Europe in Brussels part 6: the Czech Republic

On 1 January 1993, Czechoslovakia peacefully and amicably dissolved into the Czech and Slovak Republics. However 28 October, the independence day of the former Czechoslovakia, is still celebrated today in the Czech Republic.

“We still consider it our national holiday – the day when Czechoslovakia got its independence from Austria. We also kept the Czechoslovak flag,” says Olga Schmalzreid, who hails from a village about 120km north-east of the capital Prague.

She first came to live in Belgium in 1987, moving to Braine l’Alleud, just outside Brussels, after her husband came to Belgium for work, having previously lived in Moscow and Vienna.

“What I like here is that Belgians are open and welcoming. We got a warm welcome from the neighbours, even though I didn’t speak much French,” says Schmalzreid.

Favourite places for the Czechs to visit in Belgium include the Ardennes and especially the coast, as the Czech Republic is land locked.

History

Schmalzreid teaches the Czech language and works with the Belgian-based Czech organisation Beseda, which translates as “discussion circle”. It was founded in 1904 by Czechs who lived in Belgium at the time.

“They were shoemakers, furmakers, shopkeepers - they decided they should unite and communicate together. During the first world war, they were considered to be Austrians as Czechs were nationals of the Austrian Empire. So they were pursued by the Belgians, who didn’t realise the difference. When the Germans came here the Czechs were considered as having fled from military service. So they had a hard time during the war.”

In the 1920s and 1930s Czechoslovaks, mainly from Slovakia, came to work in the mines of southern Belgium and Limburg. Schmalzreid explains that more political immigrants followed after the Communists came to power following the second world war. By the 1990s, after Communism had fallen, many Czechs then returned to their homeland – "but numbers have rejuvenated since EU membership". There are now an estimated 6,000 Czechs living in Belgium.

Beseda has around 100 members, although about 1,000 Czechs receive invites to their events. Members work on a voluntary basis and the group publishes a news bulletin called Zpravodaj, which translates as giving news or information.

“Once a month we get together to give concerts. We have theatre performances. We do barbecues and have children's days during the summer. Also we have Christmas parties for children with Saint Nicolas visiting,” explains Schmalzreid.

According to the Czech Embassy there are also other Czech organisations, aside from Beseda in Belgium who organise events for their nationals, and support the Czech language, such as the Czech School without Borders - a school for children of expats and there are Czech studies at the ULB university.

Beseda is also a philanthropic organisation which donates to charity and highlights good causes such as the Czech Hospital, which was built in Baltistan, Pakistan following an earthquake in 2005 to help locals in desperate need of medical attention and aid

“We were created to help each other”, says Schmalzried, also pointing out that Beseda collected money for the Czechs to protect themselves from fascist attacks prior to the second worls war. It also contributed to help the victims of the mining disaster at Marcenal near Charleroi in 1955, where 262 miners died.

Best friends

Despite divorcing in 1993, the Czechs and Slovaks remain on the best of terms, says Schmalzeid. The split even became known as the “Velvet Divorce” in reference to the peaceful “Velvet Revolution” when the Czechoslovak Communist government was removed from power by the people. Beseda even counts some Slovaks as members. “We really are like brothers. Our association was created as a Czechoslovak association. I even have a student learning Czech because there was nowhere to study Slovak”, Schmalzeid adds.

For more information on Beseda: http://www.beseda.be/