Baron Otakar Capek

My grandfather's brief biography

translated from Czech Author Radislav Zebekr

My Mother Oli with mother Maria and father Otakar Capek at Castle Kosatky

The Kosatky estate weakened much in the early 1920’s due to the land reforms of that time. The last owner of Kosatky, the County Alexander Kolovrat-Krakovsky, whose family owned the estate for 400 years, sold this historical monument to the Capek family of Hvoldany in 1924. Father Otakar Capek and his sons Otakar and Arnost bought this property for 3 million Czech Crowns. They obtained a mortgage from the bank Slavie and also borrowed from the Czech sugar corporation. The oldest son, Otokar appeared to be the president of the owners.

JU Dr. In Otakar Capek was born 03-26-1893 in Hvozdany, Blanton to the landowner Otakar Capek and mother Ruzena ne Ruckle. Otakar’s brother Arnost, his sisters Ruzena, Marie, and Helena were approximately 5 years younger.

Otakar finished 8 years of gymnasium and went to study law in Prague. He had to take a pause from his studies with the break of the First World War in 1914, when he was called to duty to serve in the Austrian army as a lieutenant. Later he was saved from duty by his parents’ influence because he was needed to lead his father’s estates.

Otakar then continued in his studies, this time at the University of Agriculture. In 1920, Otakar passed the law bar and received his law doctorate. 2 years later he obtained the ING of Agriculture title.

During his studies, he visited England, France, and Germany, where he learned how to raise domestic pigs. The collected results of his studies were published as a technical manual for which he was later awarded and obtained his third doctorate, this time in a technical field.

Young and self-confident, he spoke fluent German and English and excelled in rhetorics. His Bohemian personality skillfully entertained high society and females were particularly fond of him. The palette of his interests was quite wide: mysticism, spiritual science, nature, agriculture, and political science. Politics charmed him already while he studied at the Law university. His interest was mainly of Czechoslovakian nationalism.

In 1922, Otakar Capek became a member of the pro-Nazi organization and he wrote its revue, The Vyzva.

In 1924, he married Marie, the daughter of landowner Danda for Loukovce Mnichovo Hradiste. Otakar and Maria met while studying in Prague, and were married in St. Ludmila church in Ivinohrady (Prague’s quarter p-2). The couple were guarded by Czechoslovakian nationalists/fascist in uniform during their Redmond.

Marie Dandova was a very beautiful and witty woman. She spent her childhood in the countryside where she rode horses and played various sports. She was fond of animals and nature which probably impressed young Otakar, the landowner.

The Kosatky environment, its surroundings full of wild animals in the forest, the castle and so on fully satisfied all interests and hobbies of this young family.

Maria, however, unlike Otakar was not interested in occultism.

Dagmar was born in the first year of their marriage. Olga was born two years later and Maria was born four years later and was the last child. In their school age, the children attended Kosatky two year school, which was in the castle’s view.

Already in the beginning of the 1920’s, Otakar engaged himself in the resistance against the Czechoslovakian governments acceptance of the existence of the RSFSR ( Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic) later just the USSR and the Ukrainian Court system.

Otakar was the Vice President of the national movement against the idea of the Czech Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr. Edvard Benes signing an agricultural and political treaty with the RSFSR. The movement that Otakar co-led was also against German, and after the 1st World War, American influences.

The mid 1920’s was a period for Otakar, in which he searched for his position in public matters. He balanced his lack of success in this search with his writing. With his brother Arnost, Otakar practiced various spiritual techniques based in mysticism. In 1927, Otakar wrote a book about Kosatky called “The Secrets of Kosatky Castle” and the tourist guide called “Kosatky” (1933).

Otakar met the propagator of mysticism Karel Weinfurt in the mid 1920’s. Otakar and Arnost Capek and Karel Weinfurt became the founding members of the mystical guild called Psyche. They collaborated on Psyche until Weinfurter was arrested by the Gestapo and his death in 1942. Meeting Weinfurt’s wife Bozena, was fatal for Otakar, he fell for his friend Karel’s young wife ( 20 years his junior) when they visited the castle.. Apparently Karel Weinfurt tolerated their close friendship.

The public activities of Dr. Otakar Capek were various and colorful. He entered the Agrarian Conservative Party of Karel Praska (1868 Hriuno-1932 Kosetice) in 1925. Praska was a big landowner from the neighboring village called Hrivno, and was the Minister of Agriculture in the first republic of the CSR.

Otakar Capek donated 200,000 Czech crowns to the Agrarian Conservative Party and became its candidate for the CSR parliament. However the party fell apart after the elections.

In 1926, Otakar Capek entered the NOF— Narodni obec Fasisticka— the party of national unity or National Fascist League, in which he became the vice-president. The motto of this party was “Let the Welfare of the Homeland be the Supreme Law”. The leader of this party was General Radola Gajda. (1892-1948). Gajda was Capek’s family friend and often visited Kosatky. This famous leader of Czech legions in Russia, President Masaryk’s opponent and an anti-Bolshevik, led the NOF party with a national radical direction, against pretty much everyone in the State. Kosatky and the surrounding areas did not have many supporters of the NOF party.

