Nisme mogli dom / We Were Not Allowed to Go Home (Magdalena Czehowska)

"Nek pak nisme mogli dom, sme morali imat potvrzeni, da se moreme tamo tuo... ale maja, da su imali tamo muža va gruobi, tako su dostali sako ljeto to povoleni. A oni mi veliju: 'Znaš ča? Hot s manu.' A ja velim: 'No jo, ja ni mam to potvrzeni, tako ja se buojim puojt.' A oni veliju: 'Ale puoj, kad imaš tamo Jozu, je biv vojak, tako hot s manu.' Tako ja sam šla a Tuome Kuzmić je imav zrovna pir, to je biv bratranac. No a sada kako je nigdo zaćukav na okno nebo ništo, ja ur sam se buojala, da griedu pro mene, zato da ja nisam imala povolení. Sa sme šli na ponhof, zatím tamo ur su čiekali, nigdo ne mogav it tamo va ti Frielištof. Sa sme šli polak Dinje až v Njuzal a v Njuzli sam nastupila na cuk a sam šla va ti Nikišporak. A maja su šli prek Drinuovca zopet najzad va ti Frielištof. Je to bilo sakojačke."

"We were not allowed to go home then, permission was necessary. But my mother's husband was buried there, and therefore she got the permission every year. One day she told me: 'You know what? Come with me.' I was afraid to go, because I didn't have the permission. But mother persuaded me because my Joza was doing his military service there. So I went. My cousin Tomáš Kuzmič just had a wedding. After that, however, every time somebody knocked on my window, it always scared me, I thought that they came for me. We went to the railway station, a patrol was waiting there, nobody could get to Frélichov. We then walked along the Dyje to Novosedly, there I got on a train and went to Mikulov. Mother returned to Frélichov through Drnholec. Well, that’s the way it was."

Ča ću se puojt pitati, jeli se muorem pokuknut dom? / Am I Supposed to Ask for Permission to Come Back Home? (Růžena Babičová)

"Ani nisme smili puojt tamo. Saki korak sme znali, saku škuljku sme znali, tako ča ću se tamo puojt pitati, jeli muorem puojt nebo ne. Sme se zibrali a sme šli sami. Pak sme na pivnicah tamo obiedvali, sme ili tamo. Pak sme šli, jedna je htila puojt na statek dielat. Tako sme šli tamo na statek se pitat. A tamo je biv ta Doležal, a ta veli: Nechoďte tam. Aby vás nechytli. Běžte tam a tam. Ča se budu ja, tako znam, kadien imam puojt. Mi ne prahaš povidat."

- A nisu vam ništ udielali?“ 

"Ne. Su tamo stali aj vojaki lebo ča je to bilo zač. No mi sme šli aj kad bi me tamo patrili." 

- Vi a vaš muž?

"No. Aj Minka je šla, z Bieča, aj te Uhytilke su šle. Aj fotografii imam, kot idieme tamo, na pivnicah." 

- Ko lieto je to bilo? 

- To ja nie znam, kuoliko je to bilo. To sme bili v Huzovoj oš.

"We weren’t even allowed to come back home to Frélichov. We used to know every root there, every hole. So why should I ask for permission to come back home? We simply got up and went back there from time to time. We ate on the cellars. One girl that went there with us wanted to work at one of the local farms. We went there to ask if they had a job for her. A friend of us warned us not to do that, that we would get arrested. But I knew best what to do and what not to do. Nothing happened to us. Although there were some soldiers stationed there, we pretended to be locals and passed unnoticed. This was at the time when we already lived in Huzová."

Puored sme sa nek selili / We Were Constantly on the Move (Růžena Babičová)

"Tako sam sa narodila va Frielištofi, to morem reć, četire dvajsetoga jenera 1922. No tako sme tamo žili, kuoliko liet je to bilo? Do devet četrdesietoga lieta. Pak su nas viselili, su nas na vaguone naložili, a su na odviezli va Huzovu. Tamo su nas z vaguonov dali duolika, tamo sme sidili na ponofi a sme morali čiekat až su došli nikakove auta pro nas. Kad su duošli pro nas, sa su nas va Huzovu odviezli, negda tamo je to bilo takaj takovo. Kuoliko sme tamo bili? Ja nie znam sa, piet nebo šiest liet sme tamo bili. Sada je biv takov snig a je nam to začalo padat ta střecha na glavu. Tako sme se morali zopet selit. Sme morali zopet pojti dalje, va nikakov barak, a tamo sme bili, ček, kuoliko, do dvašestdesietoga lieta. Pak sme se zopet selili, sme morali puojti iskat si nigde, tako sme se doselili v Breclavu. No tamo sme bili takaj zopet, kuoliko, osam liet, a sopet su nam to zieli. Su to zburali, je biv dvoupokojový, dvoubytovka je to bila, a sme morali sopet puojt van. Zopet sme se selili va Staru Breclavu, tamo sme, su nam postavili ovo barak, a sme to morali zopet platit. No tako sa sme holt ovo, do smrti."

