Related articles
SpotlightNepomuk and environs - some facts and lots of fiction
If there were a capital city of legendry in the Czech Republic, the town of
Nepomuk would be a hot contestant for the honour. There are said to be
graves that glow when someone’s about to die, a landscape littered with
the petrified cattle of a greedy pagan and the ghost of an evil musketeer
who walks the earth with the still-ferocious spectre of his dog. The
official population of Nepomuk may be 3,700, but that’s only if you count
the living. More
SpotlightThe Giant Mountains - a world of legend
For this week's Spotlight we're in one of the most beautiful regions of the Czech Republic, the Krkonoše or Giant Mountains, straddling the Czech-Polish border, a hundred kilometres north-east of Prague. These are the Czech Republic's highest mountains, rising well over a thousand metres, and at this time of year, they are decked with a thick blanket of snow. The Giant Mountains is a wonderfully poetic and evocative name... and indeed Krkonoše does have its very own legendary giant, known as "Krakonoš" in Czech and "Ruebezahl" in German. More
Current AffairsJan Žižka at Grunwald: from mercenary to Czech national hero
The Battle of Grunwald, where 600 years ago the Polish and Lithuanian
armies defeated the mighty order of the Teutonic Knights, changed the map
of central Europe. The legendary Czech 15th century general Jan Žižka
took part in the battle on the side of the Poles. But Žižka was yet to
become the leader of the Hussite movement and a Czech national hero. When
the armies clashed at Grunwald on July 15, 1410, Jan Žižka was a ruthless
mercenary ready to fight for whichever side hired him.
More
SpotlightNepomuk and environs - some facts and lots of fiction
If there were a capital city of legendry in the Czech Republic, the town of
Nepomuk would be a hot contestant for the honour. There are said to be
graves that glow when someone’s about to die, a landscape littered with
the petrified cattle of a greedy pagan and the ghost of an evil musketeer
who walks the earth with the still-ferocious spectre of his dog. The
official population of Nepomuk may be 3,700, but that’s only if you count
the living.
More
Letter from PragueThings to think about on Vítkov Hill
Of all the good things to see in Prague that are on hills, I like to take
new guests to the monument on Vítkov instead of, say, Prague Castle. For
one thing there are fewer steps.For another, a friend who was here for
three days found a WWII coin on the ground and I’ve been hoping in vain
to find one too for 10 years now.
More
SpecialMilitary Prague
In today’s Special, we look at Military Prague: a few of the key moments
in the city’s history, from the first Slavonic settlements, to the
founding of Prague Castle and achievements later in the 20th century. Like
any major city, Prague’s military history is impossible to separate from
other historical developments: technological, economic, and cultural. As a
site in the Czech lands it is of course difficult to overstate its
importance. More
PanoramaThe Black Ambulance and other urban legends
Did you know there was a black ambulance riding around Czechoslovakia
during the 1980s, kidnapping children for their organs? Ask any Czech who
lived at that time and they’ll confirm it to you. In fact, however,
it’s unlikely that anything like that ever happened. It’s just a legend
created by oral tradition; in other words, it’s an urban myth.
Ethnographer Petr Janecek recently published what is his second collection
of such stories, proving that folklore is definitely not a matter of
history. Its title - Cerna Sanitka or The Black Ambulance - refers to one
of the most popular stories of its kind.
More
MagazineMagazine
A Czech wants to bike down Mount Kilimanjaro! 101 things to do with
marihuana - why not build a house with it? And, the largest equestrian
statue in the world looks over Prague. Do you know who is on it? Find out
more in Magazine with Daniela Lazarova.
More
MailboxMailbox
This week in Mailbox: the origin of the name of Jan Zizka of Trocnov, Radio
Prague jingles, North Korean workers in the Czech Republic, Skoda cars in
winter. Listeners quoted: Timothy Merkel, Angela Golas, George Derringer,
Jonathan Murphy, Don Schumann.
More
+1
