Jazz Night
Mar
28
7:00 PM19:00

Jazz Night

Gather your friends and family and join us for a delightful evening of live music in an intimate setting. Sit back and enjoy the smooth sounds of Sparky Koerner and the Jazz Express. See you there!

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Milan Kundera Book Club Discusses The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Apr
16
7:00 PM19:00

Milan Kundera Book Club Discusses The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Robert Cremins and Dan Price from the Honors College at the University of Houston will lead us in a discussion of The Unbearable Lightness of Being, a best-seller that became a popular film. They will be in conversation with Houston author and physician Ricardo Nuila from the Humanities Expression and Arts Lab (HEAL) at Baylor College of Medicine.

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FotoFest 2024 Artist Reception
Mar
20
6:00 PM18:00

FotoFest 2024 Artist Reception

Czechs, Collected

Czech and Slovak photographers in Houston's private collections and at FotoFest since 1990

Artist Reception: CZECHS, COLLECTED

Wednesday, March 20 | 6-8 PM

Czech Center Museum Houston, 4920 San Jacinto St.

Free and open to the public.

Enjoy a Special Evening with Czech Photographers!

Join the Czech Center Museum Houston on Wednesday, March 20, from 6–8 PM to celebrate this year’s FotoFest Biennial Participating Spaces exhibition Czechs, Collected: Czech and Slovak photographers in Houston’s private collections and at FotoFest since 1990. Meet and mingle with the artists, curator, and team behind the special exhibition, and immerse yourself in the world of Czech photography. 

The Artist Reception will be held at the CCMH, with an introduction by FotoFest co-founder Wendy Watriss and FotoFest executive director Steven Evans. Complimentary valet parking is available to CCMH guests. This event is FREE and open to the public. Enjoy light refreshments and see images that have inspired Houston collectors over the last 30 years.

 

RSVP below to secure your free admission.

 

CZECHS, COLLECTED is an exhibition featuring the works of Czech and Slovak photographers who have presented at FotoFest since 1990. Viewers get an exclusive peek into works from Houston's private collections and from FotoFest archives. The CCMH is proud to be a Participating Space in the FotoFest Biennial 2024.

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Mar
2
2:00 PM14:00

CZ & SK Hockey Game

Další ročník CZ&SK bruslení a hokejového zápasu Česko-Slovensko All Star Team proti Zbytku Světa je tu!

Začneme hodinou bruslení (2 - 3 pm), bude následovat krátká pauza a po ní to nejdůležitější - hokejový zápas!! Pokud nebruslíte, přijďte aspoň fandit. Budeme mít určitě něco na zahřátí!
Po skončení hokejového zápasu se, stejně jako loni, přesuneme do nějaké občerstvovny na pivo.

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Feb
29
7:00 PM19:00

Milan Kundera Book Club Discusses The Joke

Leap into The Joke

Please join us for a series of events exploring the work of Milan Kundera (1929-2023), the Czech writer whose books became an international phenomenon. During the Soviet domination of Czechoslovakia, Kundera reminded the world of his native country’s central place in European culture. His formative influences included the composer Leoš Janáček and that modern myth-maker, Franz Kafka. 

Robert Cremins and Dan Price from the Honors College at the University of Houston will lead us in a discussion of The Joke, one of the seeds of the Prague Spring. Kája Lill from the University of St. Thomas-Houston will present briefly on Moravian Musicology. In subsequent months we will meet to consider two other novels: The Unbearable Lightness of Being, a best-seller that became a popular film; and The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, which back in late 1980 The New York Times called “the most original book of the season.”

Visit Brazos Bookstore to order your copy of Kundera’s novel.

Time and location

Thursday, February 29, 2024, at 7:00 PM

Czech Center Museum Houston
4920 San Jacinto St.
Houston, Texas, 77004

tickets

This event is FREE and open to the public.

partner

Leap into The Joke and bring your favorite quote!

RSVP below and write to us a quote or passage that particularly resonates with you from the reading. We will discuss some of your submissions at the next book club meeting.

