When German soldiers arrived, mummy welcomed them with lilac and cried with joy. We thought she went mad
Download image
Marie Vegrichtová, née Dolečková, was born on 3 April 1925 in the settlement of Májovka near Rovensko in Volhynia. At that time, this region was part of Poland but after the outbreak of WW II got annected by the Soviet Union. Her parents were descendants of Czech settlers and ran a large farm. The Soviets perceived them as kulaks, confiscated their land and cattke. The family was at risk of being deported to Siberia. From 1941 till 1944, she witnessed the Nazi occupation and the terror wrought by Ukrainian forces of Stepan Bandera which were looting and murdering. Paradoxically, the Nazis saved Marie’s family from Gulag because the Russians had to retreat. In 1947, the Doleček’s resettled to Czechoslovakia. They were given a house left behind by expelled Germans in Krásné Loučky near Krnov. After marrying another reemigré from Volhynia, she lived and farmed in Rusín near Osoblaha. There, they witnessed a forced collectivization once again and were forced to join the communist farming collective. They had three daughters. In the 1970s, Marie moved with her husband to Krnov.
