Prof. Ing., DrSc. Felix Kolmer

Prof. Ing. Felix Kolmer, DrSc. was born May 3, 1922 in Prague into a family of an Italian legionnaire and tradesman with electrotechnics. Influenced by his father's profession, he was interested in electrical technology since his childhood, and his future career path was clear to him - he would become an electrical engineer. After the father's death in 1932 he would usually spent summer holidays and Christmas with his uncle in Austria, where he watched the occupation of the country by Nazis. He was an eager and active scout. After the rise of Nazism, as a result of anti-Jewish repression he became a carpenter's apprentice. On November 24, 1941, he went to Terezín as a member of the so-called Aufbaukommando, where he worked on the ghetto construction, and later he witnessed the horrors taking place in the Small Fortress and also became a member of the underground movement there. His mother died in Terezín in 1941. On October 16, 1944 he was transported to Auschwitz, where he also saw smiling Dr. Mengele sending people to gas chambers. By lucky coincidence he, however, managed to escape to the camp Friedland, where he survived till the end of the war. After that he was finally able to study and he eventually became a world-renowned expert on acoustics. He is one of the pioneers of this field in our country. He is active as a lecturer and he also authored and co-authored many works. He incessantly works on the process of recompensing the victims of Nazi terror. He has received several awards and decorations for this activity and for his academic achievements.

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