Mining Town of Jáchymov and Spa City of Karlovy Vary (OH right this is a travel blog)

     About a month ago, there was an optional trip put on by CET to go to the small towns of Jáchymov and Karlovy Vary in the western part of the Czech Republic, right by the border of Germany. This trip was an interesting one given the proximity of the neighboring towns and the huge gap in their historical functionalities. Jáchymov has historically been a mining town, from mining silver centuries ago to mining uranium the 20th century. Whereas Karlovy Vary has been known as a spa town for while, with settlements near it as early as the 13th century (Wikipedia). Much of the popularity of the town due to its various thermal springs and their noted medicinal purposes if they are drank. Recently, with mining not being as lucrative (?? no lie I'm not 100% sure of the reason) anymore, Jáchymov has tried to market itself more like Karlovy Vary, a spa city. So, for example, one can take a bath with uranium water if they want, since there aren't the adverse radioactive effects if it does not go into your body, but ahhh I'll pass. This treatment, radon therapy, is used to treat patients with nervous and rheumatic disorders (Wikipedia).

Photos from inside one of the uranium mines at Jáchymov, this one is well-ventilated

and now used for educational, museum-like purposes.

The story of the people who worked the mines at Jáchymov during the era of Communism in the middle of the 20th century is heartbreaking. A majority (?) of the workers at the camps were political prisoners under the Communist regime, sentenced to years of hard labor in these mines. Many of the details of the conditions of the camp and what life was like there we received from someone who experienced them firsthand as a political prisoner at Jáchymov and accompanied us on our trip to the town from Prague. I really appreciated CET orchestrating that.

Outside of the mine, attempting to lift up one of the cars that would carry
rocks being carried out of the mine. Sometimes workers would have to lift the cart
after it fell off of the rail it traveled along.

The man, Mr. K, spoke about being a teenager coming of age in a time where Communism, which he depicted as an enemy influence, was infiltrating almost every aspect of his life. He told stories of direct, potential life-or-death situations with authorities, his hatred for communists, and his understanding that his actions were necessary for him to ensure the best for the future his country and loved ones. He also told us about his life at the communist camp. From the long hours, to metal-banded human caravans of hundreds to ensure that no one tried to escape, to escaped prisoners, to forming relationships, to a survivalist mentality, and so much more. His experiential storytelling made me ashamed for the afterthought notes in countless history textbooks (especially in the U.S. but globally) that say little beyond "And the Communist regime took over in Czechoslovakia."

Eating oplatky, a large wafer that can be sandwiched with fillings such
tiramisu, white chocolate, caramel, etc., with fellow CET Film students

What I find most baffling about the situation was how day laborers and political prisoners were working side by side. This is worth special note given how harshly the guards were treating the political prisoners-- but this varied by the guards, as some were imported from different countries under the Communist regime and cared way more about meeting uranium quotas than particularly punishing Czech political prisoners. This situation of placement with the prisoners also allowed for some smuggling of letters and contraband in and out of the camp, showing the bond and bravery these non-prisoners showed for their fellow countrymen (there were little to no women at these camps).

The remains of a building in one of the camps where the prisoners would
receive their uniforms, if I am not mistaken.

The person translating all of the man's answers works for a nonprofit working to bring awareness to political prisoner situations like this one in Jáchymov, reconstructing a lot of the camps, which were torn down once all the prisoners were freed in 1964 in an effort to erase this heinous institution from history. Their website is https://www.facebook.com/SpolekPolitictiVezni/ .

Scenic Jáchymov hillside

Someone said at the end of this trip that rubbed me the wrong way. Something along the lines of:

"After hearing all that this man went through, I feel like I can never complain about anything again."
To this person's credit, hearing about the experiences had at this camp does give perspective into the variety of issues faced by people across the world.

But that person will complain again. We all do. And that diminishes their already half-hearted comment to almost an insult, because this person still found a way to make it about them. Beyond that, they are not providing the due respect for him going through all that, and being willing to share his store and relive all of that mentally for the sake of the education of others. An added layer to how I perceived this comment was how visibly disrespectful this person was being-- shuffling in the snow-- while Mr. K was talking.

And, in another way, pain and discomfort is relative. There is no objective struggle, and when you try to set one as the benchmark you are invalidating so many others. I recall in recent years there was a campaign where people from the Global South were reading direct "#FirstWorldProblems" quotes, like "when your iphone charger is too short so you can't charge your phone in bed #FirstWorldProblems" or something and the point was to emphasize how these aren't real problems when you put it in the perspective of someone who actually has problems. The video is here. This is a great exercise in providing perspective, but it is readily categorized with the Sarah Mclachlan "In the arms of an angel" animal commercials and "for just 2 cents a day you can help a child in need...." commercials. They disrupt the comforts of our daily lives and are usually when people would change the channel in the days before DVR and streaming. How do we fix this issue and have it correlate to action? I do not know. I am just as much of the problem by complaining and doing nothing about it. But I digres..

That was a more extreme example, I acknowledge, but it is along the same vein. To me, it sounds like this was a comment made for that person to feel better about themselves, even though it was never their struggle to co-opt in the first place. Anyways.