Hotel Carlton in Bratislava, a meeting place for the gay community.
The interior of the Egyetem Espresso café in Budapest, a meeting place for gay clients during socialism.
The Danube Promenade in Budapest, a meeting place for the gay community throughout the 20th century.
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Elizabeth's Square (Erzsébet Tér) in Budapest, a meeting place for the gay community.
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Drag group Csodálatos Mandarinok (Miraculous Mandarins) in the 80's at a private party.
Visitors of the Globus café in Prague, where homosexual clientele was meeting during socialism.
EMKE Café in Budapest, a popular meeting place for the gay community in different periods of the 20th century.
An advertisement in the magazine Hlas sexuální menšiny in the 1930s at the gay Casino de Paris in Ječná Street in Prague.
Jan Seidl's interview with a historical witnesses from the gay community, TRIBES 0, Big Boss Yinachi, Prague 2013, p. 88. When did you start stablishing wider contacts. Better said, when did you integrate in a larger “gay” society? If there was any.
JK: I had one, but a gay one. Karel Laštofka, does it sound familiar to you?
VM: Kášena
JK: He was a painter, I called him “the King of the Underworld”. He had a studio at Anna Letenská street, we were regulars there. I loved him, it literally saved my life because it was only there that I could be myself. Plus, great people went there, one would learn lots of things there. Květa Fialová, Jiřina Bohdalová, Karolínka Slunéčková, Hapka and his beautiful wife, gosh, I would drool over her! But I can’t remember at all that girls would gather anywhere. I knew about that Šroubek – a café in the Europa hotel – Jalta, the Tee.
VM: In that Šroubek’s place, people would sit in the gallery, we called that “the Holy Gallery”.
JK: People who didn’t have to worry about who will say what about that, could do anything they wanted, and they went right there. But nobody really had a community, nope. Only that pub, but with the risk – which is why I only went there rarely – that secret policemen could be hiding behind the corner.
VM: And there were lists of homosexuals, they had everyone there.
JK: But if we’re talking about community – or a group of people where I could be myself – then definitely Karel Laštovka and his company. And our girls went there for sure, it flourished there.
VM: Then there were places where they organised various parties – at [Mr] Frágner’s, for example. Those were more like crazy balls.
JK: We used to say: “We’re going to the Frágner Girl’s place.”
VM: Kášena
JK: He was a painter, I called him “the King of the Underworld”. He had a studio at Anna Letenská street, we were regulars there. I loved him, it literally saved my life because it was only there that I could be myself. Plus, great people went there, one would learn lots of things there. Květa Fialová, Jiřina Bohdalová, Karolínka Slunéčková, Hapka and his beautiful wife, gosh, I would drool over her! But I can’t remember at all that girls would gather anywhere. I knew about that Šroubek – a café in the Europa hotel – Jalta, the Tee.
VM: In that Šroubek’s place, people would sit in the gallery, we called that “the Holy Gallery”.
JK: People who didn’t have to worry about who will say what about that, could do anything they wanted, and they went right there. But nobody really had a community, nope. Only that pub, but with the risk – which is why I only went there rarely – that secret policemen could be hiding behind the corner.
VM: And there were lists of homosexuals, they had everyone there.
JK: But if we’re talking about community – or a group of people where I could be myself – then definitely Karel Laštovka and his company. And our girls went there for sure, it flourished there.
VM: Then there were places where they organised various parties – at [Mr] Frágner’s, for example. Those were more like crazy balls.
JK: We used to say: “We’re going to the Frágner Girl’s place.”
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