If you have any further questions, please email social@czechcenter.org

Robert Cremins is a Senior Lecturer in the Honors College at the University of Houston, where he also directs Creative Work: A Pre-Professional Program. He is the author of the novels A Sort of Homecoming and Send in the Devils. His short fiction has appeared in Critical Quarterly, The Dublin Review, and been broadcast on BBC Radio.

Dan Price has taught at the University of Houston's Honors College since 2000. He has a PhD in Philosophy, specializing in French and German Aesthetics and Ethics. After several books on the intersection of ethics, community, and art, he has spent the last decade working toward practical applications of philosophy. He directs both the Community Health Worker Initiative and the Data & Society Program at the Honors College. They collect and analyze data from front-line health workers in disadvantaged communities around the Houston area, creating innovative programs for undergraduates to work side by side with community members to address a wide range of health problems.

Kája Lill is an Assistant Professor of Music at the University of St. Thomas-Houston, where he teaches music theory and conducts the UST Orchestra. He is a doctoral candidate in music theory and Rackham Merit fellow in the Rackham Graduate School at University of Michigan, where he is also pursuing an M.A. in Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies. Lill’s research interests include the history of music theory in Central Europe and theories of rhythm and meter. His dissertation examines how the reception of Hugo Riemann’s Funktionslehre in the Czech lands can inform our understanding of harmonic function both in Riemann’s work and in current music theory.

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Movie Screening: The Investigator
Feb
7
6:30 PM18:30

Movie Screening: The Investigator

Czech Center Museum Houston presents a screening of a documentary film by director Viktor Portel, capturing the powerful story of Vladimir Dzuro. Join Vladimír, the first Czech investigator for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, as he confronts the haunting legacy of war crimes. Witness the impact on victims' families, conflicting nations, and the investigator himself. Don't miss this gripping journey of justice and reconciliation with The Investigator.

The program will feature a screening of a documentary by Viktor Portel, “The Investigator” followed by a discussion with Prof. Lora Wildenthal.

  • Documentary screening Wednesday, February 7th at 6:30 p.m.

  • The discussion with Prof. Lora Wildenthal will start at 8:00 p.m.

“The Investigator”

Documentary, Czech Republic, 2022, 73 min. Directed by Viktor Portel.

Lora Wildenthal is the John Antony Weir Professor of History at Rice University.  She is the author of The Language of Human Rights in West Germany (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2013) and co-editor of the Routledge History of Human Rights (Routledge, 2020), among other projects and publications, and has taught the history of human rights since the late 1990s.  Currently she is Director of the Center for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality at Rice.

“The Investigator" highlights the dual nature of the International Criminal Court's ethical mission: independently investigating war crimes while striving for reconciliation in cases of ethnic, national, and other conflicts. The documentary is inspired by Vladimir Dzuro's bestselling book, "The Investigator – Demons of the Balkan War.”

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Feb
3
3:30 PM15:30

Masopust: potluck a maskarni ples

TENTO PROGRAM JE PRO LIDI, KTEŘÍ MLUVÍ ČESKY A SLOVENSKY.

Masopust & Maškarní Bál!

Přijďte v kostýmu nebo bez.

Čas začátku: 3:30 p.m.

Občerstvení formou potluck. Víno & pivo bude k zakoupení opět přímo na místě, stejně tak jako uzené výrobky. Zábava pro malé i velké - kostýmy, hry pro děti (i dospělé) - skákání v pytlích, běh s vajíčkem na lžíci atd. Crafts, soutěž v jezení koláčů. A samozřejmě české a slovenské písničky, můžeme i tancovat!

