I’m packed, so take me to the border
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Jiří Růžička was born on 23 January 1941 to the medical students Milada Kolečkářová and Otakar Růžička. His parents were unable to complete their studies due to the closure of Czech universities during the Protectorate. At the end of World War II, Jiří Růžička experienced the bombing of Prague. After the war, he went to an orphanage so that his parents could finish their medical studies. His father eventually worked with the Red Cross, worked at the faculty and began studying Romance studies, during the war he wrote and published an Italian textbook. His mother devoted herself to the then completely new field of allergology. In 1951, after four years in Switzerland, Jiří Růžička’s younger brother Zdeněk returned to the family and the coexistence of the whole family became difficult. The parents’ relationship broke down and little Jiří found solace in music. However, his parents did not consider music studies to be promising, so he graduated from the Faculty of Education, majoring in Czech - music education. During his studies, he became close friends with the poet Václav Hrabě, and for many years cherished his literary legacy. After school he worked as a teacher in the borderlands, but he was drawn to Prague. There, he struggled with difficulties until 1968, his marriage broke up. The Prague Spring brought not only political refreshment, but also a joyful time in Jiří Růžička’s life. He found a job at the Prague Ballet. But his hopes were cut short by the invasion of Warsaw Pact troops in August 1968. After a speech by Alexander Dubček, who had returned from Moscow, Jiří Růžička decided to emigrate. He took up residence in Switzerland. He met his brother and mother there. He studied music composition at the Bern Conservatory. He then wrote music for television, film and theatre, which he became more and more interested in. After the Velvet Revolution he spent a long time between Switzerland and Prague, until in 2013 he decided to return permanently to the Czech Republic. In 2025, Jiří Růžička was living in Prague.
