Soffa 28 / FLORA & FAUNA, English edition

design | fashion | people | travel | food | science

issue theme

FLORA & FAUNA

JOY FROM THE HEART OF EUROPE Discover the best and the most beautiful from Czechia and the rest of Central Europe: exquisite design, inspirational stories, unknown interiors and hidden gems well worth your visit.

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ISSUE THEME: FLORA & FAUNA Join us on a journey of discovery, where wonders await in the incredible diversity of our planet’s plant and animal kingdoms. Savour these pages in a park or by the water – there is no better way to uncover the secrets of nature!

SOFFA PARTNERS Our work would not be possible without the support of our partners. Thank you!

Welcome

THIS ISSUE IS DEDICATED TO

FLORA & FAUNA Plants and animals are a boundless source of inspiration, and Soffa 28 is proof that you don’t need a degree in biology to discover the mysteries and beauty in nature. Simply observe, ask questions and explore with all your senses, for plants and animals are best perceived first-hand. Did you know that rose petals are delicious when eaten raw or taken as an infusion? We learnt of their exquisite taste when writing our story about heritage rose varieties. We were equally enthralled by naturally occurring ceramic glazes created by hours of firing in a wood-fired kiln.

An encounter with predatory fauna awaits in our interview with the falconer Stanislav Menclík, whose falcons travel as far as the Persian Gulf.

Those of you who admire the land of the rising sun will delight in our travel feature on Japan and enjoy unveiling the secrets of growing shiitake mushrooms with the help of the Czech grower True Shiitake. You can also test your skills in the art of paper cutting and folding with Tereza Hradilková’s paper kirigami animals.

Also not to miss are our nature-inspired stories from Czechia: our homage to hops, Czechia’s ‘green gold’, our features on the innovative work of startups like Malai and AnyoneGo, and the illustrated story developed in collaboration with the Prague Zoo that follows endangered animals going back into the wild. Finally, if you want to let loose, be inspired by three audacious fashion essays highlighting colourful feathers, the majestic horse, and plants full of mysterious powers!

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Contents

Editorial Of Cats and Dogs

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Garden The Noble Rose

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Craft Earth, Wood & Fire

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Trending Boundless Inspiration

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Fashion Birds of Paradise

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Interview Pet Love

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Holiday Homes Slow Living by Huus

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Utterly Czech Green Gold

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Architecture Framing the Scene

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Science Into the Wild

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Food Umami Yummy

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DIY Kirigami

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Decor En Plein Air

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Interview Hunting on the Wing

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Photoessay Telltale Signs

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Art and Architecture Across Centuries

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Travel Edo in Bloom

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Creative People Startups on a Mission

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Fashion Majestic Equine

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Interior The Jungle Within

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Editorial

OF CATS AND DOGS Our twenty-eighth issue is dedicated to plants and animals, and I’m thrilled to be the one to welcome you. How did I get the honours? Perhaps it’s my floral surname, my intense need to scratch every pooch behind its ears, or the fact that on the editorial team I’m the one with the largest collection of indoor plants. And also, maybe, because after five long years of hard work, our editor in chief Adela is having a well-deserved, proper holiday. While it’s not the first time we are drawing inspiration from the marvels of nature, this issue is rather special. It is the first issue to be created in our beautiful new office, which you will soon be able to see for yourself.

When working on each new issue I particularly enjoy meeting intriguing individuals who do their work with love and unremitting passion, people who believe in their calling and want to bring something beautiful into the world. This time too we had a chance to meet intriguing personalities, but even more interesting was making friends with the four-legged kind.

Especially enriching was meeting assistance dogs who are helping people with a range of disabilities live happier and more fulfilling lives; shooting our fashion story with majestic horses, whom I deeply respect; and interviewing the director of Nadace na ochranu zvířat [Foundation for the Protection of Animals], which defends the rights of all animals. This and other encounters helped me better appreciate how important and mutually beneficial is the bond between humans and all other living creatures.

Apparently there are two types of people in the world: cat people and dog people. One can only guess which character is better for which life situation. I personally think that any kind of connection with fauna or flora makes our lives happier. Nothing soothes the mind better than a walk through the woods with a four-legged friend by your side, or picking wild flowers on the banks of a brook. You can try your hand at growing plants, help out in an animal shelter, create a herbarium, reduce unnecessary plastics or contribute to a good cause. Whatever you do, you can be sure to be happier for it!

Wishing you a beautiful rest of the summer and a colourful start to autumn.

Patrik Florián | editor and fashion stylist

1 . Handmade wild flowers from the designer Megumi Shinozaki/ edenworks are made from naoron using a traditional Japanese method. They are eco-friendly, water-resistant and always in bloom, €68. www.matterofmaterial.com 2 . With red and blue and a drop of gold, the Folkifunki porcelain collection designed by Jaime Hayon for Vista Alegre will make everyone at your table smile, €350. www.vistaalegre.com 3 . The clean, minimalist lines of the plantable light fixture from object /interface will bring an enchanting element of green into your interior, €395. www.objectinterface.ca 4 . Fetch & Fellow makes quality leather collars your canine will love. Handmade in the centre of London, price based on type and size. www.fetchandfollow.co.uk 5 . Recycled cardboard 3D objects from Studio Roof make for great creative play or original decoration, €7.95. www.studioroof.com 6 . The Japanese manufacturer Rinn makes modern and stylish accessories for your feline companions, like this Neko tree, €7,725. www.rinn.co.jp 7 . Velvet pillow inspired by the Alessandro Michele collection with an embroidered kingsnake, the iconic emblem of the fashion house, €1,100. www.gucci.com 8 . Ukiyo premium-quality matcha is full of antioxidants and vitamins and brings forth a refreshing taste of apples and cinnamon, 579 Kč. www.belovedshop.cz 9 . Bring the woodland into your home with a Hope in the Woods hand-carved object from the English woodworker Luke Hope, price on request. www.hopeinthewoods.com

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Garden

THE NOBLE ROSE

IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO FIND ANOTHER FLOWER THAT CAN MATCH THE ROSE IN ITS COUNTLESS FORMS AND VARIED SCENTS. THE ROSE – VEILED IN LEGENDS, EULOGISED IN POETRY, DEPICTED IN INFINITE WORKS OF FINE AND FUNCTIONAL ART, IMMORTALISED ON THE CRESTS OF NOBILITY. INSPIRATIONAL AND WHIMSICAL, SHE IS POISED TO ENCHANT WITH HER BLOSSOMS AND INJURE WITH HER THORNS.

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text and styling: Lukáš Paderta / Květinové lahůdkářství (www.wegrowflowers.cz) photo: Adéla Havelková

Garden

The genus Rosa lent its name to the diverse and extensive rose family (Rosaceae), which includes, in addition to roses, the lady’s mantle (Alchemilla), yarrow (Achillea) and popular fruit plants like strawberry, cherry and almond. Wild rose species, of which there are hundreds, are found only in the Northern Hemisphere; there is no species known to grow naturally south of the equator. Long before people noted the aesthetic quality of roses and began to cultivate them for their beauty – which probably occurred in China some five thousand years ago – the rose bush was a source of sustenance. And not only for rosehips, the vitamin C-rich fruit of the rose, but also for its juicy and tasty new shoots. The rose has always been seen as a symbol of feminine creativity and motherhood, associated with the goddess Venus in antiquity and later with the Virgin Mary in Christianity. It became the national flower of England and adorned the crests of many noble English families, including the Tudors; in Czechia it featured prominently in the crest of the Rožmberks [Rosenbergs].

One of the oldest cultivated ornamental flowers, the rose has also many practical applications. Rose petals are rich in essential oils (citronellol, geraniol, eugenol, nerol and kaempferol), tannins and flavonoids, and these have a range of healing properties. They are strongly antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal, and can help with an upset stomach, diarrhoea or painful menstruation. In addition, a tea infusion from rose buds and petals is an excellent tonic for anxiety, depression and lethargy. Rose water evens, cleanses and tightens the skin, making it fresh and youthful. Rose essential oil – extracted most often from the Damask rose (Rosa damascena) or the Provence rose (Rosa x centifolia) – is one of the most expensive essential oils and its pure form is also one of the most gentle: it calms the mind, harmonises the heart and awakens femininity. Rose oil has been a component of precious perfumes since antiquity, often combined with myrrh (Commiphora myrrha) and frankincense (Boswellia sacra). It also featured in Egyptian mummification balms and played an important role in spiritual rituals.

The rose scent is as tantalising today as it was thousands of years ago, and so it is no surprise that it is used today in many iconic perfumes (Diptyque – Eau Rose, Serge Lutens – Sa Majesté La Rose, Hermès – Rose Ikebana) and body care products. Rose petals also make a delicious jam and jelly. Thanks to their beauty, pruned rose bushes often feature in landscape art. In medieval times they were popular in cloister gardens and in so-called jardins de plaisance [pleasure gardens] of the nobility.

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Garden

1. Hercules (2000) | 2. Purple Lodge (2007) | 3. Queen of Sweden (2004) | 4. Alchymist (1956) 5. Veilchenblau (1909) | 6. Charles de Mills (before 1786) | 7. Lady of Shalott (2009) 8. Nuits de Young (1845) 9. Port Sunlight (2007) | 10. Genéral Stefánik (1931) | 11. Peter-Paul Rubens (2002) 12. Leander (1982) 13. Tradescant (1992) | 14. Erinnerung an Brod (before 1884) THESE PAGES: Lines wallpaper, Ferm Living, www.designville.cz, 2,250 Kč

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The Noble Rose

1. Raubritter (1936) | 2. Félicité et Perpétue (1827) | 3. Variegata di Bologna (1909) 4. Rosa longicuspis (species name) | 5. Alba Meidiland (1986) | 6. Guirlande d’Amour (1993) 7. Dentelle de Malines (1986) | 8. Guirlande Rose (2008) | 9. Leda (before 1827) | 10. Louise Odier (1851) 11. White Jacques Cartier (2001) | 12. Madame Hardy (1831) | 13. Félicité Parmentier (before 1836) THESE PAGES: Confetti wallpaper, Ferm Living, www.designville.cz, 1,990 Kč

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The Noble Rose

Cultivation of roses became fashionable in France, Belgium and the Netherlands in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; today it is most popular in Germany and the United Kingdom.

Rose cultivation may appear challenging to the uninitiated, but it is not so. The key is to select the right variety or cultivar and to follow a few basic rules. A rose bush can take many forms, from miniature or patio roses (Little White Pet, Honeymilk) that can be grown on a balcony, to massive ramblers (Paul’s Himalayan Musk, Rosemary Foster) capable of covering an entire facade of a house in just a few seasons. Although some roses will tolerate partial shade, all roses love the sun and will bloom their best in full sunlight. Roses don’t like waterlogged soil, but are equally unhappy in quick-drying soil. They also don’t like sandy and nutrient-poor soil, and if forced to grow in such soil, they will be weak and unimpressive in appearance. An exception to this is the Japanese rose or beach rose (Rosa rugosa), which in the wild grows on sand dunes near the sea and is therefore well suited for extreme conditions and for garden patches with poor soil. It has a sweet, resin-like scent that will waft gently across a large portion of your garden in the heat of summer.

If you want to revel in an abundance of blossoms, provide your roses with heavier, nutrient-rich soil. They need phosphorus, potassium and magnesium, and an annual dose of manure or mature compost applied in autumn. Thanks to their deep root system, roses don’t require frequent watering. While most garden bushes and perennials will wilt in dry weather, rose bushes will bloom with their heads held high. To encourage new blossoms, it is important to prune properly. As a rule, after a once-blooming rose has withered, the plant should be shortened by about a third. If you want to enjoy rosehips in autumn, prune the bushes only in spring by cutting out all old wood and keeping only last-year’s shoots. This way you will keep the size of the bush under control and rejuvenate the plant regularly. To encourage blossoms in repeat-flowering roses, cut off the spent flowers up to and including two lower leaves. In spring prune these types of roses down to the part of the stem that has not been damaged by frost, at a height of about 20–30 cm depending on the type of rose. Modern roses are particularly sensitive to frost, so it is good to protect them in winter by putting a small mound of soil around the base and layering evergreen branches around the bottom part. Flowerbed roses don’t like to share space above and below ground and they don’t do well when planted close to other perennials and bushes. They prefer to be solitary, to grow with other roses, or to be in the company of the low-set bellflower (Campanula), cranesbill (Geranium), lady’s mantle (Alchemilla) or catmint (Nepeta x faassenii). Among annuals they can be paired with the climber sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus), which will use the rose bush for support.

In return the symbiotic bacteria living on the roots of the sweet pea will provide the nutrient-hungry rose with much needed nitrogen. ■

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Flagship store: Smetanovo nábřeží 334/4, Prague 1, Mon–Sun 10–20

Shop on-line at www.deelive.cz

Craft

text: Petr Toms photo: Lina Németh styling: Janka Murínová

EARTH, WOOD & FIRE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SOILING THEIR HANDS WITH CLAY FOR AT LEAST THIRTY THOUSAND YEARS, OR AS LONG AS THEY HAVE BEEN MAKING POTTERY, ONE OF THE EARLIEST OF HUMAN INVENTIONS. THE MIRACULOUS PROCESS IN WHICH FIRE TRANSFORMS CLAY INTO A FRAGILE OBJECT OF BEAUTY AND UTILITY IS AS FASCINATING TODAY AS IT WAS AT THE BEGINNING.

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Craft

LEFT: glaze tongs | pottery stamp | porcelain clay from Džbánská vrchovina [highland plateau around the Džbán hill] | historical kiln muffle from Siřem near Podbořany | decorated cup from Mutějovice by Jiří Duchek

Firing is perhaps the most important moment in the process of creating pottery. To reach the necessary temperatures to make the magic happen, most pottery kilns need the energy of fossil fuels or nuclear energy.

But wood-fired kilns have no need for electric cables or copper gas pipes.

Instead, the courtyard of a wood-fired ceramics studio is marked by the tyres of old trucks from the local mill. You won’t see the marks, though, because they are always covered by sawdust and wood chips. For a potter using wood firing techniques, time at a potter’s wheel is actually a small holiday. A holiday from wielding a chain saw, pushing a wheelbarrow, shovelling large mounds of material and putting up with minus twenty temperatures during winter firing sessions. And for what?

Imagine going to a pottery supply shop and buying clay, glaze, a potter’s wheel and all the other tools you need, including a kiln. You bring it all home, with the help of electricity you turn a vase, and then you place the vase in the kiln so that it may be fired to perfection without any effort.