Non-Members:

$10 - Dospělý

$5 - Dítě 6–15 let

Zdarma - Dítě do 5 let

CCMH Members:

$8 - Dospělý

$0 - Dítě 6–15 let

Zdarma - Dítě do 5 let

 

partners

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Jan
25
7:00 PM19:00

Milan Kundera Book Club

Please join us for the first in a series of events exploring the work of Milan Kundera (1929-2023), the Czech writer whose books became an international phenomenon. During the Soviet domination of Czechoslovakia, Kundera reminded the world of his native country’s central place in European culture. His formative influences included the composer Leoš Janáček and that modern myth-maker, Franz Kafka. Kundera was also drawn to the imagination of France, where he settled in 1975. The cultural form that preoccupied Kundera was the novel. He leaned into its skepticism and comedy to contemplate societies distorted by ideology and vacuousness.

At this opening event, Robert Cremins and Dan Price from the Honors College at the University of Houston will talk about Kundera’s art and philosophy. We hope this discussion will whet your appetite for our Milan Kundera book club, which in subsequent months will meet to consider three of his major novels: The Joke, one of the seeds of the Prague Spring; The Unbearable Lightness of Being, a best-seller that became a popular film; and The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, which back in late 1980 The New York Times called “the most original book of the season.”

time and location

Thursday, January 25, 2024, at 7:00 PM

Czech Center Museum Houston
4920 San Jacinto St
Houston, Texas, 77004

Tickets

Admission is Free.

partner

Robert Cremins is a Senior Lecturer in the Honors College at the University of Houston, where he also directs Creative Work: A Pre-Professional Program. He is the author of the novels A Sort of Homecoming and Send in the Devils. His short fiction has appeared in Critical Quarterly, The Dublin Review, and been broadcast on BBC Radio.

Dan Price has taught at the University of Houston's Honors College since 2000. He has a PhD in Philosophy, specializing in French and German Aesthetics and Ethics. After several books on the intersection of ethics, community, and art, he has spent the last decade working toward practical applications of philosophy. He directs both the Community Health Worker Initiative and the Data & Society Program at the Honors College. They collect and analyze data from front-line health workers in disadvantaged communities around the Houston area, creating innovative programs for undergraduates to work side by side with community members to address a wide range of health problems.

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Jan
23
6:30 PM18:30

Future of Mobility

Miloslav Stasek, the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United States, cordially invites you to a cocktail reception and networking opportunities with a delegation of innovative Czech companies, focused on smart mobility and space, led by the Minister of Transport of the Czech Republic, Martin Kupka, on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, at 6:30 pm. Glide into the future with business partners specializing in smart mobility and space technology. 


Location: Czech Center Museum in Houston
4920 San Jacinto Street
Houston, TX 77004


RSVP required

 
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Czech-American TV Screening
Jan
17
6:00 PM18:00

Czech-American TV Screening

Czech-American TV (CATVusa) is a non-profit volunteer project of the Czech-American John Honner, who decided 20 years ago to promote the Czech Republic in his new homeland, the USA. In addition to donors directly in the USA, many Czech Universities and institutions support this incredible undertaking.

CATVusa has been promoting the Czech Republic, especially in English-speaking countries through half-hour shows, which are watched by nearly 6 million households in Florida, Illinois, Oregon, and now Texas. These broadcasts inform about beautiful and interesting places in the Czech Republic. Viewers learn about Czech history, folklore, cuisine, fashion, products, regions, cities, and monuments.

In addition to cable broadcasting (HMS-TV Comcast Channel 17, At&T U-Verse Ch 99, Sudden Link Ch 99, Phonoscope Ch 96, all in the Houston City Limits) the programs can also be watched via the Internet, which is used by over 100,000 viewers worldwide, primarily in Canada, Australia, England, and Germany.

CATVusa aims to spread awareness of the Czech Republic and its culture. Broadcasts take the form of video documentaries.

Partner

 
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Dec
15
6:00 PM18:00

Movie Night

Anděl Páně 2 (An Angel of the Lord 2) — The Angel Petronel is still working at Heaven's Gate, but is confident that he deserves a better position. His eternal tempter, the devil Urias, begins to tempt Petronel. All one has to do to know all that only God knows is pick an apple from the Tree of Knowledge, and the path to well-deserved recognition will be clear. Petronel’s argument with Uriáš over the Poznan apple ends catastrophically; in the skirmish, the rare fruit rolls down to Earth. The confused angel and his friend, the devil-tempter, must rush to the human world to find and bring back the apple of Knowledge.

