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1 The heart – symbol of sincere messages. From the wide range of contemporary postcards of Prague. 2 The magazine The Heart of Europe, providing readers in other countries with a picture of life in the Czech Republic, already has a tradition going back fifteen years. 3 The national competition to find The Book of My Heart, broadcast by Czech Television during 2009, confirmed that all generations of Czechs are enthusiastic readers. 4 The badge of the Civic Forum (Czech abbreviation OF) from the time of the Velvet Revolution in November 1989. This movement was the first free political grouping after forty years of communist totality. 5 The Czech flag, as paraphrased by a street artist. 6 A scene from the television documentary Heart above the Castle by director Jan Němec, about the NATO summit in Prague in 2002. The detail on the picture shows the neon installation by the artist Jiří David above the roof of Prague Castle. 7 The current fifty-crown banknote, featuring St. Agnes of Bohemia and designed by the graphic artist Oldřich Kulhánek. 8 A unique commemorative silver medal designed by Otakar Dušek, with the signature and thumbprint of President Václav Havel (born 1936), was issued in a limited edition of seventy to mark Havel’s seventieth birthday. 9 A view of the public Library of Václav Havel, which this dramatist and statesman founded in 2004.
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1, 2 It is surprising that we find the heart symbol on the historical façades of urban buildings so rarely. 3 The church of the Assumption of Our Lady in Zlonice in Central Bohemia, where in his youth the world-famous composer Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) learned to play the organ. 4 Long before the introduction of house numbers, house signs helped people find their way round towns, especially in the metropolis. They usually depicted animals or the symbols of various trades. One beautiful exception is to be found on the “House of the Three Hearts” in the Lesser Town quarter of Prague. 5 Sgraffito – two different coloured levels of plaster with the top layer partly scraped away – decorates a number of Renaissance houses in the town of Slavonice in the area where Bohemia borders on Moravia and Austria. 6 A detail from the façade of the building housing the Česká Spořitelna bank in Plzeň. 7 Today’s fast-moving world has adopted the old tradition of house signs in its own way. 8 A historical house in the centre of Chrudim in Eastern Bohemia. 9 The symbol of the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague.
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1 For many centuries an inseparable feature of countless historical church buildings has been the symbol of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, for example on this baroque altar in the Jesuit church of St. Ignatius in Jihlava. 2 An altar statue of Jesus Christ in the art deco style in the church of St. John of Nepomuk in Plzeň. 3 A baroque woodcarving motif on a confessional in the form of a burning heart pierced by an arrow, one of the symbols of the Augustinian order. 4 The bosses on the ribbed vaults in the Romanesque-Gothic basilica of St. Prokop in Třebíč create the illusion of hearts. 5 A font from a Protestant church. 6 The eternal light beside the altar is a symbol of faith: not only does it light up the church, but also the lives of the faithful. 7 A large stained-glass window from the early 1930s with the figure of Christ giving a blessing. 8 Stucco decoration on the façade of a Prague villa. 9 A detail from the façade of the pseudo-Gothic church of St. Bartholomew in Kopřivnice in Northern Moravia. 10 A detail of a tombstone in the Vyšehrad cemetery in Prague, the last resting place of famous personalities connected with Czech culture, also known as Slavín.
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1 A statue from the interior of the church of St. John in the centre of Brno. 2 A painting decorating the church of St. Mary Magdalene in Brno. 3 A stone piet , one of the sculptures decorating secluded historical spots in Třebíč in Moravia. 4 A baroque column of the Holy Trinity in Hanušovice in Southern Moravia. 5, 7 Baroque tombstones built into the walls of churches. 6 The Catholic tradition takes delight in rich, sometimes ostentatious, decorations. 8 A glass panel in the door of the church of St. Gallus in the Old Town district of Prague. 9 A heart, anchor and cross, symbolising love, hope and faith. 10 A detail of a stone plinth for a crucifix.
