Czech and American institutions receive historic emigrant publications

The Czech Foreign Ministry and the United States government transferred a collection of historic books, newspapers, and magazines to Czech institutions in Prague.

The collection contains materials produced by Czech and Slovak emigrant communities who moved to the United States during the second half of the 19th century. The publications include the first Czech-American edition of Božena Němcová’s Babička, which was published in 1916.

These items will be housed in several locations, including the National Museum, the National Library, the Military History Institute, and the Museum of Czech Literature. The transfer took place at the Černín Palace with the participation of US Ambassador Nicholas Merrick. Radek Augustin, the Deputy Foreign Minister, noted that these publications helped emigrants maintain ties to their homeland through language and community organizations like the Czech Sokol.

After World War I, the United States hosted dozens of Czech periodicals to help these communities adapt to American life while keeping their native language. Historian Jaroslav Olša Jr. stated that these newspapers provide vital records, such as documenting that four Czech Americans died during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.