The tradition of Christmas trees in Czech city squares began in Brno. In 1919, writer Rudolf Těsnohlídek and his friends found an almost frozen little girl, Liduška, in the snowdrifts of the Bílovice forest. The girl was rescued and taken in by a foster family. The writer was deeply affected by Liduška’s fate and wondered how other abandoned children could be helped. He was inspired in Copenhagen, Denmark, where in the run-up to Christmas, a tree decorated the square, under which a collection box for charity was placed. In 1924, Rudolf Těsnohlídek managed to obtain a Christmas tree from Bílovice nad Svitavou, making it the dominant feature of Freedom Square. Underneath it was a box for a public charity collection benefitting abandoned children. Since then, this custom has spread to many other towns.
