As a seasoned traveller, Jaroslav Hašek left his mark across much of the Eurasian continent. Most of it is, of course, in his homeland, but there are also several monuments to Švejk along the good soldier's route and elsewhere. Many countries have their own Švejk restaurants: Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Estonia, Bulgaria and Germany. Above all, however, the dedicated "Švejk tourist" should head for the Czech Republic...
Lipnice nad Sázavou
Penzion a hostinec U české koruny, Lipnice nad Sázavou, 6 May 2018.
The prime attraction for the Švejk-focused tourist is undoubtedly Lipnice nad Sázavou. This is where Jaroslav Hašek wrote most of The Good Soldier Švejk and where the author is buried. The small town offers a Hašek museum and, not least, the tavern U České koruny, where Hašek lived from August 1921 until about October 1922. The building is still intact and, since 2000, owned by Hašek's descendants, who run it as a restaurant and guesthouse.
The grandson Richard Hašek, himself a prominent expert on his grandfather, is happy to sit down with guests for a frothy Pilsner Urquell in the cosy surroundings. The inn is richly decorated with photographs from Jaroslav Hašek's life and items from the era. Even Emperor Franz Joseph I has found a place on the wall in the taproom, and there are now no flies willing to go to the trouble of defecating on him. The restaurant serves hearty, tasty Czech food, from goulash and schnitzel to game. The beer comes from Plzeň and Humpolec. May the taps never run dry!
Museum of Jaroslav Hašek.
The town has a museum dedicated to Hašek, located at number 185, the small house that Jaroslav Hašek bought and lived in during the last three months of his life (and where he died). The museum exhibits many documents and photographs from his life. Also on display are items he brought back from Russia: a samovar and a pair of huge felt boots (váleniky). A flat-screen display was added in 2008, showing the Švejk film by Karel Steklý from 1956-57. By the entrance, a couple of seats allow visitors to have their photograph taken next to Švejk.
Lipnice also has a bust and a statue of Hašek. The bust, just outside the museum, was erected during the communist era and does not look much like the author. It actually resembles the first communist president of Czechoslovakia, Klement Gottwald (1896-1953). The explanation is straightforward: the artist's main work was creating Gottwald statues. The transition to sculpting a somewhat dissolute bohemian and brilliant satirist was apparently too much. The statue, on the other hand, is quite different. It stands just behind Česká koruna and was not unveiled until 26 July 2008. It is a bronze, life-size statue of a reclining Hašek. A little further up the hill is Lipnice cemetery, where the author of The Good Soldier Švejk is buried. There is always a bottle of beer on the grave, which the author would probably still appreciate.
Lipnice castle from the old cemetery.
Lipnice is a small idyll in Vysočina, the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. A medieval castle looms above the village, offering unobstructed views in every direction across the undulating landscape. It is busy in summer: the castle and museum are open to tourists, as is Česká koruna for those seeking beer or traditional Czech food. Lipnice is popular among cyclists, and several cycling routes pass through the town. Vysočina also offers excellent hiking terrain. Czechia generally has a very good network of marked hiking trails.
Transport can be tricky without a car, especially at weekends, when buses are infrequent. The best option is to take the train from Prague to either Havlíčkův Brod or Světla nad Sázavou and then continue by bus. A taxi is also an option, especially from Světla. The train journey from Prague takes just under two hours to Světla and just over two hours to Havlíčkův Brod. Direct trains run every other hour from Prague's main station. An express bus from Prague Florenc is another viable alternative.
Prague
Equestrian statue of Hašek. Prokopovo nám., Žižkov, 2021.
The capital of Czechia is Jaroslav Hašek's birthplace, and all of Part One takes place there. Of the Švejk-related attractions, U kalicha is probably the most famous. In its current form, it has existed since 1955. It used to be a typical tourist trap, with high prices, litre mugs and coach parties. In recent years, its prices have moved closer to typical Czech levels, but it is still busy with tourist groups, particularly in the evenings. The restaurant is worth visiting for the Švejk-related pictures and drawings on the walls. Since 2022, U kalicha has played down its connection to The Good Soldier Švejk and removed the history section from its website, which had contained many errors.
