Družba Municipal House has always been something special! Josef Grim ran the place until 1990

KARVINÁ – On the Saturday of 22 January the newly reconstructed Družba Municipal House (Obecní dům Družba) was put to the test on the occasion of Karviná Mine Community Ball. Also present was a 63 year-old Josef Grim, the former director of the Company Club of the Revolutionary Trade Union Movement of ČSA Mine who ran this cultural facility until 1990. This time he acted as the host of the event and he obviously thoroughly enjoyed it.

“Believe me, I was sick at heart seeing that flea markets and street markets take place in this centre of mining culture or the Vietnamese sell their goods there in the stands, being a witness of the dilapidation of this building because everybody wants to use it, but nobody is willing to invest in it,“ he confided when the orchestra started to play and the miners took their better halves to dance.

The employees of Karviná mines have always known Josef Grim as a distinctive Cantor or Reputable, High and Infallible Presidium at traditional festivals of miners. The older ones also remember him as their co-worker with whom they used to work for many years in ČSA Mine. Although he comes from Karviná and many of his family members used to work in mining, he himself had no intention to become a miner. Ever since he was young he has felt an urge to devote himself to culture, and since he was gifted, after he completed the elementary school he applied to a school of art in Brno. He was not admitted to this school, however, and thus went to the Technical School of Mining in Ostrava.

In 1968 he took up a job with ČSA Mine and for a decade he was working in coal getting, preparation, mine haulage or as a sampler at the Quality Management Department. Later in 1970s he made his career in the youth union and in 1985 he started to work as a clerk in the Company Club of the Revolutionary Trade Union Movement. Soon he became its director.

“I never regretted those years spent with the mine. I had a lot of fun as well as hard times, I also witnessed the explosion in 1974, a few of my friends died and I myself was injured several times. The point is I got to know the hard and dangerous work of miners and others working in mines. As the boss of the Company Club I got on well with them and they considered me to be one of them. Nobody ever called me »Comrade director«, all those with whom we were not on first-name terms called me »Mr. director«. And it has not changed until now,“ recounts Grim.

The years I spent in the Company Club of the Revolutionary Trade Union Movement were a very busy time full of hard work, but also joy and fun. Družba House – Dom Przyjaźni, as the today's Municipal House used to be called at that time, was a heart of culture, not only in Karviná. In its halls and gardens miner's brass bands would give concerts and choirs would sing, exhibitions would be held, mining teams would meet, celebrations and other events would take place.

A curiosity was the so called ASUT week, i.e. the week of Army Competition of Artistic Creativity, held in the framework of cooperation with the air force of the then Czechoslovak Army. Družba used to prepare programmes for people coming to see the oath taking ceremony of soldiers from Karviná garrison serving the compulsory military service. This initiative was later recommended for the whole army. Not only events which were in harmony with the then regime took place there. E.g. in 1971 Družba hosted Porta folk and country festival that was first organised in Ústí nad Labem during the Prague Spring, but became a burning issue at the time of normalization. “It won sympathy of miners who even at that time were able to be manly and actually saved the festival,“ added Grim.

These days are different and Družba is different too. Nonetheless, ”Director“ Grim welcomes its new shape. “I walked through the whole premises and I was impressed. Everything is nice, up to the current standard, there is a sound booth near the stage, cloakrooms, backstage for artists, everything corresponding with the latest trends. Any potential deficiencies can be definitely removed on the go. The important thing is that the general public expresses strong interest therein. It was demonstrated by high attendance at its gala opening as well as the comeback of organisers who had missed a similar facility in the town. Now, I wish everything goes well and the town is willing to give some money. Družba has always been something special, but without money you can do no culture,“ spoke his mind Josef Grim.

Bohuslav Krzyžanek