Czech Center Museum Houston
Frantisek Kupka: Orphism

Bohemian artist Frantisek Kupka is the forefront mind behind the art form of Orphism. Orphism focuses on color and abstraction, similar to Cubism but also an “evolution” where abstract shapes are given precedence in contrast to solid, known geometric shapes. There are many examples of Orphism to see, spanning many years.

Frantisek Kupka: Orphism
Czech Center Museum Houston
Czech Beer : A Brief History

From the Brevnov Monastery to the modern-day Pilsner, the Czech people have been enjoying beer for over a thousand years. Known as the beer of tradition, Czech beer is ingrained into history itself. When beermaking was banned. the Brenov Monastery, as the first-ever Bohemian brewery, was exempt. Initially, after the ban on brewing ended, only noble families or homeowners were allowed to brew beer. It was in 1842 that the famous Pilsner was created.

Czech Beer : A Brief History
Czech Center Museum Houston
Eliska Junkova: Racing into History

Eliška Junková is the first woman to win the Grand Prix, in 1927. Even before, Junková was “Queen of the Steering Wheel,” a well-earned title that she worked towards since 1922. Her dedication to racing began with her dedication to her husband, Vincenc “Čenêk” Junek, whom she met at her job at the Prague Credit Bank.

Eliska Junkova: Racing into History
Czech Center Museum Houston
Great Moravia: Mojmir I and Rostislav (830-870)

After the death of Samo, there was uncertainty about the Czech and Moravian lands, but after the rise of Charlamange of the Frankish Kingdom, Moravians were able to recover. The princes of Moravia consolidated their power, and one in particular Mojmir I, rose beyond tribal institutions to establish Great Moravia. After Mojmir I's deposition, his nephew Rostislav became Louis the German's loyal vassal. In secret, however, Rostislav had ambitions beyond this.

Great Moravia: Mojmir I and Rostislav (830-870)
Czech Center Museum Houston
Milada Horakova

Milada Horakova was an advocate for democracy, stuck between both the Nazis and Communists for her adult life. During the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, she resisted, helping emigrants escape and harboring fugitives of the occupiers. Although she faced torture and death from the Nazis, she not only survived but also continued her same fight, this time with the Soviets. Sadly, she was sentenced to death and executed, even when eminent individuals of the time demanded her release.

Milada Horakova

Czechoslovakia

Intervision

Intervision

Intervision began as the Eastern bloc alternative to Eurovision, initiated by Czechoslovakia’s national television broadcaster. Though the initial contest lasted four years, it was abruptly ended by “Normalization” in Czechoslovakia. The Intervision concept gets picked up by Poland’s broadcaster for their Sopot International Festival, where it lasts four more years before being interrupted by political upheaval, yet again. Though the future of Intervision is uncertain, its past is worth a look for the intersection between art and politics.

Anny Ondra: Starlet of the Silver Screen

Anny Ondra was a major, international star, born in Bohemia. She faced many obstacles to get to such a status, such as major pressure from her family over many years. Still, she prospered and how she wanted. By the end of her life, she married and starred in over 90 films.

Irena Bernášková and the Fight for Czechoslovak Independence

Irena Bernášková, the second of Vojtěch Preissig’s three daughters, started her life in Boston, after being born in Prague, before returning to what was now Czechoslovakia. It was at this moment that she dedicated her life to writing and publication, particularly to resist the Nazi occupation. Although her relationship with her father initially splintered, it eventually mended as the two published a resistance magazine, V boj.

The Life of Zita Bourbon-Pama, Her Majesty the Empress and Queen

The long life of Zita of Bourbon-Parma is filled with tragedy and tough moments, while also sporting love and a zest for learning, not just of intellectual subjects, but also survival and acceptance. Her love life began and ended with Archduke Charles of Austria-Este. Being the Duchess of Austria-Hungary during the mid-1910s, she and her husband were met with many challenges and had to make various choices in order to ensure the safety of their country, for example. Despite the hardships, Zita lived long.

Running from Trouble and Rising to Success: Jan Antonin Bata and the Bata Shoe Company

Running from Trouble and Rising to Success: Jan Antonin Bata and the Bata Shoe Company

Discover the story of Jan Antonin Bata and highs and lows of his life as the boss of the Bata Shoe Company. Speaking of “highs and lows,” discover the unused throne of the “King of Shoes” inside the innovative office elevator!

Witness to the Revolution

As the trailblazing Velvet Revolution took place, many foreign to Czechoslovakia intensely paid attention. Some eyewitnesses photographed and recorded violence against protesters by riot gear police. Others made efforts to report the incidences and progress to the world as the revolution proceeded. The efforts of both protesters and witnesses to the revolution made way for a freer Czechoslovakia.

Alfons Mucha: Father of Art Nouveau and Proud Czech

Alfons Mucha: Father of Art Nouveau and Proud Czech

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.

