Czechast Special: Czechs and Their Nobility

Czechs have always had somewhat contradictory feelings toward their nobility. One of the country’s leading aristocrats once even bitterly complained that Czechs are either louts or boot-lickers, nothing in between. One of the first laws of the newly independent Czechoslovakia, in 1918 right after the end of WW I, forbade the use of aristocratic titles. On the other hand, today Czechs have developed an avid interest in the lives of their dukes and counts. The second part of this Czechast  explores the subject.

Dear Czechasters, as I was producing the last Czechast with a Czech-Italian aristocrat Francesco Kinský dal Borgo I remembered that over the years I have produced some other programs about Czech nobility. And so I thought it would be a good idea to produce another Czechast special on this topic so that you don’t have to search for the programs.

Constantin Kinský|Photo: Vít Pohanka, Radio Prague International

First, there is an interview with Constantin Kinsky, who is actually the uncle of Francesco whom you heard in the last episode. Constantin was born in 1961 in Paris, France, to one of the oldest aristocratic families of Bohemia. Educated in France, he became a successful investment banker and strategic consultant and advised the Czech governments of Josef Tošovský and Miloš Zeman thus helping to save the Czech banking system during the crisis of the late 1990´s. I interviewed him back in 2017.