Czech point ; For most of us, the name Wenceslaus evokes the popular Christmas carol. But who was he, and why is he still so beloved by his countrymen? Simon Calder follows in the Good King's footsteps

From: The Independent (London, England) | Date: December 23, 2006| Author: | Copyright information

Snow upon snow? No, row upon row - of tenement blocks, through which a man with the stocky build of a steelworker, wearing an imitation-leather coat and a brown corduroy hat, is leading me, silently. Our sole verbal communication so far has comprised one word. I enquired, "Vaclav?" He nodded, and beckoned me to follow him through the scruffy Czech town of Stochov.

My first few footsteps on the trail of Wenceslaus are proving unrewarding - about as appealing as a midwinter sojourn in the now- familiar marquees at Heathrow. The idea had been to find out more about the man who gets a Christmas ...

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