Oko! Magazine Edition 4

MAGAZINE

N°4

Celebration

July/August 2019

From the Editor!

Summer is in full swing. The nation’s lush green forests and fertile meadows are bursting with life and the cobbled streets and picturesque squares of the Czech Republic’s towns and cities have become hives of activity. As temperatures soar, locals looking to beat the heat of bustling metropolises flock to their holiday cottages in the countryside. In the capital, sun worshippers line the south-facing hills and banks of the Vltava in pursuit of the perfect tan. It is the season of flip-flops and festivals, picnics and parties!

Our fourth edition, titled ‘Celebration’, aims to celebrate social and cultural tolerance, acceptance, and diversity. In line with Prague’s 8th annual Pride parade, we’ve included a special section dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community, covering fascinating topics such as queer history in Prague, the Czech transgender sphere, and Pride itself.

Strong relations between the Czech Republic and other nations are also worth celebrating. In this instalment of Oko!, we turn our attention to the land down under through an interview with local artist Vladimír Čížek – who brings the arts and traditions of New Zealand to the Czech Republic – and a segment on the Czech Australian New Zealand Association (CANZA). We also bring to you the story of Whakaari Rotorua, a Māori group who perform the dances of New Zealand’s indigenous people in Central Europe.

As the warmer weather lends itself to a plethora of outdoor activities, we’ve expanded our science and nature section in this edition. From covering the great Czech tradition of mushroom hunting to taking a sneak peek at one of the nation’s hidden natural wonders, the Javoříčko Caves, we share some recreational ideas with our more adventurous readers. Furthermore, with clearer skies overhead, we delve into some of the significant celestial events which can be observed in the night sky this summer.

Our regular “In the Spotlight” feature explores the green and artistic neighbourhood of Letná, and if that isn’t enough, we’ve also got articles on Jan Hus, battle re-enactments, and the alternative music festivals taking place in the Czech Republic this summer!

Until next time, Leigh Woods P.S. Are you interested in collaborating with us on the fifth edition of Oko! Magazine? If so, 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 4

Community

Whakaari Rotorua Vladimír Čížek CANZA

14 History

From Hus to Havel Blast from the Past

16 Arts & Design

Trajche Gjerasimov Summer Fashion 2019 Milan Svoboda Photo Reportage Mo Movahed

28 Pride Special

Transparent Prague Pride The Rainbow Capital

34 Music

Château Perché Summer Music Festivals

40 Food & Drink

Unico Osteria Davide Lagomarsino Recipe From the Chef Summer Wines Manifesto

52 In the Spotlight Letná, Prague 7

56 Technology

3D Print Your Life

64 Science & Nature

Astronomy’s Great Revival Fungi Fever Javoříčko Caves

76 Entertainment Fiction, Lemonade

Whakaari Rotorua

Bringing Māori Soul to the Heart of Europe

By Claire Dognini

Whakaari Rotorua are a group of performers from Rotorua, New Zealand, who travel around the world sharing their Māori culture through traditional dance and song. They specifically travel to the Czech Republic often as they have a deep connection to this country – especially group member Frank Grapl Junior, as his father, František Grapl, emigrated to New Zealand in 1950 as a former political prisoner.

František was born in Brno, and like many others – and in his opinion, rightly – dealt in weapons during the communist era. Brno was famous for delivering weapons all around the world at the time, as people were preparing for an uprising against the communist regime. František was arrested and placed in a labour camp in 1948. With the help of the Kinsky family, for whom he had worked as a chauffeur, he managed to escape in 1949. He fled to Austria and then Germany, where he boarded a boat using fake ID papers. Through various means, he ended up in Australia, and from there he continued to New Zealand. After WWII, the governments in both New Zealand and Australia were trying to develop their countries, and so they welcomed foreigners who wanted to start a life there. When František arrived, he immediately fell in love with the country and the locals, and there he met his wife and Frank’s mother, Tuhi. After a short settling-in period, he began working as a mechanic and later as a music and culture promoter.

“I always saw him as a friend of my father’s and not as a politician.

I learned a lot from him. We use many of his lectures when visiting schools in the Czech Republic, especially the lectures that are focussed on teaching that people should be united and not divided. For the most part, it is this philosophy that is shared in traditional Māori songs, especially how we need to be more considerate of one another to make the world a better place.”

When Frank Junior was a child, he always believed his father was some kind of foreign agent as he could speak eight different languages (including Māori) and they had many visitors including prime ministers and presidents, actors, and singers from all over the world. He would ask his father how he knew these people, to which his father would always respond by saying, “Enjoy yourself and don’t ask questions.”

The Haka is an ancient Māori war dance traditionally used on the battlefield or when groups came together in peaceful times. It became famous worldwide when players (most notably the All Blacks rugby team) would perform the dance to intimidate their opponents. Frank says, “The majority of people are fascinated by it and the fact that Whakaari Rotorua’s shows are fully booked until the end of July pays testament to this. People want to know the meaning behind the Haka, what the costumes are made of, and whether or not Māori’s still wear them. Most people have never met a Māori before. A lot of the time I am mistaken for an Indian, South American, Egyptian, you name it! There are quite a few New Zealand actors that play in movies due to the fact we look like so many other different nationalities. The truth is that most people that meet us have no idea who we are.”

Václav Havel stayed with Frank and his family for two days during his presidency. Even though Frank was 12 years old at the time, he remembers Havel and his father performing a haka dance together at 4am.

Without a doubt, there were a few drinks and cigars involved. They were making so much noise that the police were alerted. When they turned up and realised the president of the Czech Republic was in the house, those who were going off duty wanted to hang around, so it ended up becoming one big party. “I feel privileged that I had the opportunity to meet him and see a side of him that most people would never have seen,” says Frank.

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František and Tuhi shared a love of Māori culture and the international language of music, and the ambition to travel the world and promoteMāori culture. In 1978 they started bringing various cultural performance groups from New Zealand to the Czech Republic. In 2008, four years after Frank’s father died, he decided to continue the tradition together with his mother and other artists. “There is just something about the Māori Haka, songs, and costumes that draw people in, people just love it,” he says.

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Māori culture is regaining its former strength due to the many problems currently affecting the world. People are choosing to return to their roots.

There are many different Māori tribes and each has its own tattoos and costumes. The costume Whakaari Rotorua wears is a generic costume.

However, the tattoos are from their hometown, Rotorua. The costumes used to be made from the feathers of various birds such as the kiwi, but these birds are now protected. The feathers are now replicas or from birds that have died naturally. Most tribes still have the original cloaks that get taken out on special occasions, such as when a family member dies.

The coffin gets placed in the house with the cloak draped over it and for three days the family eats and sleeps with the deceased. On the third evening, family and friends celebrate, sing the old songs, and tell the old stories that go back to their ancestors thousands of years ago.

The first Czechs arrived in New Zealand in the 1860s, and they built their first small community on the North Island in a village named Puhoi, where to this day you can find the Puhoi Pub, a famous Czech pub which was established in 1897. There wasn’t much up there, so many Czechs began relocating to Auckland and to the capital, Wellington, to find jobs and, hopefully, for a better life. Even though most of the inhabitants have lost their ancestral language, they still celebrate Czech folklore, produce Czech cheeses, and sell cold draft pilsner.

“In New Zealand we believe that everybody knows about our culture, but most countries outside the Commonwealth don’t know that much about us. At the beginning of June, we travelled to Moravia to catch up with friends and family. During our stay, we discovered that the first Moravians came to New Zealand in 1874. When we began planning to go to Moravia, we asked them if they had seen a Māori before. They said never, so it has taken nearly 150 years for us to come and see them,” says Frank.

According to Frank, there are many similarities between the two cities.

Both, for example, have geysers and geothermal springs. It is also a fact that Kiwis have been travelling to Karlovy Vary more than ever in the last five years. The Czech Republic isn’t linked to any countries in the Pacific, and New Zealand isn’t linked to any countries or cities in Europe.

Frank says, “There are connections between the Czech Republic and New Zealand that most people don’t know about. For example, everyone knows that the Lord of the Rings movies were filmed in New Zealand, but what many people don’t know, is that most of the pottery used on set was made by Czechs and that fed our economy.”

Whakaari Rotorua has performed with famous Czechs such as Karel Gott and the band Chinaski. One of their most memorable shows was with Marta Kubišová. Marta came out of the darkness in 1989 on the balcony of Hotel Jalta on Wenceslas Square, when she sang “Prayer for Martin,” which is considered by many to be the unofficial Czech national anthem.

“When we met her for the first time, she was so kind and humble,” Frank says. He asked if he and his mother could sing a song for her. “She said, ‘No you can sing with me.’ We ended up improvising together with my mum. It was such a beautiful experience. We did it in the Hotel Jalta underground nuclear bunker on Wenceslas Square, which was iconic seeing that she had sung there 30 years ago.”

Whakaari Rotorua’s mission is to educate people on their Māori culture through performances, and also to spread understanding, connection, love, fun, and laughter. By combining dance and music they show that it is okay to open up, smile, and let other cultures in.

Whakaari Rotorua try to act as ambassadors between New Zealand and the Czech Republic. “At the moment we have our focus on Karlovy Vary, as we want to make it a sister city of Rotorua.”

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Photos by David Halaj

Vladimír Čížek

An Artist and His Love for the Land of the Long White Cloud

By Lydia Novak

Recently Oko! Magazine had the chance to meet creative spirit and globetrotter Vladimír Čížek. In the early 80s, when usually only government members would be sent to the Western world, Vladimir was presented with a unique opportunity to travel to New Zealand as a trade representative for the Czech embassy. Realising he had been given a chance that very few people in his position at that time had, he accepted the task and also set out to travel and explore as much as he could of these faraway islands in the South Pacific.

While living in the New Zealand capital, Wellington, Vladimír gained an interest in the traditional art of whalebone carving (whakairo in Māori).

After spending countless hours reading up on the discipline and visiting many exhibitions, fate allowed him to meet a gentleman named Owen Mapp, who was one of the first contemporary bone carvers in New Zealand. Owen gave Vladimír a few small pieces of whalebone and began teaching him the art of carving.

Vladimír soon became a talented and highly skilled carver and expanded his knowledge through meetings with other prominent carvers such as Norman Clark, Stephen Lance Myhre, Don Salt, and Brian Flintoff. By 1999, with the help of his friend Owen, Vladimír had produced enough carvings to be displayed in an exhibition on contemporary New Zealand carvers in the Museum of Bohemian Paradise in Turnov. In 2007, Owen Mapp and Stephen Lance Myhre travelled to the Czech Republic to share their carving skills at a jade workshop at the art school in Turnov.

A few pieces of whalebone are part of Vladimir’s collection in Prague, but due to the preciousness of the material and the export and import limitations of the communist era, he has used mainly cow bones for his carvings, or when possible, more exotic specimens such as giraffe and ostrich bones.

He regards three specific pieces as holding significant meaning for him.

“Manaia” is Vladimir’s personal amulet, which he wears every day. It is a copy of a museum piece that captivated him while he was in New Zealand. It is usually depicted as a bird’s head, a human body, and a fish’s tail and is said to unite the sky, earth, and sea. “Heimatau” is originally a fish hook, but was developed into an amulet. It is the symbol for good luck in fishing as well as travelling. Lastly, “Tiki” is the most popular figure in carving. It represents the first man created by God. In fact, all carvings resembling the human form are called Tiki.

Vladimír says he feels a special connection to New Zealand and transmits his love for the nation through workshops and tours both in Europe and in New Zealand itself. According to him, the country is known and revered for its beautiful scenery, exotic animals, plants, fjords, volcanoes, hot springs, beaches, mountains. and more. His favourite part of New Zealand is Tongariro National Park, located in the centre of the North Island. Part of the park’s beautiful scenery is the volcano which was used as Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings films.

The long-term project Vladimír has planned for the future is to establish a sightseeing tour of New Zealand combined with wine tasting. You can find Vladimir’s unique work by visiting www.novyzeland.info.

Photos by Leigh Woods

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1) Feathers. Cow bone free copies of Owen Mapp’s carvings.

2) Vladimir’s Personal Amulet that he wears.

3) Replica of Hei Tiki from whale bone and paua shell.

4) Various hair pins and combs carved from cow bone.

5) Replica of cloak pin from whale bone.

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CANZA

Promoting the Interests and Cultures of Australia and New Zealand in the Czech Republic

In the summer of 2005, Australians Steve Rees and Richard York, along with New Zealander Len Edney, got together over a few beers and floated the idea of an association for expatriate Aussies and Kiwis living in the Czech Republic. Steve and Richard had spent years living in Asia, where Australian and New Zealand expat groups are common. Inspired by the name of the Malaysian “MANZA,” Steve named the new association Czech Australia New Zealand Association, or CANZA. From the start, the vision was to provide a home away from home for approximately 1,000 Aussies and Kiwis living in the Czech Republic, as well as an opportunity for Czechs to learn a little more about the Australian and New Zealand way of life.

The group started small, organising monthly riverside drinks nights. Pretty soon, CANZA adopted its now iconic logo of a kiwi chasing a kangaroo chasing a lion. As membership quickly grew, the group became more ambitious, and its activities started to expand.

Annual Charity Ball CANZA’s first Christmas charity ball was held in 2005 at the Corinthia Towers Hotel in Prague. Around 320 guests enjoyed indigenous Australian, Maori, and Czech jazz performances and bid in a charity auction which included a signed NSW Waratahs rugby ball.

This event set the pattern for annual CANZA charity balls over almost 15 years, featuring Antipodean food and wine, cultural performances, and auctions of sporting memorabilia and other prizes, which together have raised around 2 million CZK for charities including Fond ohrožených dětí, Chance 4 Children, UNICEF, Zdravotní Klaun, Věda Nás Baví, Pink Crocodile, and SKP HOPO.

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Holidays ANZAC Day commemorates involvement in world wars and other military engagements, and was first marked in the aftermath of the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign. For more than 10 years, together with the Czech, Australian, and New Zealand governments, CANZA has organized a traditional remembrance ceremony at the Commonwealth War Graves in Prague, where 16 Australian and New Zealand servicemen are buried.

Afterwards, a traditional ANZAC Day BBQ is held, typically at a venue by the Vltava. Fortunately, the event (held in late April) often coincides with improving spring weather in Prague, making it a great day outdoors, especially for families.

In addition to ANZAC Day, in late January or early February CANZA hosts a joint celebration of two national holidays, Australia Day and Waitangi Day, which occur within a few weeks of each other. While this event has sometimes been formal, more often than not it’s simply a great party!

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Culture As part of its vision to bring Czechs into greater contact with Australian and New Zealand culture, CANZA has organised or supported a variety of cultural events over the years, including art, film and music.

It pioneered Australian and New Zealand film festivals in Prague, premiering iconic films such as Boy, Cracker Bag, Australian Rules, In My Father’s Den, and What We Do in the Shadows. These early screenings blazed a trail leading to the Aussie and Kiwi Film Fest, which is now held every November and which CANZA continues to support.

For several seasons, CANZA even co-hosted hockey nights at Sparta home games to introduce expats to one of the Czech Republic’s leading sports.

