Accommodation for women and children after the March 15, 1939 – Doreen Warriner

As a result of the Munich agreement, many Sudeten German opponents of Nazism, social democrats and communists, Czechs and Jews fled from the border areas of Czechoslovakia into the safe interior of the country, above all to Prague. However, it was clear to the Sudeten German social democrats that the Nazis would sooner or later reach Prague, too. With the help of British volunteers, they organised emigration to safe target countries. These included Sweden, Britain (from whence emigrés later continued to Canada), Norway, and Belgium.

After 15 March 1939, when German troops entered Prague, many Sudeten German refugees still remained in the city, however. They were mainly women and children whose husbands and fathers had continued their journey. British volunteer Doreen Warriner took care of the refugees, trying to find accommodation for them. After a long search she was successful. One of the places she found was the hotel U hvězda in the Prague district of Břevnov. In the weeks that followed, Warriner tried to arrange passage out of the country for these remaining refugees.

This guided walk is a part of the “Democracy on the Brink. Historical lessons from the late 1930s” project supported by the Europe for Citizens programme of the European Union.