"I was born in Frélichov on January 24, 1922. We lived in that place till 1949, when we were displaced. They loaded us up on railway cars and moved us to Huzová where they unloaded us and left us waiting at the train station for some trucks to come and pick us up. We lived in our first house for about five or six years but then, one winter, the roof started to come down on our heads. We had to move on, go somewhere else. The next house became our home till 1962, when we moved to Břeclav. We stayed in Břeclav for 8 years until they took our house again and demolished it. Then we moved to Old Břeclav where we still live and where we'll stay till our deaths."

Va Frielištofi / In Frélichov (Růžena Babičová)

"No va Frielištofi ča. Sme hodili, kako je odpuodne žačievalo zvonit, tako krave ziet a pojt uru cesti past krave. Van, tamo. Tamo sme pasavali krave a kako je bilo pouv sedmej, tako sme zopet šli uru dom pieški. Dica sme hodili, tako tamo sme si opikali krumpira, ogan dielali. Se. Papi naš Uchytil je htil kuhat, bar ća je htiv zkuhat v lončići. Tako sme se kod dica bavili. Ale je to bilo veselo. Tako sme se kod dica si zišli, tako sme hodili simo tamo a sme krumpire piekli nebo tie klase opikali. Tako sme imali živuot. A kad sam šla va škuolu, kad sam hodila, tako nek sam šla v školu, tako sam morala puojt peljat kravu. Su krampfljali, tako sam morala puojt peljat kravu, pokramfljat je to htiv, a zopet honem dom a utikat va škuolu. Takov je biv naš život."

"Each day, when the bell was ringing for noon, we kids took the cows and walked for an hour to the pasture. At half past six we walked for an hour back again. It was fun at the pasture, we walked here and there, we were baking potatoes and corn. Our Pepi Uchytil was constantly cooking something in his pot, we had a lot of fun. When I went to school, each morning, before I went there, I had to graze the cows. Then I had to quickly run home and then finally to school. That was the life we had."

Spali sme vani kot Cigani / We slept outside like Gypsies (Růžena Babičová)

"To je biv manžel je biv predtim kukat na to. Kako je to. No pak sme tamo šli nek. Pak sme čiekali va Šternberki. Kod su nas viložili tako sme kot Cigani sidili tamo. A sme čiekali holt, až duojde pro nas nigdo." 

- Tamo ur su bili Hrvati?

"Tamo ur su bili Hrvati. Najprv sme si to morali viličit se, pripravit, a pak sme mogli puojt nutar. Tako sme u tih příbuzných tamo prenocovali a pak sme šli nutar. Říkám, nepřeju to žádnému, ne. To bilo strašno. Kot ti Cigani kat se tuo, tako su vani, ti ni znaš, kako je to brže bilo. Cigani su hodili brže s vozi a su prenoćevali vani. Su spali vani, tako aj mi."

"My husband went to check it in advance. Then we set out on that journey. We had to wait in Šternberk for quite a long time. We were sitting outside like Gypsies waiting for somebody to come and pick us up. After our arrival we had to first ready our house and only then could we move in. We had to stay with some relatives of ours for some time. It was terrible – I wouldn't wish anyone to live like that. The Gypsies used to live a life of nomads and we lived just like that."

Ovo je zlata Morava. Tamo je nek zima / Golden Moravia is here in the south, in the north, it's just cold (Růžena Babičová)

"Ovo je zlata Morava. Tamo je zima zima zima, a sniga, a mi nek, kad sme htili puojt sem, sme došli doma dica su: 'Ur zopet niste ništ našli? Ur zopet niste ništ našli?' Su hutili puojt nek sem. A bar nisu bili zviknuti ovdien. Roza je imala dvi lieta, kad sme šli kraj, Joza je se narodiv tam. Takaj tonda je bilo sniga. Autobusy nisu šli, ništ ni šlo. Ča sada? Sa sam, da ću rodit, no ča sa. No sa je šla na vibor a z vibora, kako je mu sa, purgamastr, ta je volav va Šternberk, že nařizuje, že musiju dojet. No jo, musiju dojet, ale jak, kad ništ ni šlo. A gduo je morav dojt? Doktor k porodu."

