The Banking Palace was built after the World War I by one of the richest men J. Petschek, who owned most of the Nort+Bohemian coal mines. Before the Occupation of Czechoslovakia he sold his coal mines even his banking palace to the Czechoslovak Government and with his millions he left for England.
In May 1939 Gestapo moved into the empty Petschek palace.
It was situated in the centre of the town, had modern equipment, a printing
office, laboratories, workshops, garages, telephone-ex-changes even a pneumatic
post. Gestapo was carrying out genocide Czech nation from the Petschek
House for the time of six years. 600-1000 officials and employees were
employed with Gestapo. They used various forms of terror: preventive
arrest, stricter interrogation, psychologic duress, murder and assassination,
the opponents of "The Reich" were sent to concentrations camps or put to
death.
The Nazi bestialities were rightfully
defined as war-crimes and crimes against humanity. The Nazi Secres
State Service-Gestapo-was declared to be a criminal organization.
The informative press brings nearer
to the public together with the memorial of the Czech Revolt in the former
Petschesk Palace, what fascism was. Here the Nazi "SUPERMAN" decided the
fate of thousand of Czech patriots in contradiction and Petschek house
may become an enlightenment and warning especially for the young ganeration
living in peace.
RSDr. Stanislav Hlaváček