A look into…the Archive

The literary estate of Stanislav
Zámečník

On March 20, 2013 the
Memorial Site received the literary estate of the Dachau survivor, historian,
and important contemporary witness, Stanislav Zámečník.

Detailed to the
prisoner sick bay as an orderly Zámečník fought to save ill prisoners from 1941
onwards, witnessing there the medical experiments conducted as well as the
resistance groups, their clandestine activities usually out of view of the
other prisoners. After 1945     Zámečník was tireless in his efforts to
research the history of the Dachau concentration camp, despite the host of
restrictions and occupational bans imposed by the Communist regime in
Czechoslovakia. The result of this research was the standard work That was Dachau. He also contributed his
extensive knowledge to the redevelopment of the permanent exhibition in the
museum. His widow, Mrs. Bernatova, has presented the Memorial Site with his
literary estate, filling three crates. These contain numerous research notes,
photos and letters which Zámečník wrote during his imprisonment as well as
those he received from his family. This private correspondence will undoubtedly
become a key element in reconstructing Zámečník’s biography.