"Here, in the south, Moravia is golden. In the north of Moravia, it's cold, and there's a lot of snow. When we wanted to move and were coming home the children were asking us: 'you haven't found anything yet?' And they weren't even used to live there. Růžena was two years old when we left, Josef was born after we moved."

Va Huzovoj sme takaj govorili nek hrvatski / In Huzová, we spoke Croatian as well (Růžena Babičová)

"Daj petnajst nebo dvajset rodin je nas bilo tamo, Hrvati. Ale aj Preravci su bili, aj z Gutfjelta. Z Gutfjelta jih bilo malo, bojset dva, tri."

- Tako to je bilo dobro, da ste tamo bili si tako skupa, Hrvati.

"No a tako mi sme govorili nek hrvatski, aj tamo. Kako drugačije? Ti stari su bili nek za to, su govorili takaj hrvatski si. No tako sa aj dica vani, na placi. A med suobu su bili, tako su govorili hrvatski." „

- A kad su dica šli v škuolu, nisu imali probleme?

"Tako juskot mi. Mi sme govorili va Frielištofi nek hrvatski, a va škuoli česki."

- A dica, sada mlim české děti, nisu se njim smijali?

"Ne. Aj Nimci, aj ti, si sme bili po kupi. Nikomu to ni škuodilo."

"There were about 15 or 20 Croatian families. Some of them were from Přerov or Dobré pole. But the ones from Dobre pole were few, just two or maybe three.

It's good we were together like this. We spoke only Croatian, what else? The elders wanted to speak Croatian so we all spoke Croatian. Even the kids when they were playing outside on the street, they spoke Croatian."

- Didn't they get into trouble for that in school?

"Not any more than we did when we went to school in Frélichov. We spoke Croatian at home and Czech at school."

- I mean the Czech kids. Didn't they laugh at the Croatian kids for that?

"Not at all. There were Germans as well, we lived together and nobody had a problem with it."

Hrvatska jačka / Croatian Song (Josef Regen)

"Hrvatska jačka lipa je. Hrvatska jačka lipa. Hrvati sme se zrodili, Hrvati ćeme ostati.

Vu jačku, Hrvati sme se zrodili, sme jačili, kad su nas brali Čehi, komunisti, da morame van. Tako sme si to jačili furt v šenkauzi, v hospodě. Tako sme jačili, da sme Hrvati a da ćeme ostat Hrvati. A jim se to jako neljubilo."

"Croatian song is a beautiful song. Croatian song is beautiful. Born as Croats, we will die as Croats.

We sang this song when the Czechs, communists, were displacing us. We were still singing it, in pubs, everywhere… singing that we were Croats and that we would remain Croats. They didn't like it at all."

Vazma / Easter (Josef Regen)

"Pak se hodilo škrebetat. To je se šlo na vazma. To se šlo rano, vrieda, o četirih urah ur sme morali nastupit pri crikvi a po seli hodit škrebetat. Škrebeti škrebeti na tri ure! Nebo kuoliko je bilo. Kad je bila maša, tak škrebeti škrebeti s jednim! S jednim zvuonom je se zvonilo. A kad je bilo pred mašu, tako dva zvuoni. To je se utikalo po cielom seli, ta dica, su škrebetali a kad sme došli k crikvi, tako sopet po drugoč a sme kričali: škrebeti škrebeti po drugoč! Pak je hned začala maša. Tako to je se nam jako ljubilo.

Pak v subuotu, kad je bilo po škrebetanji, tak v subuotu sme hodili pro jaja. A se dica sme morali kráčat: Čuda dicie, malo jajov! A puored, furt. Od stana k stanu sme šli a ti ljudi su nam davali jaja. Pinezi ne, jaja. Tako pak su se te jaja u toga najstarijega miništranta je se to tamo brojilo a saki pak sme dostali jaja. Ja znam, da sam dostav jednuč šiest jaj, kad sam biv maljunak. Kad sam biv vieći hlapac, pak sam dostav i deviet jaj za to škrebetanje. A te jaja pak, u nas saki imav jaja, ale pak sme je šli prodavat, da imame nikakove pinezi na cukrlje i takove vieci."

