Displacement and Resettlement: An Exhibition Commemorating the Transformation of Northern Bohemia After 1945

In 2025, as part of the “Let’s Not Forget 80” project, we commemorated the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, which brought about many changes in Europe—in the context of the new exhibition, primarily the redrawing of borders and the expulsion of the German-speaking population from Czechoslovakia.

Following up on last year’s successful project, the North Bohemia regional branch of Memory of the Nation is presenting two exhibitions this year, each focusing on three central themes. How did the organized displacement and resettlement of abandoned border areas with new inhabitants unfold beginning in January 1946? Who resettled the region in northern Bohemia? And how are the consequences of this migration of millions of people—and its social, demographic, and economic impacts—still visible in society and the landscape around us today, even 80 years later?

The stories of eyewitnesses show that the postwar changes were not merely a political decision, but above all a deeply personal experience. New residents arrived in places that had suddenly been left empty, often without any connection to the region’s past. It is precisely their stories that today help us better understand the unique identity of the region in northern and western Bohemia.

One of the stories featured is that of a survivor Waltraud Benová, born in 1939. She grew up in a German family in Jiřetín pod Jedlovou. Her father was killed on the Eastern Front; her mother worked in a factory to support the children. As a result, she spent time with them mainly when air raids drove them into their cozy, well-furnished basement. When Waltraud wanted to start school after the war, the new principal refused to admit her.

“As children, we had to wear white armbands to show that we were German. It was like the mark of Cain. Everyone felt they could treat us however they wanted.”

The family was allowed to stay in Czechoslovakia because the mother was indispensable to the factory. Gradually, however, all their relatives and acquaintances left Jiřetín pod Jedlovou. Although they spoke German at home, they were afraid to use it in public.

We therefore invite you to the outdoor exhibition *Displacement and Resettlement: Transformations in Northern Bohemia After 1945*, which will also be on display in Děčín. The exhibition will be on display on Křížová Street from August 19 to September 9, 2026.

The exhibition is part of the broader "Memory of the Nation" project, which is dedicated to documenting the history of the 20th century, not only in the Liberec and Ústí nad Labem regions. In 2026, it will connect more than 20 cities in northern and western Bohemia.