What Went Down in July?

The July prophecies indicate that this seventh month represents sunshine, harvests, and plenty, which many earlier prophecies have mentioned. While this month’s name comes from the way fruit ripens in the sun, July’s history has its share of challenges. You can learn about significant events that happened in July in the Czech lands.

1 July 1991 – declaration of the Podyjí National Park

The smallest of the four Czech national parks and the only one in Moravia is Podyjí National Park. Located between the towns of Znojmo and the Austrian Hardegg, along with its Austrian counterpart, Thayatal National Park, it preserves the scenic river valley of the Thaya. The views of the meandering river are some of the most stunning in the Czech Republic, with features like vineyards, charming small memorials, and viewing arbors waiting to be explored.

1 July 2025 – declaration of the new SPA Soutok

The area known as the Moravian Amazon, where the Morava and Dyje rivers meet, along with the Soutok Game Reserve—the biggest game preserve in the Czech Republic—has been designated as the Soutok Protected Landscape Area. This landscape is known for its unique atmosphere, characterized by a floodplain forest that includes waterways, backwaters, and small ponds.

2 July 1699 – completion of the Prague Sun Monstrance

If you visit the Loreto in Prague, you can admire the Loreto Treasury, which features the Prague Sun monstrance. This stunning piece of Baroque goldsmith artistry is adorned with over six thousand diamonds, reportedly sourced from the wedding dress of Ludmilla Eva Franziska, Countess of Krakow, Kolowrat.

3 July 2003 – inscription of the Jewish Quarter and St. Procopius Basilica in Trebic on the UNESCO World Heritage List

In Trebic, a city rich in history, you can see several important monuments. The Jewish Quarter, which includes the Jewish cemetery, along with the Basilica of St. Procopius, were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2003.

4 July 1956 – proclamation of the Moravian Karst Protected Landscape Area

The Moravian Karst is the largest and most developed karst region in the Czech Republic, showcasing a wide range of karst features. It is home to more than 1,100 caves, many of which are open to the public year-round. Visitors can also explore the Macocha Abyss and the House of Nature of the Moravian Karst.

July 5 – Day of the Slavic Saints Cyril and Methodius

This national holiday celebrates the important year of 863 when Saints Cyril and Methodius arrived in Great Moravia. They not only introduced Christianity, but also written language and literacy, which helped our ancestors engage more deeply in religious practices. Their legacy—Glagolitic script, Old Slavonic, along with cultural identity—is still recognized today.

6 July – Day of the burning of Jan Hus (1415)

On this day in 1415, the reformer and preacher Master Jan Hus was executed by burning at the stake in Constance for his beliefs. His death sparked a significant wave of opposition, eventually leading to the Hussite Wars. Today, Hus is regarded as a symbol of integrity, bravery, and the quest for justice. This day is observed as a national holiday.

6 July 2019 – inscription of the Mining Cultural Landscape of the Erzgebirge and the National Stud Farm in Kladruby nad Labem on the UNESCO World Heritage List

In the Ore Mountains, both the surface and the underground are intriguing. The entire range is crisscrossed with hundreds of kilometers of mining tunnels, many of which date back over five centuries. In 2019, mining-related sites in the Saxon and Czech Erzgebirge were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, along with the National Stud Farm in Kladruby nad Labem and its surrounding landscape.

7 July 1839 – arrival of the first train to Brno and the first railway accident

The private railway company Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway officially opened the first section of the railway line from Vienna to Breclav on June 6, 1839 and connected Brno to Vienna a month later. Interestingly, the very same day of the inaugural ceremony saw the first railway accident to occur in our land.

9 July 1357 – laying of the foundation stone of Charles Bridge in Prague

At precisely 5 hours and 31 minutes, Emperor Charles IV laid the foundation stone for the stone bridge spanning the Vltava River in Prague, which later became known as Charles Bridge in honor of its founder. The chosen time was significant, comprising a specific sequence of odd numbers from one to nine and back, forming what’s called a palindrome. While the awesome sequence of numbers 1-3-5-7-9-7-5-3-1 is captivating, it’s worth noting that this was established long after the bridge’s original founding. Nonetheless, the construction, planned by Petr Parléř, was finished in 1402.

