Oko! Magazine Edition 3

MAGAZINE

N°3

Reflection

May/June 2019

From the Editor When Oko! founders Claire Dognini and Benny Water asked me to join their ranks, I jumped at the opportunity. Having lived and worked in the Czech Republic over the past decade, I’ve been captivated by the country’s rich history, diverse culture, and picturesque landscapes. Today, as the magazine’s new editor-inchief, I’m delighted to be spearheading Oko!’s mission to share compelling news, interviews, stories, and opinions covering these very topics.

As we emerge from our winter hibernation, transformation within the surrounding environment begins to take place. The dawn chorus amplifies and blooming flowers gradually paint Prague’s previously drab canvases with bursts of colour.

The turn of spring comes with promises of new life and fresh beginnings, but for much of Europe, it is also a time of reflection.

In honour of Liberation Day in the Czech Republic, our third edition commemorates the lives of those who fought, and in many cases made the ultimate sacrifice, for the freedoms we enjoy today. We also pay homage to the nation’s victims of Nazi oppression, sharing the tragic yet fascinating story of Anna Jaretzkí and looking into the inspiring Stolpersteine Project.

The seasonal change also brings longer days and rising temperatures, encouraging locals to dig out their picnic baskets and step into the great outdoors.

To acknowledge this, we’ve used this edition to explore the wilder side of the capital, focussing on some of the city’s bustling birdlife and examining the new Lake Titicaca exhibition at Prague Zoo. Our regular “In the Spotlight” feature delves into the colourful and pub-prolific neighbourhood of Žižkov. And with the aim of bringing our readers new stories, new people, and new places, we break through the nation’s borders – shedding light on the Czech communities residing in the beautiful Banát region of Romania.

Furthermore, our music section includes an exciting interview with Albert Černý, frontman of indie-pop band Lake Malawi, ahead of his band representing the Czech Republic in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest!

Until next time, Leigh Woods P.S. If you would like to be involved in the fourth edition, please get in touch – we’re always on the lookout for talented contributors. And, most importantly, if you enjoy reading Oko! Magazine, please share it with your friends and family and follow us on social media.

Contents 5

Community

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History

Romanian Czechs

Liberation Day The Stolpersteine Project The Story of Anna Jaretzkí

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Fashion

Spring Summer 2019

Arts & Design The Laichter House April Popko Ondrej Tylcer Photo Reportage

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Music

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Food & Drink

The Prague Food Scene Strawberry Chiffon Cake

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In the Spotlight

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Technology

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Science & Nature

Jazz, the Voice of Rebellion

Žižkov Prague 3

Artificial Realities

From Titicaca to the Golden City Birds of Prague

Interview Albert Černý

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Sports

Rugby

Entertainment

The Myth of Cimrman Fiction

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Romanian Czechs A Community Under Threat

By Dave O’Brien

Between 1823 and 1863, a group of Bohemian colonists founded several settlements which are today spread over six villages in the stunning Romanian Banát region. During this period in time, the Habsburg and Ottoman Empires snarled at one another over the natural dividing line of the Danube River. It was here that a community of Czechs and Slovaks set up home, bringing with them their cuisine, architecture, and customs.

Their immigration was mostly imposed upon them by the Habsburgs who, wanting to bolster the ailing population, ordered the redistribution of many people within their empire. They also believed that the heavily forested area would provide the means to construct ramparts in order to deter the encroaching Turks from reaching Habsburg territory.

The Czechs mined black coal, anthracite, and copper in the beautiful landscape. Eventually, automation replaced manpower, leaving many Czechs with no choice but to leave the region in search of work. The Czech population who remain there pay testament to the power of culture and how it helps people to identify with themselves and each other, serving as a reminder of their roots.

When the Czech exodus into Romania occurred, the Czech language was slightly different from today. Most of the immigrants spoke a Central Bohemian dialect or the Habsburg language of German intertwined with Czech, both of which contained archaic expressions void of any technical or scientific terminology. Much of the more recently developed vocabulary is today learned by the villagers via television or from youngsters visiting their relatives.

By 1948 the population exceeded 35,000, although it dropped over the next 40 years. After the revolution of 1989, there was a sizable migration of patriots back to the motherland. The language of the Romanian Czechs has survived very much intact from outside influences, and this, coupled with the isolation of the villages, has caused time to almost stand still. In some villages, electricity was introduced as recently as 1993.

If you visit one of the six remaining villages still with a Czech majority you will be able to spend Czech crowns. In every village except Gǎrnic, you’ll discover a Czech library. Czech traditions such as the “Burning of Witches” are still practiced and you’ll be able to feast on Czech cuisine, albeit a cuisine that has had to adapt to the Balkan landscape and climate. Potatoes, meat, and poultry form the core of the gastronomic offerings.

Festival Banát Photos by Ivo Dokoupil

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Nowadays there are estimated to be around 2,000 Czechs living in the six ethnically and architecturally Czech villages. Over the last 200 years, Czechs, mostly young, either returned to to the Czech homeland or ventured to other countries in search of a new life. Those who have remained for the past two centuries have done so without much help from the outside world.

The problem of aid appears to lie in the lack of amenities and the question of whose responsibility the Czechs actually are. In 1995, the Czech government gave the communities 50 million Czech crowns in order to develop infrastructure, provide more teachers, and install a telephone system. There are also charities which support the communities, but the population continues to dwindle. Sadly, the current aid isn’t enough for the villages to retain their residents or expand.

However, there are one or two beacons which shine light onto the Romanian Czech situation. Firstly, the inter-ethnic relations between Czechs and Romanians are very good; indeed, proof of this comes each year on National Czech Language Day held on 28 September. The Czech embassy in Bucharest hosts Czech and Romanian scholars who discuss the nuances of the Czech language. The yearly meeting was proposed in the early 2000s and thanks to the Czechs having their own representative in the Romanian parliament became law in 2014.

Furthermore, the lively Festival Banát takes place at the foot of the Transylvanian Carpathian mountains annually, and the area – made famous by Bram Stoker, author of Dracula – sees around 1,400 Czechs congregate there each year. Amongst the festivalgoers are talented musicians who play free of charge to help ensure the continuity of the festival every year and that the spirit of camaraderie endures. This year (2019) over 30 Czech bands will participate. The villagers provide accommodation to visitors and sell their local produce to guests including honey, tea, and alcoholic beverages.

The festival itself lasts four days and attendees can look forward to more than just music and local wares. The One World Film Festival’s Petra Dobruska will film the event and there will also be plays by VOSTO5, in addition to many lectures and discussions led by distinguished guests, including travel writer Ladislav Zibura and Tomáš Sedláček, author of the award-winning bestseller Economics of Good and Evil.

The Czechs have established a unique community in this remote location and if you want to check out the festival for yourself, hop on the train departing from Smíchov, Prague, for Oršava, Romania, on 20 August. The nearly half-mile-long train will take you on a 15-hour journey, an experience in itself with over 1,300 passengers joining together to create a carnival atmosphere. The logistical efforts behind such an operation are tremendous and the train is so long and heavy, it requires two locomotives to pull it!

The Banát region is renowned for being tourist friendly, and the heady atmosphere complete with stunning vistas ensure that the festival is loved by Czechs and Romanians alike. The festival – now in its seventh year – offers the villagers an opportunity to generate extra income and maintain their livelihoods. It has helped cement relations between Romania and the Czech Republic.

Next year sees the centenary of official diplomatic relations being established between Romania and the Czech Republic. The changes during the past century have been fascinating, and it will be interesting to learn what the citizens of both these countries will do in the next 100 years. For now, Festival Banát continues to draw more visitors to the region every year, helping to ensure that the legacy of the initial Bohemian settlers lives on.

Try something different this year and head to Festival Banát in the Romanian village of Eibentál. Tickets are priced at 4.999 Czech crowns per adult and include a return train ticket. More details can be found at www. festivalbanat.cz

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Liberation Day A Time to Remember

By Ethan Paki

One of the most important dates on the Czech calendar is 8 May, as it immortalizes the day in 1945 that World War II finally ended for the country’s citizens. Czechoslovakia was liberated from Nazi occupation, and its people could once again live as an independent nation. Every year, the anniversary of this event is marked by Czechs and Slovaks as a time for reflection and commemoration.

“If you have sacrificed my nation to preserve the peace of the world, I will be the first to applaud you. But if not, gentlemen, God help your souls.”

Foreign Minister Jan Masaryk’s reaction to the signing of the Munich Agreement.

On 29 September 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, French Prime Minister Édouard Daladier, and Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini met with Führer Adolf Hitler in Munich, Germany, in search of a peaceful resolution in the growing ethnic conflict in Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland region along the Czech-German border. German propaganda had spread throughout the area and with the help of Nazi sympathizer and politician Konrad Henlein, support for the annexation of the Sudetenland had grown among the German-speaking majority in the region.

Germany was mobilizing troops to take control of the region.

With France promising to come to the aid of Czechoslovakia in wartime, thereby obliging the United Kingdom to help as well, another world war seemed inevitable. This prompted the eleventhhour talks between the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, and Italy, which culminated in the signing of the Munich Agreement.

Czechoslovak representatives were not even invited to the meeting and were left feeling betrayed. This led to the Munich Agreement becoming known in Czechoslovakia as “O nás bez nás,” or “About us, without us.” The prime ministers of the UK and France returned to their countries as heroes, with the former proclaiming that peace had been reached with Adolf Hitler and war avoided.

On 30 September 1938, German troops marched into the Sudetenland unopposed and seized it. Weakened, Czechoslovakia also simultaneously ceded territory in the north to Poland, who, taking advantage of the situation following Munich, issued their own ultimatum. Later, under an agreement administered by Adolf Hitler, it lost territory to Hungary in the south as part of the First Vienna Award in 1938. Just six months after it was signed, the Munich Agreement was broken when Germany fully invaded and occupied Czechoslovakia, declaring the country the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, and establishing a satellite in the nominally independent Slovak Republic.

The interim Czech president between the Munich Agreement and total occupation, Emil Hácha, travelled to Berlin prior to the takeover to hold “showdown” talks with the German government.

However, this proved to be hopeless and upon being threatened with indiscriminate aerial bombardment of Czechoslovakia’s largest cities by the Luftwaffe should there be any resistance to occupying forces, Hácha suffered a heart attack before ultimately giving in to Hitler’s demands. He ceded Czechoslovakia to Nazi rule, stating that he ‘’confidently placed the fate of the Czech people and country in the hands of the Führer and the German Reich’’.

On 1 September 1939, just under six months after Germany had seized control of Czechoslovakia, the world was plunged into darkness once again with the start of the Second World War. The Resistance: Operation Anthropoid Despite the German Reich seizing full control of Czechoslovakia in the spring of 1939, it was met with small yet significant pockets of resistance throughout the duration of the war.

Student-led demonstrations popped up across the nation, defying the Nazi regime and its occupation of Czech territory. With local officials refusing to interfere with the protests, German officials were forced to step in to bring these demonstrations to a halt.

One such protest resulted in the death of a worker, Václav Sedláček, and serious injuries to a medical student, Jan Opletal, after both were shot by the German Schutzpolizei. Opletal died two weeks later. His funeral on 15 November 1939 sparked further, larger student-led demonstrations. Two days later, all Czech universities were forced to shut down. Nine students were shot without trial, with a further 1,200 taken to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.

Former President Edvard Beneš led the Czech resistance from an established government-in-exile in London. Communicating with Czech forces still inside the country, he sought to rally support amongst the international community while also coordinating strikes against the German regime in Czechoslovakia, the most successful of which was given the codename Operation Anthropoid.

The operation sought to eliminate high-ranking Nazi Reinhard Heydrich, considered to be second only to SS leader Heinrich Himmler and one of the key figures at the heart of Nazi Germany.

He served as senior group leader and general of police, as well as the acting Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia. He was also one of the main architects of the Holocaust.

In December 1941, Czechoslovakian soldiers Jan Kubiš and Jozef Gabčík parachuted into Bohemia with the help of the British Royal Air Force. On 27 May 1942, they carried out their mission to assassinate Heydrich, detonating an explosive as he was driven through the streets of Prague. He would later die from injuries sustained in the attack.

Ss. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral Photo by Ondrej Tylcer

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Kubiš and Gabčík would take refuge in Prague’s Ss. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral for the following three weeks, before finally taking their own lives after a two-hour standoff with over 700 German troops.

The Nazi hierarchy’s response to the attack was brutal. German forces carried out mass repisals across Czechoslovakia. The villages of Lidice and Ležáky were completely destroyed after an ultimately flawed Nazi investigation found the villagers guilty of assisting in the attack. Every male over the age of 16 was executed, with women and children being sent to concentration camps.

Three years later Berlin fell to the Allies; Hitler had committed suicide just days prior and American forces were on the doorstep of Prague. The writing was on the wall for the remaining German forces left in Czechoslovakia.

