Vánoční Sen aka The Christmas Dream

The Christmas Dream or in Czech, Vánoční sen, is a Czechoslovakian animated stop-motion short film from 1945 created by Karel Zeman and Bořivoj Zeman, also known as the Zeman Brothers. This wonderful short film was Karel Zeman’s first experiment in combining live-action footage with stop-motion animation, a process he continued to explore in his later feature films,...

ENTERTAINMENT, Movies

December 14, 2016

Flashback to Christmas In Prague

Flashback to 1937, 1964, and 1965 and what Christmas time looked like in Prague. We begin our glimpse into the past with Christmas trees. Fortunately, the narrator explains in this short video that shows the tree chosen for Old Towne Square. Well, this year it didn’t snow, but it looked foggy and chilly nonetheless. And...

CULTURE, Holidays

November 19, 2016

Flashback to 1929: Czech Tramp News Covers

Sometimes as we are surfing around the internet we come across something that takes us completely by surprise. This was one such morning. I located the covers from Czech Tramp newsletter from 1929, 1930 and 1931. Tramp came out every Friday, weekly. At the time, a yearly subscription cost 42 CZK (Czech Koruna or Crowns) plus another...

NOSTALGIA, Periodicals, Tramping

November 15, 2016

The Moody Blues Perform in Prague – August 20, 1968

The first thing you’ll likely notice about this post is the date. August 20, 1968. Wait… Wasn’t that the eve of the Soviet invasion? Yes. It was. On the evening of August 20, 1968, the Soviets mobilized and struck like lightning. The initiated a massive invasion and by the morning of August 21, Prague alone...

ENTERTAINMENT, Music

November 8, 2016

Louis Armstrong in Prague

When Louis Armstrong visited Prague in March of 1965, at which time he was truly an international star. While groups such as the Beatles were emerging, Armstrong still led the charts with the song, Hello Dolly. It’s still a big mystery as to how Frantisek Spurný arranged for Louis Armstrong to agree to no less than nine – yes...

ENTERTAINMENT, Music

November 1, 2016

A River Trip Through the Lens of Vilem Hekel

We have written about the incredible photographic talents of Vilem Hekel before: Brno Built the Future in 1956, Skoda Glamour in the 50s by Vilem Heckel and Bohemian Fashion at Karlovy Vary Circa 1950s. Today we just had to share these beautiful images we happened upon from his family’s estate. To us, most of the images could represent young Pražáci leaving the...

CULTURE, Photography

October 15, 2016

Groovy Dance Party with Karel Gott

We’re feeling a little groovy today and we’ve been listening to old vintage Karel Gott YouTube videos from the 60s and having a blast. So much so we’ve decided to let you in on the party. Welcome to the groovy dance party with Karel Gott! Turn on your speakers, enjoy and make sure to pay...

ENTERTAINMENT, Music

September 22, 2016

Prague – City of 100 Spires

Prague is known as “The city of a hundred spires” or “The city of one hundred spires” (Stovezata Praha in Czech language). and lately, we seem to be coming across 100 older books which highlight the architecture of what we believe to be the most beautiful city in the world. The Prague – City of 100...

Architecture, CULTURE

August 28, 2016

The Photographs of Karel Plicka

Karel Plicka (1894 – 1987) was a Czechoslovak photographer, film director, cinematographer, folklorist, and pedagogue. He is considered a founder of Slovak film education and filmmaking. He helped establish the genre of ethnographic film in Czechoslovakia. In 1938 Karel founded photography and cinematography courses at the Škola umeleckých remesiel (School of Applied Arts) in Bratislava....

CULTURE, Photography

July 26, 2016

Camping at Rabštejn nad Střelou in 1966 aka Ravenstone

Rabštejn nad Střelou (Raven stone over bullet or missile in English or Rabenstein in German) is a part of the city of Manětín, located in the Plzeň (Pilsen) district. It is an old historic town on the river Střela about 30 kilometers north of Pilsen. Today, I am sharing some memories of camping at Rabštejn nad...

LIFESTYLE, Tramping

July 13, 2016

The Czechoslovak People’s Army in the Early 1960s

A Look Back at the Czechoslovak People’s Army in the Early 1960s is inspired by today’s date, July 13th. Today is a special day because it’s my father’s birthday, and while I was looking at old photographs of him, I found this collection of old army photos of him and his friends. Now I cannot...

Bohemians, CULTURE, Photography

July 12, 2016

Back in Time to Charles University Students of 1948

Last week we posted about the esteemed professors at Charles University in 1948. Today we wanted to share a little about student life. LIFE Magazine photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt went to Czechoslovakia in 1947 and he captured the images of some students at Prague’s Charles University. The photographs accompanied an article in LIFE Magazine on January...

Czech Schools, LIFESTYLE

July 4, 2016

Back in Time to Charles University Professors and Doctors of 1948

LIFE Magazine photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt went to Czechoslovakia in 1947 and he captured the images of some amazing notable people at Prague’s Charles University. The photographs accompanied an article in LIFE Magazine on January 12, 1948. These are the esteemed faces and personalities of Charles University at the time… So how much did an education cost...

Czech Schools, LIFESTYLE

June 29, 2016

Radio Free Europe’s Czech Game Show from 1952

Did you know that there was a Czech game show version of What’s My Line? is called Hádej kdo jsem? What’s My Line? is a panel game show which originally ran in the United States from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. It is the longest-running game show in the history of primetime network...

LIFESTYLE

May 8, 2016

Mother’s Day 1948 in the Czech Republic

To honor the Mother’s today, I am sharing some photographs of Mother’s Day in 1948 in the former Czechoslovakia. In the Czech Republic, Mother’s Day is celebrated every second Sunday in May. It started in 1923. Traditionally, children make handmade gifts or write poems for their mothers. The roots can be traced all the way back to when people celebrated...

Holidays

April 7, 2016

Czech Transgender Artist Toyen

Marie Čermínová (1902 – 1980), was a Czech Transgender Artist mostly known as Toyen in the art world. Born in Smíchov, Bohemia, she lived much of her life in Paris. She left home at the age of 16 and worked at a soap factory in Zizkov while putting himself through school. During her 60-year career she was created...

Art and Design, CULTURE, Women