
Jaroměř-Josefov
Náměstí Svobody Square
A clean-up of the ruins of bombed houses on the street is being carried out but there is a mood of optimism. The war is over and life can get back to normal. Spectres of the dead emerge occasionally but they too fade with time.
A proud new dad pushes a pram through the ruins of the town, like a symbol of rebirth. The recollections of Jan Halas inspired Petr Jarchovský’s writing of this storyline. The birth of the famous Czech poet’s son a day after the end of WW II was apparently in similarly bizarre circumstances. Meanwhile Bolek Polívka, who portrays Josef Čížek, was inspired by memories of his own father in preparing for the role.
The final scene in Divided We Fall was shaped by the square Náměstí Svobody. Nearby, on the square Masarykovo náměstí, stands the interesting Empire-style Church of the Assumption; it was constructed according to the same plans as its twin at the sister fortress of Terezín.