News of Germany’s downfall spread quickly and on 6 May 1945, the US Third Army pushed through the Sudetenland into the city of Plzeň. The Czechs’ spontaneous attack was spurred on by the German oppression of the past seven years and bolstered by the defecting Russian Liberation Army, who had previously fought alongside Germany. It is estimated that over 2,000 people died trying to liberate the city during the Prague Uprising.

On 8 May, the US Third Army pushed through the Sudetenland into the city of Plzeň and by the time the Soviet Army arrived in Prague, only a small number of German forces remained in the capital. Czechoslovakia had been officially liberated from German occupation and after seven years in the wilderness, was once again an independent nation.

Prague liberated by Red Army in may 1945 Photo by Karel Hájek

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Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Photo by Ondřej Kořínek

Anniversary on the 8th of May This year marks the 74th anniversary of Czechoslovakia’s liberation from Nazi occupation. Services will be held throughout the country to commemorate the great sacrifices that were made to ensure the modern Czech Republic would stand as a proud, independent nation.

In Prague, a service will be held at the National Memorial on Vítkov Hill. Traditionally, this is attended by various honorary persons, veterans, and politicians, including the sitting prime minister and president of the Czech Republic. Plzeň also joins in the commemoration with its annual Liberation Festival.

Liberation Day is a day to celebrate and commemorate, but also a day to reflect on the war that reshaped the world as we know it today; an opportunity to learn from the mistakes of the past so as not to repeat them.

Unfortunately for the Czech people, their liberation would last a short few years. It would be another four decades until they would finally experience true democratic freedom and independence as the Soviet bloc disintegrated. However, the modern-day Czech Republic has worked to ensure that the atrocities of World War II will never be seen again.

In 1999, the Czech Republic joined the largest political-military organisation in history, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). A few years later, the nation’s accession to the European Union was approved with a resounding 77.3% majority in the 2003 EU membership referendum. The Czech Republic officially joined the EU in May 2004.

So, as we memorialize this Liberation Day, let us remember the sacrifices that allowed this nation its independence from tyranny. It serves as a potent reminder of how quick reversals of fortune can be; that no situation is so dire and hopeless as to require fatalistic responses. As we continue on with our lives, forging new paths of trade, communication, and connection with our neighbors, let the events of 74 years ago serve as a testament to humanity’s desire for equality, improvement, and peace. These may not be immediate, but their tendency is steadfast and gives hope for all our futures.

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The Stolpersteine Project The World’s Largest Memorial

By Leigh Woods

Stolpersteine, or “Stones of the Disappeared,” is an art project initiated by German artist Gunter Demnig which commemorates victims of Nazi extermination and persecution. The concept began with a brass plaque the artist set into the pavement outside Cologne’s town hall in 1992.

It was the 50th anniversary of Heinrich Himmler’s so-called Auschwitz decree, which ordered the deportation of Sinti and Roma to extermination camps. Inscribed on the 10 x 10cm plaque were the first lines of the decree.

1941, she was deported along with her mother, father, and sister to Terezín concentration camp on 23 July 1942. Two years after the initial deportation, her father was transported to Auschwitz and Jiřina, along with the rest of the family, five days later. She was just two years and 11 months old when she was murdered in Auschwitz. Her sister Alena, who met the same fate, was only seven. Jiřina and her family members’ plaques can be found at Břehová 202/4, close to the Old New Synagogue (Staronová synagoga) in Josefov.

A Stolperstein (or stumbling stone) can be installed for any victim of Nazi atrocities. The majority commemorate the lives of Jews, but stones have also been placed to honour the memory of homosexuals, Roma, Sinti, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Freemasons, resistance fighters, political prisoners, and the disabled. The terror for those targeted during the Nazi regime knew no limits.

Max and Jiřina are two of many innocent souls from Prague to have lost their lives to the horrors of the Holocaust. Stolpersteine currently honour their memories, along with those of 309 others. A further 81 are planned for installation by 2020.

Each Stolperstein consists of a small concrete cube bearing a brass plate inscribed with the names, birth dates, and details of deportation of the victim to whom they pay homage.

Further, engraved within the plaques is information on the individual’s fate. Gunter Demnig considers all who died in a concentration camp to have been “Murdered,” using the term for anyone who lost their life in a camp, even if due to starvation or disease.

“Flight into death” is the term written on Stolpersteine for those who chose to end their own lives, with “Survived” being used for those who were liberated. The exact location of each stone is determined by the last known free address of the individual it represents.

Since the very first Stolperstein was laid in 1996, more than 70,000 have been installed across 24 European countries, with Sweden and Denmark to join the list of nations involved in the project later this year.

All of the stones are handcrafted in Berlin by one man: Michael Friedrichs-Friedländer. He is currently producing up to 450 Stolpersteine every month, with new orders keeping him busy for the foreseeable future. With so many plaques already laid – and many more in the pipeline – the Stolpersteine is the largest decentralised memorial in the world. Most of the stones were installed by Gunter Demnig himself.

The Prague Stolpersteine The first Stolperstein was laid in the Czech Republic on 8 October 2008 at Jáchymova 63/3, Prague, and was dedicated to Max Eckstein. Along with hundreds of others, Eckstein was forced from his home on 26 October 1941 and deported from Prague to Łódź Ghetto. Of the thousands of Czech Jews deported to Łódź between 16 October and 3 November, only 277 survived.

Eckstein, sadly, did not.

The youngest victim from Prague with a dedicated Stolperstein was eight-month-old Jiřina Pfefferová. Born on 8 November

But with so many plaques introduced to the bustling city over the past decade, many began to fall into a state of disrepair and required heavy restoration. This is where an Englishman named Trevor Sage enters the story.

Restoring Memories Trevor’s interest in the Stolpersteine Project began following a tour of Terezín guided by Pavel Stransky, a survivor of both Terezín and Auschwitz. During a subsequent tour of Prague, many of the stones were pointed out to him, but upon closer inspection, Trevor was disappointed by the fact that many of them had become difficult to read, and were slowly vanishing under the grime of Prague's well-trodden streets.

Inspired by Gerhard Geier, who cleaned all 388 Stolpersteine in his home city of Salzburg, Trevor felt compelled to replicate these altruistic efforts in Prague, ensuring that the memories of the victims would not fade into the depths of history for a second time.

“I packed up my rucksack with brass cleaner, latex gloves, a soft brush, a towel to kneel on, and many cleaning cloths. I had cleaned around 70 when a lady named Jitka Hejtmann stopped to ask me what I was doing. After explaining my project to her, Jitka asked if she could take a photo of me cleaning the stones for a Facebook post. I agreed.

“The post quickly received over 1,000 likes and nearly 800 shares.

Among those who reacted was the British Embassy in Prague. It also received many positive comments from people expressing their gratitude. I began receiving many questions and decided the best way to answer them would be to set up a Stolpersteine Prague Facebook page for people to follow my progress. Today, the page has nearly 2,000 followers and includes an album with pictures of the stones before and after cleaning.”

The monumental efforts made by Gunter Demnig, Trevor Sage, and others connected with the Stolpersteine Project are not only helping to preserve the memories of those most affected by Nazi oppression, but serve as an incentive for future decision-makers to ensure the acts committed during this dark period in history are never repeated.

HISTORY

Stolperstein in Praha Photo by Francisco Peralta Torrejón

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The Story of Anna Jaretzkí

A Synopsis of The Secrets of the Notebook

By Eve Haas & Trevor Sage Beginnings and Endings A Stolperstein isn’t just a reminder of the place a person once lived and their fate; it also represents their life. Behind every “Stumbling stone” there is a story to be told, and the particular story behind the Stumbling stone for Anna Jaretzkí is both fascinating and tragic.

Anna’s story spans two generations back in time to her grandmother Emilie, and two generations forward to her granddaughter Eve. It starts with a notebook diary, handed down through four generations. This cherished heirloom became the catalyst for a search that would take two decades and reveal a host of family secrets: the love of a Prussian prince, the disapproval of a king, an attempted assassination, and a case of false identity that would ultimately lead to Anna’s demise.

A Precious Gift In 1940, when Anna’s granddaughter Eve was 16 years old, her father, Hans, first revealed to her the existence of the notebook, embossed with a silver crest, which could fit into the palm of her hand. Inside the notebook was an inscription handwritten in German, “The beautiful owner of this book is dearer to me than my life – August, your protector.”

Her father told Eve that the notebook had once belonged to her great-great-grandmother Emilie Gottschalk, and that August was not only a Prussian prince but also her great-great-grandfather.

But despite the book’s extraordinary heritage, Hans instructed Eve never to look further into the family’s history as there was nothing to find.

It was only after Eve’s parents had both passed away, some 30 years later, that Eve herself inherited the notebook. A number of years passed, until finally, in 1973, the urge to look into her ancestry became too great for Eve to resist.

Eve’s quest to find out more about August and her great-greatgrandmother Emilie took nearly two decades to complete. Along the way, she would discover records which had been purposefully hidden from view for over 130 years deep in archives behind the Iron Curtain in East Germany.

In 1838 Emilie gave birth to a daughter, Charlotte (Eve’s greatgrandmother). But again, owing to royal disapproval of the marriage and any possible claims the child may make on the Crown – the child’s life was in danger.

Unlike the rest of the royal family (and Prussia in general), Prince August was a loyal supporter of the Jewish community, a fact which caused much friction in royal circles. But given his wealth (he was believed to be the richest man in Europe), his standing as a prince and as a military general, he was often able to get his own way.

So, in order to hide and protect Charlotte from those who would wish to harm her, August and Emilie registered her birth using the family name of the prince’s Jewish tailor, Isadore Gottschalk. Her parents were not themselves Jewish, but they thought this move would help conceal Charlotte’s heritage.

Tragically, this decision, designed to protect Charlotte, would lead to the incarceration and death of her granddaughter Anna (Eve’s grandmother) in the Nazi concentration camp at Terezín some 104 years later.

On the death of Prince August in 1843, his entire wealth was returned to the Crown; the five-year-old Charlotte was forcibly removed from her mother and placed with the Gottschalk family whose name she bore. Furst Wittgenstein, the king’s aide who carried out this act, was strongly anti-Semitic, and this was his revenge for Prince August having befriended the Jews.

Emilie wrote to the King pleading to be allowed to continue to be known as the wife of Prince August: “I humbly ask His Majesty to please allow me to be known as ‘Frau [Mrs.] von Ostrowska’ as I have been known throughout my years with Prince August of Prussia. The granting of this most humble request is of the highest importance to the whole of my future.”

But Wittgenstein replied, instead of the King, with the single line, “Your request remains unconsidered by his Gracious Majesty.”

Moreover, Emilie was made to remove her married title, “Frau,” and be known only as “Fräulein” (Miss); although she received a royal pension, this ceased on her later remarriage to a Swiss count. Unfortunately, this marriage wasn’t to last and Emilie returned to Berlin, where she died in 1865, aged 48.

The Search for the Truth During the week that Eve and her husband, Ken, spent in the archives, they discovered that her great-great-grandmother Emilie was not the daughter of a Jewish tailor as they had always thought, but the daughter of an aristocratic Polish army major named von Ostrowska. Yet despite these aristocratic roots, Emilie’s status still proved to be an issue for the Prussian Crown.

The 15-year-old Emilie had met Prince August, then aged 54, at a ball in 1832. They were married soon afterward, but their union never received the approval of the king, a fact which would lead – directly or indirectly – to at least one attempt on her life by poisoning.

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Anna Jaretzkí

Journey of the Notebook In 1845 the elderly Isadore Gottschalk had taken seven-yearold Charlotte to Hamburg, possibly to be cared for by August’s mistress, Karoline Friederike Wichmann. Charlotte had by this time been given the notebook, in which she wrote in her childish hand: “this book once belonged to my beloved mother.”

Charlotte later married her next-door neighbour Sigmund Baumann, and in March 1864, at the age of 26, gave birth to Anna. When Charlotte, in turn, died in 1906 at the age of 68, she passed the treasured heirloom to Anna. Anna married Samuel Jaretzkí in Berlin on 28 May 1886.

In 1933, with world events taking a dramatic turn for the worse, Anna gave the notebook to her son Hans for safekeeping before leaving Germany for Czechoslovakia. And when Hans fled Germany for the United Kingdom in 1934, taking his wife, Margarethe, and daughter Eve, the book came too.

Anna’s second son, Freddy, escaped Prague with his family in 1939, following Hans to England. But widowed Anna, being 75

and arthritic, felt unable to travel and, fearing she would slow the family down, remained in Prague at Alexandra Street 26 (now Jugoslávských partyzánů 639/26).

How much Anna knew of her heritage is unknown, but even if she had, she would have had no way of convincing the Nazis she wasn’t Jewish, let alone that she was in fact related to most of the royal families of Europe. Not only that, but (as Eve also discovered) Siegfried von Waldenburg, Anna’s first cousin once removed, was one of Hitler’s most admired generals, a connection, which had it been known to Anna, could have proved her heritage and saved her from her fate in the concentration camp.

Anna was deported from Prague to Terezín on 16 July 1942, where she died on 12 August from typhus.

