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Franz Joseph: The most beloved emperor of the Habsburg Monarchy
January 28, 2013. Read count: 22107.
Born on August 18, 1830, in Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace, Franz Joseph was the oldest son of Archduke Franz Karl and Princess Sophie of Bavaria. He would become the most respected and most beloved member of the Habsburg dynasty, ruling the … Continue reading
The Small Fortress at Terezín concentration camp
January 28, 2013. Read count: 8033.
Inscribed in the capital, black lettering on a gate at the small fortress of central Bohemia’s Terezín is the Nazi slogan, “Work makes you free.” Walking through the eerie courtyards, death seems almost tangible – visitors can feel the presence … Continue reading
The Vienna State Opera
January 28, 2013. Read count: 4113.
When the Vienna State Opera opened in 1869 with a performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, the exterior of the building triggered harsh criticism because it was austere rather than romantic in style. The interior, though, earned high acclaim. On March … Continue reading
Saint Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna
January 23, 2013. Read count: 5150.
History Dating back to Romanesque times, the most famous Viennese landmark marks the cityscape with its 137-meter high south tower and 230,000 colorful glazed roof tiles. During the 14th century, the cathedral got a Gothic makeover, and it was renovated … Continue reading
The Ghetto Museum in Terezín
January 23, 2013. Read count: 7144.
The museum’s focus Informing visitors to Terezín about the history of the ghetto established by the Nazis in central Bohemia’s walled fortress town in November of 1941, the Ghetto Museum focuses on familiarizing tourists with the arduous and horrific daily … Continue reading
The Secession House in Vienna
January 23, 2013. Read count: 5289.
Secession style Perhaps Vienna’s Secession House is the ultimate symbol for the Secession style – also called Art Nouveau. Established in 1897 by a group of artists guided by Austrian symbolist painter Gustav Klimt, the Secession organization devoted itself to … Continue reading
Vienna: The City of the Habsburgs and Art Nouveau
January 23, 2013. Read count: 5501.
The 137-meter south tower and glazed roof tiles of Saint Stephen’s Cathedral dominate the Vienna skyline, and the city is filled with tributes to the Habsburg rulers, especially the 68-year reigning Emperor Franz Joseph. Habsburg’s history permeates the town. The … Continue reading
Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna
January 9, 2013. Read count: 6482.
Proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996, the majestic SchönbrunnPalace with its yellow façade boasts state rooms and private apartments on the piano nobile, splendid monument-filled parks, and a zoo. The glory days of Empress Maria Theresa’s reign were … Continue reading
Rudolf Slansky and the Slansky Trial
December 10, 2012. Read count: 8416.
Childhood and life through World War I This longtime Communist became the central victim of the purges that he helped orchestrate and was the most powerful politician executed during the totalitarian era in Czechoslovakia. Slansky was born in Nezvestice on … Continue reading
Jan Amos Komensky: an educational reformer
December 10, 2012. Read count: 8054.
A symbol of the Czech nation This 17th-century religious and educational reformer was fiercely Protestant, a member of the Unity of the Brethren denomination (also called Unitas Fratrum) and its last bishop. His work and life focus on his relationship … Continue reading
Jan Opletal: Dying for democracy during the Occupation
November 13, 2012. Read count: 7104.
On October 28, 1939, eight months after the Nazis had taken over the Czech lands, the last big demonstration of anti-Nazi resistance resulted in medical student Jan Opletal’s death. His funeral would become a huge protest against the Occupation that … Continue reading
Alexander Dubček: The leader of the 1968 Prague Spring
November 12, 2012. Read count: 12797.
Alexander Dubček is best known as the Slovak First Secretary of Czechoslovakia who instigated the liberal reforms of the Prague Spring in 1968 when the country experienced more freedoms than it seemed destined to find its own individual identity while … Continue reading
Karel Hynek Mácha: A leading poet of Czech Romanticism
November 8, 2012. Read count: 5589.
