A professional colloquium on the topic of forced labor in Scandinavia was planned on 3 April 2020 at the Faculty of Arts, at Charles University in Prague. Due to pandemic measures, Czech-Norwegian researchers could not attend and are postponed until the autumn of 2020.
The March issue of the Czech historical journal "Dějiny a současnost" has just been published. Our team participated in the preparation of thematic articles on forced labor for the Third Reich. The article "Beyond the Arctic Circle" comes with the first results about the Czechs in Norway during World War II. The article "From Todt's organization to the Czechoslovak army" is about escape based on total efforts, including Norway. An overview of the March issue is available on the magazine's website.
(The text about Czechs in Norway is shared on the Facebook page of Dějiny a současnost)
A series of lectures on relations between the Czech Republic and Scandinavia during World War II begins 4.3. at Charles University in Prague. The lectures will be led by members of a research team that focuses on the issues of forced labor in Norway. Lectures are offered as part of an selection subject for students at Charles University. By appointment, it is possible to listen to individual lectures.
In September 2019, the researchers met with Mr. Švec from Havlíčkův Brod, who organized joint meetings of these ex-forced labourers after 1989. The last meeting took place in 2005. Meetings were attended by these so called Noráci and their family members. Mr. Švec still keeps in his personal archive a number of documentary materials from meetings, period photographs and written memories.
Petr Řehoř is a painter and has lived in Finland since 1975. He is preparing an art project that themes the story of his father Josef Řehoř, who was sent during the war on forced labor in Trondheim. Finnish photographer Pauliina Pasanen is also collaborating on the exhibition project.
Josef Řehoř (1921 - 1973) graduated from art school after the war and devoted himself, among other things, to book illustration. He gravitated to Scandinavian culture and transferred his love for the North to his son.
Petr Řehoř is a painter and has lived in Finland since 1975. He is preparing an art project that themes the story of his father Josef Řehoř, who was sent during the war on forced labor in Trondheim. Finnish photographer Pauliina Pasanen is also collaborating on the exhibition project.
Josef Řehoř (1921 - 1973) graduated from art school after the war and devoted himself, among other things, to book illustration. He gravitated to Scandinavian culture and transferred his love for the North to his son.
The National Archives of Norway in Oslo recently made archival documents from World War II available. A central file of forced deployed foreigners in Norway was found among the materials of the German occupation authorities. 1534 personal cards from the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia were found in the file cabinet, which register a total of 1366 persons. These were men born between 1890 and 1924. During the team's work meeting at the beginning of October in Oslo, the file was studied and the work cards of Czech workers were scanned. We would like to make the cards available on this website in the coming months. We are negotiating the permission of the National Archives in Oslo.
In August 2020, Anežka M. visited us and brought several war pictures from her grand-grandfather, who was an OT forced laborer in the Alta area during the war. He was there with six other Czechs. He also came to inner Finnmark and met the local population with whom he took pictures. You can see the Sami wedding at Karasjok old church. Thanks to the family for lending the photos. Our Norwegian colleagues are in the process of finding out exactly which places are in the pictures.
(Archive of family Minařík a Trecha)
Our project based on Czech-Norwegian war relations was presented on March 6, 2020 at a scientific conference in Munich as part of the 26th meeting with lecturers in Czech studies. The event was attended by over 60 experts from Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The meeting was organized by the Collegium Carolinum Science Center in Munich. Our contribution in German can be downloaded here. It will also be published on the Collegia Carolina website in the Exposé section.
V rámci kurzu o Česko-skandinávských vztazích studenti UK pátrají po osudech nasazených v Norsku. Simona Kloučková hledá informace o mužích s příjmením Svoboda, Václav Křenek po nasazených z jižních Čech. Tamara Čekelská pátrá po mužích slovenského původu. Vendula Hojková si vybrala k pátrání muže, kteří se narodili stejný den jako ona. Gabriela Králová pátrá po kamarádech Jana Šefla z Hvožďan a Jana Novotného, kteří o nich píší ve svých zprávách z nasazení v Trondheimu.
2) Kamarádi Jana Šefla a Jana Novotného (zodpovědná Gabriela K.)
3) narozeni ve stejný den (zodpovědná Vendula Hojková)
Blaťák, František (1908, Vrbátky)
Čermák, Stanislav (1922, Vamberk)
Jirka, Jan (1921, Prádlo)
Kročil, Jan (1922, Lopeník)
Ledvinka, Adolf (1912, Pohled ? (Frauenthal)
Seiler, Miroslav (1921, Hředle)
Žatecký, Alois (1910, Hradisko, okr. Kroměříž)
Viktorin, Antonín (1922, Bohuslavice)
4) Noráci z jižních Čech a snad i příbuzní (zodpovědný Václav Křenek)
Našli jste jméno Vašeho příbuzného či známého? Zkontaktujte nás na našem pracovním mailu: noraci@ff.cuni.cz.
Můžeme Vám poslat pracovní kartu příbuzného a poskytnout další informace o jeho osudu v Norsku.
Žádost o pomoc s pátráním pro studenty.
Fotografie v příspěvku vznikla během naší on-line konzultace, na které jsme referovali o pokrocích v pátrání po Norácích.
(Dne 25-5-2020 / Praha-Liberec-Hrusice-České Budějovice-Řevnice-Ålesund)
The daughter of Josef Lébl from Prague-West keeps her father's suitcase from the war in the attic of the family house. It is full of memories from Norway. It contains postcards, books, maps, diaries and letters from home, even a birthday telegram from his Norwegian friends addressed to a camp in Hemne near Trondheim. An incredible treasure! Unique materials provide a unique look at everyday life, the joy and sorrow of forced labor in Norway. Many thanks from our hearts to Mrs Jarmila, Josef Lébl's daughter, for providing us with materials for further research!
In October 2019 we launched the test website NORACI.CZ. The site is planned to be fully operational at the turn of 2019/2020.