Oko! would like to thank Trevor Sage for allowing us to use his synopsis of Eve Hass’s book, The Secrets of the Notebook.

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Spring Summer 2019 Fashion 90s Revival Done Right

By Luna Vodicka

Unless the winter weather has had you hiding under a rock for the past four months, you’ll likely have noticed some styles making their way back from the past. Whether or not they were better off staying there is a matter of opinion.

Today, we’re here to help guide you through the fashion minefield and to highlight some of the catwalk trends that will keep you looking fresh this spring and summer.

It’s evident that the 90s have heavily influenced this season, but designers have modernised the styles by infusing some edgy twists. Let’s begin with a real blast from the past - acid-washed denim. Perhaps we’re not quite ready for full denim suits à la Britney Spears just yet, but keeping it slick with an acid-washed denim vest on a chilly spring or early summer evening is totally in right now.

To nobody’s surprise, shorts are back with a bang. Obviously, they are a go-to garment to help beat the city’s summer heat, but they have even made their way onto the catwalks for the upcoming season. Mid-dark-tone denim styles are very popular among fashion retailers, but lighter colours are equally in fashion.

This season’s shirts come in many different styles to help you dress for all manner of occasions. One of the more informal designs is the increasingly popular tie-dye, which originated in eighth-century Japan (where it is known as shibori) and Indonesia.

The style was widely adopted by fashionistas in the 60s, and resurfaced once again in the 90s. Nearly three decades later, tie-dye shirts have returned to their former glory and make for the perfect top to wear during a relaxed afternoon on Náplavka or in one of Prague’s many chilled-out parks.

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Photo by joao silast

Suits are a classic for more formal settings, and we see lighter colours making their way back into both the men's and women's departments of high street retailers, with some even rocking white.

To complement your look this season are some real gems from the 90s, such as X-girl glasses and the iconic and perhaps most ridiculed 90s accessory fanny pack.

This season's footwear are summer holiday favourites. Sandals and flats are what it's all about and from a comfort perspective I can't but approve. However, from a fashion perspective, I must admit that working out a matching outfit can be quite a challenge.

The more attentive among us may have noticed the neo-Gothic style making a comeback this spring, with a sexy splash of red or neon colours added here and there for a more fun twist.

Lastly, we take a look at the in vogue colours for the spring/ summer season 2019. Shades of terracotta are currently all the rage, in addition to lavender and sage green palettes. The calm and slightly muted tones are a great choice for casual office environments or as evening attire.

As always, we at Oko! try our best to decipher the ever-changing world of fashion, and like to remind our readers that all of our advice should be followed according to personal taste. Just remember that you should only wear what makes you feel most comfortable!

Photo by Alexis Reyna

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The Laichter House

An Urban Oddity in Typical Vinohrady

By David Lameš

Living in cities, we take certain phenomena for granted, as if the way they present is necessary and their absence unthinkable. Apartment living is one such phenomenon. Most people understand that to maintain the density of city life, people cannot live in single, detached homes with gardens. There simply isn’t enough space for that, and the land is too valuable to waste on flowerbeds, when, as with, today’s ongoing housing crisis in Prague beds themselves are needed.

The way that apartment buildings look and are composed is different from era to era. Today, most people in the Czech Republic live in panel apartments, built from the 1960s onwards, while the apartment blocks of Vinohrady and Vršovice remain the popular idea of how Praguers live. But even these apartment typologies evolved. They began with apartment palaces in the early 19th century, generally consisting of only two rooms and no lavatories. However, over the decades especially, at the turn of the 20th century, personal WCs, baths, ventilation for every room, and even pantries became commonplace as higher living standards became attainable for all. Organizing spaces into tripartite divisions as delineated by the load-bearing elements of the building was the standard until the Second World War – after which advances in mass production and ideological shifts in the perception of the value of housing led to a shift away from city block apartments to tower-in-the-park panel buildings that continue to be the standard (even if only due to the sheer number that were built).

But one building in particular, in the heart of Vinohrady, radically diverged from this overarching trend to create something exceptional: the Laichter House. Standing at Chopinova 1543/4 in Prague 2, the Laichter House was commissioned by the publisher Jan Laichter and built by the father of modern Czech architecture, Jan Kotěra, in 1908. The building distinguishes itself from the surrounding majestic apartment structures through a number of innovations. Firstly: the visual. The building, through maintaining the integrity of the standard Vinohrady block, is set back from its neighbours a couple of metres, allowing the large bay window on the first floor, which would otherwise protrude massively into the street, to just gently echo the street line. This was revolutionary for a time where developers attempted to squeeze as many square metres as possible out of any plot. Above, the set-back floors create a trompe-l’œil effect (optical illusion), exaggerating the building’s size, even though it maintains its neighbours’ rooflines though this is also an illusion, as the space-efficient flat roof was the first of its kind to be built in Prague. Lastly, the use of natural reds, browns, and beiges in the exposed but intricate geometric patterns of the brickwork put it at odds with the pastel Secession and Neo-Gothic plastered facades that surround it. The Laicher House was one of the first Geometric Modernist buildings in Bohemia, a style decades ahead of its time, made famous primarily by Kotěra´s student Josef Gočár. The building shares this brick-expressed Geometric Purism with one other structure in Prague, the Štencův House on Salvátorská 1092/10. Situated in Prague’s Old Town, it was built by Otakar Novotný at the same time. Interestingly for both, the two buildings were polyfunctional affairs.

Rather than copying the standard apartment plan a basement, shops on the ground floor, apartments above at the behest of Laichter, Kotěra installed spaces for his publishing house on the ground floor, with a luxurious, unique family apartment right above, and apartments-to-let on the upper floors. Within this apartment, abandoning contemporary tradition, Kotěra reduced the three-sectioned bearing structure to the two sections it had been before the 1890s, so natural light could penetrate into all the rooms. Personal staircase entrances, balconies, protruding bay windows for the bedrooms, multiple WCs, and a private entrance to the back garden all signalled a house built for private family life. In this manner, the building until then maintaining the standard Prague footprint became a hybrid, with the qualities of a detached family villa in the center of the city.

The Laichter House was perhaps just a potential fork in history showing how we could have lived differently today, but at least we have this example to remind us nothing is a given or required just like that. The unique tradition of the building lives on, even functionally, as Laichter Publishing has been spiritually succeeded by Paseka, who sometimes allow the public glimpses into this would-be world.

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Photos by NakladatelstvĂ­ Paseka

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April Popko

The People’s Painter: Bringing Energy, Purpose, and Light

By Leigh Woods

Upon meeting abstract artist April Popko for the first time, one is immediately drawn to her zestful personality, infectious positivity, and heartwarming kindness. Her effervescent spirit continues into her home studio, where many paintings exhibit vibrant colours and an energy that easily transfers from piece to person.

Born in the United States, but with Polish roots, April moved to Prague in the early 2000s, where she now lives with her husband and three children. While she is a respected and well-established artist today, she didn’t have an easy beginning to her career here in the Czech Republic. When starting out, even her apartment walls were completely bare: “When I got to Prague, I had nothing on my walls. I had no paint, no canvas and no clue as to where I’d get it, so I just painted on scrap wood, cardboard, old pieces of kitchen countertops, whatever I could find and I used paint that my mom mailed to me.”

To overcome her initial struggle breaking into Prague’s competitive art scene, April realized she needed to become more active within the community. She finally got her well-deserved break in an unexpected fashion. “I organized a neighborhood charity garage sale to raise money for Motol Hospital, in thanks for helping my children during a very difficult time. It was during the fundraiser that an architect bought one of my paintings. At the same time, she commissioned me to make the biggest piece I had ever been asked to do.” Thanks to a little help from her friends, she was

able to acquire the necessary materials to begin working on the project, and that was the point at which her career really took off.

It would seem that by expressing gratitude and giving something back to the universe, April was duly rewarded. Her charity work continues to this day, with regular artwork donations helping to raise money for good causes.

When asked to describe her work in three words, the April uses “energy, light, and connection,” and says that her goal is to transfer her own positive energy to the observer through her paintings. It is clear that she takes great pride in her art spreading good throughout the world and she believes everything has a ripple effect. “I want my audience to experience positive emotions.

I want them to feel that the studio is a safe place to explore art and to feel energy, purpose, and light. I want them to walk away with a painting that will bring optimism and good energy to their homes and spaces.”

And it is not just through her own art that she hopes to achieve her goal. April also runs workshops for adults and children with the aim of inspiring them to create their own masterpieces, consequently spreading good vibes across the globe. “People love my workshops because they serve as an outlet from everyday life and we have so much fun.” The workspace offers an atmosphere where students can feel both relaxed and inspired, two vital elements for reaching their maximum creative potential.

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April also paints from her summer studio in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where she takes great inspiration from soaking up the fresh, salty air by the Atlantic Ocean, seeing the crisp light reflected off the sand dunes, and hearing the soft seagrass swaying in the wind. One of her most recent collections, titled “Between Two Worlds,” is inspired by the two places she calls home. The collection depicts her affection for both Prague and North Truro, in addition to her desire to keep the connection between them.

However, longing to be with relatives on both sides of the pond has led to mixed emotions about her chosen lifestyle, which she pours into her artwork. “My heart is in both places at all times. I can never really fully be in one place – this is very inspiring to me because a lot of emotion comes from feeling torn and wanting to connect it. Many of my paintings represent connecting two things – this comes from me wanting to stay connected, wanting communication to stay healthy and wanting to express myself in unfamiliar territory.”

Ask any visual artist where they get their inspiration and they’ll often credit famous names like Pollock, Picasso, or O’Keeffe.

But when asked which person has inspired her the most, April pays tribute to her family, answering, “My dad. He’s my greatest inspiration. I miss his ideas, his advice, his unique perspective on the world. I miss his optimism, his laughter, and I miss being around his energy, even though I know that incredible energy lives on inside of me. If I could have a cocktail with him now, we’d definitely talk ‘ideas’ right after a Polish ‘Na zdrowie!’”

April has chosen to showcase a piece called “Dreamboat” from her “Fleet” collection as this edition’s featured artwork. The enormous series is comprised mostly of paintings of sailboats, one of her favourite subjects, because she views them as a symbolic means of transportation to reach her friends and family back home in the US. Further, April says that people gravitate toward the sailboats and the messages they represent. “The sailboat has become a sort of iconic image from my studio. It represents pure potential, forward motion, adventure, skill, determination, hope, optimism – a journey. As I have heard, a skillful sailor never learned in calm seas and so the sailboat also represents that no matter what storm you go through, it makes you stronger and more resilient.”

In a chaotic world full of selfishness and greed, we can be inspired

by April not just as a phenomenal artist, but as a compassionate and benevolent human being. It would be easy for someone blessed with her talents to focus solely on personal gain, but instead, she wields her paintbrush to support those in need while spreading messages of hope, peace, and love through her work.

While most deem science, law, and education the most important professions for future development, April is a testament to the important role of creatives in making this complicated world a better place.

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Photos by April Popko

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J’s Kitchen is a Korean-fusion bistro that introduces the spirit of Seoul into Prague. Our homemade dishes are inspired by Korean cuisine, exploring traditional flavours while using modern cooking techniques and yummy Czech ingredients.

Located on Blanická Street in the heart of Vinohrady, our bistro is named after chef Jinah, who prepares every meal using fresh local ingredients combined with original recipes based on her many years of experience.

We offer our customers options for lunch and dinner, and our healthy and delicious food is always served with a smile, whether dining in our cosy bistro or opting to takeaway. We also offer a quick and friendly delivery service, bringing traditional Korean food, straight to your doorstep.

Use the promo code JSKITCHEN to get 150 CZK off your first order through Wolt.

Valid until 31th, Dec 2019 only at J’s Kitchen.

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Ondrej Tylcer Photo Reportage

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Jazz, the Voice of Rebellion

By Claire Dognini

In the previous article in this series, we covered the arrival of jazz in Prague. We explored the historical context both inside and outside the former Czechoslovakia, from Paris in 1918 to Prague in 1938. It was in this period that the first popular Czech musicians began to emerge, such as R.A. Dvorský who joined the Melody Makers in 1925 (later forming the Melody Boys in 1929) and Jaroslav Ježek, who was famous for blending classical music with jazz. In this article, we pick up where we left off, starting in September 1938, when the Nazis annexed the Sudetenland under the Munich Agreement.

However, several social groups would gather to celebrate diversification and discuss changes that would have a positive impact on society. One such group was The Jazz Section, founded by Karel Srp in 1971, which originally formed to promote jazz but later focussed on political dissident activities. Due to an administrative loophole and staying within the state guidelines they were permitted to continue. In time they became bolder and launched the Jazz Days Festival, which became a yearly event.

Despite the fact that Prague did not lie within the Sudetenland, the Nazis marched into the Czech capital on 15 March 1939. During the occupation, jazz music was forbidden, as it was considered “Fremdländisch” or foreign. However, in spite of all the bans and restrictions, jazz’s presence endured, albeit underground, partly due to the fact that ignorant inspectors were often outsmarted.

