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
Bistro Strecha, good food and a great cause Strecha means “roof” and the first thing you’ll notice here is that it’s on the ground floor so if the name doesn’t relate to it’s location then maybe it’s to remind people that they are aiming high or that they have a safe place over their heads. … Read More
Book Review – Out of the Midst of the Fire On my Journey of a Torah Scroll post you’ll have read about my chance encounter with Rabbi David Maxa in Prague where he mentioned an interesting story of how a Torah Scroll taken by the Nazis in World War Two and sold by the Communist … Read More
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
The Terezin Ghetto Editors It’s December 1941 and the Nazis had begun the deportation of the Jewish community from all parts of the Protectorate (what Czech was called during WW2) to the new internment camp called the Terezin Ghetto. By the summer of 1942 conditions were getting worse with overcrowding and the Jewish Council in … Read More
Milada Horakova The story of a brave and honest woman who chose to fight. Born on Christmas Day 1901 in what was then called Royal Vinohrady, Milada Horakova was an active demonstrator against the Austro-Hungarians in the first world war. So much so that she was initially banned from her Grammar school but later completed … Read More
The Baby Boxes It inspires me that one day a regular guy takes a stand and says “no more”, puts himself at financial risk, takes on Czech officialdom and battles dogma in a LITERAL life or death struggle. What’s It For and Where Does The Idea Come From? A baby box is simply a safe … Read More
The Inspirational Story of Bohumil Fiala – A Lesson For Us All We’ve all done it. Walking through a park, there’s a guy slouched on the bench with a bottle of beer or box of wine next to him. We take a quick glance and then look away. What would happen if somebody decided to … Read More
Don’t Mess With Jakub – An Old Head on Young Shoulders Fifteen-year old student Jakub Cech became a bit of a celebrity after Czech media noticed his activities in the relatively small Czech town of Prostejov. The press, state TV and commercial television all marvelled at his view and for his age he had an … Read More
The Friends of Czech Heritage – People Working Hard to Restore Our Culture During the Communist controlled era, many of the Czech Republic’s finest palaces, castles, chateaus, gardens and parks were either destroyed or simply left to decay. Previous owners stripped of their rights of ownership, new owners with no money and no intention of … Read More