Masaryk Square in Děčín Through the Ages

Děčín is a town located in the northern part of the Czech Republic. Decin (called Tetschen in German) was settled by the Slavic tribe of Decane in the 9th century, thus it’s believed this is how it got its name. Děčín it is located in the Ústí nad Labem Region in the north of the...

Czech Republic, NOSTALGIA, Time Warp

May 30, 2018

Old Czech Language and the National Anthem

Czech language developed at the close of the 1st millennium from common West Slavic. Until the early 20th century, it was known as Bohemian but I will refer to it as old Czech language in this post. I wanted you to hear a wonderful example of old Czech language, at least as old an example...

Bohemians, ENTERTAINMENT, History, LIFESTYLE, Movies, NOSTALGIA

May 4, 2018

1945 Soviet Propaganda Posters for the Liberation of Czechoslovakia

Today we are looking at 1945 Soviet propaganda posters for the liberation of Czechoslovakia as well as learning a bit about the Prague Uprising (aka Pražské povstání), an attempt by the Czech resistance to liberate the city of Prague from German occupation during World War II. “This is Prague! Americans and English, help us” We need guns....

History, LIFESTYLE, NOSTALGIA

April 29, 2018

While You Are Sleeping (Zatím co ty spíš) by Miroslav Černý

Today I am sharing one of my most favorite Czech songs entitled Zatím co ty spíš (While You Are Sleeping) by Miroslav Černý. I have yet to listen to this song without crying! Once you read the lyrics below (in both Czech and my translation to English), you will understand why! Unfortunately, I cannot locate a...

ENTERTAINMENT, Music

April 16, 2018

Byt a Umění Issue 2 for Czech Contemporary Housing Culture

Today once again, we are looking at Byt a umění (Apartment and Art) Revue for Czech Contemporary Housing Culture: Architecture, Interiors, Painting, Decoration, Sculpture, Plastics, Arts, Gardening, Handicrafts, Exhibitions, Auctions and more. In this edition (Issue 2, 1931), the writers express their frustration with a lack of change in Czech building practices. It seems they...

Architecture, NOSTALGIA, Periodicals

March 12, 2018

Czech Contemporary Housing Culture in 1931 – Byt a umění

Byt a umění (Apartment and Art) Revue for Czech Contemporary Housing Culture: Architecture, Interiors, Painting, Decoration, Sculpture, Plastics, Arts, Gardening, Handicrafts, Exhibitions, Auctions and more. The title itself sounds so modern, yet this is a periodical from 1931. It was published in Prague between the years 1930-1933 and appeared in the Czech language. This magazine...

Architecture, CULTURE, Periodicals

February 17, 2018

Hedy Lamarr “Most Beautiful Girl of the Century” Had Czech Roots

Here is a small bit of trivia you may not know… Actress Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000) “The Most Beautiful Girl of the Century” Had Czech Roots. Her maternal grandfather: Carl Moritz Leopold Lichtwitz (1855-1928) was born in Opava, Moravia. She was not only beautiful but also quite brilliant, as this post will show. In 1933, a beautiful, young Austrian woman took...

History, Movies, PEOPLE, Women

November 21, 2017

Insight Into a Czech Home: Different Flours

All around the world flour is probably one of the most important components of baking and even cooking. This fine substance is what makes up bread, cookies, cakes, and pastries. It can be used in thickening soups and as a breading for fried meats. The Czech word for flour is mouka, and just like any...

Food, LIFESTYLE, Recipes

September 17, 2017

Prague’s Underground Postal System – The Pneumatic Post

The Prague pneumatic post (Czech: Pražská potrubní pošta) is the world’s last preserved municipal pneumatic post system. Once the dream of modern technology, the very thought of sending messages and parcels zipping through miles of tubes, powered by air pressure and vacuums, most of these pneumatic dispatches have all but disappeared. Since it started in 1889,...

History, NOSTALGIA

September 12, 2017

Old Town Hall or Staroměstská Radnice Through the Years

So much has been written about this Prague landmark, I wondered how I could add to the conversation. But then I came across some old photos of Prague and it occurred to me that most people have not seen what the Old Town Hall or Staroměstská Radnice looked like until recently, and that it has...

History, NOSTALGIA

September 9, 2017

The Beat Generation In Prague – Expression Behind the Iron Curtain

The sound of beat music broke out in Prague sometime around late 1965, 1966 and 1967. During this time there was a cultural explosion unparalleled in Eastern Europe. There was a favorable political environment, after Soviet demilitarization and the release of political prisoners, culminating in the appointment of Dubček as secretary general of the Czech Communist...

ENTERTAINMENT, History, Music, NOSTALGIA

September 7, 2017

Check Out These Czech Instagram Illustrations

We were recently on Instagram looking at amazing pictures of The Czech Republic when we stumbled upon Vítězslava Hoffmann, Vítězslava is a Czech language teacher living and teaching in Poland with the most awesome pictures to help you learn Czech! Vítězslava is always posting new pictures of her drawings and illustrations she makes to hep...

Art and Design, CULTURE

Prague-Eden-Historical-Rollercoaster-Lunapark

September 3, 2017

Eden Park Prague in 1922 – Complete with a 5 Kilometer Roller Coaster

In 1922 a new attraction opened in built in Vršovice, now a part of Prague. Known as Lunapark and Eden, it had a roller coaster that measured five kilometers in length. With its giant roller coaster looking like it comes straight out of an American film, this is what Eden looked like 90 years ago....

History, NOSTALGIA

August 1, 2017

Insight Into a Czech Home: Apartment Style Living

In this post we will be discussing apartment living in the city of Prague. In the newer apartments some of the things we will be mentioning will not apply, now we will be focusing on the older apartments of Prague. First lets start off with the outside appearance… each building in Prague is painted a...

PLACES, Prague

July 17, 2017

Insight Into a Czech Home: Washing Dishes

What I love most about visiting different places and having international visitors stay at our home is seeing the cultural differences in some of the most day to day things, things like doing the laundry or washing dishes. That is the exact reason we created this blog, to educate Americans and foreigners of the way...

Food, LIFESTYLE

July 11, 2017

A Throwback Poem – Memories of Prague

Because our schedule has been packed with visitors and work, we have not been posting here as we usually do, but recently as I was cleaning out my old files I found a short poem I wrote when we arrived home from Prague the first time we went. The poem is simply a collection of...

History, NOSTALGIA