Prague Sokol Union

Founded in Prague in 1862, the "Sokol" (Czech: "Falcon") gymnastics movement became an important part of the Czech national movement in the 19th century. It not only influenced Czech sports, but also spread to other Slavic countries. Besides physical training, the clubs emphasized the cultivation of Slavic customs and organized joint sports festivals as an expression of Pan-Slavism. The picture shows the Prague Sokol Union on the occasion of its 20th anniversary in 1882.

The Prague Sokol Union celebrating the 20th anniversary of its founding, black-and-white photograph, 1882, photographer unknown; source: National Museum (Národní muzeum) Prague, inventory no. H7F-20504, https://esbirky.cz/predmet/4323439, Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en.