Region Lanškrounsko

Ing. Bohumil Modrý was born on 24th September 1916 in Prague, his father was tram driver. Family of Mr. Modrý and his wife and little son belonged to many visitors of swimming pool in Lanškroun during the First Republic period. They used to live at Falts’ at Mánesova Street. As instructress, Mrs. Modrá prepared dance performance of Sokol club in Lanškroun.

Ing. Bohumil Modrý was originally civil engineer. After WWII., he lived with his wife and two daughters in Lanškroun (today’s Nádražní Street, No. 419). He was national trustee of brickyard and author of regulating plan of town of Lanškroun in 1948.

For example proposal of port Lanškroun on the anticipated waterway Elbe-Danube, airport or connection of railway junction from Rudoltice to Letohrad are – among many conscientious analysis of town conditions – very interesting.

Ing. Boža Modrý started to play ice-hockey in 1936 and one year later, he became goalkeeper in national team in world championship. He was disciple of LTC Club from Prague. In 1947 in Prague, his ice-hockey team achieved victory (as the first in the history) and gained title of world champion for Czechoslovakia.

One year later, they were on the second position at Olympic Games in St. Moritz and in Stockholm in winter 1949, Czechoslovak team became world champion for the second time and noticeably they entered the history of European sport.

They get “award” in form of political conspiracy, and they fell victim in the times of starting Cold War and Czechoslovak political processes.

In 1950, Ing. Boža Modrý was accused and then he was given 15 years sentence for espionage.

Judicial records of Civil Court was kept under number TS I/IV 47/50 . “Accused were tempted by former Czechoslovak ice-hockey player Maleček and two his associates who emigrated to the west to stay as a team in abroad. Some members of ice-hockey team of 14 members agreed to stay in abroad, but they were not united. Among them belonged accused except for August Bubník, some of them did not agree and wanted to return to ČSR. They took a vote when 8 votes were for staying in abroad and 6 were against this opinion.

Accused (Modrý, Bubník, Kobranov, Roziňák, Jirka, Konopásek) voted for staying in abroad.”

In appeal papers there is written that they did not reach consentient agreement to stay abroad and that all of them decided to return home.

In 1949, after return from Zürych, Záborský, senior, had reported to Minister of Information and Education (Václav Kopecký) and told him about all circumstances of the trip and decision of several members of LTC to stay in abroad.

(It can not be ruled out that in that time the idea of “wind-cutting” of ice-hockey players started. It was one year after February takeover and ice-hockey was so called bourgeois sport.)

In March 1950, accused ice-hockey players were arrested, they were imprisoned in Plzeň in Bory Prison till summer 1951, then they were transported to Jáchymov to uranium mine.

Boža Modrý worked in the shaft and on the surface as well. Prisoners worked without any running control, without measurement and monitoring of radioactive radiance.

After some period of time, civil profession of civil engineer Bohumil Modrý helped him to get out of Jáchymov but not from prison. He worked in projection group of Ministry of Interior that operated in prisons in Opava and in Prague in Pankrác Prison.

Life of Mrs. Erika Modrá after arrest of her husband was not easy because she was left alone with two daughters – Blanka and Alenka. For five years she was waiting for his husband to be liberated from prison and next 8 years she was watching him dying.

Ing. Bohumil Modrý died 21st July 1963 at the age of 47.