English Translation

2/2 Dr. mont. h.c.Ing. Dr. Vladislav Sýkora: About the peculiarity of the Czech people Gentlemen! If today, as President of the Czech Association for Cooperation with the Germans, I have the honour to give you an opening lecture, which is intended to deal with the peculiarity of the people ofčech, I can assume that you do not expect a dry scientific treatise from me, which would have the ambition to exhaust the subject systematically. For the peculiarity of every cultural people offers such a wealth of problems, both in sociological and linguistic as well as emotional and artistic terms, that their scientifically sufficient, albeit fleeting, sketching should take advantage of a strong band and many preparatory evenings. In fact, research-oriented goals are not in the centre of the achievements of our association, which is more focused on concerns which are intended to serve life directly and which, above all in different directions, may provide effective suggestions which can strongly promote the better mutual understanding between the Germans and Čechen. So today I am allowed to make a few comments on the big issue mainly from my own experience, which as suggestions for closer examination 3