Czech History

Rock ’n’ Roll is an electrifying collision of the romantic and the revolutionary. It is 1968 and the world is ablaze with rebellion, accompanied by a sound track of the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. Clutching his prized collection of rock albums, Jan, a Cambridge graduate student, returns to his homeland of Czechoslovakia just as Soviet tanks roll into Prague. When security forces tighten their grip on artistic expression, Jan is inexorably drawn toward a dangerous act of dissent. Back in England, Jan’s volcanic mentor, Max, faces a war of his own as his free-spirited daughter and his cancer-stricken wife attempt to break through his walls of academic and emotional obstinacy. Over the next twenty years of love, espionage, chance, and loss, the extraordinary lives of Jan and Max spin and intersect until an unexpected reunion forces them to see what is truly worth the fight.

This classic book offers the most comprehensive and up-to-date history of Slovakia, from its establishment on the Danubian Plain to the present. While paying tribute to Slovakia's resilience and struggle for survival, it describes contributions to European civilization in the Middle Ages; the development of Slovak consciousness in response to Magyarization; its struggle for autonomy in Czechoslovakia after the Treaty of Versailles; its resistance, as the first Slovak Republic, to a Nazi-controlled Europe; its reaction to Communism; and the path that led to the creation of the second Slovak Republic. Now fully updated to the present day, the book examines the vagaries of Slovak post-Communist politics that led to Slovakia's membership in NATO and the European Union.

Prague is at the core of everything both wonderful and terrible in Western history, but few people truly understand this city's unique culture. In Prague in Black and Gold, Peter Demetz strips away sentimentalities and distortions and shows how Czechs, Germans, Italians, and Jews have lived and worked together for over a thousand years. .

Since the early Middle Ages, Prague has been considered one of Europe's most beautiful cities with its hundreds of spires reaching into the sky. Despite a history filled with violent upheavals and bitter occupations, Prague remains a vibrant city known for its world-famous architecture, culture, historic monuments, and natural beauty.
Experience the magnificent beauty and often-tragic history of this 'Golden City' through seventy pairs of remarkable photographs.
Stand atop Prague's most familiar monument, the Charles Bridge (completed in 1400), for a magnificent vista of the city; a fascinating inset photo illustrates the destruction of the bridge after a flood in 1890.
Visit Golden Lane, home to the city's goldsmiths in the 17th century and later to author Franz Kafka.
Marvel at then-and-now images of treasures like St. Vitus' Cathedral (it's first stone was laid in 1344 by Emperor Charles IV!) and St. George's Basilica (founded in the 10th century).
Today, Prague is a favorite destination for tourists from all over the world. This is a tour you won't want to miss!