Has there been a century so full of changes as the 20th century? (Maybe the 21st will beat it!)

From the distant memories of life before the First World War, to the end of the Cold War this century gave life to horrific stories of brutality and delightful tales of whimsy that populate these pages.

All my 20th Century articles

• The lost anti-Viking defence system August 28, 2024 - In the late 10th century, France faced with an economic crisis and an uneasy peace with the Vikings. Would the Vikings attack again? Or was their… Continue Reading
• RAF hijacking in Prague May 22, 2024 - In 1950, three ex-RAF pilots, persecuted by the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia, coordinated the hijacking of three flights, leading to a daring escape to the… Continue Reading
• Einstein in Prague April 22, 2024 - Albert Einstein developed key aspects of relativity during his 1911-1912 stay in Prague, lecturing at the local university. Continue Reading
• HMS Orwell March 27, 2024 - In 1903, a British navy drill off Corfu ended disastrously when HMS Orwell collided with HMS Pioneer during a night exercise. Continue Reading
• The 1923 Spanish gambling ban January 4, 2024 - The town hall building in San Sebastian, built in the 1880s, has a rich history including the gambling ban in 1923. The ban led to… Continue Reading
• The Hilsner Affair December 5, 2023 - Anti-Jewish sentiment has long been a problem - even before the Nazis. This article describes the infamous Hilsner affair from Bohemia. Continue Reading
• Harry Potter and Porto’s Hidden House October 18, 2023 - In Porto, in between the Igreja do Carmo and Igreja dos Carmelitas, there exists a hidden, narrow three-storey house called Casa Escondida. Some claim this… Continue Reading
• The RAF Vulcan crash in Malta April 15, 2023 - In 1975, a British RAF Vulcan bomber exploded as it approached the runway of Malta's airport. That few cilivians died is near-miraculous. This article describes… Continue Reading
• Air Battle over the Ore Mountains March 24, 2023 - On 11 September 1944, a massive, intense air battle took place over the mountains between Germany and what was then Czechoslovakia. The memory of this… Continue Reading
• Double agent Colonel Alfred Redl February 22, 2023 - Colonel Alfred Redl was chief of intelligence for Austro-Hungary at the beginning of the 20th century. He also was a double-agent for Russia, France and… Continue Reading
• The German expulsion December 28, 2022 - I've written lots about how Germany and German influences affected Bohemia and Czechia. This is what led to a backlash after World War II. This… Continue Reading
• The lost cathedral of St Nicholas December 2, 2022 - In Famagusta, Cyprus, there is a building that used to be a cathedral dedicated to St Nicholas. It saw major events of the country's history… Continue Reading
• Russian exiles in Malta October 15, 2022 - Mentioning exiled Russians these days suggests pro-Ukrainian protesters or anti-Putin demonstrators. Malta's reputation as a haven for Russians goes back more than 100 years before… Continue Reading
• The Red Tower of Death September 5, 2022 - In western Czechia, there is a grim reminder of how the Communists treated prisoners. This article explains what the Red Tower of Death is, and… Continue Reading
• The fake ruins of Baba July 20, 2022 - Europe is full of ruins that paint a delightful picture of its turbulent past. It's not every day you can see ruins that are as… Continue Reading
• The Czech-German tri-point July 13, 2022 - Accidents of geography have determined as much of world history and culture as anything else. Rivers and mountains became natural, then political, borders. The Czech… Continue Reading
• The occult plot to kill Hitler March 22, 2021 - Before World War II, Czechoslovak occultists tried to use black magic to kill Hitler. It sounds like the plot to a Hollywood B-movie, and in… Continue Reading
• The Maltese chapel of bones March 1, 2021 - I’ve written about Czech ossuaries before, and I’ve visited the one in Paris, but few know there is a Maltese chapel of bones. Well, there… Continue Reading
• The ultimate story of Czech heros February 1, 2021 - Many countries have memorials to fallen heros, and stories of bravery from wartime. Czechia is unusual in that it has heros from both sides of… Continue Reading