Those supporting the NOF met in an old Kosatky pub called Usenkyre Flanders until the end of the party in 1939. The pub owner lost his leg during his service in the Czech legion fighting in Russia. He also knew General Gajda. Members of the NOF called themselves “brothers” and had very little to do with German and Italian Fascism. The NOF fell apart at the end of the 1930’s. Most of the members left for other parties and GEneral Gajda retired.

These activities had a hard influence on Otakar’s private life. First his marriage with Maria, fell apart in 1933 due to his relationship with his friend Wienfurt’s wife, Bozena. Maria was forced to leave Kosatky with their children.

The economical situation of Kosatky was not doing well either, Otakar was in debt. The lenders established a new fiscal manager of Kosatky, Mr. Bohumil Prosek. Under the weight of these events, the brothers Capek left the castle.

The castle was sold in auction to the owners of the textile company in the city, Dvur Kralovy, Robert and Arnost Wiess ( with mother Anna and sister Iana).

Otakar settled in Prague where he continued his studies in mainly political matters. His official way of making a living was apparently writing, although the reality was that he supported his existence by trading his valuables.

Unsuccessfully, he tried to enter the office of Presidential Chancellor Mr. Hacha through the National Congregation ( Narodni sourucenstui) of which he was a member. He searched for a position in the Department of Agriculture. He was offered a position that he was not interested in and so he never started work there.

After the death of Karel Weinfurt in 1942, Otakar landed an agricultural worker position at Bozena Weinfurt’s estate in Bucovice. His Prague stay was however never cancelled. Therefore he had some involvement in “the Barricades”, or Prague uprising at the end of the German occupation. His leg was wounded by shrapnel. After the liberation from Germans in 1945, he married Bozena Weinfurt.

Otakar was still interested in politics at that time and the return of prewar conditions. However, he did not proceed rationally and was not farsighted, which proved to be fatal.

Otakar participated in the work of political groups which believed in the return of prewar conditions; the head of this group was the former administer and advisor Mr. ING Tomas Mrkvan. The Kosice government program from April 5th 1945 enabled the return of only the political parties and groups which were not guilty against the National interest in the protectorate.

One of the forbidden parties was a small scale “peasant” group called the Republican Party of Agriculture. Otakar and his agrarian colleagues prepared a political renewal of the Agrarian Party. He even offered to prepare its program. The members however did not accept his proposal, because they found it premature. This group continued to meet even after the political coup in 1948.

The newly established secret police called STB focused on the group and its members. Otakar and his colleagues were arrested May 24, 1951. With ficitional reasons created after brutal interrogations starting in April 23, 1952, the STB hunt and trial began with Prosecutor Miroslav Kolaja who accused the group of “anti-state conspiracy governed by the Green international led by the Imperialist West, from where the imperialistic leaders were preparing a war conflict”.

Otakar Capek was accused of preparing armed fights and exhorting peasants /agricultural workers in Bucovice to be disobedient and to resist the establishment of a collective farm (JZD).

Last but not least, Otakar was accused of being a big landowner. He did not agree with the political development of the country after 1945, specifically after February 1948. He was labeled as a fascist because he entered, during his student years, a fascist party and later became a member of the the NOF.

And the result of this trial?

Mr. Josef Kepka received the death sentence.

Mr. Vacaville Rene was punished with 25 years in prison.

All other accused members, including Otakar were charged with espionage and treason, and received life sentence in prison.

ING Tomas Mrkvan, the head of this group died shortly after his arrest.

The judgement was handed down on April 26, 1951.

Marie Loudova, Otakar’s sister applied for dismissal of the sentence the same day claiming the use of unlawful investigation methods and forced confession. She was unsuccessful in her plaint and this brave act unfortunately placed her in the eye of the SBT and when she tried to emigrate, she was arrested and imprisoned May 19, 1952.

Otakar was transported to the Leopold Prison at the age of 62. Because of his poor health he performed light manual work; he would string beads, make paper bags, strings, and he worked in the prison library. Another fateful event happened in 1956. On April 22 his second wife Bozena died. She spent her last days of life in Mlada Vozice.

The Presidential amnesty in 1960 did not include Otakar. He was instead moved to another prison, the Valstice prison and later to the Ilava prison His relatives did not forget him though. His wife Bozeman visited Otakar until the time of his death. Among his visitors were also his sisters Marie, his niece Ruzena and his brother Arnost. In mid January 1964, his sentence was interrupted and Otakar was released.

The Court found that the degree of his crimes would be assessed at a level different from the main court proceedings. He had spends 12 years, 4 months and 19 days in prison and was released 3 months before the complete of his sentence, at the age of 71.

After his prison release he moved in with his brother Arnost in Prague Vysocany. But his brother’s house was awaiting demolition and Otakar moved into one tiny apartment in Prague 2 which was made available to him thanks to his former admirer and member of the mystical society Mrs. Jirankova. She also helped him with basic tasks.

Otakar did not get to enjoy much of his freedom. He fell on a stone while staying in South Bohemia. He was unaware of his internal injuries and did not seek medical attention. He went back to Prague where he, after several days, died at the age of 74, on January 11, 1967, in his apartment.

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