Miroslav’s story, Czech Republic
“When I first heard about Russian tanks in Prague, I could not believe my ears. It was 1968 and we were on a vacation in Switzerland”
“When I first heard about Russian tanks in Prague, I could not believe my ears. It was 1968 and we were on a vacation in Switzerland visiting my sister-in-law. I remember the whole family meeting in the sitting room and listening to the Swiss radio with unease. When we were due to return to Czechoslovakia from the holiday the Swiss authorities advised us not to go back due to the insecure situation in the country,” remembers Mr. Mirek of Horní Suchá.
“First we thought our stay in Switzerland was only temporary but the situation did not improve at all, rather to the contrary. After a time we had to cope with the new situation: the children began to attend school there; my wife and I had to learn the language and look for work. It was all very hard in the beginning and I think that we would not have managed without the generous support of my sister-in-law’s family. But in the end, step by step, we began to get used to it. When we came back home after the revolution, we returned to a completely different country. Strangers living in our house, all property confiscated, lost contact with most friends. For now, Switzerland has become our new home but sometimes I wonder what our life would have been like if we had not had to emigrate…”
Text: Dorota Ciompová