Even so, prominent artists like Ježek were forced to flee the country. He fled to New York City, where he met his wife, but died in 1942. Even though he was only 35 years old, he managed to leave a very important musical mark.

They published books covering Czech art, rock poetry, and current musical culture. One reason The Jazz Section was accepted during the Soviet occupation was that the government hated rock music, and jazz was immensely popular with the masses. During the fifth Jazz Days Festival, authorities intervened when a rock operetta was performed, ultimately causing strained relations between the government and The Jazz Section. The government grew increasingly afraid of bad publicity due to the overwhelming popularity of jazz, leading the authorities to harass the group members and those attending their events. In 1980, the Jazz Days Festival was cancelled, with authorities calling the event a public disturbance after 15,000 fans had bought tickets.

Due to the constraints placed on jazz music, the underground jazz scene was considered a place of protest and its musicians regarded as artistic heroes fighting against the regime. Jazz was still banned after Czechoslovakia’s liberation on 8 May 1945, and it wasn’t revived until 1947, when Graeme Bell and his Dixieland jazz band performed at the World Youth Festival in Prague.

During this time, many of the group members suffered immensely and most of them were imprisoned. Musicians including Ruzicka and Karel Velebný became famous as militants during the Prague Spring. Even Srp did not escape prison, but despite their director and founding member being incarcerated, The Jazz Section went from strength to strength.

When the Communist Party took hold of the country in 1948, jazz was once again seen by its rulers as the music of underground intellectuals. Even so, the music scene flourished, with numerous bands forming and clubs opening. One of the most famous jazz clubs to open its doors in the heart of Prague was Reduta in 1957.

Not only is it still one of the top ten jazz clubs in Europe, but at the time it functioned as a gathering place for artists and dissidents who would meet and discuss plans for artistic resistance.

Jazz was and still is the most important music genre of the 20th century. From the early to mid-1900s, it was the music of the people, through which artists, freethinkers, and creative minds could express themselves, inform the masses, and fight for new ideologies. The Czech jazz scene was no different. It showed incredible resilience in the face of extreme adversity, surviving through the eras of Nazism and communism. Perhaps the courageous actions of those rebellious and pioneering individuals of Prague’s jazz scene played a greater role in achieving freedom than we give credit for.

The so-called Text-Appeal cabarets were introduced here, entertaining audiences through music and dialogue. The pioneers of this new form of entertainment were Jiří Suchý, an exceptionally talented songwriter and singing double bass player, and Ivan Vyskočil, a well-respected improvising actor. As the popularity of these shows grew, these nights would often turn into jazz jam sessions. Soon, all the top jazz musicians started meeting here and until the 60s, Reduta was both a jazz club and a cabaret theatre. The cultural scene in the Czech Republic was thriving and the jazz scene expanded simultaneously. In 1964, the first Prague International Jazz Festival was held, bringing the hip jazz bands of the time to Prague.

However, those freedoms that we enjoy to this day grow increasingly under threat, making the fight to protect liberty and learning from past struggles more crucial than ever.

The European Parliament elections will take place from 23 to 26 May. With racism and fascism on the rise, you have the opportunity to join us at an anti-racism/fascism festival at Cross Club on 22 May. The festival is organised by Jaroslav Rauser (Move Association) and Ben Osbourne (Noise of Art), in conjunction with Cross Club.

Jazz legend Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band were among the performers. In the following years, legends like Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Stéphane Grappelli played at the festival.

After the Soviet invasion in 1968, the Communist regime suppressed individuality and artistic self-expression. The political crackdown hit the Czech jazz scene hard. Many clubs closed and dissidents were thrown in jail.

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1. Divadlo Reduta Photo by Reduta Jazz Club 2. 1st World Festival of Youth and Students, Prague 1947 Photography Collection in Skryjský mlýn

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Interview with Albert Černý Lake Malawi’s Sensational Lead Singer

By Lydia Novak

“It’s an amazing feeling when you’ve been through something awkward or sad and you write the song. Then you hear the crowd singing it back to you and suddenly the awkward or sad situation the song came from disappears and it transforms into something beautiful.”

Oko! Magazine had the pleasure of meeting Albert Černý, lead singer of the Czech band Lake Malawi. The band was formed in 2013 and will represent the Czech Republic in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, Israel, with their hit single “Friend of a Friend.” This was announced on 28 January after a unanimous vote online, through the Eurovision app, and by an international jury. The indie-pop band’s next step will be participating in the first semi-final on 14 May. Last year, the Czech Republic finished the contest in overall sixth place.

Lake Malawi is Černý’s third band, and it came about in quite a unique fashion. “My previous band was breaking up and my drummer heard someone playing bass in the street during Colours of Ostrava. I met with him in Brno and we realized we both liked the same bands. That was Jeroným and that was how Lake Malawi started.” Černý was in two bands prior to Lake Malawi, with the more popular of the two named Charlie Straight. The name Lake Malawi comes from the Bon Iver song “Calgary.” Černý was listening to the song and noticed Bon Iver was singing about a lake.

He looked it up on a world map and he knew that was going to be the name of his band.

Photo by Tomas Gal

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Photo by Tomas Gal

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Photo by Petr Klapper

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A big reason why Lake Malawi won Eurovision for the Czech Republic was for their unusual sound. “Indie pop just kind of came naturally. I loved my father’s records like Sting, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel and when I was nine years old, I was a fan of a boy band called Hanson from Tulsa, Oklahoma.” There are many artists and bands that Černý looks up to for inspiration, like Radiohead, Oasis, Travis, Frank Ocean, and James Blake. But his biggest inspiration has always been Coldplay. “My cousin played ‘The Scientist’ for me and I thought, ‘That’s what I want to do.’” Černý went on, “That intensity instantly grabbed my attention and stole my heart and that’s why I learned some of the tunes the following week and performed them at school and then I started writing my own songs and it all went from there.” Černý admires the image of the band and its lead singer, Chris Martin. He even adapted Martin’s ritual of drawing the band’s logo on his wrist before every show. Černý’s songwriting processt takes time. Černý’s process includes finding a place of solitude and with an echo where no one can disturb him. He wants to get what is on his mind off his chest and pour it into a song. He remembers playing the song “Surrounded

by Light” 30 times in one day and feeling like the molecules in his body were changing every time he played it.

Songwriting is his therapy. He mentioned that “Friend of a Friend” was never intended for the competition, and said the premise of the song is your girlfriend asking about someone and you answer, “She’s just a friend of a friend.” But she can see that it is something more. However, for him personally, the song is so much more important. “For me, the song is more about the importance of our past friends and how they introduced me to my current friends or my girlfriend or someone really important.

Sometimes your life can take a totally different direction thanks to

someone introducing you to a random person. That person can change your life. If it wasn’t for friends of friends, we wouldn’t be where we are now.”

Lake Malawi has supported artists like Thirty Seconds to Mars, The Kooks, and Mika, and has played over 300 gigs in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Austria, and the United Kingdom.

While Černý loved playing for stadiums full of people, he said his favourite gigs are those in intimate venues with very few people.

He likes the wide dynamics where the sound can go from loud to hearing a pin drop. What he enjoys most is playing his songs and being on stage, like any other artist. However, one of his biggest struggles is balancing his time and deciding on what is best for the band. “My biggest struggle is focusing on the right thing or deciding what to focus on because sometimes I’m wondering if I do photo shoots too much or things around music instead of music. Sometimes I’m worried I don’t spend enough time in the studio or actually playing the piano or guitar.” Černý’s support system is his parents, his girlfriend, and his band. He regards his band members as knowing him better than anyone. Music has been in his life since he was very young – his parents and grandparents all had a fascination with music and passed it onto him. So they are all very proud of what he has accomplished with Lake Malawi. Černý says what he finds most exciting about the Eurovision Song Contest is meeting other musicians and making music with them. “I want to think of a song that we both like. It’s not always about life’s dreams and endless selfies and stuff like that. Eurovision should be about songs and music. Period.”

Tune into Eurovision 2019 to watch the progress of Albert Černý and the other members of Lake Malawi.

Photo by Tomas Gal

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The Prague Food Scene 2018 in Review

By Taste Of Prague

Confession: we were whining about Prague food scene’s development probably for the better portion of last year. Not enough places opened, some great places closed, and there was little to no innovation. While Prague lost a Michelin star and a Bib Gourmand award in the spring of 2018, the world lost Anthony Bourdain and Jonathan Gold, and generally, the mood here at Taste of Prague was fairly low.

But looking back on 2018, things look a bit rosier now in hindsight, thanks mostly to what can be described as a strong finish. It was a year that solidified some of the trends we have had seen before.

People in Prague like to go out. A lot. Booking great restaurants for our Prague food tours has become a game of long-term strategy, and booking for last-minute enquiries nearly impossible.

Don’t believe us? Look at Instagram videos from Dva kohouti, which opened last December. It’s been hopelessly full from opening up until today. Whatever the concept, people seem to jump on it, at least for now.

Also, 2018 saw consolidation, as two new groups seem to have emerged to challenge the market-leading, and, in a way, defining behemoth that is the Ambiente group. Czech diners want common sense, quality and transparency if they are to spend top dollar, and seem less prone to jump on hype. So when an all-avocado restaurant opens, the logic of opening a restaurant based on produce that is in no way local and has to travel the world to get here is questioned online, and when a new rotisserie chicken place opens and serves chickens from a large, industrial chicken farm, they are called on that, too. That said, both of these places seem to be prospering at the moment, so we’ll see if this awareness manifests itself only online, and not in… ahem real life.

New Prague Restaurants Opened In 2018 Well, we’re happy to announce that the three big openings of 2018 all focused on what comes dear to our heart and clogs our arteries: Czech food. First, Chef Býček of former Michelin-star Alcron glory opened The Eatery in the Holešovice district. You gotta love the ambition there: minimalist decor, open kitchen with bar seating, focus on local and seasonal produce only. This is a fine dining venue great for a special occasion, and for dining out alone thanks to the bar seating. Many of the dishes show refined technique. The wine selection is also pretty sweet, and the markups sensible. Their lunch specials provide some of the best value for money in town. Holešovice should step up and show that they can support a restaurant like this. Come on, you can do this!

Guests of our Prague food tours have been asking about great restaurants with a view of the city, and Kuchyň caused quite a splash when it opened last summer: a restaurant with a view in the super- seems to have answered all of these prayers. And it would not be Ambiente group if it did not come with a precisely

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The Eatery, Prague Photo by Taste Of Prague

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defined, even stubborn concept: you get appetizers and all-youcan-eat soup, and then follow the staff to the kitchen where chefs open lids and explain the dishes, and you ultimately choose the main dish that speaks to you the most. This seems to work better when the restaurant is half-empty rather than full. There can be quite some pushing and shoving and, ultimately, discontent when the kitchen is packed with different parties trying to smell everything one over another. Still, Kuchyň has been packed at least every weekend, so we’re marking this one as success. Too bad the building’s owners did not allow heaters to make outdoor seating in the winter possible.

Finally, Výčep, run by the Kolektiv group (that runs Nejen bistro in the Karlin district or the new Meat Beer pub/restaurant by the Main Train Station), opened before Christmas, offering what they present as traditional Moravian Wallachian fare with beers from the Dalešicky pivovar brewery. And omg, does it work. We loved the place on our first (and so far only) visit. Moravian folklore songs sound fun and not at all tacky when combined with modern interiors. Hearing the music, you really want to have a shot. (We did. Two.) The flavours are strong, the dishes familiar but refined and modern, mostly devoid of stuff that just shows off technique but adds nothing to the dish. The place comes off as honest and unpretentious, despite the amuse-bouches being served on hay.

And the wine selection is tiny but well focused, offering some of our recent Moravian favourites. Opening of the year? This place hits so many spots and does so many things right, we’ll definitely be back.

For some time, it seemed that the opening of the Manifesto market that opened to big fanfare and lots of press (getting featured as far as the NYT), and attracting some big names like Doubleshot, Angelato, the people behind SaSaZu or Faency Fries from Olomouc, would be the opening of the year. While it was refreshing to see a brave effort to kick-start a street food scene, five months later, as the first rentals expired, some of the big names left and the talk on the street is that some of the businesses were quite unhappy with the results. The assumption that the office rats from the Florentinum office building next door would storm the market for their lunch hours, and finish their days with parties at the Manifesto has not materialized, but nothing’s lost, and Manifesto is still a project that deserves admiration and support.

On the “fine dining” front, Benjamin 14 opened last spring with not one, not two, but three executive chefs knows from their previous posts, notably Chef Pavlík from Bistrot 104. The concept is very brave: experience-based set menu dinners with only bar seating, built around local ingredients, lots of technique and interaction with the guests. When we have learnt that they want to do two seatings by 12 people only every day, we thought these guys were nuts. Chef Pavlik seems to have disappeared in the meantime, but the restaurant still goes on with the remaining staff.

