Otakar Štáfl Takes Us To The Moon and Beyond

Otakar Štáfl was born on December 30, 1884 in Havlíčkův Brod. Located in the medieval town fortifications of Havlíčkův Brod is a bastion, which today bears the name of Otakar Štáfla. He had his studio on the premises. He did not finish grammar school and headed straight for Prague where he was admitted to the...

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

August 11, 2017

Autographed Portraits of Czech Photographer Jiří Jiroutek

Today we are looking at the Autographed Portraits of Czech Photographer Jiří Jiroutek. Jiří Jiroutek was born on March 21, 1967, in Louny. He is a contemporary Czech photographer currently residing in Liberec. He studied at the Institute of Creative Photography at the Silesian University in Opava (1994). He has been living and working as...

CULTURE, Photography

August 7, 2017

Czech Opera Bass Singer Vilém Zitek

Vilém Zitek was a Czech opera bass singer, known the world over and the first ever national artist. Zitek was perhaps the greatest opera singer in 20th Century Czechoslovakia. He was born in Prague on September 9, 1890 and died in Prague on August 11, 1956. He was originally apprenticed to work as a mechanic; but...

ENTERTAINMENT, Music

August 6, 2017

Fun Ethnic Folk Prints and Motifs for the Home

We love showing off the folk patters and ethnic designs of the old country. Whether the designs be Bohemian, Moravian or Slovak (or even Polish in this case) the patterns and motifs cross over and resemble one another in subtle ways and are just lovely to look at. Today we are looking at some items...

LIFESTYLE, Shopping

August 5, 2017

The Ethereal Dresses of Czech Designer Blanka Matragi

Academic painter Blanka Matragi was born on 20th of February 1953 in Svetla nad Sazavou into family of a glass cutters. It was no surprise she had followed her father’s story and first studied at a Secondary School of Glass Cutting in her hometown for three years and then continued her studies at the Secondary...

Art and Design, CULTURE, Fashion

August 3, 2017

Lovely Czech Style Flower Folk Art Purse

Today I came across a nice little Czech style flowery folk art inspired purse. A little handbag that looks like it comes straight from Moravia. This lovely little folk art flower embroidery bag is a vegan faux leather purse. It is made from toxic-free vegan faux leather that is biodegradable, recyclable and environmentally friendly. The ornate...

LIFESTYLE, Shopping

August 2, 2017

Rubezahl or Krkonoš – European Mountain Man of Legends

Today I found a vintage Czechoslovakian folk art sculpture of Rubezahl or Krkonoš – a European mountain man of legends and folklore. This hand-crafted Rubezahl is 24 inches high and approx 15 inches wide. His pipe reads Pozdrav z Krkonos, which roughly translates to “greetings from the highest mountains.” Rübezahl (Polish: Liczyrzepa, Duch Gór, Karkonosz, Rzepiór,...

History, NOSTALGIA

July 31, 2017

George Washington Has Roots Linking Him with Bohemian Kings

There has always been great interest in the genealogy of US Presidents and their ancestral links with royalty. In this respect, no other US President has received more attention than George Washington. That the Father of our Country, the first President of the United States, carried English royal blood in his veins is no secret...

LIFESTYLE

July 28, 2017

Uber Man – A Czech American Bumped Up Billionaire

Czech-Americans are known for their numerous contributions in just about all fields of human endeavor, especially in the cultural sphere. However, they are also considered very good businessmen and entrepreneurs, as the incredible story of Travis Cordell Kalanick shows. In 1998, Travis Kalanick dropped out of UCLA with some of his classmates to found Scour...

Men, PEOPLE

July 26, 2017

Winnetou, Old Shatterhand and Old Surehand by Karl May

Karl Friedrich May (February 25, 1842 – March 30, 1912) was a German writer best known for his adventure novels set in the American Old West. His main protagonists are Winnetou and Old Shatterhand. It began with Winnetou. Winnetou, the chief of the Apache, is a legend in many countries, especially in then-called Czechoslovakia. Fresh off...

Books, ENTERTAINMENT

July 24, 2017

Memorial Day Czech Style – Liberation Festival Pilsen

We appeal to you to be vigilant and not let anyone, under any pretense to take your liberty and freedom. –American Veteran Earl Ingram, Lieutenant 2nd Infantry Division I received an email the other day which contained much of the following. It’s one of those emails that are shared from mailbox to mailbox and no...

History, NOSTALGIA

July 23, 2017

R. A. Dvorský and the Melody Makers (Melody Boys)

You may want to begin today’s post by listening to this lovely song performed by an aging Rudolf Antonín Dvorský (3+ minutes). This is the last recording of R.A. Dvorský. In fact, the lovely film clip was created on June 21, 1966, and shortly thereafter, on August 2, 1966, Dvorský died. Today we honor his lovely...

ENTERTAINMENT, Music

July 21, 2017

Czech Modernist & Industrialist Designer Jindřich Halabala

Czech industrial designer, writer, and educator Jindřich Halabala was a significant proponent of modernist, industrially manufactured furniture in Czechoslovakia and had a tremendous influence on the interior design of many interwar and postwar Czech homes. Halabala helped create a new mass-market approach to home design and furnishing in Czechoslovakia in the interwar period and after...

Art and Design, CULTURE

July 19, 2017

Beautiful Lake in Adrspach Rocks

Jezero v Adršpašských skalách translated to Lake in Adrspach Rocks, is a beautiful place as you can see from the photographs. But while the unique lake in Adrspach Rocks looks like a popular attraction for swimming, such a recreational activity in these waters is strictly forbidden. The reason being that the area is a national nature...

Czech Republic, PLACES

July 16, 2017

Czechoslovakian Soldier’s Watch from the 1940s

Today we’re looking at the Military Watch Collection – Czechoslovakian Soldier’s Watch from the 1940s. The Czechoslovakian soldier’s watch has many of the features that are important to troops in combat situations, such as large, luminous hands and markers and a clear, Arabic font to aid legibility. Finished with a brown leatherette strap. Each watch...

LIFESTYLE, Shopping

July 15, 2017

The Smooth Baritone of Czech Singer Rudolf Cortés

Rudolf Cortés (sometimes mistakenly referred to as Cortéz), was born Rudolf Kraisinger on March 16, 1921 in Pilsen and passed away on December 12, 1986 in Krásná Lípa. His father was Czech and his mother, with the maiden name Cortéz, was born in Brazil. His father met his future wife during a working visit to Uruguay,...

ENTERTAINMENT, Music