I was not even allowed to study during communism
Download image
Milan Ján was born on June 11, 1952 in Doloplazy (Olomouc district) to Anna and František Ján. At the age of fifteen, he began his apprenticeship in the Valašské Meziříčí glassworks, from where, however, he run away because of bullying and favoritism of the children of communist celebrities. Thanks to his father František, he got to the Aloisov Paper Mill in Bohdíkov as a subsidized apprentice. A year later, in response to the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, he and one of his colleagues wrote anti-occupation slogans all over a long factory wall. When prompted by the paper mill’s management to remove the writings, Milan responded, saying it would not be removed until the Soviets left the country. Because of this, he was prevented from obtaining an apprenticeship until the Velvet Revolution in 1989. After leaving the Alojzov paper mills, he worked as a forest worker for ten years and then until 1989 in Zetor Hanušovice. During the fall of the communist regime, he helped establish the Civic Forum in Hanušovice. In 1992, Milan Ján trained as a mechanic - repairman. Thanks to his hobby and experience with dog training, he became the chairman of the Hanušovice Kennel Club in the first half of the 1990s. He then used his knowledge in this field as a dog handler for the municipal police in Šumperk, where he served for sixteen years before retiring. In 2021, Milan Ján was married to Maria, with whom he raised three children, Pavlína, Maria and Romana.