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The trout borschtsch at Vycep Photo by Taste of Prague

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The bistro concept continued to make headlines in 2018. First, Salt’n’pepa, everybody’s favourite food truck, opened Salt’n’Pepa Kitchen in the Letná district, offering some of their staples like the duck confit burger, along with some smart cooking for the younger diner that the surrounding area seems to offer in heaps.

They also serve halušky, the Slovak answer to Mac’n’cheese, which we would love seeing more of. In the very same block, the people associated with the Kolektiv group Pipca, a rotisserie chicken place just weeks after Grils in the Karlín district. Down in the Holešovice district, Ca Phe opened last spring, offering solid coffee and polished Vietnamese fare in beautiful designer interiors. The Bistro opened in the Vinohrady district, solidifying its repute as a good address for food. Finally, the latest Food Lab in the Old Town has the best kid’s club in town, and incredibly generous interiors.

Ossegg opened early last year in the Vinohrady district, combining unpretentious, honest pub cooking with a craft brewery in the basement. Sure, it’s not a looker, but we like the cooking and the beers and the absolute lack of fake veneer of any sort. What you see is what you get, nothing more, nothing less, without a thick layer of marketing. And it’s located in the “first high rise” in Prague.

We like it.

bar opened in Holešovice, a block away from the National Gallery’s Trade Palace and the newly opened Mama Shelter hotel. Finally, Typika, a beautiful specialty coffee shop opened in the Nusle district as a first flag of gentrification, along with a later newcomer, Nusle Beans. With a great pub (Restaurace U Bansethů), craft beer place (Zlý Časy) and two good coffee shops, we now declare Nusle finally inhabitable again.

Two new places graced Prague’s bar scene in 2018. First it was the Martinez bar in the Vinohrady district, combining cocktails with… wait for it… dim sum dumplings? The complicated space offers both privacy if you want it, or generous bar space, along with Asian-inspired bar food. Opened by Eduard of the former Bonvivant’s glory, Martinez now sails on his own and is a good excuse to visit the neighbourhood. Finally, Parlour, our favourite bar in town, has opened Schody Home Bar underneath the stairs to Hradčanské náměstí and the Prague Castle. And home bar it is - compared to Parlour, Schody has much fewer bottles on a mobile home bar, but adds wine and the full portfolio of Mr Žufánek’s drinks (because tourists walking by want something domestic). A great place to finish your nightly stroll through the Castle area, which is one of the best things to do in Prague anyway.

Of course, if we talk about craft beers, we cannot neglect Dva kohouti in the courtyard behind Lokal Hamburk and Grils in the Karlín district. The combination of craft beers by Matuška and “craft pours” by Lukáš Svoboda, the head man behind the beer drafting revolution started by the Lokal pubs, is simply genius.

Usually you’d get one or the other - either craft beers, poured poorly, or great pours of Pilsner Urquell - but this marriage of craft beers with the purely Czech belief that the way you pour a beer affects the flavour (it does, people, it does!) - along with a new tap system designed specifically for this pub - is the newest Czech contribution to the world of beer. You’re welcome. And it does not hurt that the place looks absolutely fabulous. Food? Yeah, there’s a food truck in the parking lot, and they are reselling sausages and pickled things by Lokal, but as far as we are aware, you can bring your own food in.

2018 - The RIPs

There’s so many great coffee shops in Prague right now that a new opening cannot make a splash unless it’s Tim Wendelboe grinding coffee beans on James Hoffman’s abs or something equally special. Okay, this may have been exaggerated, but you get my point. Anyway, Pauseteria opened last spring, bringing specialty coffee roasted domestically (Candycane) to the heart of darkness of the most touristy Old Town. It’s kind of tucked away there, and well connected to the rest of Prague’s barista landscape, and uses beans by Candycane, just like Tvoje máma, which is a cute little coffee shop/bistro in the Vršovice district, which is worth a visit if only for the splendid view of our favourite church in town, the Constructivist St Wenceslas Church designed

by Architect Josef Gočár.

Another big miss (and another Bib Gourmand closed) is Maso a kobliha. Paul Day simply had too many things on his hands in both professional and personal life and made the final decision to pull the plug on Maso a kobliha, the beloved pub that served great British pub food with Czech craft beers.

Candycane coffee must have some dirt on all the owners that opened new coffee shops in 2018, because it is also served in Café truhlárna, a beautiful espresso bar recently opened in the Franciscan garden in the New Town. Beautifully designed and in a secluded place in the centre of it all, this might be the hidden gem everybody likes. (So don’t go there. It’s a hidden gem and we’d like it to stay that way, thank you.) After a short hiatus, Kavárna co hledá jméno, the love-it-or-hate-it coffee shop in the Andel area, used by some to demonstrate that hipsters have become the dominant force in the universe, has reopened to the delight of many. Spell Coffee opened in Jindřišská street in the New Town in a courtyard otherwise occupied by a beauty salon. Letec espresso

The first notable loss is actually a Michelin star, which was taken away from Alcron. The iconic restaurant had a particularly bad year - in addition to losing a star, it lost its executive chef, which moved on to open a restaurant of his own, The Eatery. The Michelin guide was ruthless to Prague last year, removing the Bib Gourmand award Aureole, which had it for a few years running.

Bistrot 108, which started 2018 by receiving a Bib Gourmand badge from the Michelin guide, shut its doors for good later in the year, having been led by a substitute team that stepped in after the original kitchen and staff all left due to disputes with the owners. Bistrot 104, despite the obvious clichés of nordic cuisine, served some great dishes and paired them with some great wines in its short life, and will be missed.

Kaprova 8 opened last spring, serving great Austro-Hungarian dishes to the masses of tourists… who just passed the restaurant by without stopping in. And three months later, it shut down, leaving the team of young, talented chefs behind. Money laundering? Nervous newbie investor? We’ll never know.

Mysak, the iconic pastry shop in Vodičkova street, shut down the extensive first floor that served streamlined lunches and pretty opulent breakfasts, leaving just the ground floor level with coffee and pastries.

Finally, Pastacaffé in Vodičkova street, one of the oldest places run continuously by the Ambiente group, shut down last year for good, only for the executive chef to move to Kuchyň.

As for drinks, Bonvivant’s had a rough year, closing its location in Bartolomějská after their lease was not extended, according to what we’ve heard. That said, they have reopened at a new location in Mánesova 55 in the Vinohrady district, taking over the space originally used for Mr Tvaroh’s famous Lounge Bohemia speakeasy.

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Troje mama, hand modeling courtesy of JJ Photo by Taste Of Prague

Typika Photo by Taste Of Prague

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Strawberry Chiffon Cake A Spring Delight!

By Benny Water

This strawberry chiffon cake is a light and fluffy cake bursting with fabulous fruity flavours. It is one of the greatest recipes at hand during strawberry season, and goes perfectly with good, old-fashioned afternoon tea.

Invented in the 1920s by a Californian named Henry Baker, chiffon cake is soft and spongy with an airy, chiffon-like texture. Combined with fresh strawberries and cream, this sweet treat is guaranteed to get the taste buds tingling this spring. Put your baking skills to the test by following Oko!’s simple and easy-to-follow recipe for this classic culinary delight!

INGREDIENTS For the cake: 250g all-purpose flour 300g sugar 1 tbs baking powder 1 tsp salt 177ml water 112g vegetable oil 1 tsp lemon zest 1 tsp vanilla extract 5 egg yolks 8 egg whites at room temp.

For the filling: 500ml heavy cream 6 tbs powdered sugar 1 tbs vanilla extract 900g fresh strawberries

Photo by Jennifer Pallian

Preheat the oven to 180°C Fan/Gas 4. Line two 23cm baking tins with parchment paper and apply a light coating of grease to the sides and base.

Pour the egg yolks into a large mixing bowl, then add the water, oil, and lemon zest. Mix together until well combined.

In a second bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and half the sugar and combine the ingredients. Slowly add the wet mixture and combine them using an electric hand mixer or wooden spoon.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form and slowly add in the remaining sugar.

Pour one quarter of the egg whites into your cake mixture and stir until well combined.

Slowly add the dough to the remaining egg whites and mix very carefully, ensuring that you bring the spatula up from the bottom to get as much air as possible into the mixture.

Divide the batter equally between the two prepared baking tins and bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until the top springs back when slightly pressed and a toothpick comes out clean.

Let both cakes cool completely before proceeding with the next step.

Beat the cream at high speed until stiff peaks form and slowly add vanilla extract and sugar.

Clean the strawberries by removing stems and leaves and then slice them in half (if the strawberries are not sweet enough you can let them sit in a sugar bath for one hour).

Assemble the cake by placing one layer upside down on a plate and topping it with a generous portion of whipped cream and halved strawberries. Place the second layer on top and apply a second layer of cream and strawberries.

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Discover the culture in your city.

Why stay at home? GoOut!

www.goout.net

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NEW LOCATION IN PETRSKà 23 If you’re looking for the best and most authentic Mexican restaurant in Prague where not only delicious food and drinks are served, but where you will also experience a genuine authentic atmosphere, pay a visit to Las Adelitas. Discover our Mexican cuisine which is full of diverse flavors, colours, and contrasts. Our chef makes tasty dishes from fresh ingredients without forgetting about vegetarians, vegans, and those with a gluten-free diet.

Reservations at +420 233 331 569 or www.lasadelitas.cz

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Žižkov in the Spotlight Pride and Prejudice

By Julie Orlova

Žižkov is liveliness and pride, 101 pubs on one street, manouche jazz, alcohol, Vítkov, David Černý’s naked babies, homeless people, street musicians, bar brawls, good beer, questionable coffee, Kino Aero and Akropolis, sleepless nights and sleepy mornings. There are so many things that Žižkov is, but nothing quite embodies the spirit of the colourful neighbourhood like its community.

Past Spacious meadows on the periphery of the city – that is what 19th-century Žižkov looked like. However, in just a few years, around 70,000 people flowed to the foot of Vítkov hill, many of whom had relocated to Prague in the quest for employment. With the areas of Karlín and Smíchov having been in existence for 20-40 years, and the baroque city walls demolished starting in 1870, the area now known as Žižkov was the only part of the city in close proximity to the centre that had open fields. This fueled a land speculation explosion, and as the area rapidly developed, many workers and ex-villagers began moving in. But the people of Žižkov did not demand opulent apartment suites – most were happy to live so centrally to take part in city life. Sizing down is still part and parcel of Žižkov living.

This great influx of people in addition to the housing shortage equaled a lack of anonymity. It’s said that “in Žižkov everyone knows each other.” Every bit of social (and sometimes private) life in the initial stages of Žižkov’s existence took place on the courtyard balconies, or pavlač in Czech. Meeting one’s neighbours was inevitable, primarily because the only lavatory on each floor was very often right there – on the courtyard balcony.

And since you had already met your neighbour while they were brushing their teeth in the morning, the acquaintance could be continued on the same pavlač, but this time in the evening and with a glass of beer in your hand. So, in the end, in such conditions, the question was not how to avoid your neighbours, but why you would.

Since then, the idea of Žižkov as a separate state, a “free republic,” took hold and this unity of its people benefitted the poor working-class district. It continued to grow, gaining popularity among ordinary people with a sense of ambition. Therefore, the district itself developed a certain pride in being what it is – original and independent, disobeying both Prague’s authorities and police, and even the local mafia. The community was proud of this selfgovernance, but was never indifferent to the fate of its home. That is why any infringement of the freedom of either thought or action – whether it was the arrival of fascists or communists and their urban renewal efforts in the area in the 1970s and 1980s – was given a hostile reception. Žižkov was far from the petty-bourgeois ideals prevailing in the rest of Prague. Its residents didn’t worry so much about others’ opinions and nobody pretended to be who they really weren’t.

That is why it became a place of culture – Vlasta Burian, a famous actor and football player, was a regular at Žižkov’s cinemas and theaters, where he discovered new talent and recruited amateur actors for his own productions. A Nobel laureate for literature, Jaroslav Seifert, after whom one of the streets was named, grew up here and repeatedly paid tribute to the distinctiveness of the district in his works. The avant-garde painter Toyen left her home at 16 and moved to Žižkov to work in a soap factory. In many ways, Žižkov influenced the fate of its many creators.

The rest of the city turned a blind eye to the independent development of culture and pride in Žižkov. Residents of Malá Strana (Prague 1), and Bubeneč (Prague 6 and 7) didn’t really care about the goings-on within the “free republic,” while other districts glared at it with caution – who knew what was going on there, in the quarter where no one set foot? Those who did were sometimes disappointed – despite a reputation for bloody fights and mafia operations, violence and gore was not that commonly seen. Instead, open-air dance evenings, poetry readings, and experimental swing and jazz jams were commonplace, as well as locals telling stories about grandparents who were holders of a Žižkovák passport – an official document that stated you had been devoted to the area your whole life.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

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Sunset at Prague Zizkov Photo by JaromĂ­r Kavan

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Photo by MSzybalski

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Present In general, the inhabitants of Prague have never been respected either by the Czechs or by their closest neighbors, the Slovaks.

