By Ricky, on August 5th, 2011
Map showing those areas with a majority German population in the 1930s, superimposed on an outline of the current Czech Republic. Fair use assumed as the map is from a now defunct website
Czechoslovakia was formed in 1918, as part of the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire following the end of the First World War. The country’s first President, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, was very keen that the western boundaries of this new nation should be the historic ones of Bohemia and Moravia which predominantly follow the ridges of the surrounding hills and mountains. This was to ensure that the new nation had defendable borders and that also nearly all Czech speakers would be living within those borders.
However, one important consequence of the adoption of these borders was that many people of German ethnic origin were also incorporated into Czechoslovakia. According to a census taken in 1921, . . . → Read More: Sudetenland and the Sudetendeutsche
By Ricky, on July 30th, 2011
Snežka – highest mountain in the Czech Republic © Ricky Yates
We were meant to spend our week in the Krkonoše Mountains, in the company of our friends Jirka and Sher Vacik. Unfortunately, because of their needing to care for a nuclear reactor and a sick gerbil, (I’ll let them explain, not me!), they were only able to join us for a couple of days at the weekend. But Jirka was determined that, whilst staying in Pec, we should seek to climb Snežka, at 1602 metres, the highest mountain in the Czech Republic.
The morning of Saturday 16th July dawned fine and sunny, so after breakfast in Penzion Nikola, Jirka, Sher, Sam the dog and I set off. Sybille had damaged a muscle fibre in one of her calves a couple of weeks previously so whilst she had managed quite bit of walking with me . . . → Read More: Snežka – the highest mountain in the Czech Republic
By Ricky, on July 27th, 2011
Rübezahl outside Hospoda na Peci in Pec © Ricky Yates
Right across the Krkonoše Mountains, there are many carved wooden statues all depicting a friendly giant known as Rübezahl (German) or Krakonoš (Czech), who according to legend, inhabits the area. As the origin of the legend is Germanic, I hope my Czech readers will forgive me calling him Rübezahl throughout this post.
Whilst there are numerous fairy tales about Rübezahl, the most well known is the one that also explains the origin of his name. One day, Rübezahl abducted a Polish princess with the intention of marrying her. She complained that she was lonely without her court being with her so Rübezahl promised to recreate the members of her court from the turnips (German Rübe) that he was growing. Whilst he was out counting (German zählen) the turnips, the princess escaped!
Whilst Rübezahl is the name . . . → Read More: The Legend of Rübezahl
By Ricky, on July 24th, 2011
Krkonoše Mountains National Park © Ricky Yates
On Monday 11th July, Sybille and I, along with Sam the dog, set out from Prague in the ‘Carly’, to spend the first week of our summer holidays exploring another part of the Czech Republic we had not previously visited. We’ve been to the Krkonoše Mountains, better known to Sybille by their German name of das Riesengebirge.
The Krkonoše Mountains are located about 160km north-east of Prague, adjacent to the Polish border. In fact they extend into Poland with the border between the two countries running along the main ridge. The highest mountain in the range is Snežka, which with an elevation of 1602 metres, is also the highest point in the Czech Republic.
We spent the week based in Pec pod Snežkou, the main mountain resort town in the eastern Krkonoše, staying in Penzion Nikola. The town’s . . . → Read More: Krkonoše Mountains/Riesengebirge
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