Petr Švihovec, a history buff from West Bohemia, found several personal items lost by an American soldier during World War II near Marianske Lazne. Thorough research with the help of historian Daniel Maly revealed that the silver bracelet, bronze star service ribbon, U.S. army lapel pin, and a Swiss coin belonged to Mr. Joe Ernest …
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Prague, June 29 – U.S. and Czechoslovak Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (portrayed by actors from the Prague Shakespeare Company) celebrated the 242th anniversary of the Independence of the United States of America at a reception hosted at U.S. Ambassador’s residence in Prague. Presidents Wilson and Masaryk, accompanied by U.S. Ambassador Stephen King celebrated not only …
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Marking the 73rd anniversary of the end of World War Two, the U.S. Embassy in Prague hosted the Convoy of Liberty on Friday, April 27. The tour was officially launched by the U.S. Ambassador Stephen. In the days following this event, American diplomats will also participate in many ceremonies commemorating the liberation of the country …
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The Convoy of Liberty, marking the 72nd anniversary of liberation of Western Bohemia by the U.S. Army in 1945, started its trip in front of the U.S. Embassy in Prague on April 28. The tour was officially launched by the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Kelly Adams-Smith. “Today, in Prague, we launch the annual Convoy of Liberty …
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Political Officer Beth Fernald participated in the World War II ceremonies in Mukov and Teplice on Saturday July 23. Crowds gathered to commemorate the 22 U.S. airmen who died when their planes were shot down during a raid on a Nazi chemical plant.
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U.S. Embassy Acting Deputy Chief of Mission James Merz participated on May 13 in the ceremony paying homage to Roma victims of the Lety concentration camp that existed during the Second World War in woods near the city of Pisek in South Bohemia. “Those people were sent to Lety and later to other concentration camps …
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As every year since 1990, U.S. diplomats have been proud to participate in celebrations held by some fifty municipalities across the western and southern part of Bohemia commemorating the World War II liberation by the U.S. Third Army under the command of General George S. Patton. During the communist era, the U.S. role in the …
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From May 5-8, the Liberation Festival in Pilsen celebrated the 71st anniversary of the liberation of the region from Nazi oppression by the U.S. Third Army under the command of General George Patton. On Friday, May 6, the commemorations culminated in Pilsen. U.S. and Belgian veterans, members of government, and local politicians, and other guests gathered at the General …
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Economic Officer Noah Woodiwiss and Political Specialist Helena Markusova delivered remarks to mark the 71st anniversary of the end of World War II in Zhůří and Klatovy on May 5th. Ten American soldiers from the 90th Infantry Division were killed in Zhuri in the last days of the war while liberating the Czechoslovak people and …
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On May 2nd, U.S. Army Attaché Col. John Burbank attended a commemoration ceremony in Tachov of the 71th Anniversary of the end of World War II. He laid a wreath at Tachov’s liberation monument and met with local representatives. Tachov close to the German border was liberated on May 2nd, 1945 by 3the 86th Infantry …
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Marking the 71st anniversary of the end of World War Two, the U.S. Embassy Prague hosted the Convoy of Liberty on Friday, April 29. The Convoy is the traditional tour of Bohemia by the military history clubs in authentic, refurbished vehicles from World War II; this tradition began eleven years ago. The convoy is a …
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On April 28, Major Mark White of the Office of Defense Cooperation represented the U.S. Embassy Prague at a commemoration event in Krupka, northern Bohemia, marking the 71st anniversary of the death of 313 concentration camp prisoners who passed away during a death march in April of 1945 near Krupka. Major White also honored on …
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Major Adam Knox represented the U.S. Embassy at the commemoration event that took place near the Konopistě Chateau in the Benešov District on Friday, April 22nd. The event honored nine U.S. Air Force pilots who were shot down during their mission over then Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and who the Nazi’s subsequently executed without …
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On Saturday, April 23, Defense Attaché Mark A. Wootan visited liberation commemoration events in Cheb and in Pilsen-Křimice. In Cheb, he attended a ceremony dedicated to the memory of U.S. soldiers of the 97. Infantry Division of the U.S. Army who liberated the town. In Křimice, Col. Mark Wootan together with Mayor Vít Mojžíš participated …
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Prague, November 17, 2015 Today, we remember the men and women who rose up 26 years ago peacefully to demand their freedom during the Velvet Revolution. United by their common desire for liberty, they joined thousands across Central and Eastern Europe who yearned for a better life for themselves and for their children. The American …
