.

Memorials

may 9th 1945 plaque to 11 year old pepicek smejkal

May 9th

May 9th 1945 Memorials Look at any English language text books and they’ll all say that World War Two in Europe ended on May 8th so how unlucky was it to be killed on that day or even the day after. The Czech Republic has a state holiday on May 8th to commemorate the end … Read More

postcard showing the soviet tankers memorial tank 23 in prague

Tank 23

Tank 23 – Memorial to Soviet Tank Crews The story goes that on the morning of May 9th 1945, Soviet Red Army tanks entered Prague (fun fact – there is a memorial that marks where they crossed the Prague border in what was then the village of Liboc in Prague 6). The first tank was … Read More

Prague Last Address Memorial Plaque

Last Address Memorials

Last Address Memorials If you enjoyed reading the story behind the Prague Stumble Stones then you might also be inspired by another growing international memorial to look out for called the Last Address. Whereas the Stumble Stones are embedded in the ground outside the last freely chosen address of a person before being deported in … Read More

memorial to the prague jewish garden cemetery shaped like black gravestones

Prague Jewish Garden

Prague Jewish Garden Not so fast, this is not some horticultural post about what grows in a Jewish garden. This relates to a cemetery close to Wenceslas Square that pre-dates the current Old Jewish Cemetery by 200 years and is recognised as the oldest Jewish burial ground in the country. In the mid-13th Century a … Read More

split graphic with a black and white picture of a cross on the left and on the rights taken through a wire fence are spray painted scenes of life in the gypsy camp 1

The Pig Farm

The Pig Farm Before you read this post you might like to get the necessary background by reading the Roma Internment in World War Two post. In 1992 an American journalist called Paul Polansky was in the regional Czech town of Trebon researching the 19th century emigration of Czechs to the USA and found that … Read More

memorial plaque in prague for tank guards lieutenant ivan goncarenko of the red army

Ivan Gončarenko

Ivan Gončarenko Every now and again I start researching an apparently simple story which takes you in different unexpected directions. The story of a death of a soldier is not uncommon in Prague. It’s how he died, when and where, where he was buried then, where he’s buried now and how he came to be … Read More

the jan hus monument on the old town square in prague with granite stone base and statues of bronze alloy which gives them a greenish black appearance

Jan Hus Monument

Jan Hus Monument The period from 1850 to 1918 is known as the Czech National Revival. All aspects of “what it was to be Czech” from an ethnic, cultural, political and religious point of view were being investigated and highlighted. Famous Czechs of the past were being honoured and by the early 20th Century it … Read More

a city street lamp post in prague with 4 lights and the model of a bike on a blue sky, the memorial is called bike to heaven

Bike to Heaven

Bike to Heaven A 30 year-old man died in Prague on January 12th 2006. It did not make the national news but years later the unveiling of an artistically original memorial in Prague replayed the story, who he was, why he died and what the city did about it. This is the story of the … Read More

the prague 1890 flood memorial to 20 soldiers who died during the event

Prague 1890 Flood

Prague 1890 Flood One of the memorials which caught my eye in the 8th District on the edge of Karlin where it meets Invalidovna has the names of 20 people and an abbreviation “Rak-UH 3 Pol.Praporu”. Well the Rak-UH was easily translated to “Austro-Hungarian” and with a bit of extra effort it was revealed to … Read More

the memento mori street lamp pointing upwards to the nusle bridge

Memento Mori

Memento Mori Underneath the Nusle bridge in Prague is the Folimanka Park and in the park is a street lamp. At first glance it looks like many other street lamps until you notice that the light is pointing upwards not downwards. It is Memento Mori, the Memorial to the Nusle Bridge Suicides. Back in 2004 … Read More