Location: Dolní Žďár 103, 363 01 Ostrov · Karlovy Vary Region
Category: memorial to totalitarianism
This seven-storey brick tower near Vykmanov served from 1951 to 1956 as a uranium ore sorting facility in the communist labour camp Vykmanov II. Political prisoners, without any protective equipment whatsoever, poured the ore onto sieves and packed it into barrels that were then shipped by train to the USSR; because so many died from the radioactive dust, the prisoners themselves began calling it the Red Tower of Death. It has been a national cultural monument since 2008, part of the UNESCO World Heritage since 2019, and since 2025 it has been managed by the National Heritage Institute, which launched regular visitor operations in July 2026. The grounds and the exhibition can be toured on your own or with a guide, who explains the wider context of the Jáchymov uranium camps.
Why visit this place?
The seven-storey tower served from 1951 to 1956 as a uranium ore sorting plant in the Vykmanov II labour camp, where prisoners sifted ore through huge sieves without protective clothing.
It has been a national cultural monument since 2008 and in 2019 it was inscribed on the UNESCO list as one of the 22 sites of the Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region.
Allow roughly an hour; the programme is aimed at upper primary and secondary students.
There are 62 more tips within 25 km, enough to build a full-day trip.
There is a dedicated programme for school groups, not just general admission.
Opening hours: Summer provisional operation (1 July – 31 August 2026, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun 9am–5pm, guided tour at 1pm) has ended. No dates are scheduled for any tour route in autumn 2026 — visits must be booked by e-mail or phone at least 5 working days in advance.
No dedicated educational programme for schools is currently offered. School groups book a guided tour (approx. 60 minutes) by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone, at least 5 working days in advance. The topic — forced labour of political prisoners in the uranium camps of the 1950s — is powerful material for lower-secondary and secondary school pupils, but the harshness of the narrative makes it unsuitable for younger children.
Jsem učitelka na prvním stupni ZŠ. Práce je pro mě zároveň i koníčkem. Snažím se, aby moje hodiny byly nejen přínosné, ale i zábavné a podnětné.
Ve volném čase tvořím materiály a digitální produkty nejen pro učitele a rodiče. Tvorba materiálů je náročná - zabere spoustu času a samotné nástroje, které k tomu využívám, něco stojí. Část toho, co tvořím, poskytuji zdarma. Pokud se vám moje práce líbí a chcete ji podpořit, můžete jakoukoliv částkou níže. Budu moc ráda.
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