Emil Adamčík

* 1938

Anti-communist rebel, Political prisoner in the 1960‘s (ČSSR), A 1948 – 1989 emigrant/refugee
5. 1. - 21. 8. 1968 - The Prague Spring
  • 1
    Přehrát
    Pozastavit

    Pressure in the prison

    (audio)
    duration: 00:44
    Download file
    Info

    “I felt a great pressure. When one wanted to apply for parole, 'he had to do something'. And that 'something' was another word for 'telling on others'. No one could ever convince me to do that. They gave me a green band to mark me as a runaway. So each guard that saw me knew, he was supposed to watch out, for allegedly I could have broken out. But otherwise, I tried to survive. In the morning I always looked out of the window: Did the sun rise up? It did. Fine. And in the evening I would say: Did the sun set? Then everything is all right.”

  • 2
    Přehrát
    Pozastavit

    Attempt to emigrate

    (audio)
    duration: 00:10
    Download file
    Info

    “There was such an oat pile. I wanted to lie there, but in case I was in Poland already, I wanted to continue. If I hadn't got there yet, I'd have rested a bit. But I was in Poland – not far from borders.”

  • 3
    Přehrát
    Pozastavit

    A man has to be lucky

    (audio)
    duration: 00:49
    Download file
    Info

    “Just a little while I was free and the Russians were here already, I got back to prison again. Fortunately, their commander was somehow a bit ˈlenientˈ and he said: 'Watch out for our chief as he is an old Stalinist. Don't talk like that…' and I tell you, the members had to use some power – 100 crowns fee and for worn out tires another 100 crowns. Then they let me go. That's why I say many times that a man can be stupid, but he must be lucky.”

  • Full recordings
  • 1

    Červeník, 15.07.2017

    (audio)
    duration: 01:46:28
    media recorded in project Stories of the 20th century
    Download file
    Info
Full recordings are available only for logged users.

A man can be stupid, but he must be lucky

Emil Adamčík
Emil Adamčík
photo: archív pamätníka
photo: archív pamätníka
Download image

Emil Adamčík was born in 1938 in Červeník. He has been a rebel since his early childhood. Yet when being a small child he told his father he detested the communists. He planned to emigrate three times and twice he even attempted to do so. The first time he wanted to cross the Czechoslovak-Austrian borders as a youngster near the place where his uncle lived, who revealed Emil´s plans. The second time he desired to save money for vacation in Cuba and get off on his way in Canadian Montreal. This plan never came true. For the third time he crossed the Polish borders and through Sweden he wanted to get to the USA. However, he was detained in Poland and imprisoned for the attempt to emigrate. He was released thanks to Svobodaˈs amnesty in 1968.

Show witness full story (Slovensky)
Photos (5)
Links (0)