Alfons Mucha was an illustrator and the originator of the Art Nouveau movement. After being expelled from school for doing poorly, he decided to become a professional artist but still had trouble getting accepted by the Acadamy of Fine Arts in Prague, meaning he had to begin with a modest career. With the aid of a wealthy benefactor, Mucha worked as an illustrator in Paris, where he found his first lucky break when being commissioned to work on the commercial advertisement of Sarah Bernhardt’s Gismonda. This was the moment when his career prospects and celebrity skyrocketed.
Rudolf II: The Intellectual yet Disastrous Emperor
Rudolf II desired to unify Christendom in the Empire and tried to take a tolerant stance on religious issues. Though he was an ineffectual ruler, he had a love for academics that helped spur the Scientific Revolution. He was known as “the greatest art patron in the world,” and philosophers, painters, alchemists, astronomers, architects, and mathematicians came to Prague to work under his patronage.
Czech Wine: A Brief History
From legends to wine festivals, Czech wine has a rich history. Various rulers implemented regulations for viticulture, and it eventually grew to a large scale operation in the Czech Republic. Although many vineyards were left abandoned after the revolution, through the 19th and 20th centuries, Czech viticulture bounced back to the point of becoming a worldwide phenomenon.
Dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
It's quite a difficult thing to pin down an exact historical reason for any significant event. We can, however, follow the lives of a specific royal family and the events that surrounded their tragic lives. Over the course of a seventy-two year span, we will look at the events that led to the creation and dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.