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The history of Czechs in Baltimore dates back to the mid-19th century. Thousands of
Czechs The Czechs (, ; singular Czech, masculine: ''Čech'' , singular feminine: ''Češka'' ), or the Czech people (), are a West Slavs, West Slavic ethnic group and a nation native to the Czech Republic in Central Europe, who share a common Bohemia ...
immigrated to East Baltimore during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, becoming an important component of
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
's ethnic and cultural heritage. The Czech community has founded a number of cultural institutions to preserve the city's Czech heritage, including a Roman Catholic church, a heritage association, a gymnastics association, an annual festival, a language school, and a cemetery. During the height of the Czech community in the late 19th century and early 20th century, Baltimore was home to 12,000 to 15,000 people of Czech birth or heritage. The population began to decline during the mid-to-late 20th century, as the community assimilated and aged, while many
Czech Americans Czech Americans (), known in the 19th and early 20th century as Bohemian Americans, are citizens of the United States whose ancestry is wholly or partly originate from the Czech lands, a term which refers to the majority of the traditional l ...
moved to the suburbs of Baltimore. By the 1980s and early 1990s, the former Czech community in East Baltimore had been almost entirely dispersed, though a few remnants of the city's Czech cultural legacy still remain.


Demographics

The first Czech immigrants arrived in Baltimore in 1850. By 1870, there were approximately 1,000 Czech Catholics in Baltimore. Within a decade that number increased to over 5,000. In 1870 there were 766 Bohemian-born residents of Baltimore, making Bohemia the third largest source of immigration to Baltimore after the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the union of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland into one sovereign state, established by the Acts of Union 1800, Acts of Union in 1801. It continued in this form until ...
and
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. In 1880, Bohemians made up a small portion of the foreign-born population of Baltimore at 2% of all foreign born residents. 16.9% (56,354) of Baltimore was foreign born, 1,127 of them Bohemian. According to the US Immigration Office, the Baltimore Czech community numbered around 10,000 people between 1882 and 1910. In the
1920 United States Census The 1920 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau during one month from January 5, 1920, determined the resident population of the United States to be 106,021,537, an increase of 15.0 percent over the 92,228,496 persons enumerated ...
, there were 7,750 Czechs, making Baltimore the fifth largest city for Czechs in the United States. Only Chicago, New York City, Cleveland, and St. Louis had larger Czech populations. In the same year 3,348 foreign-born white people in Baltimore spoke
Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...
as their mother tongue, making Czech the third most common mother tongue of immigrants among Slavic and Baltic languages, after Polish and Russian. During the same year, 7,000 Czech Roman Catholics belonged to the
St. Wenceslaus Wenceslaus I ( ; 907 – 28 September 935), Wenceslas I or ''Václav the Good'' was the Prince (''Knyaz, kníže'') of Duchy of Bohemia, Bohemia from 921 until his death, probably in 935. According to the legend, he was assassinated by his you ...
Roman Catholic parish. By the
1930 United States Census The 1930 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau one month from April 1, 1930, determined the resident population of the United States to be 122,775,046, an increase of 13.7 percent over the 106,021,537 persons enumerated during t ...
, the Baltimore Czech population decreased slightly to number 7,652 people. In 1940, 1,816 immigrants from
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
lived in Baltimore. These immigrants comprised 3% of the city's foreign-born white population. In total, 4,031 people of Czech birth or descent lived in the city, comprising 2.9% of the foreign-stock white population. In the
1960 United States census The 1960 United States census, conducted by the United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 179,323,175, an increase of 19 percent over the 151,325,798 persons Enumeration, enumerated ...
, Czech-Americans comprised 57.5% of the foreign-born population in Southeast Baltimore's tract 7-3. The Czech community was then centered in Baltimore's Ward 7. The city as a whole was home to 4,077 people of Czechoslovak origin. According to the
1990 United States census The 1990 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 248,709,873, an increase of 9.8 percent over the 226,545,805 persons enumerated during the 1980 census. Approximatel ...
almost 22,000 Americans of fully Czech or Slovak ancestry lived in Maryland, most of whom lived in or near Baltimore. The Czech community in the
Baltimore metropolitan area The Baltimore–Columbia–Towson Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as Central Maryland, is a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in Maryland as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB). It is part of the larger ...
numbered 17,798 as of 2000, making up 0.7% of the area's population. In the same year Baltimore city's Czech population was 2,206, 0.3% of the city's population. 27,603 people of Czech descent lived in the greater Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. As of 2011, immigrants from the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
were the fifty-eighth largest foreign-born population in Baltimore. In 2013, an estimated 1,290 Czech-Americans resided in Baltimore city, 0.2% of the population.


