Válečné a poválečné osudy beskydských horalů – Sobotka Richard (2025)

Twenty stories tell of the fates of people from the last years of World War II. It is a time of unassuming heroism, when men operate in secrecy or flee to the forests and mountains among partisans. Patriotism during this time is not just an empty phrase, and often it is paid for at the highest price.

Mentioned is the burning of Juříček's mill and the tragic fate of the Juříček family, as well as the partisans and resistance fighters who found refuge in Juříček's mill during critical times. It is also the tragic story of "the Wallachian Edison," the inventor Josef Sousedík from Vsetín. Furthermore, there is the story of a master baker from Dolní Bečva in Wallachia, who, as an enthusiastic athlete, attended numerous sporting events of the Olympic Games and also the World Championships as a spectator. In the final days of World War II, he helped defend Pustevny with a weapon in hand against their destruction by retreating Germans and Hungarians.

These are primarily stories of ordinary people who, despite the hardships of wartime, did not lose their patriotism and supported the illegal movement by all available means. And in the first hours of regained freedom, they proudly hoist the Czechoslovak flag on their house, which they had hidden in a laundry drawer throughout the years of occupation, hoping to see freedom.