CANZA has hosted or supported concerts by visiting musical acts from Down Under, from the Australian Waratah Girls Choir to alt-pop sensation Sarah Blasko and many others. For more than a decade, CANZA has also been the key sponsor of Australian and New Zealand productions at the Prague Fringe Festival. And local music isn’t forgotten – CANZA is the main sponsor of Czech music legend Xindl X.

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The organisation works with the Australian consulate and AusTrade in Prague, as well as the Australian embassy in Warsaw and the New Zealand embassy in Berlin, both of which are responsible for the Czech Republic. As the main link to the Australian and New Zealand community, CANZA is regularly called upon to host ambassador-attended events such as Anzac Day, which often involve key figures from the Czech Foreign Ministry, Czech army, and Department of Defense.

Sport Something Aussies and Kiwis have in common with Czechs is a love of sport. CANZA had a central role in bringing both Australian Rules football and touch rugby to the Czech Republic, and is also a long-standing supporter of Czech rugby league, including as the main jersey sponsor of the national team.

In addition, CANZA is a partner of cricket clubs and cricket in the Czech Republic. The occasional “Ashes” matches between CANZA and the British Chamber of Commerce have attained legendary status, with the CANZA team prevailing in every game, albeit not without controversy!

While CANZA has always been primarily social, for many years it had a major involvement in promoting Aussie and Kiwi business in the Czech Republic. As early as 2008, the group worked together with the Australian government to deliver a major trade exhibition, Touch and Taste Australia, which attracted over 20 Australian exhibitors showcasing retail products ranging from food and wine to cosmetics and household goods.

In the decade since, CANZA and its partners organised numerous wine tastings, trade exhibits, business dinners, government receptions, and networking events to support the growing Australian and New Zealand business community. The business events were so successful that in 2015 it was decided to create a separate organisation, Australasian Business in Europe (ABIE), to focus exclusively on business. ABIE and CANZA continue to work closely together.

CANZA today After almost 15 years, CANZA remains the main association for Australians and New Zealanders living in the Czech Republic. As a purely voluntary group, it depends heavily on organisers such as the current president, Larissa Petryca, but also on the involvement of the Australian and New Zealand community which it serves. Fortunately, Aussies and Kiwis are generally outgoing, enthusiastic, and full of ideas, so CANZA can hope to stay active and keep growing for years to come!

Photos by CANZA

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The Royal Down Under Great pub food. Awesome kids’ corner. Five big screens for sport.

Fantastic wine list. Amazing breakfast. Sounds like multiple venues, right?

Weekdays at The Royal Down Under are filled with kids’ activities and daily lunch menus while quizzes, live music, and sports take place in the evenings.

Wrong! It’s the Royal Down Under.

Weekends will be sports central, with space for the whole family to come and escape the bitter cold during the winter months in Prague.

Nestled under the Royal Theatre on Vinohradská is Prague’s latest venue suitable for the whole family.

The brainchild of The Pie Shop’s Ashley McGlynn and Chateau Hostačov’s Meagan Hasa, the Royal Down Under is unique for many reasons.

Kangaroo sandwiches, Aussie burgers, salt and pepper squid, a truly classic eggs benedict, and of course The Pie Shop’s delicious pies make the menu anything but common, and there is sure to be something for everyone.

The 36m² kids’ corner, visible from the whole restaurant, makes parenting in the cooler months anything but a chore.

“When Meagan and I first spoke about this place, we didn’t know that we had both had the same vision in the past,” Ashley says. “We have a lot in common – love of food, drink, our kids, and sport. There just wasn’t anywhere in Prague to enjoy all of those in one venue.”

Identifying itself as a family pub, The Royal Down Under fills a void in Prague’s culinary, sports bar, kids’ corner, and cafe market.

“We know we have created something unique here,” Ashley continues.

“It’s an untried concept and we truly believe it is one that will be well received.”

From the look of it he’s right. Now it’s up to you to be the judge.

And when it comes to comfort, lush leather seating that reminds many of a hug from an old friend is unlike any other restaurant, pub, bar, or kids’ corner in the city.

Then there is the sports bar, with enough big HD screens to keep even the most demanding of supporters happy.

Is it hard to imagine we are speaking of the same place?

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Photo by Chris Lettner

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From Hus to Havel

Jan Hus’s Lasting Impact on Czech Culture and National Identity

By Anna West

On 6 July, Czechs across the country will celebrate Jan Hus Day. While many will spend the holiday enjoying a day off, it is worth remembering and commemorating the famous theologian and church reformer who inspired generations of social activists after his time.

When polled in 2015 by public radio broadcaster Český rozhlas, Czechs voted Jan Hus the greatest hero of the Czech nation. Those unfamiliar with Czech history may be surprised that present-day voters would nominate a figure from the Middle Ages. However, Hus’s lasting impact on Czech culture and national identity makes his life story still relevant today.

Jan Hus was born into a poor family in Husinec, Bohemia, around 1370.

Despite coming from humble beginnings, he studied theology at the University of Prague and later served as dean of the philosophical faculty and then rector of the university. During his studies, Hus read the works of English theologian John Wycliffe, who had made proposals to reform the Catholic clergy. These works influenced Hus, who began to deliver his sermons in Czech, rather than in Latin as was customary, and to criticise aspects of the Catholic clergy.

At this time, the Roman Catholic Church was split by the Papal Schism, a period in which the papal jurisdiction was divided between Gregory XII in Rome and Benedict XIII in Avignon. The clerical estate owned half of all land in Bohemia and collected taxes from landowning peasants. One of the practices of the Catholic Church that Hus denounced publicly was the selling of indulgences, which churchgoers paid in order to be pardoned for their sins. The sale of indulgences was unpopular in Bohemia, but had been approved by King Wenceslas IV, who shared in the proceeds.

Ultimately, Hus’s condemnation of this practice lost the support of King Wenceslas IV and shortly thereafter his heresy trial was revived by the Roman Curia, the administrative body that oversaw church affairs.

In 1412, Hus was excommunicated from The Church and sought refuge in southern Bohemia. He spent the next two years writing works such as De ecclesia (The Church) and a collection of sermons entitled Postilla, largely in response to the treatises issued by his adversaries. During this time, the Western Schism continued without interruption and Hus remained in Bohemia, until Emperor Sigismund saw an opportunity to restore the church’s unity. Sigismund called the Council of Constance to put an end to the schism and invited Hus to Constance in Germany to explain his views, promising him safe-conduct for the journey.

Shortly after arriving in Constance, however, Hus was arrested, placed in confinement (despite protests by Sigismund), and later tried before the Council of Constance as a heretic. The council urged him to recant, but Hus refused and in Sigismund’s absence, the council sentenced him to be burned at the stake on 6 July 1415, the date Czechs now commemorate as Jan Hus Day. Following Hus’s death, his followers, known as Hussites, published the Four Articles of Prague, a formal protest which stipulated freedom of preaching; communion in both kinds (reception of both the consecrated bread and wine of the Eucharist); poverty of the clergy and expropriation of church property; and the punishment of notorious sinners. In 1420, Sigismund waged a crusade against the Hussites. The Hussite union, which included the municipalities of Prague and other Bohemian cities, deposed Sigismund and repelled various attacks against them over the next several decades.

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In 1431, the Roman Catholic Church agreed to negotiate with the Hussites at the Council of Basel, where the Hussites were granted communion in both kinds, one of their stipulations in the Four Articles of Prague. However, the peace negotiations resulted in the Hussites breaking into various factions, one of which established independence under the name Unitas Fratrum (Unity of the Brethren). By 1467, the Unitas Fratrum reformation movement began in Bohemia, where it remained in contact with Lutheran and Reformed Protestant movements happening across Europe. Eventually, Protestant barons were defeated by the Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation at the Battle of White Mountain in 1620 during the Thirty Years’ War. The history of Jan Hus and the Bohemian Reformation is largely one of papal power struggles and conflict among the Catholic clergy. But it is his stance against authority and his unabated commitment to his beliefs that has had profound effects on Czech culture and national identity.

For example, one of the most important cultural contributions Hus made was to the Czech written language. It is believed that he authored De Orthographia Bohemica, the first known document in which the spelling of a Slavic language is codified and diacritics, such as the háček, are introduced.

Hus’s life story has also been a subject of fascination for many famous Czechs, including Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, the first president of the independent Czechoslovak Republic. Indeed, the resilience of the Hussites against outside forces served as inspiration for Masaryk’s bid for Czechoslovak independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In his famous Geneva speech, delivered on the 500-year anniversary of Hus’s death, Masaryk said that “there was no peace between the Czechs and the Austrians,” demarcating Czechs as a nation of independent people.

Hus wrote, “Seek the truth, hear the truth, learn the truth, love the truth, speak the truth, hold the truth and defend the truth until death,” an ideal that is believed to have inspired the Czech national motto “Pravda vítězí” (“Truth prevails”). Ultimately, Hus’s commitment to his truth and to the interests of the Czech common folk cements his place in history as a great social activist and reformer. As Václav Havel said in his 1999 speech at the International Symposium on the Master Jan Hus, ten years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, “Everything points to the fact that the great contribution of Jan Hus to European history is that of the principle of individual accountability. Truth for him was not merely a freely transferable piece of information, but a life attitude, obligation, and entitlement.” In this way, the story of Jan Hus continues to inspire Czechs to embody the loftiest human ideals and also serves as a bright example for humankind.

Jan Hus’s burning.

Painting in the church of Cs. of the Hussite Church in Jenišovice.

Photo By Jakub.ka

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Blast from the Past History Comes to Life on Czech Battlefields

By Ethan Paki

“How many things apparently impossible have nevertheless been performed by resolute men who had no alternative but death.”

Words spoken by one of the great conquerors in human history, Napoleon Bonaparte. The Battle of Austerlitz, otherwise known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was arguably his crowning achievement. Despite being outmanned and outgunned, Napoleon was able to defeat the Russian and Austrian armies, led by Emperor Alexander I and Holy Roman Emperor Francis II respectively.

Imagine the sight of a man leading an army of men, tens of thousands strong, into the heat of battle against the might of the Austrians and Russians. Fortunately for us, we don’t have to imagine anything, as history is brought to life throughout the year by a community of people that take part in battle re-enactments across the country.

The battles of Austerlitz, White Mountain, and many others are recreated every year, with those attending getting a unique chance to enter a fully immersive bygone world. The re-enactments of the battles themselves can involve thousands of participants– with soldiers, officers on horseback, and weaponry that can include everything from muskets and .69 pistols to heavy artillery capable of firing 12lb cannons. Don’t worry, though, live ammunition isn’t used at all, but it still makes a rather large bang!

Away from the frontlines, those in attendance will also get to explore the encampments of each army. The actors never rest; even away from the battle itself, the re-enactments continue, and you can see how the soldiers spent their downtime, preparing for the battles to come. We got a chance to sit down with veteran performer Gary Stone, who has over thirty years’ experience in battle re-enactments across Europe.

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According to Gary, while taking part in battle re-enactments is a lot of fun and very rewarding, it requires a big commitment. It can prove to be a costly hobby, with even basic attire and weaponry costing in excess of 10,000 Kc, depending on the period you are re-enacting.

Participants are also required to commit to several gatherings in the year leading up to selected events, with hours of practice going into training combat manoeuvres, positioning, and recognising commands.

Several “units” that can vary from 20 to 100 combatants participate in the re-enactments. These units are led by “officers” who are responsible for coordinating with event organisers, relaying information throughout the unit, organising unit gatherings, and dealing with logistics like travel and unit equipment.

These units are not just limited to your typical soldier with armour, a sword, and a shield. They can also include full cavalry units with a stable of horses to ride into the heart of the conflict, as well as fully functional artillery, capable of tearing down structures, being fired in the fields for all to witness.

The re-enactors themselves spend hours learning foreign-language military commands and how to respond on the battlefield, just to add that extra touch of authenticity. Soldiers march to the beat of a drum, with the sound of retreat blasted out from the brass in tow.

Not only do their movements have to be authentic, along with their battle attire and equipment, but even the encampments have to be historically accurate, with painstaking attention paid to their tents, bedding, and even the bags used to carry clothing. “I would never wash my battle gear,” Gary said. “Back then, battlewear was banged up and dirty with holes and scratches all over the place. Of course, all my underclothing would be clean, but everything else had to look worn to keep it authentic.”

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Despite the huge commitment to the craft and the seriousness that comes from such a big undertaking, there is still room for plenty of fun. We asked Gary to recall some of the more light-hearted moments from his time on the battlefield.

Next year will be an important one for the event, with the Battle of White Mountain set to celebrate its 400th anniversary.

“Seeing Napoleon fall flat on his face, trying to get onto his horse, has got to be up there. I also remember when a group of Germans woke up and decided to march from the campsite to the battlefield in full kit,” he said.

“They were taking everything really seriously, with the rest of us eating McDonald’s and catching a bus to the location. Later that night, there was a group of Czech guys who decided to play a prank on the Germans, so they burst into song, with full band and all, at 02:00 to wake them up, hilarious.”

The Battle of Austerlitz, otherwise known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was perhaps Napoleon’s greatest conquest throughout the Napoleonic wars.

Battle re-enactments vary in period and in size, with multiple conflicts throughout history recreated annually in the Czech Republic. However, there are some events that are absolute must-sees on the re-enactment calendar every year.

Battle of White Mountain

Battle of the Three Emperors

Every year, over 1,000 participants converge on Slavkov u Brna to recreate this famous battle, combining live artillery firing, cavalry formations, and movements with (of course) Napoleon Bonaparte taking centre stage; you can even take a tour of the nearby Slavkov Chateau led by Napoleon himself.

There is an abundance of traditional 19th-century fare, with revellers also getting the chance to join various live combat trainings and demonstrations throughout the weekend. The event is capped off with a military parade by the combatants and an impressive fireworks display over the town of Tvarožná.

For the area now known as the Czech Republic, 8 November 1620 is a day that changed the course of history. Bohemia was invaded by the combined armies of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II, led by Charles Bonaventure de Longueval, Count of Bucquoy, and the German Catholic League under Johann Tserclaes. They went into battle against forces led

by Christian of Anhalt and Count Jindřich Matyáš Thurn in what was the beginning of the infamous Thirty Years’ War.

Battle of Slivice

In the battle – taking place at the modern-day Bila Hora – the Bohemians were defeated, with people forced to break away from nearly two centuries of Protestant rule, in favour of Roman Catholicism.

Every year, the Hornické Muzeum organises a service honouring those who fought and died in the battle, along with an action-packed re-enactment that involves heavy military vehicles including various armoured tanks, off-road support vehicles, and mortars.

Every year, the re-enactment of the battle draws an ever-growing audience, with those in attendance given the chance to peruse through a replica market from the 17th century, observe training drills, explore army encampments, attend musical performances, and, of course, watch the big battle itself.

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The Battle of Slivice was one of the final battles on the European front in World War Two. It saw Czech partisans and the Soviet Army take up arms to pin down the retreating German forces as they headed west. In the early hours of 12 May 1945, around 6,000 Germans were captured by the Soviet troops, along with a large number of vehicles.

This event is supported by the Czech Armed Forces, with current military personnel participating in the on-field exchanges, taking authenticity to new heights!

