Archaeology of the Czechoslovak Uranium Gulag

Summary

Recent research has examined the landscape of the Czechoslovak Uranium Gulag that was established in 1948 according to the Soviet model and under the supervision of Soviet NKVD advisors. The area with the largest concentration of former camps is situated around the historic mining town of Jáchymov (West Bohemia). Nine penal and forced labor camps adjacent to Uranium mines were established in an area of 25 km2 in the late 1940s – early 1950s through which passed c. 60 000 inmates. Research includes a survey of the Uranium Gulag remains in the Jáchymov region based historic aerial photographs and remote sensing to identify components and reveal the structure of the Gulag system. Subsequently, the topographic survey was carried out to verify the size, plan and structure of individual sites. We have also focused on the material aspects of everyday life of prisoners using archaeological techniques, oral history and documentary evidence analysis.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Historical Archaeology in Europe: Current Research and Future Directions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 435