Culture

Does it sound crazy to you? A museum for a person that never ever existed? Well, nothing is impossible in Prague! There truly is such a museum, and you should pay it a visit for it’s really worth it! Where else can you go to a museum like this?

The museum is dedicated to Jara Cimrman, a Czech genius from the turn of the 20 century, who is said to be the inventor of almost everything but who has not received well deserved acknowledgement in his times. He almost fell into oblivion if it were not for the happy coincidence of finding his life-works in 1969 on the for-century-not-used loft of a little house in a little village.

So now we know about all of his great inventions such as the dynamite. Unfortunately, when Cimrman went to patent his invention, he met Alfred Nobel just leaving the building! Our genius was only few minutes late for his world-wide fame! And so it went with all his great achievements. Were he only 5 minutes quicker, we would have call the Nobel Prize the Cimrman Prize instead!

Are you confused now? Are you doubtful whether this Jára Cimrman lived or not? If you ask any Czech on the street, even a little child, they would all tell you that Cimrman existed although everyone present knows perfectly well that Jara Cimrman was never “flesh and bones” person, but nobody wants to spoil the fun!

Jara Cimrman is really only legendary person. He was created – over a bottle of vodka, they say – by Ladislav Smoljak, Jiri Sebanek and Oscar winning director Zdenek Sverak (1996 for film Kolja). They created a great myth about the perfect Czech. Immediately, Cimrman gained enormous popularity.

Cimrman was a true genius, he has influenced everything starting from world literature, music, art, politics, up to great inventions and discoveries. Stories about him are really funny especially because everybody knows it’s all made up.

He is really a big thing in the Czech republic. He has a theatre putting plays that the great Czech genius allegedly wrote. Some of the passages from „his“ plays are used as catchphrases. There is even a movie about him.

And guess who won the Greatest Czech of all time – the Czech version of the British nation wide poll in which Winston Churchill won? Among all the great historical figures from this country, the number-one vote-getter was a fictional character, Jara Cimrman! This is the Czech humour! Cimrman has thus beaten the likes of composer Antonin Dvorak, Emperor Charles IV or presidents Tomas Garrigue Masaryk and Vaclav Havel. Regrettably, Cimrman was disqualified on the grounds that he never existed.

You can visit the museum for free every day from 10 a.m. till 7 p.m. The exhibition is situated in the ground floor of the Petrin Tower, known as Little Eiffel tower. It’s location is significant for Cimrman helped to influence the final shape of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The Cimrman museum is the last place, where you can see the original shape with straight legs. And if you don’t know who invented CD, it was the Czech fellow Jára Cimrman, of course (“Cimrman’s Disk”). I am sure you will fall in love with this great guy just like all Czechs did!

You so have to see this! I am not exaggerating when I say that this is the best exhibition in Prague taking place this summer, maybe this year! And I am not ashamed to say that those are the best photos I have ever seen.

I am talking about the Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s large format photos that are now exposed to curious visitors of Prague’s park Kampa. The exhibition is called “The Land of the Beautiful Unknown” and is introducing 120 large-format images taken from helicopter. And when I say large, I mean 180×120 cm.

Yann Arthus-Bertrand, French photographer, started to take those pictures now shown in Prague in 1990. Since then, over half a million photographs have been taken in more than 100 countries. All from above. That is why this exhibition is also known as Earth from Above. And only 120 of those pictures were chosen for the exhibition. They are really the best of the best!

This Arthus-Bertrand´s exhibition has already been to about one hundred cities around the world. So far, nearly 60 millions of people have seen it. Arthus-Bertrand´s aerial photos bring us really unusual view on things. He documents the endless beauty of Earth and shows us how small we are compared. It is truly fascinating to see all those magical colours!

The exhibition is no doubt breathtaking. It’s open for public for free 24 hours a day until October 31 at Prague 1 – Kampa Park, Lesser Town. You can reach it when taking the stairs from the Charles Bridge. It is worth going both during the day as well as at night!

Have you seen any Czech movie? Probably not and that’s a pity. Don’t you think that once you are actually in Prague it is the best time to change it?

They say that when you are in a foreign country you should try the food that is typical for the country. Shouldn’t it be the same with local movies? At least you have now a great chance to see one.

Czech film maker Zdenek Sverak and his Elementary School (Obecna skola, 1991) was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, and his movie Kolya (Kolja, 1996) won it. Hrebejk’s Divided We Fall (Musime si pomahat, 2000) also received an Oscar nomination. So they can’t be that bad!

I know, you may object that there is a problem called language barriers. Czech is a hard language, one of those hardest in a world. But how about English subtitles?

There is a cinema called Kino MAT, it is at Karlovo Square 19. You can get there very easily with a tram number 4, 6, 10, 16, 18, 22, 23, 24, or with a subway – yellow line B, just get off at station Karlovo Namesti. Here they play Czech movies every day at 6 p.m. or at 8:30 p.m. with English subtitles and one ticket costs 99 CZK.

