Rehacek Family Background

Czech Republic	Praha	Kutna Hora

Our lives began far away across two continents and one ocean. Both Slavka and I were born in the former Czechoslovakia, now known as the Czech Republic. Our native land is found right in the middle of Europe and is about the same size as the state of Oregon. Our country is nestled between four European countries all differing in customs, cultures, and languages. On the west we share borders with Germany. For eons struggles between the two nations have shifted the actual borders back and forth and to this day many of the southwestern parts share customs and languages of both countries. The north border is shared with Poland, our long distant cousins as far as Slavs go. On the east side we have Slovakia. They are our closest cousins and not till around 1990 the Czech Repuplic (Bohemia) and Slovakia became separate countries. And last, we share our southern border with Austria.

Capital City:	Praha (Prague)
Population:	10,278,098
Surface Area:	78,866 sq. km (30,050 sq. miles)
Highest Point:	Mt. Snezka at 1,602 m (5304 ft)
Lowest Point:	River Labe effluence at Hrensko 115 m (377 ft)
Longest River:	River Vltava 433 km (267 miles)
Average Summer Temperature:	Between 23°C (73°F) and 29°C (84°F)
Average Winter Temperature:	Between -11°C (12°F) and 0°C (32°F)
Average Annual Rainfall:	69.3 cm (27 inches)

Czech Republic is also separated into two regions Bohemia and Moravia. Though we share many of the customs and culture, there are slight differences between the regions but many people neglect these differences and life is pretty much harmonious. Both Slavka and I are Bohemians, even though half of her family comes from Slovakia. I was born in a small town called Kutna Hora (seen west southwest from Prague) while Slavka was born in Prague.

Prague (view from Karl's bridge upon Prague's castle)

I, along with my parents and my younger sister Petra, have immigrated from then Czechoslovakia (1983 was a communist country), to seek a better future and free life in the United States. We have traveled a long way from home to settle down in a country without oppression and moral imprisonment. Now as US citizens we have restarted our lives and begun building a foundation for a new generation of Rehacek's in the US of A.

 I began my own foundation in the summer of 1991. This was the first time I, along with Petra, returned to our native land after a 8 year absence. We returned to refresh our roots and our native language because no matter where you live, where you are originally from counts the most. I love the United States and am proud that I can contribute my own heritage to the well established cultural mosaic found throughout America. And it was on this trip that I met my future bride, even though at that time I didn't have the slightest clue that our lives would one day be mended together forever.

In the following years, I made 2 other trips to Bohemia. Between the trips Slavka and I kept our special relationship blooming through constant correspondence. This ensured that whenever I returned we would continue building our friendship as if there were no breaks between. But it wasn't until the summer of 1998 that our friendship blossomed into something much greater. It wasn't long afterwards when Slavka made her first trip to the US. She left her homeland and moved here to be with me for good. And in August of 1999 we tied the knot at the Chapel of Love in Las Vegas.

Now the Rehacek legacy can continue to be written in the scrolls of time and history. Ever since our family name appeared in the population census of Bohemia in the early centuries of Europe, we have endured through hard times and famine but throughout all esperate times our name prevailed.  The Rehacek's name has never grown weak and has managed to filtrate throughout the four corners of the world. Even though there might not be a lot of us, one thing is for sure we are strong and durable and our name will continue till the end of time.

	Click on the picture to see the Rehacek family tree.
	Click on the picture to play the Vltava (The Moldau) MIDI by the classical Bohemian (Czech) composer Bedrich Smetana.

Some pictures from the Czech Republic

Karlstein castle	Krivoklat castle	City of Plzen
City of Tabor	Hluboka castle	City of Usti Nad Labem
City of Cesky Krumlov	City of Kutna Hora	City of Vyssi Brod
Beskydy mountains	A pond in a field of dandilions	Typical Czech forest
Sumava mountains	Krkonose mountains	Prachticka Brana

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Designed by Jan Rehacek @ 2004