What was the atmosphere in Brno "under the swastika"? A somewhat unconventional guide that introduces readers to what the city looked like during the Nazi occupation through the stories of forty Brno locations. On a timeline leading from occupation to liberation, places associated with Nazi concentration and internment camps, Gestapo offices, occupation authorities, universities, Czech collaboration, war production, the Holocaust of Jews, Roma, and homosexuals, propaganda, the Germanization of the city, and architectural or heritage interventions in the spirit of national socialism are presented. Other locations are selected based on specific events accompanying the history of Brno during the chosen period, such as Adolf Hitler's visit, November 17, 1939, bombings, or liberation by the Red Army. Several places are linked to significant personalities or specific victims, such as regional president Jaroslav Mezník, his successor Karl Schwabe, Gestapo officer Otto Koslowski, or one of the many Holocaust victims, Willy Bondy. The stories of individual places are supplemented with authentic memories, reflections, or texts from contemporary press, and especially maps and period photographs. Thus, the book can serve as a true guide, but also as...