• Operation NEPTUNE January 4, 2021 - You may think 'fake news' is a modern invention, but you'd be wrong. One of Czechoslovakia's most famous disinformation campaigns was Operation NEPTUNE. This article… Continue Reading
• Father Toufar – tortured by communists September 14, 2020 - Czechoslovak communists tortured Czech priest Josef Toufar in 1949 for a miracle which may or may not have happened. This article describes the story and… Continue Reading
• Prague’s Invalidovna August 24, 2020 - If you ask many people in Prague about 'Invalidovna' they'd be more likely to direct you to the metro stop of that name. Few know… Continue Reading
• The Soviets wanted to ‘protect’ Czechoslovakia August 17, 2020 - Following the fall of the Iron Curtain Soviet troops started to leave Europe. Czechoslovakia, as it then still was, was happy that the ‘temporary deployment’… Continue Reading
• The results of a nuclear incident in Czechoslovakia August 10, 2020 - I don't think there's anyone who hasn't heard of the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe. The recent Sky drama reanimated people's memories of those days. Few are… Continue Reading
• The church that moved June 8, 2020 - We often hear of buildings being “in the way” of new developments. It’s a constant argument between conservationists and modernisers. Sometimes, ancient treasures are even… Continue Reading
• Why did the Pope want to move to Malta? June 1, 2020 - In the 19th century, various states on the Italian peninsula united to become a single, new country. While some papal states merged with the others,… Continue Reading
• Learn all about Drimnagh castle May 25, 2020 - You’d think a city of Dublin wouldn’t be the place to hide a castle. Yet many Dublin natives had no idea what I was talking… Continue Reading
• The Allied bombing of Prague May 18, 2020 - During World War II, Prague wasn't as affected by bombing as many other European cities were. This was because planes didn’t have the range to… Continue Reading
• The improvements to Bouzov castle May 11, 2020 - Many people marvel at European historical sites. Few realise that what we see today may be quite different from what was in use. People restored,… Continue Reading
• The powerful Anglo-Egyptian Bank in Malta May 4, 2020 - In the 19th century an offshore British bank in Malta issued its own banknotes. It's unusual to think of a private company issuing banknotes, more… Continue Reading
• Preserving Malta’s money supply March 23, 2020 - European geopolitics in the 1930s caused plenty of uncertainty. The British worried about riots in the Middle East, and the possibility of another major war… Continue Reading
• The World War II Death Marches February 17, 2020 - While travelling overland across Europe, it’s easy to enjoy the scenery and hospitality without a second thought to horrific acts which took place over the… Continue Reading
• The amazing Koněprusy caves January 27, 2020 - The Koněprusy cave complex is in the middle of a nature reserve and is 40 km away from Prague. Don’t think this is a mere… Continue Reading
• The truth behind the Sudetenland November 4, 2019 - Before living in Prague I thought I knew about the Sudetenland and how Hitler annexed it before World War II. There’s a lot I’ve learnt… Continue Reading
• Malta’s mysterious cart ruts September 16, 2019 - One of the great mysteries of this world is the Maltese cart ruts. They appear all over the islands. We still don’t know what they… Continue Reading
• Milada Horáková: Czech resistance fighter September 2, 2019 - People who speak out against a regime ? are targeted. We think this happens in dictatorships but a democratic society can face the wrath of… Continue Reading
• Český Šternberk Castle August 26, 2019 - It’s not everyday you find castles still owned by the original family. Czechia's Český Šternberk ? towers over the town of the same name, and… Continue Reading
• The Chapel of Our Lady of Divine Grace August 19, 2019 - The old adage claims there are 356 chapels and churches in Malta, 1 for every day of the year! One tiny often neglected chapel is… Continue Reading
• The Infant Jesus of Prague August 12, 2019 - The Infant Jesus of Prague statue is a key point of interest for many tourists visiting Prague's Church of Our Lady Victorious. This article explains… Continue Reading
