Scouting was alive even in the time of totalitarianism
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Filip Kreuziger, nicknamed Padáček, was born on June 8, 1954 in Prague. His mother came from Prague, where her father had a carpentry workshop. His father worked as a graphic designer at the Mladá fronta publishing house and was said to be able to provide the family with a decent standard of living. Filip played sports and went to camps since early childhood. In 1966, his class teacher and her husband founded a group of Psohlavci, officially operating under a pioneer organization, but run in the scout spirit. During Junák’s brief revival in 1968-1970, the division became a scout. As a scout, he also took part in the official May Day demonstration in 1968. After the August 1968 invasion, his father distributed anti-occupation leaflets, and this, together with the witness’s scout activities, probably meant that he could not study high school and only attend classes. At the time of normalization, his scout group was integrated under the TJ Stadion Žižkov, where the spirit of scouting survived to a certain extent. In 1984, he and his Boy Scout friends co-founded the tradition of celebrating the landing in Normandy. In 1986, he also co-founded the alpine tourism club with friends. In 1989, he joined the reconstruction of Junák, and is still a member of the 301st Owl Division. He was true to the idea of scouting all his life.
