My Old Czech Letters from 1920

Sometimes it’s just an image. Other times it may be a bit more, like the delicate penmanship which caught my eye the first time I saw these old Czech letters and just knew that I had to have them. I believed the illustrations to be drawn on, but in fact they are some sort of...

NOSTALGIA, Time Warp

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

February 12, 2018

Czech Tramp (Tramping) News Covers from 1930

Czech tramping is something that is deeply woven into the psyche of many Czechs, especially those who lived through some of the political events of the 1900’s. Back in November of 2016, we shared Flashback to 1929: Czech Tramp News Covers, a post which all of the tramping buffs loved, and in that post we...

NOSTALGIA, Periodicals, Tramping

February 5, 2018

Ahoj Jane – A Collection of Jan Saudek Memorabilia

Ahoj Jane (Hello Jan) – A Collection of Jan Saudek Memorabilia is an 84 page paperback collage of memories and quotes from the private correspondence between Czech photographer Jan Saudek and his friends. Jan Saudek (bornMay 13, 1935 in Prague, Czechoslovakia) is a Czech art photographer. His best-known work is noted for its hand-tinted portrayal of...

CULTURE, Photography

February 2, 2018

Czech Kroj from the Kyjov Region of Moravia

Today I found a low priced Czech kroj from Kyjov, a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has around 12,000 inhabitants. Kyjov is famous for its folk festival which takes place every four years and surely this was worn in one of the festivals. Kyjovsky kroj. This is an authentic...

LIFESTYLE, Shopping

January 28, 2018

Czech Cherry Bubble Cake aka Třešňová Bublanina

Bublanina literally melts on your tongue and for many it is a symbol of childhood and years spent with grandparents in Czechoslovakia, Moravia and Slovakia. Today we’re making cherry bubble cake, a delicious specialty. Though usually made with late summer cherries, you can use raspberries, strawberries and even currants in this delicious recipe. Ingredients 1...

LIFESTYLE, Recipes

January 25, 2018

Somewhere There Is Still a Sun: A Memoir of the Holocaust

Somewhere There Is Still a Sun: A Memoir of the Holocaust – is a recent book published by Simon and Schuster, which describes first hand experiences of a teenager during the Holocaust in Czechoslovakia (1939-1945). This wonderful book has received the following awards already: 2015 Eureka Excellence in Nonfiction Silver Award – California Reading Institute...

Books, Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

January 21, 2018

Fairytale Ax Soup Recipe from Honza Málem Králem

You know we love sharing Czech recipes and today we’re sharing another from a Czech pohádka (fairytale) movie called Honza Málem Králem (How Honza Almost Became a King). Czech and Czechoslovak fairytale films, known locally as pohádky are especially popular during the holidays. This specific fairytale soup is called Sekyrková polévka (Ax soup). I have elaborated a bit, added...

ENTERTAINMENT, Movies, Recipes

January 18, 2018

Waldemar Matuška’s Krysař and the Pied Piper Film

In today’s post, I am sharing the song Krysař (the Pied Piper) by Waldemar Matuška. Click to play the video and read the lyrics I have translated for you below. After that, I’m sharing information about a Czech film of the same name by Jiří Barta. Krysař, which means “The rat catcher”. First, the lyrics in Czech Měl...

ENTERTAINMENT, Movies, Music

January 17, 2018

The Czech and Slovak Heligonka Instrument

The Heligonka or Helikónka (in Slovak: Heligónka) is a Czech and Slovak musical instrument similar to the Melodeon or Alpine Steirische Harmonika. The actual history of this instrument is unknown, as is the exact individual enterprises where the production began. (The Novak company was created in the year 1874 – and they produced the steirische...

CULTURE, History, Music, NOSTALGIA

January 15, 2018

Waldemar Matuška and Karel Gott Through the Years

Karel Gott and Waldemar Matuška, Waldemar Matuška and Karel Gott… What can one say in one post about these two amazing Czech icons in the musical world? Like many, I grew up listening to the music and watching the films of these two quintessentially Czech musical giants. Respectively, they are the light and dark, the...

ENTERTAINMENT, Music

January 14, 2018

Bringing Traditional Dulcimer (Cimbalom) Music to the USA

TresBohemes receives many letters from all sorts of Czech and Slovak artisans, photographers, business owners, musicians, and others who want to connect with other Czechs or let the world know about their offerings. Today I have decided to share such a letter in hopes that the right set of eyes reads it and we can...

ENTERTAINMENT, Music

January 12, 2018

Good King Wenceslas and his Descendant (Charles IV)

Today’s Guest Post about Good King Wenceslas was written by Susan Steiner Bolhouse from Michigan. We found the accompanying illustrations and the closing video and added them. Before delving into my chosen topic for today, I must first share with you a brief introduction as to my interest and fascination with this Christmas carol. Like...

Bohemians, PEOPLE

January 10, 2018

Apricot Crumble Cake or Meruňkovej Koláč s Drobenkou

Apricot Crumble Cake (or Meruňkovej Koláč s Drobenkou in Czech) is a quick and easy dessert to make. This moist cake tastes more like a super sweet apricot bar than a cake and that is precisely why we love it so much. I remember eating this cake as a young girl for breakfast and feeling...

LIFESTYLE, Recipes

December 15, 2017

The Wintery Wonderland at Hodkovice u Trutnova

In the dead of winter, things can get very quiet at Hodkovice u Trutnova. This wintery white wonderland looks like a hidden and quiet place where no one has walked for ages. Close to the Adršpach-Teplice mountains in the Hradec Králové Region – also the North-East part of the Czech Republic – these hauntingly beautiful images immediately...

CULTURE, Photography

November 28, 2017

Watch This: Little Knights Tale or Ať žijí rytíři!

Little Knights Tale (Czech: Ať žijí rytíři!) is a 2009 Czech comedy film directed by Karel Janák. It was shown at the 2011 Berlin International Film Festival. This story was inspired by a theme introduced by producer Boris Krištof. The characters of the children have been drawn from Boris’ own children and those of the...

ENTERTAINMENT, Movies