But some potters are the independent kind, too proud to accept this sort of help. They rummage through old ceramics studios, take apart kilns that have been shut down, clean up old bricks and then build their own. You can’t leave them alone in a forest, because there would soon be nothing left on the forest floor. They take away felled wood and cut it, split it and stack it for several years so it may dry completely. They search far and wide for a unique clay recipe, and once they have trialled various combinations, the previously green lawn next to their house is transformed by ugly clay mounds of various shades. They mix their glazes from crushed rocks and ground sand. The most ardent among them throw their pottery on wheels they have built themselves. They spend long hours studying and experimenting with glazes and even longer hours monitoring firing sessions with uncertain outcomes. Perhaps it is their pride, or anxiety over losing control, or simply their love of nature. Maybe they succumbed to the spell of an elegant vessel made during the Han Dynasty, or they are preoccupied by the deep mysteries of Japanese minimalism. Some may be inspired by their explorations into the murky landscape of our prehistory, others admire the lightness and functionality of folk art.

One important reason for the resurgence of wood-fired pottery must be the growing demand for the distinctive markings created by a naked flame. Regardless of the specific method of firing, a wood fire usually leaves behind its characteristic marks. When fired at low temperatures,

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JAROSLAV MAREK Wares fired in an anagama kiln in Přešťovice for about 40 hours with constant feeding of the fire to reach the temperature of 1,300 ºC. Glaze is formed by melting wood ash, which reacts with silica in the clay, and by concurrent reaction between the clay and the vapours created by the firing process.

TOOLS: disused slab from a wood-fired kiln from Mutějovice, cut-off wire, trimming tools made from bamboo

JIŘÍ DUCHEK The teacup on cinders is glazed with pine ash and the small dish for tea leaves is glazed with willow ash.

Willow ash led to a completely different colouring on the vase to the lower right. The turned-down teacup has a glaze from feldspar. The teapot and plate are a variation on the Japanese style kohiki. Fired in Mutějovice.

TOOLS AND MATERIALS: ash and nails, blue oxide for colouring, carved roller

Earth, Wood & Fire

polished surfaces on greenware are elevated to a truly noble appearance.

Such vessels are satiny to the touch and depending on the clay content, they can display all values of ochre and brown – from brick orange to yellow and dove grey to black, with the deepest black imaginable revealing hues of ink-blue. Perhaps the only thing more beautiful could be a vessel the colour of liquid mercury.

If it is difficult to find apt descriptors for vessels fired at low temperatures, then describing the multitude of surfaces created in high temperature firing is nearly impossible. Pure clays and clays with a clay slip coating – socalled engobe – are eager to embrace all that a wood flame can offer. Redhot glazes happily react with the surrounding atmosphere and respond easily by changing their colours. Forget-me-not blue turns to blood red, and the colour of weak tea to jade green. Indeed, colours created through this process have earned famous monikers like Oil Spot, Hare Fur, Ox Blood and Tea Dust. As the wood burns, it emits a broad palette of gases and steam and releases particles of ash. Resembling snowflakes, the small bits of ash descend on the wares and add their own uneven signature to the potter’s creation. At high temperatures the ash melts and transforms into slow moving droplets and veils of glassy enamel. Through a small window the potter observes the blinding metamorphosis and with great anticipation waits for the right moment to stop the firing. In extreme cases the ash can take several hundred hours to settle. The resulting ash glaze ‘paints’ the pottery in shades of mustard yellow, dark chocolate, bottle green and aquamarine blue, among many others.

Next to the potter’s skill and the make-up of clay, the tree as a fuel plays an important role in the final result. In addition, the wood–clay synthesis takes on varying dimensions depending on the parts of the tree used: branches yield different results from roots or bark. Even the same tree will give different results depending on the specific characteristics of the soil or the time of year in which the tree was cut. But many fuels that produce interesting ash patterns –like oak bark or pine needles – cannot reach temperatures above 1,300°C, which are required for melting falling ash. Ceramicists have found a way around this, and they know how to use it with even more challenging materials. These must first be burnt and their ash dispersed in a hot kiln, scattered over the wares before firing, or mixed in with glazes. For this process ceramicists use various plants and plant parts, including knotweed, horsetail, rice chaffs, cereal straw, walnut shells, plum pits and coffee grounds.

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DANIEL SEKO The vases and cups from Sulíkov were fired in a fast firing kiln – the firing time was roughly 15 hours at a temperature of 1,280 ºC. The dark green glaze is from spruce ash; the cups were glazed with feldspar.

TOOLS AND MATERIALS: slab from a woodfired kiln in Klínec, iron oxide

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MAGDA BROŽOVÁ The painted bowl revives the tradition of the ceramic style from Klínec near Mníšek pod Brdy. The decoration was inspired by original designs from Zdislav Hercík and Zdeněk Hrubý. Magda’s ceramics are painted by Ivana Švarcová, the great-granddaughter of the last pottery-making family in Klínec.

Fired in a wood kiln at 1,260 ºC. TOOLS AND MATERIALS: Chinese brushes, callipers, small pot with clay shavings

PETR TOMS The hand-built vase made from a mixture of porcelain and fire clay is richly decorated with melted ash glaze and shell imprints. The resulting surface is also influenced by potassium vapours during the firing.

Fired in a wood-fire kiln at a temperature of 1,380 ºC in Přibyslavice.

TOOLS AND MATERIALS: historical kiln brick with traces of fingerprints, stoneware clay, seashell (seashells are placed under greenware in the kiln)

Earth, Wood & Fire

A potter’s job usually ends with the firing process, but the so-called hard goods – like stoneware or wood-fired porcelain – require substantial post-production, including the removal of the firing underlay and of hard, undesirable glazing. And sometimes there is just too much ash and the contents of the kiln are suited for nothing more than the rubbish bin.

The picture painted so far may suggest that wood-fired wares are the best there are. Wood firing is indeed a beautiful technique, but technique itself does not make pottery. A novice potter may easily succumb to the temptation of using fire to cover for shortcomings in earlier steps of the pottery making process, or perhaps as a veil for an underdeveloped aesthetic. On the other hand, when combined with skill and expertise, wood firing turns into a powerful tool with unlimited potential. Thanks to the ability to reach very high temperatures, the technique helps us bring into the world wares with exceptional characteristics. What’s more, wood firing creates highly distinctive surfaces with a promise of something irreplaceable. ■ You won’t find wood-fired pottery in a shop carrying conventional ceramic wares – you have to look a bit further. One great source for these wares are craft and pottery markets, which take place throughout the year in different parts across Czechia. The largest pottery market is organised twice yearly – in spring and in autumn – in Beroun. Potters also regularly gather at markets in Kunštát na Moravě, Kostelec nad Černými lesy and Bechyně, but also at many local markets. Those living in Prague can find wood-fired pottery at the Advent market at the Prague Exhibition Grounds [Výstaviště Praha], and in the summer at the Vltava river boardwalk market [Náplavka] or in the nearby village of Nelahozeves.

In short, in Czechia one need not travel far to find quality wood-fired pottery.

The actual wood-firing process can be experienced in Kohoutov, where a pottery school is open year-round for those who wish to delve into this beautiful old craft, and where the author of this article is a lecturer.

You can also meet wood-firing potters right next to their kilns at events such as those organised by Magda Brožová in Levín. Join them, because the emptying of a fired kiln is an unforgettable experience.

The ceramic tools were kindly provided by Jiří Duchek and Magda Brožová. We thank all the ceramicists for allowing us to present their products of earth, wood and fire.

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Trending

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text and selection: Patrik Florián photo: instagrammer’s archive

p uni @j oxx erf

BOUNDLESS INSPIRATION FAUNA AND FLORA ARE EVER-PRESENT AND FULL OF INSPIRATION. WHETHER YOU COLLECT INDOOR PLANTS, LOVE THE JAPANESE ART OF FLOWER ARRANGING, ARE A FAN OF MODERN FARMING, OR ENJOY THE EVERYDAY ANTICS OF A DOMESTICATED FOX – HARD TO MATCH IN THE CUTENESS FACTOR – YOU WILL DELIGHT IN FOLLOWING OUR SELECTION OF INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS. JOIN US TO EXPLORE ORIGINAL TAKES ON THE AMAZING AND ENRICHING WORLDS OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS.

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headpiece, Le Roni Millinery | skirt and jacket, both Krasimira Stoyneva

Fashion

BIRDS OF PARADISE

BRIGHTLY COLOURED GARMENTS AND STRIKING ACCESSORIES RADIATE ON THESE PAGES FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTION OF THE TALENTED PHOTOGRAPHER ELIŠKA KYSELKOVÁ.

THE PHOTOGRAPHER WAS INSPIRED BY THE STUNNING THEATRE THAT PLAYS OUT EACH DAY UNDER THE OPEN SKIES, PERFORMED BY BIRDS DRESSED IN PERFECTLY FITTING ATTIRE AND ADORNED WITH EXQUISITE NATURAL FLAIR – THEIR FEATHERS. THE PRIDE OF SOME TEN THOUSAND BIRD SPECIES, FEATHERS COME IN ALL SHADES OF COLOUR AND LUMINOSITY. THEY FUNCTION AS A LURE FOR A POTENTIAL MATE, A SYMBOL OF STRENGTH OR A FORM OF SELF-DEFENCE. NO WONDER THAT MOST OF US WOULD LIKE TO HIDE AT TIMES UNDER A SPLENDID PAIR OF WINGS, OR SPREAD OUR IMAGINARY WINGS TO FLY INTO THE UNKNOWN. ALLOW YOURSELF THE PLEASURE TO DREAM WITH YOUR EYES WIDE OPEN.

text: Patrik Florián | photo and concept: Eliška Kyselková styling: Quentin Hubert | set design: Kelly Briggs hair and make-up: Laura Meloni | model: Cleopatra Wood

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Birds of Paradise

ABOVE: shoes, Carolin Holzhuber | sheer skirt, Krasimira Stoyneva RIGHT: dress, Krasimira Stoyneva | sleeves, Liberty Von Creme | rings, Leonid Dementiev

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Fashion

LEFT: jacket and sheer skirt, Krasimira Stoyneva | dress, Hiroshi Goto

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Fashion

ABOVE: headpiece, Le Roni Millinery | dress, Hiroshi Goto | shoes, Carolin Holzuber | rings, Leonid Dementiev LEFT: headpiece, Le Roni Millinery

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Birds of Paradise

ABOVE: jacket, Krasimira Stoyneva | skirt, Arianna Mele RIGHT: headpiece, Le Roni Millinery | dress, Hiroshi Goto | rings, Leonid Dementiev

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Interview

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EXTENDING A HELPING HAND REQUIRES A GOOD DOSE OF COURAGE AND DETERMINATION. WHETHER YOU HELP SOMEONE IN YOUR CIRCLE, A STRANGER ON THE STREET, OR AN ANIMAL IN NEED ...

EACH SELFLESS ACT BRINGS WITH IT AN INTOXICATING FEELING OF HAPPINESS. IN THIS STORY WE INTRODUCE THREE SUCCESSFUL WOMEN AT THE HELM OF THREE SUCCESSFUL ORGANISATIONS THAT MAKE IT THEIR MISSION TO HELP THOSE IN NEED. AND BECAUSE EVEN A SUPERHERO NEEDS A PARTNER, WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN ABOUT THEIRS. ONCE YOU HAVE READ THESE INSPIRING INTERVIEWS, YOU MAY DECIDE THAT THIS IS THE TIME TO GIVE MORE OF YOURSELF. AFTER ALL, GIVING IS ALSO ABOUT RECEIVING.

Eva Marlene Hodek, Nadace na ochranu zvířat Eva is the director of Nadace na ochranu zvířat [Foundation for the Protection of Animals], an organisation founded in 1994 with the goal to protect the rights and interests of those not able to advocate for themselves. The organisation works in the Czech Republic and abroad on influencing legislative change, educating and informing the public, publishing, and providing financial assistance and advice in animal and environmental protection. A former director of the Prague House of Photography, Eva has been leading the foundation successfully for the past ten years through a combination of managerial expertise, creativity and a deep-rooted love of animals. She shares her home with a female hovawart named Beruška, a cat, a chameleon and three bearded dragons, and the pond in her beautiful natural garden is home to several fish.

text: Patrik Florián photo: Michaela Karásek Čejková

To learn how to support the work of the foundation and to contribute to animal protection, visit www.ochranazvirat.cz .

LOVE

Interview

Vendula Pizingerová, Nadační fond Kapka naděje Vendula is the president of Nadační fond Kapka naděje [Drop of Hope Foundation], which she established after her four-year-old daughter Klára lost her battle with leukaemia. During the months spent in hospital with her daughter, Vendula witnessed how under-resourced hospitals were and decided to help. Since the year 2000 her foundation has been helping children with cancer, blood disorders and other diseases requiring bone marrow transplants. Nadační fond Kapka naděje provides financial assistance to purchase equipment required for treatment, supports research activities and regional hospitals, provides psychosocial support, and organises activities for young patients and their families. Several four-legged friends have supported Vendula on her challenging journey. Today she lives near Prague where her two American pit bull terriers, Back and Coffee, chase each other on a lush green lawn.

Zuzana Daušová, Helppes – Centrum výcviku psů pro postižené Zuzana is the cofounder and director of Helppes – Centrum výcviku psů pro postižené [Centre for training assistance dogs]. Zuzana has always loved dogs. When she was little her parents gave her a cat, which she tried to train to no avail, and so she ended up walking all the dogs in her neighbourhood. At 13 she finally got a German shepherd puppy and her training career began. Unfortunately times were not favourable to women trainers, so Zuzana had to keep her calling under wraps for a while. However, immediately after the 1989 revolution, she founded her own dog school. In 1992 she also started to train her first guide dog and soon discovered the world of assistance animals. Today she is a highly regarded expert in her field and leads an organisation with an excellent track record. Helppes is the first and only organisation in Czechia dedicated to training guide and assistance dogs to help people with disabilities regain their freedom and independence.

To learn more about the foundation and ways in which you can help, visit www.kapkanadeje.cz .

For more information about Helppes and a list of their activities and opportunities for getting involved, visit www.helppes.cz .

