Czechs in the City of West, Texas

Have you ever been West? By West I mean the city of West, located in McLennan County, Texas. It’s a friendly little place with a population of about 3,000 folks, many of them with Czech descendants. This tiny community boasts a remarkably vibrant and long-standing Czech heritage. Yes, there is an abundance of Czechs in the city of...

PLACES, Wanderlust

June 22, 2016

Josef Čapek – Artist and Inventor of Robot

Josef Čapek (1887-1945) was born in Hronov, Bohemia (Austria-Hungary, now Czech Republic). He was three years older than his brother Karel Čapek (1890-1938), who was to become one of the most influential Czech writers of the 20th century. Josef Čapek at first studied weaving (1901–3) at a craft school in Vrchlabí, but soon it became...

Art and Design, CULTURE

June 19, 2016

Czech Art Deco Pottery by Ditmar Urbach

Today I wanted to share some lovely Czech Art Deco pottery by Ditmar Urbach from the 1930s. Karel Rudolf Ditmar lived from May 3, 1818 to March 22, 1895. In 1839, he and his brother Friedrich moved to Vienna where they began trading in oil lamps. As the Ditmar Brothers, they opened their own metalwork facility...

NOSTALGIA, Retro Chic

June 17, 2016

Mount Airy Lodge and the Czech Connection

Now is the perfect time And the feeling is just right You can play all day and dance into the night At beautiful Mount Airy Lodge All you have to bring Is your love of everything… Surely you remember the popular commercial which seemed to play day and night advertising the beautiful Mount Airy Lodge...

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 26, 2016

František Kupka & His Satirical Illustrations from Paris

Over 100 years have passed since Paris looked upon František Kupka’s satirical illustrations the the militant and politically charged periodicals L’Assiette au Beurre and Le Canard Sauvage. Using the pseudonym Edmon Chateney, Le Canard Sauvage was a periodical which was anti-militarist, anti-clerical and filled with the heavily libertarian views of Joseph Werner and it ran for a full 31...

Art and Design, CULTURE

April 20, 2016

Sophia Loren in Prague

What better way to pass a crown of beauty than to have Sophia Loren crown the Czech Miss beauty pageant winner. In 2014, that is exactly what happened. Gabriela Franková was crowned Miss Czech Republic for Miss Universe and Sophia was the one who placed the crown on her head. The night was made extra special with the...

PEOPLE, Women

April 15, 2016

Kupka and the Lysistrata Story

František Kupka created his version the Lysistrata story in twenty beautiful etchings for a book which was issued by Blaizot, a publisher in Paris, in 1911. In 1913, the originals were sent to the National Gallery in Czechoslovakia. The story was written by Aristophanes in 411 B.C. and is set in Athens. The main character, Lysistrata, decides to end the war that...

Art and Design, CULTURE

April 13, 2016

Cutlets, Schnitzels and Řízeks

Whether you call it a cutlet, a schnitzel or a řízek, a piece of meat which is thinned by pounding with a meat tenderizer, then coated with flour, beaten eggs and bread crumbs, and then fried. It happens to be the perfect accompaniment to potato salad for Czechs – and a national favorite. It’s traditionally garnished with a slice of lemon...

Food, LIFESTYLE, Recipes

April 12, 2016

The Paintings of Toyen

A few days ago we posted a long article all about Czech Transgender Artist Toyen. An Avant-Garde artist and surrealist, s/he worked in all kinds of mediums. Today we wanted to share some of the beautiful paintings of Toyen. The above is considered Toyen’s masterpiece by many and one of the most enduring images of...

Art and Design, CULTURE

April 10, 2016

The Power Station at Detmarovice

We don’t often focus too much in industry, but since we drove past this place on our way to visit our great grandpa, we decided to do some research and post. The Dětmarovice Power Station is the largest classic power station in Moravia. It is situated near the town of Ostrava, in the immediate vicinity of...

LIFESTYLE

April 9, 2016

Strawberry Afternoon Cake with Crumble

Strawberry Afternoon Cake with Crumble is called Jahodový Koláč ze žmolenkou in Czech. It is a tasty afternoon delight best served with tea or coffee. We’ve made it hundreds of times and sometimes substitute the strawberries for plums, apricots, blueberries, cherries or peaches. It’s delicious with any fruit and is the perfect snack, for anytime...

Food, LIFESTYLE, Recipes

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

April 5, 2016

Kupka and Abstract Expressionism

Bohemian-born artist František Kupka began in the 1890s by painting portraits and historical themes. Later he went on to become one of the key figures in the development of abstract expressionism and Orphic cubism (Orphism). In this post we’ll see his works in chronological order in order to see the changes he made in his style...

Art and Design, CULTURE

April 4, 2016

The Carp Fishermen of the Trebon Ponds

One of the most attractive autumn events in the Czech Republic is the harvest of the Trebon fishponds, and each year, a traditional “fishing out” is organized by Fishery Trebon, which owns and manages many of the fishponds. The Carp Fishermen of the Trebon Ponds use the traditional centuries-old way of catching the local carp,...

LIFESTYLE

April 1, 2016

The Cow Parade in Prague

Watch out because the cows have come to the Czech Republic – Prague, to be exact. Yes, the Cow Parade was in Prague! The concept of a cow parade was first thought up in 1998 in Zurich, Switzerland by artistic director Walter Knapp. It is based on an idea which was realised for the first time...

LIFESTYLE