Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia

The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, Protektorát Čechy a Morava, was established on 16 March 1939 and lasted until the surrender of Nazi Germany on 8 May 1945.

From 1933, Czechoslovakia was Central Europe's only functioning democracy.  The First Republic ended following the 1938 Munich Agreement, where the UK and France sold out the country in hopes of preserving peace in Europe, which enabled Nazi Germany to occupy the Sudetenland.

What was left of Czechoslovakia become the Second Czechoslovak Republic.  This lasted from 30 September 1938 to 15 March 1939.  On 14 March 1939, Slovakia broke off as an "independent" Nazi puppet state.  What was left became the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.

There were about 7,38 million people and 3,3% of them were ethnic Germans who were given German citizenship.  

Emil Hácha

There was a dual system of government with Prague as the capital.  German law applied to ethnic Germans.  Everyone else was a Protectorate subject governed by a Czech puppet administration, led by Státní Prezident Emil Hácha, who had been the President of the Second Czechoslovak Republic since November 1938.

The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia within the Third Reich

The common languages were Germany and Czech.  The Czechoslovak crown was replaced by the Protectorate crown at a rate of 1 German Reichsmark to 10 crowns.  

The workforce was well-trained so people living in the protectorate were used as labour for the German war effort.  Czechs were drafted to work in coal mines, in the iron and steel industries, and to produce armaments.  It became a major production hub for manufacturing aircraft, tanks, and artillery.  This was good for the Nazis because the Protectorate was just beyond the reach of Allied bombers. 

Perhaps because of the need to keep the population nourished enough to carry out the vital arms production work in the factories, but the Nazis had a plan to Germanise the area.  It was believed that about 50% of the population was capable of being Aryanisation.  The other 50% were too Slavic, too intellectual, or too Jewish.  

While there was a Czech President, the ultimate authority was the Reich Protector who was the senior Nazi administrator who represented the interests of the German state. 

On 29 September 1941, Reinhard Heydrich took over as acting Reichsprotektor.  In 1942, the Czechoslovak government-in-exile, led by Edvard Beneš, from the UK, initiated Operation Anthropoid - the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich.  One Czech, Jan Kubiš, and one Slovak, Jozef Gabčík, went to Prague to carry out the assassination.  On 27 May 1942, Heydrich was wounded in the attack and he later died of his wounds on 4 June 1942.  Operation Anthropoid was the only verified government-sponsored assassination of a senior Nazi leader during WWII.

Here's the movie trailer for the 2016 film Anthropoid.

Following his death, Hitler was so enraged that he ordered his troops to "wade through blood" to find the killers.  What proceeded was martial law, mass arrests, and the exceptions and obliterations of the the villages of Lidice and Ležáky.

Here's an eight-minute video I found on YouTube about the execution of Reinhard Heydrich - "the Butcher of Prague."

©World History

Next to the Reich Protector, was the State Minister who was in charge of most of the internal security.  From 1939 to 1945, it was Karl Hermann Frank who ran the Gestapo, security service and the police for the Protectorate.  He was involved in the massacres at Lidice and Ležáky and after the war he was executed.

©World History

It's estimated that of the 92,199 Jews living in the Protectorate in 1939, 85% were murdered.

Here's a short, interesting YouTube video on how Czechoslovakia went from an independent, functioning democracy to being carved up during WW2.  

©History Matters

Most Czechs sympathise with Ukraine because they see Hitler's annexation of the Sudetenland as the same as Russia's annexation of Crimea.  

Я за Україну. Я за Україною. Слава Україні  Stojím za Ukrajinou!  I stand with Ukraine. 

Czech Dialects

There's a difference between formal, written Czech and colloquial spoken Czech.  Standard Czech is what you'll hear across the country on the nightly news.  However, everyday Czech is a bit different.  

Just as there are three distinct regions in Czechland there are three primary Czech dialects to be found.  There's a dialect spoken in Silesia, near the Polish border, that a mishmash of Czech and Polish.  The dialect is actually closer to Polish than it is to Czech.  That doesn't mean that people there can't, or don't, speak standard Czech but the accent can be tough to understand if you're not used to it.  It's been referred to as "unintelligible funny Polish-like gibberish."

The most widely used spoken Czech is the variety found in Bohemia.  There are some grammatical differences from standard Czech.  There are also some pronunciation differences where Bohemians have more open vowel sounds than Moravians, especially in Prague.

In "Bohemian" -ý becomes -ej and -é becomes -ý.  The word dobrý (good) becomes dobrej  and dobré becomes dobrý.  Given the seven Czech cases there are more words to keep up with.

