He was crying over his father being imprisoned. He had blood under his fingernails and was eating raw fish
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Anton Zima was born on 7 October 1946, in Prešov. His father, Andrej Zima (1910-1983), was a Greek Catholic priest and a professor at a grammar school. His mother, Jolana (1917-2006), was a housewife with five children. Anton had other siblings: Maria (1936-1961), Petr (1941), twin sister Tereza (1946), and Gerard (1954). In 1950, his father refused to convert to Orthodoxy, and for this, he - along with his father, who was also a Greek Catholic priest - was imprisoned for two years. After returning from prison, the Zimas were moved to Ferdinandov near Hejnice in North Bohemia. There, the ostracized family experienced moments of humiliation but also found people whose friendship gave them the strength to endure this difficult stage of their lives. Anton wanted to study after primary school, but as the child of a political prisoner, he could not. It was difficult for his father to bear that his children had limited access to education because of him, so in 1960, he offered to go back to prison just so that his children could study, unfortunately in vain. Anton entered an electrical engineering apprenticeship in Liberec. In 1962, the Zimas returned to Slovakia, where they got an apartment in Banská Bystrica and his father a job as a heating engineer. Anton finished his apprenticeship and graduated from high school. In January 1968, he enlisted in the army in Bohosudov near Teplice. He served in communications, where on 20 August 1968, at 9:30 in the evening, he caught the first news of the crossing of the Czechoslovak border by the occupying Warsaw Pact troops. The Czechoslovak garrison soon moved elsewhere, and the base in Bohosudov was occupied by the Soviets. Anton was the only one left there to teach them how to use the telephone switchboard. He had a rough time there, but eventually, they let him go free, covered in scabs and full of mange. While still in the army, he married Vlasta Střítezská (1948) in 1969, and they had two children in 1970 and 1972. The family settled in Šaľa. There, Anton and several other enthusiasts ran a Hi-Fi club in the 1970s, where they made various screenings for the public. He worked in Dusle Šaľa as an electromechanic. In 1983, he graduated from his desired university by distance learning. In 1987 they moved to Králíky, where Anton and his wife worked at Tesla. In November 1989, he became involved in the revolutionary events in the town and became the first free mayor of Králíky. He held this position until 2002. He accomplished many things in the town, not only in new infrastructure, building repairs, and brand-new projects but also in improving the spirit of the people. In 1992 he became a deputy to the Czech National Council. As his creed and message to the younger generation, he said, “Always keep the back path open so you can look at yourself from beneath.” In 2023, he lived with his wife in Králíky.
