Across the Czech Republic, the national flags are flying today, schools and offices remain closed, and wreaths are being laid on Prague’s Vítkov Hill. The day commemorates the founding of independent Czechoslovakia in 1918.
Today, 28 October, the Czech Republic marks the 107th anniversary of the founding of the independent Czechoslovak state in numerous locations across the country. In Prague, political and state institutions such as the Prague City Hall and the seat of the government are opening their doors to the public on this occasion, offering a glimpse behind the scenes of the Republic, whose roots date back to 1918. Numerous museums, including the National Gallery and the buildings of the National Museum across the capital, can be visited free of charge.
1918–1993: From the First Republic to the Establishment of an Independent State
After the end of the First World War and the collapse of Austria-Hungary, the independent Czechoslovak state was proclaimed on 28 October 1918. The young republic quickly developed into one of Europe’s leading countries economically and industrially.
A twenty-year era of democracy and prosperity came to an abrupt end with the aggression of Nazi Germany. The Munich Agreement of 1938 and the subsequent occupation in March 1939 marked the end of the First Czechoslovak Republic.
After the Second World War, the state was restored but soon fell under the Soviet sphere of influence. A brief period of political openness ended in February 1948 with the communist takeover. Only four decades later did the Velvet Revolution of 1989 bring political change and the sudden end of communist rule.
Every year on 17 November, the Czech Republic commemorates this peaceful event, known as the Velvet Revolution, and at the same time the student protests of 1939, when many young people lost their lives under the Nazi occupation.
The final chapter of the shared Czechoslovak history was written on 1 January 1993: In a peaceful process, the Czech Republic and Slovakia separated and went their own ways as independent republics. Václav Havel was elected the first president of the new Czech Republic – to this day one of the country’s most revered figures.
