On this Day, in 1241: the Mongol Horde struck deep in the heart of Europe
On April 11, 1241, commanded by Batu Khan and his notorious general Subutai, the Mongol Horde annihilated the Hungarian armyContinue Reading
Tag: History
On this Day, in 1348: Charles University was founded in Prague
On April 7, 1348, Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV founded Charles University in Prague. Modelled on universities in Bologna andContinue Reading
The utopia of WandaVision: an Eastern European imagination of the West
In Wanda Maximoff’s American small-town idyll based on TV-shows she watched as a kid in her post-communist homeland, I recognizedContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1901: Dvořák’s world-famous opera Rusalka premiered in Prague
On March 31, 1901, the premiere of the opera Rusalka, one of the most famous and successful Czech operas byContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1794: Tadeusz Kościuszko led an uprising against the Partition of Poland
On March 24, 1794, following the Second Partition of Poland, Tadeusz Kościuszko, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War, announcedContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1939: the “Little War” broke out between Slovakia and Hungary
On March 23, 1939, the so-called “Little War” broke out between Slovakia and Hungary when Hungarian troops invaded eastern SlovakiaContinue Reading
Francis Ford Coppola vodka named after Polish countess Maria Walewska
Warsaw, Poland – A vodka produced by the wine and spirits brand of award-winning movie director Francis Ford Coppola hasContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1393: John of Nepomuk was thrown off Charles Bridge to his death
On March 20, 1393, considered the first martyr of the Seal of the Confessional, St. John of Nepomuk was torturedContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1944: Nazi Germany invaded Hungary
On March 19, 1944, Nazi Germany invaded and occupied Hungary to stop the Axis power from signing a seperate peaceContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1939: Slovakia declared its independence to side with Nazi Germany
On March 14, 1939, Slovakia declared its independence from then-Czechoslovakia and became a client state of Nazi Germany until theContinue Reading
Interview: “The Silesian identity must be recognized as an ethnic minority”
A national census will be launched in Poland on April 1. On this occasion, Polish citizens can choose to declareContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1948: Jan Masaryk was found dead in mysterious circumstances
On the night of March 10, 1948, Jan Masaryk, the son of Tomas Garrigue Masaryk and then Foreign Minister ofContinue Reading
Sándor Márai and the fight against totalitarianism and nihilism
Budapest, Hungary – Memoir of Hungary 1944-1948, written by acclaimed writer Sándor Márai, provides a deep insight into the everydayContinue Reading
Interview: “The Danube has long been a frontier and a battlefield”
This week, Kafkadesk spoke with Emmanuel Ruben, a French author and geographer. He recently published On the Danube’s path (SurContinue Reading
Reviewing Killing Auntie by Andrzej Bursa
The first and only novel of Andrzej Bursa, Killing Auntie, tells the absurd story of a character who is all too familiarContinue Reading