Adolf Tahedl

* 1940

  • I visited Ondřejov once more, after the expulsion. There were no houses left, only the outer walls. Next to the church was just a cemetery wall, only bits of the church were left. The Czech Army had created a military training zone there, with targets for bombs dropped by fighters. The whole area was closed up. But we just brazenly drove there, to take a look.

  • At the time it was horrific. During the afternoon we found out, and so that we could leave with our grandparents we only had half a day to pack what we wanted. We were only allowed to bring twenty or twenty-five kilograms. At a moment like that you have no idea what things are important. We quickly buried our nice tableware and things like that, because we thought that of course we would come and get it later.

  • The expulsion itself, I can still remember that a little. First of all by lorry and then by train, in a cattle car. During the journey the doors came open and my grandfather only just managed to grab my little sister’s pram in time. Otherwise she would’ve fallen out, pram and all. And then we carried on, we stayed at the starting camp in Furth im Wald for about two, three months, I’m not precisely sure. And then we got a room in a pub in Regenkamm.

  • It was in 1946 when they expelled us. Those were difficult times. Our mother was home alone with five children. Luckily my grandfather and grandmother were expelled with us together. Our mother got the message while turning grass over to dry. That day she received notice that we would have to leave our homeland the next day. We only had a few hours to think about what to bring with us. We probably buried some things, because we expected to return.

  • At the time the expulsion was terrible and I can imagine it was even worse for the adults, since they were still hoping we would one day return to our homeland, but sadly that wasn’t to be. But for me, looking back, it was actually something of a springboard, I was able to start an independent business and achieve something through my own efforts. While for the people who stayed behind, communism was a greater burden than expulsion, as I see it.

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    Neukirchen b. hl. Blut, 31.08.2019

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    duration: 01:08:57
    media recorded in project The removed memory of Šumava
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After the expulsion, they turned the village of my birth into a military training ground

Adolf Tahedl, Neukirchen 2019
Adolf Tahedl, Neukirchen 2019
photo: Natáčení

Adolf Tahedl was born on 14 May 1940 to a German family in the former village of Ondřejov near Český Krumlov, previously referred to as Andreasberg. His father fought in the Second World War, initially in France before being taken prisoner in the Soviet Union and was only reunited with his family after deportation. His mother Olga looked after her five children and a small farm. In June 1946 the family was deported. They packed quickly, burying their valuables because they expected to return soon. They were transported first of all by lorry and later in a cattle car to the concentration camp in Furth im Wald. After a three-month stay they were allocated a room at the inn in Regenkamp. After 1948 their father returned from captivity and they settled in Regensburg. Adolf trained as a car mechanic, later working at his father’s woodworking and construction firm. He became independent, prospered and has three sons. After 1989 he met his second wife, a Czech, in Prague. The place of his birth lies inside a military training area and when he illegally visited it for the first time in 1975, everything had been torn down. He would like to buy some property there today, but this is precluded by the military use of the land. He is happy that Czechs are showing interest in the expulsion as a topic and coming to terms with it somehow.