Květa Pěničková

Květa Pěničková was born on March 26, 1934, the only child of a glass cutter from Velká Chuchle. During World War II and in particular in the days of the Prague Uprising, she witnessed a number of dramatic situations with her family, such as the declaration of martial law and the execution of inhabitants of Chuchle. After 1948, her father fell victim to the repressions and the nationalization of former sole traders and Květa was prevented from university studies. The whole family was deeply affected by the injustices they were subjected to and by the gloomy atmosphere of those days. It thus comes as no surprise that Květa – fourteen years old at that time – hated the communist regime. In addition to her resistance to the communists, she also became interested in the stories of people who fled from communism to the West. She would listen to these stories on Radio Free Europe. She has developed a life-long interest in the stories of fugitives, smugglers, agents and everything related to the Iron Curtain. It all culminated with Květa becoming one of the initiators and organizers of the creation of a monument to the smugglers that is to be found in the vicinity of Františkov nearby Kvilda. Over the years, she kept investigating and researching the stories and made many personal and pen friendships with some of the actors of these stories. She’s always been trying to pass on her own memories as well as the memories of others.

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