Czech Republic
We just arrived in the Czech Republic; once part of the Holy Roman Empire and then the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, Czechoslovakia (as it was then known) became an independent nation at the end of World War I.
The Czech republic is located North of Hungary, South of Poland, East of Germany, and West of the Ukraine and Russia. The capital of the Czech republic is Prague. The Czech Republic’s exact position is - longitude, - latitude. Prague’s coordinates are longitude by latitude.
We arrived in the Czech Republic on and left for on .
While in the Czech Republic we visited many unique sights. One of the most impressive was Prague Castle. It is the most popular and most visited sight in the Czech Republic, so it was a must see attraction for us. We also went to The Castle St. Vitus, the Cathedral, (which is a gothic landmark), three courtyards, and many huge & beautiful gardens. We visited another church, St. Nicholas, it had a large green cupola. We wanted to get a feel for the people of the country, so we went to Old Town. Old Town is the working heart of Prague, as it has been since the 10th Century.
Many of the buildings we went in had gothic insides and Roman basements. One day we had a picnic on a three hundred and eighteen-meter high hill called Petrin Hill. On top there is actually a network of eight parks. While we were there we stopped at the observatory Petrin Tower. Petrin Tower looks like a small Eiffel Tower and was built in 1891. We climbed the 299 steps for only 25 kc, (which is Czech money).
Next we went to Wencelas Square. This square is the center of cultural, financial and everyday life. There are a lot of theaters, shops, store and banks around to use. After our adventure in the square we went to see Josefov, the Old Jewish Quarters. Pragues’ former Jewish ghetto was located in Old Town within the streets of Kaprova, Plouha and Ankozi. During World War II the Nazis’ under the control of Hitler wiped out this community.
To escape being caught by the German police who took part in the actions, they built large bunkers to hide from their captors. After several of these actions, the Buczacz ghetto had been emptied by more than half. At this point, the time came to move to a new ghetto. Alicia had been in this new ghetto only a short time when another action occurred. This time, Alicia was captured and brought to a mass grave with a multitude of other Jews.
Heda Margolius Kovály’s memoir, “Under a Cruel Star: A Life in Prague, 1941-1968” recounts her experience of the Holocaust and the Communist Regime in Czechoslovakia, during the 20th century. In 1945, after the holocaust and after World War II, Czechoslovakia was in a period of distress, which made people seek for communism as a solution. Communism, a totalitarian regime, was a form of government in which nobody was allowed to own any private property and the government controlled all economic activity. This government structure was not only corrupt, but it also caused more economic crisis in Czechoslovakia. Despite the rough situation that Czechoslovakia was going through, none of its
When they deem it safe to return, they are shocked to find that their precious animals have been killed by the bombings and the zoo is torn apart. Antonina cannot keep Ryszard safe at the zoo, so she takes him to a series of secret places throughout the city that are safe and unknown to the Germans. Antonina is surprised at the number of generous people she finds that are willing to provide shelter and the only food they have to help keep her and her son alive. Jan is now more than ever determined to join and help the Underground Polish Resistance. The Underground Polish Resistance is a group whose main goal is to hide and help keep alive, not only Jews but any group of people the Germans do not see fit to live anymore. The Żabiński’s receive some unusual help from Lutz Heck, a German zookeeper who is interested in keeping the main bloodlines of Poland’s animals alive. He suggests the Żabiński’s send over any of their unique Poland animals to his zoo, to keep them safe until the end of the war. Although the Żabiński’s do not trust Heck they both agree that loaning their animals to him until the end of the war is the safest option for the animals and will allow them to keep more people safe in their
The story "Under A Cruel Star" by Heda Margolius Kovaly takes place in Prague, Czech Republic from 1941-1968. Kovaly describes her life, everything the Jewish people went through during the Holocaust, and it also depicts how communism was a growing interest during that time period throughout the storyline of the book. Most thought this because of the consequences of communism and mass destruction it can cause within a country. Kovaly says "Rudolf could decide on the basis of statistics- mostly falsified, or course- that under communism people lived a better and happy life. I saw from close-up and with my own eyes that this was not true.
At the start of Adolf Hitler’s reign of terror, no one would have been able to foresee what eventually led to the genocide of approximately six million Jews. However, steps can be traced to see how the Holocaust occurred. One of those steps would be the implementation of the ghetto system in Poland. This system allowed for Jews to be placed in overcrowded areas while Nazi officials figured out what to do with them permanently. The ghettos started out as a temporary solution that eventually became a dehumanizing method that allowed mass relocation into overcrowded areas where starvation and privation thrived. Also, Nazi officials allowed for corrupt Jewish governments that created an atmosphere of mistrust within its walls. Together, this allowed
“Family is the most important thing in the world.” ~ Princess Diana. The Dominican Republic is a diverse country in the Caribbean. It shares many of the same values and norms as the United States. In order to fully understand Dominican Republic families it is important to look at their structure, traditions, and values.
