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Prague Castle Guard will commemorate its 100th anniversary at NATO Days

The Prague Castle Guard, a unit of the Czech Armed Forces which is closely connected with our independent republic, will attend NATO Days in Ostrava & Czech Air Force Days for the seventh time in a row. Within this year's presentation, visitors will have a chance to get to know its history and a popular exhibition of its motorcycle unit will also take place. 

The Prague Castle Guard was established shortly after the independence of Czechoslovakia, therefore, it also commemorates its 100th anniversary this year. In its exhibition, visitors may look forward to a presentation of the past century from the unit's point of view. Similarly, the Prague Castle Guard will also provide them with a favourite dynamic display of its motorcycle unit showing an escort of the President of the Czech Republic and high representatives of foreign countries during official visits. The presentation will include eight modern customized BMW R motorcycles, which will crown the display with their own exhibition later on, as well as Škoda Superb and Land Rover Discovery vehicles.

“Exhibition of the Prague Castle Guard belongs among annual attractions of our event which should be appreciated also due to the fact that the unit does not present itself publicly very often. Its participation in this year's NATO Days is all the more important as it is closely connected with the Czechoslovakia's independence and the unit itself commemorates its centenary this year,“ emphasizes Zbyněk Pavlačík, the chairman of Jagello 2000. “Representatives of the Prague Castle Guard will also receive a ribbon of the Czech Euro-Atlantic Council for their long-term cooperation in organizing NATO Days in Ostrava & Czech Air Force Days at the opening ceremony,” highlights Pavlačík. 

The Prague Castle Guard was established by the Military High Command of the Czechoslovak Republic on the 7th December, 1918. It initially comprised the total of 195 officers including the Czechoslovak legionnaires who fought in the ranks of Entente Powers in Russia, Italy and France and whose uniforms became official fittings in 1929-1938. After the end of the German occupation, during which the guarding responsibilities were taken over by the 1st Battalion of the newly established Protectorate Army, the unit was re-built, nevertheless, with establishment of the communist regime, the Prague Castle Guard progressively lost its exclusive position in guarding the President and became more or less just a symbolic unit assigned to perform representative tasks.

Its significance was restored after the Velvet Revolution and the unit started to report directly to the Chief of the Military Office of the President. Nowadays, the Prague Castle Guard represents an autonomous component of the Czech Armed Forces, although financially and logistically supported by the Armed Forces. The unit, which is the size of a brigade, consists of 715 members who must fulfil, besides general requirements, number of specific criteria to join the unit such as having a certain height or a given look including the absence of facial hair or tattoos.

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