Commemorative Plaque to Jan Kašpar in Pardubice

2010 

A memorial plaque to the first Czech aviator Jan Kašpar is mounted on the house in Bratří Veverkových Street in Pardubice, where Kašpar spent the last years of his life in his sister`s apartment at the end of the 1920s.

 

Jan Kašpar is known to the public as a successful aviator and designer. But few know the details of his turbulent life, which did not just take place in the spotlight as the life of a famous aviation celebrity. Jan Kašpar`s aeronautical fame did not last his whole life and did not bring him wealth, which would have kept the talented designer afloat during further attempts at aircraft design. His glory peaked between 1910 and 1914, when he made his first flight and then several long-distance flights in front of large audience and under the attention of the whole nation. Although his brief and rapid success allowed him to fund a design shop and improve aircraft models, World War I took away his further plans. The aviation industry took off at an unprecedented rate and public interest in the escapades of the young adventurer waned. Kašpar tried to multiply his wealth by trading on the stock exchange and in the timber business. He built a steam sawmill, but it did not do well financially. At the same time, he lost a significant amount of money in the volatile markets. Add to that his health problems when he injured his leg. In a bad financial and psychological situation, he accepted a place in his sister`s flat in Bratří Veverkových Street, where he lived for the rest of his life. All his difficulties eventually resulted in his decision to take his life. On 2 March 1927 Jan Kašpar committed suicide. This plaque was installed in his honour by the town of Pardubice in 2010.

 

 

References

SVITÁK, P. První český letec, inženýr Jan Kašpar, a začátky českého letectví: příběh našeho prvního letce, jeho předchůdců, spolupracovníků a současníků s přihlédnutím k vývoji letectví ve světě. Pardubice: Východočeské muzeum v Pardubicích, 2003

 

DITRYCH, B. První a sám: neobyčejný život a zbytečná smrt aviatika Jana Kašpara. V Praze: Knižní klub, 2001

 

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