Zdenko Ouzký

* 1931

  • There was a German. Among captives was an Asian, probably Tajik, and a man with tobacco was asking the German if he could offer him some. The German turned away, pretending he hasn't seen anything. An old man, because I was a boy, handed it to him. The guy went crazy in front of me. He started to tear that pack and put it all in his mouth. He put it on the ground. Others rushed in and scratched it from the snow. Meanwhile, the German turned and, as the prisoners were bent, hit one with a shotgun. The bottom of the gun was iron. As he hit him, he smashed his head and blew out his brain. He killed him for tobacco. I saw that with my own eyes. "

  • "Someone shouted: beware. As we stood on the street, we ran into the cellar. Father went last and was trying to close the door. But he didn't manage it, because the air pressure tore them down with the frame and my father and blew them through the cellar. Cloud of dust. We couldn't see each other. Are we alive, are we dead? Crying. We had a building above the entrance. We were covered in dust. People had to help us and dig us out. When they freed us, we've seen a huge crater- a pit as big as a room. They used heavy, big bombs."

  • "One day father's friend came on a bike. He said: 'Jozko, you were in the village for an interview yesterday about moving out. You said you got a wife from Devin. You are not a civil servant, but a tradesman. When you give money for the national treasure, they'll let you live here. 'My father took a bike in the morning and went to the office. He came back. Mama put the earrings down and both put the rings in an envelope. My father went to take it to the National Treasure. He was given a paper - Slovak citizenship - and a ring with a sign: "Thank you. Slovak State".

  • Celé nahrávky
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    Bratislava, 10.05.2019

    (audio)
    délka: 04:51:51
    nahrávka pořízena v rámci projektu Stories of the 20th century
Celé nahrávky jsou k dispozici pouze pro přihlášené uživatele.

I have purchased my citizenship

Last year of gymnasium
Last year of gymnasium
zdroj: pamatnik

Zdenko Ouzký was born in Devínska Nová Ves in 1931. He comes from a small business family. Father, originally Czech, led a tailor‘s workshop. His mother died less than a year after giving birth. The stepmother was both a tailor and a housewife. Zdenko attended five classes of the German People‘s School in Bratislava near the Blumental Church. He continued his studies at the First State Grammar School in Bratislava, where he graduated in 1950. After the establishment of the Slovak State and the accession of HSLS to power, citizens of Czech nationality became an undesirable element in the eyes of the people. The family almost moved to the Czech Republic. They had to contribute to the treasure. As an adolescent, he survived World War II, the deportations of Jews, the Hlinka Guards, the bombing in Devínska Nová Ves and the crossing of the frontline. The family was also affected by collectivization. After the war, he worked as a teacher and later as a foreign trade officer in the pulp and paper industry. Since 1991 he worked as an entrepreneur. He is currently retired.