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Jan Palach’s death masks were created by sculptors Olbram Zoubek and Antonín Chromek (right). At the initiative of the StB, they had to be removed from public places. (Source: National Museum, ABS)
Jan Palach’s death masks were created by sculptors Olbram Zoubek and Antonín Chromek (right). At the initiative of the StB, they had to be removed from public places. (Source: National Museum, ABS)
Jan Palach’s grave in the Olšany cemetery, 1969 (Source: ABS)
In April 1969, the people of Všetaty wanted to erect a monument to Jan Palach. Their attempts were later investigated by the StB. (Source: ABS)
StB members were monitoring Jan Palach’s grave for several years. (Source: ABS)
In September 1970, an StB confidant “Dalibor” passed a letter to secret police that he had seized in the Větrník dormitory. Authors of the letter were asking students to take care of Jan Palach’s grave. (Source: ABS)
In September 1970, an StB confidant “Dalibor” passed a letter to secret police that he had seized in the Větrník dormitory. Authors of the letter were asking students to take care of Jan Palach’s grave. (Source: ABS)
Jan Palach’s bronze gravestone was designed by sculptor Olbram Zoubek. The photo was taken by the StB, who had it melted down in 1970 (Source: ABS)
An article on the restoration of Jan Palach’s grave published in Občanský deník, 26 October 1990 (Source: Petr Blažek’s archives)

Operation “Grave”

“I want to warn of the unfavourable situation arising constantly on various anniversaries near Jan Palach’s grave in the Olšany cemetery. The grave serves as a meeting place for anti-socialist and hostile persons, including provocative visits of foreigners with tourist visas. That was the case of this year’s fifth anniversary of the international assistance of allied powers against the contra-revolution. Various demonstrations against the current regime have been held there. Nearly every day, we are faced with the unlawful behaviour of both foreigners and our citizens.”

From the proposal of Maj. Karel Kupec concerning the removal of Jan Palach’s grave, 6 September 1973

A few months after his death, Jan Palach was being erased from the collective memory. On 19 January 1969, Libuše Palachová received a condolence telegram from Ludvík Svoboda, Alexandr Dubček, Josef Smrkovský and Oldřich Černík, but a year later, her son’s name was no longer remembered by public figures in Czechoslovakia. None of the several attempts to erect a monument in his honour were successful; the initiators of such projects only attracted the attention of the secret police.

During the operation codenamed “Grave”, the StB went as far as to remove Jan Palach’s grave from the Olšany cemetery because it had been visited by too many people bringing flowers, lighting candles and leaving messages. However, people streamed to the grave even after the removal of the bronze gravestone designed by sculptor Olbram Zoubek; it was removed in July 1970 and melted down a few months later. The grave also attracted foreign tourists and diplomats.

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In October 1973, after enormous pressure from the StB, Libuše Palachová and Jiří Palach finally approved the exhumation and subsequent cremation of their son’s body. It was dug up under the StB’s supervision on the morning of 22 October 1973 and then cremated in the Strašnice crematorium. On the site of Jan Palach’s former grave, a new gravestone was placed with the name Marie Jedličková. Libuše Palachová was given the urn with the ashes of her son, but she was not allowed to bury it in the Všetaty cemetery until late March 1974.

Following the collapse of the Communist regime, Jan Palach’s grave in the Olšany cemetery could be restored. The ceremonial transport of the urn with his ashes from Všetaty to Prague took place on 25 October 1990.

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