Those residing outside the capital might look at you with disdain and distrust upon learning you have lived in Prague your whole life. But if you say that you are from Žižkov – a strong pat on the shoulder and a glass of beer are more likely to follow. The residents of Žižkov are welcomed everywhere; they are entitled to the feeling of belonging. One of them is even honored at the annual Masopust spring carnival.

His name is Josef, but he is known as Pepík from Žižkov. He is an amalgam character; a typical town dweller best known for his recklessness and capacity to have fun. Pepík would pass his days at pubs, spending what little he earned on beer and challenging new acquaintances with existential conversations. Despite having a reputation as a rebel, he always knew his own limits; he never argued and didn’t get into fights, because “everyone has their own problems.” Meanwhile, his rebellious side manifested itself when it came to the pubs’ dress code (you were usually not allowed in without a jacket and a hat). Pepík from Žižkov would wear something extravagant for the times, like a beret and a checkered jacket, just to annoy the bartender. The latter would reluctantly allow him in – he had obeyed the rules, after all.

This personification of Žižkov quickly moved from the district’s streets to book pages and the stage. Eventually, Pepík from Žižkov became an archetype, and he can still be found somewhere between Koněvova and Seifertova streets, playing the accordion and scaring the pigeons, significantly aged but still cheerful.

As far as the Czech capital’s younger generation is concerned, you will often encounter them in Prague 3. Over the years Žižkov has cultivated a reputation as a wild and multicultural quarter. The modern community was vaguely shaped by the influx of foreigners and expats in the late 80s and early 90s, when Americans, inspired by Václav Havel, came to the Czech Republic to listen to him talk and subsequently prolonged their stays to listen to the previously unheard-of manouche jazz. They found the “post-hippie revolution” here: sex, drugs, and freedom. What they brought with them was rock music and queues to enter Palác Akropolis.

Since then the quarter has been attracting vibrant people who love life and prefer the availability of services and entertainment within the distance of a single tram stop. They choose it because it never sleeps; it is green, tolerant, rough, vigorous, and friendly at the same time. On one street, you will find an explosion of different cultures with a Turkish kebab shop, Indian restaurant, Vietnamese bistro, and stores selling Korean food, African spices, and authentic Russian specialties. In fact, you don’t even feel like a stranger here, because almost everyone who you meet on the streets looks as if they have landed from another world.

Of course, the story of Žižkov comes with the grumbling of the older generations: “Žižkov is no longer the same, now there are only strangers.” Nevertheless, the essence of Žižkov remains the same – if people from different cities in the Czech Republic and Slovakia used to live here, now they are blended with folks from around the world. Žižkov is the only place in Prague where everyone seems to get along with each other (more or less) and everyone who lives here always finds a way to embrace its traditions and diverse community.

Žižkov TV Tower

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Future With the district becoming increasingly popular with the general public, interest among investors is growing. Renovations of old buildings and the upgrading of parks go hand-in-hand with high rents, luxury cafes, and the eviction of old residents. The locals are genuinely afraid. As one told us: “Gentrification will eat this beautiful neighborhood in one bite, and I am terrified of how my favourite streets change day-to-day. At this rate, one day we will have Prague full of developers and speculators, without a single pub, but clean enough to sell. But there will be no life and no locals.”

Some are more optimistic. The founders of the cultural festival Žižkovská noc say that they do not like nostalgia or delving into the past, but they do try to preserve a certain atmosphere and culture: “We always strive for an up-to-date program and to reflect contemporary theater, music, and poetry… Žižkov is a great neighbourhood that we try to reflect on and somehow respond to, not to shape it. Now, with the emerging gentrification of its spaces, not only is the phase of reflection coming, but also the phase of active building of the neighbourhood, which has to come. We can do this through cooperation with local people – we want to be a platform for culture and to help it. As a result of that, the whole of Žižkov could benefit.”

Despite the fears of local residents, and their laments that “Žižkov has already gone,” the area still attracts a certain contingent of people: students, musicians, eternal wanderers, and nomads – who do not want to pretend and are in search of their true selves.

People like Pepík – full of hope and despair – who are ready to drink away their last pennies. Žižkov has definitely changed. It has become prettier and younger, but inside it is still the same: forever in an existential crisis, but optimistic and cordial, peeping at the rest of Prague from behind Vítkov hill with a tiny bit of arrogance.

But how do you become a Žižkovák? Well, first you have to refuse to give in. They say that to become a local resident, you have to spend one-third of your life living here. That‘s how long it takes to unite with the town, to soak in its spirit and become one with the architecture and people – both are definitely coarse, but at the same time, beautiful.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

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HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW PRAGUE?

Sure, you’ve seen the Castle, the Bridge, and the Clock. But how well do you know Holešovice, Vinohrady, or Karlín?

Let our guides lead the way!

Despite our name, Prague City Tourism has been helping residents getting to know their city better since 1958. Stop by any of our information centres, pick up our free brochures, check our e-shop for guided walks and more, or sign up for our newsletter and stay in touch. eshop.prague.eu prague.eu

@prague.eu @prague.eu

@cityofprague

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52

Artificial Realities Which Strikes Your Fancy?

By Dominik Ježek

Virtual, augmented, mixed, simulated or mediated: to someone who has just woken up to this world, it might seem that reality is having an identity crisis. To figure out which is which and how they differ from one another requires some arduous brain work. That’s without mentioning that the entire industry is steaming ahead at breakneck pace and creating so many new acronyms that it could start writing rap songs. Even if you fancy the “real” reality the most, it might be a good time to learn why surgeons and construction workers will be wearing similar “hats” in the near future.

A Brief History of Reality The oldest artificial realities date back to 1962, when Morton Heilig created a mechanical device called Sensorama which looked like an ATM with a metallic dog cone. It included a colour display, fans, odour emitters, stereo sound system, and a motional chair. You stuck your head in and it played one of five short movies. Sensorama was, in a way, the world’s first 5D cinema.

Just six years later, this “experience theatre” was further developed into the first-ever virtual-reality (VR, Virtual Reality) headset, called “The Sword of Damocles”. The name reflected the formidable appearance of the so-called head-mounted display (HMD, Head Mounted Display) rather well, because it was so heavy that it needed to be suspended from the ceiling.

The augmented/mixed reality was introduced much later, in 1992, and resulted in one of the coolest games of 2005 a table tennis simulation named AR (Augmented Reality) Tennis. One table, two phones as bats, a digital ball, and a digital net. Yes, AR worked on those chunky two-inch-display Nokias with an actual physical keyboard and joystick years before iPhones and Android were born. Feeling old now?

Ready Reader One Fast-forward to 2014: Facebook acquired the technological company Oculus VR for $2 billion, which let the public know that these weird, geeky helmets people used to play games with could be the next big thing. By 2016, there were at least 230 companies, including Google, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft, developing VR-related products. The enormous potential of this new technology worked on investors like a lamp on moths.

For those of you who haven’t tried it already, it’s fairly simple to use. You put on specialised goggles that narrow your vision into two small displays. Each display projects a slightly different angle to simulate depth. This, along with other depth-simulating techniques, such as parallax (distant objects seem to move more slowly than closer ones), create an illusion of a lifelike experience.

You can enhance the experience by wearing ear- or headphones, sitting down on a motion chair, or using haptic accessories, such as responsive gloves. Congratulations, you have successfully tricked your brain into believing you are in a totally different 3D world.

Photo by Martin Sanchez

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The Czech Footprint Entertainment comes to mind first. VR game rooms, cinemas, theme parks, and even an actual wind tunnel which you can literally dive into - these experiences are all available to enjoy in Prague right now. Speaking of which, in February 2019, the Czech VR game Beat Saber became the first in history to sell a million copies. All the more impressive, this game, in which you slash through boxes with digital lightsabers, was developed by just two people.

The Czech Republic is also home to the “Rolls Royce of Virtual Reality,” the XTAL headset by Prague-based VR startup VRgineers. It boasts 5K resolution, a 180° field of view, new proprietary technologies, and even voice commands. The price tag of $5,800 is a hefty sum to shell out, but XTAL is aimed at professionals. This leads us to the most promising fields for this new tech.

VR Hard, Fight Easy Imagine a remote and dangerous place and add a humanoid robot. Now imagine yourself in a haptic suit (looks more or less like a diving suit) wearing a VR headset in the comfort of your living room. Turn the systems on. The robot which could be a thousand miles away perfectly imitates every single one of your moves. If the robot gets hurt, you don’t.

Not only does this futuristic technology sound incredible, but it opens the door to spaces humans were physically incapable of exploring in person; places with immense heat, pressure or radiation, such as outer space, other planets, Earth’s mantle, or the nuclear fallout area in Chernobyl.

Furthermore, this could mean no buried miners, no lumberjacks smashed by falling tree trunks, and no dead soldiers in future space wars with aliens.

These echoes of the maybe-not-so-distant future sound marvellous. Scaling it down a notch, VR is already helping surgeons prepare for operations, architects with building 3D modelling, businesses with employee training, manufacturers with prototype testing, and government officials with city management. That is just the tip of the iceberg!

Psychology and Healthcare Virtual reality has found its way into social sciences and psychology as well. Researchers mostly use it to create the illusion of owning a body other than one’s own and track behavioural changes afterwards. While putting individuals in the shoes of the elderly reduced their negative bias towards old people, the research on racial bias, that put light-skinned individuals in dark-body avatars, is not that decisive. Some studies show lower and some higher levels of racial prejudice as a result of the experiments.

Virtual reality has also been used in treating anxiety disorders. Patients are navigating through tailored digital environments and complete tasks often designed to treat a specific ailment. One of the most successful uses of this technology, Virtual Iraq, lets patients navigate a Humvee around virtual recreations of Iraq, Afghanistan, and the United States to help them battle post-traumatic stress disorder. The resulting study found that, on average, Virtual Iraq reduced PTSD symptoms by half.

The Curious Case of Google Glass Virtual reality’s younger brother, augmented reality, has only recently pushed through the lid of broader application. The main difference is, as its name suggests, that AR adds to our reality instead of replacing it entirely. To use a movie analogy, VR is your Matrix, Tron, or Total Recall, and AR is your Terminator, Top Gun, or Iron Man. Put differently, AR is the skinny guy focused on describing stuff and VR is the muscly drug dealer who also kidnaps people.

The best way to describe AR would probably be by referring to Google Glass. No piece of consumer technology caused as much attention, division, and visions of a dystopian future as Google’s fancy new wearables in 2013. The wireless glasses were able to project online information, react to voice commands, and video record the world around the wearer. Just like your smartphone, but in front of your eyes overlaying the real-world view with semi-translucent digital content.

TECHNOLOGY

Photo by Moose Photos

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Being just like your smartphone, however, was one of the main reasons for its quick demise.

People didn’t see any extra value in this piece of tech. Where VR reduced the cost of military training and helped in research and anxiety treatment, AR saved you from sticking your hand into your pocket. Add the obvious security risk of turning this device into a spy camera, the resulting bad press, legislative action, and a ridiculously high price of $1,500, and you end up with less than a year on the market.

Not That Bad To be fair, Google Glass was also meant to help in hospitals, for example in ophthalmoscopy or interventional radiology. Moreover, Dr. Christopher Kaeding at Ohio State University in the US used Google Glass during an ongoing surgery to consult with his colleague while streaming the operation to university students’ laptops so that they could see it in real time.

Augmented reality took off later in 2016 with, you guessed it, a mobile video game. Pokémon GO was downloaded more than a billion times this year and grossed over $3 billion worldwide, grabbing the world’s attention and paving the way for other, “more useful” projects. Nowadays, AR has a wide range of uses, including aircraft and automotive navigation, military use, tourism, retail, sports, and advertising.

Photo by Lux Interaction

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MR Super-Employees With quite a few names and different definitions, people can become confused when trying to discern augmented from mixed reality. The easiest way to describe MR(Mixed Reality) is that it is an enhanced form of AR, where you can interact with the overlaid digital information and anchor digital objects to real-world ones. Remember how Tom Cruise used his glove to operate the displayed holograms in Minority Report? That’s mixed reality. Yes, we do love our movie examples.

To better distinguish the two, picture yourself in a future IKEA shop with the AR/MR glasses on.

When you walk through the physical shop, AR brings you detailed information about the furniture you’re looking at and could display predefined room designs. MR, on the other hand, gives you the ability to change the room designs in digital space and make them your own. If you don’t like the brown sofa in the corner, move it opposite the fireplace. Don’t like the TV in your room? Ditch it. Now click the “save” button and proceed to payment.

Mixed reality is still too expensive for use in smaller businesses, let alone by individuals. Even though Microsoft pushed the price of its new HoloLens 2 visor down by $1,500 this year, it still costs a whopping $3,500. In comparison, you can buy the Oculus Rift VR headset for $400. That’s why companies developing MR are mostly focusing on large businesses with promises of creating the super-employees of the future.

