Miroslava Špačková

* 1961

  • “Not a very nice memory, it was a memory of 1968. Since I was very sick, I had asthma, so I was in hospitals quite often, I went to the spa, and on August 21, 1968, I was in the hospital in Klimentská, and when I woke up in the morning, or I didn't wake up myself , but I was awakened by gunfire. We all started crying there, the nurses were not there, because apparently they were dealing with the situation in the doctor's office somewhere, what was happening, so we were terribly afraid. And since it was in the centre of Prague, the parents of the children who were there, most of the parents took them that day. In addition, since I was not from Prague and my dad was currently in the hospital, my mom had to get a car to take me. Moreover, since everyone was gone and I stayed all alone in that ward overnight, I was quite scared, but on the other hand, the nurses were very nice, and they lent me injections and bandages, so I played being a nurse with dolls. I quite managed it. And then it wasn't quite a pleasant departure, because my mother and my uncle came to pick me up, and when we were driving, we were often stopped by friendly troops, they aimed a machine gun at us, so it wasn't a really nice memory.”

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    Praha, 24.01.2023

    (audio)
    duration: 34:33
    media recorded in project The Stories of Our Neigbours
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In the morning, Miroslava was awakened by gunfire

Miroslava Špačková at the age of 16
Miroslava Špačková at the age of 16
photo: archiv pamětnice

Miroslava Špačková, née Burianová, was born on October 27, 1961 in Příbram. Until the age of five, she grew up with her parents and her sister Jana, who was three years younger, in Županovice. The family then moved to Dobříš, where Miroslava Špačková began compulsory schooling. Her childhood and youth were significantly affected by a severe form of asthma. She was often absent from school, spent many months in hospitals and spa treatments, and could not play sports. She stayed at the hospital in Klimentská Street in Prague on August 21, 1968. After graduating from primary school, she could not apply to medical school for health reasons, so she trained as women’s tailor. After the birth of the children, she entered the kindergarten as an unskilled force. She experienced the Velvet Revolution in Mníšek pod Brdy. After 1989, she completed her education by successfully studying at a secondary school of pedagogy. Even after 34 years, she has not stopped enjoying working with children. In 2023, she lived in Mníšek pod Brdy.