The cultural history of Botič Creek
A lecture by Václav Hájek
- Saturday Dec 3 / 7 pm, Café Sladkovský
Botič Creek is one of Prague’s most important creeks, and was the site of human settlement already in the distant past. The Botič valley is thus a mixture of cultural and natural landscapes. Though located not far from Prague’s medieval city walls, the city districts (formerly villages) through which the Botič flows continue to be peripheral areas. Nusle, Vršovice, Záběhlice, and other districts have their own distinct legends – based on the cult of the “fallen” hero – which differ from those found in the city’s central areas. Even today, the Botič valley is considered the home of “alternative” culture, sports, and lifestyle.
Václav Hájek, Ph.D. (born 1974) studied art history at Charles University’s Faculty of Arts and currently lectures at Charles University’s Faculty of Humanities and at the Brno University of Technology’s Faculty of Fine Arts. His writings have appeared in magazines and journals such as Dějiny a současnost (History and Present), A2, and Flash Art. His essays on cultural theory can be found on the blogs vizualni-studia.eblog.cz and maly-teoretik.eblog.cz.
Presented in collaboration with the Start Vršovice civic association and the 2011 Vestiges of Industry Biennial.