History

“Great crises produce great men and great deeds of courage.” – John F. Kennedy On the morning of May 27, 1942, around 10:30, two men, Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš, waited in the sharp bend of a road near the Bulovka hospital in Prague 8. Bicycles parked nearby for an escape, and a long coat…

I bet that if you were asked to name a Czech sculptor or two, you would probably be slumped. I don’t blame you, Czechs are not exactly Florentines when it comes to art. Some names do, however, keep popping up and Josef Václav Myslbek, who died exactly 100 years ago on 2nd June 1922, is…

Springtime in Prague is beautiful. Plants are just starting to bloom, sidewalk seating spread around town, and, even though it may not look that way this year yet, the winter coats are shelved for warm weather clothing. But wait! Before we can feel safe knowing the warmth will stay, we need to ensure that the…

Have you ever heard of the convent of Saint Agnes in Prague? We’d bet you haven’t! And guess what, the other tourists haven’t either. While crowds of them clog the Old Town Square and Charles Bridge, there are these inconspicuous places in Prague that will simply take your breath away. Anežský klášter is one of…

The Velvet Revolution was “swift, entirely non-violent, joyful and funny.” Timothy Garton Ash, historian   On November 17, 1989, a student march in Prague set in motion a change that would affect the entire country. Within 12 days of this march, the Communist government was falling apart and just after Christmas 1989, Czechoslovakia would become…

There are two churches to Cyril and Methodius in Prague. One Roman Catholic; the other Orthodox. Both have dealt with a tragedy. One was a short burst of violence during WWII, while the other dealt with the ravages of a massive flood. One is better known by those outside Prague, while the other is more…

“When you realize that something is just and true, then be so resolute that you will be able to die for it.” – Milada Horáková in a letter to her daughter   On Christmas, 1901, Milada was born in Prague while the city was still part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. By the time she was…

“Great crisis produce great men and great deeds of courage.” – John F. Kennedy   On the morning of May 27, 1942, around 10:30, two men, Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš, waited in the sharp bend of a road near the Bulovka hospital in Prague 8. Bicycles parked nearby for an escape, and a long…

“I think of the hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom.” Bob Dylan Two Rivers, Wisconsin is a small town on Lake Michigan. The population is around 12,000 and the only reason you may have heard of it is that it claims to be the birthplace of the…

Springtime in Prague is beautiful. Plants are just starting to bloom, sidewalk seating spread around town, and the winter coats are shelved for warm weather clothing. But wait! Before we can feel safe knowing the warmth will stay, we need to ensure that the evils of winter are gone. “How does one do that?” you…

“He died because he wanted to shout as loud as possible. He wanted us to realize what was happening to us…” Charter 77, January 1989   In 1968 Czechoslovakia was pursuing changes in the communist government under the guidance of the newly elected Alexander Dubček. This hopeful, but short lived, attempt was erased with the…

As a young boy, my parents gave me a collection of Grimm’s Fairy tales. These were not the sanitized ones given to most children in the US, these were the originals in all their gory glory. Instead of some moral or lesson the revised editions would teach, I read stories that had the “hero” cutting…

Symbols and their evolution can give us great insight into the organization, religion, or region that uses them. A good symbol can tell the story of  a group. The cross in Christianity certainly tells a story. The three colours of the Czech flag also  have meaning. White for the people, their honesty and peacefulness. The…

  When you hear about Czech food, most probably the first thing that comes to your mind is a rich dish of roasted pork, lots of cabbage and dumplings as a side dish, and of course, rivers of mouth-watering beer to help swallow it all down. There’s no denying that the Czechs love their steaks,…

As a young boy growing up in the US, I would sometimes hear a song around the Christmas time about the “Good King Wenceslas,” some guy named Steven, and a feast. I never gave it much thought. Just another in a line of boring holiday music. Wenceslas was supposed to have magic feet to warm…

“I work on the motto that if something is not impossible, there must be a way to do it.” Sir Nicholas Winton   By October of 1938, the infamous Munich Agreement had been signed which resulted in the annexation of the Sudetenland, a region in the west of Czechoslovakia, to Germany. Later, in 1939 and…

It’s 2018! It’s the centennial of Czechoslovakia! There is a big pile of things to see and do throughout Prague. One image you will see all over the place is a poster of a grandfatherly figure with a bushy mustache. His calm demeanor hides an incredibly far-sighted and driven man. This man is Tomáš Garrigue…

On the 28th of October 1918, a new country has formed in the heart of Europe. By declaring its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Czechoslovakia was born and it lasted for 75 years. Although the Czechs and Slovaks waved goodbye to each other in 1993, when the country was separated into two independent states, they…

The Czech Republic is a country greatly affected by its socialist past. Formerly united with its Slovak neighbour under Czechoslovakia, the two countries experienced 41 years of a one-party communist rule that left behind a deep sense of disillusionment and frustration. Although there were continuous attempts at overthrowing this rule, it was not until the…