Three decades have not broken the bond. Members of the Czech community who once lived in Kazakhstan gathered in the Czech Republic to revisit the history of several generations of settlers, recall a village in the Aktobe Region and reconnect with a country that remains part of their family memory, DKNews.kz reports.
The meeting took place in Bělá pod Bezdězem in the Central Bohemian Region and marked the 30th anniversary of the community’s resettlement to its historical homeland. The event was organized by the T. G. Masaryk International Cultural and Educational Center, headed by Erik Lukas, with the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Czech Republic and the Kazakh community.
Former residents of Kazakhstan travelled from across the Czech Republic to attend, alongside representatives of cultural and humanitarian organizations, the media and the diplomatic corps.
Borodinovka became a focal point of family memory
One of the central themes of the gathering was the story of the Czech community that lived in Kazakhstan and founded the village of Borodinovka, now known as Shyghyrly, in the Aktobe Region.
Participants shared family memories and archival materials documenting the lives of several generations of Czech settlers and their descendants in Kazakhstan. For many, the gathering offered a chance to mentally return to the places where they spent their childhood and youth.
Their stories also included warm memories of Kazakh families. Members of the Czech community recalled with gratitude the hospitality and support they received from the Kazakh people during difficult periods of their history.
Even 30 years after moving to the Czech Republic, that connection has endured. Members of the community continue to maintain ties with Kazakhstan and contribute to the development of cultural and economic contacts between the two countries.
Kairat Abdrakhmanov highlights the value of historical memory
Kazakhstan’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Czech Republic, Kairat Abdrakhmanov, emphasized the special significance of such initiatives for preserving historical memory and strengthening people-to-people and humanitarian ties between Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic.
The gathering also highlighted Kazakhstan’s historical experience as a country where representatives of different ethnic groups have lived together in peace and harmony for decades.
Participants discussed cultural and linguistic diversity, mutual understanding and civic unity. These principles were also linked to Kazakhstan’s ongoing political transformation, including the establishment of the Halyk Kenesi.
Some participants plan to vote in Prague on August 23
The cultural gathering also carried a contemporary political dimension.
Czech participants wished Kazakhstan success in the upcoming elections of deputies to the Kurultai, scheduled for August 23, 2026.
Some members of the Czech community who have retained Kazakh citizenship said they intend to vote at the polling station at the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Prague.
That detail reflects the unusual history of the community: three decades after resettling in the Czech Republic, some of its members still maintain not only an emotional connection with Kazakhstan, but also a civic one.
“Czech Traces in Kazakhstan” preserved in film and archives
Among those addressing the participants were prominent journalist Petra Procházková and Jiří Filip, a representative of the Czechoslovak Legionary Community.
A separate part of the program was dedicated to the documentary project “Czech Traces in Kazakhstan.” Guests were shown video materials produced following filming in 2024–2025, as well as archival records about the lives of members of the Czech community.
An exhibition under the same title was also presented.
The T. G. Masaryk International Cultural and Educational Center introduced its “Tugan Zher” initiative. Its purpose is to preserve the history of Czech settlers in Kazakhstan, their life in the country that became their home, their return to the land of their ancestors and the subsequent fate of individual families.
The dombra sounded alongside Czech family archives
Kazakhstan was represented at the gathering not only through archival photographs and memories.
The Nomad.cz Kazakh ethnocultural organization in the Czech Republic presented a musical program featuring performances on the dombra and guitar, as well as dance performances by talented young participants.
The program brought together two strands of a shared history: Czech memories of Kazakhstan and contemporary Kazakh culture in the Czech Republic.
Several organizers who made a significant contribution to preserving this history and developing humanitarian ties received letters of appreciation from the Embassy of Kazakhstan.
We previously reported on the cultural and humanitarian dialogue between Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic, which remains a consistent part of bilateral relations. In Bělá pod Bezdězem, that connection took on a deeply personal form: 30 years later, former residents of Kazakhstan came together again around family archives, memories of Shyghyrly and the shared history of the two peoples.
