"
We just knew my father didn't want it [German citizenship]. That was what we were officially told. Why, how, why - I don't know. But later my father told me. The Nazis; he hated their guts. He saw through them. This was one thing, and the other thing was that they lied and oppressed everyone around them. Well, they also caused the war, yes. They were pure Nazis. So my father did not like such manoeuvres and refused. So the Nazis were like a red rag to a bull for him. And he probably said so in public. The Nazis from Rájec therefore took offense and claimed that my father was insulting Hitler. And so he had a choice, either to go to a concentration camp or to claim his German nationality. He knew he wouldn’t survive the concentration camp, so he signed it."
"It is still not acknowledged that my father was born here, that he grew up here. He helped the Czechs, he helped the good people and he didn't like the Reich Germans because they were arrogant. He stood up to normal people, he had no need to reject them."
"We [the witness and her husband] both knew it was risky. That we could both end up in jail and that our kid could grow up in some shelter. But we said we had to risk it. It was no fun though. Not the escape itself, there was no great danger. But then building a new life... trying... You'll never build the life that once was, but at least you try to get as far as possible so the kids can grow up normally."
The countess Marie Alžběta Salm-Reifferscheidt-Raitz was born on August 17, 1931 at the chateau in Rájec nad Svitavou. She comes from the old aristocratic Salm family living in Moravia. Her family was severely persecuted during the Nazi occupation. Father Hugo Salm-Reifferscheidt lived under constant pressure to declare his German nationality. He tried to resist, but in the end, in order to protect his Czech employees and their families, he recognized his German nationality. On the basis of Beneš‘s decrees, all his property was confiscated after the war, the whole family had to wear the „N“ sign, received fewer ration tickets and censored mail. Marie Alžběta was not allowed to study, she worked as a clerk and later as a truck driver. In the 1950s, she emigrated with her husband Jiří Čubuk to Austria. Despite the hardships she has experienced in her homeland, she loves her homeland. However, she still disputes with the Czech Republic over the return of property and the good name of her father.
Professor Karel Absolon, archaeologist (1877-1960), helped to make the caves of the Moravian Karst accessible, including the Macocha abyss, the Salm family supported the discovery of Macocha
Professor Karel Absolon, archaeologist (1877-1960), helped to make the caves of the Moravian Karst accessible, including the Macocha abyss, the Salm family supported the discovery of Macocha
