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Hana Hentschelová was born on 21 July 1948 in Zborovice near Kroměříž. When she was about four years old, her mother was imprisoned for saying, „Communists are swine!“ She was released after two weeks, because she sang Sokol songs and they were afraid of her influence on the other prisoners. From her childhood, Hana Hentschelová also remembers „gentlemen in long leather coats“, members of the state secret police, who came to their home to investigate the origin of the building materials. The memoirist came to the border region in 1974. She moved directly to Liščí, the birthplace of her husband, the German Werner Hentschel (https://www.pametnaroda.cz/cs/hentschel-werner-1945), in the 1980s. They met at the forestry faculty and there were not many job opportunities elsewhere. They used to go to Germany via the border crossing in Varnsdorf, there were no wires at the border anymore. Under socialism, they had to fill in a form with everything they were taking. Once, the memoirist forgot her wedding ring, which caused delays. They met German friends near the border without any trouble. The opening in the 1990s was very welcome, they could travel and shop freely and above all a different culture entered the border area. For example in the hospitals - doctors went to Germany for experience and on their return the hospitals started to treat patients and nurses with much more respect. The 1990s also brought problems in the form of smugglers. The Werners would see vans late in the evening and many of the refugees would wander around in an often desperate state. Hana Hentschel was afraid of being mugged. Immediately after the border was opened, displaced Germans came to see their native homes, but mostly found only ruins. The village of Lipová did not make contact with them. The annual gathering of the native people was organized by people from Dresden; many people visited the first years, but the number of people from Lipová was minimal. In 2025, thirty-five people attended the reunion, and the only Czech woman was the memorialist. The Hentschels noted little interest in the neighborhood in bonding with neighbors across the border, but even so, there was a lot of increased movement in the area. A number of German hikers have been coming here for hikes and new friendships have certainly been formed. The memorial site lacks a larger grocery store and professional medical care, and some specialties are not available in Rumburk or Varnsdorf. Public transport has also been greatly reduced. At the time of filming, the Hentschels were the only permanent residents of Liščí. Translated by DeepL
