagons. The rails with no destination, the symbolic ladder of Jacob. In the memorial area there are also thematic temporary exhibitions organized in the former station hall and in the future there will be a street called after Sir Nicholas Winton nearby the station.
Today is a special date – on October 16th, 1941, the first transport to Terezín left from here. On this anniversary, this year for the fifth time, the Druming for Bubny ceremony took place (in Czech bubny means drums). Except for reminding of the mass deportations of Jews, a lot of attention was dedicated to speaking out loud (loud as the drums) – in the media, in civilian life, a lot was said about the role of truth in the mass media, about the role of giving testimony, provoking the reflection, freedom of speech and the courage associated with all that. There was a lot drumming as well, of course. Participants brought their own drums, and whoever did not have one it was possible to buy it on the spot. The whole event was accompanied by the Tam-Tam batucada orchestra. It was an interesting meeting of representatives of several generations and several different environments (mainly associated with independent journalism) that was carried out in a warm and modest atmosphere. The only sad reflection I can add here is the fact that this year we have gathered the lowest number of participants in a history of these anniversaries…
The Gate of Infinity monument is freely available to see in front of the station at 1 Bubenská Str. The station is looked after by the Bubny foundation (bubny.org).