The declension of můj (my) gets changed from: mého to mýho, mému to mýmu, mé to mý, mém to mým, mých to mejch, mým to mejm, and mými to mejma.

The declension of dobrý changes word forms from: dobrý to dobrej, dobré to dobrý, dobrého to dobrýho, dobrému to dobrýmu, dobrém to dobrým, dobrých to dobrejch, dobrým to dobrejm, dobří to dobrý, and dobrými to dobrejma.

In Bohemia they don't really follow the rules for the 7th (Instrumental) case when it comes to plural words.  They just use -ama or -ma for everything.  So hranokly (French fries) becomes hranolkama, brambory (potatoes) becomes bramborama, and auty (cars) becomes autama.

In Bohemia, then tend to put a "v" sound before words that start with "o".  Okno (window) becomes vokno, oko (eye) becomes voko, omáčka (sauce) becomes vomáčka, ostrý (sharp) becomes vostrej, ospalý (sleepy) becomes vospalej...

Moravians don't do any of this.  Another thing that distinguishes people from Prague is that when they speak it is kind of singsongy.

I'm told that Moravians speak better proper Czech than Bohemians do.  However, Moravia has more local dialects.  And Moravians for sure don't sing when they speak.  

The biggest pronunciation differences in the Moravian dialect are:

-í/ý becomes é.  The word for "mill" in Czech is mlýn but becomes mlén.

-y becomes e.  The plural world for "fish" is ryby but it becomes rebe.

-the diphthong ou becomes ú.  The world for "flour" is mouka but it becomes múka.

In Czech, "I am" is já jsem but in Morava you'll hear já su.  "I want" is chci but you'll often hear people say chcu.  

There's some different vocabulary used in Moravia.  

In Brno, we have our own dialect called Hantec.  It's a mixture of standard Czech, the Moravian dialect, German and Yiddish.  Hantec is spoken mostly by older people but many Hantec words are used by everyone in everyday conversation.  Šalina is the most well known word.  It means "tram" but the rest of the country uses the world tramvaj.  When I'm in Prague and say "šalina" people instantly know that I'm from Brno.

Lübbenau, Germany

On Monday morning we headed out to Spreewald for the day.

Lübbenau is a town of just over 16.000 people about 82 km (51 miles) southeast of Berlin.  

Lübbenau dates back to at least 1315.  Though excavations have turned up evidence of settlements dating back to the 8th or 9th century.

It used to be part of the Kingdom of Bohemia from 1364 to 1635.

We started off with a guided boat tour of the canals on a traditional barge.

Since 1991 the Spreewald is a protected UNESCO biosphere Reserve and there are thousands of small waterways.

Along the way we stopped off to try the local pickles and lard on dark bread.

I swear that Spreewäldgurken are the best pickles in the world.  We made sure to pick up a few small buckets of pickles to take home for later.

The St. Nickolas church is in the middle of the old town.  The Protestant church built from 1738 - 1741.

Only at Spreewald can you find a pickle radler, a green pickle beer.  It wasn't terrible but I don't have a need to try another one.

Czech Citizenship Exam: New Age History

Here are the 10 study questions for the Czech Citizenship exam from section 25: New Age.

1.  At the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, Prague became the cultural centre of Europe.  What was the name of the monarch who ruled in Bohemia at that time?

Rudolf II.

2.  Which family began to rule the Czech Kingdom in 1526 and ruled until 1918?

The Habsburgs.

3.  In 1618, Czech non-Catholic nobles opposed the emperor.  This event started a war that spread almost throughout Europe.  What is this war called?

Thirty Years' War.

4.  In which city does the legend of the Golem, created by Rabbi Löw, take place?

In Prague.

5.  Jan Amos Komenský was an important Czech philosopher, theologian and writer who lived in the 17th century.  In which field did he become most famous?  

Pedagogy.

6.  What was the name of the famous Empress who ruled in the Czech lands in the 18th century?

Marie Terezie.  

7.  The Czech lands have been part of Austria-Hungary since 1867.  When did Austria-Hungary cease to exist?  

In 1918.

8.  What is the name of the development of Czech Culture in the 19th century?

National Revival.

9.  What is the name of the town where the Battle of White Mountain took place in 1620?

Prague.

10.  Which monarch introduced compulsory school attendance for children in the Czech lands?

Marie Terezie.

Czech Citizenship Exam: Medieval History

Here are the 10 study questions for the Czech Citizenship exam from section 24: Medieval History. 