Božić / Christmas (Katharina Schopf)

"Mi sme bile rade kad sme orihe imali na kristbaumi a jabuke. Nisi dostala drug ništ. Cukrlje nisu bile med vojsku." 

- Ča ste jili na Božić?

"Ribe, lebo äj furmu. Viečer te a furmu k tomu. A pak su tie jačkarice hodili po seli a su jačili ti koledi a se. Aš na cimitier su došli, tamo su takaj jačile. A ti hlapci su va nje snjige, kugle hitali a jednuoj su aj latiernju rozbili. A oni su se smijali. Mladi su bili."

"Christmas? We were happy if we had nuts and apples on the Christmas tree. There was nothing else. There were no Christmas cookies during the war." 

- And what did you eat during Christmas? 

"Fish. Or a bunt cake. We had tea and bunt cake in the evenings. Singers were walking through the village and singing carols. They walked all the way to the cemetery and sang there, too. Boys were throwing snowballs at them, and they even broke the lantern of one of them. They were laughing. They were young."

Katharina Schopf rođena je 1933. u Novoj Preravi. 1946. s majkom seli u susjednu Austriju, gdje se pridružuju ocu koji je tamo doselio godinu prije. Nakon toga žive u Alt Prerau (Stara Prerava), naselju nedaleko Nove Prerave s austrijske strane granice. Danas živi u Laa an der Thayji i dobro je poznata po zalaganju za preporod Hrvatske nakon pada komunističkog režima.

Katharina Schopf was born in 1933 in Nový Přerov. In 1946 her mother decided to flee to neighbouring Austria where they joined their father who had fled before. After, they lived in Alt Prerau (neighbouring settlement next to Nový Přerov on the Austrian side of the border). Today living in Laa an der Thaya, she is well known for her commitment in Croatian renaissance after the fall of the communist regime.

Julius Meinl na kiritofi / Julius Meinl at the Croatian Feast (Josef Schneider)

"Aj kad je imav Meinl duojti, kad je biv kiritof, tako Meinl je puored došav. A to ur su ga starki čiekali, tako ti ur su buochtali guorika, na crikvi na turmi, je-li ur grie. Holt a vako je šav, tako su glasili furt 'ur grie, ur grie,' jo, tako su dali, ur su ga čiekali, a su ta veliki bubanj, ta su dali ležat, a ta Meinl při tom bubnji furt zastaviv, obnos piniez je hodiv na to, a tim su bili ciele huode, kiritof, konz zaplaćen. A kod su bili tamo te bude, s timi cukadljami a tak dále, tako to je htiv duojti k budi, 'kuoliko to kuša, ća imate?' 'Tuoliko a tuoliko.' Tako je to viplativ se te bude s cukadljami, a robe s dicu su imali se zadarmo."

"Meinl used to come every time to kiritof, the feast. The first boys were awaiting him, watching from up there if he was already coming. When they saw him, they shouted down: 'He's coming, he's coming!' The first boys then placed a large drum on the ground, and Meinl stopped by it, threw some money in there, and all the expenses for the feast were paid for. He would ask at the stalls selling sweets how much everything cost, they would tell him some price, and he would pay it all. Children and women then had everything for free."

Josef Schneider rođen je 1926. u Frielištofu. 1943. godine morao se priključiti njemačkoj vojsci, a služio je u Francuskoj da bi kraj rata dočekao u Njemačkoj. Po povratku u rodnu zemlju oženio se Magdalenom Schalamunovom, također Hrvaticom. 1948. pozvan je u čehoslovačku vojsku, zahvaljujući čemu nije prisilno iseljen iz Frielištofa kao većina moravskih Hrvata – njegova je obitelj tako jedna od rijetkih autohtonih hrvatskih obitelji koje i dalje žive u Frielištofu (danas Jevišovka).

Josef Schneider was born in 1926 in Frélichov. In 1943 he had to join the German army. He served in France and the end of the war met him in Germany. After his return home he married Magdalena Schalamunová, who was also a Croat. In 1948 he was drafted to the Czechoslovak army and thanks to being a Czechoslovak soldier at that time, he was not moved out of Frélichov like the majority of other Moravian Croats. His family is thus one of the few original Croatian families who still live in Frélichov (now Jevišovka).

