On a square platform set into the lawn in the center of Chodov park, castings of suitcases of various sizes and shapes are arranged to form an irregular column. At the top of the column, a plant grows from the slightly open lid of the smallest suitcase and winds its way up the entire structure as a symbol of life and hope. The names of the victims are inscribed on the individual suitcases in various ways.

JIZKOR PAMÁTNÍK OBĚTEM HOLOKAUSTU Z CHODOVA A HÁJŮ
יזכור

Rudolf Guttmann
Olga Guttmannová
Eva Guttmannová
Jiří Guttmann
Alfred Charvát
Jana Gutwilligová
Artur Herrmann
Berta Herrmannová
Helena Herrmannová
Vilém Pächter
Anna Pächterová
Edita Passerová
Gerda Passerová
Vilém Schick
Eliška Schicková
Zdeňka Schicková
Irma Sicherová
Julius Tanzer
Babeta Taussigová
Josef Unger

This uniquely conceived memorial to the twenty documented local Jewish victims was initiated by the Prague 11 municipal district, and its creation was financially supported by its former mayor, Dalibor Mlejnský. The sculpture by artist Jan Gemrot was created in collaboration with the Terezín Initiative Institute. The column of suitcases, each bearing the name of one of the victims of racial persecution, serves as a common symbol of deportations to extermination camps and draws on the familiar imagery associated with the personal belongings left behind by the victims at their final destinations – particularly in the exhibition in Block 5 of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum – however, the motif of the suitcase with its existential contents also derives from earlier works by Gemrot’s teacher at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, Zdeněk Beran. In this case, the symbolism of the suitcases is complemented by the organic form of a plant stem that winds its way upward through the entire structure. The memorial was ceremonially unveiled on the occasion of Yom HaShoah on 14 April 2026, with a number of prominent figures from the local political scene in attendance, including Prague Mayor Bohuslav Sobotka.