I have always considered myself as someone who knows my family history. Listening to the funny stories from my parents’ and grandparents’ youth was always my favorite part of family celebrations. However, I now realize that there is much more to our family history than just those amusing anecdotes.
Just one of the Family Photos
My grandmother and I shared a nostalgic moment, after my great-grandmother passed away. We looked through old photographs, and she recounted their stories. We came across a photo of my great-grandmother with her family. Initially, it felt like sipping herbal tea on a rainy day: It was heartwarming to see her surrounded by loved ones. However, I was surprised by the location. I knew that my great-grandmother had once lived in the Czech Republic, but I had never learned the reason why.
After the Second World War, the expulsion of residents of German nationality from the Sudetenland region marked a tragic chapter in history. The Sunderland, especially in the north, had one of the highest population densities in the country before the conflict. Between 1946 and 1947, around three million people were forced to leave their homes. This turn of events led to many Hungarian minority residents in Slovakia being displaced into these abandoned regions.
Nataly’s family (Photo: Private)
A Forgotten Story
My great-grandmother was born in 1939 as the youngest of four siblings. They lived with their family in the small village of Zlatná na Ostrove where the Hungarian minority lived. After the Second World War, my great-great-grandfather was responsible for relocating selected families from their village to the Sudetenland. Each family had to pack all their belongings, including furniture and clothes, into just one wagon. Despite his contributions during the First and Second World Wars, which should have exempted him and his family from the transfer, the day before the move when they received a notification that they were being relocated. The situation was further complicated by the fact that they had to pack everything within a single day.
They had to start a new life. They lived in the village of Přeperě near Turnov. The family allegedly worked for some landlord. My great-grandmother entered a Czech school as the youngest child. After a year, it was discovered that the letter they received was forged. Someone else had to go to the Sudetenland. They returned home, but a robbed house awaited them. It came again: a new beginning.
More and More Questions
Because no one from the great-grandmother’s family is alive, there are still inconsistencies in the story. We do not know who forged the letter or whether the family was sent back to Slovakia because of this forgery. It is also interesting that the great-grandmother mentioned a different location than what was written on the photo. When I look at this photo, I have only one question: How did it really happen?
For me, this story is proof that every family hides a story that should not be forgotten. However, when I learned this story, I felt empty. It made me realize that I don’t really know my family history as well.
