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Current AffairsCzech government refuses to join EU’s planned fiscal compact
The Czech government has refused to join the European Union’s planned
fiscal compact which paves the way for a closer coordination of fiscal
policies within the bloc. At an EU summit in Brussels on Tuesday, Czech
Prime Minister Petr Nečas cited “ratification issues” as the main
reason why the country will stay out of the pact, as the only EU member
state besides the UK. The Czech refusal has already caused a stir on the
domestic scene as Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said the move would
harm the Czech Republic’s interests. Jan Czech Radio’s former
correspondent in Brussels, Ondřej Houska summed up the reasons Prime
Minister Nečas gave to back his decision. More
One on OneDocumentary filmmaker Martin Dušek on why his native region continues to inspire him
Martin Dušek, who often works with co-director Ondřej Provazník, is a
two-time winner of the main prize at the Jihlava International Documentary
Film Festival, the Czech Republic’s most prestigious documentary award.
His films “A Town Called Hermitage” and “Coal in the Soul” were
both shot in the former Sudetenland in North Bohemia, a border region whose
Sudeten German inhabitants were expelled from Czechoslovakia after the war.
Martin Dušek ’s latest film deals with his own Sudeten German heritage
– in a humorous and provocative way. I caught up the director to speak
about why this part of country continues to inspire him and how he
discovered his love for making documentaries. More
Czechs in HistoryThe Czechoslovak legions: myth, reality, gold and glory
The Czechoslovak legions occupy an almost legendary place in Czech history.
They comprise the armed forces that fought during and after World War I on
the allied side in pursuit of an independent Czechoslovakia. The biggest
force, and most potent myths, centre on the Russian force, which became
embroiled in the civil war, spending three years and travelling thousands
of miles before returning home. We look at the myths and facts about their
exploits. More
Czech HistoryPost-WWII political leader Prokop Drtina subject of new biography
The 1948 communist takeover of Czechoslovakia remains a trauma for many
Czechs today. Could the country’s fall under Soviet domination have been
prevented? Why did Czechoslovak politicians of the era so severely
underestimate the threat of communism? These are some of the issues
discussed in a new biography of the politician Prokop Drtina, one of the
key figures of the brief period between the end of the war and the start of
the communist regime. More
Current AffairsCrossing the great divide on All Souls Day
The Czech Republic may be one of the most secular nations in Europe but All
Souls Day - the day of remembrance for the departed – is a sacred family
tradition handed down from generation to generation. As the holiday
approaches the country’s cemeteries –well-tended throughout the year
– are ablaze with candles and flowers as Czechs pay their respects to the
dead. More
SpecialMusic of the First Republic
The independence of Czechoslovakia, which we celebrate each October 28, was
the result of a movement of many decades, and when at least it came, in
1918, after four hard years of war, the joy must have been very palpable.
There are so few alive today who can remember that period, but it is
certainly not lost to us, and one of the ways we can relive it is through
the music of the day.
More
SpotlightSvitavy – the birthplace of Oskar Schindler
You are not very likely to wander into Svitavy by chance. Located on both
the major road and railway line connecting Moravia and eastern Bohemia, for
most people Svitavy is just a name on their itinerary. But if you do come
and take a closer look, you’ll find a little town proud of its past and
working for a better future. Once an important town for Moravia’s textile
industry, re-populated after the expulsion of Svitavy’s German speaking
inhabitants, it only recently showed its pride in perhaps its most famous
native personality – Oskar Schindler. More
From the ArchivesA. J. P. Taylor: faith in socialist Czechoslovakia
A. J. P. Taylor (1906-1990) was one of the best-known and most influential
British historians of the 20th century. He is remembered in particular for
his provocative left-wing political views and his conviction that German
history made the country uniquely inclined towards aggression and
expansionism. This made him an ardent opponent of attempts to rebuild
Germany’s economy after the war, and a strong supporter of
Czechoslovakia’s growing alliance with the Soviet Union. In July 1946,
just after elections which saw the Communists emerge as the strongest
single party, Taylor visited Czechoslovakia. More
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