Kiritofski kozav / The Billy-Goat of the Kiritof (Feast) (Magdaléna Czehowská)

"Prva starešica je morala toga kozla krmit aspon tri tajedne. Pak je imav tu plahtičku. No a ta kozav, to su stric Ive Morx peljali toga kozla. A pak po hodkah su toga kozla ubili. Negda ja nisam htila puojti ist pak toga kozla. Su udielali gulaš. Ja sam si šla leć. A pak je ta Joza Šuljera došav, Slunski, a mi veli: 'Ne moreš tuo. Ti moreš tamo bit. Bez tebe to ne grie.' Tako ja sem se morala stat a morala puojti s nim va ti šenkaus. Tako je se to pak pojilo holt ta gulaš, a su holt pogostili pak aj ti druge, ča su bili... zato da je nas bilo devet divičicov a devet hlapcov. Tako aj ti drugi su to pak aj jili. Je to bilo lipo."

"The girl from the first couple of the feast had to feed the billy-goat for three weeks at least. Then they put a blanket over it and uncle Jan Marx was parading it through the village. After the feast they made goulash from this billy-goat. I didn't want to eat it and so I went to bed. But Josef Šuljera, Slunský, came to me and said: 'You cannot sleep now, you have to go there! They can't do without you!' So I got up and we went to the feast together. Goulash was eaten and we offered it to others who were there as well. Nine girls and nine boys were there as stáreks and stárkas that year. It was nice."

Magdaléna Czehowská rođena je 1931. u Frielištofu. Obitelj je posjedovala veliku farmu, a Magdaléna je 1947. bila djevojka u glavnome paru kiritofa, hrvatskog seoskog goda. 1949. obitelj je prognana u Huzovu u sjevernoj Moravskoj. S mužem Josefom Czehowskýjem, koji također je bio Hrvat iz Frielištofa, imala je tri kćeri s kojima su komunicirali na hrvatskom. Magdalena Czehowská sada živi u Lipini.

Magdaléna Czehowská was born in 1931 in Frélichov. The family had a large farm and in 1947, Magdaléna was the girl of the main couple of kiritof, the Croatian Feast. In 1949 the family was displaced to Huzová in northern Moravia. Her husband, Josef Czehowský, was a Croat from Frélichov as well. They had three daughters with whom they spoke Croatian. Magdalena Czehowská now lives in Lipina.

S dicu sme morali govorit česki / We Had to Speak with Our Children in Czech (Josef Kusmič)

"Kad sme bili v Huzovoj, tako kad su kluki rasli, tako duoma diede Hrvat, baba Hrvatica, ja Hrvat, maja moja …. Tako sme govorili nek hrvatski. A sa ta Pepa ur je rasav, no a tako nek hrvatski, sa je imav dvi ljeta a je šav va školku. A sada on česki ni znav. A Pevnarka, Minče, ta je za dvi ljeta starija, ta ur je hodila v školku, ta je došla k nam a je velila: ´Učitelka vám vzkazuje, že musíte s ním mluvit česky.´Protože on je htiv nikakovi kyblíček a on je to veliv hrvatski. No tako ti su se da on nizna iberhaupt česki, tako da s nim musíte mluvit česky. Tako sa si predstavte. Baba Hrvatica jak poleno, diede Hrvat, no a mi samozřejmě, mi známe česky, tako sa sme začeli s njim jako opravdu česki. Pak je ta drugi dorasav ur, tako ur je se s njimi već česki govorilo. Tako oni rozumiju se, ale na čega je im je to? S nami se pominaju nek česki."

"When we were in Húzová and the boys were growing up, there was the grandfather who was a Croat, the grandma, who was a Croat, myself a Croat and my Croatian wife. We spoke only Croatian. When Pepa was two years old, he went to kindergarten. But he couldn’t speak Czech. Minče Pevnerová, who was two years older and who was already attending the kindergarten, then came to us and said: ´The teacher says that you should speak Czech to him.´ Because he wanted some toy and he asked for it in Croatian. They thought that he couldn’t speak Croatian at all, and they insisted that we speak Czech to him. Just imagine. Grandma was a Croat through and through, the same for grandpa. Naturally, we could speak Czech, and so we began speaking Czech to him. When the other son was growing up, more Czech was spoken at home. The boys can understand everything in Croatian, but what for? They speak only Czech to us."

