Teachers and students of the Ukrainian Economic Academy. Podebrady. 1923
Ukrainian Free Academy of Sciences archive (New York)
The article explores the cultural and educational role of the Ukrainian diaspora in Czechoslovakia during the 1920s and 1930s. At that time, one of the most extensive and well-structured Ukrainian communities in Europe and the world was established, featuring numerous Ukrainian political and civic organizations, cultural and artistic associations, periodicals, schools, gymnasiums, institutes, universities, and museums. The Ukrainian Civic Committee in Prague, under the leadership of Mykola Shapoval and Nykyfor Hryhoriiv, played a key role in the establishment and operation of a significant portion of Ukrainian educational and cultural institutions in Czechoslovakia.
The article specifically emphasizes the purpose and circumstances of the creation of institutions such as the Ukrainian Economic Academy in Poděbrady, the Ukrainian Higher Pedagogical Institute named after M. Dragomanov in Prague, the Ukrainian Institute of Public Affairs (Ukrainian Sociological Institute), the Ukrainian Workers’ University, the Ukrainian National Museum-Archive in Prague, the journal “Nova Ukrayina”, and more. These institutions not only contributed to preserving and advancing Ukrainian culture abroad but also nurtured new generations of independence advocates for Ukraine and promoted Ukrainian culture throughout Europe.
The Senate of the Ukrainian Academy of Economics and the Deputy Chairman of the Ukrainian Public Committee
Nykyfor Hryhoriiv meet the President of the Czech Republic Tomas Masaryk during
his visit to the Ukrainian Academy of Economics. 1923. Photo: Hryhoriiv family archive
