Life is an adventure. Something to be experienced and enjoyed. I often ask, ‘How does it get any better than this?‘ When I ask that question, magic happens.
For many years I didn’t feel like there was much of that unless you count raising three boys an adventure, which I often do. Having twins has made most days an experience beyond anything I’d known. Then in 2015 I embarked on a new adventure – traveling to Europe. Since that trip and the choices I made because of the experiences I had, life continues to be ever changing and some days I don’t even recognize myself.
Who am I today? That is a question I often ask.
We all make choices in life to pay attention to some things while ignoring others. To stay isolated versus being with new people. We stick so much to our family stories and who we ‘believe’ we are and our family members are, that we often shut out the possibilities of what could be. We often close ourselves off to the possibilities of experiences, people, jobs, travel, and healing that could change us in ways we desire but are too afraid to embrace. I speak from experience.
Yet when we take that one chance, our entire reality can change. I took that chance after my first trip to Europe and it led to meeting the most amazing man, who is now my husband. Johan offered up several places for us to go on honeymoon. One was Prague. When he offered this as a possibility, my entire body and soul lit up and started dancing and yelling, ‘YES LET’S GO THERE!!!’
Feeling there were reasons beyond my immediate understanding of why I had to go to Prague, I was completely aware there was something greater than myself at work here. I knew without a doubt this trip would change my life and the lives and souls of others. I also knew it would bring me home.
My Czech Family
This was my first trip to the Czech Republic. Our plane ride from Amsterdam to Prague was short and my heart beat faster as we got closer to Prague airport. Seeing the land of my ancestors made me almost cry as I heard their voices welcoming me home and reminding me I was not only here for myself but also them.
All of my family lines, which I have traced back to the early 1800s in most cases and 1600s in another line, were in what was Bohemia, then Czechoslovakia. All of those who emigrated, came to Chicago. Where did my ancestors come from before where my research ends? I’m starting to figure that out after not looking at my genealogy for several years. I’m also waiting for a DNA kit to arrive so I can learn more and hopefully have some questions answered. Many who heard my surname, Holik, welcomed me home. It felt so good to be welcomed home.
What surnames make up my family?
Holik from Senetín and before that, Ledec nad Sázavou
Rataj/Ratay from Pisek
Brouk from Holovousy, Chric,
Schubert/Subrt & Kocka from Hresilavy and Chric
Tregler & Svihlik from Kladno, Motycin near Prague
Kokoska/Kokaska from unknown at this time but likely near Osek as he married a Priban.
Priban from Osek where the family lived for over two centuries
Zajicek from Pilsen
Hammer/Hamer from Drakov, Kraj Tabor
Exploring Prague
Johan and I stayed at the K+K Hotel in Prague just down the street from the Powder Tower and Municipal Center. This hotel was full of Art Deco, which Johan loves. Seeing so much Art Deco and Mucha art in Prague, I’ve now become a fan. We arrived late afternoon and there were two main things I wanted. Kolacky and for dinner – either roast duck or roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut. Of course I wanted to see some sights, but Czech food was high on my list.
We ended up walking first to the Powder Tower and passed some WWII war memorials on the buildings as we walked. Next to the Tower is the Municipal Center, which is filled with Art Deco. Simply gorgeous. One can spen
d hours looking at all the details and stained glass and mosaics. We were in need of a snack so headed into one of the restaurants in the building called Kavárna, which had a cart filled with cake options. Of course we each chose a different cake so we could sample two options.
After enjoying our cake and coffee and exploring a little more of the building, we ventured out …. destination unknown. Thankfully Johan is a master navigator and we can walk all over a city and he always knows where he is and how to get anywhere we want to go. I’m not always so great at this.
Having made only a short list of things we ‘must-see’ on this trip, we were happy to see where our feet took us and what showed up along the way. Our walking took us down a long road to the Old Town Square where we found Our Lady of Tyn Church. This was on my list of things to see. We arrived after 5 p.m. so it was closed. Outside there was a sign for a classical music concert the following evening. How amazing would it be to hear that in a centuries old church? We bought tickets and I asked, ‘How does it get any better than this?’
Walking back to the square we admired the gorgeous architecture on the buildings, watched people as they made their way through from one place to another. Watched street performers and heard bits of music. We made our way across the square to another church (I love churches) and found St. Nicholas Church. They were having a concert that evening at 7:30 and were going to play something from my favorite composer – Dvořák and his From the New World! I may have gotten VERY excited over the possibility of hearing this in a church so Johan agreed we could get tickets. Two concerts, two nights in Prague! ‘How does it get any better than this?’ It didn’t take long to find out! We kept walking the square and soon found the Old Town Hall and when we walked around the side, there was the Astronomical Clock! Needless to say, I kept asking the question the rest of the night and amazing things showed up.
By this time it was getting close to 6:00 and we needed to find some dinner before going to the concert. As luck would have it, we found The White Horse restaurant which had outdoor seating. It was very noisy and getting chilly, so the hostess suggested we eat in their cellars. That sounded interesting and less noisy so we agreed. We walked down two levels of old stone stairs and ended up eating in the Roman Cellars. It was magical! And of course, they had roast duck, dumplings, and sauerkraut! It was a lot and I ate it all. Delicious!
