Suddenly there was a terrible noise in the night, they climbed in through the window and dragged dad away
Jan Chloupek was born on 6 March 1944 in Mladoňovice. His parents owned a large farm there. In 1951, they had to cede their farm to a unified agricultural cooperative (JZD). In April 1952, the State Security Service (StB) raided the Chloupeks‘ house at night and dragged his father to the detention centre in Jihlava. He was accused of anti-state activity because he was a relative of Antonín Chloupek, a member of parliament for the Agrarian Party who was convicted in the so-called Green International trial. His father was released from prison in a terrible state. Jan Chloupek graduated from an agricultural school, worked as a tractor driver and later as a zootechnician. He worked as a librarian in Mladonovice and organized various events for the citizens. After the Velvet Revolution, he was elected mayor of Mladoňovice, a job he held for the next thirty years.