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Deputy Chief of Mission Steven Kashkett participated on October 7th at a ceremony to transfer custody of the Woodrow Wilson Monument to the City of Prague. At the ceremony organized by the American Friends of the Czech Republic (AFoCR), Lord Mayor Adriana Krnáčová accepted the monument on behalf of the City. Deputy Chief of Mission …
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In Cesky Krumlov, Americans and Czechs commemorated an American football match played in the town at the end of World War II. In September 1945, two U.S. Army units played; last Saturday, Czech national champions – the Prague Black Panthers – fought with the team of the U.S. Army Dragoons on the playing field. Several …
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On Sunday, August 23rd, Moravian Roma community members, including several Roma holocaust survivors, gathered at a memorial at Hodonín u Kunštátu to commemorate Roma who died at the Nazi internment camp in 1942 and 1943. Romani men, women, and children suffered inhumane conditions in the camp while waiting to be transported to Auschwitz. Only a …
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On Tuesday, June 30, Ambassador Andrew H. Schapiro and his wife Tamar Newberger hosted a reception marking America’s Independence Day on July 4. Among the distinguished guests were the presidents of both parliamentary chambers, Milan Stech and Jan Hamacek, Chief Foreign Affairs Advisor to the President Hynek Kmonicek, ministers, diplomats, and many others. “Americans and …
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The U.S. Embassy Prague participated in the 240 MILES TO FREEDOM ride of U.S. historical military vehicles, which commemorates the Demarcation Line — the border that delineated how far east the Allied forces and how far west the Soviet forces went during the liberation of Czechoslovakia from Nazi occupation. On June 24, Major Adam Knox, …
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U.S. Embassy Prague representatives attended a commemorative event held on Sunday, June 21, for the victims of Ležáky. Political Officer of the U.S. Embassy Prague Alex Barraso, his wife Brenda and daughter Valeria laid a wreath at a monument to all inhabitants of the village, who were executed by Nazis after the assassination of leading …
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As we do every year, the U.S. Embassy participated in the annual commemoration of one of the most brutal incidents of World War II: the Nazi annihilation of the Czech village of Lidice and the summary execution of most of its inhabitants in collective retaliation for the assassination of the senior German officer in Prague …
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On Wednesday, May 13, U.S. Ambassador Andrew H. Schapiro attended the annual commemoration ceremony for the Romani victims of Nazism at the Lety Memorial. The gathering is traditionally organized by the Committee for the Redress of the Roma Holocaust in the Czech Republic (VPORH), which brings together former prisoners of Nazi concentration camps who are …
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The commemorative event at the Thank You America! Memorial was the peak of the Liberation Festival in Pilsen that started last Friday, May 1. Twenty-one American and Belgian veterans joined the local commemorative event marking the liberation of this region of the Czech Republic from Nazi oppression 70 years ago. U.S. Ambassador to the Czech …
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On Saturday, May 2nd, Deputy Chief of Mission Steve Kashkett opened the concert of the U.S. Army Europe Dixieland band “Rhine River Ramblers,” held in Pilsen’s main square as part of the annual Liberation Festival. The Festival, marking the U.S. Army’s liberation of Pilsen and the surrounding villages from Nazi occupation, is attended annually by …
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To mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, the U.S. Embassy in Prague hosted the Convoy of Liberty on Friday, April 24. The Embassy employees welcomed the Convoy dressed in historical costumes from the 1940’s, enhancing the festive atmosphere of the commemorative event. See the pictures on Flickr . A convoy of thirty historical vehicles, which …
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A dozen U.S. Embassy Prague cyclists spent April 22 retracing the route that General Patton’s Third Army Division took when liberating the region seventy years ago. The group visited the towns of Domazlice, Horsovsky Tyn, Holysov and Dobrany, and finished their ride at the “Thank You, America” monument in Plzen. American Center Director Nick von …
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To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the liberation of then Czechoslovakia at the end of World War II, U.S. Ambassador Andrew Schapiro visited the town of Benešov and the Konopiště chateau on April 17. The Ambassador participated in commemoration ceremonies honoring the U.S. flyers who lost their lives near the Konopiště chateau close to Benešov …
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On February 12, the American Center hosted a panel discussion on the 25th anniversary of the first visit of President Havel in the U.S. The event was opened by Ambassador Andrew Schapiro who reminded in his opening remarks the great response that President Havel’s speech had in the U.S. Congress and the U.S. media. Marta Smolíková, Director of …
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