Horst Martin

* 1940

Sudetskí Nemci
30. 5. 1945 – 29. 10. 1946 - Odsun Nemcov z ČSR, Konec druhé světové války
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    We hadn't considered the Americans as enemies

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    délka: 01:43
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    "Americans were a bit oversensitive. For instance, when someone put up a cardboard with the English inscription 'contagious disease', the Americans hadn't entered that house at all. On the other hand, already back then, they offered their ways of entertainment to the Germans. I recall one indian [native American] tribe which performed for them. They did various artsy tricks, which we could have only dreamt of. It was on the railway between Mariánské Lázně and Karlovy Vary. We surely hadn't perceived the Americans as occupiers."

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    Another one looking for accommodation

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    délka: 01:07
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    "People actually treated us very badly. I would almost say that our relationship to the Czechs in Mariánské Lázně was much better than to this village community. We came in as intruders of their peace and we were looking for accommodation. The inhabitants of the German countryside suffered little during the war; almost not at all. Those who had a farm could have made a relatively good living. The inhabitants of the cities suffered a lot, the cities were in ruins. Our village accommodated a lot of people from Kassel, which was 80 % destroyed. And then we came in and wanted housing as well."

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    We could have stayed

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    délka: 00:50
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    "We stayed in Mariánské Lázně, and were the only ones to do that. My father was allowed to remain in his office. There was no Czech to replace him. My father spoke Czech fluently and already prior to 1945, employed several Czechs maintaining the city gardens. They then stood up for him and wanted him to remain in office."

  • Celé nahrávky
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    Rehau, Německo, 12.07.2018

    (audio)
    délka: 01:02:51
    nahrávka pořízena v rámci projektu Stories of the expelled Germans born in the Karlovy Vary region
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Celé nahrávky jsou k dispozici pouze pro přihlášené uživatele.

I wouldn‘t have wanted to live in communist Czechoslovakia anyway

Horst Martin, 2018
Horst Martin, 2018
zdroj: Post Bellum
zdroj: Post Bellum
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Horst Martin was born in 1940 in Mariánské Lázně (Marienbad). His father was responsible for the maintenance of local parks and greenery and thanks to his previous jobs, he knew Czech as well as German. During WW II, Mariánské Lázně were a military hospital town, which was spared from bombing and so Horst had a relatively calm childhood. This was put to an end by the post-war developments. Although his family would have probably been allowed to stay in Czechoslovakia, and Horst‘s father wished to do that, they did not want to be left behind alone after most of their relatives and friends had left. In 1946, they were expatriated to Hessen. The beginnings there were hard since the local village people were not very open towards the newcomers. Horst Martin worked in film industry, starting his career with the UFA Theater company and later establishing his own firm. At present, he and his wife own and run several cinema halls.

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