The presidents of two European nations will be in Cedar Rapids Friday to mark a milestone at the National Czech and Slovak Museum.
This Friday, the presidents of Slovakia and the Czech Republic will visit the museum in the Czech Village of Cedar Rapids. They’ll be part of a ceremony to dedicate the repaired clock tower at the site that was damaged by the 2020 derecho. The clock tower has a design similar to the clock tower in Prague that features the 12 Apostles. A dozen figurines created by a Slovakian artist will be added to the clock tower in Cedar Rapids and each represents an immigrant from the Czech and Slovak region who settled in America.
Slovakia’s president will be at the museum Thursday night to dedicate a collection of artifacts that tell the story of a Catholic priest who helped organize the Slovak community in Cleveland, Ohio, around the turn of the 20th century.