Construction workers could overlay blueprints over worksites, surgeons will be capable of consulting patients’ medical records in real time, and employees from different parts of the world could easily collaborate without sacrificing productivity.

Hurdles Ahead The coming years might seem rosy for all types of mediated reality, but every story has two sides.

Artificial reality not only raises concerns about security and privacy, but also causes individuals to become overconfident and distracts them from real-world threats. According to researchers at Purdue University, the aforementioned AR game Pokémon GO caused “a disproportionate increase in crashes and associated vehicular damage, injuries, and fatalities in the vicinity of locations where users can play the game while driving”.

Virtual reality does not come out totally clean either. Most VR devices come with staggering consumer warnings including seizures, developmental issues in children, repetitive stress injury, trip-and-fall and collision warnings, or interference with medical devices. According to Oculus Rift’s instructional booklet, only one in 4,000 users experiences such symptoms. This number rises among young people under 20, who are not advised to use VR devices. The exposure to a virtual environment can also make you “cyber sick,” with symptoms similar to motion sickness.

Sooner or Later What gives some government officials a headache is the legal perspective. They have just created a few outlines for and barriers to cryptocurrencies, and are currently discussing Internet of Things regulation. Now this. What issues apply to the virtual space? Mental and physical health, financial crime, aggressive advertising, fake news, you name it.

As much as you may love the “real” reality, it is only a matter of time before we use different digital realities as smoothly as we now use our smartphones. One day, architects will design houses in virtual reality, transport companies will use augmented reality to deliver materials, construction workers will use mixed reality to build it, and if our editorial team likes the result in real reality, we might give it a good online review.

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From Titicaca to the Golden City A Race Against Extinction

By Leigh Woods

Scientists worldwide have warned that the world is on the verge of a sixth mass extinction.

Now, with many species' populations in rapid decline, we take a look at the role of zoos in helping to restore balance in our ecosystems, warts and all.

Recent years have seen zoos and other wildlife exhibits come under increased scrutiny from animal rights activists and organisations. Many who have stood in support of zoos claim that the animals held captive serve as ambassadors for their species and that offering visitors an opportunity to observe them in the flesh helps to instil a greater sense of empathy. Another common argument is that, for the average person, experiencing a wild encounter with many of the species that are so easily accessible in places like Prague Zoo is unfeasible.

The number of compelling wildlife documentaries now available on demand – including those which embody a strong conservation message, such as Netflix's Our Planet – have helped some activists to build a case against the animal ambassador theory. This, together with a profusion of zoos, wildlife parks and “sanctuaries” being exposed for their poor animal welfare standards over the last decade, has led to growing pressure. Zoos are continuously being forced to evolve with the new wave of awareness raised by activists, with many opting to partner with wildlife charities and become involved in conservation programmes. These actions and initiatives have contributed toward debunking allegations that all zoos exist purely for profit.

In 2017, Prague Zoo was ranked the world's fifth best zoo on the popular global travel portal TripAdvisor. Of course, review websites such as TripAdvisor don’t necessarily take important factors such as animal welfare standards or conservation efforts into account, instead providing insight into visitor experience. However, it doesn’t take much digging around to discover that there has been a change of mindset among the general public over the last few years. With many reviews acknowledging the zoo’s exceptional animal welfare standards and highlighting the plaques which provide detailed conservation information on each species, it is clear that attitudes toward wildlife have improved.

Perhaps the key to Prague Zoo’s success is the institution’s involvement in many important conservation programmes over the past few decades. Take their role in the revival of the Przewalski’s horse as an example. The species was only discovered in 1881, and by 1970 had been driven to extinction in the wild at the hands of humans. The zoo embarked on a breeding programme to help save the species and later joined the Return of the Wild Horse Project (WAZA) in 1998 and 2000, helping to relocate four of its Przewalski’s horses to their natural habitat in the Mongolian areas of Takhin Tal and Hustain Nuruu. The introduction was a great success, but with the species on the road to recovery, support from others initially involved in the programme gradually petered out. However, with a mission to ensure that the horses would survive in the wild long-term, Prague Zoo intensified its efforts, partnering with the Czec Army, who helped transport 18 mares and one stallion to Mongolia between 2011 and 2015. Following acclimation, the Przewalski’s horses joined wild herds, slowly helping to increase genetic variation, with some of the mares raising their own foals only a year after arrival.

Like the Przewalski’s Horse, when it comes to endangered species, we tend to empathise more with larger mammals such as polar bears, tigers, and orangutans – all of which feature at Prague Zoo. Whether acting as “gardeners of the forest” or keeping food chains in check, these species have a vital role to play in maintaining well-balanced ecosystems. That said, every species on this planet serves a purpose in the circle of life. While the general public focuses its attention on the bigger, cuter animals, institutions like Prague Zoo are working together with scientists to explore some of the smaller critters that help to indicate the health of entire ecosystems, rather than just individual species.

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Photo by Marketa Bobkova

59 Photo by Miroslav Bobek

Photo by Petr HamernĂ­k, Prague Zoo

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Photo by Denver Zoo

Due to their ability to live in two different environments (land and water), amphibians are widely regarded as the best indicator species. Their thin, permeable skins – which are sometimes breathed through – are capable of absorbing various diseases, radiation, and toxic chemicals.

Therefore, environments abundant in amphibians, including frogs, toads, and newts, are considered to be the healthiest.

It’s fairly common knowledge that our planet is currently under great threat as a result of human impact. Despite this awareness, pressing issues such as melting sea ice, deforestation, and coral bleaching continue to occur at the expense of wildlife and, indeed, our own species. One area of the planet that has been hit hardest by human interference is the richly biodiverse Lake Titicaca.

Situated between Bolivia and Peru, this extensive body of water is not only the largest freshwater lake in South America, but the highest of the world's large lakes. It is home to more than 530 aquatic species, several of which now face a grisly fate without, somewhat ironically, human intervention. One such species is the enormous Titicaca water frog, an animal that recently arrived at Prague Zoo. The critically endangered Titicaca water frog is endemic to the lake and plays a pivotal role in restoring balance within the ecosystem. Once a common resident in Titicaca’s ancient wetlands, the frog’s population has been decreasing rapidly in recent years due to water pollution, poaching, and the introduction of alien and invasive species by humans. To tackle the issue, Prague Zoo, along with other wildlife institutions located in Europe and North America, has joined a programme which aims to create an insurance population in captivity. The programme was initiated following a successful breeding programme at Denver Zoo. Titicaca water frogs are remarkable in many aspects, including their ability to breathe almost exclusively through their skin. They are entirely aquatic and have adapted to their high-altitude environment by evolving excessive amounts of skin to help with respiration in the cold, poorly oxygenated waters. Distinct skin folds are present over most of the frogs’ large bodies, leading them to be jokingly referred to by some as the Titicaca scrotum frog!

Visitors will be able to get a glimpse of these rare amphibians when a small Titicaca exhibition opens at Prague Zoo this spring. The goal of the exhibit is not only to allow guests an opportunity to come face-to-face with one of the planet’s most endangered species, but also to pass on information about one of the world’s most important ecosystems. Conservationists believe that by raising awareness of the plight of the frogs and others species, collective compassion toward animals and their environments among the global community will slowly ensue.

There is still a valid argument which insists that all animals deserve their right to freedom. In a perfect world, void of the human-caused problems that scientists predict will cause the world’s sixth mass extinction, there would be little moral objection to this sentiment. But in the present day, we must take the necessary steps toward preserving the beautiful array of flora and fauna with which we coexist. By fighting the conservation cause together, animal activists, wildlife charities, zoos, and even the general public can help to ensure our ecosystems and fellow earthlings will flourish once more, eradicating prophecies of a desolate world without wildlife.

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Birds of Prague

By Leigh Woods

Spring is in the air and as the residents of Prague begin to shed their winter layers, fire up the grills, and slap on the sunscreen, the surrounding wildlife also transforms. The Czech capital’s unique landscape, comprising the Prague basin and the Vltava river valley, supports a rich and diverse mosaic of habitats including cliffs, lakes, meadows, steppes, woodlands, and, of course, the urban structures we’ve built throughout history. As temperatures in the city steadily rise, Prague’s patchwork environment naturally attracts a myriad of wild animals, among which over 130 species of breeding birds.

Popular parks such as Letná and Riegrovy sady offer regular sightings of familiar species like chaffinches, starlings, thrushes, and wood pigeons. However, to the less ornithologically inclined, much of the city’s avifauna remains somewhat under the radar.

Attuning oneself to the natural spaces situated in and around Prague’s concrete jungle can help open the eyes to a city bustling with birdlife.

Recently, Oko! Magazine reached out to the folks at the Czech Society for Ornithology (ČSO) to find out which birds to look out for, whether relaxing by the river or picnicking in the park this spring. We asked Petr Voříšek – who has been working with the charity since 1996 – to help highlight six of the more conspicuous yet often overlooked species, along with tips on where to best observe them in their natural habitat!

Learn more about ČSO and their public events in and around Prague by visiting www.birdlife.cz

Wood Warbler

Phylloscopus sibilatrix Where?

Divoká Šárka or Ladronka and Hvězda parks.

A highly migratory species, the wood warbler travels to Europe from Africa to breed during the warmer spring and summer months from April to August. One of the more colourful warblers in Europe, as opposed to the relatively drab shades of most other species in the family, they sport bright lemon-yellow breasts. With their distinctive calls including a high-pitched metallic trill and series of descending piping notes, wood warblers are often heard before being seen. As their name suggests, they frequent mostly open, but shady woodlands.

Photo by Frank Vassen

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Marsh Harrier

Circus aeruginosus Where?

Slatina wildlife refuge in Dubeč or the Hostivické Ponds.

Strongly associated with wetlands and especially those rich with common reed, the Eurasian marsh harrier (also known as the western marsh harrier) is a large and rather burly bird of prey. They’re best seen when gliding in close proximity to flat open ground as they hunt for small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates. Head to the Hostivické Ponds or the Slatina wildlife refuge to witness these glorious raptors in their natural habitat, in addition to a wide range of waterfowl.

Photo by Imran Shah

Kingfisher Alcedo atthis

Where?

Vltava River around Troja and toward Modřany.

Widely regarded as Europe’s most beautiful bird, the common kingfisher is another species favoured by wildlife photographers.

Look out for these small, brightly coloured birds with electric blue upper parts and rust-coloured underparts along areas of the Vltava river and wetlands with well-vegetated banks. More often than not, these perky little predators are spotted whilst hunting fish from perches such as overhanging branches located one or two metres above the water.

Photo by Andreas Trepte

Great-crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus

Where?

Lakes and ponds including those at Slatina and Hostivické.

The great-crested grebe is one of the most photographed birds on the continent. Famous for their elaborate courtship dances, every spring these flamboyant water birds engage in synchronised swimming, “mewing”, and the fanning out of their feathery ruffs.

They are the largest grebe outside the Americas and can be found mostly in vegetated areas around freshwater lakes and reservoirs.

This species is easily identifiable, particularly during the breeding season, when they can be seen donning their impressive white, brown, and orange plumage.

Photo by JJ Harrison

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Black Woodpecker

Dryocopus martius

Where?

Wooded areas in larger parks including Hvězda, Divoká Šárka, Prokopské údolí and Průhonice.

The black woodpecker is one of the most sought-after species among bird enthusiasts visiting and living in Prague. Widespread through most of continental Europe, they can be found mainly in densely forested regions, showing a preference for mature woodlands. Look out for heavily excavated tree trunks for signs of this relatively elusive bird, along with the distinctive drumming sounds made by all woodpecker species. For the best chance of spotting the world’s second-largest woodpecker, head to the wooded areas in the upper parts of Divoká Šárka.

Photo by xulescu_g

Blue Tit

Cyanistes caeruleus Where?

All over Prague, including parks, gardens, and built-up areas.

One of the most popular garden birds in Europe, the plucky little blue tit is easily identifiable by its azure-blue crown and sulphur-yellow breast. Keep a look out for these small songbirds performing sprightly acrobatics along tree branches in central parks such as Riegrovy sady, Havlíčkovy sady, and Letná. For our green-fingered readers, blue tits predate heavily on coccids and aphids, two types of insects which happen to be the nemeses of many plants. Blue tits respond well to gardens with small bird boxes and feeders containing seeds, nuts, or suet.

Photo by Francis Franklin

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Partner BirdLife International in the Czech Republic

to

Joi sa n us ve bir ds

Czech Society for Ornithology For birds.

For people.

FOR YOU!

Our work

We restore habitats for birds

We organize birdwatching events for public

We organise citizen science projects

We collect and communicate information on state of the birds in Europe and help to understand changes in European birds. https://pecbms.info/ ; https://www.ebba2.info/

We protect species

Česká společnost ornitologická, | www.birdlife.cz Na Bělidle 34, Praha 5 Photos: O. Prosický, K. Hlubocká, L. Viktora, ČSO. Layout: Jiří Kaláček.