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Interview

ANIMAL CHAMPION EVA MARLENE HODEK, NADACE NA OCHRANU ZVÍŘAT

You probably can’t imagine your current life without animals. Did you have animals as a child? As a six-year-old I set up a snail ‘farm’, and when all its inhabitants slithered away and hid in our flat, my parents decided it was time to get me a proper pet. First I had hamsters and then guinea pigs.

What led you to work with the foundation? I love art and animals. Ten years ago I exchanged ‘art’ for work with animals, which has a higher meaning for me now.

How did you meet Beruška? What’s she like and what does she excel in? My partner Viktor introduced me to Beruška. She’s a typical hovawart – friendly, affectionate, happy and kind. She’s great at catching insects, including bees, which she likes to swallow. And of course she excels at being a guard dog.

I know that you had a rescue dog named Cecilia whose loss was very hard on you. Do you think of her often? I think of her every day. Cecilia was absolutely exceptional, authentic and strong. Almost a dachshund, she was canny, stubborn and intractable, but she was also empathetic, loving and grateful. I strongly believe that friendship is a meeting between those who have been searching for each other without knowing what they really need. Like Cecilia and I. We fitted with each other like a hand in a glove.

Do you believe that a dog can be a person’s best friend? Of that I’m certain. And if a person is also a best friend to their dog, then the friendship is truly mutual. That’s how it should be.

What other animals do you have? In addition to Beruška we have a cat Berta, three bearded dragons – Rudolf, Bohunka and Drahunka – and a chameleon named Richard. Our home is full of ani-

mals. Sometimes I’m grateful for the fact that they allow us to live with them.

What have animals taught you? Thanks to our animals I’ve learnt to be responsible, caring and caregiving. Each species can teach you something new. Lizards, for example, have taught me about patience – when I’m able to connect with them, I’m very happy. Some people think that lizards have no emotions, but that’s not true. They just show them in what may seem as unusual ways – for example, bearded dragons behave towards you as if you were one of their kind. They communicate with you by nodding their head, waving their legs and touching your tongue to greet you. People often expect the unobtainable from animals. They should show more understanding, respect and patience.

What bothers you most about our society’s relationship with animals? I’m troubled by consumerism, which shows up in our relationship with animals – beginning with overconsumption of meat and ending with many people’s tendency to get pets so they could have live toys.

What do you consider your greatest achievement in your work with the foundation? I’m proud of the fact that in spite of many social, macroeconomic and legislative changes, we have not only been able to endure, but we are continually expanding new activities and working on a range of interesting projects. And I hope that we will continue in our work for a long time to come.

What are your personal goals for the future? For me what matters most are relationships with people and animals. I want to keep the relationships I have, to care for them well, and to develop them further with love and understanding.

LEFT: Sleepy Deluxe Teddy dog bed, www.cloud7.de .

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Interview

FOUR-LEGGED HELP ZUZANA DAUŠOVÁ, HELPPES

How did you learn to work with dogs, and does anything surprise you after all these years? I’m self-taught and have years of practice. Each new dog brings some new, priceless experiences. After all, they’re living creatures capable of incredible feats. Every time a dog makes a decision that saves a life, I am reminded how incredibly important this work is.

Are some breeds particularly well suited for training as assistance dogs, or is it about individual character? What other animals can be trained to assist? Retrievers are generally best liked, because they are non-confrontational and can accept a change in their owner fairly well.

Crossbreeds are ideal; they are grateful and strong.

German shepherds were used exclusively in the past, but not so much today. They are domineering and need strong direction. We have a guide miniature horse and abroad some people use monkeys.

How do you select clients and find for them suitable dogs? People need to approach us. They complete a questionnaire and then we sit together and talk. We try to get to know the needs of the person and their family in as much detail as possible. Dogs are chosen between the age of 6 to 18 months and must undergo health and personality tests. Training takes from six months to a year. Sometimes clients bring their own dog, but even in such cases we must meet international standards. Training a dog takes a lot of time and resources, so we need to be sure that a trained dog will be able to serve the expected timeframe. We always aim for an ideal match and hope that sparks will fly. Once a dog has passed the requisite testing, it goes to a client and they train together. But work doesn’t end there – it continues for the rest of their lives.

Does the state support the training of guide and assistance dogs? Guide dogs are fully funded

by the state, but there is no funding for assistance dogs. But in our 17 years of experience we have learnt that private funding is the best option anyway. We retain oversight over our dogs and it’s easier to deal with issues that may arise from improper handling. Private donors also have a healthy interest in the dogs and in our clients.

What special feats can trained dogs do? A guide dog is a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde. It has to follow its master to the word, but in the case of danger it has to follow its own intuition. Dogs that assist people with diabetes have a particular challenge. They have to learn how to react to the different smells a person gives off when their blood sugar is high or low. Lifting a person’s head or placing a pencil into their mouth also requires exceptional skill.

Would you like to see a change in the general public’s relationship with people with disabilities? Yes, by viewing people with disabilities differently. In our minds we have a fixed perception: blind person, white cane, guide dog. But there is a wide range of disabilities, many of which aren’t readily visible. We’re trying to educate the public to be more understanding.

How can someone get involved in helping your organisation? There are many ways. We can’t do our work without financial assistance, but it’s not all about money. Volunteers are really important in our work too, and volunteers can help out directly in our centre or they can help spread information about our work. If someone wants to help financially, and it doesn’t matter which organisation, it’s important that people choose not-for-profits that have been awarded the Czech ‘reliability mark’ [značka spolehlivosti] instead of putting money into charity collection boxes.

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Interview

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE VENDULA PIZINGEROVÁ, NADAČNÍ FOND KAPKA NADĚJE

Are you a dog or a cat person? My whole childhood I wanted a dog – a cocker spaniel to be precise – but my parents got me a cat and so I became a cat person. My first husband Karel had a German shepherd and a great dane, but they were outdoor dogs, so when he came home from work I had to pretend that they hadn’t spent the whole day on the sofa. We also had two cats: a sphynx and a street kitty. The sphynx was a male and he loved sunning himself in the garden so much that we had to put sunblock on him every day. When children from the local preschool walked along the fence, their teachers would shout: ‘Don’t touch it!’ When Back and Coffee came to us, the tomcat went to another family, and he’s doing really well there.

What are pit bull terriers like and what do you do together? They are affectionate and make us happy, except when they steal meat from the kitchen!

They’re also good listeners when you’re feeling down.

I love taking morning walks with them through the woods or to the pond. When we’re not home they go to doggie care at my mother-in-law’s.

We teach dogs to be obedient and to do tricks.

Can a person learn something from a dog? I feel that love and relationships in general should be unconditional and without undue expectations. Dogs communicate with their bodies and their love. They don’t make assumptions; they don’t hurt you with their actions. Dogs play a vital role by teaching us about unconditional love. Had a bad day? Let go of your worries and greet your partner with open arms just like your pooch would!

Does animal-assisted therapy play a role in the work of your foundation? Although animals can assist with healing of both physical and psychological ailments, the children whom we help tend

to have compromised immune systems, so they can’t come in contact with animals. But my little girl had a guinea pig and it joined us on doctor’s visits. Some psychiatry wards have rabbits for children and older patients to play with.

You’ve been at the helm of your organisation for 18 years in Czechia and 8 years in Slovakia.

When have you felt the greatest sense of fulfilment and what continues to motivate you? I feel fulfilled every day. My motivation? I feel a great responsibility to help.

What could be improved in our society’s relationship with charity? More and more people are interested in charity work. But often it’s expressed as impulsive donations – what we need is ongoing support. Plus, when we start being successful, people feel we no longer need support. We have many projects, of course, but we’re always broadening our services.

What are your goals and dreams for the foundation? I’d like to open a relaxation centre for parents in Motol Hospital. A place where they could rest and forget about their worries for a moment.

Dreams? It’s important to dream, of course, but we need to be careful about unfulfilled expectations. It’s better to take things one step at a time.

The organisation Nadační fond Kapka naděje has inspired the Soffa editorial team and even before the publication of this issue, many joined the Czech Registry of Blood-Forming Cell Donors.

We hope that our actions will also inspire others.

For more information visit www.darujzivot.cz . ■

LEFT: Moon Basalt dog bed, www.cloud7.de .

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Holiday Homes

partner for the article: Huus Hotel text: Helena Stiessovรก photo: Mark Nolan, Patrik Floriรกn

SLOW LIVING

BY HUUS

A MAJESTIC EAGLE GLIDES OVER THE VALLEY, ITS FLIGHT PATH CARESSING THE OUTLINE OF THE ROLLING HILLS. WHEN IT FINALLY DISAPPEARS BEYOND THE HORIZON, OUR ATTENTION IS DRAWN TO THE HILLS THEMSELVES, MAGNIFICENTLY FRAMED

BY THE JAGGED PEAKS OF THE SWISS ALPS. POSTCARD-PERFECT, THEY BECKON WITH A PROMISE OF ADVENTURES TO COME. HERDS OF HAPPY COWS GRAZE LAZILY ON GREEN HILLSIDE PASTURES, THE DING OF THEIR BELLS FLOATING GENTLY TOWARDS GSTAAD. WELCOME TO AN ALPINE EXPERIENCE AT ITS FINEST.

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47

Holiday Homes

LEFT: To climb to the top of a waterfall or to contemplate by a quaint chapel – the Swiss Alps offer something for every mood.

The architecture is traditional, and wooden mountain chalets with gently sloping roofs contribute to the landscape’s bucolic charm. Their facades are decorated with delightfully carved or painted ornamentation.

A bike ride in the Alps need not be demanding. We set off from Lauenensee, about ten kilometres from Gstaad, and the trail went mostly downhill. Narrow, serpentine roads gave way to offroad trails, challenging enough for a good adrenaline rush. Curious cows and sheep raised their heads as we cycled past, far from perturbed. They’ve seen the likes of us before...

To say that Switzerland is a land of natural beauty is to state the obvious.

And yet we were awe-stricken by the beauty of the renowned winter resort located in Switzerland’s Canton of Bern, which opened up like a magical book once we passed through a curtain of rain. A book full of dramatic and breathtaking stories that play out every day of the year, not just when the slopes are covered in snow. Indeed, the summer season offers even more opportunities for an up-close encounter with the enchanting Alpine landscape. There is no need to hurry. Indulge in the ever-present tranquillity and its benefits will soon follow.

At the end of a great trip you need a place to rest your head, and our heads rested in the welcoming Huus Hotel. The hotel’s name – ‘house’ in English – is a symbol of their exceptional hospitality, which makes it a place where you truly feel right at home. The interior is the work of the Swedish designer Erik Nissen Johansen, who perfectly recreated the atmosphere of a modern mountain chalet. Instead of feeling lost in an impersonal lobby, hotel guests enjoy the intimate ambience of The Livingroom, which feels unbelievably cosy despite its 400 square metres and an infinitely high ceiling.

Built on a slope, the hotel boasts a balcony for each of its 136 rooms, the ideal place for watching majestic eagles or working on your tan. Or doing both. In keeping with the mountain theme, individual floors are marked by cleverly arranged climbing ropes from past expeditions. The rooms feature wood panelling, muted colours and warm materials, a perfect combination for quiet contemplation. But one look at the bright red backpack hanging on the wall and you are ready for your next mountain adventure.

Active relaxation is the order of the day at the Huus Hotel. Each morning, in addition to delicious breakfast offerings, guests are greeted with a daily menu of activities. A rafting trip on a turquoise coloured mountain stream, or a climbing lesson with a skilled instructor? To inspire and help equip its guests, the hotel houses an outlet selling Danner Boots and stylish all-weather Grenfell jackets. Guests can also enjoy quality mountain bikes and an experienced guide who can show you local trails. All sport activities are included in the cost of the hotel, and no, prices have not been inflated. Indeed, the idea that Gstaad is overpriced thanks to its popularity with the international jet set does not fly at the Huus Hotel. The hotel owners’ philosophy is unusual in many regards. They run their hotel with care, passion and the pride of a thoughtful host, and it all shows – from the smiling personnel to the hotel’s ecological approach to hospitality, which is helping to preserve the pristine natural surroundings. If you wake early in the morning, you can savour a sunrise over Arnensee lake and watch the fog slowly disperse over the surface of the lake. It is a beautiful experience – slow living the Huus way. ■

For more information visit www.huusgstaad.com .

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LEFT: THESEEctem.

PAGES:EtThe amHuus la paHotel ni nonofsequo fers 136 is vereius, rooms, each tem isseque with a la view et iditame of the sunlit nempor valley, seni and ommod your dog et qui is also autatiam welcome. sam Mountain quatur autem trail vel walks ipsanim will do porat. yourNistior four-legged atiatis debitem friend a world aboreofduciatia. good, and in the evenings it can roam in the garRIGHT: den below.

Ectem.

The ground Et am level la pafeani nonsequo tures a swimming is vereius, pool, tem and isseque there la is aetheated iditame sauna nempor with seni a view omof mod the mountain-framed et qui autatiam sam valley. quatur autem vel ipsanim porat. Nistior atiatis Earth tones debitem dominate abore the duciatia. interior, and in the spirit of a cosy Nordic home, so do natural materials.

Did you notice the cuckoo clock?

THIS PAGE: Endless verdant pastures provide nourishment for cows sporting the iconic, artistically embellished cowbell. When the cows start moving, there is no escaping the tintinnabulation.

For the most part, however, they graze placidly on the lush green carpet underhoof and pose for eager photographers.

Utterly Czech

text: Helena Stiessová photo: National Museum of Agriculture archives illustration: Pietro Andrea Matthioli: Herbář [Herbarium], folio 386, Prague, 1562

GREEN GOLD

COLUPULON, FARNESENE, SELINENE, MYRCENE, CARYOPHYLLENE AND HUMULENE – THE BEGINNING OF AN INCANTATION HIDDEN INSIDE A SMALL GREEN FLOWER. A FLOWER KNOWN TO CAST A SPELL THROUGH MYSTERIOUSLY NAMED COMPOUNDS THAT IMPART BEER ITS TYPICAL FLAVOUR AND AROMA. JUST ASK ANY BEER LOVER. BUT THERE ARE HOPS, AND THEN THERE ARE CZECH HOPS. CONSIDERED WORLD-CLASS, CZECH HOPS SET THE STANDARD FOR THE WHOLE INDUSTRY. AS WE LIKE TO SAY, IT’S OUR GREEN GOLD.

Long rows of unruly plants rising up from the red soil and reaching eagerly for the sun – the image of the Žatec region in summer, whether you traverse it on a small country road or in a train carriage. Žatec is one of several regions in Czechia with a long hop-producing tradition. Its elevation, soil make-up and microclimatic conditions are perfect for the hop plant, which rewards local growers with yields of exceptional quality. If one were to transplant the creeper elsewhere, its flavours and aromas would change or wither.

