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While those of us living in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom enjoy basic freedoms and democracy, there are still many people struggling for basic freedoms and human rights in societies which deny them. Their lives, however, can be changed thanks to the commitment of people and organizations to provide them with support and help.

One of the countries where civil liberties used to be deprived was, for example, the former Czechoslovakia. Based on today’s research and surveys, young generations lack a basic understanding of what it was like to live under the totalitarian regime.  Read the rest of this entry (Čtětě více ZDE) »

Článek v ČEŠTINĚ dole (Klikněte na “Read the rest …”)

The fact that the Czech Republic and Slovakia have Name Days is known to many people, as well as to our readers that view our articles about these special days. How many of you actually know that there is such a thing as a Sir Name Day? A Czech entrepreneur Jan Švejda and his colleague invented a new calendar that is composed of the 365 most common Czech sir names or names of famous Czech people. The names were carefully assigned to days that were somehow similar to these names; usually based on significant days in world history or holidays. Some of the name and day selections were logical, others were funny, while a few of them were chosen with a sarcastic sense of humor. The calendar, named Prijmenar, has become very popular and it can be purchased online as well.

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June 10th has been a sad day of remembrance in the history of the Czech village Lidice since the year 1942. The story still touches many people, even though it happened more than 60 years ago. On that day Nazis murdered Lidice men and boys over the age of 15 years old. The Women and girls were sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp and about 100 children were sent to Gneisenau concentration camp, where only some of them later ended up in Nazi orphanages. Others were killed or died due to poor health. The village physically disappeared and was erased in German maps. The tragic act happened based on a false accusation that some Lidice residents were involved in the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich; also known as “the man with the iron hearth.” Read the rest of this entry (Čtětě více ZDE) »

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The first memorial of political prisoners and victims of communism available to the public was revealed yesterday in Valdice in the Czech Republic. The Valdice prison is an appropriate place for this statue because most of the prisoners were sentenced there for political reasons. The author of the statue, Jiri Sozansky, wanted to contribute by acknowledging the harm to political prisoners; mostly those that are still alive.

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One of our readers sent us some interesting photos. They describe our past from times that may be long forgotten – from the communist era. Some of the photos made us laugh, whereas others reminded us again how oppressed and isolated our lives used to be. If you lived in Czechoslovakia during this unfortunate time in our history, you know what we are talking about. For those fortunate ones, who did not live through these times, we can just explain what the slide show is about. Simply said, they bring back images of times, places and things that do not exist anymore. For example, you should stop to take a look at a roll of toilet paper that was as stiff as writing paper. Truly, it was a famous shocking item for foreigners that visited our country. You may also see a line to a meat market that did not have much to sell. Read the rest of this entry (Čtětě více ZDE) »

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Today is Mother’s Day and many of us visit our mothers, mothers-in-law, grandmothers … to spend more precious time with them and celebrate their motherhood before these moments only become distant memories. Jana Reichova, a well known Czech author of articles in the magazine Pozitivni Noviny that lives in Australia, wrote a touching story about her mother. We believe it still applies to many of us around the world:

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About a month ago we had an opportunity to meet Stefanie Vocasek. She is a young woman of Czech origin, who was born in the United States and knows a lot about her Czech heritage. Stefanie is 22 years old and lives in Lincoln, Nebraska. She is not only a student, but also has two jobs to support her independent and fascinating life. On top of that she just started making appearances at local elementary schools and events speaking about her Czech heritage. She has recently become the Czech-Slovak Queen of Lincoln and we were thrilled to find out more about her and how the Queen selection process works. We also wanted to find out how she was able to learn about Czech heritage so remote from the country her ancestors came from.

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Czech and Slovak Scouts had a tough past during communism and the Nazi regime. Their activities that taught young children democracy were prohibited. This youth organization is on the rise again and on the 24^th of April it celebrates a holiday for two main reasons. This day is dedicated to Svaty Jiri (St. George) in the calendar of Czech name days or Svaty Juraj in the Slovak calendar. The British funder of the scouts, Robert Baden-Powell, chose St. George as the scout’s patron saint for his good scouting qualities: faith, truthfulness, and dedication to help others. This day is also dedicated in remembrance of 18 Czech scouts that were executed at a Jewish cemetery in Poland. This holiday is, therefore, very significant for all young people with strong values and respect for others that fought for democracy in the past.

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Here is one personal story about Easter in the Czech Republic:

This Easter I was reminded of a trip to the Czech Republic during April of 1998. I remember sitting outside of the cabin at my relatives’ garden plot enjoying the warmer days after a pretty cold winter. My enjoyment was short lived when all of a sudden a group of young men approached our garden like an army commando and before I could take in the situation they were whipping my female cousin and her mom. I was completely in shock ready to defend them but when they began to douse them with water I soon realized that although they were screaming somehow they were not in peril from these would-be assailants.

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Today you can read a great story by Jan Drocár, published today in Pozitivni Noviny. The editors-in-chief kindly asked us to provide English translation of this story to give more people the opportunity to read about the history of the Czech Republic and its significant “players” throughout the history of the country. The article was created in honor of the new U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to the Czech Republic.

In the article below, you will learn about famous royal ancestors of today’s eminent and important members of our society. Did you know that the first American President, George Washington, and the British Queen Elizabeth II were descendants of the Přemyslid Dynasty? Surprisingly, even Tom Cruise is related to Czech royal families. Find out more in the article below or read its Czech version HERE.

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Článek v ČEŠTINĚ dole (Klikněte na “Read the rest …”)

Visiting the Czech Republic can bring many experiences. Some of them may be good ones, while others can bring negative impressions or embarrassment. Our new series on Czech etiquette should help you to overcome the culture shocks that visitors to the Czech Republic may experience. You may also follow these rules when visiting Slovakia, since the Czech and Slovak cultures are very similar to each other.

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Anna Pospichalova is not an ordinary woman. As you may have recently heard on news, she just received the award of Righteous Among Nations. Why did she receive this prestigious prize that so far only 22,000 people from around the world have received? She just wanted to save the lives of three Jews during World War Two, while risking imprisonment, torture, or even death. This Slovak-born lady, now living in the Czech Republic, already received one award for her good deed about five years ago, thus, she was very surprised when she found out she had won this award as well.

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