HISTORY

Photos by sarkafoto.info

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 19

Artist in the Spotlight Trajche Gjerasimov A Man of Many Cats

By Jacklyn Janeksela

Trajche Gjerasimov’s work speaks of many things, but one aspect that viewers will notice is his keen ability to play with imagination and construct a narrative through images. His characters of choice stem from childhood fairytales; each one of them has a twist of Gjerasimov’s own. Gjerasimov is talented at stand-alone portraits, ones that create their own fiction, ones that can tell a different story each and every time.

There is a story in everyday life, he says, “those simple, small moments we tend to overlook.” Gjerasimov is a fan of the smallest details.

“No matter if it’s just a smile that someone shares with you in the subway or a subtle look your cat gives you before you go to work or maybe that moment when you fall in love with an unknown dog on the street before his owner pulls him on the leash.”

But mostly, he’s obsessed with cats.

Cat lovers, Gjerasimov is now your new favourite artist. He doesn’t just draw or paint them, he gives them full-blown personalities and stories.

You’ll be sure to be charmed by the cats as much as he is. As a matter of fact, it feels like his aim is to turn each of us into cat lovers by proxy.

Gjerasimov proudly states, “Cats have been an ongoing theme in my work for as long as I can remember. I was always surrounded by cats, always had them in my life. I was always fascinated by their physique.

I find their eyes hypnotising and powerful.” Yes, cats are indeed muses.

And it makes sense that cats even reflect the artist’s character – “very independent and free-spirited.” Gjerasimov claims there’s “something in their behaviour I find very intriguing and mysterious and I somehow see myself in them, so I guess we are a perfect match.”

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His obsession stems from the death of his own cat, Lucifer, “an all-white cat with blue eyes. He was the grumpiest cat I’ve ever seen, but he loved spending time with me.” And he didn’t just co-exist with Lucifer, he studied his cat and others with a sharp eye. “When a cat cares about you, you know you really deserve their love and affection.”

Gjerasimov has made a career from his devotion to his craft, even though he didn’t have such a favourable start with art. “My teacher told me that I drew horribly and that I should become a policeman when I grow up because art is not for me.” But he didn’t let that stop him. “On the way home, crying, I went to a bookshop, and bought a lot of drawing paper with my lunch money. I stayed up all night drawing.” He used personal alchemy to become the artist he felt he was destined to be. Her words became his fuel and he pushed forward to realise his artistic dreams.

Often, Gjerasimov gets lost in an artistic bubble. “I find painting a way of meditation. When I paint, sculpt, or create an illustration piece, my brain shuts off and my focus is entirely on the piece I am working on. Sometimes I spend more than eight hours painting without realising how much time has passed.” For him, art has been a form of salvation. “I also find creating art very relaxing and it helps me escape the everyday craziness.”

When discussing why he landed in Prague, he says, “I always push myself to go outside of my comfort zone when it comes to design and Prague really helped.” Gjerasimov describes his native country of North Macedonia as “a place where nothing changes, and it feels like time has stopped.” He felt he didn’t belong in that space and wanted to learn as much as possible by finding somewhere that would inspire him. Being away from North Macedonia, he doesn’t quite feel at home in Prague – not yet, anyway. No matter how much he tries to fit in, he continues to feel like a foreigner. However, some of those feelings transform into inspiration yet again. “I sink into my thoughts and sometimes it’s very helpful for my inspiration. I am challenged more and more to create something meaningful. Something that will make the audience happy.”

Gjerasimov illustrated an Oko! Magazine article, written by Anežka Novák about the Prague Spring, that he calls “beautiful and touching.” The piece he illustrated “gives a glance into the painful past of the history of Czech Republic.” When talking about the process, “it was first a sketch on paper and then an illustration in Photoshop.” Gjerasimov offers insight into his work, “The tree represents the past and present. Above the ground, we see this beautiful cherry tree, but underneath the ground we see the roots of the tree knitted through the remains of a Soviet Union tank, weapons, and skulls.” And it’s not just art, but art with purpose and a bit of protest. “It reminds us that we should always remember the past and appreciate the fight that people fought so that now we can walk freely and enjoy our lives without fear.”

His project for the Oko! complimentary poster is called Catamorphosis, a combination of the words “cat” and “metamorphosis.” The concept depicts “cats in human poses as if they live in a world where cats dominate or as if a person has been changed into a cat.” It’s Gjerasimov’s ability to blend fantasy and reality that gives his artistic vision vitality.

By observing daily life in detail, he builds stories that remind each one of us how important fantasy is for a worthwhile existence. Gjerasimov allows our childlike eyes to stay wide open, bringing back some of our most nostalgic moments that give us relief from a sometimes stressful adulthood. Let’s thank artists like Gjerasimov who keep those childhood channels open and keep us youthful. Oh, and let’s also thank him for his delightful depictions of cats. Gjerasimov himself is also not shy to thank cats – he describes his art in three words, “fantasy, drama, cats.”

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Win 2 Seats for Dinner in the Sky The world famous Dinner in the Sky is back in the Czech Republic this September. Have you ever had an unforgettable fine dining-experience 50m up in the sky while enjoying the sunset and the breathtaking views of the city?

All you need to do to have a chance of winning this incredible prize is post a picture of you holding this edition of Oko! Magazine on Instagram and tag us @okomagazine to make sure we see it!

Winner will be announced on the 25th of August.

Tickets are valid for Sunday 8th of September at 19:00.

Dinner in the Sky@sunset

Photo by Lucas Fonseca

Summer 2019 Fashion

By Elsa Zasche

It’s not only the heat that’s making our temperatures rise this summer. This season’s keywords are “hot” and “short.” If you read Oko! Magazine’s previous fashion article, you will already be aware that trends from the 90s have us in their grasp this season.

We’ll start our perfect summer outfit with a square-neck knit top (also called “goes with everything”), influenced by minimalism and architecture.

It is perfect to combine with evergreen garments like a pencil skirt or mom jeans. Geometrical inspiration is this summer’s approach for menswear, too. The rules of elegance and chic are redefined by tailoring which can be seen in square-cut jackets, activewear blousons, or double-breasted blazers.

This summer’s accessories point to a 90s revival, too. Hair barrettes, scrunchies, and bows will help to keep your salty beach waves under control. This season also provides a solution for the widespread “I don’t think I can go out like this” mood. The better-known “bad hair day” can now be thwarted by the good old bucket hat. Fashionistas can fall back on this headgear, which also protects your skin. If you need to cover your eyes after a heavy night out, cycling sunnies are a perfect solution for the men among us.

The revival of the Laura Ashley smock dress trend from the 60s means you will have the perfect outfit for a romantic date at one of Prague’s beautiful outdoor spots. The delicate floral prints will flatter any woman’s individual silhouette without taking the spotlight. The key pieces for the male counterpart consist of relaxed graphic tees and bowling shirts. But the hidden gem this summer is the utility gilet. This piece turns functional elements of work attire into a fashion statement.

Photo by Mihai Stefan

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Our legs will be grateful for this summer‘s trouser trend. Inspired by styles from the 1970s, the options for covering our lower limbs are almost unlimited. Elegance, minimalism, and uniqueness are executed in linen, as well as wide-leg, high-waist, tailored designs and flowy print oversized trousers for women. Men’s shorts are getting breezy this summer. Besides the length (short, short, shorter) guys can choose from many fabrics, including neoprene, tie-dye leather, linen, or nylon.

The concept of comfort continues into the footwear department. Heels are becoming lower and shoes are getting more subtle. But that does not mean they are any less elegant. Knotted sandals or slingback kitten heels are light and flattering. Men can complete their look with a pair of sandals. This summer we set no limits to your imagination: heavy-duty hikers, nylon-webbing strap styles, braided, twisted, or the classic leather version. Nevertheless, if you are not comfortable showing your feet, you can always decide to wear white sneakers such as Vans or Converse.

If you want to dress up for a company celebration, a friend’s engagement party, or even Grandma‘s 90th birthday bash, you can‘t go wrong with a tailored suit this summer. This timeless and elegant solution can be seen all over the catwalks and will always elevate your look. According to the catwalks, you should be wearing your suit with absolutely nothing underneath. In this case, I would recommend ignoring what fashion shows try to teach you, but everyone is free to make this decision for themselves.

Photo by Nicole De Khors

To refresh your mind, we’ll mention this season’s colour trends again.

But when referring to what has been called “the most neutral colour palette you‘ve ever seen” there is not much to list. We have 50 shades of beige, (tans, camels, nudes) which go hand in hand with 60s and 70s inspiration. Nuances of green, like fluoro lime or sage, can be seen in menswear.

You’ve probably noticed that something important is missing – swimsuits!

In my opinion, the perfect swimsuit is almost impossible to find. It can be really depressing trying to find a piece that works with your shape and also fulfils contemporary style requirements. Nevertheless, if you are trying to achieve the impossible, here are some new swimwear trends.

It seems that the beige colour palette mentioned earlier does not count for your poolside look. The turquoise water should be matched with bright and bold colours such as marigold, cobalt, or cherry. The three-piece suit is a new combination that lets shy souls cover their bikini with a matching shirt. Another 2019 trend is 60s boy-leg bottoms and swimming shorts, with wider and more supportive shoulder straps for curvy ladies.

The look for men hasn’t changed much compared to last year, except for swimsuit length, which is important to bear in mind. For most guys, swimsuits should end about five centimetres above the knee.

After all this trend information, I can only refer to Baz Luhrmann, who said: “Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ´99, wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.” And this is exactly how I want to end this article, because except for sunscreen, just wear whatever matches your mood and try to feel as comfortable as possible!

ARTS & DESIGN

Photo by Samantha Hurley

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Milan Svoboda

Shaping Czech Culture Through Architectural Design

By Michal Čapek

“We have a right to live in a city which is not only well-functioning, but also aesthetically pleasing. We have the right to use public space without any unnecessary problems, and give access to all generations and disabled persons, while also creating a safe and architecturally well-designed environment.” — Milan Svoboda Milan Svoboda is a landscape architect and urban planner, but his start in this line of work was more than unusual. He studied ecology and environmental protection at Charles University, but since completing his studies, he has devoted himself mostly to landscape architecture and urban planning. This change came about from a combination of limited professional opportunities in ecology (due to the former socialist regime) and thanks to his family ties in a forest planning company, where he began working in the sub-department of urban planning.

After the fall of communism, this department began focusing predominantly on forest planning, and consequently, the urban epartment was dissolved. Milan moved to another department which focused on the development of Plzeň, where he was tasked with landscape planning for the city.

In 1992, there was a directive for a new urban plan in Plzeň, to which Milan contributed mainly as a landscape architect, but he gradually moved up the ranks, being promoted to positions including project manager, deputy assistant, and, eventually, director of the institution.

His career was finally determined after completing the necessary education and receiving authorisation from the Czech chamber of architects. He is the first person ever to become head of the chamber of architects without having a degree in architecture or engineering.

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Despite working on urban planning, Milan has always infused his work with the knowledge gained from studying ecology. He has been involved in voluntary work in Plzeň, such as helping Green Treasure, which utilised funds from the city for environmental projects initiated by schools and non-profit organisations.

Milan worked in Plzeň until 2007. Then he left for Prague where he lived and worked for several years, but in 2015 he returned to Plzeň after being asked by the city’s municipality to work on a project named European Capital of Culture (ECOC). The project is an ongoing initiative started by the European Union, which entails bringing about social and economic benefits for a designated city within the EU through the organisation of various cultural events over the course of a calendar year. The higher aims of the project are to help foster urban regeneration, improve the city’s image, and raise its visibility and profile internationally.

Under Milan’s leadership, Plzeň became the European Capital of Culture in 2015.

As an urban planner, Milan sees that a city should fulfil a number of basic functions such as access to clean water, electricity, sanitation, and transport. When all of these requirements are met, it should then focus on promoting culture as an activity. The strategy that existed and still exists in Plzeň focuses on tourism, innovation, entrepreneurism, and the overall appearance of the city — all of which are elements under the umbrella

ARTS & DESIGN

of culture. These cultural elements are what give appeal to any city, improving quality and allowing urban metropolises to flourish both socially and economically.

The main aim for Milan and representatives who were involved in the ECOC project was to engage the citizens of Plzeň and to expose them to a wider variety of culture. The project was a great success with citizens as it helped them to become more open-minded and Milan says, “When there was a punk concert, it’s not like they absolutely enjoyed it, but they didn’t mind. This is a sign of change ... it wasn’t like that before.”

Milan continued, “Another thing that remained after the project is a department focusing on the urban development of the city, a new structure of people, say, which works alongside other cultural areas such as theatre and music festivals.”

In asking Svoboda to compare Plzeň and Prague on the topic of culture, he replied, “It is difficult to say. Prague has many more cultural opportunities. It has more people, more events, more everything. But the capital tends to commercialise the projects that are meant for the people, while Plzeň, perhaps due to its smaller size, or perhaps due to an unnamed factor, is able to retain the cultural essence of the event in its purest sense.”

Comparing Prague and Plzeň in terms of ecology, Milan replied, “Probably neither is at the forefront in this subject. There are cities which are much further ahead.” As an example, he mentioned Brno, which is currently working on a project aimed at conserving rainwater.

What, then, determines a city’s decision to develop new cultural and ecological projects, and see them through? Milan said, “All cities tend to have the incentive to create new projects whether cultural, ecological, or innovative, such as water conservation and green roofs. But the deciding factor is generally the political response from the party or leaders in office at the time.”

Brno, he said, received a lot of support from the municipality, financial and otherwise. He added that perhaps even Plzeň wouldn’t have become European Capital of Culture in 2015 had there been a different political agenda at the time.

However, the agenda of a city’s politicians can sometimes be toppled by the people. For example, in Plzeň, shortly before 2015, there was a dilapidated community centre which was destined to be destroyed. But before that happened, the building (“somehow,” Svoboda said) got into the hands of a private owner. He initially had plans to knock it down and build a new shopping centre, but with the traffic in Plzeň being very car-focused, this was a big worry for residents, because it would have put a strain on transport. The locals decided to campaign against it, which was possible due to an existing condition where public land had to be used in combination with the proposed shopping centre project. The people won and the shopping centre was not built, although it’s still an empty lot with no designated function today.

“This was something wonderful, because the citizens of Plzeň showed interest in what a city should look like,” said Milan. Plzeň provides basic amenities perfectly, such as infrastructure and media. However, the aesthetics of the urban environment are and have always been overlooked. Milan tried to hold architectural contests in Plzeň in an attempt to change this, but there wasn’t a great turnout. “The struggle is mostly to make it so that the quality of the construction is in the public’s interest.

Today, the view is that it is in the public’s interest, but this is not officially a condition. There is no point in designing a building that doesn’t fit or is unable to function with others in the surrounding environment,” he said.

There is, however, a growing interest in public space, not only what it looks like, but also what’s in it. And this agenda can go with or against certain political agendas. What also helps is having architects in key city political positions. For the public it has helped to improve communication between themselves and politicians, leading to movements such as “Trash hero” or Žižkov’s own “Žižkov není Šiškov” (“Žižkov isn’t poo-town,” referring to dogs), which aims to create a more liveable public space and is even prepared to incentivise participants with rewards.