Hrvatština na Moravi / Croatian Language in Moravia (Josef Regen)

"Ja sam ovo, kad je biv veletrh v Brnji, tako sam ovo imav guoste. A jednuč sam imav z Bělehrada, z Jugoslaviji guosta. Inžienir je to biv. A ja sam rekav, da sam Hrvat, tako on je s manu hrvatski govoriv. Dica i žena su ur šli spat a mi v kuhinji sme sidili až do rana skoro a sme si povidali. On je biv najgirig a kako velite tomu a tomu… a sa mne pitav kako velime te imiena. A pak mi veli: a kako velite cugu, zastavce? Ja velim, no vidite, to ja hrvatski niznam. Ja znam, da sme tomu velili hajtštele, ale to je nimški. On je se smijav a veli: „No jo, zato vi to niznate, zatoda t´onda oš nisu bili cugi kad su se vaši Hrvati naselili, to imate istinu."

"I used to have guests when there was some trade fair in Brno. Once I had a guest from Beograd, some engineer. I told him that I was a Croat and we began talking in Croatian immediately. My children and wife went to sleep and we were sitting in the kitchen and talking till the morning hours. He was curious what words we used for this and that... and then he tells me: ´And how do you say train and train stop?´ I said: ´Oh, I don’t know this word in Croatian. We used to call it heitschtele, but it comes from German.´ He was laughing and he said: ´Well you don’t know it, because when the Croats came here, there were no trains yet!"

Hrvati na Preravi / Croats in Nový Přerov (Josef Kusmič)

"Tih Hrvatov je došlo v jednadevetom (1591) trideset rodjinov a sa naraz je njih bilo stuo. Zato da su se priženili, došav, je se oženiv na Preravu. Ta dica su začeli govorit hrvatski na placi a tako su bili z njih Hrvati. A tako su se ti Hrvati množili. Dić Hubieni. Hubieni su bili Hrvati? Hrvati su bili Kusmići, Mikulići, Křižanići, Vranešići. Většinou si, ča su končicí na Ć. Ale ne si. Ja velim tako pedeset, šesdeset procentov určitě. A ti drugi, to su bili ti, ča su se tamo priženili a dica su začeli…, zato da kad su došli dica na placu a nisu znali hrvatski, tako sme njih vifackovali. A oni su se naučili, oni su za hipac govorili hrvatski tako s nami a tako su z njih bili Hrvati.

Ja ću vam reć příklad Nešpor. Nešpor je biv tako star kot naš Ive, moj brat, maja je bila Češka, paní Nešporová, a stari Nešpor, diede su bili Čeh, ale ćaća ur su bili, jako hrvatski normálně govorili. No a Ruda je znav hrvatski, česki, a sa je došav Hitler. No a tako uon tako med timi hlapci sa sme hodili na marhof grah škubat. Meindl je imav tamo čuda graha, no a sa z Frielištofa ta Kolbinger su dielali važnoga. Su važili tie vriće. A su se ga pitali, toga Nešpora: ´Wieviel Stock has´ du?´ No kuoliko vriti imaš? A on je veliv: ´Nešpor Rudolf.´On je mljav, da se ga pitaju: ´Wie heisst du?´ Ti hlapci su se mu smijali, da Ruda, maja Češka, on nimški ništ ni znav. Tako ta stari Nešpor, ta ćaća, su ga poslali va Rakuse služit, da se nauči nimški. A to ja znam kod danas, da hlapci su se, da Ruda je va Furthenštani, da se nauči nimški, da bude mogav s timi hlapci mrvu tuo… A je šav va Wehrmacht. Maja Češka, ćaća su znali hrvatski, ale takaj Čeh, nisu prahali bit va vojski, a on je šav, on je se glasiv Hrvat. On je se glasiv Hrvat, a Hrvati su morali puojt. Aj kad je maja bila Češka a ćaća, ale on je biv glašen Hrvat. A zato je morav narukat. Tako je to bilo."

"In ´91 (probably 1591, ed.´s note) thirty Croatian families came and suddenly there were a hundred of them. They arrived, married in Přerov and the children in the playground began speaking Czech and they became Croats. This way the Croats multiplied. The Hubení family were no Croats. But the Kusmič family, Mikulič, Křižanič, Vranešic, almost all whose family name ended with Ć, were Croats. But not all of them, perhaps some fifty or sixty percent. The rest were those who married into the family and their children learnt Croatian. Because when the kids came to the playground and couldn’t speak Croatian, we would show them. So they learnt in no time, and they became Croats this way.

