Czech street bum mourned in Mannheim, Germany

Blahoslav Hruška, CzechNews, bh
16. 9. 2008 13:30
Financial problems turned Pavel into an alcoholic
Resting peacefully
Resting peacefully | Foto: Naďa Straková

Mannheim - At first sight, he was one of thousands of homeless people passers-by anxiously try to avoid in public places.

However, Czech Pavel L. was a popular character among the inhabitants of Mannheim in south-west Germany.

So, when homeless Pavel, originally from Vimperk, south Bohemia, drank himself to death at the age of 33, his friends created a little memorial for him at the place where he used to spend time, on the Willy Brandt Square.

"Pavel was more than a homeless person. He had manners, a sense of humor and a great heart," social worker Verena Nikusch said to Spiegel Online, which ran a story on Pavel.

Read more: Czech police treat homeless as thieves and deny it

"Hi policemen, my pals…"

Even the police became fond of Pavel. "He wouldn't hurt a fly. When we were passing by, he used to call at us: Hi policemen, my friends. On the other hand, he spent every cent on alcohol. He was a heavy drinker," head of the district police Guntram Smetz said.

The story of how he became homeless is a common one in many ways. Pavel was sacked as a bricklayer, he could not afford to pay alimony, so he ran away to avoid prison. He worked occasionally, but the liters of vodka he consumed quickly began to destroy him.

Nikusch believes three years were enough for alcohol to turn an orderly unemployed person into human trash.

Germany is still considered by many Czechs, Poles and other Central Europeans to be a relatively prosperous country - even for the homeless.

However, the lives of 18,000 homeless people in Germany are not in any way easier than in the rests of Europe.

Read more:

Newborn found in garbage officially adopted

Slum-like conditions for evicted Roma families

 

Právě se děje

Další zprávy