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Day of Czechs abroad

Did you know that February 4th is the Day of Czechs abroad? But, it is not officially recognized yet. Still, this date was chosen by Czechs living abroad. February 4, 1628 is the day when Jan Amos Komenský left the Czech Republic.

About 2.5 million people with Czech descent live abroad. More than half of them are US citizens. There are also large communities in Canada and Argentina. In Europe, Czechs live in the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy and, of course, Slovakia. Communities in Croatia, Romania and Ukraine keep strong ties to the Czech Republic. In the last decade, the number of Czech schools abroad has reached a hundred, although quite recently there were only a few.

The idea of the new holiday is to strengthen the connection of the Czech Republic with people whose ancestors left the country, and to support their desire to preserve the Czech language and Czech culture where they now live.

Summer Czech Course for Czech Expatriates

Charles University also contributes to strengthening the cultural and linguistic ties of Czechs living abroad with their historical homeland. Our Summer Czech Course for Czech Expatriates serves this purpose, allowing people with Czech descent to learn the language of their ancestors or to strengthen and develop their Czech language skills and spend time surrounded by Czech culture.

Interactive language learning, exciting workshops and lectures, fun trips and, of course, heart-warming evenings with music, dance and traditional Czech food await the students of the summer course.

The course takes place in the resort town of Poděbrady. Poděbrady is located about an hour's drive from the Prague airport, it is a lovely spa town with a colonnade, parks, restaurants and a wide range of cultural and social activities. The course takes place in the heart of Poděbrady, in a 14th-century castle with a large garden in which many afternoon and evening events take place. For students of the Summer Czech Course for Czech Expatriates in Poděbrady, we offer accommodation in double rooms with a private bathroom.

You can pay for the Summer Czech Course for Czech Expatriates on your own or use scholarship from the Czech government under the Programme for the Support of Czech Cultural Heritage Abroad.

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