Relevant History to the Czech National Library

I watched an episode of No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain this week in which the location was Prague, Czech Republic. I also began reading Time's Magpie: A Walk in Prague by Myla Goldberg.
This episode of No Reservations focused on the up and coming cuisine of this nation which is already well established in so many other ways. Czechoslovakia was ruled as a communist state for 45 years until, in 1993, it dissolved into two states; The Czech Repuplic, and Slovakia. Prague is the Capital of the Czech Republic. During the years that communism ruled in Czechoslovakia, the country's cuisine suffered due to government regulations placed upon restaurants and chefs. Creativity in cooking was hindered and all restaurant's menus became very similar. In this way, the Czech Republic is very new, less than 30 years old. The cuisine of this nation is just now beginning to regain it's place amongst the great cuisines of the world (Bourdain, 2010).
The book, Time's Magpie: A Walk in Prague, gives a great overview of Prague from many venues. The Czech National Library is one of these venues. I just recently began the book, but am hoping that it will shed a little light on the a question that No Reservations brought up for me. What happened to the library during the years of Soviet rule? Was the library hindered as was the cuisine? If so what effects did it have on the ability of GII to be of benefit to the Czech Republic and how far has the nation come since 1993? All very interesting questions which will benefit my research.

Bourdain, Anthony (Host/Writer). (February 1, 2010). No Reservations [Television Broadcast]. Travel Channel


Goldberg, M. (2004). Time's magpie: a walk in prague. New York, New York: Crown Journeys.

Prague it is...or Maybe the Czech Republic

I’ve decided to do my individual assignment on the GII in the Czech
Republic, specifically Prague. Although as I begin to research I am
noticing that the specificity of topic might prove difficult in finding
sources for the project. If I continue to find this is the case I will
broaden my scope to Czech Republic. I chose this location both because
of its history as a nation and because, from what little I’ve heard the
libraries there are quite good. I also work with a woman at Gardner
Public Library who is from Prague and may be able to provide some
first-hand insight or suggestions for my research. Another reason for
researching this location is that my husband and I are tentatively
planning a trip there in October of this year.
I began by looking at the website for the National Library of the Czech
Republic. There is tons of information here about the library’s history
and practices. There is a page on the site listing the national and
international organizations that the library belongs to. I think this
will be a good first resource for me because it will lead to other
sources. I’ve also found a few articles through Google Scholar which I
hope to use.


National Library of the Czech Republic, 2006. Retrieved on 1/23/2010 at http://www.nkp.cz/_en/index.php3