Jára Cimrman is one of the most famous Czechs. His list of accomplishments is simply staggering. He gave the world yogurt, the CD (Cimrman's disc), dynamite and roller skates. He invented the electric light bulb but Edison beat him to the patent office. He helped Baron von Zeppelin design the airship. He came up with the idea of the Panama Canal and proposed it to the U.S. government. He narrowly missed discovering the North Pole by only seven meters (23 feet). He even invented the Internet. He is regarded as one of the greatest Czech playwrights, composers, inventors, and poets of the 19th and 20th centuries. The list goes on and on...
Don't feel bad if you haven't heard of him. He's the fictional character created by Jiří Šebánek, Ladislav Smoljak and Zdeněk Svěrák.
His debut was in 1966 on the radio program Nealkoholická vinárna U Pavouka (The Spider Non-Alcoholic Wine Bar).
In 2005, there was a television contest to name the greatest Czech of all time. Cimrman was leading the race until the sponsor disqualified him since he was never a real person.
Czech Koruna Exchange Rate
Posts
It's interesting that this fictional character is so popular. I live in Poznan, Poland, and many years ago there was a vote to pick the subject for a new statute in town, and sure enough, people picked a character on a radio show that spoke with a regional accent.
ReplyDeleteWe passed by your area last last year on a golf outing - very pretty! I'd like to invite you to join our facebook group, Expat Bloggers - Europe, https://www.facebook.com/groups/263001027196474/
All the best!