I can tell you a story about Nešpor. Nešpor was the same age as my brother Ive. His mother was Czech, Mrs. Nešporová, and old Nešpor was Czech as well, but he could already speak Croatian. And Ruda could speak both Croatian and Czech. When we were little, we were going to the farm in Starý Přerov to pick peas. Meinl (Julius Meinl, the owner, ed.´s note) had lot of pea, and a certain Kolbinger from Frélichov was working there, weighting the bags with peas. He asked Nešpor in German: ´How many bags you got?´ He replied: ´Rudolf Nešpor.´ He thought the man was asking his name… The boys were laughing at him, because Ruda, whose mother was Czech, couldn’t speak German. The father later sent him to serve in Austria in order to learn German. He then joined the wehrmacht. His mother was Czech, his father was also Czech, but he could speak Croatian, and Ruda had to join the army, all Croats had to go, even though their parents were Czech. That’s why he had to join the wehrmacht. That’s the way it was."

Josef Kusmič rođen je 1929. u Novoj Preravi. Bio je najmlađi od četvero braće, a sestra Marie rođena je za vrijeme rata. Nakon što su njegovo dvoje braće i otac pozvani služiti u vojsku, Josef je postao odgovoran za čitavo kućanstvo. Kusmičovi su bili među prvim hrvatskim obiteljima prognanim u Huzovu 1948. Josefova žena Anna Šalamunová je Hrvatica iz Frielištofa. Trenutno oboje žive u Šternberku.

Josef Kusmič was born in 1929 in Nový Přerov. He was the youngest of four brothers, his sister Marie was born during the war. After his two brothers and the father had to join the German army, he became responsible for the entire household. In 1948 the Kusmičs were displaced to Huzová as one of the first Croatian families. His wife Anna Šalamunová is a Croat from Frélichov. At present both live in Šternberk.

Pak će biti konac / Then There Will Be the End (Josef Regen)

"No tako čas ur je kraj. Ur sme si zvikli ovdien. Mi stari furt spominame. Zato hodim jednuč za misec bar va ti Frielištof, da si s njimi popovídám. A da vidim ta Frielištof. Ja rad tamo hodim po Frielištofi a kukam. Spominam na stare čase. Ja sam takov měkkosrdcatý a kad dojdem na ti kiritof, tako si i poplačem nigda. Kad se sejdeme ti Hrvati si. Sa ur čiekame nek na tu smrt. Oš se tješim, da ću se pojti pokuknut va ta Frielištof, a pak će biti konac."

"It’s gone. We have become used to this place. But we old people still think back. That’s why I go to Frélichov to visit about once a month. To see the village. I like to walk and look. I reminisce about the old times. I’m quite emotional and when I come for the kiritof (feast), I even cry a bit. We Croats do cry when all of us gather together. Now we are only awaiting death. I am looking forward to going to see Frélichov one more time, and then there will be the end."

Josef Regen rođen je 1929. u Frielištofu. Tijekom rata učio je urarski zanat u Mikulovu, i njime se bavio do kraja života. 1949. godine njegova je obitelj preseljena iz Frielištofa. Regen se nakon 1989. aktivno uključio u život hrvatske zajednice u sklopu Udruge građana hrvatske narodnosti u Češkoj Republici. Trenutno živi u Brnu.

Josef Regen was born in 1929 in Frélichov. During the war he learnt the watchmaker's trade in Mikulov, and this trade became his lifelong occupation. In 1949 his family was moved out of Frélichov. After 1989 Josef Regen became actively involved in the life of the Croatian community through the Association of Croats in the Czech Republic. At present he lives in Brno.

Zač Hrvatov viselili? / Why Were Croats Displaced? (Marie Šalamunová)

"Ale v osamčetrdesetom lieti, kot su komunisti došli na rudr, tako su okamžitě začali te Hrvate selit. Ale Hrvati su bili katolici, tako su volili lidovu stranu. Tamo je zvítězila lidova strana. Ale kod su ti komunisti v osamčetrdesetom tuo, tako nisu mogli prahat te lidovce, tako su je dali kraj. Kod bi volili komunisticku stranu, tako ćeju ljudi tamo ostat."

