Ľubomír Vacek

* 1932

  • “During the Second World War, in our house there were hidden Jews as well as some Moravians from Hodonín, who were sentenced to death penalty from political reasons. They weren´t just hiding, but my father employed them, and provided them with necessary identification papers and documents. So they worked there. I didn´t know that though. I was only a little boy – ten years old. He didn´t tell me anything about them as being Moravians or so. I just knew her name was Zuzka, another one´s Anka, and the man was called Juraj. And those weren´t their real names either.”

  • “I didn´t have a good personal evaluation for the Communist Party. I have never joined the party, even though they asked me to. I always had some excuses, since deep inside I was against all of that. There were also meetings at the ČSAD (Bus Transport Company) and even if some people resigned their membership, I never inclined to that. Since I wanted to sustain my job, I had to be quiet, although I had a mind of my own.”

  • “ʻYou are a Czech and you shall ever be one,’ they used to say, and I didn't even speak Czech in front of them, although I could speak that language fluently. I felt real oppression. There were many of those who sympathized with Czechs, but also many of those who were against them.”

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    Hlohovec, 05.07.2017

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Money can do anything, but acquaintances even more so

Ľubomír Vacek
Ľubomír Vacek
zdroj: archív pamätníka

Ľubomír Vacek was born in 1932 in Hlohovec into a family of successful Czech businessman. During the war, his father Rudolf arranged false permissions for Jews, Czechs, and he was hiding French partisans. By bribery and acquaintances he helped people who would otherwise die or were moved out. After the takeover in 1948, the communist regime confiscated his prosperous business including the goods totaling 27 million Czechoslovak crowns.  He had to pay the authorities rent for living in his own house. Ľubomír Vacek was a member of the Auxiliary Technical Battalions (PTP) and during the military service he took part in building air lanes and military quarters.