A Poem on the Anniversary of the Velvet Revolution Dear readers, on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, we are bringing the poem A Prayer by a Czech author living in Australia, Professor Josef Tomáš. With the poem A Prayer, the author expressed his feelings of how he, at the end...
The following is a reprint of an article featuring a brief history of the early Bohemians of Chicago that appeared in the Chicago Tribune on March 07, 1886. It was entitled as follows: Manners and Customs of the Bohemian Portion of the City’s Population. They Are Industrious, Thrifty and Generally of a Most Peaceable Disposition....
Today’s post is dedicated to the memory of Antonín Dvořák, the great Bohemian composer. America and the Czech Republic (Bohemia) have a warm place in their hearts for Dvorak. Both country’s love him on account of his visit to America, the influence of the works he wrote in America, and for the splendid lesson he...
Today is the twenty-eighth day of September, the Saint day of Saint Wenceslas or in Czech, Svatý Václav. We recommend that you play the following video with sound for the Meditation on old Bohemian Chorale, “St. Wenceslas”, Op. 35a while you read today’s post for some ambiance. Saint Wenceslas, duke of Bohemia, was the son...
Saint Adalbert of Prague; c. 956 – 23 April 997, known in Czech by his birth name Vojtěch, was a Bohemian missionary and Christian saint. He was the Bishop of Prague and a missionary to the Hungarians, Poles, and Prussians, who was martyred in his efforts to convert the Baltic Prussians to Christianity. Born to...
Jan Hus (1369 – July 6, 1415), sometimes Anglicized as John Hus or John Huss, also referred to in historical texts as Johannes Hus or Johannes Huss, was a Czech theologian, philosopher, master, dean, and rector of the Charles University in Prague. He became a church reformer, an inspirer of Hussitism, a key predecessor to...
Jára Cimrman also known as “the Master”, is a Czech fictional polymath, a made up and imaginary personality presented as a universal genius, and one of the greatest Czech playwrights, poets, composers, teachers, travelers, philosophers, inventors, and sportsmen of the 19th and early 20th century. Playing along with the pretense of his real existence is...
Jiří Pařík ( February 21, 1930 Prague – December 1, 1999 Prague) was a Czech painter, draftsman , illustrator, graphic artist and cartoonist. He was the son of sculptor Antonín Pařík. He belonged to the circle of friends of the famous writer Bohumil Hrabal. When in a Prague antique store this past summer, I happened...
Dr. Karel Hujer (September 18, 1902, Zelezny Brod – June 10, 1988, Chattanooga, TN) was a Czech astronomer interested in the study of astronomy of ancient civilizations. Dr. Hujer came to the United States with a Doctor of Science degree (higher than Ph.D.) from Charles University in Prague. He immediately became active in the life...
Let’s travel back in time, to 1920, and take a look at Dr. Miroslav Tyrš Founder of the Czech Sokol Union. Miroslav Tyrš was actually born as Friedrich Emanuel Tirsch on September 17, 1832 and died on August 8, 1884. He was a Czech art historian, sports organizer and as we’ll learn today, the founder of...
The Legend of Czech Fashion, Hana Podolská (née Johanna Vošahlíková), was born on May 16, 1880 in Merkhausen and died in Prague on February 15, 1972. She was a Czech fashion designer and businesswoman and one of the most important creators of pre-war Czechoslovak fashion. Additionally, she was the owner of the most renowned domestic...
I must confess to being addicted in finding the most rare, forgotten, and set aside information. This very intimate reminiscence of Antonín Dvořák was written by William Arms Fisher and appeared in The Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 1: No. 8. May 1927. Without further ado, I’m sure you will enjoy this piece, especially if you...
Survival Guide for Foreigners in the Czech Republic Teaching Czech for Foreigners and meeting people from different cultures has inspired me to start writing this survival guide. If you want to live in a foreign country, learning the local language is never enough. You need socio-cultural skills to understand the mentality of the people, behave...
While reading, please remember that this post was written and published on September 20, 2018 and I have not been on Facebook for over a year and thus cannot access the group. (Added August 20, 2022) Most of the content is still relevant today. Today’s post is an experiment. I had some ranting posts at...
In 1959, a brother and sister team of figure skaters won first place in the ice dancing section of the Czechoslovakian Figure Skating Championships. It was the first year that ice dancing was recognized and competed in Czechoslovakia. Before then, the Czechoslovakian Figure Skating Championship was composed exclusively of pair skating, men’s singles, and ladies’...
He is widely recognized as one of the best German-language poets, known for his lyrical prose and intense verse, but did you know that this famous writer was born in the capital of the Czech Republic? Rainer Maria Rilke’s story began in the city of Prague, the glimmering capital of Bohemia (Today known as the...
