Current Affairs Day of Czech Statehood commemorates patron saint
of Czech nation September 28th is St Wenceslas Day,
commemorating the Czech nation's patron saint, Prince Wenceslas,
or Vaclav. He was slain by his own brother in the year 935 near
Prague. But Prince Vaclav was not the only man of that name who
played an important role in Czech history. Legend portrays
Prince Wenceslas I of the Premyslid dynasty as a pious man and a
Christian martyr. Historically, he helped the Czech lands ally
themselves with the Saxon king Henry the Fowler and made peace
with the neighbouring Germans. The legend of St Wenceslas
travelled far and is remembered in the popular English Christmas
Carol "Good King Wenceslas". Although it is his murderous
brother Boleslav who is credited with founding the independent
Czech state, Saint Wenceslas has become the symbol of Czech
statehood. As historian Herbert Brynda says, the legend of St
Wenceslas is not without controversy. "In fact, there are two St
Wenceslases: the historic one and