At that time no one perceived that our liberators were bringing us just another form of totalitarianism
Jiří Kryštůfek was born on 18 September 1933 in Humpolec. He comes from a poor family. The mother was a seamstress, the father a textile specialist who later owned a small cloth licencing trade. Jiří started school on September 1, 1939. In 1943 he passed the exams at the eight-year grammar school in Humpolec. He recalls the liberation of Humpolec by the Red Army in May 1945. His parents were forced to sell their business under political pressure in 1950. Jiří Kryštůfek had problems with admission to school-leaving exam because he came from a business family. He finally graduated in 1951. By lucky chance he graduated from the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague and Pardubice in the field of textile chemistry. In 1960 he became a lecturer at the Institute of Mechanical and Textile Engineering in Liberec. He worked at the Department of Textile Chemistry. In 1970 he was dismissed from college because of his attitude during 1968. He had a hard time finding a job in his field. Finally, he found employment at the State Textile Research Institute in Liberec. He returned to his former department in 1990. He finally had the opportunity to defend his candidate thesis, then habilitated as associate professor and was appointed a university professor. He lives in Liberec and published a memorial book about his childhood and youth in Humpolec.
