Děčín-Podmokly, City Theater
Teplická 587/75, 405 02 Děčín, Czech Republic
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Run, Kate, run, sang the Czech boy in Hitlerjugend uniform

Available in: English | Česky

Otto Peschka joined the Hitler Youth in 1943, when he was ten years old, as was automatically expected of children from German or mixed families. Although Otto’s mother was Czech, Otto did not speak any Czech at the time, he only learned the language after the war when there was no other choice. This was common for children of one Czech parent, he remembers only two boys from his neighborhood who could speak Czech. Because he was a good singer, they took him to the Hitler Youth choir where he witnessed a curious situation: “We had a public performance in the theatre in Podmokly, and one boy had prepared a solo song. Dressed in the Hitler Youth uniform, he sang "Run, Kate, Run" [a traditional Czech folk song]. My eyes boggled at that. There was no nationalistic animosity, at least not that I could see.”

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Otto Peschka

Otto Peschka

He was born on 30 May 1933 into a Czech-German family. They lived in Děčín, on the corner of Kamenická and Příkrá Street, his parents ran a grocery shop at the same address. During the war his father had to serve in the German army, after the war he was not allowed to return to his family and he had to stay in Germany. He was not reunited with his wife until 1960, when the Czechoslovak officials allowed her to move to West Germany. After the war Otto lived with relatives in Vysoké Mýto. He was forced to learn Czech in three months, losing the ability to speak fluent German. He graduated from a secondary art school and worked in advertising.

Děčín-Podmokly, City Theater

Available in: English | Česky

In the early 20th century, a variety-show was built on the site of the present-day theater. In 1918, a stage and a fly system were added thanks to the new owner G. F. Pilz. The possibilities of the use of the theater were thus expanded. The theater also served as a cinema. In the beginning of the 1990s, the theater was connected to the adjacent buildings. A chamber hall was created for various shows, concerts and other performances.

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