History


18th and 19th centuries

The first Bohemian Jew to arrive in Baltimore, Jacob Block (originally Bloch), immigrated in the late 1700s. The Bloch family were from the village of Švihov in
Central Bohemia The Central Bohemian Region ( ; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in the Czech capital Prague, which lies in the centre of the regio ...
. The second Bohemian Jew in Maryland was Levi Collmus, a dry goods dealer from
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
, who arrived at the Port of Baltimore in September, 1806. Collmus was an elector to the
Baltimore Hebrew Congregation The Baltimore Hebrew Congregation is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 7401 Park Heights Avenue, in Pikesville, on the border of Baltimore City and Baltimore County, Maryland, in the United States. History Originally na ...
, a treasurer of the United Hebrew Benevolent Society, and veteran of the
War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
. Collmus was buried at
Green Mount Cemetery Green Mount Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Established on March 15, 1838, and dedicated on July 13, 1839, it is noted for the large number of historical figures interred in its grounds as well as ma ...
according to
Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as literally revealed by God on Mount Sinai and faithfully tra ...
ritual. Between 1820 and the
Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
, around 300,000 Central
European Jews The history of the Jews in Europe spans a period of over two thousand years. Jews, a Semitic people descending from the Judeans of Judea in the Southern Levant, Natural History 102:11 (November 1993): 12–19. began migrating to Europe just b ...
arrived in the United States, many of whom were
Bohemian Jews The history of the Jews in the Czech lands, historically the Lands of the Bohemian Crown, including the modern Czech Republic (i.e. Bohemia, Moravia, and the southeast or Czech Silesia), goes back at least 1100 years. There is evidence that J ...
. Around 10,000 of these Jews, many of them Bohemian, passed through Fell's Point and settled in Baltimore. In 1853, Temple Oheb Shalom was founded by Jewish immigrants from Central Europe, including Czechoslovakia, Germany, and Hungary. The pioneer
Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...
rabbi
Isaac Mayer Wise Isaac Mayer Wise (29 March 1819 – 26 March 1900) was an American Reform rabbi, editor, and author. Early life Wise was born on 29 March 1819 in Steingrub in Bohemia (today Lomnička, a part of Plesná in the Czech Republic). He was the son ...
, born in
Plesná Plesná () is a town in Cheb District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,900 inhabitants. Administrative division Plesná consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Ples ...
,
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
, played an influential role in the establishment of the synagogue. Early Czech immigrants to Baltimore came from the regions of
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
,
Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...
and
Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...
, which at the time were part of the
Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...
and later the
Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...
. Because the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
counted the
Czechs The Czechs (, ; singular Czech, masculine: ''Čech'' , singular feminine: ''Češka'' ), or the Czech people (), are a West Slavs, West Slavic ethnic group and a nation native to the Czech Republic in Central Europe, who share a common Bohemia ...
as "
Austrians Austrians (, ) are the citizens and Nationality, nationals of Austria. The English term ''Austrians'' was applied to the population of Archduchy of Austria, Habsburg Austria from the 17th or 18th century. Subsequently, during the 19th century, ...
" until 1881, it is difficult to know an accurate count for Czech immigrants before that time. Even after 1881, many Czechs were still listed as Austrians or " Austro-Bohemians" because of their Austrian citizenship. These early Bohemian immigrants to Baltimore in the years following the Civil War first settled in Fell's Point, then moved further north along Barnes and Abbott Streets near Broadway, eventually settling in large numbers along Collington Avenue near the Northeast Market. The largest great wave of Czech immigrants occurred from the late 1800s through the early 1900s. Enough Czechs had immigrated by 1860 that a small colony was formed. The developing community was thriving by the 1870s (construction had commenced in 1867), which was known then as Little Bohemia or Bohemia Village. According to the Painted Screen Society of Baltimore, Little Bohemia was bounded by North Washington Street on the west, East Eager Street to the north, Jefferson Street to the south, and North Linwood Avenue to the east. Numerous rowhouses were built to accommodate the growing Bohemian community, which continued to grow throughout the 1880s and 1890s. The homes were constructed by Bohemian immigrants, most notably the architect Frank Novak (1877-1945).Maryland Historical Trust: Listing for Baltimore East Monument Historic District
/ref> Many of the immigrants who settled here worked as weavers and tailors or owned market stalls. Novak did not want any streets named after him, but his partner fooled him by naming a street "Kavon", Novak spelled backwards. Kavon Street presently runs parallel to Bel Air Road directly north and south of Herring Run Park. Prior to the passage of the
Fair Housing Act of 1968 The Civil Rights Act of 1968 () is a landmark law in the United States signed into law by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during the King assassination riots. Titles II through VII comprise the Indian Civil Rights Act, which applie ...
,
racially restrictive covenants A covenant, in its most general and historical sense, is a solemn promise to engage in or refrain from a specified action. Under historical English common law, a covenant was distinguished from an ordinary contract by the presence of a seal. Be ...
were used in Baltimore to exclude
African-Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
and other minority groups. A 1923 article in the
Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local, regional, national, and international news. Founded in 1837, the newspaper was owned by Tribune Publish ...
mentions that Frank Novak built "restricted" houses in the Montebello neighborhood. A 1926 advertisement in the ''Baltimore Sun'' describes Novak's
Lakeside Lakeside or Lake Side may refer to: Places Australia * Lakeside College, Pakenham, Victoria * Lakeside Joondalup shopping centre Joondalup, Western Australia * Lakeside, near Reservoir, Victoria * Lakeside International Raceway, Pine Rivers, ...
development as a "carefully restricted suburban home development". Between the 1860s and the 1910s, Bohemians chartered at least 20 building and loan associations. The first Bohemian organization was chartered in 1877, around 20 years after Bohemians started to arrive in the city in large numbers. Some of these associations were Jednota "Blesk", "Vlastimila" (sisters' benevolent union), the "Ctirada", the "Jaromíra", and the "Zlatá Praha" ("Golden Prague"). The majority of the Baltimore Bohemians were Roman Catholics. In 1870, there were around 1,000 Bohemian Catholics and within a decade that number had increased to over 5,000. The
St. Wenceslaus Wenceslaus I ( ; 907 – 28 September 935), Wenceslas I or ''Václav the Good'' was the Prince (''Knyaz, kníže'') of Duchy of Bohemia, Bohemia from 921 until his death, probably in 935. According to the legend, he was assassinated by his you ...
parish was organized in 1872, in order to serve the needs of the growing population, becoming the Bohemian National Parish of the Roman Catholic Church in Baltimore. Sokol Jednota Blesk (now called Sokol Baltimore), a Czech gymnastics association, was founded in 1872. Members met on Frederick Street near
Fell's Point Fell's Point is a historic waterfront neighborhood in southeastern Baltimore, Maryland, established around 1763 along the north shore of the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore, Baltimore Harbor and the Northwest Branch of the Patapsco River. ...
.
Sokol Sokol, Sokół or SOKOL may refer to: Sports * Sokol movement, a Pan-Slavic physical education movement, and its various incarnations: ** Czech Sokol movement, the original one ** Polish Sokół movement ** Russian Sokol movement ** Sokol mov ...
(, ''
falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are widely distrib ...
'') was originally a Czech nationalist organization created to train members to fight for the independence of Czechoslovakia and in some ways resembled the German Turnverein,
German-American German Americans (, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. According to the United States Census Bureau's figures from 2022, German Americans make up roughly 41 million people in the US, which is approximately 12% of the pop ...
gymnastic clubs that promoted
liberalism Liberalism is a Political philosophy, political and moral philosophy based on the Individual rights, rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality, the right to private property, and equality before the law. ...
and
German nationalism German nationalism () is an ideological notion that promotes the unity of Germans and of the Germanosphere into one unified nation-state. German nationalism also emphasizes and takes pride in the patriotism and national identity of Germans as ...
. In August 1879, the Fairmount and Chapel Streets Permanent Building, Savings and Loan Association No 1 Inc. was founded to serve the needs of Czech immigrants. The bank was located on the second floor of Anton Rytina's Bar at 1919 East Fairmount Avenue. All bank records were written in
Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...
until 1948. On November 8, 1880, the politician Vaclav Joseph Shimek helped establish the
Grand Lodge Č.S.P.S. of Baltimore The Grand Lodge Č.S.P.S. of Baltimore is the Baltimore, Maryland, chapter of the Czech-Slovak Protective Society. The C.S.P.S. is a benevolent society that was founded to help Czech and Slovak immigrants integrate into American society. The c ...
, the Baltimore chapter of the
Czech-Slovak Protective Society The Czech-Slovak Protective Society (CSPS), which became the Czecho Slovakian Association, was an organization supporting the welfare of Czech and Slovak immigrants to the United States. The Czech-Slovak Protective Society started as an insurance s ...
. Shimek was the owner of the Bohemian Hall and the six-time president of
Sokol Sokol, Sokół or SOKOL may refer to: Sports * Sokol movement, a Pan-Slavic physical education movement, and its various incarnations: ** Czech Sokol movement, the original one ** Polish Sokół movement ** Russian Sokol movement ** Sokol mov ...
Baltimore; he was also instrumental in helping found the National Sokol Organization. Shimek's Bohemian Hall, now the United Baptist Church at Barnes Street and Broadway, was located in the heart of Little Bohemia and was established as a meeting place for the Czech community. Shimek allowed the Hall to be used to hold
Knights of Labor The Knights of Labor (K of L), officially the Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor, was the largest American labor movement of the 19th century, claiming for a time nearly one million members. It operated in the United States as well in ...
meetings for
working-class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...
Czech tailors and garment workers. In 1884, the Grand Lodge Č.S.P.S. of Baltimore constructed the Bohemian National Cemetery, a cemetery for irreligious and Protestant Czechs and Slovaks. While the majority of Baltimore's Bohemians were Catholic, the Czech-Slovak Protective Society was largely composed of secular and religious
freethinkers Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an unorthodox attitude or belief. A freethinker holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority Authority is commonly understood as the legitimate power of a person or ...
. The cemetery served as an alternative to the Catholic cemeteries where other Bohemians were buried. During the 1890s, there were over 300 sweatshops in Baltimore, many providing sewing rooms for immigrants working in the garment industry. Most of the workers toiling in these squalid sweatshops were of Bohemian,
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
,
Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Lithuania, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe ** Lithuanian language ** Lithuanians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to Lithuania and the immediate geographical region ** L ...
, and
Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
-
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
ancestry. Around half of the garment workers were women and girls, many in their early teens. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Bohemian stronghold north of
Johns Hopkins Hospital Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1889, Johns Hopkins Hospital and its school of medicine are considered to be the foundin ...
along the Baltimore to New York Amtrak line all the way to Frank C Bocek Park was known by the now long-forgotten name of "Swampoodle". Frank C Bocek Park was nicknamed the "clay hill". There was a swamp behind the clay hill, the source of the neighborhood being named Swampoodle. The heart of the Bohemian "hollow" of Swampoodle was located just north of Johns Hopkins Hospital along the tiny side streets of Barnes and Abbott.