On the eve of St. Nicholas, they become entangled in a wondrous tale. They meet little Anežka and her beautiful mother Magdalena, a bunch of dishonest carolers, the ghost Košťál and the sympathetic Párkará. Before they manage to find the apple and return it to where it belongs, they will have to endure a great adventure and go through several dangerous situations. After a series of human and "divine" tests, our heroes finally discover that the path to knowledge leads primarily through oneself, through the discovery of the power of friendship, love, and the ability to forgive.

The dialogue is in Czech with English subtitles.

Release Date: December 1, 2016 Running Time: 99 minutes

Cast: Ivan Trojan, Jiri Dvorak, Vica Kerekes, Anna Ctvrtnickova, Jiri Bartoska, Bolek Polivka, Vojtech Dyk, Stanislav Majer, Pavel Liska, Marek Taclik

Director: Jiri Strach

Writers: Marek Epstein, Jiri Strach, Bozena Nemcova

Admission is free. Start time 6:20 p.m. Donations are appreciated. Complimentary popcorn. Beverages are available for purchase. This is part two of a double-feature. To view part one, click here.

Due to the limited number of seats, RSVP below.

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Dec
15
4:30 PM16:30

Double Feature

Tři oříšky pro Popelku (Three Wishes for Cinderella) — The three nuts hide a secret and will allow Cinderella to be a skillful archer in a green hunting vest (in which she first charms the prince when she wins over him in crossbow shooting), or an unknown princess galloping on a horse whose beauty captivates the prince at a ball where he must choose his bride at the behest of his parents. Cinderella finds her way to happiness with the help of her magic nuts, and the prince finds his sweetheart despite all the difficulties thanks to a small shoe that only Cinderella can fit on her foot.

Release Date: November 16, 1973 Running time: 87 minutes

Cast: Libuše Šafránková, Pavel Trávníček, Carola Braunbock

Director: Václav Vorlíček

Screenplay: František Pavlíček, Václav Vorlíček, based on the tale by Bozena Nemcova

Admission is free. Start time 4:30 p.m. Donations are appreciated. Complimentary popcorn. Beverages are available for purchase. This is part one of a double-feature. To view part two, click here.

Due to the limited number of seats, RSVP below.

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Annual Mikuláš Market
Dec
2
12:00 PM12:00

Annual Mikuláš Market

Mikuláš Market 12:00 - 4:00 PM

This holiday season, immerse yourself in rich traditions and treasures at the Czech Center Museum Houston

This year’s Mikuláš Market features beautiful and unique gifts from the Czech Republic. Join us in savoring the season with a selection of warm holiday beverages and enjoy Czech treats from our Country Store.

Experience the magic of Mikuláš (St. Nicholas), anděl (angel), and čert (devil) as they delight in the Czech Advent tradition. Good children will be rewarded with treats!

This year’s Country Store will be selling homemade Czech favorites such as kolache, strudels, poppy seed rolls, jams, and so much more!

Kids will unleash their creativity with fun holiday activities and crafts including Czech winter bingo, ornament making, and more!

 

Join us for the fun and festivities!

Admission to the Holiday Market is ONLY $5.00!

Ticket holders will receive one (non-alcoholic) beverage voucher at the event!

OTHER HOLIDAY EVENTS!

Annual Holiday Auction

 

Members Preview Party

partners

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Dec
1
6:00 PM18:00

Members Preview Night

CCMH members are invited to celebrate the Holiday Season with us!

Entertainment | Enjoy holiday sounds from local musicians

Museum Access | Explore the galleries! The exhibitions on all three levels are open. View our special exhibitions Leaving Czechoslovakia and Guts & Glory.

Refreshments | Light bites and sweet treats are available; cash bar.

CCMH Shop | Use your member discount in the gift shop - right in time for holiday shopping.

Annual Online Fundraising Auction | Item will be on display for your perusal before the final day of bidding.

