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Introduction
1882 - I |
SOKOL POSTCARDS
1882-1994
(Click on any image to view an enlarged version) SOKOL SLET XIV - read interviews with attendees at the fourteenth international Slet in Prague, July 1-7, 2006. Founded in 1862 by Miroslav Tyrš, Jindřich Fügner, Emanuel Tonner, and brothers Eduard and Julius Gregr, Sokol is a Czech athletic and patriotic organization.
I first encountered Sokol through my stamp collecting.
Several issues of postage stamps have been released over the years to honor Sokol and its founders,
including
a US stamp in 1965, honoring the movement's centennial in this country.
There have also been numerous poster stamps (or
Cinderellas) to advertise or commemorate
Sokol activities.
But once I saw them, it was the postcards that enthralled me.
Sokol developed and thrived during the heyday of
postcards,
the late 19th and early 20th century.
Hundreds of postcards, many designed by famous artists of the era, were produced
as advertising and souvenirs for Sokol events, called Slets.
There were local and Regional Slets yearly, with huge "All-Sokol" national and even
international Slets at longer intervals.
(See Links for more about the history of both Sokol and postcards.)
The word "Sokol" means falcon, a symbol of freedom among Slavs at the the time.
The Sokol uniform, khaki pants with red shirt and skull cap adorned with a falcon's feather,
was based on the Italian
Garibaldist uniform, as a symbol of the organization's nationalist
patriotic ideals. Images of falcons and of members in their uniforms are
popular themes on the postcards, as are lions (another symbol of strength and freedom)
and patriotic banners.
Gymnastics and calisthenics are central to the Sokol physical culture system,
and Slets incorporate demonstrations and competitions of those activities,
which are featured prominently on many of the postcards.
Slavic groups outside
Czechoslovakia also found the Sokol ideals and goals
attractive, and formed Sokol units. The area that became
Yugoslavia
was the most active, with several major Slets in Ljubljana and Zagreb.
Postcards from those events are shown on some of these pages.
Similar athletic groups in Bulgaria (Yunak)
and Poland are also commemorated here.
Postcards for Sokol events are displayed by year.
Click on one of the links at the top left and right sides of any page to view
the cards for that year. I
have included as well other ephemera, especially
poster stamps, which are another passion of mine.
The years with Roman numerals next to them had all-Sokol national events in Prague.
I have tried to sort the cards within years to some extent, either by
location, or by type. I have provided limited information about the individual cards.
If any viewer can provide relevant details about specific cards, I
will be pleased to add it.
Translations of the text on cards are also
welcome - I do not speak Czech or any of the other non-English
languages represented.
If you wish to contribute scans of other cards, especially for years or events
that are not represented here, I will be pleased to add them to this site.
Scans should be at least 150 dpi. Please include both front and back,
and indicate whether you wish to be credited by name as the contributor.
Send to
The most comprehensive history of Sokol in English on the web is the one at Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokol.
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1929 1930 1931 1932 - IX 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 - X 1939 1943 - London 1946 1947 1948 - XI 1948 - Rudé Právo labels 1951 1989 1990 1994 - XII 1996 UNDATED |
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Created -- 10/25/2005
Revised -- 08/19/2019