The Route of Luboš Jednorožec

The Route of Luboš Jednorožec

  • About
  • Stories
Dyleň Stará Voda 132, 350 02 Stará Voda, Czech Republic
He couldn’t find the border
He couldn’t find the borderLuboš Jednorožec

Luboš Jednorožec got to the foot of the mountain Dyleň, two days after he managed to escape from the labour camp Horní Slavkov. He was tired from a lack of sleep, hungry and numb with cold, but filled with hope that he would soon be able to cross the border to Germany. The proximity of the bor…


Hodnotilo 1 lidí
Horní Slavkov (Camp XII.) U Lesoparku 747/1, 357 31 Horní Slavkov, Czech Republic
I crept before the eyes of a guard
I crept before the eyes of a guardLuboš Jednorožec

Luboš Jednorožec came to the Slavkov camp in June 1951. He was sentenced to ten years in prison and was firmly determined to run away at his first opportunity. That opportunity came in September. When the prisoners were being taken to their night shift, he managed to separate himself from the o…


Hodnotilo 0 lidí
Leopoldov Gucmanova 670/19, 920 41 Leopoldov, Slovakia
They had their ways of eliminating us
They had their ways of eliminating usLuboš Jednorožec

Luboš Jednorožec arrived in Leopoldov with a sixteen year sentence for running away from the camp Horní Slavkov, as well as for his attempt to cross the state border. In Leopoldov they did not beat prisoners, but they tortured them in a different manner. They had to march in a squat and do pu…


Hodnotilo 0 lidí
Mariánské Lázně (Marienbad), chapel of Julius Laska Chopinova 498/8, 353 01 Mariánské Lázně, Czech Republic
On the run, he slept over in a chapel
On the run, he slept over in a chapelLuboš Jednorožec

Luboš Jednorožec was on the run from the labor camp in Horní Slavkov. He did not have a map and he did not know the local area. All he knew was that he had to get to Mariánské Lázně and then take the shortest route to the west, toward the borders. He was running along forest footpaths. Once, when…


Hodnotilo 0 lidí
This is a more difficult route which you can undertake either by foot or by bicycle. There are many tourist paths and bike paths in the area. The overall length comes to around 40–45 km (25–28 miles). The route can be planned as a two-day trip, staying in Mariánské Lázně for the night. It is necessary to count with the fact that Dyleň Mountain is approx. 7 km (4.3 miles) away from the closest train station. In 1951, Luboš Jednorožec (the surname means “unicorn” in Czech) was convicted of knowing, yet not informing officials, that a family acquaintance was planning to flee abroad. He was 25 years old when he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He ended up in Horní Slavkov, one of the worst uranium labour camps in Czechoslovakia at the time. He did not intend on reconciling himself to his fate, however, and immediately began thinking of escape. In September 1951 he succeeded in splitting away from his group during shift rotation, cutting through the fence using stolen clippers, and fleeing the prison. The guards did not discover his escape until several hours later. Luboš wanted to reach the borders as quickly as possible. He reached Mariánské Lázně after the first day, slept in the forest chapel on the edge of the town, and then carried on west to the Dyleň Hill at the borders. Blundering through the border zone he stumbled on an armed patrol. He managed to escape, but he felt that it would be too risky to attempt at crossing the borders again. He returned through Pilsen to Prague, where he hid with family and friends.
Please enter your e-mail and password
Forgotten password
Change Password