1.  According to legend, who climbed Mount Říp?

Praotec Čech - An ancestor of Bohemia.

2.  Which personality do we commemorate on the day of Czech statehood - 28 September?

Svatého Václava - Saint Wenceslas.

3.  Jan Žižka has an equestrian statue on Vítkov Hill in Prague.  Who was Jan Žižka?

A Hussite warrior.

4.  According to legend, what is the name of the princess who foretold the glory of Prague?

Lubuše.

5.  What were the names of the brothers who spread Christianity in Great Moravia?

Cyril a Metoděj.

6.  Which family ruled in Bohemia from the 9th century until 1306?

Přemyslovci - Přemyslids.

7.  Who was Master Jan Hus?

A Czech reformer of the church.

8.  From which family was the famous Czech king and Roman emperor Charles IV?

From the Luxembourg family.

9.  Who founded the first Czech university?

Charles IV.

10.  What was the goal of the Hussites?

To reform the Church.

Czech Citizenship Exam: Socioeconomic Background

Here are the 10 study questions for the Czech Citizenship exam from section 22:  Socioeconomic Background.

1.  In which region is the Temelín nuclear power plant?

In the South Bohemia Region.

2.  Which of these cities connects the D1 motorway?

Prague and Brno.

3.  What is the name of the famous Czech company that makes pianos?

Petrof.

4.  Traditional brands of trucks are manufactured in Kopřivnice.  What is this brand called?

Tatra.

5.  Which brewery produces Pilsner Urquell beer?

Plzeňský Prazdroj.

6. Hops are an important raw material for beer production.  Where are hops grown?

Around the town of Žatec.

7.  Which of these materials is mined in the Czech Republic?

Brown coal.

8.  Which power plants produce the most electricity in the Czech Republic?

Coal.

9.  Which brand of cars is manufactured in Mladá Boleslav?

Škoda.

10.  The traditional Czech brand is Becherovka.  In which city is this alcoholic beverage produced?

In Karlovy Vary.

Czech Citizenship Exam: Regions and Places

Here are the 10 study questions for the Czech Citizenship exam from section 19:  Regions and Places. 

1.  Mr. Novák lives in a small town in the South Bohemian Region.  Which city will he go to, to visit the regional office?

To České Budějovice.

2.  What is the name of the largest airport in the Czech Republic?

Václav Havel Airport Prague.

3.  Kateřina was accepted to study at Palacký University, which is the oldest university in Moravia.  In the city where she will study, there is also a UNESCO monument - the column of the Holy Trinity.  In which city will Kateřina study?

In Olomouc.

4.  In which city is the Regional Office of the Central Bohemian Region located?

In Prague.

5.  Which city is the centre of the Moravian-Silesian region?

Ostrava.

6.  Which number on the map indicates the Olomouc Region?

3.

7.  Perník (gingerbread) is a traditional Czech pastry with honey and spices.  Which city is famous for making gingerbread?  

Pardubice.

8.  Czechia consists of three historical countries: Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia.  Which of these cities lies in Moravia?

Zlín.  

9.  Which number on the map indicates the Vysočina Region?

2.

10.  Which of these cities is the industrial centre of northern Bohemia?

Ústí nad Labem.

Czech Citizenship Exam: Nature and Landscape

Here are the 10 study questions for the Czech Citizenship exam from section 18: Nature and Landscape. 

1.  Which of these places is not on the UNESCO World Heritage List?

Karlštejn Castle.

2.  Which national park is located in Moravia?

Podyjí National Park.

3.  There are several important winter sports centres in the Czech Republic.  Which of these places is known as a winter sports centre?

Špindlerův Mlýn.

4.  Mrs. Svobodová wants to go on holiday to Moravia and wants to visit the mountains there.  Where will she go?

To the Beskydy Mountains.  

5. Lipno is the largest dam reservoir in the Czech Republic.  In which part of the Czech Republic is it located?

In southern Bohemia.

6.  Memorial Mountain of Bohemia is located in the Ústí and Labem region near Roudnice nad Labem.  What is this mountain called?

Říp.

7.  Mr. Novák wants to go on a trip to the castle, which was built by Charles IV for the Crown Jewels.  Which monument does he want to visit?

Karlštejn.  

8.  Which UNESCO-listed city is located in Southern Bohemia?

Český Krumlov.

9.  What is the name of the highest mountain range in Moravia?

Jeseníky.

10.  Which spa town is located in Central Bohemia?

Poděbrady.