Red Tower of Death near Karlovy Vary: Memorial to Uranium Camp Prisoners
The Red Tower of Death in Czechia, near Karlovy Vary, is a former uranium ore processing plant that now serves as a memorial to victims of the communist regime. Its name refers to its red-brick walls and to the blood of political prisoners.
The Red Tower of Death (Rudá věž smrti in Czech) stands in the Karlovy Vary area of Czechia. It is a former uranium ore processing building that today serves as a memorial to political prisoners who died under the communist regime. The site belongs to the legacy of the Czechoslovak uranium mining labour camps in the Jáchymov region.
Origin of the name
The tower got its name from its exposed red-brick walls, but the name also carries symbolic meaning. It refers to the communist regime and to the blood of the political prisoners who perished there.
What the tower was used for
The tower functioned as a central dry-sorting and crushing plant for uranium ore. It was surrounded by forced labour camp "L" (Vykmanov II), widely considered one of the most dangerous camps in the entire Jáchymov system.
The main cause of death was not only external radiation. Prisoners inhaled concentrated radioactive uranium dust and radon gas without protective equipment, which led to fatal silicosis and lung cancer.
Number of victims
Between 1948 and 1961, more than 60,000 prisoners passed through the Czechoslovak uranium labour camps. Hundreds died on site, and many more died from radiation exposure after being released.
Today the tower serves as a memorial to the victims of those harsh times.
