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Czech Vašek (literal. "Czech Václav", German: "Böhmischer Wenzel") is a historical figure representing the national character of the Czech people used in time of national competition with German nationalism at the end of the 19th century.

Overview

Such figures differ from those that serve as personifications of the nation itself, as Čechie did the Czech nation and Marianne the French. He is usually depicted in a folk costume combining hat from the Plzeň region with clothes from different regions.

They were used as a negative caricature of Czechs by Germans, symbolising them as street musicians. But also positively by Czech themselves.

Czech Vašek is considered a counterpart to Deutscher Michel, a figure representing the national character of the German people.

See also

• Flag of the Czech Republic

References

1. Eric Hobsbawm, "Mass-Producing Traditions: Europe, 1870–1914," in Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger, eds., The Invention of Tradition (Cambridge, 1983), 276.
2. Hájek, Adam (5 September 2010). "Každý národ má svého Švejka. Ten izraelský neváhá sáhnout po samopalu". iDNES (in Czech). Retrieved 19 June 2014.

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