News, Czech priests executed by communists beatified, Vamberk bobbin lace first Czech craft to receive European protected status.Vojtech Naprstek exhibition

Two Czech Roman Catholic priests executed during the communist regime's darkest years have been beatified in Brno, marking a powerful moment of national reckoning with historical injustice. Jan Bula and Václav Drbola, hanged in 1952 after a show trial falsely accusing them of killing party officials, are now recognized as martyrs, with their beatification serving as both a spiritual tribute and a civic reminder of the regime's brutality. Their story is part of a broader reckoning with the past, underscored by the Czech Republic's ongoing political tensions—particularly between President Petr Pavel and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš over NATO delegation appointments—while also facing challenges in public investment efficiency and welfare policy reform. Meanwhile, the town of Vamberk celebrates a cultural milestone: its traditional bobbin lace has become the first Czech craft to receive European Protected Geographical Indication status, a recognition of centuries-old craftsmanship and intergenerational continuity. The craft’s survival, rooted in family traditions and noble patronage, now stands on the brink of potential UNESCO recognition. In Prague, a major exhibition reimagines the legacy of 19th-century polymath Vojtěch Náprstek—not as a distant academic, but as a visionary feminist, influencer, and cultural architect whose global network of connections built one of Europe’s most important ethnographic collections without ever traveling far himself.