That guy from Prague, who bought the house next door, is called Václav Havel
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Vladimír Pechan was born on January 22, 1933 in Pardubice. His father worked at the Pardubice brewery. At the time of the occupation, Vladimír attended the Pardubice - Svítkov Elementary School. His mother died when he was six years old, and his father died when he was 11 years old. After becoming an orphan, his mother’s friend from Dvůr Králové took him in. He graduated from forestry school. After his studies, he started to work in a forest district in Šumava and later in Špindlerův Mlýn. He worked as a lumberjack, he transported wood, and he drove a caterpillar tractor. For some time he also worked as a personal driver for the director of the entire forestry plant. He moved into an abandoned house in Vlčice and started working as a gamekeeper. Step by step he began to renovate the house, reclaim the surroundings and he also started his first small farm. In 1956 he got married and he and his wife had three children. He continued working in many manual professions, earning money for the reconstruction of his house. In 1967, the well-known playwright and writer Václav Havel bought a house in the neighborhood, which became known as Hrádeček. Vladimír Pechan and Václav Havel were often in contact. Havel, his friends, and Hrádeček were constantly monitored by the State Security (StB), and the contemporary witness was interrogated by the StB several times. After 1989 he started his own business. He founded a wholesale coffee and confectionery store, but later he decided to pursue only farming. He reclaimed a large plot of land surrounding his house and established a horse farm. He was often in contact with Václav Havel even during his presidency. In 2022 Vladimír Pechan lived in Vlčice.