Historical records indicate that quality hops were produced and even exported from the Czech lands as early as the eleventh century. A few centuries later King Charles IV prohibited export of the plant, with defiance punishable by death. Charles IV also oversaw the development of hop cultivation guidelines to refine local plant varieties, and the previously scattered production became concentrated in the regions of Louny, Žatec, Rakovník, Úštěk and Tršice. In line with brewing rights, small hop farms also popped up in towns or monasteries where beer was brewed.

The traditional pole hop farm at the Franciscan monastery in Kadaň, still on view today, is a relic of this time. The seventeenth century heralded difficult times with the Thirty Years’ War, bringing the development of the Czech hops industry to a temporary halt.

The hop plant survived the hiatus brought on by the lengthy war and in time grew to become more refined. The pioneer of modern hop cultivation was Kryštof Semš from Vrbice, who in the mid nineteenth century began the process of systematic selection of quality hop plants. His work was continued in the first half of the twentieth century by Karel Osvald, an important figure in the Czech hops industry and the founder of modern hops research. Osvald’s tireless work gave birth to top-quality clones of the most famous of Czech hops – žatecký poloraný červeňák – a Saaz hops variety. An aromatic miracle, this hops is a key ingredient in traditional beers fermented at lower temperatures, like the Czech lager.

Cultivating good hops is only part of the story. The other part involves its harvesting, drying and processing. Czechs who grew up in times of communism recall hops work camps, the compulsory summer activity that became a right of passage for students. The drying and processing of hops required significant infrastructure, and several dozen complexes were built in the town of Žatec alone. Indeed, the Žatec hop-growing tradition is so distinctive that the town is working towards becoming recognised as a UNESCO heritage site. Go and experience it yourself, and be sure to include a visit to the hops museum. The fine aroma of the famous local Saaz hops is sure to please your olfactory organ. ■

Utterly Czech

THIS PAGE: Hops harvesters, JZD Kněževes [Agricultural Cooperative Kněževes], 1956 Hop ‘squirrel’ – tool for hanging fallen hop bines, c/o Josef Houda, Chotiněves no. 23, 1960 Hops harvest, loading of bales, JZD Kněževes [Agricultural Cooperative Kněževes], 1956

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Green Gold

THIS PAGE: Hop ‘cuckoos’ – tools for attaching hop plants to the wire frame; left c/o Josef Andert, Třeskovice, right c/o Oldřich Mohl, Pochválov, 1960 JZD Kolešovice [Agricultural Cooperative Kolešovice] – hops harvest, filling of bales, 1950 Hop cultivation tools – three wire keys for building hop frames and a wire-tightening tool, c/o Vojtěch Tomeš, Pnětluky no. 44, 1960

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Founded in Stockholm

The Swedish Way In Sweden people have always relied on the power of nature. The Scandinavian landscape, light, sea and woodlands create a unique oasis for a precious variety of plants, herbs and other nurturing ingredients that have been known and used for generations. This knowledge led Barnängen to include cloudberry, elderflower and the iconic birch tree in their skincare products. In combination with the base ingredients for Barnängen’s cold cream and hydration serum, Scandinavian flora has helped to create unparalleled skincare solutions.

Discover why generations of Swedes have been loving Barnängen products since 1868.

BarnangenStockholm Barnangen.cz

Architecture

partner for the article: Janošík okna–dveře [Janošík windows–doors] text: editorial team photo: BoysPlayNice

FRAMING THE SCENE THE CZECH FAMILY COMPANY JANOŠÍK MAKES WINDOWS AND DOORS. LIKE OTHER COMPANIES THEY HAVE USED BILLBOARDS TO ADVERTISE THEIR WORK, BUT ONE DAY THEY DECIDED THAT BILLBOARDS WERE HISTORY: ‘WE ARE OVERSATURATED BY VISUAL CLUTTER, AND IF OUR PHILOSOPHY IS TO PROVIDE AN UNINTERRUPTED VIEW, LET’S PROVIDE IT TO EVERYONE.’ THIS IDEA CAME TO LIFE IN THE OBSERVATION STRUCTURE CALLED DURCH [THROUGH] BY THE ARCHITECT ZDENĚK FRÁNEK. THE MINIMALIST STRUCTURE IS BUILT FROM OAK AND FRAMES THE BEAUTIFUL VIEW OVER VALAŠSKÉ PŘÍKAZY LIKE A LANDSCAPE PAINTING INVITING A VIEWER TO PAUSE AND SAVOUR THE MOMENT.

Architecture

‘I had hoped that Durch would show that contemporary architecture, when well considered, can work in unison with the pristine nature of Valašsko.

From people’s responses I think it’s been a success,’ says Jakub Janošík, the person behind the idea. Jakub is the youngest member of the family firm with a longstanding tradition in innovative window design and the head of their marketing and development. Durch honours the view over the landscape, just as landscape paintings do in the hands of master painters. Tourists and passers-by can rest and recuperate at the observation structure while enjoying the natural beauty of Valašsko.

LEFT: The architect Zdeněk Fránek used massive oak beams to create the observation structure.

Durch aspires to be an architectural trailblazer in the region. ‘It would be very satisfying if it inspired the future of public space design in our region – something we are beginning to discuss in Valašské Příkazy. Other local municipalities have approached us about making replicas, but Durch will remain the one and only. However, I’m confident that collaborations with architects will result in other unique ideas,’ adds Jakub. ■

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BRNO DESIGN DAYS 4—7/10 2018 WORKSHOPS/TALKS/DESIGN INSTALLATIONS /FASHION SHOW/DESIGNSHOP/EXHIBITION/PARTY /DESIGN AROUND THE CITY/AND MUCH MORE!

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Science

partner for the article: Prague Zoo text: Helena Petáková illustration: Sasha Derkach

INTO THE WILD

NATURE’S AMBASSADORS – THAT’S WHAT PRAGUE ZOO’S DIRECTOR MIROSLAV BOBEK CALLS HIS ANIMAL CHARGES. IT IS THANKS TO THEM THAT THE ZOO RECEIVES PUBLIC SUPPORT AND RESOURCES FOR THE PROTECTION OF ENDANGERED SPECIES AND THEIR HABITATS. AFTER ALL, THE PROTECTION OF BIODIVERSITY SHOULD BE A KEY AIM OF ANY MODERN ZOO WORTH ITS NAME. PRAGUE ZOO’S WORK IN THIS AREA INVOLVES A WHOLE RANGE OF SPECIES, BOTH IN CZECHIA AND IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD. THE ZOO HAS ENJOYED SUCCESS IN BREEDING ENDANGERED ANIMALS AND IN HELPING TO PROTECT THEM IN THE WILD, AND MANY OF ITS PROJECTS USE BOTH APPROACHES IN PLACING ANIMALS RAISED IN CAPTIVITY INTO THEIR NATURAL HABITATS. IN ADDITION, PRAGUE ZOO WORKS TO AFFECT CHANGE IN THE ATTITUDES OF PEOPLE LIVING NEAR THESE HABITATS, TO ENSURE THAT IN THE FUTURE THERE IS A HOME TO WHICH THE ANIMALS COULD RETURN.

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Into the Wild

One of Prague Zoo’s key endangered species projects is ‘Return of the Wild Horses’, which works on the release of Przewalski’s horse into the Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area in western Mongolia. In collaboration with the Czech Army, the Prague Zoo transports the horses by CASA military transport planes. Over the past eight years, 31 Przewalski’s horses were transported this way and four more were transported inside Mongolia.

Many of the horses have already begun to reproduce in their new habitat.

The project includes a range of complementary activities including the building of guard posts, hay storage facilities and a potable water well, the renovation of a hospital, and the purchase of equipment for guards working in the Gobi B protected zone.

In April 2018 Prague Zoo signed an additional agreement with the Mongolian Ministry of Environment through which the two parties will expand their collaboration to the Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area, home to the critically endangered wild Bactrian camel and the equally endangered Gobi bear. The zoo has equipped Mongolian guards with eight motorcycles, which will help in their monitoring work, and in the future it plans to support the building of an expanded breeding centre for wild camels.

Also in Mongolia, the zoo supports the protection of the Mongolian subspecies of the saiga antelope. The mid-sized antelope with a distinctive bulbous nose is also critically endangered, its situation worsening after a plague epidemic of small ruminants in 2017. The zoo financed ten telemetric collars that will monitor the movement of saiga herds. This information will help in developing better responses to disease transfer from domesticated sheep and goats.

After ‘Return of the Wild Horses’, the second of the zoo’s overseas initiatives is the Wandering Bus project, which works to protect the western gorilla and other endangered species in Central Africa. The Wandering Bus project manages a zoo in Cameroon whose goal it is to encourage local children and adults to become champions of nature conservation. The Prague Zoo also supports guards working at Cameroon’s biosphere reservation Dja, who risk their lives to protect gorillas and other animals from poachers.

Prague Zoo is also very active in Southeast Asia, where it is involved in the protection of several rare mammals. In Laos it supports a project to save the Chinese pangolin, an unusual mammal covered in scales, and the

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DICE SNAKE One animal that has free range in the expansive natural complex of the Prague Zoo is the dice snake, which is critically endangered in Czechia.

Dice snakes winter at the zoo and twice yearly migrate between their wintering grounds on a steep rocky slope and the river, where they spend the warmer months. Their migration route crosses a bicycle path, which presents a great danger. Recent renovation of a millrace allowed part of the snake population to stay inside the zoo throughout the whole year.

The zoo also works to ensure that dice snakes have sufficient space for sunning and keeping warm.

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GHARIAL, THE FISH-EATING CROCODILE Perhaps the rarest large animal on the Indian subcontinent, the gharial has only one refuge left in its homeland – the river Chambal. It is unique among crocodiles for its adaptation to a primarily fish-based diet, but pollution, dams and overfishing in its riverine habitat have left it critically endangered. Prague Zoo has been successfully breeding gharials and contributes to their protection in India. The zoo has financed a boat and telemetric monitoring using transmitters. The resulting data yields valuable information about the life of this rare crocodile.

CHINESE PANGOLIN In spite of its inclusion on IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species, the Chinese pangolin is one of the most smuggled animals in the world. There is demand for the meat of this insect-eating mammal, but there is even more demand for the keratin scales that cover its body. Prague Zoo has decided to become actively involved in the protection of pangolins by supporting the construction of a so-called pangolarium in Laos. This sanctuary for up to 100 pangolins will serve as a temporary rehabilitation space for animals confiscated from poachers. From there the pangolins will be released back into the wild.

WESTERN LOWLAND GORILLA Protection of the critically endangered western lowland gorilla is one of Prague Zoo’s key overseas projects. Thanks to funds raised through the ‘We help them to survive’ campaign, Prague Zoo is able to develop activities aimed to protect gorillas in the Central African country of Cameroon, namely through environmental education. Since 2013 Prague Zoo has been running the Wandering Bus project, which takes local children to the Mefou primate sanctuary and the Mvog-Betsi zoo, so they can get to know gorillas as more than a source of food or a source of income for poachers.

Science

Laotian rock rat, which was first discovered in 1995 and may become extinct before we get to know it. Prague Zoo also supports the research and protection of saola, one of the world’s rarest large mammals, which was discovered in 1992 along the border between Laos and Vietnam. The zoo is also involved in the protection of several bird species in Asia, including Edwards’ pheasant in Vietnam, the Javan green magpie in Indonesia, the bluecrowned laughingthrush in China and the white-bellied heron in Bhutan.

Closer to home in Europe, Prague Zoo has had great success with the protection of European birds of prey, namely the Egyptian vulture and the bearded vulture. Both species are successfully being bred and released into the wild.

Among reptiles, Prague Zoo has taken a special interest in two crocodiles from opposite sides of the world: the gharial, a fish eating crocodile originating in India, which the zoo has bred successfully, and the Cuban crocodile, which has a reputation as a gruesome predator, but undoubtedly deserves its place in the sun.

In addition to working on the protection of animals in far-flung places – recent additions include the Chacoan peccary in Paraguay and the Tasmanian devil in Australia – Prague Zoo works in its own backyard. The zoo complex itself is a unique habitat for a number of free-range animals, including the dice snake, the European green lizard, the European ground squirrel, the black-crowned night heron, and many other bird as well as butterfly species. As some of these species are endangered, Prague Zoo works hard on creating the best possible conditions so the animals may thrive.

All projects focused on the protection of endangered species are funded by public support. Members of the public can choose to support the care of animals living at the zoo, or contribute to the work focused on animals living in the wild. Visitors can buy books and souvenirs, participate in fundraising events, send text message donations, or make direct contributions to the ‘We help them to survive’ account. In addition, for each entry ticket to the zoo, 2 Czech crowns go to the projects described in this article.

Finally, all of Prague Zoo efforts to support endangered species are carried out in collaboration with a range of organisations and agencies, both domestic and international. ■

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EGYPTIAN VULTURE One of the most majestic of Europe’s birds is also one of its most endangered. Egyptian vultures are often illegally poisoned or shot, and in the Balkans they have been brought to near extinction. Prague Zoo is home to three mating pairs and so far they have brought 28 young into the world – more than any other zoo. Nine Egyptian vultures have already been returned to the wild from Prague and the zoo is helping in other ways too: it financed the building of an aviary and feeding place in Bulgaria and an off-road vehicle for local protection officers.

PRZEWALSKI’S HORSE Prague Zoo deserves special credit for the preservation of Przewalski’s horse.

Since 1959 the zoo has been maintaining the world breed book for the species, and since 2011 it has been collaborating with the Czech Army to fly Przewalski’s horses to the land of their origin. Thus far they have released 30 mares and one stallion in western Mongolia, and four more horses were transported within the country. Many of the ‘Prague horses’ have already given birth to a new generation. Prague Zoo supports Mongolian guards and contributes to scientific research in the Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area.

Win two herbal tea blends from rhoeco Rhoeco is the brainchild of three friends from Greece who share a deep love for nature.

Together they create exquisite tea blends from organic herbs grown by Greek farmers.

Write to us at info@soffamag.com (subject: #rhoeco) and describe your personal tea ritual.

The five most interesting rituals will each win a twin pack of rhoeco herbal tea blends.

For complete contest rules go to www.soffamag.com .