I hope you will find it interesting.

There aren’t so many big music festivals in the Prague. This year there is only one with the three years tradition and two new actions, which would like to begin a tradition. The old one is called United islands of the Prague, the second is called Love Planet and the last, which went ahead July 22, 2006 and one about which I would like to tell you is called Music in the park.

The festival was performed in the Prague Park called Stromovka, it cost from the 350 crowns in the advance booking to the 500 crowns. Its the biggest star, Sinéad O’Connor didn’t performed because of illness. There were few who wanted to return their money because of that, but the organisers just tell that it is not hers concert but festival. For theirs honour I must say, that it wasn’t just the empty words.

Little problem happened just while entering. There weren’t allowed any bottles (even PET) with water and also any food. The water wasn’t problem, though was very hot and warm, because there was a cistern with fresh water. The food was worse, because one hot dog cost 30 crowns and anything else at least 45. The menu of the food and drinks was quite big. There were cheese in the buns, meat sausages, fried corn and stuff like that, also for drinking there was wide menu of non-alcoholic drinks, same as beer, something stronger and also cocktails.

But now about the program. Quite frustration became from the absence of Sinéad, but still people were looking for the interesting music experience. The festival itself was oriented on the jazz and blues music. The first performer was David Murphy band, who played some pleasant songs for listening and after him played one of the most honoured Czech classic rock player Vladimír Mišík and ETC. These two bands were only for the beginning and to prepare listeners for the next ride. After them begin to play one of the most talented young guitar player of theses days Tyler Dow with his band and it was really great to listen his solos and to watch his finger running over the guitar neck. After him played another Czech legend and one of ours greatest guitar player Radim Hladík and his Blue effect and followed a list of great interprets with their songs, but the top of the afternoon and evening begin in the 20:00 by the Blind boys of Alabama, the group of blind black singers of gospels. Their show was a great experience even some of them was really tired on the end though they attended song for their fans. The end of this great action belonged to one of the best funky player Maceo Parker and it could be seen that he really understand to his instrument (sax). He and his band, composed of the masters of their instruments make people dancing and moving till the end of this great fest.

This festival really worth 500 crowns and if the tradition will continue next year and you like good music and will have a way over the Czech republic, make sure you don’t miss it.

Well, with the world championship going on all Europe (and I guess the entire world) seems to have gone crazy for football. If you take me, for instance, out of a football ignorant (except for real important games I didn’t even know it existed), I became really interested in it and even read the sports column in the papers to see who and where the action is.

Back to Prague, apart from games projected on huge screens on Wenceslas and Old town Square you can also enjoy loads of actions. For example, Saturday 17th June was the Museums night, a huge cultural event organized by the city of Prague. A good advertising campaign, free entrance to Prague best museums and even the bus tour provided by the city public transport for the occasions played their roles and a huge number of art lovers took by assault the museums in Prague.

The action was overall appreciated and I just live with a bit of regret I missed the Museum Night because of one exam. But that’s life, you win something and lose something else in exchange (or that what they tell me…). Anyway, I look forward to next year, when hopefully I will be able to attend Museum Night in person and I won’t have to read about it in the newspapers…

With a bit of regret, but with the WC2006 to cheer me up I finish this for tonight and promise to tell you more about the United Islands of Prague Music Festival going on this days in the city of one hundred spires.

The Czech people burn witches on the last day of April. Actually it is the perfect reason to go somewhere out in the nature, buy loads of drinks and food, set the fire and grill tasteful sausages. Or set out with friends to some concert, where again draught beer and grilled sausages won’t be missing. The next day, 1 ^st of May, or the International Labor Day is another day for celebrations.
Besides the already mentioned beer and grilled bratwursts Czechs have a tradition a very much liked. Every girl and woman should be kissed under a bloomed cherry tree (but nowadays any bloomed tree whatsoever goes, too) so that she would not wither up during the year.
So, I got my kiss under a romantically blossomed cherry tree on Petrin Hill… If nothing else, at least that will keep me fresh and shiny for the rest of the year!
The commercial wester Valentine’s day might be cute, but this genuine old tradition has something of its own, much closer to my heart.

Yesterday I paid a visit to Sternberg Palace in Prague. It belongs to the patrimony of the National Gallery in Prague and me and two of my friends decided to visit it because of the famous paintings from the 15 ^th up to 17 ^th centuries it exhibits. And since it was the first Wednesday of the month, admission was free, which makes it even better. It took us something over two hours to explore the palace and even though afterwards I almost couldn’t feel my back and feet we all declared satisfied. The Magnum ice cream we had at the palace snack-bar also helped, of course :-).
Boy, museums can be tiresome sometimes. And it’s quite weird, since you basically don’t do anything besides moving yourself from one painting to the other. Maybe it’s the air, or just the concentration…
Anyway, have fun exploring Prague cultural sites and see you next time with a new Museum or Gallery experience on PragueNet Blog!