Karel František Weisner, 25 November 1919 - 28 November 1986

Abstract

Karel Wiesner was born on 25 November 1919 in Prague at the home of his maternal grandparents, the only child of Karel František Wiesner (1892-1980) and his wife Evzenie Ruzena née Stérová (b. 1898). The home of his Prague grandparents stood on the quay of the Vltava (Moldau) River, its windows facing the historic panorama of the Hradcany Castle and St Vitus Cathedral, a location Wiesner probably would have chosen himself, since his love of his country of birth and pride in its history stayed with him all through his life. On his father’s side, he came from a widely respected family of eastern Bohemia, engaged for three generations in mechanical engineering. Wiesner’s great-grandfather, František Wiesner (1832-1880), son of a poor farm labourer, rose to become builder and operator of the largest machine manufacturing plant and steel mill in Chrudim, eastern Bohemia. To generations of school children, he came to represent what is meant by a passion for excellence and hard work. Leading Czech writer and poet, Jan Neruda, wrote a story of František’s life and accomplishments which was featured in the primary reading book throughout the country. It related the life of a self-taught man who almost single-handedly modernized the economy of eastern Bohemia and brought unprecedented prosperity to the country, along with a high reputation for Czech workmanship - an important factor in the self-esteem of a reawakening nation.