Miroslav Bouček

* 1928

  • „Otec mojí manželky byl tesař a měl na rohu svojí dílnu. Vytahali jsme z ní na ulici trámy, které jsme spojili kramlemi a vyplnili je dlažebními kostkami. Dále jsme použili staré skříně a podobně. Od Pohořelce přijela jedna německá jednotka, která se u barikády obrátila, odjela a nepokoušela se jí nijak narušit. Zbraní jsme však měli málo. Celkově tam byli asi tři muži s puškami. Barikáda stála až do 8. května, kdy přišli Vlasovci, kteří jí využili při likvidaci blízkého kulometného hnízda. Tanky Rudé armády, které přišly společně s frontou, jí však překonaly bez problémů.“

  • „Stalo se to na plácku kousek od našeho domu. Udělal to trestanec, který se vrátil z koncentráku. Nebyl to žádný politický vězeň, ale sprostý zloděj z Břevnova, který si na té ženě vylil vlastní nashromážděnou zlost. Jeho povaha byla násilnická a tak jí prostě upálil. Nejhorší na tom bylo, že kolem stáli lidé, kteří se dívali a nezasáhli.“

  • „Pod námi bylo Vincentínum, ve kterém sídlily jeptišky. Byly to fanatické Němky. Jedna z nich měla na střeše kulomet a ovládala celý prostor kolem Bělohorské ulice. K větším škodám nedošlo pouze díky Vlasovci, který jí odstřelil.“

  • “Waking up was even worse because I arrived at a tram stop. We had a factory next to Julius Fucik Park in Holesovice. At the tram stop, there were crowds of people but no trams. ‚What’s going on?‘ – ‚Well, the Russians are invading.‘ – ‚What? Russians? What are they doing here?‘ Nothing was going on here. No counterrevolution, that was nonsense. When they came and saw it here, they were perplexed, because they thought there would-be insurgents and instead people talked to them peacefully. (…) We went on foot and arrived at Letenska plan, where we saw everything lined up – tanks, howitzers, and everything. My wife was still asleep, as Hanka was just born in April of ’68. (…) my parents didn’t know anything either. When I came to work, I picked up the phone and called my grandfather, that the Russians invaded, so they ran to wake up my wife to tell her what the situation was. (…) Mum grabbed the stroller with Hanka and went to the first shop she could find because she knew groceries were about to become a scarcity. She bought groceries for herself and for the parents.”

  • “We ended up there at the start of 1945, had to go dig the so-called Moravian rampart. Coincidentally, as we were leaving Prague, the train passed the CKD factory, which was bombarded just the day before, so we ended up seeing the damage. That was the second navigation error of the Americans. We arrived in Moravia; we were building the rampart. We were digging so-called Panzergrabens – trenches that were 6 meters long, 6 meters wide and 6 meters deep. Of course, it was more or less a joke, since the Soviets with T-34s would drive over easily. Also, coincidentally, our famous commanders of the labour camp were so stupid as to leave a wooden bridge there. Of course, they knew the war front was coming, so they had no time to destroy it and the Russians drove over easily.”

  • “Coincidentally, a Red Guard lieutenant was staying with us. We weren’t doing too bad, since he loved my mother so much. ‘Babushka, babushka!’ Babushka baked some rolls and he was happy. Thanks to this we had salami, and their coffee– it was no good, but he would bring all sorts of things.”

  • Full recordings
  • 1

    Praha, 26.10.2018

    (audio)
    duration: 02:04:16
    media recorded in project The Stories of Our Neigbours
  • 2

    Praha, 15.06.2020

    (audio)
    duration: 01:45:49
    media recorded in project Stories of the 20th Century TV
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Not having to be embarrassed about my credit

Miroslav Bouček at work
Miroslav Bouček at work
photo: archiv pamětníka

Miroslav Bouček was born on September 14, 1928, in Prague. He grew up in a devout family, which has influenced his whole life. His father worked as a chauffeur and his mother was a housewife. The family lived in a balcony access house on Žitná street and had to make do with very little. The family moved to Břevnov in 1939. After leaving school, Miroslav began an apprenticeship in fine mechanics for the company Kinoelektrik. In February 1945, he witnessed the fire of the Emauzy monastery caused by the bombing of Prague. In March 1945, he was conscripted for forced labour – he participated in digging an anti-tank trench at “Moravska brana”. Towards the end of the war, he escaped along with others and built barricades during the Prague Uprising. In 1966 his mother died, and he also got married to his wife Vera. In 1968, their daughter Hana was born, a year later their son Jan. Shortly after that, the family moved to Prosek. Although the couple were active protestants, their children were allowed to study. Boucek worked as an electromechanical engineer his whole life. He retired in 1988. To this day, he lives in his flat in Prosek and regularly attends the local centre for senior citizens.