Czechs commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of WWII

Ceremonies have been taking place around the Czech Republic on the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. On Sunday morning President Vaclav Klaus, other politicians and war veterans attended a memorial ceremony at the National Memorial on Vitkov Hill in Prague to remember those who gave their lives.

On Saturday evening President Klaus also met Czech veterans at Prague Castle, and honoured six of them by promoting them to the rank of general, as well as a further three in memoriam. In a speech he warned against attempts to rewrite the history of the Second World War, and to equate the perpetrators with the victims.

Ceremonies have also been taking place to remember foreign troops, from both the Red Army and the western Allied armies, who gave their lives during the liberation of Czechoslovakia. Around 100,000 people also attended celebrations in Plzen on Saturday to remember the liberation of the city by American troops. Among those attending commemorations in the Czech Republic is the vice-president of the European Commission, Margot Wallstrom.

Alongside various memorial ceremonies, there have also been several re-enactments of historical events, including the bloody battle on Vinohradska Street for control of the radio building during the Prague Uprising, and on Sunday morning thousands of people braved unseasonally cold weather at Prague's Letna Plain for a huge historical military parade. The parade was also the first chance for the people of Prague to see some of the Czech Republic's new fleet of Gripen supersonic fighter aircraft in the air during a fly-past.

Author: David Vaughan