Czechs in History | All stories

Last week marked the 59th anniversary of the final days that led-up to the end of the Second World War. In Bohemia those fateful days were defined by the Prague Uprising, which saw some 30, 000 take up arms in the Czech capital against their German occupiers. Though the Nazi grip on Bohemia and Moravia began to weaken, the threat of newer Nazi atrocities grew with every passing hour.

In Canada it is referred to simply as "The Game", a national sport, a spectator passion, and a winter pastime. But, Canadians are far from alone in their passion: though they may have invented ice hockey, this sport more than any other, carries similar resonance for the Czechs, whose own hockey tradition reaches back to the turn of the 20th century. It may have taken them forty years to become world champions and ninety to win Olympic gold, but few doubt the Czechs' place in the world of hockey today. They have stars in the NHL and one of the best

Poet, writer, and journalist, Jan Neruda has long been recognised as one of the outstanding figures of 19th century Czech literature, an author who mastered the art of the feuilleton, whose column was published regularly in the politically-liberal Narodni listy, and read widely by the masses. An ironical but also often melancholic poet who strived for modernity and the defeat of provincialism; a writer whose works were carefully dissected in his day who was endlessly expected to write his 'great' novel, but whose ultimate masterpiece remains his

In this edition we shall not be looking at the life of a single historic figure but an historic site - south western Bohemia's Rabi Castle - the country's most majestic surviving ruins, with a past that reaches all the way back to the 12th century. Anyone who has ever travelled by car or bus to the town of Susice near the Czech Republic's Sumava region will most likely remember the sight of Rabi, the castle's broken white masonry sharp against a blue sky or pelted by rain on an overcast day. A rich past, a history of survival and dilapidation,

Welcome to another edition of Czechs in History. Today we take you back to the 15th century: we'll be looking at the life of one of most famous and tragic figures of Czech nobility Perchta of Rozmberk, the most powerful of Czech aristocratic families in their day, the owners of castles and estates in southern Bohemian towns from Cesky Krumlov and Rozmberk, to the towns of Jindrichuv Hradec and Telc in the Czech-Moravian highlands. Whose father was Oldrich II, a shrewd politician married her off against her will; she, who suffered an intolerable

Welcome to Czechs in History. Today we look at the famous Czech actor Jan Werich, who never lost his ability to laugh or his sharp social awareness, even through two world wars. Known throughout his career as the "Wise Clown" his body of work is said to symbolize Czech intellectual humour. He has been crowned as a phenomenon of the first Republic amongst such revered names as Masaryk, Capek and Bata and has also been called the backbone of Czech modern theatre. Today we'll take you briefly through the phases of Werich's complex life and career.

Welcome to Czechs in History. In today's edition we look at the work of Bohumil Hrabal, the great Czech novelist whose contribution to modern European literature ranks among the very highest. Like James Joyce, who he valued greatly, Hrabal introduced a new syntax and poetics in his novels that captured many of his experiences from life. Hrabal showed a deep empathy for characters on the periphery and developed a lyrical and tragicomic sensibility to describe their lives, by extension our own. In just a moment we'll be talking with Dr Radko Pytlik,

Hello and welcome to Czechs in History. In today's edition: a look at Prague's most distinctive landmark St Vitus' Cathedral, ever visible above the city's Little Quarter, its Gothic and Neo-Gothic spires reaching above the Prague Castle, its most precious jewel and centrepiece. We look at how it was commissioned and constructed and how it survived times of turmoil and war. This site for coronations and final resting place for saints and kings of Bohemia - a cathedral unparalleled in importance in the Czech lands.

Welcome to Czechs in History - the programme that looks at the lives of Czechs and their legacies, great and small, be they monarchs, philosophers, politicians, or poets ... In today's edition something a little different: a tale from the underworld, the life and times of an infamous con artist, born in the Czech lands in 1890- a man known as Count Victor Lustig - whose cool audacity knew few boundaries, whose name has become the stuff of legend.

If one historic monument in Prague had to be singled out it would have to be the Charles Bridge. It is visited by thousands every year as they make their way to the imposing Castle above or tread down to Prague's Old Town Square. The bridge, though flanked by countless buskers, puppeteers, and trinket sellers today, retains its ancient grace, and the view is tremendous: late in the evening when its Baroque statues fall into shadow, nearby Petrin Hill is lit up by dozens of tiny lamplights. The dark waters of the Vltava River churl below and you