Mirko Lauterstein
(24th July 1923 Plzeň - 1996 Plzeň)


Mirko was born on July 24th, 1923. He had a younger sister called Helena. The family lived at 30 Jungmannova Street together with Mirko's grandfather (mother's father) who they cared for. The father was a business representative of a company called Stolwerck.
Mirko went to the same class as Eva Brummelová, Hana Fantová, Hana Porgesová and Egon Löbner - that means that he began studying in 1934.

His former classmate Václav Gruber says:
"For a period of time he was my school desk neighbour. We used to nickname him 'Mirko Lauterstein always stein'. They lived at 21 Havlíčkova Street. His father was a business representative (probably a Jew - it was a mixed marriage). I visited him for a few times because of studying. He liked riding a bicycle - he had a racing one with a gear control which was unusual at that time - so he came to our place in Zbůch several times to enjoy cycling. After the war, probably at the beginning of June 1945 I came to visit him but the label on the doorbell was missing and a man told me that they had 'moved' during the war. I still don't understand it clearly because someone told me later that he had seen Mirko with a star of David on his coat."
Mirko could finish his studies and graduate in 1941. After that he worked in a paper-mill in Třemošná and then till 1944 as a worker in the Škoda factory.
His father was called to slave labour and deported with "AE 1" transport from Prague to Terezín. He was liberated there at the end of the war.

Jarmila Bartůňková, his former classmate says:
"I met him after the war - he was with his daughter at Sokol II where people often used to go. I didn't talk with him but I recognized him because he hadn't changed at all. There I found out that his name was no longer Lauterstein."
Mirko changed his name to Lánský after the war and became a member of the Association of Fighters for Freedom. He got married in 1949 and had three children. His wife Dagmar Lánská says:
"We met for the fist time during his compulsory military service when he had to serve in Cheb as an officer-cadet. He was in Pilsen hospital instead because of the veins on his legs. Then they allowed him to work in an office because he could use a typewriter - he was an excellent pupil; he had very good marks at school. He wanted to go to university but then they all were closed...
When the end of the war was approaching he was in a concentration camp as well. The camp was called Postoloprty and he varnished locomotives there. He managed to escape. I didn't even tell my children that he was Jewish. They found it out from a school report when they were looking for his marks. I didn't want to trouble their minds with that. When we were getting married my relatives reproached me for his Jewish origin.
We needed to be active somewhere not to provoke the communists. That's why my husband joined a tourist association and I was in a youth association. Because of this we travelled through some of the neighbouring countries. Our youngest son left for Germany and that was another thing communists hated."
Mirko Lánský died after a long-lasting illness in 1966.