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Jim Wald

ironic anniversaries

March 7 was the birthday of the man who created modern and the one who nearly destroyed it

- President Liberator Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (1850-1937)
- Nazi governor Reinhard Heydrich (1904; assassinated by Czechoslovak paratroopers, 1942)
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postal cover with special postmark in red celebrating Masaryk's 85th birthday, 1935: right: red 1-Crown stamp depicting Masaryk (pince-nez, goatee) in characteristic peaked cap looking left circular postmarks top left, center, and right with the location (Prague Castle) and date (7 March 1935) two vignettes (beneath each: *1850*T. G.MASARYK*1935* between the left and central postmarks: coat of arms with the nationak motto Pravda Vitězi--Truth Prevalls between the central postmark and the stamp: entrance to Prague Castle
black-and-white photo: Heydrich (in front of officers and troops)l facing left and giving the Nazi salute at Prague Castle--where he ruled from the presidential office that Masaryk had formerly occupied)
Mar 09, 2025, 03:29 AM·Public·Fedica
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Jim Wald

The contrast between T. G. Masaryk (born 7 March 1850) and Reinhard Heydrich (born 7 March 1904) could not be greater:

one, a builder and a humanist
nps.gov/articles/000/declarati

the other, a destroyer and hangman
encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content
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personal bookplate of Masaryk bold black-and white line image depicting humanity and modernity: a little girl, representing the promise of the future, sits on the ground with her back to us, facing the initials TGM as she braids a flower chain. In the background, smokestacks signal technical and economic growth and a better future
Heydrich on the cover of Time Magazine, 23 February 1942 in his black uniform with his thin face turned slightly to the left in the background, an array of nooses, reflecting his nickname, The Hangman caption HEYDRICH; GESTAPO EXECUTIONER Can terror, hunger, propaganda rule 150,000,000 captives?
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Jim Wald

Here is a treasured large-scale portrait of President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk that from time to time graces my home office. It depicts him at work in the president's office in Prague Castle ("Hrad," as noted in the signature)


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detail of portrait: bald man with goatee intently studying document
on easel: portrait of Masaryk in red pastel, facing right, reading a manuscript left: a black iron woodstove background: Czechoslovak flag hanging on wall
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Jim Wald

The previous portrait of President Masaryk depicts him in Castle reading a manuscript, representing him as both a leader and a thinker

How nice to see a world leader whose preferred depiction is with books and learning. Here he is in his personal library


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in a photograph dated 1920, Masaryk, wearing a dark suit, in his library: standing and facing left, the president bends over: slightly resting his elbow on a little ledge projecting from a wall of wooden bookshelves, he is immersed in reading an unidentified book at right, an armchair and small reading table
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Ԏєηυкι, 手抜き🚀🐧♏ 🔭 ⚫⚪

@CitizenWald
I asked myself when chzechs call it Hradcany ( GE: Hradschin) or just only Hrad ?

Quiet public
Ԏєηυкι, 手抜き🚀🐧♏ 🔭 ⚫⚪

@CitizenWald
got it, thanks. In simple english I also wondered why the german "Schloss" ( or Schlösschen) is different to palace ( Palast, Residenz) . It took me a glance to wikipedia lately to learn how englishmen used to use french 'chateau' instead of an own expression.😄

Quiet public
Ԏєηυкι, 手抜き🚀🐧♏ 🔭 ⚫⚪

@CitizenWald
in my history lessons I always felt kind of solace or justification about the fact how soon Heydrich got killed by assasination .

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Jim Wald

@enigma Yes. No one deserved it more

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jš∴
Here is the immediate aftermath of that assassination in an animated form, featuring st. Gorazd, who provided refuge for the assassins.

Gorazd Pavlík

CC: @enigma@norden.social
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Ԏєηυкι, 手抜き🚀🐧♏ 🔭 ⚫⚪

@js @CitizenWald I Never learned about this resistance Network ( only learned french history)
Awesome 👏
It reminds me on the classic movie of the IRA founder Michael Collins .

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jš∴
It's not pretty history. A lot of people were killed, two towns (and their inhabitants) razed completely to the ground as retribution for the assassination.

This is a good read on the events: https://georgefranchi.com/the-assassination-of-reinhard-heydrich-was-it-worth-the-cost/

CC: @CitizenWald@historians.social
George Franchi's blog · The Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich: Was it Worth the Cost? - George Franchi's blogOperation Anthropoid, the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, known as the Hangman of Prague, was conceived out of desperation.  Born in September 1941, the operation was meant to achieve some sort of significant, morale-raising victory after a long series of disasters.  Hitler had already conquered Poland, Denmark, Norway, the Low Countries, France, Yugoslavia and Greece.  His armies were currently going from victory to victory in Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union.  The British needed something, anything to stem the morale-killing stream of endlessly bad news.  The civilians at home and the various branches of the military were in danger of sliding into a state of defeatism.
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Jim Wald

@js @enigma Yes, it is always a very moving experience to visit the church in Resslova where the assassins were betrayed and priests arrested.
Very good animation: thank you for sharing!

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