They chased us out, took us away on a tractor like kulaks
Stáhnout obrázek
Svatopluk Havrlík was born on November 23, 1935 in Kocourkov, Teplice region. His father, Mikuláš Havrlík, was a renowned expert in underground coal mining. In 1938, after the occupation of the Sudetenland, he, his older brother Mikuláš and his parents moved to Louny to live with his mother Marie Havrlíková‘s parents. His father was offered a job in the Bata mines in Ratíškovice near Zlín. The family therefore moved to Zlín, where they lived until the summer of 1945. After the war, the Havrlik family returned to Kocourkov. He studied at the Bishop‘s Gymnasium in Krupka, Teplice, where he experienced the „Action K“, which was directed against Catholic religious orders. Svatopluk Havrlík graduated from the Mining University and instead of basic military service he signed up for ten years of work in a deep mine. After graduation, he worked in five underground shafts in the Teplice and Most region. He held senior positions, from plant mine manager to deputy director. State security registered his name in the category of confidant between 1981 and 1985 due to his information on coal exports to Germany. The witness was not aware of this. To this day, he is considered an expert in the field. In 2025, Svatopluk Havrlík lived in Teplice.