Brno, Dec 21 (CTK) – Czech historian Ctibor Necas, an acknowledged expert on Romani history and persecution of the minority during World War Two died on Tuesday aged 84, the Museum of Romani Culture has written on its website.
Necas promoted the establishment of the museum.
He was also active as a professor and scientist at the Masaryk University in Brno.
The museum’s director Jana Horvathova wrote Necas had been her professor of history in the 1980s and that he had steered her interest back to the roots, to the Roma.
“Throughout all times, he closely cooperated with the museum. Besides, his admirable scientific work provided material for the professional direction of the museum, its research and documentation. Moreover, he was a true gentleman and a very decent and modest man,” she added.
Necas was one of the first historians to have systematically studied Romani labour camps during the World War Two. He promoted the setting up of memorials in Lety near Pisek and in Hodonin near Kunstat, the sites of Roma concentration camps.
According to information on the website of the Historical Institute of Masaryk University, Necas wrote over 200 works on the Roma. His monograph on the Holocaust of the Czech Roma published in 1999 became acknowledged worldwide.
He was gathering memories of Roma concentration camp survivors, he held educational seminars and, according to his colleagues, he contributed significantly to the understanding between the Czech majority society and the Romani minority.
He was awarded the Brno municipality award and the South Moravia region award.