This pioneer of Czech Romanticism died on November 6, 1836, at the tender age of 25. However, in such a short time he managed to found modern Czech poetry and authored works of prose as well. His best-known verse, one … Continue reading
Anniversaries
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk: A founding father of CzechoslovakiaThe Velvet Revolution
September 30, 1938: The Munich Agreement
Saint Wenceslas (Václav): The Czech nation's patron saint
Jan Palach
Architecture
Zelená hora and Žďár nad SázavouThe Rothmayer Villa: A gem of modern architecture
The Müller Villa and the innovative design of architect Adolf Loos
The Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna
The Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew in Pilsen (Plzeň)
Telč: A Renaissance masterpiece
Salzburg, Austria
Prague Architecture - Guide to Architecture, part 2
Prague Architecture - Guide to Architecture, part 1
Nelahozeves Chateau
Museum Island: Five dazzling museums in Berlin
Loket Castle: A Gothic experience
Krakow, Poland
Kladruby Monastery: A jewel of west Bohemia
Josef Gočár: a prominent Czech architect
Hluboká nad Vltavou Chateau
Berlin Wall Memorial: The Divided City during the Cold War
Berlin: A city for every tourist
Art
The Rothmayer Villa: A gem of modern architectureThe Müller Villa and the innovative design of architect Adolf Loos
The Gemäldegalerie in Berlin: Seventy-two rooms of outstanding art
Telč: A Renaissance masterpiece
Salzburg, Austria
Petr Brandl: A leading Baroque painter in Bohemia
Museum Island: Five dazzling museums in Berlin
Kladruby Monastery: A jewel of west Bohemia
Ivan Lendl: Alfons Mucha Exhibition in Prague
Gustav Klimt: A pioneer of artistic vision in Vienna
Egon Schiele: an Austrian painter in Cesky Krumlov
Czech Coronation Jewels
Bohemia Crystal
Berlin Wall Memorial: The Divided City during the Cold War
Behind the Door (Za dvermi) Festival in Prague
Alfons Mucha: Czech king of the Art Nouveau
Composers and Prague
Mozart and PragueBeethoven's Prague Connection
Bedřich Smetana and his opera "The Bartered Bride"
Culture
Vyšehrad CemeteryThe Karlovy Vary Film Festival
The Five-Petalled Rose Celebrations in Cesky Krumlov
David Černý: The defiant and controversial Czech artist
Summer Shakespeare Festival
Strings of Autumn
Salzburg, Austria
Prague Spring International Music Festival
Prague Baroque Music Festival
Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle
Litomysl International Opera Festival
Fresh Film Fest
Cesky Krumlov Music Festival
Bohemia Crystal - The Art of Czech Crystal
Behind the Door (Za dvermi) Festival in Prague
A Famous Czech Song
Czech Chateaux
Melnik ChateauLednice Chateau: A Neo-Gothic Wonder
Kuks: A variety of sights at the Baroque complex
Konopiště Chateau and Archduke Franz Ferdinand d’Este
Jemniste Chateau
Hluboká nad Vltavou Chateau
Czech Cuisine
The romantic spa town of Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad)Czech Beer, Breweries and Beerhalls
Czech Film & Theatre
The Grandhotel Pupp in Karlovy VaryPrague Dance Festival - TANEC PRAHA festival
Miloš Forman
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Jan Werich: A pioneer in Czech theatre and film
Behind the Door (Za dvermi) Festival in Prague
Czech Holidays
The Velvet Divorce - January 1, 1993September 28th – The day of Czech Statehood
October 28: Foundation of Czechoslovakia
November 17 - The Velvet Revolution
New Year's Eve in the Czech Republic
May 1st - Labor Day
May 1945 - Prague Uprising and Liberation
Reformer Jan Hus
Czech Easter
Cyril and Methodius
A Czech Christmas
Czech Literature
Karel Hynek Mácha: A leading poet of Czech RomanticismJan Amos Komensky: an educational reformer
Czech Music and Singers
Karel Gott - An international singing sensationBehind the Door (Za dvermi) Festival in Prague
Czech Spa Towns
The romantic spa town of Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad)Czech UNESCO Sites
Zelená hora and Žďár nad SázavouThe Villa Tugendhat: An architectural gem in Brno
The ossuary or Bone Church in Kutna Hora
The Italian Court (Vlašský dvůr): The royal mint in Kutná Hora
Telč: A Renaissance masterpiece
Saint Barbara’s Cathedral in Kutná Hora
Olomouc - UNESCO Site
Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle
Litomyšl - UNESCO Site
Kutná Hora and the Bone Church - UNESCO Site
Kromeriz Chateau and gardens
Hrádek (The Little Castle) and the Silver Museum in Kutná Hora
Cesky Krumlov Attractions: Cesky Krumlov Castle, Baroque Theatre and the Revolving Auditorium
Český Krumlov - UNESCO Site
Brno: A Moravian marvel
Eastern Europe Destinations
Vienna's Sisi: Empress Elisabeth of AustriaMunich, Germany
Budapest
Bratislava: Slovakia’s captivating capital
Berlin Wall Memorial: The Divided City during the Cold War
Exhibitions
Vienna’s Sisi Museum in the Hofburg PalaceNicholas Winton Exhibition
Museum Island: Five dazzling museums in Berlin
Famous Czechs
Václav HavelTomáš Baťa - founder of the Baťa Shoe Company
The Velvet Revolution
The artistic genius of Karel and Josef Čapek
Jaroslav Hašek and his novel "The Good Soldier Svejk"
