Praha’s magical marionettes
Traditional Czech marionettes are an art form in this country, dating back to the late 17th century.
Back then, the puppets were used as more affordable standins for actors in live performances.
Puppet shows were the hot ticket at the time, with audiences gathering in Town Square or local pubs for performances of classical stories such as Don Giovanni Puppeteers were superstars because they promoted the Czech language and culture in their performances.
“Puppetry had a boom in popularity in the Czech lands in the early 20th-century,” says Leah Gaffen. She and puppet-maker Mirek Trejtnar run puppet workshops in Prague.
“Just about every family owned its own family puppet theatre,” she tells me.
“This tradition was hijacked by the communists, who banned the existing professional companies and also the amateur puppet theatres in every major Czech city,” says Gaffen.
The communists set up their own puppet theatres and created a Puppet Department at the Prague Theatre Academy. But that all changed after the Velvet Revolution of 1989 and today, “there is a strong presence of puppetry in the culture," Gaffen says.
Visit a puppet shop tucked away at the end of U Luzickeho Seminare 7 just as you cross the Charles Bridge. The puppets here are handmade in wood or plaster.