Culture of the Czech Republic

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Czech culture has been shaped by the nation's geographical position in the middle of Europe, the Slavic ethnicity of Czechs, influences from its neighbors, political and social changes, wars and times of peace.

There are 16 Czech locations listed among the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO,[1] six Czechs have been awarded a Nobel Prize[2] and 173 have been nominated.[3]

History

Main articles: History of the Czech lands and Bohemia

Architecture

Kotva Department Store – an example of Czech Brutalist architecture (built 1970-1975)
Further information: Czech architecture

The Czech Republic has been home to many architectural jewels and renowned architects. Peter Parler's contributions to gothic Prague, Benedikt Rejt's late gothic deconstructivistic work, father and son Dietzenhofers' baroque works, Santini's unique baroque style, Fanta's and Polívka's Art Nouveau landmarks of the early 20th century Prague, Rondocubist attempts of Gočár and Janák at creating a distinct national style for the new Czechoslovak Republic – all of these are great examples of the rich architectural tradition of the Czech lands. The Czechoslovak pavilion was awarded the best pavilion of the 1958 World Expo in Brussels, earning the name Brussels style for the Czech architectural styles of those years. Jan Kaplický was a renowned Czech postmodern architect, particularly known for his works in the United Kingdom and one of the best known contemporary Czech architects is Eva Jiřičná, who won the Jane Drew Prize in 2013.[4]

Art

Further information: Czech art
Hypnotiser by Bohumil Kubišta (1912), currently in the Gallery of Visual Arts in Ostrava

The art tradition in the Czech lands starts with engravings on

etchings or Ferdinand Brokoff's statues on Charles Bridge belong among the best examples of Czech baroque
art.

One of the most prominent Czech

The Little Mole (Krteček in Czech). Possibly the best known contemporary Czech artist is David Černý
known for his installations in public spaces.

Cinema

Further information: Cinema of the Czech Republic
Ořechovka Cinema built in Art Deco style c. 1920

The history of Czech cinema starts with Jan Kříženecký, an early pioneer of cinematography from the end of the 19th century. The first major film studio, Barrandov Studios, was launched by Miloš Havel in 1933.[7] Otakar Vávra was among the most notable domestic directors in Czechoslovakia from the late 1930s onward. In the 1960s – leading up to the Prague Spring of 1968 – the Czechoslovak New Wave emerged, led by directors like Miloš Forman, Věra Chytilová or Jiří Menzel. Miloš Forman managed to flee before the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and continued his career in the United States, where he reached high critical acclaim and received two Academy Awards for Best Director for his movies One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and Amadeus (1984).[8] Jiří Menzel was another Academy Award laureate, winning the 1967 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film with his first feature film, Closely Watched Trains.[9] A contemporary director Jan Svěrák is another laureate of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, which he received for his drama Kolya in 1996.[10]

The Czech Republic also has a long tradition in animated movies. Probably the most notable animator is Jiří Trnka – active from 1940s to 1960s – recognized especially for his stop motion puppet movies.

Cuisine and diet

dumplings
, whipped cream and cranberries
Further information: Czech cuisine

Traditionally, the main meal of the day consists of two courses with the first being a

dumplings or potatoes. Mushroom and berry picking remain a popular hobby among many Czechs during the summer and early autumn.[11] Czech cuisine is also affected by the popularity of making compotes. Czechs are known to have the highest consumption of beer per person of any nation in the world. In 2020, the average Czech drank 143.3 liters of beer in a year.[12]

Among the most common traditional dishes are roasted pork with dumplings and cabbage (vepřo, knedlo, zelo in Czech),

svíčková na smetaně, Czech guláš, or schnitzel (řízek in Czech) with potato salad
.

Folklore and traditions

Pomlázka, braided willow twigs
Further information: Czech folklore

The most widely celebrated holiday is Christmas, beginning with a dinner on December 24. The traditional Christmas dinner consists of a fried Czech carp and a potato salad, but many people replace it with a chicken or pork schnitzel.

rejuvenator
", implying that a female struck by a pomlázka will become younger and prettier.

January first is New Year's Day. After a late morning start the main meal of the day is prepared, which should include pork for good luck and lentils for prosperity in the new year. It's bad luck to eat fish, your luck could swim away, or poultry, your luck could fly away.[

Three Kings. In many Czech and Slovak villages, boys dress up as the three wise men “Kaspar, Balthazar and Melchior”. With a piece of chalk the boys write K + B + M (or K + M + B) above the doorways on houses, where people donate money for charity. This brings blessings on that home and its family for a year. The chalk letters should never be cleaned off, but only replaced the next year. This is also usually the day the Christmas tree is taken down.[13]

Literature

Main article: Czech literature

Music

Further information: Music of the Czech Republic

One of the most notable early baroque composers is

Dresden Hofkapelle. He was also a great inspiration for Bedřich Smetana, who is generally considered one of the most influential Czech composers of 19th century classical music together with Antonín Dvořák and Leoš Janáček. Of these three, the one best known internationally is Antonín Dvořák, being well received in the Great Britain[14] and spending three years in the US as the director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York City.[15] Dvořák's New World Symphony became "one of the most popular of all time" according to Clapham.[16] 19th century Bohemia is also a cradle of the popular folk dance Polka. Among the Czech musicians of the 20th century, Karel Gott stands out the most, being the 42 times winner of the Golden Nightingale for the best male singer. He was one of the few musicians who were allowed to perform in the Western Bloc during the Cold War, becoming known as the "Golden voice of Prague".[17]

Public holidays

Main article:
Holidays in the Czech Republic

Sports

Main article: Sport in the Czech Republic

Theatre

Further information: Theatre of the Czech Republic

Czech theatrical tradition played a big part in the

conformism
in socialist Czechoslovakia.

Museum

Further information: List of museums in the Czech Republic

See also

References

  1. ^ "World Heritage List". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  2. ^ "All Nobel Prizes". NobelPrize.org. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  3. ^ "Nomination Archive". NobelPrize.org. 1 April 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  4. ^ Karissa Rosenfield (8 March 2013). "Eva Jiricna Awarded 2013 Jane Drew Prize". ArchDaily. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  5. hdl:10810/37322
    . Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Kupkův obraz Divertimento II vytvořil nový český aukční rekord". Novinky.cz. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  7. ^ Bawden, Liz-Anne, ed. (1976) The Oxford Companion to Film. London: Oxford University Press; p. 55
  8. ^ "The Official Academy Awards Database". Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  9. ^ "The Official Academy Awards Database". Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  10. ^ "The Official Academy Awards Database". Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  11. ^ "Czechs pick billions worth of forest mushrooms, berries annually". Radio Prague International. 24 July 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  12. ^ "Beer Consumption by Country 2021". worldpopulationreview.com. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  13. ^ "Czech Slovak Heritage Tours Holiday and Traditions Page". Czechheritage.net. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  14. ISBN 978-0-19-506177-2
    .
  15. ^ Cooper, Michael (23 August 2013). "The Deal That Brought Dvorak to New York (Published 2013)". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  16. ^ Clapham, John, Dvořák, Norton, New York, 1979, pp. 132–133.
  17. ^ "Karel Gott: Czech singer dubbed 'Sinatra of the East' dies". BBC News. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  18. ^ Asimov, Isaac (September 1979). "The Vocabulary of Science Fiction". Asimov's Science Fiction.

External links

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