20th century

During the early 1900s and mid-1900s, Little Bohemia was an ethnically diverse neighborhood, with many European immigrants such as Germans, Irish, and Italians living side by side with and intermarrying Czechs and Slovaks. One Slovak-American woman from a multiethnic family on North Bradford Street described her kitchen as "a league of nations around that dining-room table." A newspaper geared towards the Czech community titled ''Palecek'' was established in 1902. The same year Sokol Baltimore moved to a new location at Shimek's Hall on North Broadway. The Bohemian Building, Loan and Savings Association (also known as the Slavic Savings and Loan Association) was established in 1900, in order to serve the needs of Czech immigrants. The association was formed by twenty Bohemian men at Joseph Klecka's Tavern on Ashland Avenue. Two years later, in 1904, the Madison Bohemian Savings Bank was also founded in order to aid Czech immigrants, particularly the Czech farmers of the Hereford Zone of Northern Baltimore County. The mainstream banks during the 1800s and early 1900s would ignore or turn away customers who were Eastern European or Southern European immigrants, so Czechs and other non-
WASP A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder ...
immigrants would establish their own banking institutions to serve the specific needs of their communities. These banks for
white ethnic White ethnic is a term used to refer to white Americans who are not Old Stock or White Anglo-Saxon Protestant. "Religion is the most critical factor in separating white ethnics in American society. As Catholics and secondarily Jews ... they we ...
s had hours and customs that seemed less alien to immigrants and often had translators on staff. Discrimination against Czechs and other white immigrants persisted in banking until the 1930s. As late as the 1930s and 1940s it was not uncommon for Slavic Catholics, such as Czechs and Poles, to be called ethnic and religious slurs such as "
bohunk The following is a list of ethnic slurs, ethnophaulisms, or ethnic epithets that are, or have been, used as insinuations or allegations about members of a given ethnic, national, or racial group or to refer to them in a derogatory, pejorativ ...
s" and "fish eaters." Slavs were often
stereotyped In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example ...
as stupid and
superstitious A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and p ...
. White Protestants coined the term "fish eater" to refer to Catholic immigrants because the Catholics did not eat meat on Fridays. The Baltimore journalist
H. L. Mencken Henry Louis Mencken (September 12, 1880 – January 29, 1956) was an American journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic, and scholar of American English. He commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians, ...
described Czech immigrants in Baltimore as "all poor and without influential compatriots uptown." He opposed the independence of Czechoslovakia, claiming that "Czechs are a charming people" but should have "kept to their own dunghill." He sympathized with Nazi Germany's aim "to get rid of the Czech nonsense at any cost." In 1939, he wrote that he was "a great deal less interested in what Hitler does to the Czechs...than I am in what he does to the Germans." The Baltimore ''
Telegraf Telegraf may refer to: * ''Dnevni telegraf'' (1996–1999), a Serbian daily newspaper * ''Telegraf'' (Baltimore newspaper) (1909–1951), an American weekly newspaper * ''Telegrafi'' (founded 2006), a newspaper published in Kosovo * Telegraphy ...
'', a Czech-language newspaper founded by Vaclav Shimek, began publication on February 20, 1909. The newspaper would continue in print until 1951. In 1911 or 1912, Bohemian
socialists Socialism is an economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes the economic, political, and socia ...
founded the Baltimore branch of the Bohemian Section of the
Socialist Party of America The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a socialist political party in the United States formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party of America ...
. The Bohemian Socialists were in close association with the Social Democratic Party of Bohemia. The Golden Prague Federal Savings & Loan Association was founded in 1912. The bank was created to aid the Czech community, but later expanded to serve non-Czechs as well. A Czech immigrant living in Little Bohemia named William Oktavec invented
screen painting Screen painting is painting on window screens. It is a folk art form originating in immigrant working-class neighborhoods in Baltimore, Maryland, in the early 20th century. The wire screen section of a screen door is typically painted with bu ...
in 1913. Screen painting became a popular form of
folk art Folk art covers all forms of visual art made in the context of folk culture. Definitions vary, but generally the objects have practical utility of some kind, rather than being exclusively decorative art, decorative. The makers of folk art a ...
in Baltimore's working-class immigrant communities. During the peak of screen painting in the 1930s and 1940s there were approximately 100,000 painted screens by over 100 artists. In 1914, the Bohemian Catholics built the church of St. Wenceslaus Church, Baltimore, which by now had 7,000 members. St. Wenceslaus held services in both
Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...
and
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...
. At its height in 1920, the parish was the fourth largest
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Baltimore () is the archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in northern and western Maryland in the United States. It is the metropolitan see of the Ecclesiastical Province of Baltimore. The Archd ...
. In 1915, August Klecka, son of Joseph Klecka, became the first Czech-American to be elected to the
Baltimore City Council The Baltimore City Council is the legislative branch that governs the City of Baltimore. It has 14 members elected by district and a president elected at-large; all serve four-year terms. The council holds regular meetings on alternate Monday ev ...
. Klecka represented Czech voters and ran the Slavic Building and Loan Association. During
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
(1914–1918), most of Baltimore's garment industry workers were still of Bohemian, Lithuanian, and Russian descent, the majority of whom were Jewish and many of whom were young women. When the independence of Czechoslovakia was declared on October 18, 1918, the Czech and Slovak communities in Baltimore joined in the celebrations and for many years held annual festivities and parades commemorating Czechoslovakia's Independence Day. Many working-class Central and Eastern European immigrants, including Czechs, settled in the Curtis Bay neighborhood in the late 1800s and early 1900s, where many attended the St. Athanasius Roman Catholic Church. However, by 1925 the church had become majority Polish as many Polish immigrants settled in the neighborhood. With further construction in Little Bohemia the Czech community continued to grow. By 1927, the construction was finished in Little Bohemia. As the Czech population continued to expand, Czechs began to move into
Patterson Park Patterson Park is an urban park in Southeast Baltimore, Maryland, United States, adjacent to the neighborhoods of Canton, Highlandtown, Patterson Park, and Butchers Hill. It is bordered by East Baltimore Street, Eastern Avenue, South Pa ...
and became an important component of the neighborhood's growth. The Czechoslovak Society of America founded a
