Vilém Wodák

"In Jihlava cases of mixed marriages were solved after war. The girls, who married Germans. There were many. They were asked to come to the town hall. (You mean the Rovolutionary national committee? – Author´s note: The name used until 15 May, 1945, since then a local national committee was used). So it was called. That happened right after war, in May or June 1945. I know that when the war was over, my mother had a German status. As she had a German husband; no protectorate nationality. These people were given so called Czechoslovak nationality after war. They were forcing women to renounce their husbands. All they had to do was to sign a written statement saying the marriage was forced. I don´t know any details. If my mother had signed such document, she´d be given her Czechoslovak nationality back. She´d not have lost her property, would not have to go to lager and there´d be no other consequences. (...) There were certain women, who did it, who signed. She didn´t do it as she cared for him and did not know if he comes back maybe from capture. She had to leave her flat and was interned to a collection centre."

" I worked in the rasper factory Tona in Polenská street, there I went to get trained. On 21 August, 1968 there was no work, everyone was listening to the radio and women were crying. We came to the square in the afternoon. The masses were already gathering there. We were waiting for the occupants. Then one (or two) Russian tanks passed through. At a square, right at the saving´s company, a tank caught a man, who died due to injuries. On the second day, 22 August 1968, when I went to work in the morning, I was taking a trolley in the lower part of the square. I saw Russian transporter at the parking place near current school of arts. We were threatening with our firsts in their direction. And when I came back from work the same day, Russians were out of the town and standing at the road to Pístov aiming at Jihlava. The whole road was occupied. But they were gone from the town. Occupation authorities were searching, where the illegal Jiskra was printed. In a few days someone told them it was in the printing house Grafia in Strážná street. It was later raided and crushed down. Russians established their headquarters in the town opposite to today´s Commercial Bank (in Palackého street). There is a travel agents there. With my older friend we were approaching the Russians to discuss with them. We were interested why they were here. We were trying to explain, there is freedom and democracy. And a young lieutenant was pointing at his belt with a gun replying: ‚That is our democracy.´"