Our History
The first Czech museum and library, which was started by the Czech Heritage Foundation in 1974.
The Czech Heritage Foundation was formed on May 17, 1973 when merchants of the 16th Avenue SW business district (known today as Czech Village) were invited to attend a meeting regarding Czech heritage and cultural preservation in the Cedar Rapids area. As interest in the project grew, it was obvious that additional groups should be organized to turn some of the goals into reality. The goals of the foundation are similar to the ones that exist today: publicity and promotion of events, developing printed materials, publication of newsletters during the year and presenting programs of interest to the community.
Since its inception, there have been more than 1,000 global members of the foundation who have contributed towards preserving Czech heritage.