History of Prague Slets
Slets (Gatherings, Rallies, or Festivals) Celebrating Sokol Gymnastics and Culture
VI All-Sokol Slet, Prague ,1912
Slets are public displays of gymnastics, competitions, parades, and the arts, that last several days. “All-Sokol Slets” are international.
- Slets feature competitions in gymnastics, and some other sports.
- The beauty of mass calisthenics performed to music is featured on the last day of the Slet.
- International Slets are held every 6 years. •Between 1895 and 1920, Slets in Prague were held in Letná Stadium, which originally accommodated 30,000 spectators and by 1912, 120,000 spectators.
- Strahov Stadium, built in 1926, had a field accommodating thousands of gymnasts, and room for 135,000 spectators.
First two Slets (Gatherings, Festivals) in Prague: 1882 on Střelecky Island on the Vltava River and in 1891 on the Royal Game Reserve
Note: the second Slet was scheduled for 1887 but was banned by the Austrian Government.
Slet I. 1882
- Tyrš hailed this first Slet as a tribute to the 20th anniversary of Sokol’s first club, with a mass calisthenic display by 720 men; gymnastics competitors were from 40 teams; 1,572 men paraded.
Slet II. 1891
- The Czech Union Sokol (Česka Obec Sokolská or ČOS), founded in 1889, organized the Slet held at the Royal Game Reserve at the Vltava River (shown in photo). Mass calisthenics drills by 2,400 gymnasts from 206 clubs were witnessed by 20,000 spectators. Gymnastic competitors represented 291 teams, and a parade through the streets of Prague included 5,000 Sokols.
III All-Sokol Slet, Prague, 1895
(Letná Stadium); a Four Day Event
Sokol’s growth was evident; 495 teams competed, representing 350 clubs; 4,287 men (left photo) & 700 junior boys (right photo) performed on the field. This was the first Slet to include juniors and children.
Photos: Czech Union Sokol
IV All-Sokol Slet (1901) in Letná Stadium
(First Slet to include women)
Participants: 6,705 men, 867 women, and 1,600 juniors and children. An Indian club drill was performed by 867 women. (photo: Czech Union Sokol)
IV All-Sokol Slet held in Prague in 1901
A fighting spirit is evident in the poster displaying a strong man with a sword and the falcon (a bird of prey).
A cultural tone was established and was included in future Slets. One major event was an opera at the National Theater. International participants came from many Slavic countries, e.g., Croatia, Serbia, and from France and the United States. (photo: Czech Union Sokol)
V Sokol Slet (Rally or Gathering) in 1907
(Poland did not participate because of Russia’s participation)
- The second Slet to include women; their number increased to 2,500 from 867 in the 1901 Slet; 7,600 men and 2,800 juniors participated.
- More than 100,000 spectators attended the Slet, which covered six days. Gymnastic competitions included low, intermediate and high divisions. Competitors and representatives came from 26 nations.
- 15,000 Sokols marched in the parade, and historical pageants were included for the first time. Note the woman with Indian clubs, which were becoming popular in this era.
Women gymnasts entering
the field for All-Sokol Slet V in 1907
The number of women participants increased 3-fold compared to Slet IV held in 1901. International competitions in gymnastics and track and field were held for the first time. The poster displays a man in a Sokol uniform, the falcon (Sokol’s symbol) and the Czech flag.
Letná Stadium: view from a water tower in 1912
(VI All-Sokol Slet)
The stadium was the site of Sokol Slets in 1895, 1901, 1907, and 1912. It underwent several renovations/expansions. (Photo from Czech Union Sokol)
Posters for the VI All-Sokol Slet held in 1912 (the last under Austrian-Habsburg Rule)
The middle poster is by the famous painter Alphons Mucha, originator of Art Nouveau.
VI All-Sokol Slet in 1912 in Expanded Letná Stadium
120,000 Capacity
Slets had become internationally renowned; 45 nations sent official representatives, journalists, scientists and physical culture experts. Slet events occupied 6 days. Czech Sokol membership: 119,000 in 1,091 clubs.
Slet Data
- 18,000 men
- 5,600 women
- 4,000 junior boys & girls
- 3,980 boys and girls
- 10 nations performed special drills
- 17,212 uniformed Sokols marched in the parade
Events covered a 5-week span. The photo (from Czech Union Sokol) shows men performing drills in unison on balance beams.