These and other similar projects in the “lepsitrojka” movement are a great way to propagate public interest. It is therefore a combination of will and luck, in political terms, which will allow citizens to be involved in cities’ future.

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Photo Reportage

By Mo Movahed

www.myhands.design

Pride

Special Pride is a large celebration which bolsters LGBTQ+ rights movements all over the world. Behind all of the colourful festivities and joyful parades, it is important to remember that Pride is also a stance against violence and discrimination toward the LGBTQ+ community and a way of recognizing those who are not able to be openly proud of who they are.

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Transparent

Being Transgender in the Czech Republic

By Pét’a Bielicki

Trans people live amongst us, whether we notice them or not. Over the years, they have been referred to by different names and treated in different ways by cis-gender (person whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex) people.

If we look at Jewish history and the Talmud, several categories of non-cis people are identified. The Talmud was written by men who also saw females as an anomaly. So, in short, they determined that there were two genders – men and not-men. Not-men were divided into several categories. Female, Androgynos: a person who has aspects of both male and female genitalia. Tumtum: a person whose genitals are obscured, making their gender uncertain. Aylonit: a female who fails to show signs of female maturity by the age of 20. Saris: the general term for a male who does not show signs of maturity by the age of 20 (there is some debate about whether he needs to fail to show any signs, or only some of them, to be considered a saris). The category of saris can be further broken down into two others: a saris khama is a male who is sterile because he was born that way, and a saris adam is a male who is sterile because he was castrated.

In some Indian cultures, a third gender called Hijra has been recognised.

Hijra are trans people who do not consider themselves men or women, and they have been mentioned in ancient texts dating back 4,000 years.

The name comes from the Urdu language and roughly translates as “eunuchs.”

But what about the Czech Republic and Czech sexology? In the early 20th century, Czech sexology was flourishing. At a 1932 congress in Brno, new sexual reform goals were announced, which were very progressive at that time. They included the political, economic and sexual equality of women; the elimination of church and state interference in marriages and divorces; contraception in terms of family planning; health care focussed on offspring; the protection of single mothers and their children; the proper and fair assessment of sexual relationships, especially for homosexuals; the reform of punishments for sexual acts in terms of sexual freedom; a different attitude to paraphilia as a pathological phenomenon; the prevention of prostitution and sexually transmitted diseases; and systemic sexual education.

Nowadays, Czech sexology is stagnant. Trans people have to go through the same procedures via the same system that has been in place since the 1960s. They must undergo a Real Life Test − a period of time in which transgender individuals live full-time in their preferred gender role − for at least two years, Hormone Replacement Therapy for at least one year, and two examinations by a psychologist and committees. Trans people have to change their name to a neutral version if they want the committee’s approval to undergo genital surgery.

Tereza Španihelová was born into a male body, but felt she was a woman from early childhood. She spent four years undergoing gender transformation before the ministerial committee rejected her request for a gender change. The reason was that she had not changed her name to one that was considered neutral, an experience which Tereza described as “humiliating” in an interview with aktualne.cz.

Following approval by the ministerial committee, trans people may undergo the surgery. But the legal gender change and the final name change is still conditional on so-called sterilisation. In fact, sterilisation is the ligation of the fallopian tubes or of the sperm duct. Trans people actually have to undergo surgical castration, with female-to-male people having to undergo a hysterectomy and male-to-female people having their testicles removed. In an article for novinky.cz, the famous Czech sexologist Jaroslav Zvěřina describes sterilisation as sensible.

He said, “Some of the activist groups of ‘trans people,’ i.e. the individuals with these problems, are convinced it is not right to condition the legal change of sex on the elimination of the gonads or at least sterilisation.

I don t́ consider it a reasonable opinion. Male or female affiliation is a fundamental characteristic of every person. And it ś not possible that every individual should decide on that. Men don’t give birth to children and women shouldn’t be their fathers.”

In the same article, “Are Czech sexologists scared of transsexuals?,” Zvěřina is reported to have said: “What would a woman do in her everyday life if she visits her gynecologist and shows her penis? And what would a man do if the urologist couldn’t find his penis, testes, or prostate?”

Petr Weiss, a professor of psychology specialising in sexology, said something similar in an article by idnes.cz. “Official sex change must always be preceded by genital surgery,” explained Weiss.

Earlier this year, an idnes.cz article about the Supreme Court of the Czech Republic’s opposition to gender transition without surgery went viral on Czech social media. The court referred to Czech tradition, which considers only two genders (male and female). It did not follow the proclamation of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. One of the judges, Karel Šimka, said in the article, “In the Czech Republic, such a gender concept is established and considered normal, desirable, and ‘natural,’ and is seen as constituting one of the cornerstones of social order that cannot be withdrawn by way of a judicial decision, even in cases permitted by the European Court of Human Rights or the German Federal Constitutional Court.”

The Czech trans community has opposing views on the subject. Some agree with the sexologists who support the sterilisation requirement, while some are firmly against this.

One representative of the Czech transgender community who is strongly against it is Viktor Heumann. Viktor is a translator, a co-worker of MFF Mezipatra and cultural projects in the LGBTQ+ community, and the founder of the non-profit organisation Trans*parent. The organisation focuses on uniting trans people, creating a safe space for them, and defending their rights. Trans*parent also organises group sessions where trans people can discuss their problems. The sessions are closed to cis people, but the partners of trans people can participate if the group approves. There are now also sessions arranged for English-speaking trans people, as well as activities for trans youth.

What does Viktor say about sterilisation and transgender identities?

“Transsexual is a kind of artificially created category that is merely a consequence of medical labelling. It is a label for an individual of the opposite sex who wants to get rid of his or her original sexual features.

Many trans people want it (to undergo sterilisation) but I also know many who are more like me. Transgender is an umbrella term for many identities. We feel like we are a different gender than we were born, but it does not mean that we need to undergo the surgery.”

The fact is, “transgender” is a term for many kinds of gender identities including agender, genderqueer, polygender, bigender, pangender, genderfluid, and many others. Not all trans people feel gender dysphoria (anxiety about their bodies) and want to transition. They just want to live their lives in peace and without prejudices and labels.

SPECIAL

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Prague Pride

Then, Now, and Beyond

By Jacob Porteous

An Introduction to Pride Pride is an annual event taking a positive and welcoming stand against discrimination, violence, misinformation, and prejudice towards gay, lesbian, trans, and other queer individuals. It aims to promote the struggle for equal rights, address injustice, build a sense of community, celebrate sexual diversity and gender variance, and educate the public about these issues.

Pride events are often held in June – the LGBT Pride month.

It may just seem like a big party, but Pride’s roots are in protest.

The fight for LGBT rights, as a movement, can be traced back to the Stonewall riots.

In the United States, homosexuality was still a criminal offense at the time – men could also be arrested for being in drag, and women could be arrested if they weren’t wearing “feminine” enough clothing. Police would regularly raid known gay bars to arrest and humiliate the patrons.

The raids continued for years and the frustration and anger of the LGBT community grew until in June 1969, the patrons of the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, New York, fought back.

Pride has come a long way since then, but there are still pressing legal fights facing the LGBT community, from the ongoing fight to keep same-sex marriage legal in the United States, to the right of same-sex couples to adopt children in the Czech Republic. In some places, homosexuality is still a punishable criminal offence.

Pride remembers and commemorates the act of defiance that gave birth to the LGBT rights movement, while continuing in the spirit of the bravery at Stonewall to improve the lives of LGBT individuals around the world.

Symbols of Pride include the ubiquitous rainbow flag, as well as two reclaimed from the brutality of Nazi oppression: the pink and black triangles with which gays and lesbians were labelled in concentration camps – since repurposed as positive symbols of identity and visibility.

The rainbow Pride flag was created by artist Gilbert Baker and first unveiled at a march in San Francisco organised by the gay rights icon Harvey Milk. The original eight stripes were “hot pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony and violet for spirit.”

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Prague Pride: History The first Prague Pride parade, held on Saturday, 13 August 2011, caused quite a stir. Originally slated by many locals as being unnecessary in what has been dubbed the most tolerant Central European country, everything changed with Petr Hájek, then deputy head of the Presidential Office.

In an attack on other politicians’ support for Prague Pride and a call to Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda, Hájek called it a “political demonstration … for a world in which sexual or any other deviation becomes virtue.”

Several embassies reacted with an open letter in support of the event, but it was the reaction of the public that spoke volumes. What was expected to be a small start to Pride events in Prague became a massive celebration and demonstration by not only the LGBT community, but by their allies – new and old – in the rest of society. Supporters showed up in droves wearing masks of Petr Hájek’s face, shirts, paint, and more, declaring “I am a deviant” in protest. Approximately 25,000 people attended Pride in 2011.

Since then, Prague Pride has continued to grow, and the 2018 event was the largest yet, topping the charts in a few categories – from being the hottest week of the summer to having the longest Pride Parade yet, and even organising the largest mass, mobile, and anonymous HIV testing in Europe. The week-long event also attracted 92,000 attendees, and around 40,000 people marched in the parade.

This Year’s Pride: What to Expect From Prague Pride 2019 Prague Pride isn’t all about the parade – in fact, it is a week-long event with a range of activities, and is one of the largest cultural events in the Czech Republic. On the festival programme are social and cultural events, public discussions and debates, sports, and appearances by significant visiting public figures like the LGBT activist Omar Sharif Jr. and Eurovision Song Contest winner Conchita Wurst.

The festival regularly hosts over 100 events throughout its week-long presence in Prague, and of course, culminates in a spectacular parade with music and floats celebrating inclusivity and the visibility of the LGBT community in the city and beyond. Led by the mayor of Prague since 2015, you may see other notable faces in the crowd, from celebrities to political figures like the Dutch MEP Sophie in’t Veld and the previous American ambassador to the Czech Republic, Andrew H. Schapiro.

So what can you expect from Prague Pride this year?

2019 is a significant year to the LGBT community: it’s the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots – Pride events around the world are paying tribute to and celebrating the achievements of the LGBT rights movement since.

This will also be true for Prague Pride, turning to the trials and tribulations of the Czech Republic’s own LGBT history behind the Iron Curtain. “We will focus on the legacy of the past, relevance for today and our responsibility for future generations,” says the official site.Pride will open with an outdoor concert on Střelecký island in the heart of the city centre, featuring 80-year-old Polish DJ Wika, Gunn Lundemo, and actress, musician, and activist Daniela Sea. The following week will be chock-full, with activities ranging from drag shows and ballroom vogue to exhibitions and public discussions. Maintaining a strong human rights angle this year, as always, Prague Pride will feature an outdoor photo exhibit on the queer history of the Czech Republic.

Carrying on the theme of looking to the past for inspiration for the future, Pride will also feature talks and discussions focused on bringing older and younger generations together to facilitate intergenerational understanding, and to pass the lessons of the past on to the LGBT community.

At noon on Saturday 10 August, you can join others in Wenceslas Square before walking through Prague’s historic centre all the way to Letna Park, where the celebration will continue in the summer sun with food, drinks, and music until 22:00. But the party doesn’t stop there: keep an eye out for any of the multiple afterparties dotting the city that evening, including Pride Official Afterparty – Dirty Dirty Dancing Vol 5, held in the converted cargo ship club Altenburg 1964.

Then close out the Prague Pride festivities on Sunday with the Pride Picnic in the Pride Village.

For more information and to see specific planned events, check out the official Prague Pride website at praguepride.cz.

Photo by @jin.snoopykim

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The Rainbow Capital Prague’s LGBTQ+ History

By Karel Vladyka

In August last year, an estimated 40,000 LGBTQ+ people and allies marched through the centre of Prague in the city’s eighth Pride parade, cementing its position as one of the gay capitals of Europe. The local queer nightlife and cultural scene have bloomed rapidly since the fall of communism in 1989, attracting many queer youths to the country’s capital, with gay bars, cafés, and clubs popping up, and annual queer movie festivals, Pride, and other cultural events taking place.

This year, cities around the world are preparing for their biggest Pride festivals yet, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York, the birthplace of the gay liberation movement and of what we know today as Pride. In June 1969, a group of marginalised people, led by drag queens and transgender women of colour, fought back against police raiding the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village.

This sparked a political and cultural movement that soon rippled through the Western world.

Here in the Czech Republic, it wasn’t until the end of the oppressive regime 30 years ago that real political progress could begin. Homosexuality had been decriminalized in 1961, but during most of the communist era, it was hardly safe for anyone to be openly gay, as it put them at risk of losing their jobs or worse. The first comprehensive anti-discrimination law including LGBTQ+ people wasn’t passed until 2009. So what was queer life like in past centuries?

The first reliable source mentioning the “sin and sodomy” of two men lying with each other dates from 1380, but the first sources we have about homosexuals as a group of people come from the end of the nineteenth century – when it comes to the lives, traditions, and meeting tactics of our medieval queer brothers and sisters, all we have to go by are legends and speculations. For example, it has been said that Saint Wenceslas, the tenth-century Duke of Bohemia, liked to “invite men over after dusk.”

But that might just have been badmouthing from his opponents, who probably found his soft and peaceful nature too queer, unfit for a ruler.

Secret Places One of the keys to any city’s LGBTQ+ history lies in the places where same-sex lovers could meet and socialise, whether it be cruising spots for quick intimacy or inconspicuous cafés and private apartments where shared ideas and a sense of community could flourish. According to Queer Prague, an excellent guide to the capital’s queer history, probably the oldest cruising spot in Prague could be found around Náměstí Republiky (Republic Square) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.

Back then, this area was called Josefské náměstí (Joseph Square).

In 1902, a police commissar told the press that Urnings (the German word for homosexuals) meet at the square, indulging in “passionate perversions.” The year 1902 turned out to be crucial for the local gay subculture, as the murder of one Gustav Wolf, often seen at precisely that cruising spot, had been widely written about in connection to his sexuality, bringing the gay subculture and the dangers of living openly into public consciousness.

Club Batex, in the building next to Kotva at Náměstí Republiky, became a quintessential cultural space for the queer community during the First Republic. Built in 1928-1929, it was soon known as a place of legendary parties and masquerade balls. Pictures from a 1932 ball in the magazine Hlas document some of the opulent, gender-bending outfits worn by guests. On 30 January 1932, 150 people met in the club to discuss gay rights and political progress, making it the largest documented meeting of the LGBTQ+ community during the First Republic.

Photo by Lukáš Bíba for Prague Pride

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Photo taken from the Soho revue, Sam Club

Hotel Evropa, situated in the middle of Václavské náměstí (Wenceslas Square), was another significant meeting location for most of the twentieth century, with the first written sources dating from the early thirties.

The café and lobby of the hotel were frequented by both gay men and women. It even had its own hierarchy, as Franz Schindler writes in Miluji tvory svého pohlaví (I Love the Creatures of My Sex) – “Downstairs, the homosexuals would sit mixing with others. The mezzanine, however, was purely gay territory – they would simply take up the whole space.” By the eighties, Bar Rostov, situated at the corner or Václavské náměstí and Jindřišská Street, became the hotspot for younger homosexuals, with Evropa starting to attract an almost exclusively older clientele.