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1-4 A stylised burning heart appears as a symbol in many forms, not only on contemporary postcards, but also very often on holy pictures. 5 A baroque tombstone in a small rural graveyard. 6 An interesting metalworker’s design for decorative lattices on the basement windows of a building in Slaný in Central Bohemia. 7 A stained-glass window in the church of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Vinohrady district of Prague. The architect of the most important Czech sacral building of the 20th century, constructed in 1929-1932, was the Slovene Josip Plečnik, court builder to the Czechoslovak President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, and designer of the most recent reconstruction of Prague Castle. 8, 10 Two of the richly painted windows of the Jesuit church of St. Ignatius in Jihlava. 9 This modernist stained-glass window from the 1930s can be seen in the functionalist church of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Jablonec nad Nisou.
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1, 2 Popular variations on the symbol of the heart are a frequent motif on the stucco façades of houses. The most attractive examples can still be found today in the popular rural architecture of Southern Bohemia. 3 Popular tradition has inspired the pavilions in the spa of Mšené, the work of the Czech artist Jan Letzel (1880-1925), who also designed, among other things, “Hiroshima House” – the only building that survived the explosion of the atomic bomb in August 1945. 4 Typical hand-carved and -painted chairs from the early 19th century. 5 Clothes hooks made by a traditional tinker’s technique. 6 “A pure heart create within me, O God.” (Psalm 51) From a handwritten book of prayers from the 1830s. 7 A Renaissance lock with decorative engraving from the collection of the Prague Municipal Museum. 8 This decoration of a garden tool shed documents the fact that traces of popular traditions from the past still survive today. 9 A winter cover to protect a pump from frost. 10 A privy – in the past a common feature of rural houses – with its indispensable heart-shaped window.
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1, 2 The region of Southern Moravia, which still preserves many popular customs, is regarded as the heart of folklore. This is borne out, for example, by the decoration of village chapels by piet s painted in oil or the ornamental strips on the outside plasterwork of buildings here. 3, 6 Localities with wine cellars are an inseparable part of the atmosphere of Southern Moravia. Many of these buildings are decorated by authentic artwork by their owners. 4 Individual folklore areas of Moravia still pride themselves on their richly embroidered national costumes. 5 Echoes of popular Moravian folklore are sometimes still clearly visible in Bohemian pubs. 7 The sgraffito decoration of the railway station Plzeň-Jižní předměstí recalls Dr. Emil Holub (1847-1902), a famous Czech traveller who explored the heart of Africa. 8 From the treatise Elements and ornaments distinctive of Southern Bohemia – samples of popular artistic work from the 1930s. 9 A modern painted porcelain plate sold as a wall decoration.
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1 The symbol of the heart in everyday architecture is typical of most building styles. We can find it, for example, on the art nouveau door of a tenement house in Opava in Silesia. 2 The decorative lattice inlay on this door displays an astonishing attention to detail on the part of the craftsman, something that was characteristic of all buildings constructed in neo-historical styles at the end of the nineteenth century. 3 The romantic balcony of a town house on the main square in Plzeň. 5, 6 The meticulous products of specialised pre-war handicraft companies were replaced in the period of “advanced socialism” by the work (4, 7) of enthusiastic handymen who attempted to leave the imprint of their sense of aesthetics on objects in everyday use. 8 A resident in a prefabricated block of flats has expressed her yearning for beauty by perforating the tin cover of a basement window. 9 A decorative lattice on the entrance to a small shop in a Czech provincial town.
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1 The legendary “Lennon wall” in the Lesser Town district of Prague, in one of the most romantic corners of old Prague, came into being spontaneously after the tragic death of the composer and guitarist John Lennon in 1980. It immediately became a place symbolising resistance to the communist regime. The pictures and verses written on the wall were regularly painted over by the communist police using a grey-green colour… The wall still has a life of its own today. It has become a sought-after tourist attraction, and among those who have come to see it has been Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono. 2-9 The unrestrained examples of graffiti in the Czech lands are basically no different from similar creations in other European towns and are among the most typical expressions of urban subculture. Exclamations of romantic feeling, however, are a relatively uncommon theme among those sprayed on or scratched out of walls. 7 I love you – a message sprayed on the wall directly opposite the walls of a Prague maternity hospital.
