Daruše Burdová roz. Kolářová

„For my subject, the syllabus was like this: Stalin knew everything, Stalin was involved in everything. It got exaggerated and it pretty much clashed with the science of developmental theories, the truth of geographic distribution or nationalities. The simple facts were pushed aside. We were forced to prepare the classes in written and we had to underline where we stress the importance of the Communist Party in teaaching. They wanted to have everything underlined, everything noted down. And in 1969, after all that political thaw, two of my former students went to study theology. I was summoned to the district Party headquarters, when I was still in the Party, to explain how do I teach biology when my students then enrol the Faculty of Theology.”

„Edita Linkeová was one of those who did not leave. She went to school with us until almost the end of the school year. On about the 20th of June, she whispered to me whether I could come to their place after school. I asked whether it was her birthday. ‚No, it‘s not my birthday but I would like to meet you and two of your good friends over some good ice cream.’ My friends sat next to me at the same table. I said that I will tell mom, have my lunch and I will come for sure. All three of us agreed and came to Edita’s place. I had never been in such a beautiful house before. Edita invited us to the terrace from the hallway. From the terrace, I saw a swimming pool in the garden. It was wonderful. Edita’s mom brought us ice cream with whipped cream. And I asked Edita again whether it is her birthday when we are having such festive snack. And Edita started to cry and her mom told us that they are leaving the country in four hours. Meantime, Editka disappeared to her room and returned after a while, carrying small gold rings with garnets and she gave one each as a memento. We were not able to finish the ice cream. It was really good but our tears dropped in it because it was something horrible, saying goodbyes to a friend who is leaving, does not know where and she has to leave everything behind.”

„I witnessed how they chased the Germans. Down the Kotlářská Street to P,anzrka, now there is that large Boby centrum. I knew I went there but I had to promise to parents that I would be back in fifteen minutes. I only wanted to remember it. So I went along the Kotlářská St. to Nová Street, it is about 150 metres down and 150 metres up and I did not see more. But my brother, he was a guard in the cam for one night. I think it was during the night from the 30th to the 31st of May and he then told us how the National Guard behaved towards the Germans. He saw the German cousin of our mom and her father, they hit him in his head by the butt of the gun. My brother could not stand it any more but the boys told him: ‘Ivo, you gotta stay here. If you don’t keep your mouth shut, they would shoot you because they’d think you’re protecting the Germans.’ Brother told us: ‘I only wanted to save the justice. But I couldn’t.’”

„My father started his work at eight so we could eat our breakfast together and then we parted ways. I went to one school, my brother went to another. And we would listen to the radio. The jingle from Vltava [symphonic poem by Bedřich Smetana]. We kept quiet during the breakfast so that dad could listen to the news. The Vltava jingle kept repeating. Prague… ‘And keep calm, please. The German army had crossed our borders. It is advancing there and there. Keep calm, please.’ And that kingle again. I know that mom was crying. I did not fully understand what was going on and my brother did not have a clue. Dad was very sad and said: ‘This is terrible what the future holds for us.’ He left for the office earlier than I went to school. My way was flanked by the long German flags. They had those long flags. They hung from the fifth floor to the first floor and there was the hakenkreuz in the middle. And I got to school and the first lesson was maths. Miss Janáčková, she was from Prague, a proud member of Sokol, and she started the lesson saying that now we all stand up and who can pray will pray for the country.“

„The first large air raid came in November 1944. It was carpet bombing of Brno and it was a horror. Wait – it was the large air raid in 1944 and there was one before that. During one of the air raids, I stayed in a public shelter and at that time, I think that the Obilní square and the Údolní Street were bombed. The public shelter was very uncomfortable but the air raid in the autumn of1944 was much worse. It started when I was on my way to the Černá Pole neighbourhood and the, I saw the bombs for the first time. They were like pencils, when they were falling. The horror was unimaginable. Then, when there were fights in Brno for two weeks, the third house from our was hit. We were in the cellar and it tossed us almost up to the ceiling. Then those fights for Brno. The front shifted back and forth to the north, to the south. Those were difficult days, those two weeks of fighting for Brno, when you lived in that Brno.”

“Her school desk was behind mine. We sat there in threes and she told me: “Darča, come to our place at two, and bring Jarka and Líba as well.’ So I said I would come but I didn’t know exactly where she lived. She described it to me. I ate my lunch quickly at home and told my mum where I was going, I always had to tell them what I was doing. Jarka Brodská was waiting for me in the street and Líba came by tram. We walked the street uphill slowly and kept looking. There was one villa, another one, then yet another one, and then we found this amazing villa. I had never been to such a house in my life. Edita was expecting us. I saw a cake and ice cream with whipped cream. I said: ‘Edita, is it your birthday today? We have no presents for you.’ She said: ‘No, it’s not my birthday.’ And then Mrs Linkeová came. Edita told us that her mum and she were leaving in an hour. So I could not even enjoy the ice cream. The whipped cream, which I had not seen in two years, I could not eat either because we were saying our goodbyes in tears and Edita gave each of us a small golden ring with a ruby in remembrance. I never heard of her again in my life.”

„My parents were deeply religious. I was brought in Christian faith which was rooted deep in my heart and it kept bringing me problems for a long time. I and my husband knew in what times we live. I could not trouble my children’s life so at the end, one learned to dance on eggshels. You asked what I regret the most. So I would add this one. I and my husband, after the Velvet Revolution, when we were for example relaxing in the garden in our cottage, used to say: ‘Not everyone is Václav Havel.’ Havel did not have children. He had no obligations. He could follow a straight path. Some followed the straight path to emigration. And those who stayed, and there is no nice way to put it, were lackeys, collaborants, turncoats. I loved my job and I would be immediately kicked out if I would strictly keep my convictions. But that’s locking the stable after the horse has bolted, as they say. I regret nothing. Such was life, such were the times and life did not follow the straight path. The path was twisting. And this is the reason why I wanted to bring my memories not of the people but of the times, to live, to show them to my grandchildren. Because the young generation will not find it in textbooks how were those times.”