The Tragic Fate of the Vyšehrad Train Station

Located in a whimsical part of Prague that many tourists do not venture to, is the abandoned Vyšehrad Train Station. This Art Nouveau gem sits quietly in her old grandeur, a crumbling boarded up beauty laden with graffiti just waiting (like many other gorgeous structures in the city of Prague) for a new face-lift. Seeing...

Architecture, History, LIFESTYLE

May 7, 2018

Bohemia: Czechs in New York at the Settlement at Long Island

In looking at Czechs in New York and their history in the United States, we cannot overlook Bohemia. Today, Bohemia is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. In 2010, the population was 10,180 based on the census. Bohemia is situated along the South Shore of Long Island, in the Town of Islip,...

History, NOSTALGIA

October 31, 2017

An Abandoned Haunted Mansion of Nazi Torture

In the spirit of Halloween, we wanted to post something scary and sinister like an abandoned haunted mansion. Little did we know what a horrible and hideous hidden history we’d uncover when we came across the Pfaffenhof Mansion. Known as Fafák, or Veveří, the Pfaffenhof Mansion has an interesting history linking it to the SS Nazis,...

History, NOSTALGIA

April 21, 2017

The Czech Castle Ruins of Boskovice

The beautiful city of Boskovice lies a few dozen kilometers north of Brno. On the hill and the boundary of Malá Haná (Little Haná) and Drahanská vrchovina (Drahanská Highlands), up 460 meters above sea level, rise the romantic Czech castle ruins of Gothic-Renaissance Boskovice castle. The first reference to the castle is from the year 1222....

Czech Republic, PLACES

April 1, 2017

Abandoned Soviet Town in Czech Republic

Boží Dar is a place that few people outside of Milovice even know about, and even fewer know anything about its strange and darkly sinister Soviet history. In short, it’s an abandoned Soviet town smack dab in the middle of the Czech Republic. But first, let’s consider the name, Boží Dar. This translates quite literally to...

NOSTALGIA, Time Warp

February 6, 2017

An Abandoned Spa with Healing Waters

Let’s step back in time today and travel to an abandoned spa with healing waters in Běloves. These mineral springs have been known and used since before the end of the 14th century. In fact, Albrecht Václav Eusebius z Valdštejna (or Albrecht von Wallenstein) born 1583 and died 1634 was a Bohemian military leader and politician who offered his...

NOSTALGIA, Time Warp

September 29, 2016

The Czechs of Masaryktown, Florida

On our last visit south, we visited Masaryktown, Florida. We had heard there was a vibrant Czech community there and a Czech hotel and restaurant. But when we arrived, all that it seems remains are the Czech street names, the hotel building and a sign that briefly touches on the history of this once vibrant community. The...

LIFESTYLE

March 2, 2016

The Ghosts of Czech Border Fortifications

In the interwar period, Czechoslovakia expanded its powerful network of fortifications along the border with Germany. Today we look at the ghosts of Czech border fortifications captured by Czech photographer Roman Kubeček. Work on the fortifications began in 1935 because of fears of a German invasion at the border (number 1545 kilometers). The huge project aimed to...

LIFESTYLE