The Origin and Evolution of the Czech Flag

The flag of the Czech Republic features the country’s national colors and is a symbol of the Czech Republic’s rich history and culture. But what do the colors of the flag represent and what are its origins? In this post we will explore how the Czech flag has evolved over the years and how it...

History, NOSTALGIA

Býchory_Chateau_aka_Castle_of_the_Stradivarius_Violin

April 23, 2018

Býchory Chateau, Castle of the Stradivarius Violin and Jan Kubelík

Near the city of Kolín lies a small village known as Býchory (only 7 km northeast). In this village, sits a unique a Neo-Gothic castle chateau estate. Today we are going to call the Býchory chateau, the castle of the Stradivarius violin because it was once owned by world famous Bohemian violinist and composer, Jan Evangelista Kubelík. Jan Kubelík was...

Bohemians, Czech Republic, ENTERTAINMENT, History, Music

April 11, 2018

A Closer Look at Czech Coins and Their History

Just like most places in the world, Czech currency is made up of paper bills along with coins, and though the Czech Republic is officially part of the European Union, Euros are rarely accepted at Czech establishments. Instead, the Czechs use their own form of currency known as the Koruna (meaning “Crown” in English), also abbreviated...

History, NOSTALGIA

April 9, 2018

31 Bohemian, Moravian and Slovak Writers You Never Knew Existed

Today I am proud to introduce you to 31 Bohemian, Moravian and Slovak writers you (probably) never knew existed. I was inspired to write this based on a book entitled České Album Spisovatelé which translates to Czech Album of Writers published in 1919 in Prague. Each of these individuals were born in the late 1800s and I was...

Bohemians, History, PEOPLE

April 2, 2018

Biographical Sketch of Thomas G. Masaryk

Let’s travel back in time to 1919 and set our attention to the words of Doctor Jan Herben (in Czech) which are translated by Elsie Havlasa for the purpose of learning more about Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk. The following text is from a booklet which was written by Doctor Jan Herben and translated by Elsie Havlasa. It is entitled...

History, NOSTALGIA

March 26, 2018

Horse Radish Culture in Bohemia

Today I came across an old document from December of 1899 from the Division of Botany at the United States Department of Agriculture. The document is entitled, Horse Radish Culture in Bohemia and I am sharing it with you because Czechs absolutely love their horseradish! Horse-radish is employed much more extensively by German and Austrian...

History, NOSTALGIA

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

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

December 13, 2017

The Czech Anti-Nazi Resistance Group Known as The Three Kings

The Three Kings (Czech: Tři králové) was a famous Czech anti-nazi resistance group which was established in 1939 when Czechoslovakia was annexed by Nazi Germany. It was comprised of three members: Josef Mašín, Václav Morávek, and Josef Balabán. The code name of the group (Three Kings) was coined by the Prague Gestapo. The Three Kings...

History, NOSTALGIA

November 11, 2017

Celebration of Martinmas and the Czech Goose Dinner

Today is the 11th of November – also known as St. Martin’s Day, Martinmas or the Feast of Saint Martin. It is a day in which people not only remember and honor St. Martin of Tours, but is also a day traditionally associated with the fall harvest. In the Czech Republic, it is time for...

CULTURE, Food, History, Holidays

November 10, 2017

The Indomitable Pioneer Spirit of the Creative Czechoslovaks

My Antonia, written by Willa Cather “in memory of affections old and true”, is the story of a Czech woman who embodied the pioneer spirit. Antonia represented hard work, pride, love of land, and a desire to do what was best and right – in essence, the character of the Czech pioneers who came to...

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

October 25, 2017

Czechoslovak Armored Car from WWII Skoda Panzerwagen II Turtle

Czech Master Kits, more commonly known as CMK, has been one of the Czech Republic’s contributions to modeling since the mid-1990s. Originally it focused on the production of resin cast kits but later production expanded and a range of resin detail accessories, detail sets, and white metal accessories together with modelers’ tools and aids was...

History, NOSTALGIA

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

Czech Coronation Jewels of the King and Emperor Charles IV

September 16, 2017

Czech Coronation Jewels of King and Emperor Charles IV

Today we are taking a look at the Bohemian coronation jewelry and the exhibit they had at the Hrubá Skála Chateau in Bohemian Paradise. From August 3rd to September 28th, 2017, the Hrubá Skála Chateau hosted an exhibition to mark the 670th Anniversary of the Coronation of Charles IV, the Czech king. It was a...

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