A rare 1912 gold coloured metal Sokol badge from former Czechoslovakia, the badge is 2.3cm high and it has a long, stick pin style fastener to the rear.
This badge is from the 1912 Prague national sokol meeting, a great celebration and was attended by Tyrs himself.
Historical Background
The Sokol movement is a youth sport movement and gymnastics organization first founded in Czech region of Austria-Hungary, Prague, in 1862 by Miroslav Tyrs and Jindrich Fugner.
Primarily a fitness training center, the Sokol, also through lectures, discussions, and group outings provided what Tyrs viewed as physical, moral, and intellectual training for the nation. This training extended to members of all classes, and eventually to women. The movement also spread across all the regions populated by the Slavic culture.
In many nations, the organization also served as an early precursor to the Scouting movements. Though officially an institution "above politics", the Sokol played an important part in the development of Czech nationalism, providing a forum for the spread of mass-based nationalist ideologies. The articles published in the Sokol journal, lectures held in the Sokol libraries, and theatrical performances at the massive gymnastic festivals called Slets (meaning "meetings of birds") helped to craft and disseminate the Czech nationalist mythology and version of history.