Other establishments from Hašek's time were still operating in 2024: U Bansethů, Montmartre, U Vejvodů, U krále brabantského, U Špírků and U Fleků. Of these, only U Bansethů and Montmartre draw attention to their historical association with Hašek. As far as we know, only U Fleků has served beer continuously since Hašek frequented it before World War I.
The 27th Memoriál Matěje Kuděje, 16. October 2021. Former Landwehr barracks at Pohořelec.
Prague also remembers Jaroslav Hašek in other ways, including an equestrian statue in Žižkov and a plaque on the house where he was born, in Školská ulice 16 in Nové město. There used to be a plaque at the villa Svět zvířat, but this building was demolished sometime after 2011, and the plaque disappeared.
Every year, on the third Saturday of October, Prague hosts the world's longest-running Švejk-related event. Memoriál Matěje Kuděje has taken place annually since 1994, except in 2020, and is a pub crawl in k.u.k. uniforms or suitable period attire. It starts at Pohořelec at 2 pm and usually finishes at Montmartre, some ten pubs later.
Kralupy nad Vltavou
Statue of Švejk in Kralupy nad Vltavou.
Thanks to the efforts of skupina G4, Kralupy has gradually carved out a place for itself in švejkology, originally inspired by the city's connection to Rechnungsfeldwebel Vaněk. Kralupy is an industrial town and not especially picturesque in itself, having been heavily bombed in 1945. However, it is easy to reach from Prague and offers two attractions for the Švejk tourist.
The most important is the Švejk statue, unveiled on 20 May 2017. It is modelled on the actor Rudolf Hrušinský, who played the good soldier in the 1956 film. Švejk is accompanied by a dog and even a dog turd. The bronze turd was stolen a few years ago, but a replacement was soon provided and solemnly unveiled in 2024.
Jan Vaněk's drogerie still operates on the market square, while the restaurant U kohouta (Žižkova 142/1) hosts Hašek- and Švejk-related events and is the base of the aforementioned group G4.
South Bohemia
The region is closely associated with Hašek, as his parents came from there. The picturesque village of Putim plays a central part in The Good Soldier Švejk, although the setting used in the novel is fictional because there was no k.k. Gendarmerie station there, and the pub Na Kocourku didn't exist. Švejk is, however, remembered by a statue; the local pub U Cimbury is decorated with Josef Lada's drawings, and there is a plaque on house no. 42, which the film from 1956 used as the police station.
Even more central to the plot of The Good Soldier Švejk is České Budějovice, which is mentioned more often than any other place in the novel, although the action there lasts only three days and is limited to the arrest in Mariánská kasárna. The former barracks building remains intact and has several uses, while the plaque commemorating Hašek is still by the entrance. Life in the city was described in detail by Einjährigfreiwilliger Marek, but only one of the pubs he mentioned still exists: Měšťanská beseda.
Olomouc
Hospůdka U Kuděje, Krapkova 236/20, Olomouc
There is no evidence that Hašek ever set foot in the seat of the Moravian archbishop, although he probably passed through by train in 1903. Still, the historic city is connected to Hašek and his friend Zdeněk Matěj Kuděj. The pub U Kuděje is at the centre of Švejk-related activities in the region. The best-known event is Olomoucký špacír, which takes place annually on the last Saturday of April, coinciding with Jaroslav Hašek's birthday. The concept is similar to the aforementioned Memoriál Matěje Kuděje in Prague, but the content and location vary from year to year.
The rest of Czechia
The franchise chain Švejk Restaurant had 51 outlets in Czechia in 2014. It is the most visible of the businesses that have capitalised on the Švejk phenomenon. The restaurants serve traditional Czech food and Pilsner Urquell beer. The themed décor is inspired by Josef Lada's drawings and is consistent across the taverns.
Streets named after Jaroslav Hašek are found in 41 places in Czechia, including in Prague, Světla nad Sázavou, České Budějovice, Brno, Liberec, Most, Jihlava and Prostějov.
Abroad
In addition to Czechia, there are Švejk restaurants in Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Russia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Estonia. There are also several statues, mostly of Švejk but also of Hašek, particularly along Švejk's route. Streets named after Jaroslav Hašek are found in Lviv, Kyiv, Kazan, Omsk, Sankt Peterburg and Irkutsk.