duckpin bowling Duckpin bowling is a variation of the sport of bowling. Duckpin balls are in diameter, weigh between each, and lack finger holes. They are thus significantly smaller than those used in ten-pin bowling but are slightly larger and heavier than th ...
league in 1946. Many of the early members were Czech-American soldiers returning from
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. During WWII, many Czech and Slovak coal-miners from Pennsylvania settled in South Baltimore, particularly in Curtis Bay. Many of these Czechs and Slovaks from Pennsylvania joined the St. Athanasius Roman Catholic Church, adding to the number of Czech congregants that already attended the church. The church still had a number of Czech-American members by 2003. Czech-Americans and Slovak-Americans in Baltimore during WWII were strongly opposed to
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
and the
German occupation of Czechoslovakia German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
. After the War, Czechs and Slovaks concentrated in the Collington Avenue area began to move out of the neighborhood and dispersed widely across Baltimore city. During the 1950s, many Czech-Americans began to disperse from Little Bohemia while many African-Americans began to move into the area. In 1954, Sokol Jednota Blesk moved its organization to a new building on the 2900 block of East Madison Street. A few years later in 1962, the organization changed its name to Sokol Baltimore. In the
1960 United States census The 1960 United States census, conducted by the United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 179,323,175, an increase of 19 percent over the 151,325,798 persons Enumeration, enumerated ...
, Czech-Americans comprised 57.5% of the foreign-born population in Southeast Baltimore's tract 7-3. The Czech community was then centered in Baltimore's Ward 7. The Fairmount and Chapel Streets Permanent Building, Savings and Loan Association No 1 Inc. changed its name in 1960 to the Fairmount Federal Savings and Loan Association, Inc. In 1963, they moved their headquarters to Baltimore's suburb of Rosedale. During the 1964 presidential election, leaders of the
Maryland Democratic Party The Maryland Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Maryland, headquartered in Annapolis. The current acting state party chair is Charlene Dukes. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling a ...
directed a campaign against
George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who was the 45th and longest-serving governor of Alabama (1963–1967; 1971–1979; 1983–1987), and the List of longest-serving governors of U.S. s ...
in the ethnic neighborhoods of East Baltimore, which included deploying "big name" politicians and dispensing free beer to the locals. Senator Daniel Brewster's election campaign especially targeted the Bohemian, Italian, and Polish areas of Baltimore populated by unionized skilled workers. By 1969, the Czech-American community in Little Bohemia was predominantly composed of ageing homeowners who lived alongside more recently arrived
African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
residents. However, many of the
older Older is the comparative form of " old". It may refer to: Music * ''Older'' (George Michael album), 1996 ** "Older" (George Michael song), 1996 * ''Older'' (Lizzy McAlpine album), 2024 ** "Older" (Lizzy McAlpine song), 2024 * "Older" (5 Seco ...
white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
Czech-Americans harbored
racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
attitudes towards
black people Black is a racial classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid- to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin and often additional phenotypical ...
. According to a reporter with 'The Baltimore Sun', "The older people of Bohemian extraction still live in the houses they own...but they share the neighborhood with black people whom they do not seem to appreciate or understand." In 1970, the Bohemian Building, Loan and Savings Association changed its name to the Slavie Savings And Loan Association Inc. In 1986, th
Czech and Slovak Heritage Association of Maryland, Inc.
was founded in Baltimore. It has since grown into a national organization that offers courses on the languages, culture, and history of the Czechs and Slovaks. In 1987, the association started the Czech and Slovak Heritage Festival. Early festivals were held at
War Memorial Plaza War Memorial Plaza is a public square, small park and space in Downtown Baltimore between City Hall and the War Memorial Building, between Holliday Street on the west, East Fayette Street on the south, North Gay Street on the east, and East Lexi ...
and
Patterson Park Patterson Park is an urban park in Southeast Baltimore, Maryland, United States, adjacent to the neighborhoods of Canton, Highlandtown, Patterson Park, and Butchers Hill. It is bordered by East Baltimore Street, Eastern Avenue, South Pa ...
. Later the festival moved to
Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ) is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. The town is situated on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the north-east coast of Ireland, and is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to and south of the bor ...
and eventually to its current home in Parkville. The Slavie Savings And Loan Association Inc., changed its name to the Slavie Federal Savings and Loan Association in 1987. The Czech and Slovak Language School of Maryland was founded in 1988. The school was held at the parish hall of the St. Wenceslaus Church. After a few years the school moved to the Towson Unitarian Universalist Church and then to the Maryland School for the Blind. The school offers the only Czech and Slovak language courses in the Baltimore area. By 1996, little of the Czech community remained in East Baltimore. The Baltimore Sun described the former community as "now scattered." As of 1998 the Czechoslovak Society of America, by then called the Czech Society of America, still operated its duckpin bowling league in East Baltimore. As late as 1994, 80-90% of the members of the league were of Czech descent. The Slavie Federal Savings and Loan Association closed its original location on Collington Avenue near
Johns Hopkins Hospital Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1889, Johns Hopkins Hospital and its school of medicine are considered to be the foundin ...
in 1993. Ze Mean Bean Café in Fell's Point opened in 1995. It is a restaurant which offers Slavic and Eastern European fare, including
Czech cuisine Czech cuisine has both influenced and been influenced by the cuisines of surrounding countries and nations. Many of the cakes and pastries that are popular in Central Europe originated within the Czech lands. Contemporary Czech cuisine is ...
. The restaurant was founded by Yvonne Dornic as an ode to her Czechoslovak-born
Carpatho-Rusyn Rusyn ( ; ; )http://theses.gla.ac.uk/2781/1/2011BaptieMPhil-1.pdf , p. 8. is an East Slavic language spoken by Rusyns in parts of Central and Eastern Europe, and written in the Cyrillic script. The majority of speakers live in Carpathian Ruth ...
father Ivan Dornic. In 1998, Sokol Baltimore moved to a new location at St. Patrick's Parish Hall on Broadway in Fell's Point. In January 2011, the Czech and Slovak Association of Baltimore opened the Czech and Slovak Language School for children. Every Friday night during the school year children and their parents meet in the Cathedral Undercroft of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen. Classes for native Czech speakers and well as Czech classes for non-speakers are offered.