• For people who love exploring old castle ruins October 29, 2018 - I’ve often seen forts and castles built according to the geography of the land. I’d never seen one designed according to the material used to… Continue Reading
• The shock of the 1908 tsunami in Malta August 20, 2018 - One side effect of an earthquake in a coastal region is a tsunami that rips through the sea around it. Malta is close to a… Continue Reading
• The Unexpectedly Polish National Library of Malta May 21, 2018 - Valletta is an ornate and Baroque city built by the Knights of Malta. One of it’s most famous historical buildings is neo-classical which contrasts with… Continue Reading
• The strange case of Amsterdam’s House of the Blood Stains May 14, 2018 - In the eastern part of Amsterdam's city centre, there is a building which has unsightly scrawls on its facade. It's as if there was graffiti… Continue Reading
• The Secret of the Grey Lady haunting Fort St Angelo April 30, 2018 - There are many ? stories of Grey Ladies that haunt certain places. It's interesting that most of these ghosts that wish to warn the living… Continue Reading
• Terrorist attack in Prague March 5, 2018 - Olga Hepnarová is not a name that is familiar to many people even in Czechia. She is infamous here as the last woman to be… Continue Reading
• I didn’t know about these connections between Malta and Prague February 19, 2018 - I no longer am surprised at unusual connections between places. I've travelled enough over the years to know many things are connected in the strangest… Continue Reading
• The Possessed Fairy Tale Farmhouse February 12, 2018 - If a building is abandoned for a long enough time, it doesn't take long before stories about hauntings begin to emerge. In Czechia, the Fairy Tale… Continue Reading
• Finding Prague’s lost Old Town fortifications January 22, 2018 - Tourists from the New World chuckle when they read that Prague's New Town dates back to the 14th century. The New World barely existed in… Continue Reading
• The Bullet Holes in the Gas Tank October 2, 2017 - A gas tank is not the sort of thing most people put on your "Must see" list. In the Prague suburbs, there is one of… Continue Reading
• The not-so-old part of historical Prague September 4, 2017 - As tourists, we tend to make the mistake of assuming that any structure which looks suitably old is automatically ancient. It's easy to walk around… Continue Reading
• The Knights of St Lazarus August 14, 2017 - The Knights of Malta (to give them their full name, the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta) are certainly familiar to followers… Continue Reading
• Prague’s Metronome – and Communist Past April 24, 2017 - With a hand that is around 75 feet long (22.8 metres), the metronome that waves above Prague is impressive enough as it is. Its location… Continue Reading
• The con man who sold the Eiffel Tower April 17, 2017 - One of the smoothest con men who ever lived managed to fool people into buying France's Eiffel Tower from him. Twice. His name is Victor… Continue Reading
• Hearst Castle January 9, 2017 - You expect to find castles everywhere in Europe. You can barely drive for an hour without seeing signs for some stately home, castle or palace… Continue Reading
• Renaissance Pavillions … and Communism? December 5, 2016 - The Royal Garden beside the castle in Prague is a joy to behold. There is a Renaissance pavilion there which seems to have a connection… Continue Reading
• The Communist Clock of Olomouc November 14, 2016 - In Prague, tourists push one another to catch a glimpse of the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square. In Olomouc, there are not that many… Continue Reading
• The Tongue of St John (Of Nepomuk) April 25, 2016 - I've written before about the Czech saint St John of Nepomuk - but I hadn't visited the main church dedicated to him, right in the… Continue Reading
• The Admiralty Arch and Queen Victoria March 7, 2016 - Stand in Trafalgar Square in the middle of London and gaze south-west at the landmark Admiralty Arch that leads to the Mall. Its association with… Continue Reading
• Lost Prague – Tesnov Train Station April 20, 2015 - Like any city, Prague has lost certain elements of its past to the mists of time. Now, these items live on only as a name whose significance… Continue Reading