After dinner we went to St. Nicholas Church to hear the concert. The music, atmosphere, lighting, and history all brought ghosts from the past to join us to enjoy the magic of the music and space. The group consisted of violinists, cellists, and a bass. They played Ravel’s Bolero, Dvořák’s Symphony Number 9 in E Minor, Pachelbel’s Canon, and some Mozart, Bach, and Vivaldi. Many times tears came to my eyes as my heart swelled with the rise and fall of the music in that sacred space. It was an amazing way to close out our first day in Prague.
Prague at night is magical. The buildings, art, lights, people, music. We enjoyed the way the Old Town Square looked after the concert on our walk back to the hotel. Little did we know one more surprise awaited us…..champagne and chocolates from the hotel staff wishing us a happy marriage.
Our first partial day in Prague was incredible. So many emotions and experiences and a profound sense of being home. Where would the next three days take us? Who would we meet? What would we see and experience? How would our lives be changed? What did my ancestors have in store for me beyond the magic provided this first day? Stay tuned to find out and learn some travel tips in the final article.
© 2017 World War II Research and Writing Center
The World War II Research and Writing Center is now booking programs through 2019, including our newest talk, Walking in their Footsteps: Traveling Planning for your WWII Trip to Europe.
Finding Your Soldier’s History
The story of the assassination is more dramatic than fiction. The Czechs who killed Heydrich are memorialized at the place of their last stand against the Germans. Seven brave men held out against the Germans where they had been hiding, at the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius. Today, you can visit the National Memorial to the Heroes of the Heydrich Terror in the crypt of this church.
The Germans reacted immediately with reprisals. Then, Heydrich died from his wounds. The Germans offered a hefty sum for any information on the young men. After three weeks, a fellow resistance member betrayed them. But Gabcik and Kubis were moved to the Saints Cyril and Methodius Church and hid in the crypt there with others who assisted in the assassination. The woman who had hidden the parachutists was killed and her son tortured until he gave away the location of the church hiding place.
The crypt today shows clear signs of the battle. Bullet holes pepper the walls. When you stand in the crypt, you feel how small and claustrophobic it is, just a small basement in a neighborhood church. But the bravery that took place here was beyond measure.
Thank you notes lay scattered about, tributes to these young men who gave themselves in hopes of saving others. Groups of school children and tourists come here to learn about this story of Czech resistance to evil.
I will be presenting, Stories of the Lost, Saturday, November 11, 1:30 p.m. – Note: This program is not suitable for children.
A few months ago I read an article in a Holocaust Educator’s group about dark tourism. I had never heard of this until I read the article and then realized, I do dark tourism when I travel in Europe.
There are also places I’ve been which are likely classified as dark tourist sites due to the number of dead that sleep there, like Normandy Cemetery. The dark tourism site lists some (but not all French WWII sites and adds war cemeteries in their list). So many dead on and after D-day that were temporarily and then permanently buried there. This was the first ABMC cemetery I visited after several years of research into the cemeteries and war dead. It is one thing to research and another thing to walk where you have researched.
On a rainy Sunday morning at 10:00 at the Powder Tower (just down the street from our hotel,) we met Hannah, our tour guide. There was a small group of less than 10 people which was perfect for asking questions. Our tour started at the Powder Tower and Hannah showed us a map of Czechoslovakia and the surrounding countries from 1938. She began telling us stories of how the annexation occurred and what happened to the Czech people, especially those in Prague.
After a serious history lesson about Czechoslovakia and its importance to Hitler’s war plans, we began walking to the Old Town Square where the Nazis rolled through Prague and began taking over. As we walked, Hannah stopped and pointed out different war memorials on the buildings, especially those for the resistance. Those in the resistance greeted each other with a specific hand signal, as seen in the memorials. Most of the signs we saw, with or without the hand on them, contained names of those who died in Prague fighting for freedom, many on the last days of the war as the Germans were killing everyone they could in an attempt to save themselves.
Our tour included a visit to the underground where the resistance met and many families whose houses had been destroyed, fled during the occupation. The underground took us two layers below the current Prague street level. The first level was the Gothic cellar. The second, the Roman cellar, beneath the Old Town Hall. Prague has a series of connected cellars which made it difficult for the Germans to know how many resistance members there were at one time. We had eaten the night before in Roman cellars and I had no idea then of their significance.
Prior to the end of our tour, we walked through the Jewish Quarter and learned more about the fate of the Jews in Prague. We learned how they worked with the resistance to stall production and fight the Nazis. We saw several monument stones on buildings for Jews who died, and the 
I recently posted on Facebook about a 101st Airborne paratrooper’s letters I was reading and writing about. I commented that people should save their letters and envelopes that go with each letter as they contain valuable information about not only the service history of a soldier, but his family and life. I went on to say that should a family not want their soldier’s military papers and artifacts any long to please not throw it away. There are many individuals, archives, museums, and other repositories that would be happy to take the original materials. Them someone asked for a list of those repositories. While I do not have a list of every possible place in America to donate materials, I can give you some things to consider before you donate.
Many places will be happy to accept your original materials (not photo copies) but it is important to ensure the materials will be properly processed, stored, and made available to the public for research. A couple of years ago a friend and I were attending the 104th Infantry Division WWII reunion in New Orleans. We spoke to an archivist at the National WWII Museum about a collection my friend was considering donating somewhere. At that time (
One thing I appreciate about every commemoration I’ve attended here, is the fact that children are a part of each one. Students in school in the Netherlands are taught about WWII and the effects it had on the Netherlands. They learn about the sacrifice of our American soldiers and all Allied soldiers, and what that means for their freedom.