The Warsaw Ghetto was a Jewish-populated ghetto in the largest city of Poland, Warsaw. A ghetto can be defined as a part of a city in which large quantities of members of a minority group live, especially because of social, legal, or economic pressure. Ghettos were commonly attributed to a location where there was a large Jewish population. In fact, the word Ghetto originated from the name of the Jewish quarter in Venice, Italy, in 16th century.The Warsaw Ghetto was the largest Ghetto, as a part of the Holocaust, and as an early stage of it, played a very significant role. Today, in our museum exhibit, we have several artifacts, including primary evidence relating to the Warsaw ghetto. We will be discussing how and why it was created, the lifestyle
The term ghetto, originally derived from Venetian dialect in Italy during the sixteenth century, has multiple variations of meaning. The primary perception of the word is “synonymous with segregation” (Bassi). The first defining moment of the ghetto as a Jewish neighborhood was in sixteenth century Italy; however, the term directly correlates with the beginning of the horror that the Jewish population faced during Adolph Hitler’s reign. “No ancient ghetto knew the terror and suffering of the ghettos under Hitler” (Weisel, After the Darkness 20). Under Hitler’s terror, there were multiple ghettos throughout several cities in numerous countries ranging in size and population. Ghettos also differed in purpose; some were temporary housing until deportation to the final solution while others formed for forced labor. Although life in the ghetto was far better than a concentration camp, it shared the commonality of torment, fear, and death.
Poland first started to form in about 450 A.D when four leftover Slavic tribes called Polanie, Wislanie, Pomorzanie and the Mazovians joined together. Poland had consisted of these tribes which had become the people. Notably, when Poland first became a state, it was 966 A.D. This was when Ruler Mieszko I had accepted Christianity into the state, for himself and his people. He married Dobrava of Bohemia, and had helped the Polish country and rule grow. Throughout history, Poland has continued to grow, and fight its wars. Becoming democratic, debating monarchy, reunification, all of this was part of Poland's history. However, a major part of Poland's history was World War I and World War II. At one point, Poland did not exist on the map in 1914. Poland struggled World War I, but soon regained it's independence. But it got worse. World War II started when Hitler's Nazi group invaded Poland, as well as conflict from Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union. Both groups wanted to destroy Poland, reduce it to rubble, and take away all that it was known for. Poland had very few troops, and when the Nazis and the Soviets joined together, Poland didn't stand a chance. At one point, with the help of allies and the United States, Poland was "rebuilt....
During the Holocaust in Poland, thousands of Jewish people were taken out the comfort of their homes and even their cities. They were separated from their loved ones and taken away to places completely foreign to them. The Nazis reduced the Jewish community during the Holocaust drastically by killing anyone that produced the slightest amount of trouble or if they didn’t contribute in the camps as productively as others due to health or old age. All of the old customs and traditions that the Jewish people used to have were all stopped. All the money, food, and even the homes they used to own were all taken away from them. Without their approval, the Nazis went in and practically took all the valuables that they could find inside the homes. There are many movies and books that try to explain the brutality of this event but the high majority underestimate how terrible this event is. The Pianist, directed by Roman Polanski shows the event in the eyes of a famous Jewish pianist named Wladyslaw Szpilman.# This movie accurately portrays the the extreme differences of the Polish town...
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly referred to as the United Kingdom, or “UK” for short, is a country located in Western Europe. It rests between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea and is a medium sized country, ranked 80th in the world based on its size of 243,610 km2 (CIA 1). It has a temperate climate, with rugged hills and low mountains. The Fens is the lowest point in the UK at four meters below sea level (CIA 4). In contrast, the highest point is in Ben Nevis, at 1,364 meters above sea level (CIA 9). In the east and south-east, the land is made up of mostly plains. Only about a quarter of the land in the UK is suitable for growing crops, but there are many natural resources in the region. Some of these resources include coal, petroleum, gold, and more (CIA 12). The diverse resources in the United Kingdom help to keep its’ economy stable.
Uruguay republic, in east central South America, is the second smallest country on the continent. This country is bounded on the north by Brazil, on the east by Brazil and the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Atlantic Ocean and the Río de la Plata, and on the west by Argentina. The Uruguay River forms Uruguay's western boundary in full. Uruguay's land mass in whole is a small 176,215 sq km. Uruguay's capital city is Montevideo which is the main port, and economic center of the country. The currency of Uruguay is the peso uruguayos (7.97 peso uruguayos equal U.S.$1). This country's main sport entertainment is soccer.
Before the outbreak of World War I, Slovakia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and declared its independence in October 1918, joining the Czech provinces of Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia to form the Republic of Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia in the interwar period was the only functioning parliamentary democracy in eastern Europe. Even though it was the only functioning parliamentary democracy, the Czechs and Slovaks had issues that divided them from one another. In the Czech lands, they were more populated and industrialized than Slovakia’s. The Slovak population was also poorer, less educated, and extremely Catholic. The Prague government (Prague is the capital of Czechoslovakia; and why the government is called the Prague government) “attempted to address these economic inequalities by industrializing Slovakia in the 1920s but these efforts were cut short by the Great Depression (Merriman, Winter 2358). The result from the attempted fixes was the Slovaks grew resentful in the 1930s and a separatist movement began, which was led by Father Andrej Hlinka and Jozef Tiso.
South Africa is a nation with a wonderful and varied culture. This country has been called “The Rainbow Nation”, a name that reflects the diversity of such amazing place. The different ethnic and cultural groups of the South Africa do, however, appreciate their own beliefs and customs. Many of these traditions, besides African culture, are influenced by European and Western heritage. The complex and diverse population of the country has made a strong impact to the various cultures. There are forty-five million people; about thirty million are black, five million white, three million coloured and one million Indians. The black population has a large number of rural people living in poverty. It is among these inhabitants that cultural customs are preserve the most.