“There were several places, where when it was raining, the border guards were helpless. Just a piece of iron was enough to be thrown on the small gratings filled up with electricity. But one had to know how to do it. It sparked, the lights turned off, electrical fuses were ditched and app. for 15 minutes it was safe to run about a kilometer long line; we used to call this stretch from the rock up to the former wooden bridge, which was built by Soviet captives. So this way was sometimes used for escaping to Austria. And when it wasn´t otherwise possible, we would lean a board against the fence in the garden. We used to organize that. One had to run up that board and as he got to the top, it overbalanced and he managed to get to the Morava River. And not even dogs or anyone swimming was able to chase after him. Actually, there the river had its shallowest point.”
“New prisoners suffered for that. They put up resistance. It was not worth there, though. Immediately there were brought two dogs, wolfhounds, released into the cell and the man just had to try to endure. His only option was to curl up into the corner; to huddle and cover his head and face. That was the best defense. There was one prisoner named Škobit. He got his kidney bit out by one of those dogs. His name was Škobit. I was jailed with this guy in solitary confinement.”
“On December 6, 1952, on St. Nicolas Day I was arrested by the State Security at the station in Devínska Nová Ves, which was back then taken by border guards as well as civilians, by the secret State Security under the command of a chief of the arresting foursome, colonel or captain Jureňka. They covered my eyes, threw me into the car, put handcuffs on, whilst one hand I had tied to the backrest and the other one to the State Security member.”
“I waited for the old Soukaný behind his gate. Of course, I had a revolver with me. When he opened the gate, one of our members named Mislovič used a torch to light into his eyes. I propped my gun on his chest and told him to hand us in papers he had in his briefcase at once. And so he did. There was a list of 32 families, which were supposed to be moved out from Devínska Nová Ves. Where? We had no clue… So I told him he would find this list in his mailbox the following evening; that we would only make a copy of it. At the same time I warned him, that in case he might have wanted to report it to the police, the one who held the torch back then, would come again and there would be no further morning dawn for him anymore…”
“When being in Valdice u Jičína, I asked one guard for some coal to be able to start the heating. It was very cold there. That guard told me in a very vulgar way to clog up my throat with... One bar on my bed was loose. I don´t know why, but my hand simply ran up that way. I took that bar and hit him. If he hadn´t moved his head, I would have hit him right there; this way I hit just his arm. And thus I got for three times to spend 10 days in “correction” with a 10-day pause.”
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Prievidza - v mieste bydliska pamätníka, 17.10.2015
In my judgment there was highlighted in red: RETURN UNWANTED
Štefan Ružovič 60.te roky
photo: fotografia z obdobia základnej vojenskej služby (1963)
photo: fotografia z obdobia základnej vojenskej služby (1963)
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Štefan Ružovič was born on May 6, 1934 in Devínska Nová Ves. After finishing the elementary school, followed by the state grammar school, and after many controversies of the regime, he began his studies at the Secondary School of Chemistry and Technology in Banská Štiavnica. As a convinced adversary of the regime he founded an anti-state group named “SOVA” (meaning an OWL). The aim of this group was to carry out sabotage actions and to help people escaping through the borders to Austria. On December 6, 1952 he was detained and sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment. He served his sentence in facilities all over the republic. Except Leopoldov, Ilava and Hradec Králové he spent the majority of his confinement in coal and uranium mines of Zdeňek Nejedlý in Rtyně v Podkrkonoší. Later on because of unsuccessful attempt to escape, he and his friend and co-prisoner Egon Kinasch got to the most rigorous prison in Valdice u Jičína. In October 1958 he was released from prison. Bigger part of his life he spent in Devínska Nová Ves working hard manually in a quarry and a brickfield. In 1979 he was arrested by the communist regime again. The official pretext was alleged larceny of the socialist property. He was imprisoned for 8 months in Leopoldov. Since 1995 he has lived with his third wife Jarmila Ružovičová in Prievidza.
