Archive: History | Czech-German relations Czech-German relations
The East German refugees in Prague
For a few weeks in the late summer of 1989, Prague became the scene of a
bizarre – and now largely forgotten - refugee crisis. It had all begun in
the spring, when Hungary had declared its decision to take down the barbed
wire on its borders with Austria. A growing number of East Germans,
desperate at the suffocating lack of reform in their country, took
advantage of this new gap in the Iron Curtain as a way of fleeing to the
West. But smuggling themselves into Austria was an uncertain business, and
before long, they started seeking refuge at the West German embassy in
Budapest - and then in Prague. It was much closer to home than Hungary and
easier to get to, as East German citizens did not need a visa. More
The Four Corners of the Czech Republic, Pt. II: The Sudetenland
On the one hand, defining one’s territory is said to be a basic human
trait, and on the other there is nothing that comes so natural to people -
when given a say - as to defy a boundary and explore the other side. The
Czech/German/Polish tri-border is an excellent example of this. More
The Bohemian Quarter – a chapter of Czech history in the heart of Berlin
In the heart of Berlin’s Neukölln neighborhood is Rixdorf, an area that
is also known as the Bohemian Village. The settlement originated in the
first half of the 18th century, under the auspices of the Prussian King
Friedrich Wilhelm I., who welcomed Bohemian Protestant refugees into his
empire. In the Habsburg Empire, they had been banned from exercising their
faith. We recently visited this fascinating area of Berlin and talked to
Cordelia Pollina, the director of the Bohemian Museum, which is devoted to
the history of this neighborhood. More
EU human rights court rules Czech state denied Kinský fair trial in property restitution case
The European Court of Human Rights denounced the Czech state for having
denied a fair trial to František Oldřich Kinský, an Austrian aristocrat
who sued the country over his property claims. The court said that Mr
Kinský, who passed away nearly three years ago, had been subjected to
abusive treatment by the Czech authorities when he sued to get back family
property worth around 40 billion crowns. More
Svitavy – 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
A. 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
Czechs and Bavarians celebrate historic anniversary of railway re-opening
For many decades, a train station located right on the Czech-German border
was a symbol for the division between Germany and communist Czechoslovakia.
The train station once connected a Bavarian and a Czech town that both
carried the same name in Czech - Železná Ruda. After World War II, it
was defunct and even set to be demolished. Its re-opening in 1991 was one
of the most significant events in Czech-Bavarian history after the Velvet
Revolution. Now, both towns are once again collaborating – on a
celebration of the twenty-year-anniversary of the train station re-opening. More
In the footsteps of their father: The journey of Mary and George Jaksch
In 1939, the chairman of the German Social Democratic Workers Party in the
Czechoslovak Republic, Wenzel Jaksch, saw himself forced to escape his
native land after it was invaded by Germany – staying would have put him,
who opposed the growing influence of the Nazis in Sudeten-German politics,
in grave danger. Wenzel Jaksch successfully escaped to London, via the
Beskydy Mountains and Poland. He later shared his amazing story – and
based on his written account, his children, George and Mary Jaksch, have
set out for a pilgrimage in their father’s footsteps, over 70 years
later. More
New documentary opens up sensitive chapter in country's post-war history
In the run-up to the 66th anniversary of the end of WWII Czech public
television featured a documentary throwing more light on events that have
received little publicity in the past – the atrocities committed on
German civilians in post-war Czechoslovakia. The subject has been avoided
for years, but film director David Vondráček says Czechs need to hear
about what happened and face up to events they may not be proud of. More
September 1938: last-minute appeals for moderation as Hitler builds upforces on the Czech border
This week we continue our look into the dramatic events in Czechoslovakia
just before World War Two. By the summer of 1938, Hitler’s Germany was
demanding nothing less than the immediate annexation of the entire
Sudetenland – all parts of Bohemia and Moravia with a German speaking
majority. The Sudeten German Party had made big gains among German speakers
in local elections earlier that year, and the Nazi rhetoric of their
leaders was unambiguous. More
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