Jana Bartošová

* 1950

  • They still wanted people to talk to those soldiers. And because we used to have the Russians and we knew it, there was no problem to speak to them. And I remember the boys, the soldiers, were terribly dirty, tired and terrified. They were not at home for x years, they did not even know what was going on. They just told them it was some counter-revolution and that they would have to shoot people. And then we found out that all those guys who came in that first line did not get home from them. Where did they go,the boys, soldiers, no one knows. What we learned then. Then came the other garniture of the soldiers who stayed longer.

  • My mom had a relapse, and because I did not want to leave her anywhere in the hospital land, I wanted to take care of her, so we returned with our son to Prague. I switched him here to school. And I served my mother at home till the end. And that was a shock at the time, because I carried the papers here to the doctor, and when she read it, she said, "Well, what do you want to do at home with her? Do you really think I will be coming to you for injections?" I said, Doctor, no, they trained me in the hospital, I will inject the morphine and everything. I went to Břevnov, there was a specialized pharmacy. I cared for nights. She did not come to see her not even once before she died.

  • In the ROH Factory Committee, I did over the youth, and I took care for the kids. And suddenly the ROH was called for meeting, and now they were informed that this incident had happened, and that no one would be, who would simply attack a deserving Communist, to hurt him. Because the guy picked up and went to the doctor we had in the factory, and he had put him in there that he suffered ..the man to give him a couple of slaps, probably, having suffered a slight jolt of the brain, and he actually put it in quotes like the doctor was scared to stand up to him and say no, nothing happened to you, so in a way he doubted a bit that it was not true. But, this gentleman who was at the incident just sat down and wrote a testimony, he said, I'm just not going to be here, it just cannot be done, and it's just staffing. And as a result, they called the ROH Factory Committee and then summoned some Communist unit there, and they then lectured there that there was no one to insult a merciful communist and gave us an hourly notice, and that the legal department must find such paragraph to simply give him an hourly notice from the factory. And there's another comrade just got up saying "hope that he would not go to CKD and get a better paid job there than he had here" and that lawyer said "do not worry, this paragraph will not even get to the dikes." And now the Factory Committee voted and I was against it, and like I was saying if I could say something, and I just said I could not imagine that this guy would hurt somebody, that I knew him, that in 69 after school I knew him, and that I've been knowing him for 10 years, and he was a very good guy, never to tell someone harsh word, I've never seen him raise his voice, and he´s got a problem, the lying wife and the daughter ending the elementary school . Look, it was so terrible, like you do not say anything like you're not recognized there, yeah. And now, basically, I voted, and I was against. And when they ended the Factory committee, they said "Comrade Hodinková, do not think that when you were against, you would go now and tell everybody that you did not agree."

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    Praha, 01.03.2018

    (audio)
    duration: 00:29
    media recorded in project The Stories of Our Neigbours
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In August 1968 the young Russian soldiers themselves did not know what is happening, why they are here

Mrs. Bartošová Jana
Mrs. Bartošová Jana
photo: z projektu PNS

Jana Bartošová was born 22.7. 1950 in Prague. She attended Elementary school of Mladá garda in Prague 7. She had other two elder siblings, brother and sister. The parents were devoted Christians and the elder siblings were brought up strictly catholic, she had more freedom. She describes her childhood as very positive. She was very active child, especially in sports, having very open and daring personality. Since elementary school she loves maths. The dream of becoming fashion designer didn’t come to live and she joined engineering high school. The family was not politically engaged, however her father as member of intelligent class was sent to factory work, where he later had accident which had his leg malfunction for the rest of his life. She worked in Pragovka as the design engineer of car-parts. She later left the company on her own will as protest against injustice done to her colleague. After death of her mother whom she was home-caring for quite a time, she joins day bar as barman for 10 years. For several years also as registrar - marriage clerk. Since 1969 she is active in balloon flying in Czech, member of Svazarm. She flies many countries and championships. After 1990 she starts her own brand Luftbaba and provides recreational balloon flying. She ends with flying in 1997 after very serious injury caused during landing. Mrs. Bartošová is the pioneer for Czech Balloon flying, she was one of the first woman pilot sever. Between 1985 - 1998 she was a president of Balonklub Praha. May 6th she joined the Fame Hall of Museum of Balloon Flying in Czech Republic.