Jan Zajíc

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Jan Zajíc
Monument to Jan Palach and Jan Zajíc in the pavement in front of the Prague National Museum

Jan Zajíc (born July 3, 1950 in Vítkov ; † February 25, 1969 in Prague ) was a Czech student who burned himself on Wenceslas Square in Prague as "Torch No. 2" in protest against the occupation of his homeland by Soviet troops . The name refers to Jan Palach , who was seen as "Torch No. 1".

Life

Jan Zajíc was the second of three children from the family of a teacher and a druggist. Since 1965 he studied at the technical school for the railway. He was literary and interested in the humanities. In 1969 he took part in the student hunger strike and in the funeral for Jan Palach at the Wenceslas statue in Prague. On February 25, 1969, the anniversary of the Communist seizure of power in 1948, he and three of his fellow students left for Prague. He intended to wake Czechoslovak society out of a lethargy as a result of the ongoing political "normalization". Zajíc carried some letters with an appeal to the Czechoslovak population.

At 1:30 p.m. Zajíc entered the corridor of 39 Wenceslas Square.Then he set fire to himself, fell down and was dead on the spot. Since the authorities did not allow him to be buried in Prague as he wished, he was arrested on April 2. He was buried in Vítkov, his birthplace, in March 1969 with the participation of thousands of mourners.

Farewell letter

In the suicide note of Jan Zajíc was:

“Maminko, tatínku, bratře, sestřičko!
Až budete číst tento dopis, budu už mrtev nebo velmi blízko smrti. Vím, jak velmi vážnou ránu vám svým činem způsobím, ale nezlobte se na mne. Želbohu, nejsme na světě jenom sami. Nedělám to proto, že by mne omrzel život, ale právě proto, že si ho až příliš vážím. Svým činem ho snad zajistím lepší. Znám cenu života a vím, že je to nejdražší. Ale já hodně chci pro vás, pro všechny, a proto musím hodně platit. Po mém činu nepodléhejte malomyslnosti, ať se Jacek učí víc a Martička taky. Nesmíte se nikdy smířit s nespravedlností, ať je jakákoliv. Moje smrt vás k tomu zavazuje. Je mi líto, že už nikdy neuvidím vás ani to, co jsem měl tak rád. Odpusťte, že jsem se s vámi tolik hádal. Nenechejte ze mě udělat blázna.
Pozdravujte kluky, řeku a les. "

In German:

“Dear mom, dear dad, dear brother, dear sister!
If you read this letter, I will be dead or almost dead. I know what I am causing you with my deed. But don't hold it against me. Unfortunately, we are not alone in the world. I don't do it because I'm tired of life. I do it because I value life too much. I hope I will make life better with what I do. I know the price of life. I know it is the most expensive. I ask a lot, so I have to give a lot too. Don't lapse into grief after what I did, says Jacek and Marta, they should study harder. Never accept injustice, be it in any form. My death will bind you to it. I am sorry that I will never see you and what I loved so much. Please forgive me for taking you so hard. And don't let them make me crazy.
Greet the boys, the river and the forest "

Posthumous honor

The asteroid Janzajíc was named after him.

On October 28, 1991, the then President Václav Havel awarded Jan Palach and Jan Zajíc the Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk Order for their contribution to the consolidation of democracy and human rights.

The tomb of Jan Zajíc was placed under monument protection on November 2, 2015 and, like the tomb of Jan Palach, was declared a national cultural monument of the Czech Republic on November 23, 2019 .

literature

  • Branislav Dorko: Jan Zajíc. Matice slezská, Opava 2012, ISBN 978-80-86887-18-0 .
  • Václav Cikryt: Jan Zajíc: x3. 7. 1950, + 25. 2. 1969 / Václav Cikryt; graficka úprava Andrea Dvořáková. Okresní vlastivědné muzeum, Šumperk 1991.
  • Dagmar Perstická: Osobnosti: nositelé Řádu Tomáše Garrigue Masaryka 1991 a 1992. Státní vědecká knihovna, Brno 1993, ISBN 80-7051-067-6 , pp. 304-305.

Web links

Commons : Jan Zajíc  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Description as a cultural monument ÚSKP 105734 in the monument catalog pamatkovykatalog.cz (Czech).
personal data
SURNAME Zajíc, Jan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Czech student
DATE OF BIRTH 3rd July 1950
PLACE OF BIRTH Vítkov , Czechoslovakia
DATE OF DEATH February 25, 1969
Place of death Prague