21st century

In 2000, the Slavie Federal Savings and Loan Association became the Slavie Federal Savings Bank. The bank's headquarters were moved to the Baltimore suburb of Bel Air in 2001. By 2008, people of Slavic descent still made up ten percent of Slavie's customer base. In 2007, the Golden Prague Federal Savings and Loan Association was purchased by the Bradford Bank and merged into it. After the
2011 Virginia earthquake On August 23, 2011, a moment magnitude scale, magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region of the U.S. state of Virginia at 1:51:04 p.m. EDT. The epicenter, in Louisa County, Virginia, Louisa County, was nor ...
damaged St. Patrick's Church, Sokol Baltimore had to move their organization to a different location. The new Sokol building is on Noble Street in
Highlandtown Highlandtown is a neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Description and history The area currently known as Highlandtown was established in 1866 when the area known as "Snake Hill" was established as a village outside the Baltimo ...
. The
National Slavic Museum The National Slavic Museum in Fell's Point, Baltimore is a museum dedicated to the documentation of the Polish and Slavic heritage of Baltimore, including Baltimore's Belarusian, Bulgarian, Carpatho-Rusyn, Croatian, Czech, Lemko, Moravian, ...
opened in 2012. The museum focuses on the Slavic history of Baltimore, including Baltimore's Czech history, and is run entirely by volunteers. In 2014, after 114 years of business, federal banking regulators closed Slavie Federal Savings Bank after the bank's capital was depleted by bad loans. As of 2014, there remains a small Czech population in Baltimore, but only a few traces of the community remain. Little Bohemia is no longer a majority Czech neighborhood, as many Czechs have moved to the suburbs primarily due to
white flight The white flight, also known as white exodus, is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the Racism ...
and the
decline Decline may refer to: *Decadence, involves a perceived decay in standards, morals, dignity, religious faith, or skill over time *in marketing, the stage in the product life cycle when demand for a product begins to taper off * "Decline" (song), 20 ...
of industrial manufacturing jobs. St. Wenceslaus is currently a thriving parish, as the ethnic character of the congregation has undergone a gradual shift from a mostly white working-class Czech parish to one that is multicultural and multiracial, first as many
Poles Pole or poles may refer to: People *Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland * Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name * Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist ...
and
Lithuanians Lithuanians () are a Balts, Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another two million make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the Lithuanian Americans, United Sta ...
moved into the neighborhood, and then as the neighborhood shifted to having an
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
majority. Little Bohemia was majority white until the 1950s. The neighborhood, now known as
Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
, has suffered from extensive urban decay and housing abandonment due to poverty and crime, as well as the after-effects of the
Baltimore riot of 1968 The Baltimore riot of 1968 was a period of civil unrest that lasted from April 6 to April 14, 1968, in Baltimore. The uprising included crowds filling the streets, burning and looting local businesses, and confronting the police and national gua ...
, and now has a largely poverty-class and working-class African-American majority. During the 1968 riots, the
National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...
ordered residents to stay indoors. Residents throughout Little Bohemia could smell the smoke caused by arson during the riots. As African-Americans began to migrate into the area during the 1960s and 1970s and the neighborhood began to shift from black to white, black newcomers and ageing white immigrants briefly lived side by side. The African-American newcomers referred to white immigrants in the neighborhood as "Germans", regardless of where they came from. White people tended to go to St. Wenceslaus, while black people tended to be to Israel Baptist Church. The neighborhood was one of the hardest hit in Baltimore, as the white working-class and middle-class African-American tax base left and the area was effected by epidemics of heroin, crack cocaine, and HIV, along with an intensification of gang activity fueled by the drug trade. The predatory practices of lenders, landlords, and property flippers have also contributed to the spiraling cycle of decline and disinvestment. By 2000, Middle East was the second poorest neighborhood in Baltimore, with a median household income of $14,900, less than half the city's median. Less than half of all adults were employed in the labor force and over a third of households had poverty-level incomes. Crime and domestic violence rates were double those of the city as a whole, and the incidence of lead poisoning and child abuse were among the highest in Baltimore. The Madison Bohemian Savings Bank is still in business, but is now headquartered in Baltimore's suburb of Forest Hill. The bank no longer limits its loans to Czechs. While the Czech-American community in Baltimore has been historically
white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, since the 1990s a small cohort of black Czechs settled in Baltimore. These African-Czechs are Ethiopian immigrants who settled in the
Czechoslovak Socialist Republic The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, (Czech language, Czech and Slovak language, Slovak: ''Československá socialistická republika'', ČSSR) known from 1948 to 1960 as the Czechoslovak Republic (''Československá republika)'', Fourth Czecho ...
before resettling in the United States. The Ethiopian-Czechs settled in
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
due to international ties to the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
while
Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
was under Communist rule. These Afro-Czechs have experienced racism from white Czechs, both in Czechoslovakia and the United States. The Ethiopian-Czechs who settled in Baltimore were mostly male, with many marrying Czech or Slovak women and raising American children. Many are regulars at the Czech and Slovak Festival, among the few
people of color The term "person of color" (: people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is associated with, the United States. From th ...
at the majority white festival. The historically Czech area surrounding Johns Hopkins Hospital, now majority African-American, is facing encroachment from the growing Johns Hopkins campus. Many black residents believed that Johns Hopkins practiced
institutional racism Institutional racism, also known as systemic racism, is a form of institutional discrimination based on Race (human categorization), race or ethnic group and can include policies and practices that exist throughout a whole society or organizati ...
against African-Americans and nicknamed the hospital "The Plantation". The homes of 1,200 African-Americans were demolished to make way for the construction of dormitories for white medical staff and a fence was erected to protect staff from "vandals". Local African-Americans nicknamed the dormitories "The Compound". During the Baltimore riot of 1968, Johns Hopkins was spared but Monument Street and Gay Street were torched. The issue of the expansion of Johns Hopkins Hospital and the
gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...
of the surrounding neighborhood has been the source of several decades of socioeconomic and racial conflict, often pitting Johns Hopkins Hospital against the poor black residents of the surrounding neighborhoods.


