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Welcome to Erin Menke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and mild. Our world is full of the unexplainable and if history is an open book, all of these amazing tales are right there on display, just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. The ground shook as the column of tanks rumbled along the country road making for the Czech border. It was 1938 and Hitler had just signed a treaty claiming the Sudetenland, a region of Czechoslovakia, for himself. Now German troops were advancing on the border. Suddenly the tanks screeched to a halt. The marching German soldiers stopped in their tracks. Something was on the road. The Germans couldn't believe it. This was 1938, not the middle Ages. And yet standing between them and the Sudetenland was an armor clad, sword wielding knight. Not much is known about the early life of Josef Menchik, the last knight of Czechoslovakia. It's not clear where he was born or what his family was like. A local newspaper described him as a town councillor with a taste for rum, anchovies and adventure. But the most definitive thing that we know about Josef is that he had a passion for the medieval. The first reliable records about him come from property deeds when he bought a run down 13th century Gothic castle in the Czech town of Dubri in 1911. The castle had lived many lives, acting as grain storage and a school before it was damaged by a fire. But Josef quickly set to bringing it back to its former glory. He personally renovated the castle, fixing its issues and filling it with antiques from the High Middle Ages period. The castle became a kind of museum and Yosef delighted in giving tours to the curious locals. He lived as someone in the Middle Ages would, rejecting electricity and cars in favor of torchlights and horses. He also began appearing at fairs and festivals in his prized possession, a full suit of medieval armor from France. Josef's passion for the Middle Ages didn't just extend to appearances. He truly wanted to live like a knight, following a chivalric code of generosity, bravery, courtesy and Respect for traditional. He called himself the Last Knight and was known for his kindness and service to people in town. He even got his wife and two children in on the act, dressing them in period clothing as well. For years, Josef was the town eccentric, giving tours to school groups and riding to town on his horse. But in the late 1930s, he went from local kook to local champion. In 1938, Nazi Germany started expanding into other countries. It often used cultural ties to justify taking over territory. For example, when annexing Austria In March of 1938, Germany claimed that it was a reunification of German speaking peoples. Wary of just having gone through the incredibly bloody World War I just 20 years earlier, many European countries felt that it was better to just give Hitler what he wanted to avoid another conflict. And so, as we discussed at the beginning, In September of 1938, the Nazis turned their eyes toward the Sudetenland, which were regions on the German Czech border that were home to many German speaking people. Like with Austria, Hitler argued that these people in their land belonged to Germany. Czechoslovakia, on the other hand, wanted to maintain its independence. They feared that once Germany took over the Sudetenland, they wouldn't stop until they occupied the whole country. When England, France and Italy signed an agreement giving the Sudetenland to Germany, the Czechs felt betrayed. And as the tanks rolled over the Czech border, the people mostly decided to stay in their houses and just watch. It was clear no other countries would come to their aid if they tried to fight. Josef, however, didn't see things that way. According to his chivalric code, he had to defend his people, even if it was a losing battle. So that day In October of 1938, when the Germans marched on the border, he rode out in full armor to meet them. The tanks and the soldiers did actually stop for a few moments in shock at seeing what looked like something out of Don Quixote. But soon enough, they continued forward, murmuring among themselves that this errant knight must be crazy. Iosef was forced to step aside. It's not clear what he did during the rest of the war and during his country's occupation. It's likely he spent much of his time inside his castle, hoping for the day the Germans left. And finally, in May of 1945, his wish was granted as the Allies declared victory. Yosef's time in his free country was short lived though, as he died just a few months later in November of 1945. Josef Menchik may have brought a sword to a gunfight, but when it came to protecting his people, and his country. He had the heart of a true knight.