Radka Křivánková

* 1932  †︎ 2019

  • "I don't feel any injustice. I think it is beautiful to celebrate a centenary of our Republic, to think only of the nice things and not worry. What had to happen did happen. One finds out in time the examples where people who follow their comfort and their pride. We see a lot of it around us now. All those years when we belonged to the Soviet Union lasted too long and who knows what this country of ours - I don't say republic because who knows what will it be called in the future. This helps me not to agonize without a reason. What will come will come. One should help things that are useful and make sense."

  • "In my own way, I was in fact pretty cheeky. One teacher asked me whether I was like that in everything. I was missing out on lessons - on German lessons. We had to sing along Deutschland, Deutschland über alles with the teachers who were aligned with Hitler. I was sulking and resisting all of that. Most of the teachers knew what it was about and they left me in peace or they gave me a different opportunity to get involved. I was a good singer, for instance. But otherwise, I was stubborn. It was already after my father's execution - one could tell then who was on which side."

  • „And so I have not seen dad ever again. I even thought that it was only a lie they said. There was no reason for anyone to kill him. He was such a nice person - to people, to students. These things are hard to tell. The fact that I respected my parents and their bravery guided me through my whole life. And even in the years when people served various interests, I had someone to be proud of. There were many such people - but not everyone."

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    Písek, 03.01.2019

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    nahrávka pořízena v rámci projektu Stories of 20th Century
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It is important to remain honest so one would never have be sorry about having done the wrong thing

Radka Křivánková
Radka Křivánková
zdroj: archiv pamětnice

Radka Křivánková, née Machovcová, was born on 29 April 1932 in Písek as the second child into the Machovec family. Her father was a professor at the local business academy and her mother worked as a bank clerk. Both of her parents were members of the Czechoslovak National Socialist Party, were active in the Sokol movement and members of the Czechoslovak Protestant Church. During WW II her father collaborated with the resistance group Obrana národa. He was arrested twice; firstly shortly after German invasion in 1939 and for the second time on June 29, 1942. The very next day, he was executed in the Tábor barracks. An uncle, the brother of Radka’s mother, then took care of the family with help from members of the Czechoslovak Protestant Church. Radka recalls the liberation of Písek, which was located on the demarcation line between the Soviet and US occupation zones. In May 1945, Radka’s mother was a member of the revolutionary national committee in Písek. After the war, she became close to the National Socialist Party MP Milada Horáková who was later executed in a communist show trial. Radka graduated from business academy in Písek and married Libor Křivánek, a historian and ethnologist at the Prácheň museum. Together, they renewed and led the Esperanto club La Ponto. At times of communist normalization, they found ways to establish contacts abroad and published locally unavailable literature. Along with the death of her father, she has lived through other personal tragedies. Radka established the Milada Horáková Club, took active part in the November 1989 revolution events in Písek and later served as Civic Forum representative in the municipal assembly. She lived in Písek with her daughter while being widowed for over 35 years. She was a member of the local Association of Freedom Fighters.