To learn more about rhoeco – fine organic goods, visit www.rhoeco.com .

Win Cloud7 accessories for your canine friend The Berlin-based label Cloud7 makes stylish products and accessories for canines based on eco-friendly and fair trade principles. Write to us at info@soffamag.com (subject: #cloud7) and tell us how your dog has enriched your life. The most interesting story wins a Cloud7 package valued at â‚Ź329.50, comprising a dog bed, a leash and an olive soap for pets.

For complete contest rules go to www.soffamag.com . To learn more about Cloud7 visit www.cloud7.de .

Food

UMAMI YUMMY THE LARGE METAL GATE CREAKS OPEN AND WE ARE IMMEDIATELY ENVELOPED IN THE DECAYING AROMA OF A LUSH FOREST. THIS IS THE HOME OF TRUE SHIITAKE, AN UNUSUAL MUSHROOM PRODUCER LOCATED IN A FORMER COMPOSTING FACILITY IN THE MIDDLE OF PROTECTED WOODLANDS. WE ARE HERE TO MEET THE SHIITAKE MUSHROOM, THE STEAK OF THE FUTURE.

JIDLO HOUBY

text: Hana Janišová photo: Barbora Bydžovská

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Food

Each week the facility produces tens of kilograms of shiitake, mushrooms with a high content of protein, vitamins B and D, and dietary fibre, including the soluble fibre beta-glucan, which strengthens the immune system. Shiitake mushrooms first appeared in historical records of the Chan Dynasty in China some two thousand years ago. From China the mushroom spread to Taiwan and Japan, where the name shiitake, meaning ‘mushroom growing on oak’, originates. The mushroom has a pronounced flavour known as umami, the so-called fifth flavour – next to sweet, salty, bitter and sour – that humans first encounter in their mother’s breast milk.

In Japanese the term umami means something very delicious. The basis of the taste is glutamic acid, which occurs naturally in shiitake mushrooms, but also in seaweed, Parmesan cheese, ripe tomatoes and aged meat.

Shiitake mushrooms grow naturally in warm and damp areas of China and Japan, where their commercial cultivation began in the 1970s. While the world’s large producers – China, Japan and Taiwan – have become expert in the cultivation process, in Czechia this area of agriculture is still in a trial and error phase. Dalibor from True Shiitake cut his teeth on shiitake growing during his stay in the USA. As one of two founders of the only company of its kind in Central Europe, he unveiled for us the mystery of growing shiitake mushrooms sustainably.

‘Forest managers have to selectively cull some 14 or 15-year old oaks, like those that aren’t growing straight, for example. We buy what they call ‘fuelwood’ from their winter felling, as that’s when the wood contains a lot of sugar and nutrients,’ explains Dalibor. Springtime is the time for drilling. The wood is cut into uniform lengths and each log is drilled with some 40 holes, which are then filled with prepared mycelium (mushroom spawn). The inoculated logs then rest for about a year while the mycelium happily colonises the wood and matures in the process. Two of the mushroom strains used by True Shiitake come from the USA and one from Japan – all three were selected for their suitability to the local climate.

Once the logs are fully colonised by mushroom spawn, they are repeatedly soaked in a water bath. After three to five days the first mushroom germs begin to appear, and in another week one can start harvesting with a basket in hand. Oak logs will yield mushrooms in two-week cycles for a period of three years. Four years after inoculation the log is fully spent and it is then sold for fuelwood. The entire cultivation process happens without any kind of fertiliser – as a wood-decay fungus, shiitake takes all its nutrients from the tree log – or pesticide, making its ecological footprint very minimal. Currently True Shiitake is focussing on full energy self-sufficiency, including plans for utilising one hundred per cent of the rainwater they collect and reusing waste materials. And what’s the best way to prepare shiitake? According to True Shiitake experts, they are best prepared as a steak and fried in butter. Bon appetite! ■

You can order True Shiitake mushrooms in advance and pick them up at their farm in Káraný. For more information visit www.true-shiitake.cz .

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Recipe

VEGAN PHỞ WITH SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS

PORTIONS: 4 WHAT YOU NEED: 1 Tbsp coconut oil 1 large onion 4 cloves of garlic 2 cm piece of ginger 6 whole cloves 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 1/2 litre vegetable stock 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast 3 Tbsp soy sauce few spring onions (leave some for garnish) handful of fresh coriander/ cilantro (leave some for garnish) handful of shiitake mushrooms 1 package of glass noodles 1 carrot, cut into julienne noodles chilli peppers to taste lime text: Barbora Bydžovská

METHOD: Cut the onion into half moon slices and peel the garlic cloves and ginger. Fry the sliced onion, whole garlic cloves and half of the ginger (as a whole piece) in coconut oil together with the cloves and cinnamon for about 5 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Next add the nutritional yeast, soy sauce, the remaining ginger, and chopped spring onions and coriander, and simmer gently for an hour. Strain the finished soup stock, or if you wish to use it unstrained, remove the cloves and keep the rest.

Brush the shiitake mushrooms with coconut oil and fry on high heat. Once fried, salt the mushrooms and slice them into smaller pieces as necessary.

Cook the glass noodles according to instructions, rinse them under cold water and place in a bowl. Pour the hot soup stock over the noodles, add slices of mushrooms and the julienned carrot, and finish with the remaining coriander, spring onions and chilli peppers to taste. For a final touch add a bit of fresh lime juice.

TIP: Shiitake mushrooms can be substituted or complemented with oyster mushrooms, crunchy sprouts, or fried tofu or tempeh.

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DIY

text: editorial team and Tereza Hradilkovรก illustration: Tereza Hradilkovรก

KIRIGAMI FROM CZECH WOODLANDS

KIRIGAMI, THE JAPANESE ART OF PAPER CUTTING AND FOLDING, WILL TEST YOUR PATIENCE, CREATIVITY AND ATTENTION TO DETAIL. FIND YOURSELF A PAIR OF SHARP SCISSORS AND GET YOUR HANDS READY FOR SOME SERIOUS CUTTING AND FOLDING. CHILDREN ARE WELCOME! METHOD: Separate the three animal shapes so you can fold each animal along its central axis without folding over the others. Once folded in half, cut each animal out following its outline. Then carefully cut the openings for ears and other details denoted with a solid line, and fold the animal as shown. To give it a lifelike appearance, shape the body as you would with modelling clay.

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cut out fold like a mountain fold like a valley

PORIGAMI

GIVES DEPTH TO PAPER The Prague-based paper craft label PORIGAMI creates unique paper art by transforming two-dimensional sheets of paper into three-dimensional objects. Their laser cut and hand-stamped collections include greeting cards that explore themes like fauna, flora and architecture, as well as paper decorations like mobiles and garlands. PORIGAMI also makes custom-designed business cards, invitations, souvenir cards, pop-up presentations and paper installations.

The architect Tereza Hradilková, nicknamed ‘Pori’ by her older sister, lived in East Asia between 2007 and 2013.

There she started experimenting with paper, ‘gami’ in Japanese, and PORIGAMI soon followed.

In September 2018 PORIGAMI will exhibit at the prestigious Maison et Objet fair in Paris.

Decor

partner for the article: Dreamhouse textile agency and the National Gallery in Prague text: Adéla Kudrnová and Janka Murínová styling: Janka Murínová photo: Lina Németh

EN PLEIN AIR

A GARDEN RINGING WITH BIRDSONG AND ENVELOPED BY WALLS IN BLOOM IS THE PERFECT PLACE TO OBSERVE, EMBRACE AND BECOME ONE WITH NATURE. SUCH AN OASIS CAN BE FOUND ON THE EXTERIOR OF THE CONVENT OF ST. AGNES OF BOHEMIA, PART OF THE NATIONAL GALLERY IN PRAGUE. THE CONVENT GARDENS, INCLUDING THE SCULPTURE PARK, ARE OPEN ALL YEAR ROUND AND ADMISSION IS FREE, SO THERE IS NO REASON TO DELAY YOUR VISIT!

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En Plein Air

PAGE 81: Clouds Sky Blue fabric, Picture Book Prints collection – John Derian for the Designers Guild; Chimney Swallows Sky Blue fabric, Picture Book Prints collection – John Derian for the Designers Guild; Florescence Luxembourg Corail/Emeraude wallpaper, Casadeco; all from www.dreamhouse.cz Scoop chair and Void hanging lights, all from Tom Dixon, Bulb | small marble table, www.fermiliving.com | glass plate on a wooden base, www.deelive.cz PAGE 82: Talamanca Vert Mousse fabric, Casamance; Portfolio Alizarine Anglais wallpaper, Casamance; Jungle Natte wallpaper, Caselio; all from www.dreamhouse.cz Husk chair, Moroso, Konsepti | Toolstripe pillow, Vitra; WH pillow, Hay; Platform tray, Muuto; all from Stockist | Monkey Wall hanging lights, Seletti PAGE 83: Les Clés de l’Archipel Capucin Jade fabric, Misia; Jungle Natte wallpaper, Caselio; both from www.dreamhouse.cz Banjooli small table, Moroso, Konsepti | Bella small table, Hay, Stockist | Kri Kri bowl, Debut gallery | Hex copper bowls, Tom Dixon, Bulb | Monkey Wall hanging lights, Seletti RIGHT: Jaipur Rose Rose fabric, Designers Guild; Pink Jungle wallpaper, Caselio; both from www.dreamhouse.cz Peacock chair, Cappellini, Konsepti | ceramic vase from the Alchymie collection, Martina Žílová; Beton vase, Vobouch; both from www.deelive.cz | Bisqit plate, Debut gallery

Just like painters who create en plein air, we decided to celebrate our passion for summer’s outdoor living by creating a relaxation zone under open skies. In our creative process we reached for fabrics, wallpaper and other accessories sold by studio DreamHouse, and for location we chose the gardens of the Convent of St. Agnes of Bohemia. One of the most important Gothic buildings in Prague and the oldest among National Gallery sites, the convent houses a permanent exhibition of medieval art. Are you thinking this combination wouldn’t work? Au contraire! Last year the National Gallery completed a renovation of the convent and created a lively space perfect for relaxation and cultural enjoyment. From May to September the gardens come alive with the Anežka LIVE! programme, which includes art events, concerts, films, workshops and even yoga. ■

To learn more visit www.ngprague.cz/anezka-live and www.dreamhouse.cz .

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Interview

text: Hana Janišová photo: Lina Németh

HUNTING ON THE WING

FOR MORE THAN THREE HUNDRED GENERATIONS, FALCONERS HAVE BEEN PASSING ON TO THEIR CHILDREN THE ART OF MASTERING A WILD BIRD OF PREY. FALCONRY IS A FORM OF HUNTING THAT DRAWS ON THE CHARACTERISTICS AND SKILLS OF A TRAINED PREDATOR. SINCE 2010 IT HAS BEEN INSCRIBED ON THE UNESCO LIST OF INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF HUMANITY UNDER THE ENTRY ‘FALCONRY, A LIVING HUMAN HERITAGE’.

STANISLAV MENCLÍK FROM VYSOKÉ MÝTO HAS BEEN WORKING WITH FALCONS – ALSO KNOWN AS LONGWINGS – SINCE BOYHOOD, AND TODAY HE IS AN EXPERT FALCON BREEDER. HIS CLIENTS INCLUDE FALCONERS FROM THE PERSIAN GULF, WHERE A FALCON IS A HIGHLY PRIZED POSSESSION.

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Hunting on the Wing

PREVIOUS PAGE: Gyrfalcon, the largest among falcons, whose natural habitat stretches from Iceland to Greenland and Alaska.

Falcons have played an important diplomatic role throughout history – they were presented as gifts in negotiations, helped bring battles to a conclusion, and bought freedom for captives. Today, in addition to being used in hunting, falcons also help with bird control at airports.

RIGHT: Training area with a height of 4–5 metres. When falcons are 45 days old they come to this training area to learn to fly.

They develop their muscles, their feathers fully moult, and placed in contact with other falcons they mature psychologically. ‘This is where I am in my element,’ says Stanislav. ‘The breeding process that comes before this is quite stressful.’

Is falconry a sport, as it’s often described? Definitely not. It’s a way of hunting, a lifestyle, a passion. Falconry has a six-thousand-year tradition with roots in Iran, Iraq, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. In the past it was a luxury only kings and nobles could afford. Lower gentry hunted with a hawk, and it was mainly to provide for the family. Hunting with birds became popular because catching a bird or a rabbit with only a bow and arrow is not easy. The practice came to Czechia in the fifth century and was most popular in the Middle Ages. The most famous falconer at that time was Emperor Frederick II, author of the treatise On the Art of Hunting with Birds, much of which remains relevant today. In time, the growing popularity of firearms led to a significant demise in falconry.

Today it’s not possible to catch a falcon chick in the wild – you can only buy one that has been properly registered. You studied falcon breeding in the USA for three seasons. How hard is it to breed falcons?

I mostly raise falcons and saker falcons, because they’re in high demand for hunting. These birds begin laying eggs and raising their young at the age of three to four years. But the gyrfalcon, which breeds in the Arctic in the wild, starts to lay eggs at six to eight years in our conditions. Gyrfalcon breeding is extremely complicated and demanding. The bird is highly susceptible to local bacteria, which are not found in colder regions. Often a breeding pair is not a good match, or the male does not know how to copulate, and so the female sits on unfertilised eggs. And then this year there were minus twenty-degree temperatures and several breeders lost their full clutches of eggs. It’s an effort with a very long time horizon, and it’s really nerve-wracking. If in four years I can raise a few young, I feel I’ve had great success.

Before you take a falcon out for a hunt, you have to train it. Do you also sell trained falcons? No. The art in being a falconer is in knowing how to train a bird, and everyone has their own method. Basic training takes about a month and begins in summer, when a chick is two months old.

First I give the bird its gear, which includes tethering jesses, anklets, and one of the most important pieces of equipment, the hood. Then I start the handling process. I put the chick on my hand, walk with it and talk to it. In the first few hours I don’t take the hood off – I only loosen it at times.

In the past a falconer would sit down with a chick in a dark room lit only by a candle and talk to it. The Arabs, masters in training birds of prey, used to sew the falcons’ eyelids and then speak to them and stroke them.

It sounds very dramatic, but it helped to tame the birds quickly.

