The Hidden Face of Czech History

How can we uncover the true—and often hidden—face of Czech history, especially its earlier periods, when even recent events are viewed in completely contradictory ways by those who participated in them and witnessed them? Can we unreservedly trust the ancient chroniclers, or should we, on the contrary, consider the universally valid thesis that “history is always written by the victors”? The truth usually lies somewhere in the middle—and Jan Bauer, a well-known writer and journalist, tries to approach it from various sides and angles in the seventh volume of the Český ČAS series, always in an informed and readable manner. In this book, we can follow the Dorian invasion of the Mycenaean world and dream that the ancestors of today's Greeks came from the Bohemian Basin, search for Marobudon and Wogastisburg, seek the legendary Czech commander Tyr, alias Čestmír, find out which of Saint Adalbert's skulls is the real one, clear Saint Gunther of the stigma of a traitor, hunt for the author of the Chronicle of Dalimil or for the Knights Templar's treasure, be amused by the account of the strange siege of Sion Castle (although the end of its lord was not so cheerful), ponder the deaths of Jan Žižka of Trocnov, Albert of Habsburg, Louis Jagiellon, Tycho Brahe, the Blata peasant Kubata, or Milan Rastislav Štefánik, be moved by the fate of the noblewoman whom Bohuslav Balbín identified with the White Lady… And when did the Přemyslids actually die out, in 1306, or more than two centuries later? Did Wallenstein really betray the emperor? And did Adolf Hitler perhaps come from Bohemia? This publication offers many more such questions. And it certainly does not matter that it does not provide unequivocal answers—after all, even the contemporaries of the described events often did not do so, and if they did, their statements can be viewed with amusement or with justified scepticism. Whether you smile with amusement or grin sceptically over the pages of this book, we believe it will at least broaden and enrich your view of the “clear” moments and crossroads of our history.