Culture

The first Czech restaurant in Baltimore was located at Canton and Register Streets. The Czech Singing and Dramatic Society was first organized at this restaurant. The first Czech brewery was founded in 1856 at Asquith and Jefferson Streets. The brewery hosted drinking, dining, and dancing. The annual Czech and Slovak Heritage Festival still exists and is held in Baltimore's suburb of Parkville. In
Ellicott City Ellicott City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in, and the county seat of, Howard County, Maryland, United States. Part of the Baltimore metropolitan area, its population was 75,947 at the 2020 census, making it the mo ...
, located not far from Baltimore, there was a Czech-style pastry shop named Kolache Kreations that offered Czech cuisine, such as
kolach Kolach is the Slavonic term for a number of traditional baked products, such as: * Kolach (bread), a circular bread, most often made as a sweet dish * Slavski kolač, a Serbian variant of the kolach, made for the celebration of Slava *Kolach (cake) ...
e. It was the only kolache shop in Maryland. The shop was founded by Ileana Fernandez, a
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
woman from
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
who was surprised that no kolache shops existed in Maryland. Texas is home to hundreds of kolache shops, due to the rich history of Czech immigration to Texas. As of 2014 there were only 1,000 screen paintings left. The
American Visionary Art Museum The American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) is an art museum located in Baltimore, Maryland's Federal Hill neighborhood at 800 Key Highway. The museum specializes in the preservation and display of outsider art (also known as "intuitive art," " ...
features a permanent exhibition on screen paintings, including a re-creation of a row house and a documentary titled "The Screen Painters" made by Elaine Eff, a folklorist who serves as the president of the Painted Screen Society of Baltimore. Eff is the author of "The Painted Screens of Baltimore: An Urban Folk Art Revealed", having researched the tradition of screen painting since 1974. Historically, there was a strong connection between the Czech and Slovak communities in Baltimore and the Czech and Slovak
communities A community is a Level of analysis, social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place (geography), place, set of Norm (social), norms, culture, religion, values, Convention (norm), customs, or Ide ...
in
Prince George County, Virginia Prince George County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,010. Its county seat is Prince George. Prince George County is located within the Greater Richmond Region of the U.S. sta ...
. The members of the two communities would often travel back and forth between Baltimore and Prince George County in order to cooperate on events. In 2016, the Baltimore Slavic Heritage Festival was founded by Yvonne Dornic. The festival is held at St. Mary's Assumption Eastern Rite Catholic Church in the Baltimore suburb of Joppa and is the first
Pan-Slavic Pan-Slavism, a movement that took shape in the mid-19th century, is the political ideology concerned with promoting integrity and unity for the Slavic people. Its main impact occurred in the Balkans, where non-Slavic empires had ruled the South S ...
festival in the Baltimore area, bringing together 13 Slavic heritages - Czech, Slovak, Ukrainian, Polish, Russian, Bulgarian,
Serbian Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...
, Croatian, Bosnian,
Slovenian Slovene or Slovenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Slovenia, a country in Central Europe * Slovene language, a South Slavic language mainly spoken in Slovenia * Slovenes, an ethno-linguistic group mainly living in Slovenia * Sl ...
, Montenegrin,
Belarusian Belarusian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Belarus * Belarusians, people from Belarus, or of Belarusian descent * A citizen of Belarus, see Demographics of Belarus * Belarusian language * Belarusian culture * Belarusian cuisine * Byelor ...
,
Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Macedonia * Mac ...
and
Lemko Lemkos (; ; ; ) are an ethnic group inhabiting the Lemko Region (; ) of Carpathian Ruthenia, Carpathian Rus', an ethnographic region in the Carpathian Mountains and Carpathian Foothills, foothills spanning Ukraine, Slovakia, and Poland. Lemkos ...
. The Bulgarian Embassy has sent dancers to the festival and a variety of Slavic foods are served, including
pierogi Pierogi ( ; ) are filled dumplings made by wrapping Leavening, unleavened dough around a Stuffing, filling and cooked in boiling water. They are occasionally flavored with a savory or sweet garnish. Typical fillings include potato, cheese, ...
,
borscht Borscht () is a sour soup, made with meat stock, vegetables and seasonings, common in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. In English, the word ''borscht'' is most often associated with the soup's variant of Ukrainian origin, made with red b ...
, and holupki. The Lemko House, an apartment complex on South Ann Street, provides housing for Eastern European immigrants. Founded in 1983 by Ivan Dornic, an
Eastern Rite Eastern Rite or Eastern liturgical rite may refer to: * a liturgical rite used in Eastern Christianity: ** liturgical rites of the Eastern Orthodox Church, which mainly use the Byzantine liturgical rites ** liturgical rites of the Oriental Orthodox ...
priest, the complex is named after Dornic's ethnic group, the
Lemkos Lemkos (; ; ; ) are an ethnic group inhabiting the Lemko Region (; ) of Carpathian Rus', an ethnographic region in the Carpathian Mountains and foothills spanning Ukraine, Slovakia, and Poland. Lemkos are often considered to be a sub-group of ...
. The Lemkos are a Rusyn ethnic group inhabiting Lemkivshchyna, a part of
Transcarpathia Transcarpathia (, ) is a historical region on the border between Central and Eastern Europe, mostly located in western Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast. From the Hungarian Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin, conquest of the Carpathian Basin ...
that spans parts of Slovakia, Poland, and Ukraine. Lemko House has opened its doors to low-income residents of any ethnicity, but is still home to many Slavic and Eastern European immigrants. The
Pride Center of Maryland The Pride Center of Maryland, formerly the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizationMoravia Road, the Moravia-Walther neighborhood, Frank C Bocek Park, and Prague Avenue near Rosedale.


