Czech President Petr Pavel visits Nebraska

LINCOLN — Czech President Petr Pavel visited Nebraska Thursday to highlight the state’s ties and partnership with the Czech Republic. 

The day’s affair included multiple stops. Pavel visited the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to talk with students about the state’s deep connections with the Czech Republic. He had a work lunch with Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen. The former president also visited the Nebraska National Guard. Then he went to Wilber, dubbed “the Czech Capital of the USA.” The trip to the Cornhusker State ended with a short press conference at the Nebraska Capitol with Pillen. 

Pavel said he was emotional about meeting so many people in Wilber who identify with Czech “ancestry, tradition and history.” 

“I was simply moved by how devoted they are to promote this heritage for next generations, because quite often, even in my own country, we are not that enthusiastic about traditions as they were,” Pavel said. 

Pillen said Nebraska and the Czech Republic have “extraordinary opportunities”  to learn from each other when it comes to agriculture. While Nebraska is good at agriculture, he said, “anybody who thinks they have all the answers usually is going to end up on the bottom of the hill.” 

Pillen also said education is another place to collaborate because it is the key to “lifting everybody up and making sure no matter where anybody is … (and) what kind of circumstances.” 

The governor went to the Czech Republic in 2024 for a trade mission focused on expanding military cooperation, along with joint efforts in veterinary measures, livestock production, and scientific research, according to his press release. 

The Nebraska National Guard and the Czech Republic also have a partnership through the National Guard State Partnership Program. 

Pavel was in the U.S. for the United Nations General Assembly in New York.