"Ac daleko je k Europlatu, spravny Cech vlastni chalupu ci chatu!" (Even though European wages are still a long way off, a genuine Czech owns a cabin or cottage.)
Cottages and cabins have a rich history in the Czech lands. Chalupas (cottages) and chatas (cabins) emerged near the end of the 19th century and were popularized under the Communist regime. Cottages are second homes to a large number of Czechs, but their popularity has begun to decline recently. Oddly enough, COVID-19 caused a resurgence of cottage culture, and the tradition continues to impact Czech life.
Beginnings
In the late 19th century, chalupaření [cottage owning] became a staple for wealthy families in urban areas. They would use these chalupas as a means to escape from the city and relax. Chataření [cabin owning], however, was more related to the tramping movement in the late 19th century.
Tramping, a movement in the Czech lands and Slovakia that involves woodcraft, hiking, and camping, was based on the culture of the Wild West in the United States. It was popular among younger, lower-class individuals who sought to experience nature. This tradition picked up in the inter-war period due to the prevalence of outdoor sports, Western films, and the personal freedom World War I inspired. Young adventurers began pitching tents and setting up small abodes outside of the city. Luckily, there were many locations to set up cottages and cabins in the remote valleys of the river Vltava, south of Prague.
Communism
After World War II, Germans were expelled from Czechoslovakia and the Czech bought their cottages and cabins for a low price. This was the beginning of the cottage culture movement in Communist Czechoslovakia. It became so popular, in fact, that cottagers saved villages from becoming abandoned by reconstructing the homes.
Socialist industrialization and urbanization led to an abundance of young people moving to the cities, leaving their former homes abandoned. This caused an influx of more cottagers using them as recreational houses.
During the 1950s, sports such as canoeing or nohejbal emerged from these weekend-home communities. Activities such as these strengthened the communities, but many wanted to escape to their cottages to avoid the gaze of the secret police. Cottage communities were places where creativity could run wild, unlike the Communist-run cities. According to historian Paulina Bren, “By the 1980s around a third of residents of Prague, the capital, owned a countryside cottage, and another quarter had access to one.”
Today
Today, cottages have decreased in popularity, but COVID-19 caused a resurgence. It became much more difficult to travel abroad and leisure time increased exponentially, contributing to many Czechs purchasing cottages to vacation to. Unfortunately, purchasing a cottage has become more difficult due to rising prices in the housing market.
Written by Jaime Johnston
Battiata, Mary. “Czechoslovaks’ Cottages Are Their Castles.” The Washington Post, 30 July 1990, www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/07/30/czechoslovaks-cottages-are-their-castles/1a682eff-c08f-4c90-93bb-056c4339adf7/.
Fraňková, Ruth. “Czechs Love Their Cottages, but Perhaps Less than They Used To.” Radio Prague International, 7 Apr. 2021, english.radio.cz/czechs-love-their-cottages-perhaps-less-they-used-8605665.
Hutt, David. “How Covid Has Heralded a Golden Age for Czech Cottage Culture.” Euronews, 13 Jan. 2022, www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/01/13/how-covid-has-heralded-a-golden-age-for-czech-cottage-culture.
Willoughby, Ian. “Cottage Tradition Changing as Line between First and Second Homes Blurs, Says Dr. Jiří Vágner.” Radio Prague International, 7 July 2021, english.radio.cz/cottage-tradition-changing-line-between-first-and-second-homes-blurs-says-dr-8249002.