You must endure it, your mother must endure much more!
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Mr. Josef Drašnar was born on April 29, 1942 in Písek. His parents owned a textile shop, and his grandfather was a French legionary. His mother, Anežka Drašnarová, (born 2nd January 1912), was a member of the Sokol organization; she venerated Masaryk’s legacy and the principles of the First Republic. Drašnar’s father, also Josef, began to manage the textile business in 1925. In September 1948 the whole family attended the funeral of President E. Beneš. In the same year they were stripped of their trade licence and their business was nationalized. In August 1950, Mr. and Mrs. Drašnar started to collaborate with the resistance group of Bohumil Sup, who was connected with the King of Šumava, Josef Hasil. Mrs. Drašnar was arrested on December 29, 1951 and sentenced to 13 years in prison. In the prison she suffered from serious health problems but miraculously survived. Mr. Drašnar was arrested on August 1, 1952 and sentenced to 3.5 years in prison. His property was confiscated. Mrs. Drašnar was granted amnesty in 1960 after nine years in prison. Because of their parents criminal status, Josef and his sister could not study, and had trouble finding work. Josef managed to find work as a metal tooler, and his sister as a seamstress. Their father died in 1957, a mentally broken down man and who was never able to see his wife again. Mrs. Drašnar was rehabilitated after the Velvet Revolution in 1989. She died in 1997.
