"There was a road next to the prayer room and the Russian barracks were across the road. On Sunday mornings, we heard music playing there and the soldiers had to run uphill along the road towards Janovice and back. There were many Russian officers and we saw their conduct. Each had a servant who carried their suitcases and bags; they kicked their butts - a different culture. The guys would sometimes go pick our cherries. They went about selling petrol from canisters - they would sell everything. I have to admit I bought some a few times. Also, a soldier came and said, 'You have a daughter, right?' Světlana was about to take her school-leaving exams. 'Does she need help with Russian? I can help her and correct her essays.' I said no, thank you - it would cause trouble for him and me alike. But we kind of of got along somehow. I witnessed the departure of Soviet forces from Frenštát pod Radhoštěm later on. It's a pity I didn't take any photos. It was a big event. We stood on the platforms saying our goodbyes. The commander even got flowers - well, we were happy to see them go away.“
"I entered the Theological Seminary in Jircháře in October 1967 and began to study. It wasn't easy for me because I had not earned a high school diploma. It is true that I had learned English, I had a theological background, but the languages - Latin, Greek, German and Hebrew - took me a lot of work. But I was diligent so I managed. I also started dating Jana Martínková, my wife, so it was a nice time of study. Many famous people studied at the faculty at the time. For example, Sváťa Karásek the singer-songwriter, Miloš Rejchrt, Vrát'a Brabenec, Aleš Březina was in my year and emigrated to Canada later on; I visited him once. Then there was the very capable Dan Drápal, and the well-known Charter 77 signatory Jan Kozlík was one year younger."
"My father was discharged from military service in 1954. The PTP was abolished altogether later on. There was something good about that. See, our church was banned in October 1952 and many preachers, especially in Slovakia, were locked up, serving five to seven years. By serving with the PTP, my father actually avoided prison. I remember those times. We met in families underground, but the life of the Church did not suffer. There were many active people, so every Saturday there were dozens of services at homes, young people met in the afternoon, there were kindergartens, and people were newly baptised in the Odra River. I remember it as a period of activity."
Petr Krynský was born in Ostrava on 27 February 1945 as the third of five children to Dimitrij Krynský and Jiřina Krynská. His father, a child repatriated from Ukraine, was a preacher of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church and worked briefly in Subcarpathian Rus, then in Ostrava. In the 1950s, he was assigned to the PTP by the regime as punishment. The Seventh-day Adventist Church was banned at that time, but it operated successfully underground and was re-authorized in 1956. Dimitrij Krynsky was again allowed to preach. In 1959, the witness’s parents were imprisoned for not sending their children to school on Saturdays. Dimitri Krynsky lost his state permission to practice clerical activity as a result. After his release, he worked as a miner and later as a bricklayer. He still remained a prominent figure in the Church and set an example for others with his courage in resisting the regime. Petr Krynský trained as a construction tinsmith and, in order to avoid military service, worked in the mines. Durign the political thaw of the late 1960s, he was admitted to the an Evangelical Faculty of Theology and after graduation worked in several congregations of the Adventist Church. During the totalitarian era he often worked secretly, e.g. leading youth camps. He successfully completed his doctoral studies in 1995, taught part-time at the Theological Seminary in Sázava and wrote several books. At the time of filming, he was living with his wife Jana in Beroun close to their children. Even though he retired in 2008, he is still active in the Church and beyond.
Krynský family: parents and children. Standing left to right: Vladimír and Dimitrij Jr. , sitting left to right: Pavel, Lydie and Petr, Ostrava, July 1954
Krynský family: parents and children. Standing left to right: Vladimír and Dimitrij Jr. , sitting left to right: Pavel, Lydie and Petr, Ostrava, July 1954
Petr Krynský grandfather Ivan Krynský, teacher in Zdolbunov in Volhynia. He was born on 19 July 1877 and died in 1914. The photo dates back to circa 1910
Petr Krynský grandfather Ivan Krynský, teacher in Zdolbunov in Volhynia. He was born on 19 July 1877 and died in 1914. The photo dates back to circa 1910
Petr Krynský's grandmother Marie Krynská, née Hrbková, a Volhynian Czech. She was born in Pokřikov near Hlinsko on 14 March 1880 into an evangelical family that left for Volhynia in late 19th century. The photo dates back to circa 1953
Petr Krynský's grandmother Marie Krynská, née Hrbková, a Volhynian Czech. She was born in Pokřikov near Hlinsko on 14 March 1880 into an evangelical family that left for Volhynia in late 19th century. The photo dates back to circa 1953
