Culture

May 8, 1945: The Liberation of Prague

May 8 is, as in several European countries, a national holiday in the Czech Republic for the observance of the anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe; it was on this day in 1945 when Germany’s formal surrender was signed in Berlin. On May 8, with Allied troops approaching from west and east, the Czechs negotiated a cease-fire with the Germans. That afternoon, an agreement was signed in Prague between the com-mander of the Czech National Army and the German commander. All fighting would cease at 8 p.m. that evening. All German army units, SS troops and German State organizations would begin to leave Prague and its surroundings. The Czechs had liberated their capital. Entering Prague in the wake of its self-liberation, the First Ukrainian Army, commanded by Marshal Konev, acquired the prize that Stalin had so desired. A previous agreement between American and Russian forces stated that the Red Army would be the one to liberate Prague; however, some American Army forces had come as far as the suburbs of Prague, and some negotiators persuaded General Toussaint, commander in charge of the German forces, to agree to the cease-fire. The American tanks that had entered...

 by Prague Morning May 08, 2020

Na Zdraví! The New Slivovice Museum in Prague

The Czech Republic is not only the land of beer. In East Moravia, there are other alcoholic beverages with a centuries-long tradition: fruit brandies, especially those made with plums. The most famous fruit distillery is that of Rudolf Jelínek in Vizovice, which has roots dating back to the 16th century, though the company was not officially founded until 1894. The company is famed in particular for its production of fruit spirits, above all Slivovice produced in several variants (white, gold, Jubilee, Kosher). Rudolf Jelínek has recently opened the Slivovice Museum in Prague, which includes an interactive exhibition of fruit distillates, a tasting bar, and a shop. You can look forward to projections, exhibits, and an exclusive 5D experience with virtual reality. During the interactive exhibition, you will get acquainted with the main principles of production, history, and tradition of the company, as a major Czech producer and exporter in the production of fruit spirits and other alcoholic beverages. Tastings are possible during the tour for visitors 18 years and older. Distillery Land also includes a shop where you can purchase the whole line of R. Jelínek products. In 2003, the company started planting its own plum orchards on the southern...

 by Prague Morning May 07, 2020

May 7, 1945: Nazi Germany Surrenders in World War II

On May 7th, freshly arrived Wehrmacht and Waffen SS units started attacking from the North and east of Prague.

 by Prague Morning May 07, 2020

Jewish Gravestones Found in Wenceslas Square

Dozens of paving stones made from Jewish headstones have been found during redevelopment work in Wenceslas Square

 by Prague Morning May 06, 2020

May 6, 1945: When the Germans Retook the Main Radio Station in Prague

In Prague, May 6 was a day of crisis. The Germans retook the main radio station, but Czech partisans continued broadcasting from another base. About half the city was occupied by the resistance, and his scattered units needed time to concentrate. Barricades and snipers made treks to assembly points hazardous affairs, but the Germans were able to gather units close to the radio station. Reinforced with the SS units, the Germans struck at the radio station. As resistance fighters tried to stem the tide of infantry, assault guns, and tanks, a new voice came over the airwaves begging for help from the Allies. “Prague is in great danger! The Germans are attacking with tanks and planes. We are calling urgently our allies to help. Send tanks and aircraft immediately. Help us defend Prague. At present, we are broadcasting from the radio station. Outside, there is a battle raging.” The voice belonged to William Grieg, a Scottish POW who had escaped from the Germans. Grieg found himself in the middle of the uprising and was asked by the Czechs to make the appeal. With fighting erupting all around him, Grieg calmly sat in front of the microphone and sent out the...

 by Prague Morning May 06, 2020

Why Are Pencils Yellow?

Visitors to the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris entered the fairgrounds under the shadow of the newly-built Eiffel Tower—a gleaming marvel of wrought iron lattice that stretched almost a thousand feet into the air. Once inside, they could gawk at a massive reconstruction of the Bastille or gasp as Annie Oakley demonstrated her legendary marksmanship in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. Amidst this myriad of spectacles was a rather less dramatic—but no less influential—innovation from a Czech manufacturing company named Hardtmuth Pencil. Its latest creation was formed, as all pencils are, of a graphite core housed in a protective wooden sheath. What stood out was its color—Hardtmuth’s “luxury pencil” was painted yellow. In 1802, the company – which was founded by Josef Hardmuth in Vienna in 1790 and relocated to České Budějovice in 1848 – patented the first pencil lead made from a combination of kaolin and graphite, a technique that allowed for the hardness of the graphite to be varied. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, a large supply of graphite was discovered in eastern Siberia. In 1889 at the World’s Fair in Paris the Czech company Hardtmuth introduced a new line of pencils (the Koh-i-Noor 1500) containing the world’s finest graphite from the Far East. Hardtmuth chose...

