Austro-Hungarian

The Diary of Věrka Kohnová

Věrka Kohnová was a young Czech girl who sadly lived the last of her life in fear. During this time, she kept a diary she wrote into, giving future readers into a glimpse into the life of Czechoslovakians under Nazism, similar to how Anne Frank kept and wrote in her diary. One of her most poignant thoughts were about whether Jews like her would ever see their stuff or return to their old lives again. It was in 2006 that her diary was published.

Anny Ondra: Starlet of the Silver Screen

Anny Ondra was a major, international star, born in Bohemia. She faced many obstacles to get to such a status, such as major pressure from her family over many years. Still, she prospered and how she wanted. By the end of her life, she married and starred in over 90 films.

Brief History of Pankrác Prison

In the late 19th century, Pankrác Prison was built to replace the old St. Wenceslas Prison. Built with what many considered to be modern amenities for a prison of its time, Pankrác Prison would go on to be used through the Habsburg monarchy, Nazi occupation, and communist rule, up until today where it is still in use.

An Army with No Country: The Czechoslovak Legion in Europe

An Army with No Country:  The Czechoslovak Legion in Europe

They were men without their own country, living split up among not one, but two mighty empires. When the Great War broke out and those empires began to crumble, those men took up arms in the struggle and fought so that one day they too would have their own nation. These were the men of the Czechoslovak Legion.

A Short History of Pilsner Urquell

A Short History of Pilsner Urquell

Pilsner Urquell’s success story began with frustrated tavern owners in the 19th century. The beer in the town of Pilsen was sour, so Martin Stelzer was commissioned to build a new brewery, built on the banks of the Rabduza River. This was the genesis for the international, famous Pilsner.