| Poznámky |
- «b»Olga ZÁTKOVÁ-RYCHLÍKOVÁ-BALŠÁNKOVÁ
«/b»«i»(April 19, 1879 in eské Bud jovice - June7, 1960 of stroke in Praha)
«/i» The eldest Olga inherited her mother's disposition. She was an attractive, charming society lady, never lacking suitors and admirers. She was energetic, strong-willed, and held her opinions with uncompromising conviction regardless of their merits. Her happy childhood and youth bore no forewarning of the seemingly never-ending string of devastating events, haunting her adult life and her old age. On «i» April 30, 1898«/i» , at 19, she married a 15 years older «b»JUDr Jindřich Rychlík «/b»«i» (September 12, 1863 - October 9, 1909)«/i» , a handsome and elegant young lawyer with a sunny disposition. Jindřich was quickly accepted in the fold of the Zátka family and was liked by everyone. He loved company, sports - in many of which he excelled - and never spoiled fun. After the marriage the couple settled in Praha. The first blow came when their infant son «b»Vlastislav [II] «/b»«i» (July 1, 1899 «/i» - «i» August 30, 1899) «/i» died in infancy«i» . «/i»
In spite of countless medical consultations and courses of treatments in various sanatoria and spas Olga never conceived again. For her it was a real tragedy, as she saw the meaning of her life in motherhood. Then from about «i» 1906«/i» , Jindřich's personality started to change. He became argumentative, intolerant, and expansive. This gave way to relentless personality breakdown, and ultimately to frank psychosis in «i» May 1909. «/i» His condition required institutionalization in a Mental Hospital«i» , «/i» where he died on «i» October 9, 1909 «/i» at only 46.
Further comment on his disease jointly with that of «b»Julius [I] Kubert «/b»are in their respective files.«b»
«/b» After Jindřich's death Olga vowed never to remarry. She devoted her energies to, and
found some consolation and substitution for her unfulfilled maternal yearnings in the role of a
vice-president of an Orphanage. Also, she brought up her nephew from her husband's family,
and provided him with education culminating in a Law degree. She loved music and classical
Russian literature. Russian, which she fully mastered, was her favored foreign language. Her
compassionate nature and yearning for social justice, led to her sympathies for the intellectual
left. Nonetheless, these inclinations, which resulted in her disapproval of capitalism, were largely
emotional. She was unable to, or refused to realize, that her comfortable lifestyle, which she was
quite fond of, was made possible only because of successful capitalist ventures of her uncle Ferdinand.
Against her resolution not to remarry, she succumbed to sincere affection and advances of
«b»Antonín Balšánek «/b»«i» (April 6, 1865 - February 22, 1921). «/i» Antonín Balšánek was a gifted and
renowned architect, and professor of Architecture at the Czech Technical Institute in Praha. They
got married on «i» April 18, 1916«/i» . Sadly, the marriage lasted only 5 years. Antonín Balšánek, who
was already in his fifties, suffered of generalized arteriosclerosis already at the time of their
wedding. The disease, which also affected his brain, profoundly compromised his cognitive
faculties and changed his personality. Tragically, he ended his life on «i» February 22, 1921 «/i» in the
same Mental Institution as Olga's first husband Jindřich.
Architect Balšánek was an architect with vision. He was also an artist. Amongst many enduring monumental buildings and creations of lasting artistic value are notable Obecní Dům (Municipal House) in Praha, an Art Nouveau jewel counted amongst the best in Europe, theaters
in Plzeň and Pardubice, Bridge of the Legions over the river Vltava in Praha, and a bridge over
the river Neva in Petrograd (St Petersburg). He was generally believed to have amassed a large
fortune in realization of such large contracts. It then came as a big surprise and a shock to
everyone when his estate was found to be quite modest. Clearly, he was an artist and creator,
not a businessman.
At this point Vlastislav Zatka's «i»Narrative «/i»ends.Only little fragmentary information is available further about Olga's subsequent life and her old age from her grand niece, Diana Spickova-Petrik. The last blow to Olga came with the Communist rule. She lost her only income, which was from the family property. Her large apartment at Újezd in Praha was forcibly divided by the authorities, and she was left with a tiny nonfunctional remnant of the flat. Within it she had suffered the ignominy of a loss of privacy and even a modicum of comfort. Diana fondly remembers aunt Olga's regular weekly visits at Mrázovka. Aunt Olga read books and told stories to her grand-nephews and her grand-niece with endless patience, particularly during childhood illnesses. She regularly celebrated Christmas and other special days with the ka family, in which she finally found a substitute for her own family she always desired but was never granted. She died of stroke on «i» June 7, 1960 «/i» in Praha.
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1879 - 1960 (81 let)