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1 Touching greeting cards expressing love for her parents on their wedding anniversary, drawn by their daughter. 2 The door of a village barn, festively decorated for the wedding day of Tereza and František. 3 The golden age of handicraft was in the era when opportunities for people to achieve fulfilment in their profession were minimal, and they had a relatively large amount of free time. 4 Cheap pamphlet editions of popular love songs from the inter-war period. 5 To my dear mother for her devoted care, tender love and solicitous upbringing, to remind you of Mother’s Day, 9 May 1937. Your grateful Joe. – A card from a ten-year-old boy. 6 A souvenir of Our Lady of Svatá Hora – a souvenir from the pilgrimage in Příbram dating from the 1920s. 7-9 Faithfulness to you, O fair young lady…, Best wishes on your name-day, Happy New Year 1904 – examples of greeting cards from the early 20th century.
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The motif of the heart in the creative work of contemporary Czech artists: 1 The popular artist Vojtěch Kopic (1909–1978): one of his many reliefs carved out of the sandstone rocks of the Bohemian Paradise, 1977 2 The painter Josef Jíra (1929–2005): a detail from the Stations of the Cross in the chapel of St. Laurence on Malá Skála near Turnov, oil, 1996 3 The sculptor Veronika Richterová (born 1964): Royal Eagle, wooden sculpture in Mikulov, 1996 4 The painter and sculptor Jaroslav Róna (born 1957): Wrenched-Out Heart, oil on canvas, 1998 5 The painter and glassworker Michal Machat (born 1963): Lick 02, computer painting, 2007 6 The textile artist Zuzana Krajčovičová (born 1960): Angel, mosaic on a tombstone, 2008 7 The graphic artist Michal Cihlář (born 1960): congratulations to an American friend on his wedding, linocut, 1996 8 The graphic artist Ivo Křen (born 1964): A Male Heart in the Garden of Eden – Grief, linocut, 2008
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1 The Czech Post Office issued a “Love” postage stamp with the god Cupid in 1998. A heart pierced by an arrow has been a symbol of the sudden blazing up of love since time immemorial, whereas a sword plunged into a heart indicates pain. 2 The first gift from a boyfriend – appropriately chosen bijouterie. 3 A pierced and burning heart at the entrance to the Augustinian church of St. Thomas in the Lesser Town district of Prague. 4, 5 The consequences of a gust of strong emotion adorn the bearer for the whole of his life. 6 This chapel near Jankov was built around the year 1800 in memory of the 7000 soldiers of Emperor Ferdinand III who fell in one of the bloodiest battles of the Thirty Years’ War (1645). 7 Broadside ballads, such as this New ballad for young lads and lasses etc., were a popular product sold by street vendors in the early nineteenth century. 8 A “piratical” variation on the heart symbol. 9 A pastry cutter 10 When reading fortunes from cards, the ten of hearts in the traditional mariáš (skat) pack unequivocally indicates love…
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1 Gifts of golden jewellery in the shape of a heart are usually passed down in families from generation to generation at christenings, graduations, weddings, or the birth of children. 2, 3 Czech garnets are precious stones only found in deposits in the Czech lands. At the time of the Czech national revival in the 19th century, wearing jewellery made of garnets was not only fashionable, but also a display of patriotism. 4, 5 The northern Bohemian town of Jablonec nad Nisou has become world famous for the production of traditional glass bijouterie. 6 A curious family collection of jewellery. 7 A discovery from a flea market. 8 Beads with a metallic appearance, a semi-finished product for jewellers. 9 Contemporary jewellery from the workshop of Zuzana Krajčovičová – textile necklaces and small travelling altarpieces.
