We left Kladsko after the war with only what we carried on our backs
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Krištof Škoda was born on 13 July 1941 in the village of Slané in Kladsko. His family with Czech roots had lived in the so-called Czech Corner since the middle of the 18th century, but due to the environment it became Germanized. His father had to join the Wehrmacht, and his feet froze badly at Stalingrad. In 1946, the territory of Kladsko was acquired by Poland, and the family farm was given to new Polish settlers. The Škoda family had to leave for Czechoslovakia with only what they could carry. In their new home, they had long struggled with poverty and adversity. They did not speak Czech, which brought many more problems for the children at school and for their parents at work. The children didn’t even have any toys at home. The Catholic faith was very important to the family. The witnness apprenticed himself as a bricklayer so that he could earn money quickly. He became an excellent worker and was able to go to the Soviet Union as a reward. He always refused to become a communist. In 2022, he was living in Náchod.
