Hugo Macek

* 1942

  • "Then the occupation came, it was naturally very emotionally taxing for me but not as much as many people describe it, and I was a bit... in this and moreless that scepticism of mine was... That the communists were just fighting among themselves and now the bunch is.. naturally, the whole drama that was happening, with the kidnapping of the.... Otherwise, Dubček was just another commie for me and nobody ever meant that the communist party ever be anything else than the government and the only party, am I right."

  • "Then the distrainors came, actually, they took our paintings and fur coats and whatever they could grab, they took everything out of the cupboards as a payment of that debt. But, when they assessed the value, it was just a trifle. The secret police would come and ask whether we have already heard from dad. And, then, they took what they could, they took the paintings off the walls. And then they invited mother again, she was totally broken down, she was really psychopathic and they told her that if she donates her half of the house to the state, they would write the debt off. And as she had that nervous breakdown, she signed it."

  • „Čili nabídli, nebo on mu řekl, že chce, aby se stal tím povereníkem, ministrem toho lehkého průmyslu. A otec mu řekl, to mám z vyprávění mého otce, že to snad přece není vůbec možné, že ve vládě může být jenom člen strany. A soudruh Široký s úsměvem otevřel šuplík, vytáhl papír, dal ho otci a říká: ‚Stačí podepsat a jste členem KSČ od roku 1939.‘“

  • Celé nahrávky
  • 1

    Náchod, 20.06.2019

    (audio)
    délka: 02:23:30
    nahrávka pořízena v rámci projektu Příběhy regionu - HRK REG ED
Celé nahrávky jsou k dispozici pouze pro přihlášené uživatele.

Learning all life long

Witness at the time of his wedding
Witness at the time of his wedding
zdroj: Archiv pamětníka

Hugo Macek was born on the 6th November in 1942 in Žďár nad Metují. The Nazis confiscated the family owned textile factory and his father, Hugo Macek, stayed there in an executive position. After the war, he was accused of collaboration with the Nazis but he was cleared of the accusations. Shortly after the 1948 Communist coup, his father emigrated to Tthe Netherlands. The Macek family house was confiscated and the witness was not allowed to pursue any education. However, after finishing his compulsory army service in 1962, he managed to enroll in evening high school courses at the Gymnasium in Náchod. His wife Brigita, née Turková, was from a German family and survived the death march in Brno. After she gave birth to their only son, she got ill with multiple sclerosis and remained disabled. In 1967, Hugo Macek sued the state because the deed of gift of their house was signed under duress and he won. In 1968, he participated in fouding the local branch of the K 231 association. During the 1980’s, he reproduced samizdats and was a member of the Association of Friends of the USA (SPUSA). In 1989, he signed a petition requesting freeing Václav Havel and signed the Several Sentences manifesto. In November, he was involved in the activities of the Civic Forum, The family property was restituted to him and along with some relatives, they started a business. In 2002, they sold the former factory.