Svornost
a former Communist prison camp · Na Svornosti 91, 362 51 Jáchymov, Czech Republic
  • Story
  • Place

He Decided to Help

Available in: English | Česky

In May 1952, Miroslav Hampl started to work in mine Svornost in Jáchymov. He was nineteen and after a short course he became a collector. He focused on active ore and was deciding about its mining. They pointed out in advance that he will work with heavy criminals. But in the course of time he found out it was not true. He recalled: “After a short time I knew that most of the criminals were political prisoners.” He got to know some of them and some became even his friends. They told him their stories and he was terrified by their destiny. So he started to help them and visited their families. He stated: “Once or twice I brought some packets, letters or warm clothes.” Together with other civil employees, Miroslav Hampl participated in an organized escape of one of the prisoners, (Bohuslav Pánek). The breakout happened during the night shift so nobody knew about it till the morning counting. Hampl remembered: “As civil employees we had special IDs. We borrowed one of them and together with the other civil worker we went out with Pánek through the main lodge. We came to the bus in Jáchymov, they got on and left to Ostrov.” Originally Miroslav Hampl wanted to flee abroad, too. Finally he postponed this plan because they were preparing another escape abroad. But he did not wait to see it because he was arrested in November 1953. Miroslav Hampl never found out if Bohuslav Pánek really fled abroad.

Hodnocení


Hodnotilo 0 lidí
Abyste mohli hodnotit musíte se přihlásit! 

Routes

Comments

No comments yet.

Miroslav Hampl

Miroslav Hampl

Miroslav Hampl was born on September 16th, 1932 in Křelov near Olomouc. He always wanted to travel. In 1947 he went to study shoe-making at Baťa's school, as it gave a prospect of working abroad there. The communist coup in 1948 thwarted all plans for traveling, however. After finishing his studies, he was chosen for an one-year brigade in heavy industry. From the offers he received on locations to work, he decided to work in a mine in Jáchymov, where he worked as a collector. He met political prisoners there and attempted to help them by all means possible. He also helped the prisoner Bohuslav Pánek to escape. On November 27th, 1953, Miroslav Hampl was arrested. On September 22nd, 1953 he was sentenced to three years of prison for an association against the republic. The original charge was for treason and espionage but the sentence reflected his workers‘ origin. He was sent to Ležnice camp in Horní Slavkov. His friends in prison, whom he helped as a civil servant, helped him survive the unbearable working conditions. Thanks to their solidarity he began to fulfill the standards and his food rations increased. On September 28th, 1954, Miroslav Hampl was put on probation because of an amnesty. As a political prisoner he had serious trouble finding a job, however. In the end, he went to work for a district construction company where he stayed until his retirement. In 1987, his daughter Vladimíra, her child and her boyfriend emigrated to West Germany. Currently, Miroslav Hampl lives in Šumperk.

Svornost

Available in: English | Česky

Camp Svornost, (Concord), was built for retributive prisoners just like camps Rovnost, (Equality), and Bratrství, (Brotherhood). Since December 1949, the camp also served for political prisoners and criminals. The path between the camp and the mineshaft led through the infamous "Mauthausen stairway," which was surrounded with barbed wire. Mineshaft Svornost belongs to one of the oldest mines in Jáchymov and the mine today serves for the purposes of the spa town Jáchymov.

Svornost

On this place

He Decided to Help

He Decided to Help

Miroslav Hampl
Please enter your e-mail and password
Forgotten password
Change Password