Bohemian artist Frantisek Kupka is the forefront mind behind the art form of Orphism. Orphism focuses on color and abstraction, similar to Cubism but also an “evolution” where abstract shapes are given precedence in contrast to solid, known geometric shapes. There are many examples of Orphism to see, spanning many years.
From the Brevnov Monastery to the modern-day Pilsner, the Czech people have been enjoying beer for over a thousand years. Known as the beer of tradition, Czech beer is ingrained into history itself. When beermaking was banned. the Brenov Monastery, as the first-ever Bohemian brewery, was exempt. Initially, after the ban on brewing ended, only noble families or homeowners were allowed to brew beer. It was in 1842 that the famous Pilsner was created.
Eliška Junková is the first woman to win the Grand Prix, in 1927. Even before, Junková was “Queen of the Steering Wheel,” a well-earned title that she worked towards since 1922. Her dedication to racing began with her dedication to her husband, Vincenc “Čenêk” Junek, whom she met at her job at the Prague Credit Bank.
After the death of Samo, there was uncertainty about the Czech and Moravian lands, but after the rise of Charlamange of the Frankish Kingdom, Moravians were able to recover. The princes of Moravia consolidated their power, and one in particular Mojmir I, rose beyond tribal institutions to establish Great Moravia. After Mojmir I's deposition, his nephew Rostislav became Louis the German's loyal vassal. In secret, however, Rostislav had ambitions beyond this.
Milada Horakova was an advocate for democracy, stuck between both the Nazis and Communists for her adult life. During the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, she resisted, helping emigrants escape and harboring fugitives of the occupiers. Although she faced torture and death from the Nazis, she not only survived but also continued her same fight, this time with the Soviets. Sadly, she was sentenced to death and executed, even when eminent individuals of the time demanded her release.
Bohemian artist Frantisek Kupka is the forefront mind behind the art form of Orphism. Orphism focuses on color and abstraction, similar to Cubism but also an “evolution” where abstract shapes are given precedence in contrast to solid, known geometric shapes. There are many examples of Orphism to see, spanning many years.
Alfons Mucha was an illustrator and the originator of the Art Nouveau movement. After being expelled from school for doing poorly, he decided to become a professional artist but still had trouble getting accepted by the Acadamy of Fine Arts in Prague, meaning he had to begin with a modest career. With the aid of a wealthy benefactor, Mucha worked as an illustrator in Paris, where he found his first lucky break when being commissioned to work on the commercial advertisement of Sarah Bernhardt’s Gismonda. This was the moment when his career prospects and celebrity skyrocketed.
Many know the life and legacies of Tomáš Masaryk and Edvard Beneš, two Czechs who helped to found Czechoslovakia. However, there was a third person who played a very important role in the founding of the country: a Slovak named Milan Štefánik. Before he participated in the founding of Czechoslovakia though, he was first an astronomer and aviator.
Radio and its revolutionary effect were felt in Czechoslovakia just as it was in the rest of the world. It began with the first broadcasts, occurring before World War I, into the first Czech-produced program in late 1919. Of course, as radio technology progressed and advanced, its use as a medium for propaganda grew more and more robust. Despite its use in propaganda, radio also served as a tool to disseminate important information about the nation and the world at-large.
Legendary Czech film director, screenwriter, artist, and animator, Karel Zeman is known for creating fantasy and science fiction films. His first major breakthrough occurred in 1943 while participating in a window-dressing competition in Brno, where he accepted a job offer to work for the Bata Film Studios in Zlin. After that, in 1945, Zeman began work on A Christmas Dream, then directed his first feature film, The Treasure of Bird Island, in 1952. His work is illustrious enough for a museum dedicated to his work, the Karel Zeman Museum in Prague.
Giacomo Girolamo Casanova, a man whose name has become synonymous with womanizing, spent his final years and composed a rich autobiography in Bohemia. His life began in Venice, Italy where he spent most of his childhood, including the discovery of romance, with the daughter of Gozzi. Due to the trouble Casanova ran into in Venice, he eventually settled in Prague, where he met Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The term Cubo-Expressionism was coined in the early 1970s to describe Czech avant-garde art in the 20th century, when elements of Cubism and Expressionism were combined. It was a revolt from earlier art forms with spiritual elements. Czech Cubism, as Cubo-Expressionism is also called, was applied to just more than art pieces, including furniture, objects, architecture, etc. One of the most famous Cubo-Expressionists is Pavel Janák, a Czech architect, designer, planner, professor, and theoretician.
Božena Hauserová was a lawyer turned CIA operative for the United States to help fight against Germany during the World War. She and her husband, Charles Lauwers, moved to the United States in 1941 after hearing news of the war, after which she enlisted, following her husband. In 1944, she participated in Operation “Sauerkraut,” where she’d spread rumors, provide fake orders, and pass around discouraging leaflets, all to spread propaganda among German soldiers. Her work was a success, being declassified after her death in 2009.
Charles IV’s efforts helped to elevate the city of Prague to new heights, establishing it as the intellectual and cultural center of Central Europe. Yet, his reign was marked by political disagreements and failures to centralize the government. One major, yet brief, threat to Charles IV’s authority came from Louis IV, the excommunicated emperor Charles IV replaced. Another major aspect of Charles IV’s authority was the elevation of Prague as a major player on the world stage for centuries to come.
Edvard Beneš was born in Kozlany, Bohemia during the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s rule, but by October 14, 1918, he lived in a different nation, as the empire collapsed in place of the then-new Czechoslovakia. He served as the council chairman for the League of Nations to support the balance of powers in Eastern Europe, creating the “Little Entente.” Eventually, Beneš would succeed Masaryk as the Czechoslovakian president, faced with the threat of Germany, and the rest is history.
"The Butcher of Prague" Reinhard Heydrich established himself as a ruthless authority among the Nazis, terrorizing Eastern Europe. Czechoslovakian president Eduardo Bene ordered a team of assassins to kill Heydrich. These assassins were Josef Gabcik, a former blacksmith and locksmith, and Jan Kubis, both of whom rose up the ranks in the Czech military. Of course there were others, 7, in fact, and if they were successful is written.
It’s the First World War, and the Czechoslovaks got to get their soldiers from Ukraine to France, but without going through a Central Powers country or a sea without enemy ships. What do they do? Naturally, they go East: fight through the Bolsheviks, take over the Russian railway network, capture most of Siberia, and reach Vladivostok before the ships arrive to get you home. All this while losing less than 10% of your men over three years of fighting. It might sound crazy, but this is just the 2nd part to the story of the Czechoslovak Legion.
They were men without their own country, living split up among not one, but two mighty empires. When the Great War came and those empires began to crumble, those men took up arms in the struggle, and fought so that one day they too would have their own nation. These were the men of the Czechoslovak Legions.
Despite being a landlocked nation, Czechoslovakia had a naval army, one which fought a single battle. This singular battle took place on Lake Baikal in Russia during WWI. Being that Czechoslovakian soldiers fought so far away from their own nation and that they seemed unwelcome in Russia, the situation of their naval military grew more complicated.
