The segment of Československý zvukový týdeník Aktualita (Czechoslovak Aktualita Sound Newsreel), 1938, issue no. 27 reports on the 16th International Congress of PEN. Clubs held in Prague from 26 to 30 June 1938. The delegates include President Edvard Beneš and his wife Hana, the writers Karel Čapek, H. G. Wells and Olga Scheinpflugová, and Vojtěch Mastný, the Czechoslovak envoy to Berlin.
Segment from Československý zvukový týdeník Aktualita (Czechoslovak Aktualita Sound Newsreel) 1942, issue no. 10, captures the opening of a proagandistic anti-Soviet exhibition with the ironic title The Soviet Paradise (Das sowjet Paradies), held at the Prague Exhibition Grounds from 28 February to 28 March 1942. A view of the gate of the grounds with the sign The Soviet Paradise. The opening of the exhibition is attended by Reich Secretary Karl Hermann Frank, Prime Minister of the Protectorate Government Jaroslav Krejčí, and Minister of Education and People´s Enlightenment Emanuel Moravec. Footage of the exhibits. Karl Hermann Frank and the others examines a Russian tank and a RATA fighter plane in front of the Industrial Palace. An image of a poster saying "People Who Gave Up Laughing".
Segment from Československý zvukový týdeník Aktualita (Czechoslovak Aktualita Sound Newsreel) 1942, issue no. 21, from a concert held as part of Prague Music Weeks at the German Opera in Prague (now State Opera Prague) on 15 May 1942. Footage of the exterior and interior of the building. Prague´s German Philharmonic, conducted by Joseph Keilberth, performs the Finale of Anton Bruckner´s Eighth Symphony (authentic sound). Acting Reich Protector Reinhard Heydrich with his wife Lina, and the chief of the Wehrmacht troops in Prague, General Rudolf Toussaint, are present in the audience.
The segment from the 1943 Český zvukový týdeník Aktualita (Czech Aktualita Sound Newsreel) No. 40B captures the event 'Art for the Youth' organised in the National Theatre by the Curatorium for the Education of Youth in Bohemia and Moravia. The event starts with a premiere of Bedřich Smetana's newly staged opera Prodaná nevěsta (The Bartered Bride). Among the audience is the Minister of Education and National Enlightenment, Emanuel Moravec. Following are short excerpts from the performance and a shot of conductor Václav Talich giving his thanks to the audience.
The segment of Československý zvukový týdeník Aktualita (Czechoslovak Aktualita Sound Newsreel), 1938, issue no. 26 captures the visit of President Edvard Beneš, accompanied by Chairman of the Parliament Jan Malypetr and Minister of Public Works Jan Dostálek, during a visit to the glider airfield operated by the Masaryk Air League in Raná u Loun.
The segment of Československý zvukový týdeník Aktualita (Czechoslovak Aktualita Sound Newsreel), 1938, issue no. 38 offers a part of the radio speech delivered by President Edvard Beneš on 10 September 1938, in which he urges Czech citizens to stay calm and hopeful for the future.
The segment of Československý zvukový týdeník Aktualita (Czechoslovak Aktualita Sound Newsreel), 1938, issue no. 38 captures the last speech President Edvard Beneš gave prior to his abdication on 5 October 1938.
The segment of Československý zvukový týdeník Aktualita (Czechoslovak Aktualita Sound Newsreel), 1938, issue no. 22 shows President Edvard Beneš with his wife Hana and Minister of Defence František Machník during a visit to Tábor on 21 May 1938.
Segment from Český zvukový týdeník Aktualita (Czech Aktualita Sound Newsreel) issue no. 26B from 1943, shot on 20 June, captures a traditional church ceremony at the Saint Anthony pilgrimage site. The Board of Trustees for the Education of Youth exploited its popularity and organised a political rally at the venue, with speeches by the Uherské Hradiště District Representative of the Board Jan Ryba and General Secretary of the Board František Teuner. Then, the youth of Moravian Slovakia paid homage to Adolf Hitler. The festivities concluded with a presentation of Moravian Slovak dances performed by couples wearing folk costumes.
Segment from Czechoslovak Aktualita Sound Newsreel 1942, issue no. 24, captures the memorial ceremony for Acting Reich Protector Heydrich held in Prague on 7Ï8 June. The camera follows a night-time funeral procession across Charles Bridge. SS officers carry the coffin draped in the Nazi flag. The procession is illuminated with burning torches. The following footage shows a bier with Heydrich´s coffin in the first quadrangle of Prague Castle. The surroundings are decorated with eternal flames, Nazi flags and SS flags. A view of Heydrich´s military decorations and the guard of honour, made up of SS soldiers. The ceremony at Prague Castle continues with a speech by the newly appointed Acting Reich Protector Daluege (silent). The event is attended by Reichsführer of the SS Himmler, State President Hácha, and members of the Protectorate Government. The funeral procession with the coffin, organised as a military parade, moves along Mostecká Street in Prague´s Lesser Town. The procession includes members of the Protectorate Government and continues across Charles Bridge, along Smetana Quay, National Avenue, and through the Wenceslas Square towards Prague Main Railway Station, where the coffin is loaded onto a train. The segment concludes with the train departing for Berlin.