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Czech HistoryTell of Bubeneč reveals oldest evidence of ploughing in the Czech lands
The Prague district of Bubeneč, in the bend of the Vltava river, is a
quiet, mostly residential part of town, and a scene of continuous
archaeological discoveries. People have been living in the area since at
least the 5th millennium BC, when the phenomenon of agriculture began to
spread through Central Europe. Only last year the district made the
international news with the discovery of an atypical burial site from the
ancient Corded Ware culture. Now archaeologists working on the site of the
new Canadian embassy have found what appears to be the earliest use of
agricultural ploughing in the Czech lands. In this episode of Czech
History, Christian Falvey speaks with Petra Maříková Vlčková, one of
the members of the archaeological team. More
Science JournalScience Journal
There’s a hole in the middle of Prague, and we want you to know what’s
in it. The early 1980s metro station at Národní třída is the scene of a
fascinating archaeological dig that we’ll be visiting in this month’s
Science Journal. More
MailboxMailbox
In this edition we read from your letters of condolence on the death in
December of the former president Václav Havel; we quote from your answers
to December's mystery Czech quiz question; and we announce a brand new
question for January. Listeners/readers quoted:Mary Lou Krenek, Allan
Loudell, Jana Zimmer, Lynda-Marie Hauptmann, Andy Martynyuk, Madeleine
Blum, Bibi Z. Shah, Jaroslaw Jedrzejczak, Caitlin Brown, Colin Law, Charles
Konecny, Jonathan Murphy, Hans Verner Lollike. More
Current AffairsRožmberk family tomb discovered in south Bohemian monastery
The house of the Rožmberks was once one of Bohemia’s richest and
mightiest noble families which at times even challenged the power of the
king. The family controlled a large estate in southern Bohemia, its seat
being Český Krumlov castle. The last member of the family died 400 years
ago and was buried in a local monastery. But the location of the legendary
Rožmberk family tomb remained a mystery for centuries – until new
research into the monastery tomb produced surprising results. More
Czech HistoryThe life and legacy of Saint Agnes of Bohemia
This Saturday a special mass will be celebrated in honour of Saint Agnes of
Bohemia, on the 22nd anniversary of her canonization by the Roman Catholic
Church in 1989. In a couple of weeks’ time a large exhibition will open
in the convent of St Agnes in Prague founded by Agnes herself. Those are
just two events in a long series to mark the 800tha birth anniversary of
one of the country’s most revered patron saints. In today’s Czech
History we look at the life and legacy of this extraordinary noblewoman. More
SpecialA tale of two brothers, and the building of a nation
For the occasion of September 28, I’m here at a place that some people
actually call the real centre of the Czech Republic. Not the geographic
centre to be sure, but certainly the focal point for much of the Czech
Republic’s rocky modern-day history. It’s a statue of a man on a horse
(which people call ‘the horse’ when they arrange one of the hundreds of
meetings that take place here each day). But it’s of course the man on
the horse that has overseen everything over the last hundred years from the
declaration of Czechoslovak independence to the various political
demonstrations that gravitate here today. Above me is of course Saint
Václav, or Wenceslas, from which the surrounding square takes its name,
and his likeness has adorned this place for at least three hundred years,
in different incarnations. Legend has it that when worse comes to worst for
the Czech lands he will come un-petrified, and ride away to quash their
enemies – a disconcerting prophesy when one considers the parades of
Nazis and Communists that the statue saw come and go. But even in that,
there is a good point to be made: this symbol of Czech statehood is
indomitable; the legacy of St. Václav rides on through the ages, now for
about the 1,076th year. More
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