To mark 100th anniversary, Sokol’s Tyrš House unveils new mural
Tyrš House celebrated 100 years since its reconstruction and reopening as the Prague headquarters of the Czech Sokol community in 1925. To mark the occasion, the organisation christened a colourful mural by artist Michal Škapa.
Tyrš House, previously known as the Michna Palace, is an iconic sight of Prague’s Malá Strana district. Located on the long street Újezd, the centre of this complex of buildings is a Baroque palace from the seventeenth century. No aristocrats have lived there for centuries though – for the past hundred years, it has been the organisational headquarters and symbolic heart of the Czech Sokol community.
This movement, which promoted “a healthy mind in a healthy body” through physical exercise and education, was founded in Prague (at that time within Austria-Hungary) by Miroslav Tyrš and Jindřich Fügner in 1862. Sokol was also a powerful force of Czech patriotism, fostering feelings of nationhood in the years before Czechoslovakia’s independence in 1918. This nationalist ethos led to successive suppressions by Austrian, Nazi and Communist authorities. Today, the organisation is flourishing, holding mass gatherings (slety) every six years since 1994. These are attended by Sokol representatives not only from Czechia, but also from Slovakia, Poland and the USA.
In 1921, the Michna Palace, which was in a poor state, was purchased from the Prague Municipality for three million crowns by the Czech Sokol community. They began its reconstruction and extension, adding in sports halls, a swimming pool, a kitchen and dining room, an exhibition space, and many offices. The complex was officially opened in May 1925, with President Masaryk, his son Jan, Prime Minister Antonín Švehla, and Mayor of Prague Karel Baxa in attendance. It bears the name ‘Tyrš House’ in honour of the founder of Sokol (which means ‘falcon’ in Czech).
To commemorate the hundredth anniversary since the building’s reopening, the present-day Czech Sokol community prepared a week-long cultural programme, including workshops for schools, a concert and theatrical performances. During the celebrations, visitors also had the opportunity to take guided tours of Tyrš House, and to try out trampoline exercises, fencing and other sports activities. An exhibition was also prepared that recounted the history of the buildings, as its curator, Adéla Boháčová, explained:
“We tried to design the exhibition so that each panel contains new information, previously unpublished information. We also chose previously unpublished visual material.”
The highlight of the programme was the official unveiling of a mural on the wall of the complex on Újezd. This was designed and painted by artist Michal Škapa, a leading light in the Czech graffiti and visual arts scene. He described the mural:
“There is a large inscription that reads ‘100 years’. It’s in a special font that Sokol currently uses. Then there are two falcons, one watching you with that eye, the other in flight. In the centre of the mural there is a human head. Generations have been growing up right here in Tyrš House, coming here to practice, and I related it to that.”