The Life of Zuzana Růžičková

Zuzana Růžičková was a prominent pianist and musician. Although her life began with sickness, learning the piano and the harpsichord provided Růžičková with a passion to pursue throughout her life. The occupation of the Nazis in Czechoslovakia interrupted her life, like the lives of others, but her passion for music remained indefinitely throughout. Throughout her adult life, Zuzana Růžičková would proceed to win accolades and perform around the world, remaining a part of the Czech musical community until her death in 2017.

Czech Dogs and their History

The Czech Republic is home to seven different dog breeds with a storied history. The Bohemian Shepherd, for example, is the oldest breed, developed to guard the Kingdom of Bohemia. Most of these breeds were developed for rescue missions and hunting, either with a human companion or on their own. These Czech dog breeds have shaped the nation and continue to provide companionship and support to this day.

Brief History of Pankrác Prison

In the late 19th century, Pankrác Prison was built to replace the old St. Wenceslas Prison. Built with what many considered to be modern amenities for a prison of its time, Pankrác Prison would go on to be used through the Habsburg monarchy, Nazi occupation, and communist rule, up until today where it is still in use.

Brief History of Czech Bunkers and Their Future

In the Czech Republic, many bunkers were built during the Interwar Period and Communist rule. today, these once state-of-the-art fortifications lay abandoned. In response, the Ministry of Defense in the Czech Republic has decided to sell the bunkers to private investors.

Eliska Junkova: Queen of the Steering Wheel

Take a drive through the exciting life of Eliska Junkova: The Queen of the Steering Wheel, where you will learn how she became the first woman to win a Grand Prix Event and why she is an inspiration to many women racers.

Epidemiologist Ervin Adam helped eradicate polio in Czechoslovakia

Ervin Adam, a world-renowned Czech epidemiologist, died on 3/21/23 at the age of 101 in Houston, Texas. The doctor, who was instrumental in Czechoslovakia being the first country in the world to eradicate polio, went through several concentration camps during World War II because of his Jewish origin and survived a death march. From 1968 he lived in exile – first in Canada and later in the United States. In 2013 he received the prestigious Czech Head Award.

Milan Štefánik: Slovak Astronomer and Aviator

Many know the life and legacies of Tomáš Masaryk and Edvard Beneš, two Czechs who helped to found Czechoslovakia. However, there was a third person who played a very important role in the founding of the country: a Slovak named Milan Štefánik. Before he participated in the founding of Czechoslovakia though, he was first an astronomer and aviator.

Radio Revolution

Radio Revolution

Radio and its revolutionary effect were felt in Czechoslovakia just as it was in the rest of the world. It began with the first broadcasts, occurring before World War I, into the first Czech-produced program in late 1919. Of course, as radio technology progressed and advanced, its use as a medium for propaganda grew more and more robust. Despite its use in propaganda, radio also served as a tool to disseminate important information about the nation and the world at-large.

Karel Zeman: Czech Film Director and Animator

Legendary Czech film director, screenwriter, artist, and animator, Karel Zeman is known for creating fantasy and science fiction films. His first major breakthrough occurred in 1943 while participating in a window-dressing competition in Brno, where he accepted a job offer to work for the Bata Film Studios in Zlin. After that, in 1945, Zeman began work on A Christmas Dream, then directed his first feature film, The Treasure of Bird Island, in 1952. His work is illustrious enough for a museum dedicated to his work, the Karel Zeman Museum in Prague.

Tomáš Masaryk and the United States

Tomáš Masaryk, first president of Czechoslovakia, was inspired by the freedom and democracy of the United States. While negotiating for Czechoslovakia’s independence, Masaryk developed not only political relationships, but also personal and intellectual ones with the United States. During the First World War, he was exiled after siding with the Allied Powers, but did not give up on garnering support from his fellow Czechoslovakians. The Lansing Declaration of May 1918 was one of many important moments in the future creation of the Czechoslovak Republic, which eventually came to pass, all before he died in 1937.

Warsaw Pact

Warsaw Pact

Created on May 14, 1955, the Warsaw Pact, also known as the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation, and Mutual Assistance, was a collective of Eastern European countries prompted by West Germany joining NATO in the Paris Agreement in May 1955.

Oldřich Kulhánek and the Czech Koruna

Oldřich Kulhánek was a Czech artist and critic of the Communist Regime best known for his work on designing the current Czech banknotes. His career began in 1958 at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. During his young life, his politically motivated art would get him arrested and the art almost destroyed since he negatively portrayed Communist leaders. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Oldřich Kulhánek was once again free to express his views through his art and was tasked with designing the bills of the Czech Koruna.

A History of Czech Feminism

The once egalitarian, agrarian society of Bohemia became ruled by the Hapsburg Dynasty, causing a regression in women’s rights until Christianity helped improve their lives. The National Revival brought the creation of Czechoslovakia and greater rights for women. When communism came, rights improved in some ways and did not in others. The change to a capitalistic democracy brought further changes.