The Novák apartment — a refuge in Libeň

A family refuge

first half of 1942

Kubiš and Gabčík found lodging here within the wider Sokol network.

Václav Novák belonged to Sokol. He and his wife Marie became important supporters, with their children Václav, Anna, Miroslava and Jindřiška also helping.

The sources used here do not establish the exact dates or frequency of the stays. They do document the household’s role in hiding the parachutists.

Kubiš’s bicycle and return from the attack

27 May 1942

The apartment became part of the immediate escape after the attack.

According to Czech Radio’s Radiožurnál, Jan Kubiš reached the apartment shortly after the attack. Fourteen-year-old Jindřiška Nováková then helped remove his bicycle, which had been left near the scene.

After a short stop with the Nováks, Kubiš went to the Piskáček family in Vysočany with an injured eye. According to ÚSTR, Piskáček’s son Miroslav later helped return the bicycle Kubiš had left in Libeň after the attack.

Arrest and Mauthausen

July–24 October 1942

Nazi repression struck the parents and four children.

The family was arrested on 9 July. On 24 October 1942 the Nazis murdered Václav and Marie Novák and four of their children in Mauthausen. Fourteen-year-old Jindřiška was the youngest victim of that execution.