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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 Krkonose 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 Krkonose does have its very own legendary giant, known as "Krakonos" in Czech and "Ruebezahl" in German.
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SpotlightPernstejn Castle: still standing despite a disastrous fire
Pernstejn Castle is some 35km north-west of the south Moravian city of
Brno. Standing on a rocky hill above the villages of Pernstejn and
Nedvedice, it overlooks the highlands of Bohemia and Moravia. It was built
in the second half of the 13th century and is one of the best-preserved
castles in the country today, attracting some 75,000 visitors a year.
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Czech BooksPrincess Libuse: the wisest woman in Czech literary history
Today we look at one of the legendary figures in Czech history - sometimes
described as the "Mother of the Czech Nation" - the medieval
princess Libuse or Libussa, who has inspired many writers through the
centuries. I'm joined by Pavla Jonssonova, who has studied the way that
the Libuse legend has been interpreted by different writers, and to what
extent it reflects the possible real history of Libuse. More
Current AffairsDay of Czech Statehood commemorates patron saint of Czech nation
September 28th is St Wenceslas Day, commemorating the Czech nation's patron
saint, Prince Wenceslas, or Vaclav. He was slain by his own brother in the
year 935 near Prague. But Prince Vaclav was not the only man of that name
who played an important role in Czech history.
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MailboxMailbox
In this week's edition of Mailbox: the European elections, the train v. the
bus, the Jan Zizka memorial. Listeners quoted: Kingston Nkrumah, Carolyn
Pratt, and Emmanuel Bromis.
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SpotlightLounovice pod Blanikem
For today's Spotlight we've come to the town of Lounovice pod Blanikem, pod
Blanikem meaning "under Blanik", a mountain associated with some
of the most colourful and famous of Czech legends. They say the story of
the Knights of Blanik was first told to Charles IV by a blind young man,
who was travelling through his kingdom.
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SpotlightSvaty Jan pod Skalou (St. John under the Cliff)
In this week's Spotlight, we visit the picturesque little village Svaty Jan
pod Skalou, some thirty km southwest of Prague and only nine kilometres
away from the popular gothic Karlstejn Castle. Despite a population of
only 120, Svaty Jan pod Skalou, translated into Saint John under the
Cliff, boasts a large number of beautifully preserved historical
monuments. This, thanks to the efforts of the St. John Society, which was
established by local inhabitants after the fall of Communism to restore
and bring back to life the treasures, left unattended and damaged by the
Communist government.
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Czechs in HistoryPerchta of Rozmberk - the White Lady of Bohemia
Welcome to another edition of Czechs in History. Today we take you back to
the 15th century: we'll be looking at the life of one of most famous and
tragic figures of Czech nobility Perchta of Rozmberk, the most powerful of
Czech aristocratic families in their day, the owners of castles and
estates in southern Bohemian towns from Cesky Krumlov and Rozmberk, to the
towns of Jindrichuv Hradec and Telc in the Czech-Moravian highlands. Whose
father was Oldrich II, a shrewd politician married her off against her
will; she, who suffered an intolerable marriage to Jan of Lichtenstein.
And who, according to legend, survived death to become the most famous of
White Ladies - a ghost haunting her family estates. We'll be talking to
well-known Czech author Eda Kriseova who worked on a book about Perchta of
Rozmberk for almost thirty years. Her insights and Perchta's story - all
ahead.
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Czechs in HistoryJan Zizka
And now it's time for Czechs in History, with me Nick Carey, and this week we take a look at the life of Jan Zizka, the commander-in-chief of the Hussite forces at the start of the Hussite Wars...
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