"But the communists seized power in 1948 and they began moving the Croats immediately. The Croats were Catholic ad they voted for the people’s party, and the people’s party won the election. But in 1948 the communists didn’t need the people’s party anymore, and they got rid of them. If they had voted for the communist party, they would’ve been allowed to stay."

Marie Šalamunová rođena je 1931. u Frielištofu. Njezin je otac Josef Šalamun bio aktivni borac za pravo Hrvata da ostanu u svojim rodnim selima, a svoju je borbu prenio i na međunarodni plan, zbog čega je proveo dvije godine u zatvoru nakon komunističkog puča 1948. Śalamunova obitelj je 1950.godine prisilno premještena u Huzovu. Gospođa Šalamunová trenutno živi u Uničovu.

Marie Šalamunová was born in 1931 in Frélichov. Her father Josef Śalamun actively fought for the Croats to be able to stay in their native villages, taking this struggle to the international level as well. After the communist coup in 1948 he was imprisoned for two years for this activity. In 1950 his family was forcibly displaced to Huzová. At present, Mrs. Šalamunová lives in Uničov.

Nisu smili puojt duom / They Were Not Allowed to Visit Their Homes (Růžena Babičová)

"Ani nisme smili puojt tamo. Saki korak sme znali, saku škuljku sme znali, tako ča ću se tamo puojt pitati, jeli muorem puojt nebo ne. Sme se zibrali a sme šli sami. Pak sme na pivnicah tamo obiedvali, sme ili tamo."

"We weren’t even allowed to come back home to Frélichov. We used to know every root there, every hole. So why should I ask for permission to come back home? We simply got up and went back there from time to time. We ate on the cellars."

Seljenje [Ciesta] / Moving [The Journey] (Růžena Babičová)

To je bilo furt, to je bilo takovo se, ča ja znam, to je bilo ništo strašnuoga. Sa su došli, su nas selili, su nas naložili na naklaďák, ja sam bila těhotna s Jozu akorát. Já sam upala, sa su me htili va špital, ja sam velila ja nigde ne griem. Kada ja ću se brusit a ću je iskat pak po tuom. Ja nigde ne griem. Ja sam tako skusila va tom auti kad su nas vozili, ja sam mljala da će mi ovo se ta hrbac vipast. Sa su nas v Breclavu, sa sme cielu noć čekali, aj s dobitkom, ja sam morala puojt duojit, va vaguoni krave. Sa sme se selili, sa sme šli tamo, sa sme morali jit zopet to pokrmit, to pokrmit, blago je htilo žerat. Pipke, se, ziece, pipke, svinje. To su se na ta vaguon a nas s nimi, se. No sieno, slamu, krumpire, bagundu, no se. To su nas tako naložili na ti vaguone a to sme morali tako puojt s tim. A spat tamo a se. A ča muoreš dielat? Ništ. Tako sme tako šli. Po cielej cesti sme se drncljali. Velim, to je bilo. Nikomu takove tie ne přeju. To je bilo strašno. To se ne da povidat.“ 

“It was terrible, they began to move us, to load us up on a truck. I was pregnant at the time. I fell down and they wanted to send me to a hospital. I didn’t go because I had absolutely no idea how I would meet up with my family again. The journey was very strenuous. I was afraid I would lose my child. They took us to Břeclav where we stayed overnight together with our livestock. I had to feed and milk our cows. I also had to feed our chicken, pigs and rabbits. We were transporting hay, straw, potatoes, turnip – just about everything. We had to sleep in these cars as well. But what can you do? Nothing. So we just tried to hold out and the journey went on. It was a terrible experience.”

Růžena Babičová rođena je 1922. u Frielištofu. Po završetku rata udala se za Hrvata, Františeka Babiča te je njihova obitelj 1949. prognana i doseljena u grad Huzovu u sjevernoj Moravskoj. Ipak, kako joj je rodno selo veoma nedostajalo, nastavila se u njega vraćati pedesetih godina iako za to nije imala potrebne dozvole. Obitelj se šezdesetih godina preselila u južnu Moravsku. Babičová trenutno živi u Břeclavu.

Růžena Babičová was born in 1922 in Frélichov. After the war, she married František Babič, a Croat. In 1949, the family was displaced and moved to the town of Huzová in northern Moravia. However, as she was passionately missing her native village, she kept coming back in the fifties even though she was missing the necessary permits. The family moved to southern Moravia in the sixties. At prezent she lives in Břeclav.