Ржетизкарна – Дом цепей, Former prison changing room in Jachymov, Czech Republic.
Řetízkárna is the last surviving building of the Rovnost forced-labour camp at the Jáchymov uranium mines: a roofless ruin of the former miners' changing hall, where chains with hooks hung from the ceiling to dry wet work clothes. About thirty metres from the former changing rooms, at the edge of the forest, lie the remains of a roughly 150 cm high model of a Gothic castle, nicknamed Paleček's Castle.
The building was established in 1949 as a changing room for political prisoners working in uranium mines until 1961. This period represents a dark chapter in post-war history when thousands of detainees were forced to extract uranium for the state.
The name Řetízkárna comes from the chains with hooks hung from the ceiling of the hall, also called the "chain changing room" or "dirty baths", where miners hung their wet work clothes, known as fáráky, to dry after a shift. The site is now owned by the association Političtí vězni.cz, which bought the devastated building in autumn 2022 through a public collection and plans to turn it into a community and educational centre.
The ruin lies under 600 metres north-west of the Jáchymov, Nové Město bus stop. From the stop, follow the Jáchymovské peklo educational trail alongside the yellow-marked hiking route to the fork by Hotel Berghof; the last roughly 100 metres to the building are unmarked. About 30 metres from the former changing room, at the edge of the forest, stand the remains of a roughly 150 cm model of a Gothic castle known as Palečkův hrad.
About thirty metres from the former changing room, at the edge of the forest, lie the remains of a roughly 150 cm tall model of a Gothic castle. It is nicknamed Paleček's Castle after František Paleček, alias Albín, one of the most feared commanders of the camp, who according to legend had it built.
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