Czech Republic and Sudeten Germans move closer
At the latest annual Whitsun meeting of Sudeten Germans, who were expelled from Czechoslovakia after World War II, participants called for the celebration of a Sudeten German day in their former homeland. Czech media would welcome such an event but anticipate resistance from politicians in Prague.
Historical trauma could be overcome
After many decades relations between the Czechs and their former German compatriots have become closer, Lidové noviny comments with approval:
“The efforts of those who were once mocked on both sides as 'professional reconcilers' have borne fruit. Hundreds of renovated churches and cemeteries in the Czech border area that wouldn't exist without those efforts testify to that. Dozens of partnerships would never have come about without the contribution of our former fellow compatriots. If there were to be a Whitsun meeting in the Czech Republic, the Sudeten Germans and Czechs would overcome their historical traumas definitively. But that won't happen anytime soon, at least not as long as those who exploit the 'Sudeten German bogeyman' are still in power in Czech politics.”
Czechs now miss the Sudeten Germans
Many Czechs very much miss the Sudeten Germans, Echo24 notes:
“After the war we waged a veritable cultural war. ... All things German were viewed as foreign and inappropriate. This has changed in recent decades. Not only because time can heal some wounds, but also because the Czech newcomers weren't able to build on this cultural foundation. Those who were willing to open their eyes saw the values the Germans created in our country. Even after 70 years, Sudetenland is still a special territory within the Czech Republic - which would like to see itself as a homogenous European country. But it still has special problems. And we're now facing a completely unexpected phenomenon: we mourn the loss of the Sudeten Germans. Who would have thought that possible 50 years ago?”