Ing. Aleš Oplíštil

* 1933  †︎ 2023

  • "I quite remember that because we had a meadow, and when it was burning, we were drying the meadow. Because it went over our heads through the air about 5 km, it was visible. The smoke was thick, conspicuous, or evident. When my dad saw it, he thought it was strange that it was over such a hill, and he sent my brother Zdeněk to see what was going on. Only they wouldn't let him near the burnt settlement. It was occupied by the German police and they wouldn't let anyone near. So my brother watched it from about half a kilometer."

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    Praha, 03.05.2023

    (audio)
    délka: 45:02
    nahrávka pořízena v rámci projektu Stories of 20th Century
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The painting of burnt Ležáky was a memento that Dad kept in his closet until the end of the war

Aleš Oplíštil was born on 3 September 1933 in Dolní Holetín near Hlinsko into the family of František Oplíštil, the owner of a local pub. He had an older brother Zbyněk. The village of Dolní Holetín is located 5 km from the settlement of Ležáky, which the Nazis exterminated after the assassination of Reich Protector Reinhard Heydrich on 24 June 1942. During the war, the family of the witness hid a painting of Ležáky, which was secretly painted by the academic painter Jaroslav Hudec immediately after the burning of the settlement, risking his life in the process. During the communist regime, the family fell into disfavor due to their property and political views, and Aleš Oplíštil could not study. Only after a long time did he graduate from university by distance learning. In his narrative, the witness focused mainly on the war period and the story of the painting he donated to the museum in Hlinsko. Aleš Oplíštil died on 9 May 2023 at almost 90 years of age.