The fates Mohelnice

Otto Wolf

Otto Wolf was born in Mohelnice on June 5th, 1927 to Jewish parents. To avoid being deported to a concentration camp, Otto, together with his parents and sister, lived from 1942 to 1945 by hiding in the nearby forest of the village Trsice by Olomouc. Three weeks before the end of the war Otto was captured by accident during an anti guerilla raid conducted by the German secret police. He was tortured but never revealed the names of his protectors or the hiding place of his family. Otto was burnt to death with some other men on April 20th, 1945. His parents and sister Felicitas survived. Otto's older brother Kurt fought the Nazis on the Russian front and was killed in the battle by Sokolovo in 1943. A memorial plaque for both brothers was unveiled in Mohelnice in 1948.

While in hiding, Otto wrote a diary, which was later published under the title: "Denik Otty Wolfa 1942- 1945" (The Diary of Otto Wolf). He started to write this work when he was just 15 years old. His diary is considered to be a unique and important document illustrating the life during the occupation, and describing help of the Czech people to their endangered compatriots.