Citice (older Czech name Cidice, German Zieditz) is a village in the Sokolov District in the Karlovy Vary Region. It has a population of 851. The first written mention of the village dates back to 1370. The occurrence of brown coal in the vicinity of Citice has been known for a long time. Already in the 16th century, Agricola mentions ground fires between Sokolov and Chlum, which occur at the outcrop of coal seams. These fires were the famous hill above Citice. Coal mining began near Citice in the mid-19th century.
Citice - City emblem
In the 1850s, local farmer and miller Ferdinand Fischer, after whom the mines were later named, began mining coal here through the Antonín mine. As mining progressed to greater depths, the mine owners, relatives of Ferdinand Fischer, did not have enough funds to install powerful pumps. They therefore decided to sell the mine. The Jakub mine was located in the vicinity of the mine. In order to buy the mine, the Dionýs mining company was founded, but it probably did not mine coal. In 1886, the mines were bought by businessman Weinkauff and the Buštěhradská dráha, he created the Dionýs-Vavřinec mining company and expanded the mine's operations. In 1877, a sorting plant was built. He connected it with the newly built Buštěhradsko dráha by a siding. In April 1894, a region-wide strike broke out, which was also joined by the employees of the Fischer mine. On May 3, 1894, a bloody massacre took place near the mine. The gendarmerie opened fire on a procession of striking miners. A monument in the village commemorates the three victims and eight injured miners' strike.
The working conditions of miners in the last third of the 19th century were really harsh and cruel. In the 1870s, the working day was set at 12 hours both underground and on the surface. In 1884, a ten-hour working day was introduced, but shifts could continue to be extended. Children also worked in the mines for a significantly lower wage. There were also numerous serious work-related injuries or even deaths. Add to this the humiliation and corporal punishment.
The miners' procession set off for Sokolov to the district governor's office. However, it was in Citice that several gendarmerie officers blocked their path, refusing to let them go any further. In the end, shots were fired into a crowd of about three hundred workers. Three died, eight others were injured. Although the strike was also discussed by parliament, conditions for the miners did not improve.
Josef Stitzl died on the spot after being shot in the head. Another victim of gendarmerie shooting was Kristián Heinz from Ovčárna. He was hit by two bullets, one wounding him in the head, the other in the abdomen. He died a few hours after the shooting, he was 37 years old. The third victim was supposed to be Karel Götzl from Sokolov. Neither the medical examiner nor the court representative could question him the next day.
Monument in Citice
His health did not allow it and the young man succumbed to his injuries. "Karel Götzl is lying down and is unable to be questioned due to extreme physical weakness. According to the bullet holes in the coat and vest he was wearing the previous day, he was hit by two shots to the right side of the chest. He is 18 years old," the report said. Eight other strikers suffered various injuries.
However, the Citica strike was not the last tragic event in the region; the workers suffered even worse during the strike in Kraslice in 1899. At that time, they were rebelling against an increase in the sugar tax. The gendarmes suppressed the demonstration at the cost of four deaths and a number of injuries. 20,000 people from the surrounding area gathered for the funeral of the victims.
A monument commemorating the victims of the miners' strike was unveiled after thirty years on July 20, 1924. In 1964, the monument was moved in front of the gate of the Přátelství mine and supplemented with a granite wall with inscriptions. On the left wall was the text: WHAT WE Fought Before, WE ARE REALIZING TODAY. On the right wall was the text: WE ENSURE A BETTER TOMORROW THROUGH WORK. GOD BLESS. In 1994, the monument was moved back to its original location.
The author of the monument is the sculptor Alois Zubr, the son of a miner from Chodov (1889-1941). The figurative sandstone sculpture depicts a miner sitting at the collapsed mouth of the adit. On a paved stile with 3 steps stands the symbolically indicated mouth of the collapsed mine shaft with a broken shaft, near which is a life-size sculpture of a seated miner with a helmet. His right hand clenched into a fist supports his head, his left hand holds a mine torch. Above the shaft of the shaft, the monument continues as an irregularly carved boulder, topped with a pair of crossed hammers, under which is an inscription plate with the text: IN MEMORY OF THE CITIC STRIKE OF MAY 1894.
Photo 1-3: Monument of Citice