Now back to the training process. On my first day I talk to the bird. On the second day I take off and put on its hood and give it some meat. I stroke it, but never on its back, where it has waterproof feathers. Day after day I work on taming the falcon while offering it food. Once the bird is eating from my hand, I teach it to move from the perch onto my hand, then to jump from one to the other, and finally to fly towards me from a distance of a few metres. For this I use an arrival cord. And then I start to use a lure, on which I put a piece of meat. I turn and throw the lure in front of the falcon. It jumps down from the perch and takes the meat. And then

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Interview

We don’t hunt for the spoils, but for all that is beautiful in hunting.

LEFT: There are about five hundred falconers in Czechia, organised by the Falconers Club under the Czech-Moravian Gamekeepers Union. Their work is guided by the motto: ‘We don’t hunt for the spoils, but for all that is beautiful in hunting.’ In the photograph a glove made from cowhide and buckskin, and Dutch and Arabic style hoods made from exotic leathers, including lizard skin.

ABOVE: ‘I also have an eagle, a low-flying predator, because hunting with an eagle or a hawk is an entirely different experience,’ says Stanislav in eager anticipation of an hour-long hunting pursuance in the fields.

I take it outside and train there with the lure. Through the entire training period I make sure the bird maintains hunting weight. After about a week of intensive training, I let the bird fly free for a short while and then call out sharply: ‘Hey!’, which is a signal to attack. The bird turns around, I throw the lure with meat on the ground, and the bird gets rewarded with food.

Day after day I lengthen the flight time and let the bird circle above me, and when the time is right, we set off to hunt small prey. Today we even use drones in training. I attach my lure with meat to the drone and then teach the bird to fly to a height of five, ten, fifty and a hundred metres.

Each year I train one hunting falcon this way. The best ones I keep for breeding after two or three hunting seasons.

Not everyone can go out hunting with a falcon. What’s needed?

When hunting with a bird in Czechia, you have to be a member of the Czech-Moravian Gamekeepers Union, because the Falconers Club falls under the union. First you have to pass a gamekeeper’s exam, and then

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RIGHT: ‘My great-grandfather was a gamekeeper, as were both of my grandfathers, and my father was an excellent gamekeeper and cynologist. So it’s in my blood,’ says Stanislav with pride. His wife Marcela has also passed the gamekeeper’s exam and his son Matouš and younger daughter Anička help out with the falcons. In the photograph a 45-day-old peregrine falcon.

after at least a year’s practice in a falconers’ centre you have to take more tests, including a falconer’s exam. When hunting, you always need a valid hunting licence and a hunting card for the bird.

Can you describe a hunt with a falcon? With falcons you hunt birds, mainly ducks and pheasants, and you always hunt with a dog. I release the dog and it searches for a pheasant; when it finds one it stops and crouches. I then take off the falcon’s hood and the leash and turn on the transmitter. The falcon flies up and circles upwards to a hunting height, which can be as much as 300 metres. I assess the landscape, wind direction, where the prey is likely to fly, how the falcon is circling, and then I give the dog the signal. The dog jumps out, scares the pheasant, and the pheasant flies up. I shout ‘Hey!’ at the falcon and the bird turns around and readies for an attack. It flaps its wings several times to work up speed, then draws them closely to its body and dives down. While diving it can reach a speed of 380 km/hour – it’s the fastest animal in the world!

A well-trained falcon grabs its prey by the head and throws it to the ground, or it catches it in mid-air and brings it down.

This October, Opočno Castle will host the 51st international meeting of falconers. Do these gatherings include competitions? The 51st international meeting will lure about a hundred falconers from all across Europe to Opočno Castle – it’s the largest international gathering of falconers taking place in Europe. There the focus will be on high-calibre hunting, not on competition. For me it’s a great honour that as part of the Opočno gathering we use the hunting grounds of our local gamekeepers association and hunt pheasants that I have raised and released. The hunts are very professional and follow many great hunting traditions. We wear hunting uniforms, there are decorations and fanfares, and we show great respect for the animals and the hunt. As far as competitions, I’ve organised the 11th international Sky Trial competition. In this competition we measure which falcon flies the highest, and then judge the attack, the chase, the success of the hunt and the return to the falconer. In Europe these types of competitions take place only in Spain and at our place in Vysoké Mýto.

According to a study conducted by the prestigious magazine Conservation Letters, agricultural yields in Czechia are rising while we lose our field birds – since 2004 we have lost a third. The grey partridge, for example, has dropped to a fifth of its 2000 level. What are your thoughts on this from the perspective of a gamekeeper and falconer?

We often hear in media that the wolf or the lynx has returned to our forests. But few people seem interested in small animals like the partridge, quail or hare. Yet these are species that used to live here in abundance.

Their habitat has been decimated through intensive agriculture and the extreme overuse of chemicals. I used to breed and release partridges into the wild, but when there is no suitable biotope – grassy meadows, healthy fields – it’s an uphill battle. That’s why I’m now working on creating natural habitats, and this year I have sown a field mix onto five hectares. Small animals need cover, otherwise they will stand no chance against buzzards or hawks. My other falconer friends are doing the same. I’m glad we have

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The falconer’s greatest joy is sitting with a falcon on the hand.

LEFT: Four-day-old peregrine falcon chick, European form. The peregrine falcon has 23 subspecies, some of which a layperson would not be able to tell apart.

ABOVE LEFT: Thirty-day-old chicks.

A falcon hen lays four to five eggs once per year and sits on her eggs for about 30 days. The young leave the nest in 35–42 days.

ABOVE RIGHT: Stanislav’s legendary female Nikita, who was even able to catch a heron.

A falcon female is distinctly larger and heavier than a male. In autumn, ready for hunting season, she will weigh between 900 and 1050 grams.

gotten started this way and hope that in the future we’ll see an increase in small animal numbers. I’m happy when the grasses and sunflowers grow waist-high. You see no life on the bare fields around, but mine are beginning to team with life: a flock of goldfinches, a few tits and other small birds. There are also insects, an important source of protein for small birds.

There’s always an animal hiding in there … you walk buy, see the butterflies flutter, and rejoice at it all.

With his words and actions Stanislav Menclík demonstrates that falconry is not an exclusive hobby, isolated from the concerns of ordinary life. It is a lifestyle encompassing many facets, including professional training in gamekeeping, study of cynology, and battling the negative effects of intensive agriculture. When you see a bear of a man enchanted by the natural beauty around him, you can be confident that falconry is indeed a form of heritage worth preserving for future generations. ■

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Photoessay

TELLTALE SIGNS

EVEN IN THE SEEMINGLY PEACEFUL WORLD OF PLANTS, DANGER LURKS IN THE UNDERGROWTH. BEHAVING LIKE MINIATURE BIOCHEMICAL FACTORIES, MANY PLANT SPECIES SYNTHESISE TOXIC SUBSTANCES THAT ARE ABLE TO INVOKE VISIONS, HEAL THE SICK OR CAUSE DEPENDENCY AND EVEN DEATH. INTOXICATION USUALLY OCCURS SOON AFTER INGESTION AND IS ACCOMPANIED BY A RANGE OF TELLING SYMPTOMS. Warning: This article is for information purposes only. The author and the magazine are not responsible for any kind of use or miss-use – lawful or unlawful – of the plants described on these pages. partner for the article: Douglas | text and styling: Lukáš Paderta / Květinové lahůdkářství (www.wegrowflowers.cz) | photo: Adéla Havelková | make-up and hair: Kristýna Hošková/ Douglas models: Jan Kocián, Patrik Csesznok, Daniel Gavenda / Elite Model Management

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Photoessay

To fend off animal predators, some plants invest energy in building an armour of spikes and thorns, while others fill their tissues with poisonous substances. The main weapons held by poisonous plants are alkaloids – nitrogenous organic compounds that have pronounced physiological effects on humans and other animals. Often bitter or acrid in taste, alkaloids act very quickly and target the central nervous system and smooth muscle tissue. They include addictive substances like cocaine from the coca plant (Erythroxylon coca) and nicotine from cultivated tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum). They also include capsaicin, the substance that gives chilli peppers (Capsicum annuum) their spiciness and is a strong irritant to human skin and mucous membranes. Other poisonous weapons include glycosides, ester derivatives of saccharides, which have a direct effect on the heart and can cause temporary stoppage or even permanent damage.

An example is the glycoside digitoxin, which was originally identified in the foxglove plant (Digitalis purpurea). Poison is a relative term, however, because in small doses many alkaloids and glycosides serve as medicine, both in homeopathy and in allopathic medicine.

From an esoteric perspective, one can view poisonous and psychotropic substances in plants as tools that ‘plant deities’ use to manipulate humans or to facilitate contact with the gods. Take for example ayahuasca – a drink made from the tropical liana Banisteriopsis caapi which contains the alkaloid harmine – used by the indigenous people of the Amazon basin to bring on a deep altered state of consciousness. They and many other traditional cultures access the ‘communication channels’ found inside plants with the help of shamans and shamanic rituals. Our ancestors also had their favourite psychotropic plants and fungi with which they tried to uncover the mysteries of life, including the small white plant known as esfand, wild rue or harmel (Peganum harmala); the red and whitetopped mushroom fly agaric (Amanita muscaria); and the shrub commonly known as marsh Labrador tea or wild rosemary (Ledum palustre).

In time, Christianity put a stop to the use of psychotropic plants for ritual purposes, and those who would defy its edicts were branded as heretics or witches. Poisonous plants have also been used throughout the ages as effective weapons against one’s enemies, especially in antiquity and the Middle Ages, when skilled poisoners appealed to the power of belladonna (Atropa bella-donna), aconite (Aconitum napellus), hemlock (Conium maculatum) and the castor oil plant (Ricinus communis).

The Industrial Revolution then added strychnine to the list of effective weapons – the highly potent poison derived from the seeds of the strychnine tree (Strychnos nux-vomica). ■

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Telltale Signs

INTOXICATION Euphoric ecstasy followed by apathy. There is no pain – physical or emotional, the pupils narrow, the breath slows and becomes shallow, all culminating in a deep sleep.

An overdose results in a coma and eventual death.

These are the symptoms of intoxication brought on by the use of opiates and their derivatives. Opium is extracted through incisions into unripe bulbs of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum), a plant that contains a wide range of alkaloids including morphine, the first alkaloid to have been isolated. It was the year 1804 when the German pharmacist Friedrich SertĂźrner discovered morphine, an ungrateful substance that almost killed its discoverer during an experiment gone wrong. A close relative of the opium poppy is the common poppy, which does not contain morphine but has a strong sedative effect thanks to the alkaloid papaverine. In the same family is Chelidonium majus, commonly known as greater celandine or tetterwort, a potent herb prized in medieval medicine.

Common poppy (Papaver rhoeas) from the poppy family (Papaveraceae)

JAN: Stinak silk shirt, www.stinak.com | Flowers bracelet, gold-plated silver and pearls; Flowers ring, gold-plated silver and pearls; both www.janjaprokic.com

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NO PULSE Sharp, piercing pain tears through the abdomen; the mouth fills with foam and vomit wells up in the pit of the stomach. Shapes lose their focus and the heart slows, beating almost inaudibly to an irregular rhythm.

The skin turns pale and sleep takes over.

Just like onions, garlic and asparagus, lilies, including the sweetly scented lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis), belong to the Liliaceae family. Unlike their common vegetable cousins, lilies contain heart-stopping and death-inducing glycosides like convallarin and convallatoxin, the strongest poisons known to humans. In the past, extracts from lilies were used by poisoners, but they also served the medical profession in healing heart problems, epilepsy, melancholy and various forms of ‘madness’. Today they are only used in homeopathic dilutions. All parts of the plant are strongly poisonous, including the water in which cut lilies are kept.

Asiatic lily (Lilium x hybrida) from the lily family (Liliaceae)

PATRIK: Stinak silk shirt with embroidery, www.stinak.com

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BIOHAZARD! On contact the skin begins to redden and itch, soon followed by large blisters filled with a yellowish liquid.

Affected eyes tear and temporary or even permanent blindness ensues. Contact over a large area results in death from chemical burns.

The giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum), a close relative of the carrot, celery and parsley root, is a dangerous noxious weed found in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere. The plant contains furanocoumarins, photoactive substances that rely on sunlight to induce a biochemical destruction of skin cells. A mere scent of the plant can lead to nausea in highly sensitive individuals. After an affected area has healed, a deep brown scar remains for a number of years. If one comes in contact with the giant hogweed, the affected area must be washed immediately in soapy water and protected from exposure to sunlight.

Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) from the Apiaceae family, commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family

DANIEL: Latex suit, www.invinciblerubber.com | ÄŒerva Fuligula chemical (protective) gloves, www.cerva.cz | Basic protective eyewear, www.flopp.cz

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Telltale Signs

DARK HALLUCINATIONS The tongue sticks to the parched palate; the body pulsates with heat and convulses in cramps. The heart races at breakneck speed, the pupils fully dilate, there is a growing desire for jerky and uncoordinated movement.

Delusions of flying or of sexual or demonic acts ensue.

Dark hallucinations are caused by the tropane alkaloids atropine, scopolamine and hyoscyamine, which are found in the most poisonous plants in the nightshade (Solanaceae) family – belladonna or deadly nightshade (Atropa bella-donna), henbane or stinking nightshade (Hyoscyamus niger) and jimsonweed or devil’s snare (Datura stramonium). Together with their relative the mandrake (Mandragora officinarum), the three herbs were used for magical incantations and ‘flying’ potions in medieval times. Women also used belladonna extract to widen their pupils, which was thought to make them more attractive. Pure atropine is used in ophthalmology to this day.

Snowy angel’s trumpet (Brugmansia suaveolens) from the nightshade family (Solanaceae)

PATRIK: Stinak cotton poncho, www.stinak.com | ColourVUE Crazy black contact lenses, www.alensa.eu

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TASTE OF LIGHT Headache accompanied by dizziness, senses over-stimulated, the muscle tone fades. Pupils dilate, blood pressure rises, the body is covered with sweat. Time and space lose their boundaries and the brain becomes awash in fast changing geometric images. Senses begin to shift roles – is that how light tastes?

Peyote, a small spineless cactus from the genus Lophophora, and the San Pedro cactus (Trichocereus pachanoi) have been the most commonly used hallucinogens in the Americas for over three thousand years. Their ritual use follows strict rules and is guided by shamans.

The main hallucinogen in both cacti is the alkaloid mescaline. Popularised by American hippies in the 1960s, mescaline is one of the most potent naturally-occurring hallucinogens. Another potent natural hallucinogen is psilocybin, found in mushrooms of the genus Psilocybe.

Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) from the cactus family (Cactaceae)

DANIEL: Stinak sheer shirt, www.stinak.com | Flowers ring, silver, www.janjaprokic.com

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Art and Architecture

ACROSS CENTURIES

DOES HISTORICAL ART BELONG IN A CONTEMPORARY SETTING? EXPLORE WITH US THE HEAVILY VAULTED SPACE OF A FORMER BAROQUE MANOR THAT HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO A MODERN LIVING SPACE – THE PERFECT PLACE FOR SHOWCASING THE ANTIQUES AND ART OBJECTS FOUND AT THE GALLERY AND AUCTION HOUSE ARTHOUSE HEJTMÁNEK.

partner for the article: Arthouse Hejtmánek text: Adéla Kudrnová photo: Lina Németh styling: Janka Murínová

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Gothic and Renaissance sculptures and Empire and Biedermeier-style furniture blend seamlessly with contemporary works of art at Šárecký dvůr, a renovated Baroque manor in a quiet residential area of Prague. A richly ornate console table works perfectly against the backdrop of Karel Valter’s landscape canvas. Similarly, Veronika Richterová’s PET-art flower Trifid I seems to have always stood on the Biedermeier side table. If this way of blending styles resonates with you, don’t worry about rules – you get to set them yourself. After all, nowhere is it written that a contemporary living space cannot have vaulted ceilings or a massive pillar as its central feature! ■

We thank the Crestyl Group for providing the space for our photo shoot at Šárecký dvůr.

Art objects from Arthouse Hejtmánek gallery and auction house: Čestmír Suška: Hranol [Prism] | Biedermeier Pedestal | Gothic Statue of Our Lady of Sorrows | A. Verrocchio: Renaissance Bust of Christ | Patrik Hábl: Čínské hory [Chinese Mountains] and Čína II [China II]

Art objects from Arthouse Hejtmánek gallery and auction house: Empire Sofa | Vincenc Vingler: Vrána [Crow] | Empire Mirror | Side Table – Late Biedermeier Period | Veronika Richterová: Trifid I | Ivan Steiger: Camoon 66 | Kateřina Štenclová: Menší bílý [Smaller White] | Art Nouveau Painter’s Easel | Biedermeier Chairs

Art objects from Arthouse Hejtmánek gallery and auction house: Baroque Console Table | Empire Mantel Clock | Pheasants, Japan, 1960s | Karel Valter: Krajina [Landscape] | Eva Bednářová: Ruce [Hands] | Art Nouveau Painter’s Easel

SASHA DERKACH Architect and freelance illustrator based in Prague and working in digital illustration, 3D design and motion graphics. Through her artwork Sasha aspires to celebrate human nature in all its innocence and beauty, and to explore honestly the themes of gender, mental health and various everyday struggles. derkachsaa@gmail.com | sashaderkach.tumblr.com 113

EDO IN BLOOM text: Petr Holý photo: Jakub Mařík

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Travel

OUR VISUAL GALLERY OF THE JAPANESE ISLAND OF HONSHU WAS CREATED

BY THE PHOTOGRAPHER AND BLOGGER JAKUB MAŘÍK DURING THE CHERRY BLOSSOM SEASON. HIS IMAGES ARE ACCOMPANIED BY THE WORDS OF THE CZECH PUBLICIST AND JAPAN EXPERT PETR HOLÝ, THE CURRENT DIRECTOR OF THE CZECH CULTURAL SALON CHEKOGURA. PETR HAS BEEN LIVING IN JAPAN FOR TWENTY YEARS, IS AN AUTHORITY ON JAPANESE THEATRE, AND SUCCESSFULLY PROPAGATES CZECH LANGUAGE, ART AND CULTURE. EXPLORE JAPAN’S EXOTIC FLORA, FAUNA, ARCHITECTURE AND CULTURE, AS WELL AS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CZECH CULTURE IN THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN.

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Edo in Bloom

THESE PAGES: Diverse architecture of a Japanese metropolis: Yoku Moku cake shop; Issey Miyake showroom; the SunnyHills Pineapple Cake Shop built by the architect Kengo Kuma

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NEXT SPREAD: Meguro Riverside Park, Tokyo

No one will steal your money in Japan, everywhere is clean and tidy, smoking in the streets is a no-no, and eating while walking or moving around on public transport is simply not done.

Located some 9,000 kilometres east of Czechia, Japan has been a symbol of eastern exoticism and tradition, as well as a source of boundless curiosity for many generations of Czechs. Japanese society of some 127 million people is strongly homogeneous, both culturally and linguistically, so being able to communicate in spoken and written Japanese is a great advantage for a foreigner in Japan. More than 98 per cent of Japan’s inhabitants are Japanese – there are fewer than 2 million non-Japanese residents. It is no surprise then that in Japan a foreigner is always at the receiving end of attention, indulgent smiles and, in places, feigned interest.

No one will steal your money in Japan, everywhere is clean and tidy, smoking in the streets is a no-no, and eating while walking or moving around on public transport is simply not done. All young people travelling on public transport are engaged with their mobile phones or read manga comics, while older men are buried in manga or sponichi [Sports Nippon newspaper] for somewhat more titillating reading. No one seems bothered by the general downward glance – crowd psychology prevails on the crowded trains during peak hour and most people are not aware of their surroundings, or at least they pretend not to be. Everyone is neatly dressed, usually according to the latest fashion, with famous brands visibly on display. Thanks to the widely used credit card payment system, it is not difficult to afford such luxuries in the world’s third largest economy. The country’s economic rise – labelled the Japanese economic miracle – reached its peak in the late 1980s and through the 1990s, when Tokyo real estate prices skyrocketed.

Bombed to smithereens at the end of World War II and greatly demoralised, Japan capitulated unconditionally in August 1945. But the country rose from the ashes like the mythical Phoenix, and three decades later, at breakneck speed, it began the climb to the position of an economic powerhouse. There is no doubt that the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo were

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THESE PAGES: Look-out at the top of Mount MyĹ?gi, located northwest of Tokyo; Buddhist Kiyomizu-dera Temple in south Kyoto

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RIGHT: Pagoda at the Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Kyoto NEXT SPREAD: Jigokudani Monkey Park, Yamanouchi, Nagano Prefecture

a major impetus for this growth. The Czech gymnast Věra Čáslavská was a shining star at the games, and the Japanese fell in love with the blond sportswoman from communist Czechoslovakia. Even now, two years after her death, Věra Čáslavská remains an idol and a lasting symbol of the Czech Republic.

The Japanese people associate the Czech Republic mainly with sport, culture, music and of course beer. Czech animation is well known in Japan, and the surrealist filmmaker Jan Švankmajer is one of the best-known Czech artists. In sport football rules – and Pavel Nedvěd and Karel Poborský are household names – because football has been popular in Japan since 1994, when the J-LEAGUE was founded. Hockey is less popular and you won’t get far talking about Jaromír Jágr. Japanese children learn to sing Smetana’s symphonic poem Vltava in school, and concerts performing the works of Antonín Dvořák, Leoš Janáček, Bohuslav Martinů and other Czech composers are usually sold out. Japanese beer drinkers love Czech beer, and not surprisingly, consumption is on the rise.

Japan is an archipelago comprising more than 6,800 islands scattered from north to south across a distance of some 3,300 kilometres. In terms of overall landmass, it is a little larger than Germany. The largest islands are, in order of size, Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku and the southernmost Okinawa. Two-thirds of the Japanese landmass is mountainous, with only 13 per cent covered by lowland areas. Japan has a temperate climate with four distinct seasons, and these have over time influenced the Japanese sense of beauty and colour aesthetic. You will encounter this aesthetic at every turn, for example in the culture of wearing the traditional Japanese dress known as kimono. Countless patterns of fabric dictate at which time of the year a woman should wear a particular kimono design. Male kimonos, on the other hand, usually come in subdued, monotonous tones. In summer, especially during the time of folk festivals and fireworks, you will sometimes see Japanese men and women in cotton or linen yukatas, all tied with colourful bands. Yukata fashion has been guided lately by trends set by manga comics, so it’s not uncommon to see these casual summer kimonos with manga themes.

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THESE PAGES: Meguro Riverside Park, Tokyo NEXT SPREAD: Interior of Nozaru Hostel, Yamanouchi, Nagano Prefecture

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RIGHT: Entry gate to a house in Ninenzaka quarter, Kyoto

The Japanese are keen observers of seasonal changes in nature. One of their favourite festivals is hanami – the festival of cherry blossoms – meaning literally ‘flower viewing’.

Each season is marked by traditional festivities, with each region celebrating according to its unique customs. The Japanese are keen observers of seasonal changes in nature, their aesthetic built on the Buddhist notions of transience and rebirth. Buddhism reached Japan in the sixth century from Korea and China, and two centuries later found a great follower in Emperor Shōmu. Japan’s traditional religion is Shintoism, and when babies are born, their parents take them to a Shinto shrine to be blessed. Shinto shrines are also where people get married and where gifts of money are offered at New Year’s in the hope of securing prosperity and good health.

Funeral rites take place in a Buddhist temple unless the deceased was a Christian or a Muslim. The average Japanese person is both a Buddhist and a Shintoist, and the Japanese don’t subscribe to religious intolerance.

Japan also has several mosques, and the oldest – to this day one of the most dominant features of the city Kobe – was built in 1935 by the Czech builder Jan Josef Švagr, who himself was a Catholic.

People’s embrace of the notion of transience is perhaps most evident during the annual cherry blossom festivities, called hanami – literally ‘flower viewing’. The specific time varies from region to region, depending of course on when cherries are in bloom. It is worth noting that in historical times it was the blossoming plum tree that marked the celebration of transience, because it was believed that cherries grew where people were buried. Cherries came to the party in the twelfth century, and gained great popularity six centuries later when the eighth Shōgun Tokugawa Yoshimune commissioned the building of cherry-lined alleys in Asakusa and Asukayama, two areas of Edo [former name of Tokyo]. And that is how common people came to admire the transience of cherry blossoms. Today the festivities take the form of jolly picnics on blue sheets stretched under cherry trees, with a good dose of alcohol and an abundance of colourful food.

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Thanks to its great shortage of residential space, Japan is famous for its highly sophisticated and at first glance very confusing network of architecture. There appears to be no overall urban plan, with decisions driven by the plot owner and developer, resulting in multi-story developments towering over traditional wooden homes. All construction is subject to strict earthquake-proof standards. In addition, the high frequency of earthquakes is often cited as a reason for why utility cables are carried above ground, endowing Japanese towns and villages with their distinctive power line tangles that would make a Czech electrician gasp.

Travelling across Japan, one encounters the work of world-renowned architects, including giants such as Kenzō Tange, Fumihiko Maki, Tadao Ando, Toyo Ito, Kengo Kuma and the SANAA duo, among many others. It is worth noting that one of the most important teachers of the pre- and post-war generation of Japanese architects was the Czech-American Antonín Raymond.

Whether in search of architecture or various cultural gems, travelling in Japan is easy and comfortable. The country is covered by a good transport network, and one can’t but love the service of the Shinkansen high-speed train system. The system offers a Japan rail pass for visitors at discounted rates, and recently a Japan ferry pass was added for travel by sea. It is well worth travelling across the island nation, be it in search of history, famous sights, classical or modern architecture, or Japan’s famed cuisine.

Although the Japanese are famous gourmands, they won’t say no to a fried egg sandwich made on lard. Two good tips: you can tell a good restaurant by the queue at the front and you don’t dip sushi into soy sauce with the rice bit. Those who love paper can spend hours in one of the many paper supply stores found in Japan. If you want the romantic experience of sleeping on a futon on a tatami mat, do try it, but remember to take off your shoes before stepping onto the mat. It should be noted that in winter it is really cold in Japan, as except for northernmost Hokkaido, the islands don’t offer good heating indoors. Winter will be welcome, however, by those who love skiing, as Japan’s powder is world renowned. The last thing to mention: there is no tipping in Japan and insisting on it will not be appreciated. In many places you can pay with a credit card, but it is also good to carry cash. Happy trails! ■

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Národní galerie v Praze, Veletržní palác National Gallery in Prague, Trade Fair Palace 16. 2. 2018 – 6. 1. 2019 ngprague.cz

KATHARINA GROSSE

Zázračný obraz Wunderbild

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I WARMLY INVITE YOU

TO PRAGUE ZOO! Richard, Head of the family

www.praguezoo.eu

Creative People

text: Hana Janišová and Adéla Kudrnová photo: company archives

STARTUPS ON A MISSION

OUR THREE CREATIVE PEOPLE STORIES HAVE THREE THINGS IN COMMON: A CAREER CHANGE COMBINED WITH THE COURAGE TO REACH FOR THE UNKNOWN; A DESIRE TO HELP – WITH NATURE, ANIMALS, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND LOCAL ENTERPRISE; AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. ZUZANA GOMBOŠOVÁ SHARES THE STORY BEHIND THE LABEL MALAI, WHICH CREATES PRODUCTS FROM COCONUT ‘LEATHER’. IVAN LUKÁŠ AND MARTIN SCHENK FROM ANYONEGO SHOW US THEIR MOBILITY HARNESSES FOR DOGS, WHICH ARE BUILT WITH 3D PRINT TECHNOLOGY. AND BOHEMPIA’S TOMÁŠ ROHAL SHARES THE MANY WONDERFUL BENEFITS OF HEMP AS A TEXTILE.

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MALAI MATERIAL WITH HUGE POTENTIAL

You may remember the Crafting Plastics! story in Soffa 25 about two Slovak designers who produce eyewear from 3D printed bioplastics. Now another Slovak innovator is introducing a material with great potential – the innovator is Zuzana Gombošová from Michalovce and the material is Malai, a biocomposite she has developed together with her partner Susmith C.S. The biocomposite behaves similarly to leather, is fully biodegradable in nature, and its manufacturing does not require any harmful chemicals.

The saying ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ is a perfect metaphor for the story behind the creation of Malai, sometimes called ‘coconut leather’. But as Zuzana is the first to point out, Malai is not a replacement for leather, nor does it want to compete with the material, even if it comes close to leather in its look and utility. Unlike leather, Malai is water-resistant and it can be formed into three-dimensional shapes with no seams, making it ideal for the fashion industry and in the manufacturing of furniture and household accessories.

www.made-from-malai.com

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Zuzana started out in fashion design, but while working in Turkey she began to see the negative side of the fashion industry, and so when continuing her studies in London, she decided to shift her focus to materials of the future. In her thesis, which was nominated for the NOVA Innovation Award, Zuzana examined microbiology and bacterial cellulose.

