Památník obětem komunismu, Monument to victims of communism in Liberec, Czech Republic.
Památník obětem komunismu is a 3.2 × 4.5 × 0.7 m cuboid in a park by Jablonecká street in Liberec. Two of its sides are 18 mm thick mirrored coated-glass panes, each weighing about 800 kg, set in a steel frame. At its base a mirror-reversed inscription is set into the paving, legible only in reflection: "Sám v sobě hledej, zda svobodu bráníš, ctíš nebo omezuješ".
The monument was established in 2006 after a design competition was held. The creation responded to the need to preserve memory of the difficult period spanning from 1948 to 1989.
The memorial has no names or personal accounts; its only text is a mirror-reversed inscription set into the paving at its base, legible in the reflection: "Sám v sobě hledej, zda svobodu bráníš, ctíš nebo omezuješ" (Look inside yourself to see whether you defend, honour or limit freedom). Three ten-metre benches of glued laminated timber stand beside the cube.
The memorial stands in a park by Jablonecká Street, not in the city centre, at the crossing point of the park paths. Three glued-laminated timber benches, each 10 m long, run alongside it. The mirrored inscription at its base is legible only in reflection, so look down at the polished paving.
The architects Petr Janda and Aleš Kubalík had already submitted a joint design for the Prague monument competition in 2000, before their Liberec entry won in 2003. The Liberec memorial was unveiled in 2006 in a park by Jablonecká street, not in the castle park originally intended.
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