Pioneering Progress LGBTQ+ artists, activists, and organisations constitute arguably the most important part of our shared progress and history. The first official Czech LGBT organization, Lambda, was formed soon after the Velvet Revolution in 1989. It was soon followed by others – SOHO (Association of Homosexual Citizens’ Organisations) became the most prominent, merging different activist groups together. Actor Jiří Hromada took the lead, becoming one of the first famous Czech personalities to come out publicly and stand up for gay rights.

During the nineties, some of the main focus points of the movement were the HIV crisis and the hardships of coming out. The focus soon shifted to gay marriage, more precisely registered partnerships – after several unsuccessful attempts, the registered partnership legislation bill was passed in 2006, although it notably excludes adoption rights, joint taxes, or the word “marriage” itself. In recent years, the call for marriage equality has gained intensity, with organisations like Jsme fér lobbying and amassing thousands of signatures for the cause. According to Jsme fér, 61% of Czechs support same-sex marriage, with 73% support among people under 29.

Another group worth mentioning is STUD, started in Brno in 1996, which later founded the annual Mezipatra Queer Film Festival – now an important staple of Czech queer culture, held every November in Prague, Brno, and other regions. At the turn of the millennium, Code 004 and Lesba.cz became pioneers in creating online spaces for the Czech gay community, spaces without which it’s hard to imagine the landscape of dating and navigating the world as an LGBTQ+ person today.

Transparent was founded in 2015, and it became an important organisation focusing solely on the rights and acceptance of transgender people, which had for too long been overlooked. Thanks to the global shift in the conversation to transgender rights and acceptance, perceptions are slowly changing for the better, but transgender people in this country are still required to undergo gender reassignment surgery in order to legally change their gender.

Queer Future The fight for equality and acceptance is not over, but the majority attitude towards LGBTQ+ people seems to be more positive than ever, especially in the city. The increasingly globalized world has also made it easier for minorities to form communities in the proper sense of the word, with an online presence making it easier to meet, socialise, and organise change.

Riding the mainstream success of drag, brought on most notably by hit television shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race, Prague has also seen a boom of new drag queens in the past few years, adding to the city’s queer cultural landscape.

We can only hope that attitudes and laws will continue to change, leading towards full equality for people of all genders and sexualities. And while there is always more progress to be made, there is one thing we can all aspire to do to help create the world we want to live in – to be ourselves and love unapologetically.

Oko! Magazine would like to thank Jan Seidl for assisting with the writing of this article and for allowing us to take information and inspiration from his book, Queer Prague.

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Château Perché

The French Festival with a Buzz

By Jacklyn Janeksela

Step over the threshold and into spaces that seemed impossible to dream until you actually dreamed them. Press up against the looking glass, fall through it, dream bigger if you dare. Open energy channels, open your entire being, be open, get ready. Become one with all you see, feel, touch, and hear. Become the sound waves that touch your body, let the electronic wash stimulate your nervous system into bliss.

This is no ordinary festival, this is Château Perché. You are equal parts ready for it and not ready for it. That is the magic of music. Château Perché will serenade you to astral levels and you will never look at music, festivals, or castles in the same way again.

At Château Perché, the objective is to become something you didn’t expect to become. No longer is the goal simply to enjoy electronic music, staring beyond the DJ’s agile fingers, closing your eyes for the third-eye chase, and dancing with electronic urge. Now, the goal transforms – you transform. Be the music, let it seep into your pores and redesign itself as a drop of sweat falling from your body after a long DJ set. At Château Perché, your whole body vibrates for the sound art cause. Listeners are not listening anymore, they immerse, then emerge. They fall into the ether of sound, only to be born again as an electronic pulse in the next note – the flight of the electronic bumblebee.

The creators, a group of seven French students who came together on Berlin’s techno scene, set the bar high. Their intention was to create a cultural clash that took the best of Berlin techno and gave it a decidedly French context. Perché has taken its influences from two countries (France and Germany) and ended up creating a festival that reminds me of the heyday of UK festivals, such as the early Big Chill Festivals – that’s a pretty sweet combination,” says Ben Osborne , who was the first British DJ to play the festival and has played the last five editions. “The name literally means the perching or moving castle. So, each year they find a new chateau. It’s a very French setting, but one that ignites the universal imagination. Every year you think, ‘That’s it, they’re not going to find a better castle next year. But somehow they always find a better one.’

Sound bounces across the courtyards of the castle in the heart of France and into the hearts of listeners, many of whom don extravagant, DIY haute couture egged on in their creativity by the festival’s proclamations: ”For the time of Château Perché, let’s turn ourselves into those coordinated itsy-bitsy creatures in a heavenly microcosm. Insects pullulate in Paradise. Costume themes:Day 1: The Surge of Insects, Day 2: The Ephemeral Togas of Paradise, Day 3: And the firefly shined.”

Château Perché is not just another music event – it includes all artistic forms. As it says on the website, Château Perché is literally a poem. But it is also live, interactive theatre, where the lines between guests and performers are blurred into one. Reminiscent of Sleep No More from New York, this is the go-to music festival of the summer for those into theatrics, electronic harmonies, and regalia. It makes perfect sense, too.

Château Perché’s festival grounds are enchanting, sprawled across l’Arboretum de Balaine, both glade and exotic forest, and France’s oldest private arboretum. The space houses 3,500 plant species that will provide ornamentation for a four-day celebration. From Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 July this year, guests are invited to have a kinesthetic experience.

They are requested to be the sound of the world around them, particularly the world below their feet, as the creators beckon them to transform.

Interpretations and renditions of insects present the perfect theme for a midsummer dream. The festival also asks guests to engage through expression – and there is plenty of that going on.

Photo By Kevin Sr. Forchateau Perche

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There will be vital calls to Mother Nature by respecting the grounds where the festival takes place. And through mindful action, guests ground themselves in kindness. They become an integral part of the scenery and not just visitors. This is also expressed in the festival’s zero tolerance for non-biodegradable products, a ban on cigarette butt littering, and overall adoration for nature.

Excitingly, this year Château Perché is hosting a showcase spotlight on for Czech acts. Over the last few years, Ben Osborne has been working with Jaroslav Rauser, the man behind several Czech festivals and former head of Prague’’s Acropolis, to present three rising stars of the Czech electronic scene ‒- Bratri, Himalayan Dalai Lama, and Kalle.

At the end of June, Himalayan Dalai Lama and Cross Club hosted a warm-up party for Perché with festival founder Samy joining Cross regular Osborne. No other place (apart from a Czech castle) would do for the warm-up party, as Cross Club is famous for its eclectic exterior and interior, pointing to similar vibes for the big event in France.

Photo by Valentin Duch

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Summer Music Festivals

A Guide to Having a Blast this Summer

By Hyunjin Kim

“Every Czech is a musician,” as the proverb goes. The Czech Republic is well-known for its talented musicians throughout history, including names like Smetana and Dvořák. It is perhaps due to the Central European nation’s rich musical history that to this day, an abundance of music events and festivals take place all over the Czech Republic.

When thinking about music festivals in this country, the first thing to pop into your mind might be Prague Spring, an international classical music festival, which was recently held for the 74th time. However, in this article, we aim to introduce you to some of the other music festivals happening this summer.

The multi-genre music festival United Islands of Prague kicked off the Czech Republic’s summer festival calendar on the very last day of May this year. Its 16th edition, with a British theme, was set in Karlín and featured contemporary British bands such as The Sherlocks and Husky Loops. With the slogan of “More than 100 bands, on 10 stages, from all over the world,” one of the main themes this year was Freedom Island, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the fall of communism.

While United Islands of Prague started in 2004, Metronome – another multi-genre music festival – is relatively new, being held since 2016 at the Výstaviště exhibition grounds in Holešovice. Featuring global stars such as Liam Gallagher, Primal Scream, Kraftwerk and Morcheeba, the fourth edition of Metronome did not disappoint with its quality sound and atmosphere.

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Let’s turn our attention to the summer’s more genre-specific festivals.

First, there is Rock for People, the Czech Republic’s largest rock festival.

It was first held in Český Brod in 1995, but the event grew too big for this site and was moved to a larger site in Hradec Králové. Travelling 100km east of Prague could be well worth it this year if you are a fan of Rudimental, Franz Ferdinand, or the Manic Street Preachers.

Brutal Assault, taking place from 7 to 10 August, might just be the festival for you if you missed Rock for People, or perhaps if you prefer your music a little more hardcore. This heavy metal festival has been running for the past 20 years and is unique thanks to its unusual location – the historical military fortress of Josefov near Hradec Králové. To experience the exceptional acoustics of the venue, be sure to attend this four-day festival.

Photos from 2018 Rock for People, by Petr Klapper

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If you are in the mood for something experimental, the Creepy Teepee Festival offers a contemporary music experience in the medieval city of Kutná Hora. The festival organiser, Jakub Hošek, says, “Creepy Teepee is not your average music festival. It’s more a community meeting for people who love music and are interested in contemporary trends in music and art, sharing the same social attitudes … It’s about openness and tolerance.”

Another rebellious festival that offers non-commercial, non-mainstream music is Eurotrialog Mikulov, the festival of unpopular music. Eurotrialog, which has taken place on the last weekend of August since 1999, started with the idea to gather independent artists from the Czech Republic, Austria, and Slovakia.

Lastly, the Czech Ukulele Festival is too unique not to mention.

The festival organisers try to reach a variety of crowds by holding the event in a different location every year. In the past, it has been held in Karlštejn Castle, the Plzeň Brewery, Poděbrady, and Kutná Hora. This year, the event is coming to the Divčí Skok pub at Divoká Šárka from 26-29 July, so it will be easy for residents of Prague to stop by.

In the Czech Republic, music fans are spoilt for choice every summer.

You can attend multi-genre festivals simply for the festive vibes, or try something new at genre-specific or experimental music festivals. It seems that this year, there will be a place for everyone to boogie, no matter what their taste in music.

Many of these non-commercial music festivals have been successful over a sustained period of time. One of the last existing reggae festivals in the Czech Republic, Cultural Reggae Vibez, is a great example. Taking place in Hořice, 100km from Prague, the festival’s 18th edition this year will give you the opportunity to chill out to reggae, oak, dancehall, ska, and world music.

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Photo by Lada Nayevo

Unico Osteria

Italian Treasure off the Beaten Track

By Richard York

Sometimes it is necessary to go the extra mile to find gastronomical distinction. It is no coincidence that the Michelin grading system is based on the principle that excellent cooking is worth a detour and exceptional cuisine is worth a special journey. It should therefore be no surprise that, despite the mountain of Italian cuisine in Prague, a little more effort is required to find the summit.

The destination is Horoměřice, midway between Prague’s town centre and Václav Havel Airport, in fact, part of the backroad route used by frequent travellers to avoid missing flights on heavy traffic days. Around the corner from the občerstvení and just past the řeznictví-červ lies the goal: Osteria Unico.

The visit invariably starts with a warm greeting from Italian head chef Davide Lagomarsino or his Czech wife and co-owner, Karolina. Unico is a family-run restaurant, where every element is an expression of the story and personality of the owners. Davide’s own journey from his native Liguria to Prague is another example of the extra mile, having spent 15 years in Sydney, Australia, at the helm of several locally renowned restaurants including Fratelli Paradiso, Cucina Vera, and Zeffirelli, where his guests included Hollywood glitterati such as Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, Robert De Niro, and Keanu Reeves.

Along the way, Davide has developed a style based on showcasing the finest ingredients, handled with simplicity, and served with genuine passion for the cuisine of his homeland. But he has also acquired a new-world flair, meaning that his dishes are unlike any other Italian in Prague.

Calamari is given a classically Antipodean salt-’n’-pepper treatment, also a feature of his New Zealand lamb cutlets, which are paired with a mildly sweet honey, black pepper, and chilli sauce which would be right at home under the Australian sun. Summer also radiates through the sous vide Iberico pork ribs, whose falling-off-the-bone tenderness complements the soft texture of luscious grilled watermelon, with the combination kicked into top gear by a light but flavoursome bourbon glaze.

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Pasta dishes similarly follow a modern but simple approach. Ligurian pasta pockets conceal a trio of spinach varieties, bathed in a subtle but confident walnut sauce, while beef fillets served with linguine are served succulently pink, enveloped by a deliciously pungent truffle velouté.

It is possibly with seafood that Osteria Unico reaches its highest point.

Ever-changing based on the supply from Liguria, the fresh flavours of Davide’s excellent ingredients are allowed to shine through. Whether it is his signature carpaccio-style octopus, lightly braised and cooked in its own juices; the deceptively humble trippa di baccalà, served simply with confit garlic and tomato on rosemary crostini; or the more adventurous Boston scallops gently offset with Jerusalem artichoke puree intriguingly paired with a poached quail egg and tarragon, Davide’s sympathetic treatment means the seafood always remains the star of the dish.

The desserts on the ever-changing sweets menu are never heavy and always complementary to the meal. It may be glazed strawberries with a white chocolate ice cream or fagottini drizzled with a lively sauce of coffee and anise. And the coffee, of course, is as excellent as can be expected from an authentic Italian trattoria.

Just as Davide’s journey to establishing Osteria Unico has taken him around the world, dining there takes most guests off their beaten track.

As with many trips over the rainbow, there is gold to be found, and in this case the reward is undoubtedly the best Italian cuisine in Prague.

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Photo by Lada Nayevo

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Davide Lagomarsino

An Interview with Unico’s Head Chef

By Richard York

You have had such broad international experience, from Italy to Australia and back to the Czech Republic. How have these varied places influenced your cuisine?

Travelling is very important for a young chef. It was necessary to learn about different cultures, and these experiences have been very important in shaping me into the chef that I am today. The incredible variety of gastronomic experiences have given me more knowledge about Italian cuisine and to learn more about different flavours and fusion techniques, in addition to working alongside some of the best chefs in Australia.

Your cuisine has its roots in your homeland Liguria, which has a strong emphasis on seafood. What is the secret to sustaining that tradition in a landlocked country?

Liguria is a region along Italy’s north-western coastline. I grew up around fishermen who would return from the sea and sell their daily catch almost as soon as they had docked. The fish that live in the saltier and warmer waters of this region of the Mediterranean taste slightly different from those caught in the Atlantic or Pacific. For this reason, I continuously source my produce from my home region in order to maintain the same flavour and quality. This allows me to bring the Ligurian flavour to any part of the world.

With all the pizza, pasta and other Italian-themed restaurants in Prague, have you noticed a growing maturity in the typical Prague diner’s appreciation of authentic Italian cuisine?

I have been living in Prague since 2008 and the city’s growing number of Italian restaurants and pizzerias over the past decade is evident.

However, it is my opinion that people are changing their mind about Italian food and that today, Asian food is trendier. Now you will find that in many Italian restaurants there is no Italian chef. This isn’t necessarily a problem, and many of them cook very well, but having the experience of growing up in the nation that the cuisine comes from and eating food homecooked by your mamma goes a long way. There are some good restaurants and pizzerias in the Czech Republic that import top quality produce from Italy in the same way that we do here. It makes our customers feel better accustomed to the food from my country.

You have blended traditional cuisine and techniques with a modern approach. Is there a tension, and what is the key to resolving it?

