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 9, 2018

The History of The House of the Black Madonna

In 1911, the Czech architect Josef Gočár designed a building for the wholesale merchant František Josef Herbst. The building, which is now known as the House of the Black Madonna (Czech: Dům U Černé Matky Boží), is the oldest cubist house in the city of Prague. The building is named after the baroque statue which adorns...

Architecture, CULTURE

November 21, 2017

Czech Prayer to the Virgin Mary Mariazell

On this day, the presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary we are looking at an old Czech prayer to the Virgin Mary Mariazell from 1860. But before we do, a little bit of history… Each of the countries of Central Europe had its “Sacrosanctum” in the Baroque era – a pilgrimage site that embodied its history and...

CULTURE, Holidays

October 17, 2017

Czech AUTO Magazine Covers from 1935

Today is a quick post of old magazine covers from the year 1935. They appeared on AUTO oficielní orgán Autoklubu Republiky Československé (AUTO official body of the auto club of the Czech Republic) magazine. We love all of the classic and elegant vehicles and the motorcycles… don’t you? If you have not already subscribed to...

NOSTALGIA, Periodicals

Two-Wild-And-Crazy-Bohemians-Tres-Bohemes

July 22, 2017

Two Wild And Crazy Bohemians on SNL

Maybe some of you remember the Festrunk brothers who were a duo comedy sketch featured on Saturday Night Live (SNL). The brothers, Yortuk (Dan Aykroyd) and Georg (Steve Martin) were actually (supposed to be) Bohemians! These hysterical brothers had emigrated from then-called Czechoslovakia to the United States. The various hilarious sketches followed the brothers in...

Bohemians, PEOPLE

June 14, 2017

Looking at a Praga Baby: Czech Automobiles from the Past

Today we’re going back in time to Prague, which in Latin is Praga, thus the lovely “Praga” automobile. During the 1920s & 1930’s this was the car to own. All the way to 1936 when it’s popularity was surpassed by Škoda, the largest car manufacturer in then called Czechoslovakia. But this lovely automobile began before that. In...

NOSTALGIA, Retro Chic

Otto-Wichterle-Contact-Lens-Tres-Bohemes-1

May 20, 2017

Otto Wichterle and The Contact Lens

Otto Wichterle, though his name might not ring a bell for any ordinary person, may mean the world to those who who have ever replaced their glasses, for Otto Wichterle is the inventor of the contact lens. Born in Prostějov, Czech Republic, he was raised in a home where his father, the co-owner of a farm-machine and car factory, wished...

Bohemians, PEOPLE

March 24, 2017

The Violin Makers of Luby

Luby is a small town located in the Cheb District of the Czech Republic. It began as a small mining town but later became known as the center of violin making. During the 13th century the mining of cinnabar began in the town of Schönenbach (Modern day Luby) bringing hundreds of miners -and musicians- to...

History, NOSTALGIA

March 20, 2017

Mark Twain’s Visit to Mariánské Lázně

Mariánské Lázně is a spa town located in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It is a relatively young town and was not even declared a spa town until 1818. At one time, Mariánské Lázně was a marshy valley but during the mid 19th century it was transformed into a beautiful city which...

History, NOSTALGIA

Moravian-Muse-Love-Letters-Janacek-TresBohemes

March 8, 2017

The Moravian Muse Who Inspired Music

Yes, love inspires music. At 63, Czech composer Leoš Janáček met his Moravian muse, Kamila Stösslová, and through years of writing to her and composing as a way to further experess his feelings, his greatest works were created. Sometimes the words we say are not as important or as telling as the words we write...

ENTERTAINMENT, Music

March 5, 2017

Pestrý Týden 1940 Vintage Covers from Czech Weekly News

Today we’re looking at Pestrý týden from 1940 – Vintage Covers from Czech Weekly News. Pestrý týden (Variety or Varied Weekly news) was an especially relevant illustrated magazine during the First and Second Czechoslovak Republic during the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Pestrý týden was published from November 2, 1926 to April 28, 1945. The...

NOSTALGIA, Periodicals

March 1, 2017

Czech Top Gun Flies A Spitfire 70+ Years After Flying it in WWII

At 93 years of age, retired Air Force General and Czech Top Gun Emil Boček, geared up and then sat down in a Spitfire, similar to the one he piloted on a flight 70+ years after he originally flew the airplane in World War II. Bohumil (Emil) Boček was born in Brno – Turany in...

History, NOSTALGIA

February 19, 2017

Pestrý Týden 1939 Vintage Covers from Czech Weekly News

Today we are looking at Pestrý týden from 1939 – Vintage Covers from Czech Weekly News. Pestrý týden (Variety or Varied Weekly news) was a popular illustrated magazine during the First and Second Czechoslovak Republic during the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. It was published from November 2, 1926 to April 28, 1945 and it...

NOSTALGIA, Periodicals

February 18, 2017

The Forgotten Trolleybuses of Prague

In 1972 the last trolleybus drove though the cobblestone streets of Prague. On the following morning, after many years of trolleybus transportation in Prague, the trolleybus traffic finally came to an end. Today, the Czech capital offers various methods of transportation which include metro, tram, and taxi. The trolleybus era, however, is no longer alive....

History, NOSTALGIA

February 9, 2017

Czechs and Their Billion Dollar Beets

Today we are taking a peek at the history of Czechs and their connection to beets and the sugar that comes from them. The very first mention was written by 16th-century scientist, Olivier de Serres, who discovered a process for preparing sugar syrup from the common red beet. He concluded, The beet-root, when being boiled, yields a...

History, NOSTALGIA

February 6, 2017

An Abandoned Spa with Healing Waters

Let’s step back in time today and travel to an abandoned spa with healing waters in Běloves. These mineral springs have been known and used since before the end of the 14th century. In fact, Albrecht Václav Eusebius z Valdštejna (or Albrecht von Wallenstein) born 1583 and died 1634 was a Bohemian military leader and politician who offered his...

NOSTALGIA, Time Warp