Switzerland showed me how neglected our country was. I never wanted to go back
Download image
Zuzana Vlčková, née Dolanská, was born on 22 November 1959 in Kladno. Her father Jiří Dolanský was a neurologist specializing in childhood epilepsy, her mother Alena worked as a secretary and assistant at the Ministry of Fuel and Energy. She spent her childhood in Kladno, where she attended a school with extended language classes. In 1968, at the age of nine, she experienced the invasion of the Warsaw Pact troops. Her father joined the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia as he had faith in the reforms of the Prague Spring, but after the occupation he was expelled, which negatively affected his career. Her parents briefly considered emigrating but stayed for the sake of the family. In early 1969, thanks to the action of the Swiss Red Cross, Zuzana went to Switzerland for a three-month stay. The stay changed her life - she learned German, experienced a democratic society and made lifelong friends with the host family, the Rupp family from Seon. After the border closed in October 1969, she kept in touch with Switzerland, and from 1973 she travelled there again several times thanks to the efforts of her parents, who obtained exit permits and foreign exchange permits. She graduated from the Faculty of Education at Charles University, majoring in Czech language and art education. She taught at the Secondary Medical School in Prague-Libeň. In November 1989, she supported students during the Velvet Revolution and participated in the events at the school that joined the general strike. In 2025 Zuzana Vlčková lived in Kladno.
