Jan Opletal
Encyclopedia
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, who was killed in an anti-Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
demonstration during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia
German occupation of Czechoslovakia
German occupation of Czechoslovakia began with the Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia's northern and western border regions, known collectively as the Sudetenland, under terms outlined by the Munich Agreement. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's pretext for this effort was the alleged privations suffered by...
.
On October 28, 1939 (anniversary of the independence of the Czechoslovak Republic
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
) there were anti-Nazi demonstrations and riots in Prague, which were suppressed by Nazi forces. Jan Opletal was seriously wounded by a shot to his stomach, and later died on November 11. His funeral on November 15, attended by several thousands of students, turned into another anti-Nazi demonstration. As a result, the Reichsprotektor (Nazi-representative in the puppet-state Bohemia and Moravia
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was the majority ethnic-Czech protectorate which Nazi Germany established in the central parts of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia in what is today the Czech Republic...
) Konstantin von Neurath
Konstantin von Neurath
Konstantin Freiherr von Neurath was a German diplomat remembered mostly for having served as Foreign minister of Germany between 1932 and 1938...
closed all Czech universities and colleges, sent over 1200 students to concentration camps, and had nine students executed (on November 17).
Opletal's remains were transferred into his native village of Náklo
Náklo
Náklo is a village and municipality in Olomouc District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 1,445 ....
in the Olomouc Region
Olomouc Region
Olomouc Region is an administrative unit of the Czech Republic, located in the north-western and central part of its historical region of Moravia and in a small part of the historical region of Silesia . It is named for its capital Olomouc.-External links:* *...
, where there is also a monument to him. Many Czech
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
cities have streets named after him.
To commemorate these events, November 17 is marked as International Students Day by the International Union of Students
International Union of Students
The International Union of Students is a worldwide nonpartisan association of university student organizations.The IUS is the umbrella organization for 155 such student organizations across 112 countries and territories representing approximately 25 million students.-Aim and work areas:The aims of...
and other groups.
See also
- Josef MatoušekJosef MatoušekJosef Matoušek was a Czech historian and associate professor.In November 1939 he participated in preparations for Jan Opletal's funeral. He was arrested by the Gestapo on 17 November 1939 and was executed the same day without trial....