Czech History

A memorial to all horses killed in battle was unveiled recently at the Austerlitz battlefield near Brno.

Read more:

http://www.radio.cz/en/article/130814

Today 26th May, is the anniversary of the liberation of Brno by the Soviet Army. I once taught an in-company student who as a kid witnessed the fighting in the Komin and Bystrc areas. If you look closely around town there are still various memorials to the Red Army soldiers that lost their lives including the controversial one in Kralove Pole and this one:

http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soubor:Brno-Komin_CZ_Rusky_vrch_Red_Army_me...

Given subsequent events the memorials are often neglected and the actual course of events in 1945 disputed.

How the Czech Republic came into being as an independent country 1st January 1993.
A natural parting of the ways or a game of bluff and double bluff that went badly wrong? An intriguing bit of recent history anyway.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissolution_of_Czechoslovakia

Next Monday 28th September is a public holiday. This interview explains why it's a holiday, why Czech people don't celebrate in the same way as in the US on 4th July or in France on July 14th, Why Slovaks have a different day. For good measure 28/9 is also Saint Vaclav the patron saint of the Czech Republic's day.

Read and learn:

http://www.radio.cz/en/article/59642

This weekend 14-16th August the chateau in Slavkov is celebrating the 240th anniversary of Napoleon Bonaparte's birth. There are a variety of events (see www.zamek-slavkov.cz) but the main attraction is on Saturday in the chateau's beautiful park where there will be military re-enactments of Napoleon's greatest victories complete with period costumes, weapons etc.

There will also be guided tours of the chateau and a big fireworks display on Saturday evening.