Czech/Slovak HISTORY abroad

Old Town Square will never be the same / Staromestske Namesti se zmeni

Marian column in Old Town Square /radio.cz image Marian column in Old Town Square before 1918

The Old Town Square, the most visited place in the Czech Republic, is expecting big changes. If you have ever been there, you probably remember the monument of Jan Hus, a fearless protestant who got burned at the stake in 1415. Now they want to put another monument next to him – a controversial, 16-meter tall Marian column. It was actually part of the Old Town Square architectural set up until a mob toppled it in 1918 to rid the capital of the new Czechoslovak republic of a symbol of catholic Habsburg oppression. You see, originally the Marian column was built in 1650 to commemorate the Habsburg victory over the Swedes. Do you see the dilema? [click to continue…]

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Tagged as: history, Prague

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Eat, Pray, Love? No! Speak, Czech, Love / Laska az za hrob

You hear about these love stories during the war and it makes you think, ‘Gosh what a devotion those two had for each other!’. No matter how many movies one had seen on this topic we are ready for more as soon as Hollywood spits out another one.
Well, this particular World War II love story comes from Radio Prague, which deserves the points for the discovery – it is wonderful! Lillian is a 92-year-old English woman (or was a 92 year old woman – she past away last month) who fell in love with a handsome Czech pilot who was fighting with the Allies. Now get this, he was determined to go out with her (and probably even marry her) even before he spoke a WORD of English! Through his English-speaking Czech friend he made her promise him that she would go out on a date with him if he learned to speak English in 6 months. [click to continue…]

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No Americans = No Czech Republic / Zadni Americane = zadne Cechy

President Woodrow Wilson may not be  the most famous president on the domestic soil but he is a celebrity in the Czech Republic. The main Prague station together with some parks and streets was named after him and now a new statue of him was unveiled in Vrchlicke Sady in Prague (the original statue from 1924 was taken down by the Nazis). The unveiling ceremony was attended by the highest Czech state officials such as the president Vaclav Klaus, the former president Vaclav Havel (it was also his 75th birthday on that day). The former secretary of state Madaleine Albright was also present.

Why such fame? Wilson was considered the foster father of Czechoslovakia for championing (together with T.G. Masaryk) its independence after World War I. The Czechs lost their independence to the Habsburg Empire in 1620 in the infamous Battle of White Mountain. For the next 300 years we were ruled  by the Austrian Monarchy until the end of World War I. [click to continue…]

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Tagged as: Czechoslovakia, history

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Benjamin Kuras:Events that made Czechs who they are now (part 2) / Udalosti, ktere Cechy udelaly (cast 2.)

It’s history time! What made Czechs who they are now? Last time we reviewed the unfortunate and quite brutal Prague defenestration, today we are going to go back and look at the very beginning of the Czech nation.

(The following summary is taken from Benjamin Kuras’ book called Events that made Czechs who they are now)

1. THE ARRIVAL OF THE CZECHS

The first Czechs came to the middle of today’s Czech Republic in about 6th century.

2. KING SAMO’S EMPIRE

Samo was a Frankish merchant who was the first ruler of the Slavs. He created Samo’s Empire which lasted for 35 years (623 – 658) but it falls apart after his death when about 35 of Samo’s sons try to steal everything in the orphaned empire for themselves. [click to continue…]

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Tagged as: history, literature

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Antique gypsy wagon gets a challenging facelift/ Stary cikansky vagon prodelal narocnou ‘plastickou’ operaci

 

Here is a wonderful article that one of the CMD readers wanted to share with us: a story of a vintage gypsy wagon from Fallbrook CA, how it got there and what kind of restoration process it underwent. However, here is the most important part of the article which is relevant to Czechmate Diary: [click to continue…]

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Tagged as: art, history

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Benjamin Kuras:Events that made Czechs who they are now: Prague defenestration (part 1) / Benjamin Kuras: Udalosti, ktere Cechy udelaly: Prazska defenestrace (1. cast)

I have just finished reading a REALLY good book which I would highly recommend to anyone (both Czech and English translations are available). It’s called ‘Czechs and Balances – a Nation’s survival kit‘, written by Benjamin Kuras, a Czech-born British author and journalist. The book depicts a historical overview of the Czech lands, from the very beginning up until  20 years after the Velvet Revolution. Although I have had a Czech history lessons at school for years no one really managed to connect all of the historical events until now. And on top of that Kuras manages to do it with humor too! [click to continue…]

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Tagged as: books, history, politics

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Help us create the Czech-American history! / Stante se soucasti Cesko-Americke historie!


