Karl Affenzeller

"Back then, as children, we visited an abandoned farm, it was already half-demolished, but there were machines and wagons. We had not even got inside before a border guard and his dog were standing there asking us what we were doing there. So, we said we were curious. It was all right, but he told us not to go there anymore."

"My grandmother came from Oppolz, today it is called the village of Tichá. They used to say: 'If you marry from the Sudetenland in Bohemia to Austria, you will starve.' There was always a big feast in Cetviny. It was usually always on St. Sebastian's Day – named after the saint. That is probably where my parents met. It was not an easy time. Everybody who had farming was self-sufficient, they were always well off, they had something to eat. That was not the case with the families of the employees."

"The explosions were so strong that people in Leopoldschalg said: 'Soup was pouring out of the bowl...' That is how strong the tremors were. In our village it was also very strong, and then probably because of people's complaints the Czech authorities were notified and I remember our customs officer saying: 'Tomorrow at 13:30 there will be a blast. Open the windows so that the window panes will not be broken by the shock wave.' Those were the blasts in Cetviny."