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Vojtech Chloupek is a 24 year old from Jihlava who is currently studying law at Oxford. He is particularly interested in the theatre and is also a blue in ice hockey. We were the fifth club to benefit from his interesting presentation about his homeland and its contribution to the world.
Jihlava is a 12 Century town on the route between Prague and Vienna. It was a rich and powerful town in medieval Bohemia due to its silver mines. Some of its laws relating to the mining of silver are still used in South America today. Some of the works of Mahler were first performed here. Currently Jihlava has a population of around 50,000.
The Czech republic is surrounded by “big” neighbours such as Germany and Russia and this has always influenced its foreign policy and view of itself. It is known for its friendly population and lovely, well-preserved countryside. Vuitech showed slides of Prague and the castles of Bohemia, an area designated as an International Heritage Site.
A few of the many examples of famous Czechs would include the novelist Kafka who gave us the word “robot”, the composers Dvorak and Martinu and the artist Mucha who is very much associated with the Art Nouveau style. Perhaps a less well-known name is that of a scientist called Wichterle who, working at home on ‘Heath Robinson’ equipment, invented the contact lens.
The two most famous exports of the Czech Republic are beer and Semtex!
Vojtech then explained the history of Rotary in the Czech Republic. The first club was inaugurated in 1925 and, by the beginning of WWII, there were 47 clubs in the country, then Czechosloviakia, with some 1300 members. Then came the Nazi occupation and the clubs were forced to dissolve. After the War a few clubs attempted to start up again, the only country behind the Iron Curtain to do so, but the Soviets promptly banned Rotary. Some Rotarians emigrated. In 1990 the organisation restarted and has quickly grown back to its original 47 Clubs with 8 Rotaract clubs. The Rotary Club of Jihlava, in District 2240, has 28 members and focuses on youth exchange projects and helping disabled children.
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