Ivana is a grad student from Prague who is doing her thesis on us – the Czech-Americans! She has a fabulous questionare for people to fill out so please, if you get a few minutes, contact her and let her know you are willing to share your Czech-American life with her….and help building the Czech-American history.

‘Hi, I am a grad student from the Czech Republic and I am doing a research for my thesis, which concerns the Czech-Americans living in the U.S., but I don’t have enough contacts for nice people who would be willing to answer me some questions. The thesis concerns the generational gaps in perceptions of Czech identity, so I am especially interested in how much of the Czech identity do you actually keep in your lives. So please, if you want to help or if you know someone who would like to tell me about the life in the U.S., let me know on my email ivana.stojankova@gmail.com. Thank you very much.’

CZ: ‘Ahoj, jako studentka VŠ dělám výzkum k diplomové práci, která se týká čecho-američanů žijících v USA, ale chybí mi kontakty na hodné lidi, kteří by byli ochotní mi odpovědět na pár otázek. Téma diplomové práce je Generační rozdíly ve vnímání identity, takže mě hlavně zajímá, do jaké míry si stále udržujete českou identitu. Tímto Vás prosím, jestli se Vám chce pomoct nebo znáte někoho, kdo by si rád popovídal o životě v USA, dejte mi vědět na mail ivana.stojankova@gmail.com. Mockrát děkuji’

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Tagged as: history, polls, statistics

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Great video on the life of Czech-Americans! / Vyborne video o zivote Cecho-Americanu!

This is a must-see movie! It is entertaining and educational, you get a close look at one Czech-American family, learn how to make Czech puppets and discover how to cook a true Svickova or Bramboraky from a Czech chef himself.
Get a bowl of popcorn, make yourself comfortable and here we go! Click on the link below:

CZ: Toto je opravdu super reportaz of zivote Cecho-Americanu. Nejen ze se seznamite s Cesko-Americkou rodinou pana Jacoba Simonse, ale naucite se take, jak vyrobit ceskou pohadkovou loutku nebo se muzete naucit varit Svickovou a Bramboraky od sameho sefkuchare restaruace Zlata Praha. Takze se hezky uvelebte a jedem! Klikntete na nize uvedeny link.

http://www.ebru.tv/en/genres/LifestyleCulture/world-in-america/episodes/5/505-czech-americans

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Tagged as: art, Czechs in New York, food, traditions

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Baltimore and its unexpected Czech heritage / Baltimore a jeho prazvlastni Ceske kulturni dedictvi

Baltimore painted screens google imageDo you know what I love the most about blogging with Czechmate Diary? I learn something new almost every day! For instance, take this example: did you know that Baltimore used to have a neighborhood called Little Bohemia? I had no idea this Maryland capital has traces of Czech heritage!

I guess the city is known for its painted screens (see image above), which seem to be a mark of almost every house. This popular art craze was started by a CZECH GUY, William Octavec, who in 1913 painted his first screen, illustrating goods for sale inside his store.

This eye-opening article was sent to me by one of you guys, so thank you! If you would like to read the whole story click here.

CZ: Vite, co se mi na blogovani s Czechmate Diary libi nejvic? Ze se neustale dovidam plno novych informaci. Napriklad toto: vedeli jste, ze Baltimore, hlavni mesto Marylandu, mival mestkou ctvrt zvanou “Little Bohemia”? A to neni vsechno! Toto mesto je pry take velmi zname svymi malbami na oknech skoro kazdeho domecku. Tento prazvlastni malirsky trend zacal v roce 1913 Cech William Octavec, ktery se rohodl pokreslit okna sve samoobsluhy obrazky zbozi, ktere bylo v krame k dostani.

Clanek mi poslala jedna ctenarka, tak ji za to vrele dekuji. Podrobnosti si muzete precist zde.

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Tagged as: art

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Communists tore down the most beautiful station in Central Europe / Komuniste zbourali nejkrasnejsi nadrazi ve stredni Evrope

Tesnovske station /lidovky.cz imageIt has been 25 years since the most beautiful railway station in Central Europe was shamelessly destroyed by the Czech communist government. The Tesnovske station (formerly called Denisova station) was replaced by a horrendous highway which now runs right through Wenceslas Square – the heart of the historical center of Prague (see image below). How could the communists be so insensitive? Well, the railway station was not as productive as the very functional planned freeway – that is why. It fits perfectly with the communist ideology. “The communists considered historical buildings to be a backsliding architectural style. Such structures were symbols of bourgeoisie and the communists hated them,” explains Zdenek Lukes, the architectural historian. [click to continue…]

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Tagged as: communism, history, Prague

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