Franz Kafka, Prague Jewish Author
Famous Czechs
Emil Škoda: Czech entrepreneur during Habsburg rule
Edvard Beneš - Czechoslovak Statesman
Bohumil Hrabal - the Sad King of Czech Literature
Alexander Dubček: The leader of the 1968 Prague Spring
History
Wenceslas III (Václav III): The end of a dynastyThe Velvet Revolution
The Three Kings: Heroes of the Czechoslovak resistance
Defenestration of Prague in 1618
The Mašín Gang: Heroes or villains
The Communist Coup in Czechoslovakia
The Beneš Decrees
Slavkov – Battle of Austerlitz
Saint Agnes (Anezka)
Rudolph II
Rudolf Slansky and the Slansky Trial
Premyslid Dynasty
Přemysl Otakar II: The Iron and Golden King
Prague Spring, 1968
Petr Vok of Rožmberk: The Renaissance Cavalier of Český Krumlov
Museum Island: Five dazzling museums in Berlin
Milada Horáková, Executed by the Communists
May 1945 - Prague Uprising and Liberation
Loket Castle: A Gothic experience
Life During the Nazi Occupation
Life during the Communist era in Czechoslovakia
King Charles IV and the Luxembourg Dynasty
John of Nepomuk
Jan Žižka
Jan Opletal: Dying for democracy during the Occupation
Jan Jesenský
Hussite Wars
Franz Joseph: The most beloved emperor of the Habsburg Monarchy
Elizabeth Jane Weston
Edward Kelley
Communism in Czechoslovakia
Berlin Wall Memorial: The Divided City during the Cold War
Battle of White Mountain
Auschwitz Concentration Camp
The Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
27 Noblemen Executed
Jewish sights
The Great Synagogue in PilsenThe Spanish Synagogue in Prague’s Jewish Town
The Pinkas Synagogue in Prague’s Jewish Town
The Old-New Synagogue in Prague’s Jewish Town
The Maisel Synagogue in Prague’s Jewish Town
The Klausen Synagogue in Prague’s Jewish Town
Prague's Jewish Town
The Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague’s Jewish Town
Medieval Castles
Reliquary of Saint Maurus at Becov nad Teplou CastlePernštejn Castle: A medieval jewel in south Moravia
Loket Castle: A Gothic experience
Křivoklát Castle
Kost and Trosky Castles
Karlštejn Castle
Hluboká nad Vltavou Chateau
Bouzov Castle: A fairy tale come true
Monasteries
Zlatá KorunaZelená hora and Žďár nad Sázavou
Vyšší Brod Monastery
The Strahov Monastery
Teplá Monastery
Plasy Monastery
Kladruby Monastery: A jewel of west Bohemia
Broumov Monastery
Museums
Vienna’s Sisi Museum in the Hofburg PalaceThe Munich Residence and the Treasury
The Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna
The Historical Underground in Pilsen
Museum of the Cold War at Prague’s Hotel Jalta
Museum of Communism in Prague
Museum Island: Five dazzling museums in Berlin
Loket Castle: A Gothic experience
Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle
Nature Reserves
Prague’s Botanical Gardens: A tranquil escape from the busy centerKoněprusy Caves
Other
Nicholas Winton, HeroCzech town halls and Tibetan flags
Prague Parks
Stromovka ParkDivoká Šárka Park
Riegerovy Sady Park
Průhonice Park
Prague’s Botanical Gardens: A tranquil escape from the busy center
Letná Park
Prague Sights
Wenceslas Square (Václavské náměstí)Vyšehrad
Trója Chateau
St. Vitus Cathedral
Prague’s Botanical Gardens: A tranquil escape from the busy center
Prague´s New Town (Nové Město)
Prague Zoo
Prague´s Old Town (Staré město)
Prague´s Lesser Town
Prague Castle
John Lennon Wall
Charles Bridge (Karlův most)
Astronomical Clock (Orloj)
Sights outside of Prague
Třeboň: an architectural gem in southern BohemiaThe Hot Spring underground tour in Karlovy Vary
The Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew in Pilsen (Plzeň)
Terezin Concentration Camp - Theresienstadt
Pilsen (Plzeň) – a city of architecture and tasty beer
Passau, Germany: A city rich in history, art and culture
Not the Usual Czech Winter Sports
Nelahozeves Chateau
Loket Castle: A Gothic experience
Lidice and Ležáky
The springs of Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad/Carlsbad)
The Colonnades of Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad/Carlsbad)
Traditions
Walpurgis Night (Čarodejnice)November 2: All Souls’ Day
Mikulaš and Santa Claus
Halloween in the Czech Republic
UNESCO Sites
Vienna: The City of the Habsburgs and Art NouveauValtice Chateau: Baroque Beauty in south Moravia
The Secession House in Vienna
The Albertina in Vienna, Austria
Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna
Salzburg, Austria
Saint Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna
Regensburg, Germany with its medieval charm
Lednice Chateau: A Neo-Gothic Wonder
World War II
The Small Fortress at Terezín concentration campThe Ghetto Museum in Terezín
Terezin to honor victims of World War II
Terezin: The Prayer Room in the former Jewish Ghetto
Terezin Concentration Camp - Theresienstadt
World War II Memorial in Prague: Operation Anthropoid
Pilsen (Plzeň) – a city of architecture and tasty beer
Nuremberg, Germany
Lidice and Ležáky
Football in Terezin during the Nazi Occupation
Berlin: A city for every tourist
Gustav Klimt: A pioneer of artistic vision in Vienna
January 31, 2013. Read count: 88457.