Festive photos | Bring your camera to capture merry moments with special guests.

Join us at the Czech Center Museum Houston for food, drinks, networking, and a celebration for all our members and friends!

Tickets

CCMH Members | Free

Member guests | $5

FESTIVE HOLIDAY ATTIRE ENCOURAGED

If you are not yet a CCMH member, join now to get free and reduced tickets along with other great benefits!

OTHER HOLIDAY EVENTS!

Annual Mikuláš Market

 

Annual Holiday Auction

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Annual Holiday Auction
Nov
24
to Dec 7

Annual Holiday Auction

  • Czech Center Museum Houston (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

We invite you to support Czech Center Museum Houston’s Holiday Auction! One of the CCMH’s largest annual fundraisers, our online auction offers the chance for CCMH friends and supporters from near and far to join in this fun-filled holiday event—all for a good cause.

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Nov
17
5:30 PM17:30

Movie Night

Listopad: A Memory of the Velvet Revolution — Petr (Filip Tomsa), Jiri (Filip Cíl) and Ondrej (Pavel Richta) are an unlikely trio of friends. An artist, a hockey player and a musician, the boys survive communism by playing sports, drinking beer, chasing girls and listening to underground music. But they are bound together by their common desire for freedom; on a cold November night, they join the front lines of a student demonstration in the streets of Prague. Face-to-face with the riot police, the boys are forced into a momentous decision: stand up against the Communist regime or give in to a system that has silenced their families for generations.

The dialogue is in Czech with English subtitles.

Release Date: October 24, 2014 Running Time: 90 minutes

Cast: Igor Bares, Filip Cíl, Petr Kantor, Anita Krausova, David Novotný

Director: Gary Griffin, Josef Lustig, Jan Tesitel

Writers: Gary Griffin, Arnost Lustig, Josef Lustig

Admission is free. Start time 5:30 p.m. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. Donations are appreciated. Complimentary popcorn. Beverages are available for purchase.

Due to the limited number of seats, please RSVP below.

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Czech Heritage Month Concert
Oct
26
7:00 PM19:00

Czech Heritage Month Concert

In honor of Czech Heritage Month, we continue our exploration of the captivating chamber music of Czech composer Antonín Dvorák, headlined by his swashbuckling, folk-inspired String Sextet. Featuring the Apollo Chamber Players with special guests Lauren Spaulding, viola, and Norman Fischer, Professor of Cello at The Shepherd School of Music, Rice University.

Performance is Thursday, October 26, 7:00 p.m. at Czech Center Museum Houston. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required due to limited seating. Complimentary valet parking is available on-site.

Czech Center Museum Houston would like to thank Diana Austin, Rev. Paul Chovanec, Adelma Graham, Sharon Schweitzer J.D., Valerie Sheppard, and William and Marie Vavrik for generously supporting our Czech Heritage Month programs.


meet the artists

APOLLO CHAMBER PLAYERS: Anabel Ramirez Detrick & Matthew J. Detrick, violins, Aria Cheregosha, viola; Matthew Dudzik, cello

Houston-based APOLLO CHAMBER PLAYERS “performs with rhythmic flair and virtuosity” (The Strad) and “recasts music for a diverse and multi-ethnic generation” (Strings Magazine) through globally-inspired programming and multicultural new music commissions. Recipient of Chamber Music America’s prestigious Residency Partnership award, the ensemble has performed for sold-out audiences at Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center and is featured frequently on American Public Media’s nationally syndicated program Performance Today.

NORMAN FISCHER has concertized on five continents and in 49 of the 50 United States. He was cellist with the Concord String Quartet through its 16-year career and winner of the Naumburg Chamber Music Award, two Grammy nominations and an Emmy. Mr. Fischer is currently Herbert S. Autrey Professor of Cello and Director of Chamber Music at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston.

