Amazing Photos That Capture Street Scenes and Architecture of Czechoslovakia in 1976

Czechoslovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe that existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until its peaceful dissolution into the Czech Republic and Slovakia on 1 January 1993.

Ard Hesselink took these amazing pictures in 1976 when he was on a bicycling holiday in Czechoslovakia.

“Holidaying in the repressive atmosphere of a Soviet occupation wasn't all fun and games but photographically it was a goldmine for me.”

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Špalíček-The Czech Year: One of the Excellent Animated Films from Czechoslovakia of all Time

In 1947, Jiří Trnka (1912 – 1969), a Czech puppet-maker, illustrator, motion-picture animator and film director, made the puppet film Špalíček (The Czech Year), also called A Treasury of Fairy-Tales, which was Trnka's first feature and which told six separate folk tales of Czech life: "Shrovetide", "Spring", "Legend About St. Prokop", "The Fair", "The Feast" and "Bethlehem".

It was a defining moment for Trnka as he won several international awards three years running across Europe, and it proceeded to win several international awards and make his name famous in the animation world. Puppet animation is a traditional Czech art form, of which Trnka became the undisputed master.

Here below is a collection of 29 beautiful vintage photos from "Špalíček" in 1947.

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46 Wonderful Color Photographs That Capture Everyday Life in Czechoslovakia in the Late 1950s

The years of totalitarian rule in Czechoslovakia, from 1948 to 1989, were dark and dismal days, indeed. After the 1948 coup, Communist ideology permeated citizens’ lives and dominated all aspects of society. Czechoslovakia’s political decisions were dictated by the Soviet Union, and the country continued to rely on the Soviet Union even during the 1980s. Czechoslovakia was part of the Eastern Bloc and a member of the Warsaw Pact and Comecon. These wonderful color photographs were taken in 1958 that show what life was like in Czechoslovakia in the late 1950s.

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