Kvasiny, zámek
Kvasiny 1, 517 02 Kvasiny, Česká republika
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The British sent a false message that his father had died

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During the Second World War, the family of the inventor and owner of the Jawa factory František Janeček lived separated. He emigrated to England, where he continued to work on his technical innovations which he would pass to the English arms industry. In particular his weapon called “Littlejohn” (malý Jan - Janeček) entered military history. His wife and children stayed at home at the Kvasiny chateau. Fearing that the Nazi authorities would take revenge for Janeček’s cooperation with the Allies on his family, the English sent a secret message to the Protectorate that Janeček died in a car accident. However, the message was encrypted in such a way that they knew that the Nazis could decipher. Thus the family was safe from harm. The Gestapo would only keep monitoring the family and occasionally search the house. Karel Janeček’s mother would serve them rare vintage wines from the chateau cellar which also helped to keep the family out of harm’s way. Despite the uneasy situation, Mrs. Janečková could still help Soviet partisans. “In our chateau in Kvasiny, there were Soviet army officers staying at the time of the liberation”, recalls son Karel Janeček. “The national caretaker apologized to them for us still not having moved out. One Russian officer shouted at him: ‘While you were hiding in your hole, Janeček helped us all. They were giving us food and gear. They deserve to stay here and receive a rent from the operation of the factory, which you will, of course, nationalize’.” The witness recalls that his mother, who had Jewish ancestors, would also help prisoners in Auschwitz. “Through one doctor she supplied much-needed drugs to Auschwitz for about two years.”

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Karel Janeček

Karel Janeček

Karel Janeček was born in August 1927 in Kvasiny. His grandfather František Janeček was an entrepreneur, engineer and inventor. In the 1930s, he became a famous manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles of the Jawa make. His son František Karel Janeček took up his work went and bought the chateau in Kvasiny, where Karel Janeček Jr. was born. During the war, Karel’s father emigrated to England and devoted himself to improving weapons and weapons systems. After the war, he remained in England. His son Karel initially wanted to continue the family tradition and reunited with his father in England to study engineering. However, he would have to wait two years before he could begin his studies and thus he returned to Czechoslovakia, where the Communists were just taking over power. Karel began studying at the Technical University in Prague, but being a person with a flawed family profile, he was under the constant surveillance of the StB. Thus, he gave up his studies after two years and went on to use his second talent at the Prague Conservatory, studying violin play. Then he went back to the ČTU and in 1953 finished his studies there. He was, however, refused to be awarded a degree for political reasons. After graduating, he was assigned to the auxiliary technical battalions for compulsory military training and after completing his service, he returned to civilian life and devoted himself to music. He briefly served as concert soloist at the symphony orchestra in Mariánské lázně (Marienbad) and worked as a music teacher for a large part of his life. He was only awarded his degree in engineering in 1991.

Kvasiny, zámek

Available in: English | Česky

Původní kvasinskou tvrz založil počátkem 17. století Bedřich mladší Vlkanovský z Vlkanova. V roce 1700 byla nevelká tvrz rozšířena na zámek. Koncem 18. století převzal správu nad zdejším panstvím náboženský fond a zámek pak sloužil jako kanceláře a úřednické byty. V roce 1824 panství koupil Antonín Slivka ze Slivic, který zahájil přestavbu zámku do pozdně klasicistního slohu. Od roku 1933 ho vlastnili vynálezce a podnikatel František Janeček a majitelé slévárny ve Skuhrově nad Bělou bratři Vilém a Josef Porkertové. Po znárodnění v roce 1948 zámek nejprve sloužil jako ubytovna zaměstnanců kvasinské automobilky a později zde byl zřízen Ústav sociální péče pro mládež. Po roce 1989 byl zámek v restituci vrácen rodině Františka Janečka.

Kvasiny, zámek

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