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Traditions linked with the celebration of various feast days in Bohemia and Moravia cannot make do without images of a heart 1 Heartfelt congratulations on your name-day – a greeting for someone’s feast day (the day their Christian name appears in the traditional calendar) from the 1920s. 2 Mum, I love you – various period greetings for Mother’s Day, which falls on the second Sunday in May. 3 Easter celebrations have from time immemorial included hand-decorated eggs, a lamb, a willow wicker rod and young germinating crops. 4 Recipes for Christmas pastries are passed down from mother to daughter in Czech families. 5 The most eagerly looked-forward-to moment during Czech Christmas is Christmas Eve, 24 December. After a festive evening meal, the presents are unwrapped that the Infant Jesus has left for the members of the family under a lavishly decorated Christmas tree. 6 We shall not forget – on 2 November people commemorate All Souls’ Day or the Remembrance of the Departed. They visit cemeteries and light candles there in memory of their dear ones who are no longer with them. 7 St. Valentine’s Day on 14 February is celebrated as the feast day of all those who are in love. Unlike traditional Czech feast days, this Anglo-Saxon tradition still has a primarily commercial character in the Czech setting. 8 Christmas decorations from blown and hand-painted glass are a speciality of Czech glassmakers.
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1 “Love passes through the stomach”, as a Czech proverb reminds us. But those who receive a heart-shaped piece of gingerbread decorated with coloured icing usually in fact never eat it, but keep it as a memento. 2 Out of love – an illustration from the cover of the period magazine Paper for girls and lasses (1929). 3 The legendary Pardubice gingerbread leaves its own unique mark on every traditional fair or festivity. 4 Meatballs from minced beef. 5 Ham from the heart in a butcher’s shop window is a first-rate gift for every gourmet. 6 Old Czech stone baking trays for making marble sponge cake. 7 Cream cakes with fruit and jelly. 8 The imagination and skilfulness of Czech housewives in the role of domestic confectioners is remarkable. 9 Marzipan decorations for a festive cake.
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1 A well-known slogan from Czechoslovak times proclaimed that “Poděbrady is the place for hearts” (because it specialised in treating heart disease). Here we see a publicity sticker on a suitcase from the 1960s. 2 Matchbox labels with a heart symbol have appeared in several eras. For example, the label Donating blood for free – the greatest expression of humanity became part of a state educational campaign in 1964. 3 Poděbrady treats hearts – the town of Poděbrady on the River Labe in Central Bohemia is the most famous Czech spa specialising in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. 4 Health campaign appealing to people to donate blood plasma (2009). 5 Defibrillator in the building – sign indicating non-healthcare institutions that have available an instrument for rapid resuscitation by means of an electric charge. 6 A pictogram indicating that people with a heart pacemaker are not allowed to enter a place where the interaction of instruments might cause it to fail. 7 A senior citizen’s home is a healthcare and social institution caring for isolated or sick people in their “third age”. 8 Mums’ club – the logo of a rural civic support group. 9 The logo of the Hospital of the Sisters of Mercy of St. Charles Borromeo in Prague.
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“Those who live on in our hearts do not die.” This verse by the Czech poet František Hrubín (1910-1971) has been repeated thousands of times and consoles the bereaved in moments of pain and grief. 1 A touching child’s gravestone in a cemetery in Louny in Northern Bohemia. 2, 3 Symbolic memorials on the sites of fatal car accidents recall prematurely extinguished lives. 4-8 The last resting place provides the bereaved with the opportunity to show their love for the deceased. 9, 11 Hearts can occasionally be found on the reliefs of ancient Jewish gravestones, for example in the Jewish cemetery in Třebíč. This last resting place, included among the sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List, is the second largest Jewish cemetery in the Czech Republic after the one in Prague. 10 One of hundreds of lovingly tended dog’s graves in the “Garden of the most faithful friends”, a unique cemetery for domestic pets on the outskirts of Prague.