VII All-Sokol Slet 1920: First Slet in the Newly Established, Free Czechoslovakia
The Slet revealed that the Czechoslovak State was vigorous and healthy. Women had taken command for their role in the Slet as full and qual partners with men.
- Five days of activities that included 36,000 marchers in a parade, attendance of President Masaryk, and 650 Sokols from the United States.
- An estimated 500,000 spectators at the various events.
- Participants: 23,000 men, 15,000 women, 13,200 juniors and children.
- This was the first Slet for Sokols from Slovakia, because under Hungarian rule Sokol clubs were banned prior to Slovaks and Czechs uniting in the new Czechoslovak State in 1918.
VII All-Sokol Slet in 1920 in the New Czechoslovak Republic
Photo shows women assembling on the field for mass calisthenics. This was the last Slet in Letná Stadium, as the 1926 Slet was held in the new Strahov Stadium. (Czechoslovak Union Sokol photo)
1926 VIII All-Sokol Slet in Newly Built Strahov Stadium
There were 182,477 participants with events scheduled for 9 days; 70,000 marched in parades. During the 9 days of Slet activities, 1,066,471 passengers came to Prague by train. The photo (Czechoslovak Union Sokol) shows the assembly of junior gymnasts on the field.
Growth of Sokol Slets during the 20th Century
1926 Slet in Strahov Stadium –sometimes called Masaryk Stadium in honor of the president
Photo: Czechoslovak Union Sokol
Children performing calisthenics at the 1926 VIII All-Sokol Slet
1926 Slet in Strahov Stadium –sometimes called Masaryk Stadium in honor of the president
Photo: Czechoslovak Union Sokol
Photo: Czechoslovak Union Sokol
1926 VIII Slet included Winter Sports, Swimming and Boating
Leoš Janáček composed Sinfonietta for the Slet. Photo (Czech Union Sokol) shows the men’s assembly prior to their mass calisthenics performance.
Photo: Czechoslovak Union Sokol
1926 Slet: Junior girls performing calisthenics, and a gymnast competing on the rings
Photo: Czechoslovak Union Sokol
Photo: Czechoslovak Union Sokol
Posters for IX All-Sokol Slet held in 1932
In honor of the one-hundredth year anniversary of the birth of Sokol’s founder, Miroslav Tyrš
Slet features
- 180,000 spectators
- 130,000 gymnasts
- parade with 65,000 marchers
- advanced gymnastic skills
- inclusion of the arts
- track and field events
American Sokol gymnasts participated in the 1932 IX All-Sokol Slet in Prague
Strahov Stadium expanded to hold 180,000 spectators
- Winter sports competitions were held in Slovakia’s Tatra mountains, and other sports were added to the Slet, e.g., women’s 8 and 25 km run, and fencing, pentathlon, and decathlon.
- The Slet featured displays of advanced gymnastic skills, and many special numbers with hand apparatus.
- An American Sokol practices on the rings on a ship sailing across the Atlantic (photo from Janice Polz)
1932 IX All-Sokol Slet Honoring Founder Tyrš
The week-long Slet drew over one million spectators.
Photo: Czechoslovak Union Sokol
Men performing on beams.
Photo: Czechoslovak Union Sokol
American Sokol women in dress uniforms.
Photo: Czechoslovak Union Sokol
Stadium view illustrates women performing mass calisthenics on the spacious field.
X All-Sokol Slet in 1938
The Slet was held one year prior to the German Nazi occupation of the Czech lands (Bohemia and Moravia). Photo (Czechoslovak Union Sokol) of 31,000 women performing calisthenics.
