Information about the object:
The Evangelical cemetery in the former colony of Karviná Mexico in the Czech Republic was established in 1903. It is one of the few physically preserved traces of Polish history in the area of the so-called "Zaolzie Atlantis". Before the outbreak of World War II, the area was inhabited by native Poles and immigrants from Galicia, who arrived here in the 19th century in search of work. In the 20th century, this group was actively involved in the independence movement. After World War I, the area fell to Czechoslovakia, but the activities of Polish organisations did not cease. After World War II, Stará Karviná disappeared from the face of the earth as a result of the robbery of the so-called mining damage, and the inhabitants were displaced. Only the Old Parish Church, the so-called "Crooked Church", and two old cemeteries remained. As a result of the process of 'Bohemianisation', some of the Poles of Karviná lost their identity and the memory of their Polish heritage was deliberately erased.

In the course of the documentation work, it was possible to find more than 500 burial sites, of which just over one-fifth have preserved inscriptions. Most of them are in Polish and Czech, with a few in German. Monuments to miners who died in mining in 1917 have been preserved in the cemetery.

Completed works:

2022
As part of the task, a brigade of volunteers (15 people) was organised to carry out clean-up work over a period of five months (10 trips) at the forgotten and now heavily damaged Evangelical cemetery in the former colony of Karviná Mexico (Czech Republic).

The work consisted of cleaning up the cemetery grounds, felling trees, bushes, weeding, mowing grass, cleaning tombstones and carrying out utility work. An additional important task was the logistical preparation of the site for the future renovation of the cemetery chapel.

2023
The task was to renovate the forgotten and dilapidated Evangelical cemetery in Karvina-Mexico. Brigades of volunteers took care of clearing overgrowth, cleaning graves, restoring monuments, technical documentation, as well as repairing and reconstructing the cemetery chapel, including the tower, roof and cross. Working with specialists in the field of historic preservation, they have kept the memory of the past alive and secured this important site for the local community.

2024
The aim of the task was to continue restoration and cleaning work at the Evangelical cemetery in the former settlement of Karviná-Mexico - concerning both the cemetery grounds and the cemetery chapel. The volunteers (97 people) came mainly from the local community, but people from different parts of Poland also participated. The work took place in the form of six spring and six autumn Saturdays (April/May - September/October). The chapel foundations were drained, the damaged walls and roof of the chapel were repaired and protected from the weather. The cemetery grounds, including graves and alleys, were cleaned and tidied up. A film documenting the project and a 3d model of the cemetery chapel were created.

Funding: Polonica Institute programme "Polish cultural heritage abroad - volunteering".

More about the project: https://polonika.pl

https://polonika.pl

• Fundacja Volens, realizacja w latach 2022, 2023 i 2024