Religion

Czech-Americans in Baltimore have largely been either Roman Catholics or
freethinkers Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an unorthodox attitude or belief. A freethinker holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority Authority is commonly understood as the legitimate power of a person or ...
, while small but significant minorities have been Protestant or Jewish. The most prominent Roman Catholic organization has been St. Wenceslaus and the most prominent freethought organization has been the Grand Lodge Č.S.P.S. of Baltimore. The Czech-Slovak Protective Society was founded by
secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin , or or ), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. The origins of secularity can be traced to the Bible itself. The concept was fleshed out through Christian hi ...
Czech-Americans and promoted
freethought Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an unorthodox attitude or belief. A freethinker holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority, tradition, revelation, or dogma, and should instead be reached by other meth ...
and liberal values.


Protestantism

In addition to St. Wenceslaus church, there have been two other churches in Baltimore that have specifically catered to Baltimore's Czech Christian community. Both of these churches, the Mount Tabor Bohemian Methodist Episcopal Church and the Bohemian and Moravian Presbyterian Church, were established for the
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
minority. Mount Tabor, a
Methodist Episcopal church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...
, was located at 629 North Washington Street and is now home to a black Baptist church called New Pilgrim Baptist Church. Beginning in the 1880s, Mount Tabor's services were held at the former Appold Methodist Episcopal Church at 2001 East Chase Street near Washington Street, before moving to their location at 629 North Washington. The Czech Presbyterians first organized a congregation in 1890, first holding services at Faith Chapel on Broadway just north of Shimek's Bohemian Hall. By 1898, the Presbyterians had raised enough funds to build their own church, the Bohemian and Moravian Presbyterian Church, on Ashland at the intersection with Washington Street. In 1947, the Bohemian and Moravian Church was sold to a black congregation, becoming the Freedom Temple AME Zion Church. In 2016, Johns Hopkins Hospital purchased the building and subsequently demolished it to make way for a medical-related facility.


Judaism

Chevrei Tzedek Congregation, a Conservative synagogue in Baltimore, is home to one of the 1,564
Torah scrolls A Sephardic Torah scroll rolled to the first paragraph of the Shema An Ashkenazi Torah scroll rolled to the Decalogue file:Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue, Interior, Tora Cases.jpg">Torah cases at Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue, Mumbai, India ...
rescued by the
Jewish community of Prague Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
during World War II. The scroll was written by a
sofer A sofer, sopher, sofer SeTaM, or sofer ST"M (, "scribe"; plural , ) is a Jewish scribe who can transcribe Sifrei Kodesh (holy scrolls), tefillin (phylacteries), Mezuzah, mezuzot (ST"M, , is an abbreviation of these three terms) and other religio ...
from the "Prague School of Kabbalists." The members of the Prague School of
Kabbalists Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal (). Jewi ...
were all murdered by the Nazis during the
Shoah The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
, so knowledge of this tradition has not been passed down. The scroll has suffered serious water damage to the
Book of Exodus The Book of Exodus (from ; ''Šəmōṯ'', 'Names'; ) is the second book of the Bible. It is the first part of the narrative of the Exodus, the origin myth of the Israelites, in which they leave slavery in Biblical Egypt through the strength of ...
while in storage under the
Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
government of Czechoslovakia, but is in excellent condition from Leviticus to
Deuteronomy Deuteronomy (; ) is the fifth book of the Torah (in Judaism), where it is called () which makes it the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament. Chapters 1–30 of the book consist of three sermons or speeches delivered to ...
. The scroll has not been fully repaired yet and costs for restoration are estimated at $15,000.


Notable Czech-Americans from Baltimore

* Virginia S. Baker, a civil servant and employee of the Department of Recreation and Parks in Baltimore City. * Martin Greenfield, a Czechoslovak-born master tailor specializing in men's suits and a Holocaust survivor. * William R. Jecelin, a soldier in the United States Army who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Korean War. *
Frederick Jelinek Frederick Jelinek (18 November 1932 – 14 September 2010) was a Czech-American researcher in information theory, automatic speech recognition, and natural language processing. He is well known for his oft-quoted statement, "Every time I fire ...
, a Czechoslovak-born researcher in information theory, automatic speech recognition, and natural language processing. * August Klecka, a Democratic politician and newspaper editor. *
Nancy Mowll Mathews Nancy Mowll Mathews (born 1947 in Baltimore) is a Czech-American art historian, curator and author. She was the Eugénie Prendergast Senior Curator of 19th and 20th Century Art at the Williams College Museum of Art from 1988 to 2010. She is curren ...
, an art historian, curator, and author. *
John Neumann John Nepomucene Neumann (, , ; March 28, 1811 – January 5, 1860) was a Bohemian-born American prelate of the Catholic Church. An immigrant from Bohemia, he came to the United States in 1836, where he was ordained, joined the Redemptorist ...
, a German Bohemian immigrant who became a Catholic priest of the Redemptorist order. *
Ric Ocasek Richard Theodore Otcasek (March 23, 1944 – September 15, 2019), known as Ric Ocasek ( ), was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was the primary vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the America ...
, a musician and music producer best known as lead vocalist for the rock band The Cars. *
William Oktavec William Oktavec (born Wenceslaus Anton Oktavec Sr.; October 25, 1884 – June 2, 1956) was a Czech-born American artist, draftsman, butcher and grocer, best known for inventing screen painting. Personal life Oktavec was born in Kasejovice in Bohe ...
, a Bohemian immigrant who invented screen painting. *
Michael Peroutka Michael Anthony Peroutka (born 1952) is an American far-right politician, lawyer, and neo-Confederate activist from Maryland. He was the Republican nominee for Attorney General of Maryland in 2022, and was the Constitution Party candidate for ...
, a Maryland lawyer who founded the Institute on the Constitution. * Maelcum Soul,
bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a ...
, artist, and actress in two of filmmaker John Waters' earliest works. *
Dutch Ulrich Frank W. "Dutch" Ulrich (November 18, 1899 – February 11, 1929) was a Czech-American professional baseball player who played three seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies from through . In 1927, he had the seventh-best earned run average (ER ...
, professional baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies. * Charles Yukl, a ragtime pianist and murderer. * Christina "Brave" Williams, a vocalist for the R&B girl group "RichGirl". *
Isaac Mayer Wise Isaac Mayer Wise (29 March 1819 – 26 March 1900) was an American Reform rabbi, editor, and author. Early life Wise was born on 29 March 1819 in Steingrub in Bohemia (today Lomnička, a part of Plesná in the Czech Republic). He was the son ...
, an
Egerland The Egerland (; ; Egerland German dialect: ''Eghalånd'') is a historical region in the far north west of Bohemia in what is today the Czech Republic, at the border with Germany. It is named after the German name ''Eger'' for the town of Cheb an ...
-born Reform rabbi, editor, and author.


