16.2.1862 The Czech Sokol Community was founded

In a healthy body a healthy spirit! In the mind, a country, in the arm, strength! Let us strive! This is the motto of the Czech Sokol Community, which is the most successful physical education organization in our country. Itwas founded by Miroslav Tyrš and Jindřich Fügner on 16 February 1862.

Tyrš formed the first training corps of the unity and in the first weeks of its existence he was its head and leader. He is described as a nice person, which also earned him natural respect. He was elected chief of the unity on 13 May 1863. He was aware of the need to inspire participation and understanding in the members of the Sokol. But for this it was also necessary to choose a motto and to devise a form of costume," writes Josef Scheiner in a book dedicated to the life of Miroslav Tyrš.

Tyrš subsequently came up with the idea that the motto of the unity could be "Let's strive!" Tyrš then scheduled the first public exercise for 1 June 1862 to mark the presentation of the official and first banner of the Sokol. The interest was so great that additional rooms had to be quickly adapted for the exercises. And Tyrš was behind everything to a large extent, as he drew up the programmes for the trips, prepared everything on the spot and was always the leader and spokesman for the unity. The exercises in the early days took place in the private institute of Jan Malypetr.

Tyrš was already active as a boy who went to the village school in Vtelno. "On his way to and from school he had plenty of time to entertain them with various country games and perform the various fabulous feats to which his lively spirit drove him. He always had a piece of bread and curd in his bag," Scheiner adds.

The sadness of the mayor's death

The enormous bustle within the Sokol was only interrupted by Fügner's death on 15 November 1865. In his last moments, Tyrš was with him together with Tomas Černý, who rendered the mayor of the Sokol a last service. Concern for the existence of the surviving family, the preservation of the gymnasium building and the unity itself came to the fore. However, the Sokol was "saved" and continued to function. At its forefront remained Tyrš, who sought to create a physical education unity, which is the basis of the army. He had the idea that every man under the age of thirty would be conscripted by the Sokol. During the Prusso-Austrian War, he even proposed at one of the general assemblies that military support be offered to the government.

In the spring of 1866, he then sought to create a volunteer corps for the defense of the homeland under the command of officers. However, the Czech government did not respond to the offer to form a Sokol army. It did, however, thank the work of the patrols, which, for example, protected the Clam-Gallas Palace in the Old Town from looting. As a paramilitary corps, the unit functioned during the First World War. "The Sokol became a truly national organisation then. Every 15th citizen was a member and the total number was close to a million," the union says on its website.

During the Second World War, the Sokols enlisted after the announcement of partial mobilisation in May 1938. During the Protectorate, they only engaged in physical education, culture and awareness-raising activities. A sad moment came in 1956 when the unified Sokol organisation was abolished by the Central Committee of the Communist Party. It was only after the revolution in 1990 that the Sokol was re-established and it is still functioning today. The membership base is around 180,000 practitioners.

Sources: Josef Scheiner: a brief outline of his life and work,
www.sokol.eu, www.wikipedia.org, www.horydoly.cz