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1 From time to time we are surprised to find a heart formed by nature. The best-known example is the linden: a spreading tree with heart-shaped leaves, which is generally regarded as the Czech national symbol. One of its four species, the Tilia cordata, is even called the heart-shaped linden in Latin (and Czech). 2 The façade of this housing block in Kopřivnice also proclaims the symbol of Czech nationhood. 3 This fresh and undisturbed blanket of snow in the Ore Mountains is a direct invitation to have a bit of fun. 4 The curious meander known as the Heart of the Vltava was once formed by the queen of Czech rivers in its upper reaches in the foothills of the Šumava mountains. Today it is only to be found on old maps and photographs, because it was swallowed up in 1959 by the waters of the Lipno reservoir. 5 Part of a collection of souvenir stones from wanderings around the Czech Republic. 6 A message concealed in potatoes obtained from a bio-farm in the foothills of the Giant Mountains. 7 From time immemorial people have confided their romantic longings to the bark of trees. 8, 9 The greyhound Graciella and an old apple tree, the unwitting bearers of an unusual natural phenomenon.
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1 The suburban heart continually enchants the perceptive observer with its “poetry of civilisation”. Bohumil Hrabal (1914-1997) depicted the “poetry of civilisation” in a masterly fashion in his prose writings set in the Libeň district of Prague, where you can still see the dilapidated World building with the pub where the writer used to go to drink beer. It was also the setting for one of his autobiographical short stories entitled “World Buffet”. 2 A newsagent’s and tobacconist’s shop which declares that business is not incompatible with love. 3 A coffee shop that has a heart in its name. 4 In the housing estates on the outskirts of towns, prefabricated blocks of flats from the 1970s often mingle with brick postwar architecture. 5 The heart motif in the logo of the “Clean green Prague” campaign. Here it is appealing for the renewal of the characteristic Prague pavements made of granite cobblestones. 6 Bus stops are often silent witnesses of lovers’ partings. 7 The good soul shop. Gifts that give pleasure. – A hand-painted sign to attract people to a gift shop in a small town. 8 … a remedy for a broken heart 9 A buffet in a railway station promises to delight the taste buds of travellers.
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1 Hearts as commercial products can be obtained above all in the tourist areas of large towns. Stores and stands overflow with an inexhaustible stock of souvenirs and classic gifts manufactured out of porcelain or glass. 2 Bohemian glass has proved its worth as an attraction for foreign tourists. 3 A souvenir with a heart and the ubiquitous motif of Prague’s Charles Bridge. 4 A shop-window display of haberdashery. 5 Porcelain figures intended for decorating a wedding cake wait in the shop window of a specialised confectioner’s shop. 6 Yoghurt displayed on the counter of a grocer’s shop. 7 Gifts and souvenirs from trips abroad are charming and redundant, and lend our homes an air of cosiness. 8, 9, 11 The symbol of love always makes it easier to sell something… 10 Most of the children’s clothing that is on sale today is imported from Asia, but an honourable exception is the lovingly made handcrafted work of Czech grandmothers. 12 Maths homework from the exercise book of a pupil in the reception class at primary school.
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1 A souvenir of a trip to Sněžka, the highest peak of the Giant Mountains and in the whole of the Czech Republic (1602 metres above sea level). 2 Traditional shortbread pastry lined with redcurrant jam. 3 “The heart of the ocean” created from PET bottles by the sculptor Veronika Richterová, paraphrases the legendary braided jewel from the blockbuster film The Titanic. 4 A porcelain box for trinkets – a souvenir from Zlín, the birthplace of Tomáš Baťa, founder of the worldwide shoemaking empire. 5 Crochet lace decoration. 6 Lollipops, a treat for every child. 7-9 Miniature vases from the interwar period. 10 Detail from a scarf commemorating a meeting of scouts from Olomouc in Moravia and Owensboro in the United States. 11 A pillow for a child’s bed. 12 The polystyrene remains of a wreath in a cemetery. 13 Dancing classes 1939 – a nostalgic reminder of pre-war dancing courses. 14 Decoration on the bonnet of the wedding car taking the bride to the wedding ceremony. 15 This poster in the Prague metro is also one of the huge number of interpretations of the heart symbol. Just look around you! In all directions, hearts in a thousand forms are pulsating everywhere. You only have to look… So you, too, go out and follow your heart!