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Current AffairsParoubek plans gesture towards "anti-fascist" Sudeten Germans
The expulsion of ethnic Germans from Czechoslovakia after World War II
remains a live issue, with calls from Sudeten Germans for the return of
their property regularly dismissed by Czech politicians; they say the
expulsions were legal and demands for compensation have no validity. But
now the Czech prime minister, Jiri Paroubek, is planning to make a gesture
towards the Sudeten Germans - or at least the minority who actively
resisted the Nazis.
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Current AffairsMemorial to President Benes sparks controversy
A memorial to the second Czechoslovak President Edvard Benes was unveiled
on Monday in front of the Foreign Ministry headquarters near the Prague
Castle. President Benes is not as widely popular today as his predecessor,
Tomas Garigue Masaryk. But he is still very much respected among many
Czechs, who see Edvard Benes as a champion of democracy and fighter
against Nazism. Their view is, however, not shared by the Sudeten Germans
— ethnic Germans expelled after World War II —who blame President Benes
for their plight.
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Talking PointExpulsion of Czech Germans: bitter memories and disrupted relations
In recent days Czech towns have been commemorating the end of the Second
World War. But among the events of 60 years ago that many prefer not to be
reminded of, is the expulsion of the German minority (the so called
Sudeten
Germans) from Czechoslovakia. The expulsion was the culmination of the
clash between Czechs and Germans in the lands of Bohemia and Moravia,
which had erupted in such a brutal way during the German occupation. But
now even 60 years after the war this event still represents a sensitive
issue in Czech public life. More
SpecialMemories of World War II in the Czech Lands: the expulsion of Sudeten Germans
In this series women to recount some of their memories of wartime.
More
MailboxMailbox
In this week's Mailbox: Canadian music on Radio Prague, famous
"Sudeten Germans", Czech calendar. Listeners quoted: Franz
Koester, Scotland; Richard Hall, Canada; Alex Zhu, China; Ashik Eqbal
Tokon, Bangladesh.
More
Talking PointNative sons and daughters of Zatec (Saaz) return to mark a millennium of recorded history
Better known abroad by its German name, Saaz, the region of Zatec north of
Prague is world famous as the home of wonderfully aromatic hops, which are
used to add flavor to Czech beer but also to European, American and even
Japanese brews. This month Zatec celebrated one thousand years of recorded
history -- much of it turbulent. More
Current AffairsSeventy prominent German intellectuals and politicians make a gesture of reconciliation to their neighbours
Seventy prominent German intellectuals, writers and politicians, including
the chairman of the federal parliament have signed an open letter to the
Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza, very publicly renouncing claims to any
property in the neighbouring countries of Central Europe. All the
signatories have one thing in common. They, or their parents, originally
came from what is now the territory of Poland or the Czech Republic, but
were expelled after the Second World War. Millions of ethnic Germans were
forced to move westwards, as the map of Europe was redrawn after the war,
an episode that continues to create tensions within the region. David
Vaughan joins me in the studio. More
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