The Legacy of Josef Walter and Waltrovka

Crafting today’s blog post has been an immersive journey, requiring hours of devoted research and delving into so many of my favorite subjects. Get ready to unravel an enthralling array of historical revelations, ones that are likely to be new and enlightening to you, all centered around the captivating legacy of Josef Walter. From the...

History, NOSTALGIA

January 31, 2023

The Mysterious Journey of the Czechoslovak Legions

The Czechoslovak Legions occupy a revered place in Czech history as the armed forces that fought for independence during and after World War I on the side of the Allies. The largest and most famous group was the Russian force, caught up in the civil war, took three years to complete their journey, and traveled...

History, PEOPLE

September 24, 2022

We Will Remain Faithful – Věrni zůstaneme

Věrni zůstaneme is the motto of the Czech Republic Army. It means “We Shall Remain Faithful”, “We Will Remain Faithful”, or “We Remain Faithful”. After the Nazi seizure of power in 1933, Germany demanded the “return” of the ethnic German population of Czechoslovakia—and the land on which it lived—to the German Reich. In the late...

History

June 10, 2022

The Silent Village & The Second Life of Lidice

On June 10, 1942 the Nazis wiped Lidice off the face of the earth. This June 10th marks the 80th anniversary of the horrific massacre of the men, women and children of Lidice – a little village west of Prague that was literally wiped off the map by the Nazis during WWII. The men were...

History, Movies

September 7, 2021

The Mašín Gang: Defiance and Valor in the Face of Oppression

The significant event of October 3, 1953, witnessed the daring border crossing of five determined young men known as the Mašín Gang, equipped with four pistols, as they ventured from Czechoslovakia into East Germany. Driven by a crucial mission, their purpose was to securely convey a classified message from a Czechoslovak general to the U.S....

Bohemians, History

August 20, 2020

A Death to Remember

They slept that night in peace. The danger, they felt, had ended. Their democratic revolution would live. The Russians would not come in. As they slept, the chief of Czechoslovakia's secret police, who was scheduled to lose his job within a few days, arrived at Prague's new airport - to secure the field, he explained, for the arrival of an important Russian delegation. Within minutes, Czech and Soviet agents ringed the field, and airborne troops landed. At 1:00 a.m., the people of Prague awakened to the blaring of taxi horns and to news they could not at first believe.

History

December 9, 2019

American Airmen Killed in Czechoslovakia

75 years ago today, several American airmen were murdered in a Bohemian field in Czechoslovakia. These fighter pilots fighting against Nazis had safely crash landed and were sitting on the wing of their plane handing out food and cigarettes when they were picked up. Today you will learn the unknown story of these American airmen...

History

July 30, 2019

Poledník Lookout Tower – Then and Now

This wooden lookout tower in the mountains is known as Poledník. It is a Cold War secret surveillance tower which was used to spy on radio communications. An odd structure, right? The Poledník lookout tower is situated in the Šumava National Park near the Czech-German border, approximately 5 kilometers southeast of Prášily. Today, the lookout...

Czech Republic, PLACES

June 25, 2019

Watch This: Swingtime – StB – A False State Border Within the Republic

Imagine it… The StB – A false state border within the republic – and a fictional story of people who have crossed it. This is the theme of the the 2006 film Swingtime. It focuses on the so-called akce Kámen (Stone action), during which State Security agents deliberately mystified the citizens of the Czechoslovak Republic. Especially...

ENTERTAINMENT, Movies

July 2, 2018

The Letov L-290 Orel Maneuvering Through Prague

Imagine walking down the sidewalk in Prague when suddenly the larger than life body of an airplane moves past you. That is exactly what happened just a few months after the end of WWII with the plane that would be known as the Letov L-290 Orel. LETOV is an aircraft company located in Prague –...

History, Time Warp

June 25, 2018

Martha Gellhorn Reports on Czechoslovakia in 1938

Today we are looking at Martha Gellhorn’s report on Czechoslovakia in 1938. Martha Ellis Gellhorn (November 8, 1908 – February 15, 1998) was an American novelist, travel writer, and journalist who is considered one of the great war correspondents of the 20th century. She reported on virtually every major world conflict that took place during...

History, Periodicals

June 10, 2018

Memorial to Lidice by Bohuslav Martinů

On an unforgettable night in June 1942, the peaceful village of Lidice, Czechoslovakia, ceased to exist. It was neither earthquake nor flood that wiped this town from the verdant hills west of Prague; it was the dark evil of man’s nature. Nazi troops swept through the village as it slept, killing the men, deporting the...

Czech Republic, History

May 27, 2018

Resistance Has a Code Name: Operation Anthropoid

Being May 27th, we are looking at an evil monster from history known as the Butcher of Prague and the various films made about Operation Anthropoid, the plot to kill him in Czechoslovakia. Operation Anthropoid, with its course and consequences, is the most heroic and tragic story in the modern Czech history. Warrant Officer Jozef Gabčík (Slovak)...

History, Movies

May 4, 2018

1945 Soviet Propaganda Posters for the Liberation of Czechoslovakia

Today we are looking at 1945 Soviet propaganda posters for the liberation of Czechoslovakia as well as learning a bit about the Prague Uprising (aka Pražské povstání), an attempt by the Czech resistance to liberate the city of Prague from German occupation during World War II. “This is Prague! Americans and English, help us” We need guns....

History, LIFESTYLE, NOSTALGIA

January 30, 2018

Watch This: Dark Blue World or Tmavomodrý Svět

Coming from famous Czech director Jan Svěrák who also directed the film Kolya, comes Dark Blue World (2001). This is a historic action movie about a group of fighter pilots training to fight for their country which has been invaded by the Nazis in 1939. The plot follows two pilots in particular (Ondrej Vetchý and Krystof Hádekwho) who...

ENTERTAINMENT, Movies

October 31, 2017

An Abandoned Haunted Mansion of Nazi Torture

In the spirit of Halloween, we wanted to post something scary and sinister like an abandoned haunted mansion. Little did we know what a horrible and hideous hidden history we’d uncover when we came across the Pfaffenhof Mansion. Known as Fafák, or Veveří, the Pfaffenhof Mansion has an interesting history linking it to the SS Nazis,...

History, NOSTALGIA