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Rugby

The Community Sport in the Czech Republic

By Ethan Paki

When you think of rugby in the Czech Republic, what is the first thing that comes to mind? If you’re not thinking anything at all, then you would be sharing those thoughts with myself and, I imagine, a great many others.

On the surface, the sport of rugby seems to be very much in the early stages of developing a presence in the country. Competing against wellestablished team sports like handball, football, and ice hockey, it is easy to dismiss rugby in this small Central European nation.

However, if you scratch the surface, you will not only find that rugby is already well established, but also that its rich history in this country dates back more than a century.

Josef Rössler-Ořovský first introduced rugby to the national yacht club in 1895, but it didn’t catch on. It wasn’t until writer Ondřej Sekor returned from France in 1926 that rugby found its first real foothold in the country.

He, along with Dr. Robert Velg, founded the first two Czechoslovak rugby clubs, SK Moravská Slávia, and AFK Žižka Brno, which played the Czech Republic’s first-ever match on 9 May 1926.

The national team competed in its first international match against Germany in 1934 and later helped establish the Fédération Internationale de Rugby Amateur (FIRA), which would go on to become the governing body of European rugby, Rugby Europe.

In this period, rugby seemed to be well established in the Czech Republic, but the game would go on to encounter difficulties over the following years. Rugby had always been considered a “gentleman’s sport,” reserved for only the wealthiest members of society. This resulted in resistance from the general population.

This resistance became even more prevalent during the Communist era, with the sport being dominated by police officials and Soviet military personnel. Coupled with the sport’s ties to high-society individuals, this contributed to rugby consistently ranking low in terms of popularity.

However, in the years following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the popularity of rugby soared to new heights in the Czech Republic.

Over time, rugby has developed a strong presence, especially in rural communities, where local clubs have focused on the involvement of the youth.

In 2016, the Czech Rugby Union marked its 90-year anniversary with a historical test match against the world-renowned Barbarians at the Marketa Stadium.

Fast-forward to today. According to the CSRU website, there are 34 clubs established across the Czech Republic – from Brno, Olomouc, and České Budějovice to the capital, Prague. Teams play across multiple junior and senior divisions, including a women’s, men’s, and sevens competition.

Photos by Martin Flousek

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A successful rugby club is born from two things: participation and the surrounding community. A rugby club can become the beating heart of a community when it is established and run correctly.

Whilst the big city clubs have always had the advantage when it comes to numbers, you need look no further than rugby giants New Zealand to see how much regional clubs can offer the game.

Located near the city of Auckland, Ponsonby Rugby Club was established in 1874, making it one of the oldest rugby clubs in the world. The club plays across 18 different division and formats, with over 30 different teams from the club playing matches in the Auckland regional competition at any given time during the weekend. The club has become the country’s greatest contributor to the national side, the All Blacks, with no less than 46 players plying their trade with the club.

They partner with local businesses and sponsors and the community turns out in their thousands to watch their teams play, with parents, cousins, friends, and family in the community actively engaged.

Now in 2019, as the club celebrates its tenth anniversary, RC Kralupy nad Vltavou fields teams across multiple divisions at both junior and senior level, coming a long way since fielding a solitary under-seven team in its inaugural year.

Speaking with club stalwart Jan Běťák, we asked about how the club has grown since its inception in 2009 and how interest in the local community has developed over time.

“When the club was founded, there was just the team of undersevens. Since that time the club has grown, with more and more parents from Kralupy and the surrounding towns finding out that rugby is a perfect sport for their children, developing their physical skills as well as logical thinking, fast decision making, teamwork, and a sense of fair play. Also, many of the parents became coaches or participate in the administration of the club”, Běťák said.

Club rugby is the foundation for national and international success and it seems that while the Czech Republic has had limited success on the international stage, the foundation for future success is now being developed at local level, with clubs like RC Kralupy nad Vltavou.

“The interest of the community has definitely been growing over time. International matches against men’s teams from traditional rugby countries like the United Kingdom or New Zealand attracted a lot of local fans, who had only seen rugby on TV before, and also motivated many parents to choose rugby as the sport for their kids. Also, live broadcasting of the Rugby World Cup on national TV has helped to promote rugby among general sports fans in Kralupy.”

Founded in 2009 by Pavel Hrubý, RC Kralupy nad Vltavou is located just over an hour outside of Prague, just off the D8. It was established as an opportunity for kids outside of the capital to hone their skills and enjoy the game in a location a little closer to home.

Those international matches will continue for RC Kralupy nad Vltavou. The club’s fixtures include matches against UK-based side Hammersmith & Fulham RFC, which took place on Easter weekend in April. The club will also take on Chess Valley RFC, again from the United Kingdom, in May.

The club gained a lot of traction with the youth in the local community and as interest grew among the kids, so it did with the parents. In 2009, this led to the formation of the club’s first competitive senior men’s side, with a women’s team established the following year.

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Whilst the club has been successful, it has experienced its fair share of struggle. Coaching is one key area where more support is needed.

“Coaches are definitely a ‘scarce commodity.’ If you imagine that for each of the seven divisions, the club needs at least one adult person who can spend two evenings a week and one whole day during some weekends with the team, it’s not very easy to find one. Usually, we cover the demand by using active parents, who are willing to help and work for the club voluntarily. In the case of seniors, the coaches are recruited from among experienced players, who usually act as players and coaches at the same time. To find a full-time coach for such a local team is almost an unsolvable problem,” says Běťák This is not a new problem, with even community rugby clubs outside of the main cities in New Zealand, the UK, and South Africa struggling on this front recently, along with struggles to attract sponsorships and volunteers.

However, these are problems that need the assistance of the rugby governing body in each nation. The success of the national team, most importantly by qualifying for the Rugby World Cup, can lead to new avenues of sponsorship and garner more public interest in the sport.

More sponsorships mean more money, and more interest leads to more participation from the community – not just in the form of players, but also club volunteers, referees, and, of course, coaches. With more money, new funds become available to aid in player development as well as the development of coaches, referees, and an overall higher rugby education for all those involved in the sport.

However, none of that can be achieved without successful performances from the national team, which is directly affected by the players produced by clubs like RC Kralupy nad Vltavou.

The importance of grassroots clubs can never be understated.

While they take time to nurture and develop, the positive impact that they can have on a community and a country as a whole can extend beyond the borders of the rugby field in ways we can’t even begin to imagine.

That is what makes the game of rugby so beautiful.

SPORT

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The Myth of Cimrman The Genius That Never Was

By Jacklyn Janeksela

The inventor who was never given credit. The playwright who never held a pen. The genius who went unrecognised. The man who was and the man who never was; even the man who never wasn’t. Jara Cimrman is illusive and that’s the way Czechs like to keep him.

Cimrmanologists admit that Cimrman has failed to obtain any recognition in the aforementioned fields because his methods were ahead of his time - portending that even the Czech people are, in some ways, ahead of their own time. Cimrman personifies what could have been, what was and wasn’t, all the while reminding people that things could have been worse. Cimrman carries a bit of the underdog spirit and is an excellent example of the matter-of-fact realist attitude shared by many Czechs.

Folklore and Cimrman have almost become interchangeable.

He represents so much more than just a man – he speaks for a people who have not always had their voice heard. He’s a legend built for longevity and stamina. He creates his own reality. He is his own reality. And in that light, he does what he wants. There is nothing he can’t do. The term “Renaissance man” comes to mind, but he’s so much more. Perhaps there isn’t an actual word or set of words to describe him properly.

Cimrman has reformed schools in Spain, built Zeppelins, influenced plans for the Panama Canal, invented yogurt and puppet shows; he’s been a philosopher, an anthropologist, a scientist. He creates, invents, and inspires - he is a man without limits, a nation inside a single body. You may even wonder why you’ve never heard of him before. That’s because he’s equal parts the Czech Republic’s pride and joy and their little secret.

Ask any Czech citizen about Cimrman and you’ll get coy looks, perhaps even a raised eyebrow. He is to be shared and talked about, but not discussed or debated. He is a national hero, nearly voted the Czech people’s greatest historical figure. And he would have won by a landslide if the BBC hadn’t stepped in to say that the winner must be a living person. Wait, Cimrman is not real?

He belongs to a nether region of simultaneously existing and not existing. Much like other beloved characters, followers are loyal, even die-hard.

The goal is not to reveal whether or not Cimrman is real or not, it is to enjoy him, embrace his satire, his genius. His ability to mirror and critique the Czech Republic in ways that avoid scrutiny and/ or punishment is unmatched. He is the one Czechs wish to call upon when the going gets tough. He’s a reminder of tough love, resilience, and the power of using humour as medicine.

In December 1966, Cimrman was invited to a radio program, “Nealkoholická vinárna U Pavouka” (“The Non-Alcoholic Wine Bar chez Spider”), where his popularity grew by leaps and bounds.

For those who were uncertain whether he was real or fictional, this appearance solidified that, at the very least, he was real enough to speak on live radio. His name was then forever etched on the hearts of the Czech people as a figure of modesty and hope, one who shows up despite fiction/non-fiction rumours.

Why does it matter if Cimrman is fictional or not? Why does it matter what he did (or didn’t do)? He brings joy to those who adore him. He entertains them with black humour and charm.

And he gives them hope. Then why all the Cimrman inspection?

People worship other fictional characters, even ritualizing them in annual holidays, so why should Cimrman be any different?

As Jiri Rak, historian and author of the book “Former Czechs: Czech Historical Myths and Stereotypes”, once said, “I think all historical figures are fictional. History as such is a fiction that we keep rewriting every day.”

Like most historical figures, it’s their ideologies that speak to the people. Therefore, may the spirit of Cimrman speak to us all, Czech and non-Czech alike, and remind us that life is much better when we don’t take ourselves too seriously – and that our attitude to our self should reflect his philosophy: “If I don’t praise myself, no one will do it for me.”

Listen as the entire country gasps. But he is real! He is really real! they shout (in Czech, of course) and share smirks amongst each other that leave outsiders confused (and maybe a little uncomfortable).

Jára Cimrman Lighthouse Příchovice Photo by Wikihoust First Zeppelin flight Photo Public Domain

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Prague Spring

By Anežka Novák

A tender kiss under a canopy of pastel-pink blossoms on Petřín Hill. The petals flutter and fall to the ground, creating carpets. Julia and Anton run hand-in-hand revisiting childhood joy down the hill, where the tourists click-clack, all agog at the row of blossoming trees.

“Beautiful!” bellows one. “Sublime!” exclaims another. “Perfect!” declares a young man as a young woman poses against the trunk of a blossom tree, rearranging herself for the photo taken by her lover, to be sent whizz-bang to Instagram, garnering likes and exclamations of “Oh wow!”. Some of them even take a fleeting look at the memorial to the victims of the Communist regime, those hollowed-out bodies looking as if they’re about to topple down the steep hill in their fragility.

Julia, contemplating the memorial, melancholy taking hold of her, feels the lump in her throat, the other side of spring.

Nine-year-old Julia leans her head against her father, Miroslav. Something’s very wrong, she knows. He is slumped in his chair, the Chicago Tribune newspaper sits on his lap. On the front page, she sees a black-and-white photo of a tank on a cobblestone street. People’s faces astonished, fearful, furious. And Miroslav’s face, fighting back tears. She squeezes his hand. “It’s your country, isn’t it?’’ He nods. “They’re crushing the Prague Spring.’’ She hugs him tightly. “One day we’ll go there, won’t we, Daddy? When it’s better again.”

But he never did see another Prague spring. He died a stateless political refugee long before the velvet curtains abruptly closed on one era and ushered in another. Julia looks at the carpets of petals and wishes they were magic carpets and that her father could be transported back here, to his domov, his homeland. They’d walk together under the blossom trees, conversing about how the country had changed and how lucky they were to finally be here. She wonders if he came here as a university student on Den lásky, “the day of love”, and kissed someone under a blossom tree.

There are all sorts of things she’d like to ask him about the minutiae of his life, his memories, how it felt to be a refugee, so much for which she had been too young.

The spring breeze blows blossom petals onto the memorial, a discarded political pamphlet in their wake. Blasted across the front page, Julia reads, Uprchlíci? Nechci ani jednoho. “Refugees? I don’t want even one (here).” Don’t they know about the 170,938 who fled Czechoslovakia during the years 1948-1989 and became refugees? She feels the weight of loss interlaced with fury.

Can memory be erased so easily?

But the trees store all sorts of unseeable information and the older ones among them were there, they felt the feeling of hope of the people in that spring of 1968. And now every spring as hope blossoms, the trees blossom and the blossoms fall, a floating memory, a reminder for those who will listen to their whispers.

Julia and Anton each place a candle on the memorial, to her father, Miroslav, and symbolically for the thousands of others who suffered. The memory embedded in the blossom trees cannot be erased so lightly.

Illustration by Trajche Gjerasimov instagram @praguematics gjerasimov.myportfolio.com

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www.okomagazine.cz Registration : MK CR E 23315 IC: 0645533 ISSN 2571-3345 Edition #3 May/June 2019 Published May 8th 2019

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