 by Prague Morning May 05, 2020

The Borders Are Closed But Our Imagination Is Not

By Maximilian Colloredo-Mansfeld—Anglo American University While we are still in these times of the Covid virus, it’s hard not to think about the isolation we all are going through, as well as the stress and anxiety that it includes. Surely it is important but one cannot always dwell on the negative; sometimes we need a ticket out. A ticket to a place without a virus, and instead adventure and memories of green summer grass and dusty country roads. One might call me crazy but there is such a place; it’s called “Covid Corner” and the conductor of your imagination is Mark Slouka, an American-born writer of Czech descent, living in Prague. The Author of Brewster (2013), All That Is Left Is All That Matters: Stories (2018) and Nobody’s Son: A Memoir (2016), reads to us from Kenneth Grahame’s children’s novel, The Wind in the Willows. With his soothing voice and an animated way of reading we are transported from his son’s couch into a world of toads, moles, rats, badgers, and a hint of civilization. Much like his storytelling, his own books follow the same intensity. Ariel Leve, an American journalist, describes Nobody’s Son in a review for The New...

 by Prague Morning May 04, 2020

75th Anniversary of World War II End to be Commemorated Online

Plans for the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II have been re-shaped due to the Covid-19 pandemic. They will mainly be held online, and through social networks. “This year, to celebrate the end of World War II and the U.S. Army’s role in liberating Czechoslovakia in 1945, Ambassador Stephen King has recorded a message honoring those who sacrificed to end the war, both U.S. and Czech, and thanking the Convoy of Liberty and the many towns throughout southwest Bohemia who joyfully celebrate the U.S. role in bringing freedom to Czechoslovakia in 1945. “In addition, Embassy officials will send a personal video message to each municipality that had planned to host a commemoration this year. Ambassador King’s video message may be found here “The British embassy will celebrate the upcoming 75th anniversary of the end of World War II through social networks,” said British Ambassador Nick Archer. The French embassy also had to cancel the planned event to mark this anniversary. “We will congratulate you on this important event on our website and social networks,” said the Embassy Press Secretary Katerina Etrichova. The Slovak Ambassador, Peter Weiss, is giving a speech on Czech Radio. On May 5, 1945,...

 by Prague Morning May 02, 2020

May 5th: Live Stream Concert to Support People in Need

Liverpool native Adam Oliver, Aka MadMusicianPrague will play another concert on the 5th of May at 8 pm. This show is organized as part of A Maze in Tchaiovna cafe/performance space’s series to support the bulk food distribution program. During the show, viewers can pledge donations that allow the staff to prepare large quantities of basic meals for distribution to the city’s needy and also raising funds for the homeless. Four the last four years Oliver has been an established solo performer in Prague and his odyssey from his native UK to Czechia via Poznan, Poland is reflected in musical diversity as he flows from RHCP to Green Day, the Clash to Jason Mraz and seamlessly intersperses his own catchy and thoughtful compositions. As well as becoming a fixture on the city’s live music circuit prior to lockdown Adam Oliver and four-piece Royal Flush had been working on new material since getting together at the beginning of the year. Adam Oliver and the A Maze in Tchaiovna ask Prague Morning readers to take a break from quarantine monotony with this installment in their charity series to help those less fortunate. Donations can be made through PayPal to paypal.me/MadMusicianStudios You can watch the...

 by Prague Morning May 02, 2020

Art of the Long Century: A Virtual Tour

The National Gallery Prague and the Bohemian Heritage Fund prepared an interactive virtual tour of the exhibition 1796–1918: Art of the Long Century which includes some of the most important works in the collections of the Gallery.

 by Prague Morning Apr 29, 2020

Music Festival Prague Spring to be Held Online This Year

For the first time in its 75-year history, the Prague Spring International Music Festival finds itself in a situation where it will be unable to present its concert program as planned. “It is difficult to foresee which restrictive measures will still be in place at the time this year’s Prague Spring is due to start and, for understandable reasons, we cannot expect a mandatory standpoint from the relevant bodies of the state administration. The Prague Spring has therefore decided to seek an alternative so that music may continue to bring hope to its listeners during this troubling situation,” says festival director Roman Bělor. The festival is putting together approximately ten concerts for live broadcast, available free of charge via the Prague Spring website. Selected concerts will also be included in the schedules of Czech Television, the festival’s General Media Partner, and of Czech Radio, which has accompanied the festival since it was founded in 1946.  Smetana’s My Country, a pivotal work of the festival, cannot be performed live on the 12th of May; however, the Prague Spring is in discussions with Czech Television regarding the proposal to include in the broadcast a recording of one of the exceptional performances from previous years. The program for the Closing Concert was...

 by Prague Morning Apr 27, 2020

5 Unusual Everyday Tips for Improving (Not Only) Your Czech  

During isolation in this coronavirus world, there is time to reinvent passion for learning not only the Czech language.  Determination and a few useful little tricks can help add the new language to the daily routine without much effort.  From the very morning, there are thousands of opportunities on how to upgrade language skills. Language teachers and coaches got together unusual language learning tips to quit the usual learner’s excuses. THINGS YOU LOVE WILL MAKE YOU WISER In her e-book How to Learn (not only) Czech Language Through Social Media, Lenka from CzechTime invites people to use social media for something else than just procrastination and coronavirus-news-scrolling.  She found a better use for them. “Join and Like your favorite groups, ideas, sports, people etc. on Facebook and Instagram BUT in the language, you are learning”.  Example: If one is Italian and misses their home or just loves Italy and is learning Czech, the advice is to find an Italy fan blog in Czech e.g.Itálie v Brne on Facebook and Like and Follow it. The FB wall will be full of both, Czech language and Italy after such Likes and learning happens without even knowing.   LEARN TO LISTEN  It is...

 by Prague Morning Apr 20, 2020

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