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Czechs have been marking the 92nd anniversary of the foundation of Czechoslovakia. Several events are being held on what is a state holiday to commemorate the establishment of the pre-cursor to the modern-day Czech Republic on October 28, 1918. The most significant include a ceremony at the national military memorial at Vítkov in Prague, and the presentation of state honours by President Václav Klaus at Prague Castle. Among the expected recipients this year are ice hockey star Jaromír Jágr, National Gallery director Milan Knížák and film critic Eva Zaoralová.

Celebrations and commemorative events have been held around the country to mark the 91st anniversary of the founding of an independent Czechoslovak state in 1918. Leading politicians, members of Parliament, cultural figures and war veterans attended a traditional ceremony at the national memorial on Prague’s Vítkov Hill, paying homage to those who fought for the country’s independence and contributed to its development. Among those present were the Czechoslovak Union of Freedom Fighters and the Union of Czechoslovak legions.

The celebrations of Czech statehood will traditionally culminate with a special ceremony at Prague Castle at which President Václav Klaus is to hand out over 20 state distinctions. The list of names remains secret but there has been speculation in the media that the choice of personalities will reflect the twentieth anniversary of the Velvet Revolution. Six hundred people have been invited to Prague Castle’s Vladislav Hall for Wednesday’s awards ceremony.

October 28 is an important holiday in the Czech Republic as the day that the Czechoslovak - and thereby Czech - nation was born out of the ashes of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918. That moment of independence was the triumph of a hundred-year mission to rebuild a national identity out of a dozen generations of Austrian rule. It is called the Czech National Revival, a cultural movement that re-awoke interest in Czech history, gave a new lease to the Czech language and pushed Czech art, and particularly music, to the forefront of Europe. As we

This October 28 marked 90 years since the founding of Czechoslovakia as an independent state. According to tradition, on the day the Czech president always addresses the country before bestowing state honours for outstanding individual service. Jan Velinger has more on the president’s speech and Tuesday’s ceremony at Prague Castle’s Vladislav Hall.

Prague witnessed its first major military parade since 1985 on Tuesday, to mark the 90th anniversary of the creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918. Czechoslovakia weathered many storms before finally splitting into two countries in 1993, but the anniversary is still celebrated here in the Czech Republic, although not in Slovakia. The idea to hold a large-scale military parade attracted criticism in some quarters, but seems to have been positively received by the public.

A demonstration by members of the far-right Workers Party has led to 13 arrests, according to Czech police. The demonstration took place in the centre of Prague, and reports suggest that members were immediately checked by police, with the 13 arrests made as a result of weapons possession charges. The demonstration was to mark a “day of unity” among members of the party.

The Czech Republic has seen its largest military parade for more than twenty years. The event comes as the country marks the 90 year anniversary of Czechoslovakia’s foundation as an independent state. The parade, which took place in Prague’s Evropská Street was attended by the Czech president Václav Klaus and also Defence Minister Vlasta Parkánova. An estimated 2000 people were in attendance, with around 200 items of military hardware on display. A number of Gripen fighter jets also flew over the site of the parade. No similar-sized event has been held in the democratic Czech Republic, as the connotations with similar displays during the communist era were thought to be too strong – a much smaller display, however, did occur in 2005. Not only military hardware and personnel were on display, but also members of the police, fire and ambulance services.

Exactly 90 years have passed since the founding of Czechoslovakia on October 28 1918, a date that is still celebrated as a national holiday in the Czech Republic. In this programme we look at the legacy of Czechoslovakia’s “First Republic”. It survived for just 20 years, brought to an abrupt end with the Munich Agreement of September 1938, followed six months later by the German occupation of what remained of the Czech Lands. During the 40 years of communist rule, the pre-war republic and its founding father, President Tomáš Masaryk, were virtually

A number of hugely important historical moments have been remembered in the Czech Republic this year: the communist takeover of 1948, the Soviet-led invasion of 1968, and the signing of the Munich agreement in 1938. But there is also one anniversary that Czechs can mark with pleasure – the foundation of Czechoslovakia 90 years ago, on October 28th 1918. Among the institutions marking that day is Prague Castle, which has organised several events.