Our People Are Proud of Their Great Compatriot. Birthplace as a Site of Memory: The Zákolany of Antonín Zápotocký
Abstract
This text explores how a site of memory is created, using the example of the hometown of the second communist president of Czechoslovakia, Antonín Zápotocký. It establishes the four most significant moments in Zápotocký's realationship with his birthplace, during which the gradual transformation of the village into a site of memory took place.
The article describes the changes that took place in Zákolany during each period, as well as more recent developments that hace occurred since 1989. The main topics are: Zápotocký's relationship to Zákolany during his lifetime, the reaction of the people of Zákolany to Zápotocký's death and the gradual emergence of Zápotocký memorials in the village.
The text focuses on the most visible memorials in Zákolany, namely the house where he is alleged to have been born and the statue, which has remained in place to this day and is, thus, a unique reminder of the former regime's politics of memory. This article is an expanded anad revised version of a section of the author's bachelor thesis.