Czechoslovak Political Prisoners - über das Projekt Political ...

How did the institute clothes look like?
It was like what a household provided. In Litoměřice it took 14 days before we were changed
into the institute clothes. At the end we were given rags from German soldiers. There we struck
a blow when we tore them apart, wherever it was possible, and we set out on May 1st for walk.
Then they gave us some better clothes. Winter stuff was from furry, hairy cloth and summer
clothes were with stripes and was called “cvilink.” I was glad we were getting clothes because
my parents couldn´t provide them all the time.
Was it possible to borrow books?
Yes, it was. At Pankrác it was written, “Who ever damages it, pays for it and will be strictly
punished.” We had quite old books there, but in Pardubice it was better. On the other hand,
when a better book arrived, it was wanted by everyone, so we had to wait until someone finished
it. You could borrow about three books per month.
Were there ever any conflicts arising among you?
Well, there were some of course. There were some distractions in Pardubice, for example
you could go out to the square, but you could never avoid being in a cell with someone you
didn’t get along with. For instance there was a Slovakian girl who was really nasty to me.
I understood her though because the prison was getting into her head and nerves. Though it
still didn’t give her the right to spoil the life of others around. The worst were the sisters who
always quarreled. I also wasn’t always nice, but I tried hard. Conflicts were beginning from
trifles. Conflicts were never coming out of politics because there it fell apart. There were girls
from all political parties and various religious. It could always happen that you said something
and insulted somebody. I would rather call it a submarine syndrome.
Do you remember a hunger strike in Pardubice prison in 1955 15 ?
I also took part in that at that time, but I wasn’t a mover. They still put me in a hole though
(solitary cell). There I wanted to continue on a hunger strike, but they told me they had agreed
to something and everything was over. I think it began because of sanitary towels because
some girls reacted badly to them. I don’t know whether they wanted to increase the allowance
or be able to buy them with their own money. I really don’t remember that.
What was hygiene like in prisons? How often could you wash yourself for example?
In Pardubice it was quite alright. On each floor there was a big bathroom with a big tin
trough. There ten girls could wash at once. In Želiezovice there were French toilets 16 and there
were mice and rats. In Želiezovce it was like the Middle Ages. Terezka Procházková was always
saying, “When I see a mouse on the square I tell myself, “Yey, a little sparrow.” When I see
a rat – See, a pigeon.” This way she was consoling herself to not be afraid. You know, when
you go to a toilet and there is a rat watching you, it is nothing funny.
Some girls tried to keep hygiene up. They would come from the fields, load everything into
a trough, wash it, hang it up and in the morning they went to work in clean clothes again. We
tried to wash and shower. In Pardubice it was more civilized. There we went to showers with
warm water once a week.
15 The hunger strike in Pardubice started in September 1955 and supposedly 520 women prisoners were protesting this
way. Some for a week, some even longer. Main reasons included bullying from guards, bad food, and bad working conditions.
The initiators were sentenced to solitary cells and others could not send and receive letters or have visits.
16 French toilet – special toilet system when the toilet does not have a porcelain bowl, but there is only a hole in the floor
and two steps for feet. Sometimes called “Turkish toilet” too.
Czechoslovak Political Prisoners 81