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opening paragraphs of the czech declaration of charter 77

Charter 77

Politics and History – Charter 77 You don’t have to spend too much time watching Czech news to learn that famous people have died. Sometimes however the name is followed by a simple phrase “Charter 77 signatory”. In our current time of being able to say pretty much whatever we like and not have to … Read More

map showing location of historic vltava and kaprova prague fords now replaced by bridges

The Prague Fords

The Prague Fords It has always fascinated me how Prague has developed. On the walking tours I’m often asked the question about why the city of Prague originated in its current location. Anybody in the world will know the answer to this question if they understand their own geographical history. I was actually born in … Read More

main prague uprising memorial on the old town hall

WW2 Prague Uprising

The WW2 Prague Uprising A frequent question on my walking tours is whether the centre of Prague was bombed during World War Two because it looks so old. I answer this question more fully on my World War Two Walking Tour but in summary, yes it was bombed but no the majority of any damage … Read More

prague wenceslas square rokoko palace with linden tree outside

The Linden Tree

The Linden Tree, Slavic Icon About 4 months after arriving in Prague I was having a conversation with a local guy and I asked what was the national flower of the country. He replied that they did not have a national flower but they did have a national tree, the Lípa (pronounced like leepa) or … Read More

czech president benes and the benes decrees

The Beneš Decrees

The Beneš Decrees As I write this, Ukraine is being invaded by Russia, some towns are being occupied and Russian supporting people are being put in public administrative positions. It made me think of events in Czech in 1945 when the occupying power was kicked out and retribution swiftly followed against those considered, rightly or … Read More

klement gottwald addresses a crowd of people on the old town square in prague

1948 Communist Coup

1948 Communist Coup All over this website on the historical and political posts as well as many of the attractions you’ll see me refer to the “Communist takeover” or the “Communist coup d’etat” which is still referred to historically as “Victorious February” by our local communist party. It’s worth taking some time to see where … Read More

The Plaque to Thomas Vokes and William Greig on the Na Smetance School in the Prague vinohrady district

Thomas Vokes and William Greig

Thomas Vokes and William Greig, Scottish Heroes of the Prague Uprising On May 5th 2021 a memorial plaque was unveiled at the Na Smetance primary school in the Prague 2nd District of Vinohrady. Strangely it commemorated two British soldiers called Thomas Vokes and William Greig who fought with the Czechs during the Prague Uprising exactly … Read More

pre-ww2 czech roma id card used during ww2 roma internment

WW2 Roma Internment

WW2 Roma Internment In World War Two a group of people were racially profiled, segregated, interned, transported, tattooed and executed. But this isn’t a story about Jewish people. In England we might know them as travellers, some people call them gypsies but in Czech they are called Roma. As far back as 1933, Adolf Hitler … Read More

prague flag two horizontal bars gold over red

Prague Flag

Prague Flag People who come to Prague often wonder why there are so many Spanish flags in the city. However, if they had looked closer they would have seen that the Spanish flag is Red-Yellow-Red and the one you see throughout Prague is Yellow over Red. So where does it come from and who can … Read More

black and white picture of the ocean liner ss patria in 1918 with three funnels plus fore and aft masts

SS Patria Disaster

SS Patria Disaster A trans-Atlantic liner called the SS Patria sank on 25th November 1940 at the port of Haifa in what was then Palestine. You’re thinking what the hell as this got to do with Prague? Well for me it all started with a photo. In 2015 I was preparing to start my Walking … Read More