Working with different top chefs from around the world has provided me with knowledge and new techniques. It has also helped me to understand other cultures when it comes to food and spices. Combining my traditional Italian food with other traditional cuisine requires two key factors; simplicity and freshness. I try not to mix too many different flavours because this will only confuse the palate. Diners should be able to understand what they have on their plate and enjoy flavours which complement one another well.

Finally, with all the famous guests you have served in your career, and your own renown especially in Australia, what have you learned about the mixing of celebrity and chef?

My career as a chef will always be most important to me. My goal is to make sure that my clients understand and feel the passion and love that goes into the dishes I prepare. It is a great pleasure to see Michelin star chefs and famous actors from around the world dining at my restaurant, but anyone who chooses to come here is treated with the same respect and we would love to get the same. Working in a restaurant is one of the hardest jobs around, so it is lovely to see when people appreciate this and have a passion for great food.

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Crudo di Ombrina Bocca D'oro

1 Serving Ombrina

1 Fillet Umbrina fish Pink pepper Fennel Celery Cucumber Orange zest Lemon zest Mint 50 ml White wine vinegar 1tsp sugar 50 ml Fresh water

Dressing

1 tbsp Lemon juice 1 tsp Truffle oil 1/2 tsp Wasabi 1 tsp White wine vinegar Salt flakes

Preparing the Salad Prepare a marinade for the vegetables by combining the vinegar, water, and sugar. Finely slice the fennel, cucumber, and celery before adding them to the marinating liquid. While this sits, thinly slice strips of lemon and orange zest.

Making the Dressing Combine the lemon juice, truffle oil, wasabi, white wine vinegar, and salt flakes and whisk firmly until well combined.

Preparing the Fish Thinly slice the fillet of Umbrina and present on the plate with a few grains of the pink pepper as shown on the image. Refrigerate this while making the salad.

Dressing the Plate Remove the vegetable slices from the marinade and dry them thorougly, place a couple of slices in the centre of the plate on top of the fish slices, and finish with a couple of strips of lemon and orange zest.

Just before serving, adorn the plate with a few mint leaves and sprinkle two or three teaspoons of dressing on top.

Buon Appetito!

Davide Lagomarsino

Photo byLada Nayevo

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Summer Wines

Your Guide to Choosing the Perfect Bottle

By Kristýna Krupková

Summer is finally here and whether you will be celebrating the hotter months with parties, barbecues, or just lazy weekends by the pool, it is a great time to enjoy a refreshing drink. Ice-cold beers, tangy ciders, fruity lemonades, bitter G&Ts, and light fresh wines are some of the most common beverages consumed at this time of year, and I would like to recommend some of the latter for you to enjoy.

A popular choice in the last few years is Prosecco, often accompanied

by Aperol. If you like it, why not – go for your Aperol Spritz. But remember that sparkling wines have an amazing range of aromas and tastes, so make sure to give your tastebuds a chance to enjoy a variety of them.

Sure, Prosecco is easy to find and often the cheapest option, but there are other choices.

Unbeknownst to many, what most bars in Prague present as “very dry” the extra-dry Prosecco – is actually one of the sweeter categories of this type of wine. So unless you are a fan of higher residual sugar (extra-dry means 12-17g per liter), ask for brut (12g or less).

I personally prefer the bubbles made by the so-called traditional method, where the secondary fermentation happens in the bottle rather than in a big tank. The longer the bottle is stored in the cellar with its lees before being sent to market, the more complex the taste and aroma, and also the finer and more integrated the bubbles. Examples of this are Champagnes, Crémants, some Sekts, Franciacorta, and Cava.

Cava is a delicious and more cost-effective alternative to Champagne.

It is fermented in Spain with local and international grapes, but always according to the traditional method. Crémants are French sparkling wines made in the same way as Champagne, but outside the Champagne region.

An obvious summer choice for many people is rosé, which recently gained global market share thanks to the popularity of very pale pink rosés from Provence and being promoted within the local market by the Moravian and Czech wine promotion body. Producing rosés is one of the best uses of the red and blue grapes grown in this country. There is also a wide selection of rosé wines from all over the world on the local market.

Local rosés can often be recommended – just make sure you find the right level of dryness or sweetness to suit your palate.

If you have a problem with the high acidity of whites and rosés, do not give up wine altogether. Light reds are a great alternative, perfect for food pairing and refreshing when chilled. Yes, you read that correctly.

Red wines are usually served at room temperature, which is meant to be 16-20°C (although Prague’s summer weather suggests otherwise) depending on the type of wine and your personal taste. So don’t be afraid to put your red wine in the fridge before you drink it it will warm up in the hot weather anyway!

Some of the lighter varieties taste best chilled to 13-15°C. Probably the best grape for summer is Pinot Noir, and you can buy some lovely wines that can be enjoyed with your barbeque or grilled fish. My recommendation would be the fruity style of Pinot Noir from New Zealand or Germany, or even the more oaky style from California, as it can be rather complicated to get the most famous Pinots from Burgundy in the right shape for drinking now. In Central Europe we focus on the production of lighter grapes, so you can experiment with Zweigelt or Blaufränkisch from Austria, or simply chill your Nebbiolo from Italy or Pinotage from South Africa.

Na zdraví!

There are many different brands of Champagne and in my opinion, the smaller the house and less known the brand, the better and often more economical the wine is. So if you taste a popular Champagne brand and dislike it, don‘t be fooled into thinking they are all the same.

Another interesting and relatively new wine on the Czech market is Vinho Verde. Often incorrectly translated as “green wine,” the name actually describes a whole range of light, traditionally slightly fizzy white and rosé (and a very small percentage of red) wines from the northernmost wine region of Portugal, called Vinho Verde because of its lush green landscape. Due to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, as well as to many rivers, this region typically offers light, refreshing wines with lower alcohol content (about 10% abv).

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Source Kristýna Krupková from foltynwine.cz

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J’s Kitchen

More Than a Korean Restaurant

By Benny Water

When you go to J’s Kitchen, don’t be misled by the food apps and websites that categorise this charming, family-run restaurant as purely Korean. Located in the heart of Vinohrady, there is far more on offer here than just traditional Korean cuisine.

As a matter of fact, J’s Kitchen does not exist to be a restaurant in its traditional sense, but more as a place where people come to meet, chat with one another, and share a moment of life.

To understand the origins of J’s kitchen, we have to travel back almost three decades to when the owners, Jinah and Jongsil, moved to Prague.

Jongsil pursued his PhD in the Czech capital, researching the relations between the Czechoslovakian Socialist government and the Church after the Second World War. The situation in the country at that time was quite unique for Korean theologists.

He later became a coordinator at the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren, and served as a liaison with his home church in Korea, facilitating research and cultural exchanges – a passion his son Hyunwoo has inherited. In fact, Hyunwoo currently facilitates exchange between the Czech Republic and Korea in the field of gastronomy.

Nowadays, when Jongsil is not helping Jinah at J’s kitchen, he is involved in the writing and translating of Czech historical books to Korean.

From the day the family arrived in Prague, Jinah was very concerned with her family’s integration into Czech society. The first hurdle they needed to overcome was to learn the language, but cultural integration was important to her too. The Prague restaurant and coffee scene of the 90s was not as developed as it is today, and with personal finances being limited at the time, she regularly invited new acquaintances and friends over for meals during weekends.

Not only was this an excellent opportunity for the family to practice their new language skills and build relationships with locals, but it also allowed Jinah to share her passion for cooking. She often recorded which dishes she had cooked for each person and made careful notes on different recipes provided to her in order to always surprise guests with new dishes. Eventually, the recipes that were shared with her became part of the family’s daily home cooking – often with a few of Jinah’s twists. Many of the notes and recipes still exist today and form the base of the dishes you can order at J’s Kitchen.

This restaurant is the result of 26 years of evolution and apprenticeship.

Hyunwoo says that each dish comprises a combination of traditional Czech and Korean home cooking, which is very well adapted to the local palate. According to Hyunwoo and the family, the key to their success is fresh, quality ingredients combined with honest cooking from the heart.

Photos by Lada Nayevo

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Ahoj Smíchov

Manifesto Market Expands to Vltava’s Left Bank On 19 July, the younger sibling of Manifesto Market opens its doors to visitors, reviving the unused yard of the historical Národni dům communal building in Smíchov. Next to the 1908 art nouveau facade, architects and design vanguards Chybik + Kristof created a shallow water feature, a lush green garden, and a new walkable deck. Hundreds of plants will support the concept as well, including hops, bamboo and flowering vines. mmcité will equip the space and pool area with designer chairs for relaxing, and the large terrace will turn into a stage several times a week, to host concerts and music.

The founder, Martin Barry, says,”We want to make the unique experience of pairing elegant design, local and international food, and cultural performances more accessible to the residents of the Vltava’s left bank.

We hope to create a new, exciting community hub near Anděl, and finally reconnect the Národni dům building and local residents to the bounty of beautiful gardens, parks, and the Vltava riverfront nearby.”

To share in its true summer vibes, visitors can enjoy a curated selection of international “bar food,” to be paired with Pilsner tank beer, brews from Vinohradský pivovar, fresh lemonades, and original cocktails. Regular hands-on beer tapping classes will be organised, led by the winners of a master bartender contest.

Manifesto Smíchov will collaborate with Red Bull to present DJs, live musicians, and free concerts and present music nights curated by the team from Ameba Production – the producers of the legendary Rock for People festival. The collaboration with Red Bull will also include film screenings, free to the public.

Sustainability is in Manifesto’s DNA, and all Manifesto Markets run on 100% renewable energy, produced by the Czech firm Nano Energies. The lighting, kitchens, and fridges, but also the summer cinema projector and DJ sound system, are powered by energy produced from sun, wind, and water.

environmental impact. One such step is our commitment to use only green energy for all Manifesto locations and to power our headquarters with green energy. We hope that our actions will help inspire others to use green energy. Anyone can make such a decision, at home, as a developer and building owner, or in a company office,” explains Barry. He is also the organiser of the respected reSITE conference – the next event, REGENERATE, will take place in September and include the topics of energy and climate under the umbrella of urban regeneration.

The summer will be not any less inspiring at Manifesto in Florenc, where you can cool down under several water misters and prolong your holiday and travel mood through an international selection of authentic food and cocktails. Free summer cinema screenings start every Monday at dusk and music events are organised every Thursday to Saturday, featuring Guy Bennett, Chris Kaufman, and Johnny Majestic, to name just a few of the favourite returning performers.

Manifesto Smíchov is a pop-up and will have a shorter existence than its Florenc sibling: after this winter, it should move to another site in the same district. Manifesto Smíchov and Florenc are cashless, dog-friendly, and non-smoking.

Don’t procrastinate – come enjoy the urban oasis daily from 11:00 to 22:00.

“There are no better guardians of our future cities than ourselves.

We can be the solution to global warming. Sustainability is a core mission for Manifesto and as such, we have taken many steps over the last year to adapt our operations and reduce our carbon footprint and

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FOOD & DRINK

INDONESIA UNTAMED Photo Exhibition by Leigh Woods

Featuring the iconic wildlife, stunning nature, and wondrous temples of Java, Sumatra, Bali, and the Komodo Islands. 10% of the proceeds will be donated to the Born Free Foundation.

AUGUST 2019

Klub cestovatelů, Masarykovo nábř. 239/22, Nové Město, Prague www.wildlifewoods.net

WILDLIFE WOODS

@woodswildlife

@wildlifewoods

MAGAZINE

Letná in the Spotlight

The District Timed by the Ticking of the Metronome

By Julie Orlova

Nothing rushes in Letná, neither the trams nor the people. They are moving at the leisurely pace dictated by the Metronome, which nods approvingly at everything that is happening on the right bank of the Vltava. Life here means gardens, unhurried streets, and homemade food in a myriad of cafés. The name Letná itself (previously Leteň) translates as “the sunny height,” and it really is – a pastel yellow hill, covered in greenery and full of art, that is especially popular with the owners of fanciful moustaches and drinkers of soy milk flat whites.

In The Past The quarter of Letná exists only in the imagination of its inhabitants – legally the district does not exist. The name of the district is actually Holešovice (formerly Holešovice-Bubny), and Letná was originally the name of the hill overlooking Prague’s historic centre and the Vltava River next to Prague Castle. However, nobody argues with the locals, who consider the buildings from Strossmayerovo square up to Sparta stadium a separate district. We will not argue with them either, so an independent depiction of Holešovice – which undoubtedly also deserves to be in the spotlight – can be expected in a future issue.

Letná is embraced on both sides by the parks Stromovka and Letenský Gardens, and this is where the story of the district begins. The enormous open space that later became Letenský Gardens was originally home to a military and sports exercise area. Various stadiums were also built here during and after the 19th century. However, there were no people living in the area at that time. In 1885, Holešovice-Bubny was incorporated into the city which gave them access to money for infrastructural development, loans etc. The building that helped initiate mass settlement was the water tower, which was completed in 1888. Since then, many artists, sculptors, architects, designers, and in fact, everybody who revolved around the Academy of Fine Arts, began to flock to Letná.

The hill of Letná has always attracted magnificence. King Přemysl Otakar II held a coronation feast here in 1261, which is reflected in the name of one of the streets and the tram stop Korunovační. The same place became infamous 700 years later for its greatest sculptural achievement or its greatest atrocity – the Stalin monument. This colossus, designed by Otakar Švec in the 1950s, stood above Prague, looking out over the city from a 15m pedestal, as tall as a five-storey building.

The designer of the monument, which was mockingly called the “Meat Queue,” committed suicide two weeks before the unveiling. Some argue that he could not bear for his name to be forever associated with something so monstrous and hated by the nation. Some pieces of the Meat Queue are still thought to be at the bottom of the Vltava, after the monument was demolished in 1962 with the help of 2,000kg of explosives. However, the vast majority of the ruins were thrown into the enormous underground space under the statue. It was originally intended to serve as a Stalin Museum, but in the end, it became his symbolic grave. From late 1989 until October 1990, the space served as a live music club for underground bands, and after that, it became a location for the first independent radio station, Radio Stalin (later renamed Radio 1).

Now the spaces are completely closed, except for special events such as occasional tours or public movie showings in the summer.

Few of Letná’s place names refer back to a history of struggle. Instead, artistic merit has always been celebrated. Letná was and is known as the Republic of Artists or Letenský Montmartre for its elevated location and infinite cafés and pubs full of creative types.

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

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Present Letná is famous for the many creative spaces hidden from prying eyes – walking along the northern border of Letná (from the Stromovka side) one can stumble upon a multitude of buildings boasting huge windows.

These are mostly the former, and sometimes current, studios of painters, sculptors, and graphic artists, with coffee houses or secret galleries such as Artrafika also hiding among them.

Kateřina Ebelová is the granddaughter of a student of the Czech sculptor Myslbek. As well as being a sculptor herself, she’s the founder of Café Alchemista and therefore responsible for some of the most delicious homemade cakes in Prague. She is a regular participant in the quarterly art discussion meetings, where she represents her gallery, Scarabeus, and the Museum of Coffee and Marionettes.

The southern border is guarded by another art space, a gallery that everyone can see, but that not many people know about. It’s called Artwall and it’s located on the retaining wall of Letenský Gardens.

In the late 1990s, the American artist Barbara Benish had the idea of using this space (previously used for communist propaganda) to present contemporary art. The first ever project that came to life there was Flower Power in 2000.