LAUREN SPAULDING, under the alias of @MonochromeViola, has established herself as a rising genre-defying soloist and chamber musician through her “anonymous practice blog” on Instagram. Spaulding, a Texas native, studied under the tutelage of Professor Peter Slowik at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and Roger Tapping of the Juilliard String Quartet. Her dedication to social advocacy earned her the privilege of performing at the White House in 2012. As a "Champion of Change," she was recognized by President Obama for her contributions in using music as a catalyst for positive social transformation.

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Leaving Czechoslovakia
Oct
20
to Dec 30

Leaving Czechoslovakia

  • Czech Center Museum Houston (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

"Leaving Czechoslovakia" presents the stories of 20th-century Czech and Slovak émigrés to America in their own words.

Hundreds of thousands of Slovaks and Czechs fled their homeland during the communist era, many risking their lives in the process. Their stories, about why and how they emigrated, are sometimes dramatic, sometimes tragic, and essential to our understanding of the events that shaped the 20th Century. These first-person accounts form the core of “Leaving Czechoslovakia,” a new traveling exhibition from the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. The project captures and preserves the stories of Czechs and Slovaks who fled their homeland during the Cold War.

Opening Hours

Tuesday - Saturday, 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Czech Center Museum Houston would like to thank Diana Austin, Rev. Paul Chovanec, James Ermis, Adelma Graham, Sharon Schweitzer J.D., Valerie Sheppard, William and Marie Vavrik, and donors who wish to remain anonymous for generously supporting our Czech Heritage Month programs.

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A Lecture with  Martin Nekola & an afternoon  with the Family History Research Center at the Clayton Library Campus
Oct
13
10:00 AM10:00

A Lecture with Martin Nekola & an afternoon with the Family History Research Center at the Clayton Library Campus

10:00 AM

Enjoy a lecture from Dr. Martin Nekola

Czechs in the USA and Texas -

History, Places and Opportunities for Further Research

Thousands of people dreamed of leaving poor Bohemian lands, crossing the ocean, and entering the country of endless hope. Around 1506, the first news about America in the Czech language had spread across Bohemia and was received with great interest. Only after the middle of the 19th century was there a massive wave of migration. The main motivation was the vision of better living conditions and of getting rich easily, but also there was a desire to escape the political, religious, and national oppression in Bohemia, at that time part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire.

Throughout the second half of the 19th century, more and more Czechs arrived. With the outbreak of the First World War in the summer of 1914, statistics state that there were about 350,000 Czechs living in the USA. The lecture will focus on places where the Czechs showed an extraordinary desire to associate, and founded a number of compatriot associations, businesses, schools, and churches, as well as publishing numerous periodicals. Dr. Martin Nekola will also share his research experience and advise how to look for ancestors from the old country.


1:15 PM - 3:00 PM

Research at the Family History Research Center at the Clayton Library Campus Attendees can come and stay/go as desired.

Family History Research Center at the Clayton Library Campus

5300 Caroline St.

Houston, TX

77004

Sign up for this free Lecture!

Czech Center Museum Houston would like to thank Diana Austin, Rev. Paul Chovanec, James Ermis, Adelma Graham, Sharon Schweitzer J.D., Valerie Sheppard, William and Marie Vavrik, and donors who wish to remain anonymous for generously supporting our Czech Heritage Month programs.

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Guts & Glory: The War Train that Shaped a Nation
Oct
5
to Dec 22

Guts & Glory: The War Train that Shaped a Nation

  • Czech Center Museum Houston (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

At the outbreak of World War I, Czechs and Slovaks had no country to call their own. Their lands were a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, an old aristocracy that had ruled over them for centuries. Seeing this war as an opportunity to free themselves, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, Edvard Beneš and Milan Rastislav Štefánik formed the Czechoslovak National Council and worked tirelessly to establish an independent and democratic Czechoslovakia.

Opening hours

Tuesday - Saturday, 11 AM - 4 PM

Czech Center Museum Houston would like to thank Diana Austin, Rev. Paul Chovanec, James Ermis, Adelma Graham, Sharon Schweitzer J.D., Valerie Sheppard, William and Marie Vavrik, and donors who wish to remain anonymous for generously supporting our Czech Heritage Month programs.

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