"We started going around schools, going to demonstrations. Actors, [namely] Pavel Pavlovský, Martina Samková or Václav Beránek, who unfortunately passed away a long time ago, asked us for support, so we went to the theatre. They wanted us to find out whether or not the strike was legal, so we tried to twist the legislation at the time, bend it, to cover it legally in some way. We were very involved in the whole activity. We were excited about what came in November 1989. Of course it was dangerous at first. We didn't know what was going to happen. In the judiciary in particular, there has been great pressure to suppress any defiance and any citizens' initiative. And we got involved, we helped, and together with others we founded the Civic Forum."
"My wife and I believe -- and we don't take it as a phrase, but as a fact -- that democracy can only work if people care about what's going on around them. When they're interested in how tidy their house is and what's going on in it. When they're interested in what's going on around them. What's going on in the park that's next to their house, what's going on in their city district, what's going on in their city. What has happened, is happening or will happen in their region, what is happening in their republic, then what is happening in Europe, then what is happening in the world."
"I remember defending, for example, Vláďa Líbal, who was prosecuted along with his friend, also a Chartist, Heřman Chromý. It was judged by decent judges, the one at the Pilsen-City District Court was named Josef Baxa, and the second, at the regional court, Jiří Šilhavý, was the President of the Board of Appeal. And these judges, despite all the pressure from the party authorities – who wanted Vláďa Líbal and Heřman Chromý to be convicted – behaved bravely. And Vláďa Líbal was acquitted. It was basically a ridiculous thing. They did a Frank Zappa show, they quoted Karel Kryl, they had some music... Of course, it was viewed [as] anti-regime, so they were snitched on. It was at the Hi-Fi Club in [Republic] Square. I think they were turned in by the head of the Hi-Fi Club, who was a big-time communist. It got this political paint job, it got bombastic. They considered prosecuting them for subversion of the Republic, sabotage of the Republic, then sedition, and so on. But since the audience who came to the show were quite decent people, none of them added, no one wanted to make things worse for them. When they were questioned as witnesses, they were more likely to protect them and diminish what happened there."
Ludvík Rösch was born on November 6, 1954 in Pilsen into a middle-class Christian family. His grandfather was an officer in the 35th Infantry Regiment during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and during the First Republic he served in the 18th Infantry Regiment, of which he was later commander. In 1973, Ludvík graduated from the gymnasium in Pionyrů Street, today‘s Masaryk Grammar School. In 1978 he graduated from the Faculty of Law of Charles University in Prague, and in October of the same year he joined the first Pilsen law firm as an associate lawyer. He served one year in the army with the tank regiment in Kežmark. On 5 December 1981 he married the lawyer Anna Zítkova. From 1983 he worked in law counselling as a lawyer. In the summer of 1989, he signed the Petition ”Několik vět” (A few sentences) and was also involved in collecting signatures. In November 1989 he co-founded the Civic Forum, became its spokesman and also a member of the Coordination Committee. After November 1989 he was elected to the committee of the Regional Association of Lawyers in Pilsen. Together with his wife, he played an important role in the restoration of non-socialist advocacy. Since 1990 he has served on the advisory bodies of the City Council of Pilsen and the City Council of Pilsen. He was also a member of the Civil Commission of the Czech Bar Association in Prague. As regards party affiliation, after membership in the Civic Forum (Club President 1990-1994), the Civic Democratic Party (Club President 1994-1998) and the Freedom Union (Chairman of the Coalition Club 1998-2002), he ran for the Občané.cz party and then for citizens patriots, the party he co-founded. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for 700 Years of the City of Pilsen.
Ludvík Rösch in a photo from the 1990 election campaign with Zdeněk Prosek (Deputy Mayor), Zdeněk Mráček (Mayor), Jaroslav Jurečka (FS Member) and Jiří Holenda (Rector of the future University of West Bohemia)
Ludvík Rösch in a photo from the 1990 election campaign with Zdeněk Prosek (Deputy Mayor), Zdeněk Mráček (Mayor), Jaroslav Jurečka (FS Member) and Jiří Holenda (Rector of the future University of West Bohemia)
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