Photo: Czechoslovak Union Sokol
1938 X All-Sokol Slet
Czechoslovak world gymnastic championship men’s team marching in Slet parade (left) & Sokol flag flying above Strahov Stadium (right). (Czechoslovak Union Sokol photos)
Photo: Czechoslovak Union Sokol
Two-time World Gymnastics Champion, Vlasta Děkanová
(performing with Indian clubs at the 1938 Slet)
Women performing drills with ribbons at the 1938 Slet
1938 X Slet: Junior Boys assembly in preparation of a calisthenic drill
Photo: Czechoslovak Union Sokol
1938: A Free Czechoslovakia celebrates its independence, a year before Germany’s invasion of Bohemia and Moravia
The framed silk banner illustrates the value Sokols placed in the organization’s training and philosophy. It reads:
“To success X All-Sokol Slet
Sokol upbringing gained us our independence
Sokol upbringing maintains us
Truth Prevails”
1938 X Slet: Mass calisthenic drill performed by Junior girls
Photo: Czechoslovak Union Sokol
XI All-Sokol Slet (Rally) 1948: A Celebration of World War II Liberation
Middle poster: “Practice with us” (in red) and at the top, the Sokol motto: “In a healthy body – a healthy spirit”
All-Sokol Slet in 1948
Sokols celebrate the reestablishment of their
organization following the end of World War II
- The photograph (by Karel Šmirous) of a festive march through Prague, reveals the importance of parades as components of Slet festivals.
- In the 1948 Olympics, held in London, the Czechoslovak, Sokol trained, women won the gold medal in gymnastics.
- However, the Czech and Slovak people lost their freedom soon after the Slet, because the Communist seized power in Czechoslovakia and Sokol was banned.
- The next Slet did not occur until 1994 (5 years after the revolution ended Communist rule).
Photo: Karel Šmirous
1948 XI All-Sokol Slet in Prague
28,648 women performing calisthenics (photo by Karel Šmirous)
Photo: Karel Šmirous
1948 XI All-Sokol Slet in Prague
Men fill the stadium field performing calisthenics (photo by Karel Šmirous)
Photo: Karel Šmirous
XI All-Sokol Slet (Rally) in 1948 was the last Slet in Prague until 1994, due to Communist Party rule 1948-1989.
Flame carried to Slet stadium
Junior girls performing drill with rings
Photo: Czechoslovak Union Sokol
First Post-Communist Era Slet, 1994 (XII All-Sokol Slet in Strahov Stadium)
The return to democracy (in 1990) was celebrated with the return to Sokol values. There were 23,000 participants of which 1,800 were from abroad. A performance of the Bartered Bride at the National Theater was a feature of the Slet. President Václav Havel attended the Slet, which was broadcast on television.
Photo: Czechoslovak Union Sokol
Men and women assemble for a mass calisthenic performance
XIII All-Sokol Slet (2000):
women performing mass calisthenic drill.
A Sokol moto, “Tužme se,” (Let’s harden ourselves) appears on the entrance to the field. Over 25,000 Sokols participated; former president Václav Havel and current president Klaus attended the Slet. Photo: Czech Union Sokol
Photo: Czechoslovak Union Sokol
American Sokols at the 2006 XIV All-Sokol Slet
Performance Team on Prague’s Wenceslaus Bridge, and American Sokols in their organization dress uniforms waving flags with Prague Castle in the background (photos: American Sokol Organization).
Photo: American Sokol Organization
Photo: American Sokol Organization
All-Sokol Slet of 2006
A total of 15,000 performed mass exercise drills on the field, featured in 16 compositions.
(Czech Union Sokol photo)
Photo: Czechoslovak Union Sokol
XV All-Sokol Slet of 2012
This Slet had 15,000 performers and the Sokol Cultural Ensembles performed Smetana’s operetta, the Bartered Bride. Czech Union Sokol photo shows senior men and women assembled for mass calisthenic drills at Prague’s Eden Stadium.
Photo: Czechoslovak Union Sokol
2018 XVI All-Sokol Slet in Prague
Sign at bottom left photo declares “will to be victorious” (Czech Union Sokol photo)
Photo: Czechoslovak Union Sokol
2018 XVI All Sokol-Slet in Prague
A 100th year celebration of the founding of Czechoslovakia. The activities included seminars, lectures, workshops, tours, and a procession of 13,000 Sokols, as well as competitions in gymnastics and other sports.
Left photo: assembly of gymnasts with Sokol banner. Right photo: senior men and women performing mass calisthenics. Photos are from Czech Union Sokol.
Photo: Czechoslovak Union Sokol
Photo: Czechoslovak Union Sokol
2018 XVI All-Sokol Slet
