History

17th November 1989 One of the biggest years in history in the eyes of the people of Eastern and Central Europe is undoubtedly 1989; different Communist governments were steadily being overthrown and the Berlin Wall finally came down, unifying the countries of East and West Germany to form what is known …

Václav Havel is a former playwright and dissident, who rose to become the President of the nation of Czechoslovakia as it made the transition to a democratic country with a free market economy. Václav Havel was a chain smoker, who cut a scruffy appearance and was noted for being a …

More than two decades after the Velvet Revolution and the fall of communism, the popularity of Prague as one of Europe’s premier tourist destinations shows no signs of slowing down. And while it’s no longer the travellers’ bargain it was, the Czech capital’s combination of a thrilling history, glorious architecture, …

After the War Czechoslovakia found itself as a free country once again, led by President Beneš until the onset of the Cold War. The Cold War though led to many in Czechoslovakia voicing their desire to model themselves on the Communist ideology that was beginning to gain prevalence throughout the …

Early in 1968, Antonín Novotný – a politician known for his hard line stance – was replaced as the First Secretary of the Communist Party by the reformist figure of Alexander Dubček, a Slovak. This appointment of a man who had risen through the ranks of the Communist Party undoubtedly …

The legacy of Communism still very much lives on in the hearts and minds of the Czech Republic and still affects the psychologies of the people, as well as the economic and social state of the country. What is evident is that Communism is something that stole a lot from …

During September of 1941, the SS 2nd in-command, and a personal favorite of Hitler, Reinhard Heydrich, who was 1 of the Holocaust masterminds, agreed to replace the ineffectual Otto Neurath as the Czech governor. Heydrich thoroughly understood the part that the Nazi-founded Protectorate of Moravia and Bohemia had in the …

Two thousand years ago, the Romans expelled the Jews from Israel (the Holy Land). However: “The Torah was their sanctuary which no army could destroy.”, and throughout the following centuries, Jewish culture survived in enclaves across the globe. Jews initially arrived in Prague during the tenth century. The main intersection …

Accumulating tension between the Slovak and Czech majority, and the country’s sizeable German minority, reached a peak when, during 1938, Hitler ordered self determination for the German speaking people of Czechoslovakia. To appease Hitler, France and Britain relinquished the borderlands of the country. During March of 1939, after convincing Slovak …

Bohemia was being ruled by absent kings after George’s death till 1526, when the throne was claimed by the Habsburgs. This vehemently Catholic dynasty governed over the remnants of Rome’s Holy Empire, and concentrated their efforts on guarding their borders with Europe against the significant threat from the Ottomans. At …

Many experts believe that the Roma (gypsies), who make up about 0.3% of the Czech population, originated in India, but it is still uncertain how they came to arrive in Central Europe in the 15th century. As soon as they arrived, they were seen as “different” and were cut off …

The Hussite period is perhaps the most important period in Czech history, but it is certainly the most exciting. Jan Hus was a university professor at Charles University and he was a strong believer in the ideas of the English theorist John Wycliffe. Hus was the main protagonist in the …