A pioneer of artistic individuality, Austrian symbolist painter Gustav Klimt promoted the Viennese Secession movement, in which he took part for more than 10 years. His unique style is in part rendered by golden ornamentation and a sensual portrayal of … Continue reading
Life during the Communist era in Czechoslovakia
February 22, 2012. Read count: 42677.
The years of totalitarian rule in Czechoslovakia, from 1948 to 1989, were dark and dismal days, indeed. After the 1948 coup, Communist ideology permeated citizens’ lives and dominated all aspects of society. Czechoslovakia’s political decisions were dictated by the Soviet … Continue reading
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
June 25, 2012. Read count: 41685.
Becoming heir to the Habsburg throne Born in Graz, Austria on December 18, 1863, Franz Ferdinand was the eldest son of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria, the brother of Franz Joseph. In 1889 his cousin, the Emperor’s son, Crown Prince … Continue reading
Alfons Mucha: Czech king of the Art Nouveau
July 22, 2012. Read count: 41474.
The prolific Mucha The imaginative and passionate creations by legendary Art Nouveau painter and decorative artist Alphonse Mucha are well-known throughout the world, especially the idealized images of Sarah Bernhardt with her poignant, exhilarating gaze. An avid supporter of democratic … Continue reading
The Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich
May 23, 2011. Read count: 36999.
June 4, 1942 When the head of Nazi security police and governor of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, Reinhard Heydrich, died 70 years ago, on June 4, 1942, due to wounds inflicted by Czech parachutists during an assassination attempt, … Continue reading
David Černý: The defiant and controversial Czech artist
September 10, 2012. Read count: 23915.
David Černý the rebel A rebel motivated by anger, sculptor David Černý never fails to spark controversy with his shocking and provocative creations placed in public areas. He has painted a Soviet tank pink and designed male figures that urinate … Continue reading
Franz Joseph: The most beloved emperor of the Habsburg Monarchy
January 28, 2013. Read count: 22107.Born on August 18, 1830, in Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace, Franz Joseph was the oldest son of Archduke Franz Karl and Princess Sophie of Bavaria. He would become the most respected and most beloved member of the Habsburg dynasty, ruling the … Continue reading
Vienna’s Sisi: Empress Elisabeth of Austria
February 6, 2013. Read count: 21610.
Detesting the strict regimen and ceremony of royal life, Empress Elisabeth, nicknamed Sisi, danced to the beat of her drum, defying Habsburg protocol. The longest reigning Austrian empress – a post she held for 44 years – championed individual identity … Continue reading
Life During the Nazi Occupation
March 3, 2012. Read count: 21294.
March 15, 1939: a horrific day in history Adolf Hitler got his wish to conquer Czechoslovakia when German troops, fighting off a ravaging snowstorm and vehicles’ technical problems, marched into Prague on March 15, 1939, and took over Bohemia and … Continue reading
Terezin Concentration Camp – Theresienstadt
May 23, 2011. Read count: 18235.
History of Terezin – Theresienstadt Terezín existed long before it became a Nazi work camp with a Gestapo prison during World War II. Because it was easily accessible and easy to guard, the Austrians used it to strengthen their defense … Continue reading
Bohemia Crystal
February 18, 2013. Read count: 15506.
World-renowned Bohemia crystal One of the Czech Republic’s most sought-after products is Bohemia crystal. Given the long history of crystal production in the country, it is hardly surprising that Bohemia crystal now ranks among the world’s best. The history of … Continue reading
Astronomical Clock (Orloj)
June 25, 2011. Read count: 15250.
Old Town Hall Tower Prague’s astronomical clock is one of the most popular draws in the city. Enthusiastic, clapping tourists crowd in front of the Old Town Hall tower to watch the clock strike the time every hour. As the … Continue reading
Egon Schiele: an Austrian painter in Cesky Krumlov
October 12, 2012. Read count: 14233.
Known for his figures with distorted forms and provocative nudes, Austrian painter Egon Schiele became one of the leading artists in Vienna during the early 20th century, greatly influenced by Secessionism and Austrian painter Gustav Klimt’s creations. He even lived … Continue reading
