A fun fair comedian took a ladder and went to paint over German writings.
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Ladislav Centner was born in Vysoké Chvojno near Holice on 3 May 1936. His parents made their living farming a 14-hectare property. Ladislav had four siblings: Václava, born in 1927, Marie, born in 1929, Josef, born in 1930, and Bedřich, born in 1938. Ladislav first went to school in 1942, first in Vysoké Chvojno and then in Holice. His school attendance was affected by the war. The family had a hard time in Vysoké Chvojno during the Heydrich Terror because four local young men were executed at the time on the grounds of acting against the Nazis. The witness’s father was the local mayor during the war. He had to communicate with the Germans who managed the local forest management unit and would ask him for advice. One day, they caught a fugitive prisoner of war at the Centners’ home. Although they were obligated to report this, they did not do it. From 5 May 1945 on, the witness and friends observed the turbulent developments during the Holice uprising. The enthusiastic painting over German inscriptions and the declaration of an armed uprising one day was followed by the bombing of the town and executions of dozens of rebels. Ladislav faced hardships due to his ‘unfit’ origin as a farmer’s son. Going to study a secondary school was unthinkable, so he enrolled in a vocational school in Holice in 1950 to become a plumber. In 1956–1958, he served in the military, and due to his origin, he was assigned to technical assistance units. Following his military service, he joined the military unit in Týniště nad Orlicí as a maintenance worker, and soon worked his way up to become the head of the water and heating systems maintenance centre. He married Jaroslava Švihnosová in 1962. Two daughters were born to them in 1965 and 1969, and Ladislav completed his education at a secondary construction school in Hradec Králové. As an anti-communist, he was publicly active in 1968 with hopes for the democratic development of the society. The 21st of August 1968 cut all such efforts short. Soviet army settled in the barracks in Týniště. Several officers left and Ladislav Centner eventually quit too. He moved to Holice with his family in 1971 and joined a heating system maintenance centre. From 1976 on, he was active in the municipal assembly in Holice. To him, the most important thing in life is family, as it can support one in difficult situation. He was living with his wife in Holice in 2022.