Czech expatriates in Baltimore

*
Stanislav Grof Stanislav Grof (born July 1, 1931) is a Czech-born American psychiatrist. Grof is one of the principal developers of transpersonal psychology and research into the use of non-ordinary states of consciousness for purposes of psychological hea ...
, a psychiatrist who helped found the field of transpersonal psychology and a researcher into the use of non-ordinary states of consciousness.


See also

*
Ethnic groups in Baltimore There have been a variety of ethnic groups in Baltimore, Maryland and Baltimore metropolitan area, its surrounding area for 12,000 years. Prior to First wave of European colonization, European colonization, various History of the Native Americans ...
*
History of Baltimore The history of Baltimore spans back to 1659, when the Baltimore County was declared erected by the General Assembly of Maryland. The area where the city now lays was settled by David Jones in 1661. While this has been inhabited by Indigenous ...
*
White ethnic White ethnic is a term used to refer to white Americans who are not Old Stock or White Anglo-Saxon Protestant. "Religion is the most critical factor in separating white ethnics in American society. As Catholics and secondarily Jews ... they we ...
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White flight The white flight, also known as white exodus, is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the Racism ...
* Historie české komunity v Baltimoru, Czech Wikipedia version of this article.


Gallery

File:Crypt Bohemian National Cemetery 0.JPG, A C.S.P.S. crypt at Bohemian National Cemetery File:Bohemian - Reliquary with the Man of Sorrows - Walters 57700.jpg, Bohemian Reliquary with the Man of Sorrows in the
Walters Art Museum The Walters Art Museum is a public art museum located in the Mount Vernon, Baltimore, Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. Founded and opened in 1934, it holds collections from the mid-19th century that were amassed substantially ...
. File:SlavicMuseumSign2.JPG, Door sign for the National Slavic Museum File:Baltimore Painted Screens & Rowhouse Theater 19.jpg, Plaque at the Baltimore Painted Screens & Rowhouse Theater at the American Visionary Art Museum File:Baltimore Painted Screens & Rowhouse Theater 12.jpg, Business card for a screen painter from the Elaine Eff documentary at the American Visionary Art Museum File:St Wenceslaus Lyceum 4.JPG, Czech cornerstone at the St. Wenceslaus Lyceum that reads "Katolická Budova Sv. Václava" (The Catholic Building of St. Wenceslaus). File:Czech and Slovak Festival of Baltimore 95.JPG, Czech and English sign at the Czech and Slovak Festival. File:Bohemian Wedding 1.JPG, A wedding of a Bohemian couple from Baltimore. File:Bohemian Wedding 3.JPG, A Bohemian woman from Baltimore at her sister's wedding. File:Christ United Methodist Church Chase Street 02.jpg, Christ United Methodist Church on Chase Street, the former site of Appold Methodist Episcopal Church where the Mount Tabor Bohemian Methodist congregation originally held services. File:Czech and Slovak Festival of Baltimore 92.JPG, Sokol Baltimore booth at the twenty-eighth annual Czech and Slovak Heritage Festival. File:Sokol Baltimore 15.jpg, Praha/Prague bilingual inscription on a mural at Sokol Baltimore. File:Sokol Baltimore 30.jpg, Sokol symbol at the entrance to Sokol Baltimore. File:Madison Bank of Maryland 05.jpg, Madison Bank of Maryland in Forest Hill, formerly the Madison Bohemian Savings Bank. File:Lakeside Novak.png, A September 26, 1926 advertisement in the ''Baltimore Sun'' for a racially restricted " Novak Built" development in Lakeside, Baltimore.


References


Further reading

* Ament, Maryanne. ''Bohemia Village: A Community Study'', 1973. * ''"Baltimore's Prosperous Colony of Bohemians"'', Baltimore Sun, September 16, 1906, p. 16. * Eff, Elaine. ''The Painted Screens of Baltimore: An Urban Folk Art Revealed'', Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2013. * Hayward, Mary Ellen. "The Bohemians" in ''Baltimore's alley houses : homes for working people since the 1780s'', Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008. * Hradasky, Mary, Scarpaci, Jean A. ''Oral history interview, 1975.'' * Holzberg, James. ''"Czech-Slovak Heritage Preserved at Festival and Perry Hall Language School"'', Northeast Booster, September 23, 2011. * Kaessman, Beta; Harold Randall Manakee and Joseph L. Wheeler. ''"Czechoslovakians or Bohemians"'', in: My Maryland. Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society, 1955, pp. 405–406. * Kozlik, James Vincent; Neuman, Phyllis. ''Oral history interview, 1977.'' * McCardell, Lee. ''"Baltimore's Czech Community Grew From Small Group Settling at Fells Point"'', Sun, October 10, 1943. * Prasch, Lamar. ''A Rural-urban Ethnic Comparison: the Bohemians; Baltimore, Maryland and Milligan, Nebraska'', 1972. * Rechcigl, Miloslav, Jr. ''"Czechs in Early Maryland and Old Baltimore"'', Maryland Genealogical Society Journal, 52, No. 2 (2011), pp. 293–306. * Scarborough, Melanie. ''Establishing Roots in the Community'', Community Banker; January 2007, Vol. 16 Issue 1, p28. * Šimek, V. J. ''"Baltimore a jeho Čechové" (Baltimore and its Czechs)'', Amerikán, Národní kalendář, 2 (1879), pp. 145–148. * Slezak, Eva. ''"A Cache of Czechs."'' Maryland Genealogical Society Bulletin, 23 (Spring 19082): 166-67. * Slezak, Eva. ''"Czechs in Maryland before 1900"'', Maryland Genealogical Soc. Bull., 21, No. 1 (Winter 1980), pp. 18–26. * Slezak, Eva. ''"Baltimore's Czech Community: The Early Years"'', Czechoslovak and Central European Journal, 9, No. 1 & 2 (Summer-Winter 1990), pp. 103–114.


External links


Baltimore's Czech and Slovak Festival is a surprising reflection on heritage

City man connects to Czech heritage through Wilson statueCSHA Maryland official websiteCzech and Slovak Heritage Association websiteCzech and Slovak Heritage Festival webpageEmil D. Taborsky, 86, paper company executiveFrom the vault: Remembering Baltimore’s Czech communityGrand Lodge Č.S.P.S. of Baltimore website

How Baltimore Became the New York of the South by Ron Cassie
a thesis from Georgetown University
I remember when... Baltimore's Czech community was known as "Little Bohemia"
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Obituary for Albert J. MatousekRaymond J. Peroutka, businessmanSokol BaltimoreThe Painted Screen Society of BaltimoreZe Mean Bean Café
{{Czech Americans by location
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
Czech-Jewish culture in the United States
Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...
Slovak-American culture in Maryland Slovak-American history Slovak-Jewish culture in the United States