“For us, the most important thing is always the community, the chance to connect with people. We help each other when organising new events, or those like Máme otevřeno (“We are open”) and Letenský Masopust. We try to get as many creative people as possible from Prague 7 involved, that’s how the artistic community grows so strong.”

Life here is lived as if the whole world were crammed into a few streets and houses. One need never leave Letná, because everything you might want is at your disposal – a cinema and a theatre, a handful of museums and galleries, and an abundance of cafes, specialty shops, and hidden gardens, where everybody is welcome. Letná is very hospitable; this is a place to settle with your family, a place to have one too many with your newfound mates, as well as a place for cultural enrichment, whether it is finding out about the greatest inventions in agriculture or about 101 replacements for everybody’s favourite drink in The Coffee Museum.

In return, Letná requires nothing more than for residents and visitors to be open-minded and young at heart.

This close, creative community plays a certain role in the prosperity of local businesses – since people have the feeling that everything is within reach and don’t leave the hill, they are not afraid to try out new places and spots, which often become popular and rarely close down. People feel compelled to contribute to the growth of this already thriving area.

“Letná is like a luxurious little village where everybody knows everybody and all kinds of people are welcomed,” said Klára, the owner of the designer gift shop CoverOver, while simultaneously greeting a customer in French. “We have been living in Letná for ten years. We managed a little private nursery before, but we felt like a little inspiration in the form of a design studio was missing.“

Those who have lived in Letná their whole life follow the same pace as newcomers. People here embrace change and are unafraid to take matters into their own hands, applying their self-governing principles to their cultural life – the heads of all the art spaces in Prague 7 get together once a quarter to solve everyday problems and discuss the future of the district.

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Photos by Julie Orlova

Future Needless to say, Letná is compact and hyped up. It is loved for being dog-friendly, vegan-friendly, and environmentally friendly. But it wasn’t always like that, nor will it stay that way. Some consider living here a necessity, which creates a high demand for apartments. The influx of new tenants and the rise in prices are making rental fees unaffordable for established artists who are being forced to leave their studios for somewhere cheaper.

Meanwhile, far from eyes blinded by the love of Letná, hide dilapidated houses, where a sneeze might be enough to bring bricks down on a resident’s head. Walk down Veverkova, Ovenecká, Čechova, or Šmeralova, and you’ll catch sight of places that don’t seem to fit the reputation of the most sought-after postcode in Prague.

One can only fear for the future of Letná as Prague’s coolest area.

Two extensive construction projects are in progress: the seven-storey Hotel Letná next to the Sparta stadium, and Letna Obchodni Centrum (OC) – a shopping centre next to the National Gallery. Letná disposes one to a slow pace, so a buzzing shopping centre, coupled with a hotel full of fussy tourists, threatens to disrupt that rhythm. Nevertheless, residents are not discouraged.

Letná has much more to offer than a handful of brunch spots, an afternoon in the park, and an evening at a vernisáž. No other district in Prague is as inviting and as eager to take your cares away.

The locals say, “Letná letí – Letná flies by.” They might have gotten it from the breezy, laid-back atmosphere on the streets and from each other.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

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Photo by Rob Wingate

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TECHNOLOGY

3D Print Your Life A Printing Revolution

By Dominik Jezek

A mug with a goofy inscription, a pot in the shape of your favourite movie character’s head, or a cool dragon toy – the 3D printer is a wonder machine for playful spirits. And not just for them. Handymen can easily replace broken tool parts, teachers can make models for their physics classes, and doctors can print you a new heart. Yes, you read that right – even though it’s just a small prototype, it shows the incredible potential of this relatively new technology.

The basic principle is simple. You create or download a digital 3D model and the printer makes it physical. And just as you were once hypnotised by the turning plate in your microwave oven, you can now marvel at the surgical precision of the print head, which applies one layer of material after another.

Attack of the Replicators The technology is more than 30 years old and thanks to major production cost reduction and quality increases in recent years, investors smelled business and dug deep into their pockets. According to the server Statista.com, the 3D printing market size worldwide will reach $17.5 billion in 2020, roughly four times as much as in 2013.

Much of the credit for making this technology more accessible to the wider public belongs to Czech developer Josef “Jo” Prusa, who started his company in 2009 and designed his 3D printers in such a way that they can partly replicate themselves. On top of that, he made all his work open-source so that everyone can construct his or her own Prusa printer.

Give it artificial intelligence with machine learning and a functional arm, and you have the first robot-human war before you can say Skynet.

Plastic vs Glass 3D printing is not just about fancy colourful polymers. Ask the Dutch, namely their royal couple, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, who wore the first reading glasses with printed plastic lenses six years ago. The Dutch company Luxexcel, which produces these lenses, sold over 5,000 of them last year and is being awarded with one ophthalmic quality certificate after another. They’re a lot cheaper to produce than standard glass lenses and are customisable and fully functional. But why not print lenses from glass? That’s where things get a bit trickier.

First of all, while glass lenses are more scratch-resistant, thinner, and cooler-looking, they are also a lot heavier, brittler, and more reflective, which makes them more prone to glare. The other reason is production cost – most of the plastic polymers need to be heated to 200-300°C, while glass liquefies at 1400-1600°C (and soda lime glass at 500-600°C).

Its more complex structure also makes it harder to work with. Although MIT researchers introduced industrial-scale production capabilities for glass 3D printing last December, we might need to wait a few more years before we see some of its products at our ophthalmologist.

Laser Savings Metal is the perfect material to show the key advantages of 3D printing.

It works in a similar way as its plastic relative. A powerful laser scans and selectively melts the metal powder particles, which are thinner than the width of a human hair, together layer by layer in a strictly controlled atmosphere. Sounds like a lot of expensive materials and high tech, but worry not, finance majors – the efficiency, effectiveness, and economy are soaring.

Photo by cea+

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Speed comes to mind first. Especially when talking complex designs that need a high level of precision, 3D printers can reduce lead times from weeks to hours. All that cutting, welding, drilling, and sanding fuses into three basic steps: digital design, 3D printing, and installation.

The traditional manufacturing process also produces loads of waste material, whereas additive 3D printing creates almost none. You can imagine it as a competition for the best mini-sandwich. While the traditional manufacturing chef ravages a whole loaf of bread, a kilo of cheese, and two pork legs, the young 3D-printing gastro-challenger adds layer after layer of carefully sliced ingredients and when everything is in place, he dusts off the crumbs.

The simplification of the process leads to savings in energy consumption and labour costs, not to mention fewer design restrictions and easier customisation. Not everything results in a landslide victory for the 3D print team, though. In fact, traditional methods still reign supreme because the costs of metal 3D printing remain rather high, rendering it less suitable when it comes to simpler or too-big-to-be-baked-in-a-printer designs.

The Light Side of 3D Printing If you are an imaginative soul and metal seems a bit mundane to you, we’ve got you covered. Let’s move on to printing with light. Before your head starts running wild with sci-fi celestial beings that snap their fingers to fulfil your wishes – the material is called resin, which is the sticky, dense liquid that trees produce to heal themselves after physical damage.

In nature, it sometimes traps insects, solidifies into amber, and accidentally creates Jurassic Park.

In a laboratory, researchers pour the synthetic resin into a small glass container and use a projector to shoot light at it. When exposed to a certain amount of light, the liquid resin turns solid. The system has so far created objects of up to 1 decimetre in diameter, which took between 30-120 seconds. A little longer than a finger snap, but still not bad. The best part is that you don’t need to create a digital 3D model, because you can scan an existing part and replicate it. No wonder the researchers from the University of California, Berkeley nicknamed their 3D printer “Replicator.”

Underground Rat Burgers The famous Star Trek food machine inspired a lot of others. Chef3D, Foodiny, and ChefJet are already dishing out chocolate, pasta, and pizza from their printer heads. But why would anyone be too lazy to go into the nearest supermarket instead? The answer consists of four letters, starting with “N” and ending with “ASA.” This organisation launched its Advanced Food Program project in 2013 to make space travel more attractive by providing more appealing dishes for astronauts.

While we all can agree that astronauts deserve some pizza in space, 3D printed food might become the holy grail of processed food manufacturers. If you think about it, processed food is more or less 3D-printed – it goes through a machine straight into a mould and then into a form.

Instead of having a huge factory that churns out packaged food, you could use 3D food printers to decentralise the whole process and save a truckload of money on transportation – not to mention becoming known as an environment-protecting visionary and all the interviews you can show your mum and dad.

Fitness coaches and people who obsess about their daily intake would also be happy that they can devise their perfect diet with exact parameters including ingredients, amount of calories, or flavour. Want to decrease your daily intake by exactly 10,5 calories? Or make baked crisps out of cauliflower that taste like strawberries? Have we gone completely demolition-man-crazy? If you wake up one day and realise that the only way to get a proper burger is to descend to the underground and trade your Rolexes for it, we could only say we told you so.

The Bio Miracle Coming back to healthcare, 3D printing has something way more impressive than metal jaw replacements, endoprosthetics, or plastic reading glasses in store for us. Say hello to artificial organs. Even though almost every marketer uses the verb “revolutionise” as often as a toothbrush, it fits this situation like a glove.

The so-called bio-ink, which is used for growing organs and other body parts, mainly consists of stem cells and hydrogel. Doctors take a piece of your live tissue, mix it with a liquid, and let it cultivate in an incubator.

Then they print the first jelly-like construction, impregnate it with neural stem cells, and put it back into the incubator, where it grows into its final shape. The transplantation follows.

A research team at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine printed the first transplantable human ear along with a jawbone, muscle tissue, and cartilage structures three years ago. Two years ago, Australian Reuben Lichter, who suffered from a severe bone infection, was the first person to receive a complete 3D-printed shinbone scaffold.

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego restored a paralysed mouse’s mobility with a printed and completely functional replacement of a severed spinal cord.

As you can tell from the last example, human organ replacements remain elusive. The recent 3D-printed heart or kidneys are just prototypes as big as your thumb and there are many more questions to be answered before we are able to create a functional, life-size human organ that our body accepts and which will last for more than a few months. Scientists estimate that the first successful transplant of a “printed” organ will take place in 10 years at the earliest.

One thing is for sure – 3D printers are gradually claiming their rightful place in factories, scientific laboratories, and university classrooms, and we can’t wait to see what else the future has in print for us.

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TECHNOLOGY

Photo by Emmanuel Touraine

TECHNOLOGY

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Photo by Platenum

Astronomy’s Great Revival From Prague to Polaris

By Leigh Woods

The science of astronomy has always held some share of popular regard, but recent years have seen the wider community’s interest in the subject skyrocket. Despite a general lack of understanding, physical phenomena such as meteor showers, solar eclipses, and blood moons increasingly encourage ordinary folk to come out in droves to witness them. And when these rare and beautiful cosmic events occur, those who observe also want to comprehend.

Astrophysicist and science communicator Carl Sagan was arguably the first person to simplify the complicated subjects of cosmology and astronomy for the masses through his award-winning 1980 docuseries, Cosmos. It was revived in 2014 by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, and presented by Neil deGrasse Tyson, both of whom received plaudits for their work on this Netflix show. In combination with expensive productions like Brian Cox’s highly rated Wonders of the Universe and BBC’s primetime show Stargazing Live (both of which first aired in 2011), there is plenty of evidence to suggest that as the universe continues to expand, so does humankind’s quest for related knowledge.

With that said, what options exist outside of libraries and living rooms for residents of the Czech Republic who want to learn more about astronomy? How can they discover more about the universe in an engaging and interactive manner, without having to acquire knowledge only through reading books and watching television? Where can they go to meet scientists and be among other enthusiasts to discuss and explore all things astronomical?

The Planetarium in Holešovice’s Stromovka Park is a good place to start.

It began regular operations in late 1960 and has since gone through several transformations in order to enhance visitor experience. In 2014, the Planetarium installed a Sky-Skan Definiti 8k digital projection system, giving visitors the opportunity to view projections of the sun, moon, planets, stars, and other celestial bodies at an image resolution unparalleled in all of Europe. In fact, thus far the state-of-the-art technology has only been introduced to 11 institutions worldwide!

The digital projection system has allowed the Prague Planetarium to offer its visitors an experience far beyond the usual boundaries currently limiting similar institutions. Unlike the classic optical planetarium, it is possible to observe objects in the cosmos not just as seen from Earth, but also throughout space and time.

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This three-dimensional projection of the universe within the building’s large dome helps to better showcase and explain space phenomena.

Want to see how the Earth looks from the Moon’s surface? No problem.

Interested to learn how constellations will change over the next few millennia? This incredible piece of highly sophisticated technology has you covered.

There are currently nine shows (three of which are for kids) that can be experienced in both Czech and English. Each show also begins or ends with a 20-minute commentary on the current night sky, though this part is only available in Czech. Additionally, visitors have access to a variety of interactive exhibits within the Planetarium’s walls, including Mars and Moon surface driving simulators, a black hole model, and the option to check the differences in their body mass on individual planets.

If your curiosity extends past what’s on offer at the Planetarium, you can also visit either of the two observatories in Prague which, like the Planetarium, are part of the Platenum brand. The Štefánik Observatory is located centrally, on Petřín Hill, and the other can be found in the northeast part of the Ďáblický grove in Prague 8.

The Štefánik Observatory’s mission is to encourage a greater interest in astronomy among the general public and to cater to the increasing number of locals who wish to learn more about the science. The observatory not only provides an opportunity to observe the night sky using large telescopes along with expert commentary, but visitors can also explore and experience a wide variety of public lectures, interactive exhibits, physical experiments, and multimedia content. They even have the chance to handle some of the authentic meteorites on display! Furthermore, the observatory facilitates astronomy courses for both children and adults, allowing for a more structured approach to learning.

SCIENCE & NATURE

Of course, living in the city centre can sometimes limit stargazing opportunities due to light pollution. Ďáblice Observatory is situated on the outskirts of Prague, where the glare of the capital city’s lights is a little less intense. Here, visitors can also browse astronomical exhibitions, attend captivating lectures, and gain access to professional telescopes.

On a clear day, it is even possible to see mountains situated as far as the Czech border, including Krušné, Jizerské, and Krkonoše.

Similar to mankind’s taste for uncovering long-lost civilizations, searching for hidden treasure, or discovering new species, is exploring the uncharted universe and astronomical unknown. With three different attractions situated around the city and some of the most technologically advanced systems at its disposal, it is safe to say that when it comes to sharing knowledge on the mysterious world of astronomy, Prague is lightyears ahead of most other European capitals.

Photo by Platenum

Photo by Platenum

SCIENCE & NATURE

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Significant Celestial Events from July to August 2019 9 July – Saturn at Opposition

29-30 July – Delta Aquariids Meteor Shower

This is the best time to view the ringed planet as it will be at its closest approach to Earth, with its face fully illuminated by the sun. Using a large or medium-sized telescope, one will be able to see Saturn’s rings and even a few of its brightest moons, including Titan, the only moon in the solar system that has a dense atmosphere.

Technically, this meteor shower runs annually from 12 July to 23 August, but it peaks on the night of 29 July and on the following morning. The Delta Aquariids produce up to 25 meteors per hour during this time and will radiate from the constellation Aquarius. Visibility this year should be good since the moon will be in its waning crescent phase.