Creative People

Subsequently Zuzana met her partner Susmith in India, and when in 2016 the couple learnt of the possibility to grow bacterial cellulose in coconut water, they decided to leave their promising jobs and focus on the development of the new biocomposite. Malai is made entirely from organic and sustainable bacterial cellulose and grown on agricultural waste from the coconut industry in South India.

Susmith originates from the Indian state of Kerala, which in Malayalam means land of coconut trees. In Kerala people make nata de coco, a jelly-like food produced by fermentation of coconut water, which is used locally to make a sweet dessert. Nata de coco is essentially bacterial cellulose, so Zuzana and Susmith came up with a process to transform it into a material with commercial application. They work with local farmers to collect the wastewater produced in coconut processing, which would otherwise contribute to water pollution and soil acidification, and with the help of machinery they themselves have built, they repurpose the wastewater to grow bacterial cellulose. This the designers combine with banana, hemp and sisal fibres, all of which are naturally died, and the result is Malai in a range of natural colours.

In the future Zuzana and Susmith plan to perfect their innovative material – to make it more durable and to create new surface finishes, thicknesses and colours. They are currently looking for an investor to help them on this journey, and as there is no other comparable biocomposite out there, their success is almost guaranteed!

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Startups on a Mission

ANYONEGO 3D PRINT IN SERVICE OF PEOPLE AND ANIMALS

The Czechs are among the world’s greatest lovers of canines – in the EU they come second only to the Romanians. Our pooches welcome us at the door, join us on our walks and make us feel better on a bad day. But unfortunately, they are not immune to accidents and illnesses, and when they lose their ability to move naturally, there is little their owners can do to help.

Enter technology, always moving ahead by leaps and bounds. While years ago the only option to help a dog who had lost a leg was to build a makeshift cart with wheels from a baby carriage, today the AnyoneGo startup can make your canine a custom-built, practical, ultra-light and very stylish mobility harness. The Brno-based company was founded in 2016 by the industrial designer and technology visionary Jan Jiránek and technical consultants and mentors Martin Schenk and Ivan Lukáš.

www.anyonego.com

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Martin and Ivan had been working for years in promotion and marketing, but because they both have technology backgrounds and are big technology buffs, they decided to catch the startup wave and work with 3D print, 3D scanning and robotics. They met Jan Jiránek at a conference and there the three decided to build from scratch a mobility harness for Luka, a female dog with amputated hind legs. ‘Today 3D print is usually used to speed up manufacturing processes: you print a prototype, test its functionality, and then you put it into traditional production, like pressing

Creative People

or welding,’ clarifies Martin. ‘But we have decided to 3D print everything – to go the way of individualised production. This way we can tailor each mobility harness to the specific needs of the dog.’

The mobility harness excels in several ways: it’s custom built, it’s light yet robust, you can fold it with one hand, and it gives the dog great flexibility of movement – it can rest or do its business very comfortably. Soon it will also be possible to integrate GPS technology into the harness and use the data to help maintain the animal’s optimal health. The mobility harness is the company’s inaugural product – additional mobility aids include a brace for large dog breeds that suffer from mobility issues and an orthopaedic cover for horse hoofs.

Next to its division for animals, called AniGo – from Animals Go, the startup is also developing a division focussed on mobility and assistance aids for people called MenGo. Currently in development is a walking stick with elbow support that will prevent the wrist from moving into an unnatural and painful position, and a functionally unique wheelchair which is already in the patenting process. The wheelchair will not be fully 3D printed – 3D print is not well suited for printing large wheels – but a user will be able to custom-design key components.

‘Our mission is to make people’s lives better,’ explains Ivan. ‘We focus on design because we believe that good design will help animals and people with disabilities integrate more easily. It can put a positive light on their differences and thus help improve their confidence. People will take note of, and hopefully positively interact with a person or an animal using an attractive, well-designed mobility aid. We want our passion for new technology and design to make a real difference,’ concludes Ivan.

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BOHEMPIA NOT JUST FOR VEGANS

While linen long ago claimed a comfortable space in our wardrobes, hemp is still waiting for its renaissance. Yet in many ways it beats linen, not to mention cotton and synthetic fibres. Hemp absorbs four times the amount of moisture as cotton and is naturally anti-microbial, antiseptic and hypoallergenic, making it an ideal fibre for underwear and socks. What’s more, textiles made from hemp absorb up to 95 per cent of UV radiation. And because hemp contains no protein, nasty moths will not touch it.

Historical records show that people have been cultivating hemp (Cannabis sativa) for nearly ten thousand years. In the second century AD the Chinese used hemp to make paper, a practice that would later lead to hemp paper banknotes. Hemp fibres dipped into resin, tallow and wax were precursors to candles, and woven hemp made excellent sails, ropes and clothes, particularly military uniforms. Hemp seed was used in food, and hemp leaves and flowers in medicine. The highly versatile plant arrived in Europe in the ninth century and thrived in our temperate climate. And then came the century of steam, the textile industry was overtaken by cotton, paper began to be produced from wood, and the hemp fairy tale was over.

www.bohempia.eu

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Bohempia is the only Czech company working with hemp textiles, its name a playful combination of the Latin name for Czechia – Bohemia, and the word hemp. Founded in 2015, the company makes sport shoes, clothing and home accessories from hemp. Its founder Tomáš Rohal studied textile machine building at Liberec University, and after ten years of working for an international corporation, he decided to return to the textile industry.

Creative People

‘I wanted to create a socially responsible startup that would support local production,’ explains Tomáš. ‘Industrial hemp can be used in construction, in composite plastics, in cosmetics, food and health care, even as a vehicle fuel.

But given my background I decided to focus on the textile field,’ adds Tomáš.

When comparing the cultivation of hemp and cotton, hemp comes out a clear winner: it needs 50 per cent less water and 95 per cent fewer pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and insecticides. For the same area it yields four times more fibre than cotton, and because it can be grown in Europe, it does not require fuel-intensive transport from Africa or Central Asia. ‘We don’t use hemp viscose, but traditionally processed hemp fibres,’ clarifies Tomáš. ‘For our sport shoes and belts we use long-staple-fibre hemp that has been wet-spun, and for t-shirts and underwear cottonised hemp. It’s a 25-year-old technique of hemp processing that results in a fibre that behaves similarly to cotton but retains all the benefits of hemp. It breathes extremely well, warming the body in winter and cooling it in summer,’ explains Tomáš, looking comfortable and cool in one of his hemp t-shirts and sport shoes.

The sport shoes are Bohempia’s most famous product so far. Made in the EU, vegan with PETA certification, available in several cuts and colours, and soon also in the barefoot variety. Tomáš dreams of hemp jeans – after all, according to legend the first Levis were made from hemp grown in Bruntál [town in Czech Silesia]. ■

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MAJESTIC EQUINE HORSES HAVE BEEN OUR TRUSTED COMPANIONS FOR COUNTLESS GENERATIONS, OUR UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP DEFINED BY RESPECT, DISCIPLINE, UNDERSTANDING AND AFFINITY. INDEED, FOOTSTEPS AND HOOF PRINTS HAVE TREADED SIDE BY SIDE THROUGH THE ANNALS OF HUMAN HISTORY. WHEN WORKING ON THIS FASHION STORY WE NATURALLY TURNED TO NONE OTHER THAN THE FRENCH CLOTHIER OF THIS MAJESTIC CREATURE, THE LUXURY GOODS MANUFACTURER HERMÈS. NEARLY TWO HUNDRED YEARS AGO THE HORSE AND ITS RIDER BECAME THE MUSE AND THE CLIENT FOR THIERRY HERMÈS, THE COMPANY’S FOUNDER.

Fashion

partner for the article: Hermès text and styling: Patrik Florián photo: Adéla Havelková make-up and hair: Filip Novák / Douglas model: Mariana Klangová / Elite Model Management All garments and accessories by Hermès.

They say that horses lend us the wings we lack. For thousands of years the majestic equine has been our tireless companion, reliable conveyor, steadfast friend and valiant battle ally. Long and steady strides set in motion the unique relationship between a rider and a horse, strides quickly followed by trots and gallops. It is a relationship shrouded in mystery, an unbreakable bond that lasts a lifetime. And even if generals no longer command from horseback, and dashing beaus prefer horsepower under the bonnet, the human–equine bond continues to shape our story.

For the French family company Hermès, the horse has been a symbol and an inspiration for nearly two hundred years, an equal partner in the creative process that has produced the company’s perfectly fitting saddles and riding accessories. The resulting unbroken synergy between the rider, the rider’s attire and the horse’s saddle and harness is a testament to the remarkable craftsmanship of Hermès artisans. Their traditional methods go back to the year 1837, when Thierry Hermès opened his first leather workshop on Rue Basse du Rempart in the Grands Boulevards neighbourhood of Paris.

There the company created saddles and reins of such exceptional quality they soon became world-renowned. Their most valued customers were not Parisian high society or European nobility, but their horses.

After Thierry’s death the reigns of the family business were taken over by his son Charles-Émile who moved the company to number 24 Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, where its citrus-coloured shop windows shine to this day. Together with his sons Adolphe and Émile-Maurice, Charles-Émile equipped the world’s riding elite, including the cavalry of the Russian Tsar Nicholas II. At the start of the twentieth century the Hermès workshop oversaw the creation of new riding accessories, including the spacious saddle bag Haut à Courroies, the forerunner of the iconic Kelly and Birkin bags. In 1922 Émile-Maurice was granted the first patent in France for the zipper, which allowed the company to create leather jackets and modern handbags. Over time the company expanded its product rage with clothing collections and more accessories, all inspired by the tradition of horsemanship and many baring the company’s distinctive saddle stitch.

Today the luxury brand comprises sixteen traditional workshops that produce exceptional quality leatherwork, silk scarves and ties, clothing, shoes, jewellery, perfume and household accessories. Collectively they continue to honour the heroic stallion featured on the company’s iconic emblem. ■

We thank Olga Plojhar Bursíková for her help in the photo shoot and the majestic four-legged models Csilla and Naira for their exceptional work.

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Interior

text: Helena Novotná photo: Lina Németh

THE JUNGLE WITHIN

IF YOU HAVE A MONSTERA PLANT OR ANY KIND OF SUCCULENT GRACING YOUR WINDOWSILL, THEN YOU ARE ONE OF THE MANY WHO HAVE EMBRACED THE TREND OF CULTIVATING HOME JUNGLES. OUR DEEP DESIRE TO BE SURROUNDED BY GREENERY IS NOTHING NEW, FOR HOMO SAPIENS, EVEN THE URBANA KIND, NEEDS PLANTS TO THRIVE. IT IS ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE, AND ONE THAT HAS GUIDED THE ORNAMENTATION OF AN EIGHTEENTH CENTURY CHATEAU IN NEBÍLOVY NEAR PILSEN. THE MOST BEAUTIFUL OF THE CHATEAU’S HALLS REOPENED TO THE PUBLIC SEVERAL YEARS AGO. WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE WITHIN!

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The Jungle Within

The Baroque chateau Nebílovy located south of Pilsen was built in the early 1700s and soon became the property of the Černín family, which created many architectural gems across Czechia. Within the family it was Vojtěch Prokop Černín who in the second half of the eighteenth century decided to renovate the chateau and entrusted all interior ornamentation to the painter Antonín Tuvora. Renowned artist of the time whose work was in high demand, Tuvora worked partially for the Černín family and partially in Prague, where his frescoes adorn several rooms of the Břevnov and Strahov monasteries.

Only one space in the chateau complex has retained its original form – thankfully for us, it is the one that was most beautiful. The dance hall, called the salle de compagnion, was thanks to its generous dimensions and breath-taking ornamentation the ideal place for hosting social events and banquets. Every person who entered the hall felt immediately transported into a magical jungle. Palms grow from floor to ceiling, lianas stretch across the walls, and exquisitely painted fauna frolic among the greenery: bands of monkeys jumping from tree to tree, songbirds and butterflies

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THESE PAGES: The exotic frescoes in Nebílovy were applied using the fresco-secco technique – meaning onto dry plaster. The technique allowed Antonín Tuvora to transform the hall into a peaceful jungle with the finest of details.

A close look reveals the intricate detail in colourful bird feathers, insect antennae and leaf veins.

The artist included the massive fireplace and the entrance door into his composition.

Turntable G3, Exclusive Edition, www.440audio.eu

Interior

fluttering from wall to wall, herons sitting peacefully at the edge of a lake.

The plants grow between and around antique columns, pyramids and architectural features inspired by the Far East. It would be in vain to look for one source of inspiration, for Tuvora created an idealised landscape and borrowed from different cultures the elements that fitted his composition the best. The goal was to create an atmosphere of harmony and serenity and to transport guests into an idyllic, timeless space. For this reason you will find no predators among the multitude of animals, nothing to signify danger or a threat to the peaceful paradise.

After the death of Count VojtÄ›ch in 1816, the chateau complex was used for agricultural purposes, including grain storage, and the dance hall with Tuvora’s greatest work fell into disrepair. Renovations began after 1968, by which time the chateau was in a terrible state. The gorgeous exotic frescoes were taken down and underwent thorough restoration and conservation. The enormous task of transferring and restoring roughly 650 fragments of ceiling fresco was delayed for more than four decades, keeping the jungle hidden until 2012. â–

157

20th!

Anniversary Designblok

25. – 29. 10.

Designblok

18

Prague International Design Festival www.designblok.cz Designblok is supported by the following instututions: EUNIC – European Union National Institutes for Culture, Ministry of Regional Development CZ, Czech Centres, Prague 1 and Prague 7 City Districts, National Museum Official Suppliers: Acqua Panna / San Pellegino, Excelent, Parfumerie Douglas, TONI&GUY Support of Designblok Diploma Selection / Czech Section T-Mobile Media Partners: ELLE Decoration, H.O.M.i.E., Marianne Bydlení, Nové proměny bydlení, Radio1, Radio Wave, Soffa International Media Partners: Atrium, H.O.M.E., Designum, H.O.M.i.E. Acknowledgement: Dopravní podnik hl. m. Prahy, Hotel Absolutum, Hotel Josef, Jewel Hotel

Partners:

Česko – země příběhů Ministerstvo kultury ČR Nespresso T-Mobile Výstaviště Praha Holešovice Penta

Main Media Partners:

General Media Partner:

Main Partners:

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