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"Soviet tanks have overcome the last German resistance and have entered Prague" was the news the capital's residents awoke to on the morning of May 9th 1945. The city had finally been liberated, bringing an end to over six years of occupation. For decades May 9th was celebrated as Liberation Day in this country, but after the fall of communism that date was brought forward to the 8th, the day marked by the Western Allies.

Charles Havlat is thought to be the very last American soldier killed in action in the European operations of World War II. The son of Czech immigrants, he took a bullet in the head while on patrol in southern Bohemia; shot by German soldiers who were unaware that a ceasefire had been declared and whose commander later apologised. Brian Kenety reports.

One of the major focal points of this year's anniversary was the return of American and Belgian veterans to Pilsen, the city they liberated in the final days of the war 60 years ago. Town officials as well as Belgian and U.S. representatives were all in attendance to honour soldiers' deeds in liberating Pilsen, while veterans like Leo Hymas, addressed the crowd.

Some of the last fighting of the war took place in Prague, long after most cities in Europe had been liberated. On May 5, 1945 Prague rose up against the collapsing Nazi regime, but some 3,000 people were killed in fierce fighting before the Russians liberated the city four days later. Czech Radio was at the centre of the Prague Uprising, and a large and dramatic reenactment of the battle for the station was held on Saturday.

On Sunday, Czechs are marking VE Day - the 60th anniversary of the surrender of Nazi Germany. On this cold and windy day, thousands gathered on Prague's Letna Plain, a huge open park just to the east of the Castle, to watch a unique military parade.

Prague's Kinsky Square was for many decades called The Square of Soviet Tank Crews. It was because a huge Soviet tank, a memorial to the liberation of Czechoslovakia in 1945, used to stand there on a 5-metre pedestal, its barrel menacingly pointing at a tram stop. Until one morning, in the spring of 1991, locals woke up and could not believe their eyes. The tank had turned pink overnight.

After weeks of hot debate and political turmoil the Czech Republic is finally settling down with its new government - or rather new-old government, as it differs only very little from the previous one. The coalition partners remain the same, only a handful of ministers have been replaced. The new Prime Minister, the former minister for local development, Jiri Paroubek, declares that the new team does not plan any big changes. The government still has to survive a vote of confidence in parliament next week, and there are still several dissidents

This time last year, the Czech Republic joined the EU amid much fanfare. But now that the country has been an EU member for over a year, what effect has it actually had? One Year On, a conference held by Czech Europhiles in Prague on Wednesday set about tackling this very question.

The City of Pilsen, the University of West Bohemia and the US embassy hosted their annual Pilsen Talks conference on Thursday. This year's topic focused on the liberation of southwest Bohemia and the transatlantic alliance. The conference officially opened celebrations throughout Pilsen to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of WWII.

Exactly 60 years ago, on 5th May 1945, the Prague Uprising against the German occupiers began here in the very building that houses Radio Prague. "Calling all Czechs" went the now legendary appeal over the airwaves, as defiant radio journalists here at our headquarters in Vinohradska Street, called on the people of Prague to rise up against their occupiers. In the three days that followed over 2,000 Czechs lost their lives in intense street fighting that focused more than anywhere else on the radio building.