16 July – Partial Lunar Eclipse

10 August – Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation

Unlike the total solar eclipse which will occur two weeks prior, Czechs will be able to look at a partial lunar eclipse this July (albeit a very slight one).

It occurs when the Moon passes through the Earth’s partial shadow, and only a portion of it will pass through the darkest shadow.

This is the best time to view the solar system’s smallest planet. It reaches its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky, so look east just before sunrise for an astronomical treat.

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SCIENCE & NATURE

12-13 August – Perseids Meteor Shower Producing up to 110 meteors per hour at its peak, the Perseids is widely regarded as one of the greatest meteor showers to observe in the night sky. The shower runs from 17 July to 24 August, but peaks this year on the evening of 12 August and the morning of 13 August. Famous for producing a large number of bright meteors which radiate from the constellation Perseus, the Perseids make for spectacular viewing from a dark location after midnight.

SCIENCE & NATURE

Photo by Zoltan 67 Tasi

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SCIENCE & NATURE

Fungi Fever

The Czech Tradition of Mushrooming

By Xinya

In his famous book about aesthetics and philosophy, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche suggested that “we should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once.” In the Czech Republic, we can easily rephrase the quote as, “we should consider every summer lost in which we have not picked mushrooms at least once.”

Every summer, locals venture out to collect and consume large quantities of mushrooms. In fact, the Czech University of Life Sciences revealed in its 2017 annual report that around 27,700 tonnes of mushrooms were picked by fungi lovers in the same year. That’s an astonishing seven kilos per household! The pastime has been practiced in the Czech Republic for many years. In fact, the only time in recent history that Czechs did not pick mushrooms was in 1986, because people were afraid of potential radioactivity from acid rain after the Chernobyl disaster.

The Czech Republic’s landscape is rich with lush green forests and rolling hills, both of which provide a perfect environment for fungi to grow abundantly and in great variety. Furthermore, the warm, windy, and sometimes rainy summer weather helps to produce the perfect climate for mushrooms to thrive between May and September each year. There are estimated to be over 1,500 species of mushrooms in the Czech Republic.

Locals have easy access to nearby forests and mushrooms, even if they live in big cities like Prague or Brno. Hvězda forest park, Stromovka, Strahov, Klánovický les, and the Šárka Valley are all good places to go mushroom hunting, and all of them are located in or close to the capital.

Destinations such as Příbram, Plzeň, Křivoklát, and forests in Central Bohemia are also frequently visited during mushroom hunting season.

It is said that the origin of mushroom hunting in Bohemia can be traced back centuries to when mushrooms were seen as “meat for the poor.”

Even if some special types of Czech mushrooms such as boryl actually burned the tongue, hunger drove people to eat them. Nowadays, rather than being an activity necessary for finding a source of nutrition, hunting for mushrooms is more a life ritual for most Czechs, where family members bond and share knowledge on the dos and don’ts of mushrooming. Children are educated at school about mushrooms and their edibility, and for those who are not sure, the Czech Mycological Association’s website is a good portal to the world of wild mushrooms. Nowadays, Czech mushroom apps also equip amateurs with AI technology to decide if a particular species is safe to eat or not.

But the mushroom hunting pros don’t need these. Instead, they turn their leisure activity into more of a national sport. They rise early, throw on their special costumes, and head out into their own secret patch of forest with wicker basket and sharpened knife in hand. When they are satisfied with the harvest, they will carefully cover the remaining mushrooms with leaves so no other hunters will spot and pick them. Some take the pastime so seriously that upon encountering other mushroom hunters, they might take a sneaky peek into their basket to see who the winner of today’s “competition” is.

Different mushrooms are used for different recipes. Those that grow as big as a dinner plate are often coated with beaten eggs and breadcrumbs and fried like schnitzel. The small, ginger-coloured liška is a perfect ingredient for delicious mushroom soup, while some other smaller and softer species are best smashed into mushroom sauce. Other local specialties such as sour mushroom soup and butter-fried mushroom with eggs or bacon are also popular. If more mushrooms are picked than can be consumed over the next few weeks, they can either be dried in the sun or pickled in vinegar to be enjoyed months later. Some families even use summer-picked mushrooms in their Christmas meal.

In the Czech Republic, the tradition of mushroom picking is not just a leisure activity. For most people, it’s a ritual they look forward to all year.

And once the season arrives, friends and families gather together to create fond memories while spending quality time interacting not just with nature, but also with each other.

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Javoříčko Caves The Czech Republic’s Hidden Natural Wonder

By Martin Koudelka

The Javoříčko caves are situated under Špraněk Hill, in the picturesque landscape near the villages of Javoříčko and Březina. The site is a complicated complex of huge chambers, passages, abysses, and joints at several levels. The Svěcená díra (Holy Hole) section and the Zátvořice Abyss have been known for many years, and the first written record of this underground area dates back to 1873. The majority of the cave system was discovered later, in 1938, by a team led by the game warden Vilém Švec. Other sections were gradually discovered by amateur and professional speleologists. The Javoříčko Caves have been open to the public since 1938 and the total length of all the corridors known today is 6km, with denivelation of over 100m. What makes these caves unique are their gorgeous, well-preserved dripstones.

Development The caves’ underground system is the most extensive of dozens of caves in the Javoříčko Karst. In terms of the length of its corridors, it is one of the longest in the Czech Republic. The oldest section, the upper level, is the largest of the chambers. The middle floor is situated about 40m lower and is connected to the upper floor through systems of shaft-like, winding corridors. The most extensive part of the middle floor is the so-called Objevná cesta (Trail of Discovery) and the Hlinitá Caves.

There are several entrances to the underground labyrinth of the Javoříčko Caves, which were created in several phases when two streams flowed together underground and the water drained to lower levels. The most substantial part of the Caves was probably created during the Tertiary Period when the collapse of ceilings and walls due to earthquakes caused the formation of big dome-like spaces.

History and Discovery Špraněk Hill kept its underground secret for a long time. Only the Holy Hole and the Zátvořice Abyss had been open to adventurers and the curious. In 1936, a game warden called Vilém Švec actively began to explore the karst cavities of Špraněk. He and his work team, among others, started excavation works at the bottom of the Holy Hole.

After six weeks, the Abyss opened and they gradually descended to its bottom, which lay 27m lower. They found a cave passage which continued in two directions. In April 1938, after they had crept through the challenging Objevná cesta (Trail of Discovery) area, the explorers discovered the vast Dóm gigantů (Cave of Giants) and subsequently

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some other areas on the upper floor of the Javoříčko Caves. Shortly after their discovery, Suťový dóm (Detritus Cave) was located and a passage was dug up to the surface. Works to make the cave accessible to visitors began, and they were opened to the public in May 1938.

Another important turning point in the history of the Javoříčko Caves is the period between 1949 and 1958 when another part of the lower floors – the Hlinitá Caves and Jeskyně Míru Caves – were discovered. The extent and importance of this discovery is comparable with those of Švec.

The Jeskyně Míru Caves consist of a complex system of corridors which are linked to the upper floor of the cave system. They were made accessible to the public in 1961. Both professional and amateur speleologists continue to explore the Javoříčko Caves to the present day.

They document different parts of the cave labyrinth and their work leads to the occasional discovery of new underground spaces under Špraněk Hill.

Stalactite and Stalagmite Decoration The spaces under the Špraněk Hill are a genuine encyclopaedia of stalactite and stalagmite shapes. Even during the first days of work undertaken to make the cave accessible to visitors, various colourful sinters (hard siliceous or calcareous deposits precipitated from mineral springs) were wisely protected. Thousands of fine straws decorating the ceilings of the underground halls are completely different in their proportions across the

SCIENCE & NATURE

cave complex. Numerous stick and carrot stalactites change to unusual stalactites. Huge sinter cupolas have groups of stick stalagmites and the walls are covered with hundreds of square metres of rimstone cascades and sinter coatings. Furthermore, incredible curtain and spherical stalactites adorn the chambers, making the Javoříčko Caves one of the Czech Republic’s most beautiful natural places.

One of them – the Olomouc Dome – is more than 100m long and is the largest ever discovered in the Javoříčko Caves. It ends in a massive, impenetrable cave-in. The process of documentation and exploration works in the whole Javoříčko Caves system indicates the possibility of some other undiscovered areas on both the upper and lower floors of the caves.

Areas of the Javoříčko Caves Inaccessible to the Public

Conservation and Use

The tour routes do not lead through many parts of the Javoříčko Caves system. Frequently, they are a confusing tangle of unmapped corridors, chambers, and joints which are difficult to access. The complex set of abysses – Lví jáma, Vlčí jáma, and Medvědí jáma – which were mapped in detail by a professional speleological group from the Homeland Studies Museum in Olomouc in the 1950s, are an exception.

The Javoříčko Caves are part of the Špraněk National Nature Reserve. At present, they are under the direct administration of the Agency for Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection of the Czech Republic – and they are strictly protected.

The most significant discoveries by amateur explorers include penetrating the area behind Závrtový dóm (Doline Dome) in the Jeskyně Míru Caves.

In 1983-1984 two huge chambers were discovered.

The conservation of the Javoříčko Caves is not only important because of its unique stalactite and stalagmite shapes, but also because it is the greatest wintering site for bats in the Czech Republic. The Javoříčko Caves have been known as a bat hibernaculum since the 19th century.

The lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros) is the most common, with about 5,500 individuals recorded last winter. The second most abundant species is Geoffroy´s Bat (Myotis emarginatus).

SCIENCE & NATURE

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Tours Visitors arrive through an artificial entrance into what is known as the Debris Dome. This large space, with an area of 2,000m2, is connected to the Zátvořice Abyss and boasts a gorgeous dripstone formation. The ceiling is particularly impressive, with a forest of stalactites of various forms and shapes. The bottom is covered with boulder debris, where one can see snow-white crust cupolas.

The Lion Abyss, with a total depth of 60m, leads from the Debris Dome.

The cave tour continues through a beautiful high corridor to the impressive Dome of Giants. This elongated space is dominated by stalagmites of up to 6m high, and by a wall decorated with sinter coatings, which is known as Niagara Falls.

There is a beautiful view of the Dome of Giants from a path that leads visitors to the Fairytale Caves, where one can see thin straw stalactites, spherical stalactites, and a unique transparent formation called Curtain.

The corridor of the Fairytale Caves leads to the Holy Hole, which is where the short cave tour ends.

The long cave tour continues through the Virgin Caves into three successive passages that form part of the Peace Caves: Špraněk, Vojtěchov, and Březina. These passages are 1-4m wide and sometimes up to 10m high, with rich dripstone decorations.

Helictites, or unusual stalactites that can be found predominantly in ceiling parts, are typical of the formations that can be seen here. The passage bends in the Doline Dome, where the spaces branch in different directions. The tour concludes with visitors passing the Horse Formation, situated at the turn to the Black Chasm, and continuing to an artificial exit tunnel.

Cave tours are available during the opening hours specified each year by the Cave Administration of the Czech Republic and published on www.caves.cz. Special tours outside normal opening hours are possible if operational conditions allow, and these tours may be booked by agreement with the Javoříčské Caves administration office.

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Photos by Správa jeskyní České republiky

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Lemonade

By Rosie Daniels

I hate people who make plans between two and four in the afternoon. It’s unreasonable, it’s short-sighted, and, quite frankly, I’m not going to stand for it anymore. These are the thoughts going through my mind as I stand at the tram stop in the blistering heat, waiting for the number 16 to rock up. It’s ten to three, I’m going to meet a friend in a café in Malá Strana, and I’m not happy about it. The next time someone suggests doing something at three p.m., I’m going to politely eject them from my life and dedicate my weekends to people with more respect for my lifestyle.

Maybe it’s not even a question of lifestyle, but rather of chemistry; by now I’m sure that my blood is one part coffee to one part ethanol. My life is split cleanly into two fractions – I spend half of my time sipping flat whites in Vinohrady’s most pretentious espresso bars, and when night falls I retreat underground on the hunt for craft beer places that won’t bankrupt me. Whenever a friend asks if I want to hang out, I reply, “Coffee or pint?” There’s something wonderful about the ritual experience around getting a drink together, especially when that drink gives you a little buzz.

I board the tram, deeply chagrined. Three o’clock – what kind of time is that? It’s too late for coffee; by now I’ve learned that coffee after midday will leave me lying awake, wide-eyed and heart thumping, way past my bedtime. Czechs might not sniff at the idea of clinking glasses midafternoon, but a voice in my head that sounds like my mother’s resounds: “Wait until six…” In British culture, there’s something distasteful about drinking steadily all day. We much prefer to wait until a socially acceptable time and get absolutely sauced in half an hour flat.

Czechs might drink more, but they still seem to drink better than my compatriots. I’ve rarely seen Czechs get so drunk they act up, whereas British town centres on Friday evenings are a dubious tableau of angst and vomit. Spookily, just as this thought crosses my mind, the tram glides past Karlovo náměstí, and I catch sight of a group of lads on a stag do in the grass by the entrance to the metro, some reclining, some sprawling. It’s clearly been a heavy one – I get a sympathy headache just by looking at them. It seems like – socially, if not medically – drinking a lot of quality lager over the week is much more wholesome than binging cheap cider at the weekend.

Still, all of this interesting cultural comparison doesn’t answer the pressing question: what am I going to drink? I’m fundamentally opposed to Birell and decaf on a moral level, so even the watered-down versions of my favourite drinks are off the table. Non-alcoholic beer and decaffeinated coffee are deeply unsettling to me, no matter how much they might claim to taste just like the real thing.

I once asked a friend why he was putting himself through the ordeal of a nealko Bakalář and he responded with the most Czech sentence I’ve ever heard: “Any beer is better than no beer.” Well, každému svůj, mate.

I’m in the café by now, and the waitress is standing in front of me, pen in hand. It’s crunch time: will I face the imaginary disapproval of my absent mother, or will I commit myself to a sleepless night? I’m still wavering. Both options feel like failure.

I try to buy myself some time with ill-fated weather chat, “Dobrý den, nu takové vedro dneska, jo? Ha ha ha… Er, no, já bych si dala, prosím vás…” And then it hits me – the answer to the whole sorry mess, a single word that untangles the entire conundrum – “Limonádu!”

And there it is, the perfect midafternoon drink. Non-alcoholic by design, caffeine-free, not as sugary as a Coke. I’m so pleased with my decision I forget to brace myself for the corollary onslaught of flavours – since, in Prague, no “lemonade” is just “lemon”. The first time I had a cucumber lemonade, the sheer nonsense of the drink’s name nearly made my head explode. The waitress draws herself up and says, “Máme citronovou, závzorovou, malinovou, okurkovou, heřmánkovou, borůvkovou, levandulou, bezovou, jahodov-” My brain, thoroughly saturated with flavours, melts into a puddle and, shame-faced, I resort to English, “Er, yeah, the first one, please.”

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Illustration by Klรกra Sedlo

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Oko! Magazine www.okomagazine.cz Registration : MK CR E 23315 IC: 0645533 ISSN 2571-3345 Edition #4 July/August 2019 Published July 8th 2019

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