13 July 1925 – Venus of Věstonice was discovered in Dolní Věstonice

The most renowned archaeological discovery in the Czech Republic is the Venus of Věstonice. This ancient artifact was uncovered by Professor Karel Absolon and his team on July 13, 1925, at the site in Dolní Věstonice. The original figurine, made from sphagnum and containing stone remnants along with small Jurassic fossils, is now part of the Moravian Museum’s collection in Brno. To celebrate the one-hundredth anniversary of its discovery, a special exhibition showcasing the piece is set to run until September 28, 2025 at Dietrichstein Palace on the Green Market.

July 18, 1891 – the first electric trams started running in Prague

In Prague, the Letná tram line launched the first electric tram service in the Czech Republic, known as the Křižík Electric Railways. This line stretched 766 meters, connecting the famous Letná restaurant to present-day Stromovka and Výstaviště, which hosted the Jubilee Exhibition of the Land back then.

July 20, 1885 – opening of the National Museum

The foundation digging for what would become the National Museum began at the top of today’s Wenceslas Square in Prague. During a public competition for the museum’s design, architect Josef Schulz impressed the jury particularly with his concept of a central Pantheon. The museum was built over a span of six years, costing around two million gold pieces.

July 22, 1927 – Ferd the Ant makes his first appearance

In the magazine Pestrý týden, the character Ferd the Ant, created by Ondřej Sekora, made his debut in a comic story about a drunken ant. At that point, the character was not meant for children and was yet to adopt a polka-dotted scarf.

25 July 1891 – the first cable car to Petřín

The funicular to Petřín, the oldest one in the Czech lands, became operational in Prague. Its service was halted in 1916 due to the First World War and was not restored until 1932 when it was also converted to electric power. The operation was temporarily stopped in 2024 because of heavy rains, with plans to resume in 2026 after necessary repairs.

July 26, 1855 – Grandma, a book by Božena Němcová, was first published

Božena Němcová (1820-1862) was one of the first celebrated female authors during the 19th-century national revival. Her most famous work, titled Babička which means “Grandma” and subtitled Images of Country Life, was inspired by her childhood spent in the Ratibořice valley near Česká Skalice, an area now known as Grandma’s Valley.

28 July 1914 – the beginning of the First World War

The Sarajevo Assassination and the subsequent declaration of war on Serbia by Austria-Hungary ignited a global conflict known as the First World War. This was in direct response to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914. The war quickly escalated and resulted in disastrous consequences, including millions of casualties. For the Czech lands, this marked four years of hardship and a shift in circumstances that led to the establishment of an independent Czechoslovakia after the war.

28 July 2021 – inscription of the Jizera Mountains beech forests on the UNESCO World Heritage List

The beech forests in the Jizera Mountains became the first natural monument from the Czech Republic to be recognized by UNESCO. The Jizera Mountains Beeches National Nature Reserve is not only the largest protected area in the Jizera Mountains, but it’s also one of the biggest National Nature Reserves in the Czech Republic.

29 July 1817 – foundation of the Moravian Museum in Brno

The Moravian Museum in Brno was established in July 1817, making it the second oldest museum in the Czech lands. For over two centuries, it has focused on researching, preserving, and showcasing the cultural and natural heritage shaped over millions of years, through its exhibitions. Today, the museum’s collections comprise over six and a half million artifacts from various disciplines, with one of its greatest treasures being the Venus of Věstonice.

July 30, 1971 – František Venclovský was the first Czech to swim the English Channel

František Venclovský (1932-1996) was an athlete known for long-distance swimming. In 1971, he became the first Czechoslovakian to swim across the English Channel, finishing the crossing in 15 hours and 26 minutes. After completing a second crossing of the channel on August 30, 1975, he earned the title of Merited Master of Sport.