Otakar Štáfl Takes Us To The Moon and Beyond

Otakar Štáfl was born on December 30, 1884 in Havlíčkův Brod. Located in the medieval town fortifications of Havlíčkův Brod is a bastion, which today bears the name of Otakar Štáfla. He had his studio on the premises. He did not finish grammar school and headed straight for Prague where he was admitted to the...

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

July 26, 2017

Winnetou, Old Shatterhand and Old Surehand by Karl May

Karl Friedrich May (February 25, 1842 – March 30, 1912) was a German writer best known for his adventure novels set in the American Old West. His main protagonists are Winnetou and Old Shatterhand. It began with Winnetou. Winnetou, the chief of the Apache, is a legend in many countries, especially in then-called Czechoslovakia. Fresh off...

Books, ENTERTAINMENT

July 12, 2017

Twelve Fairy Tales Illustrated by Jiří Trnka

Today we are looking at the lovely illustrations by Jiří Trnka from the book Dvanáct pohádek (Twelve Fairy Tales) by Jiří Mahen. The book these came from was published in 1947 and has 122 pages. We have written about the work of Jiří Trnka before, when we reviewed his film Ruka (The Hand) and looked at scenes from...

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

July 6, 2017

Karlsbad or Karlovy Vary at the Turn of the Century

Today we’re just sharing some images from the turn of the century in Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad) and surrounding areas. Not much time to post today, but we at least wanted to share these pretty images with you. Enjoy! Wasn’t that a grand old time? Lovely! * * * * * See All My Books on...

NOSTALGIA, Time Warp

July 1, 2017

Korálky – A Czech Children’s Book from Long Ago

In the late 1800’s, children did not have as much access to books as we have now. The books that did exist were filled with moral lessons. In the Czech Republic, František Doucha, (August 31, 1810 – November 3, 1884) was one of the most famous Czech literary translators and writers. Today we’re looking at the simple...

NOSTALGIA, Periodicals

June 26, 2017

Prague Exhibition Grounds Jubilee Exhibition of 1891

The Exhibition Grounds are especially interesting, with a long tradition and an attractive location near Stromovka Park. They were built for the Jubilee Exhibition of 1891. More than 50 exhibition projects, trade fairs and a wide variety of cultural and entertainment events take place here every year. The General Global Exhibition was held in Prague...

History, NOSTALGIA

April 25, 2017

Československé Státní Aerolinie or CSA Travel Posters

Today we’re looking at old Czech Airlines CSA travel posters and promotional materials from days gone by. CSA or Československé státní aerolinie (Czechoslovak State Airlines) was founded on October 6, 1923 by the Czechoslovak government. It’s first flight was a transport flight between Prague and Bratislava. We’ve flown them several times and have always been happy....

NOSTALGIA, Time Warp

Adolf-Hoffmeister-Around-The-World-In-Eighty-Days-Tres_Bohemes

April 12, 2017

Around the World in Eighty Days with Adolf Hoffmeister

Adolf Hoffmeister (1902-1973) was a poet, novelist, translator and editor. He edited one of the main Czech daily newspapers, Lidové noviny (1928-30) and the main literary paper, Literární noviny (1930-32). He was also a talented artist and caricaturist, often illustrating his own work. Hoffmeister set up an anti-fascist magazine, Simplicus, in the 1930s after the...

Art and Design, CULTURE

La-planète-sauvage-Fantastic-Planet-Divoka-Planeta-Czech-Animation-TresBohemes

February 28, 2017

Czech Animation Classic Fantastic Planet

It took the Czechs five years to animate Divoká planeta, which literally translates to ‘The Wild Planet‘, a film more known by its French name La Planète sauvage or, for our English speaking friends, Fantastic Planet. The French came to the Czechs for their cutout stop-motion science fiction techniques for this film, directed by René...

ENTERTAINMENT, Movies

Czech_Hand_Painted_Playing_Cards_TresBohemes

February 16, 2017

Czech Hand Painted Playing Cards from WWI

This very special set of Czech hand painted playing cards from WWI which shows the motifs of old Czech legends. The playing of cards to pass the time is by far, the most widespread game that is documented in the diary entries of soldiers from World War I. This is evidenced by the number of preserved hand-painted...

History, NOSTALGIA

December 28, 2016

The Twelve Months – A Czech Fairy Tale

Twelve Months (O dvanácti měsíčkách) is a Czech story that dates back to the 14th-century and is attributed to Mistr Klaret. At that time and through many centuries after, it served as an exemplum, or a moralizing story. Mistr Klaret, Latin Magister Bartholomaeus de Bohemarius Solencia Dictus Claretus own name Bartholomew of Chlumec, also called Master Claret...

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

December 7, 2016

Krtek A Vánoce Illustrated by Zdeněk Miler

Written by Hana Doskočilová and illustrated by Zdeněk Miler, Krtek A Vánoce, is a Czech children’s book written about a little mole who is named Krtek, who is very famous in The Czech Republic. The first film from then called Czechoslovakia was called Jak krtek ke kalhotkám přišel (or How the mole got his trousers...

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

November 25, 2016

The Wood Fairy – A Czech Fairy Tale

Today we’re sharing a story from a book entitled Favorite Fairy Tales Told in Czechoslovakia. This particular story is called The Wood Fairy. The Czech story is retold by Virginia Haviland. We have the first edition from 1966 and just love the illustrations by Trina S. Hyman. Once upon a time there was a little...

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

October 6, 2016

Czech Posters for Films

Again we came across something wonderful. Today we are sharing Czech Posters for Films from the Collection of Terry Posters. This is the official Exhibition Catalogue from 2013 and was published on the occasion of the exhibition from August 28 to December 1, 2013 at the National Film Center, The National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo and...

Art and Design, CULTURE

February 27, 2016

Prince Bayaya – A Czech Fairy Tale

Prince Bayaya (Bajaja in Czech) is a classic tale told at bedtime in many households. It was written by the famous Božena Němcová (February 4, 1820 – January 21, 1862) who was a Czech writer of the final phase of the Czech National Revival movement. This version features illustrations by Karel Franta (born May 1928). Franta is both...

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT

February 12, 2016

The Apple Maiden

The Apple Maiden or Apple Tree Maid is known as Jabloňová Panna in Czech. It is a Czech fairy tale as told by Karel Jaromír Erben. The illustrations are from my book entitled Pohadky with a copyright date of 1979. The following plates are illustrations from the story by Eva Šedivá. She was born in Prague in 1934....

Childrens Books, ENTERTAINMENT