Beroun, Czech Republic – Step back in time and experience a unique event in the town of Beroun! On May 8, 2024, the 14th annual “Waiting for the Tram” happening will take place, inspired by a series of futuristic postcards from 1904 depicting Beroun with a tram system that never came to be.
Participants dressed in historical costumes, speaking in period language, and carrying authentic props will create a nostalgic atmosphere of times gone by. Become part of a living picture and join the wait for the “delayed” tram. “It was a wonderful atmosphere, as if I had stepped back in time for a moment,” shared Jana from Beroun.
This event is suitable for all ages and is sure to entertain the whole family. The program includes a meeting with important figures from the town of Beroun, the arrival of a historical tram on the square, the opening of an exhibition of futuristic postcards by Lederer and Popper, and a talk with postcard collector Ilona Voráčková.
Around 1904, a black and white postcard published by bookseller Václav Anthony captured the imagination of Beroun. The picture depicts Husovo náměstí with the town hall in the background. Bisected in the middle are the converging tracks of two trams, one carrying passengers. In the foreground stand four figures: two men, a woman, and a tour guide. This was how Beroun’s ancestors envisioned the town 100 years into the future. The postcard is part of a series titled “Beroun in the Future,” which presented three futuristic ideas: steamboats on the Berounka River, airships over the city, and a scheduled tram service on the square.
Vaclav Antony Futuristic Postcard made by Lederer et Popper
The organizer of Beroun’s “Waiting for the Tram” happening, Patrik Parízek, stumbled upon the postcard quite by accident. “I knew similar futuristic postcards existed in other cities,” he says, “but I had no idea Beroun had one too. I found it while browsing a collection of old postcards, but it wasn’t the original.”
Parízek then developed the idea for a Beroun event based on the postcard. The first edition took place in 2011, inspired by a similar event in Sebrancy near Litomyšl the previous year. “Historical events with costumes have always attracted me,” Parízek explains. “I enjoy organizing gatherings where visitors can touch history and be transported to another time. The idea for our happening struck me when I read about Sebrancy. There, people in period costumes waited for a connecting train on a short section of track, echoing a project for a never-built line between Litomyšl and Polička.”
It wasn’t until the fourth year that Parízek got his hands on the original postcard. “An elderly gentleman brought it to show us at the event after reading about the happening in the media,” he says. “Unfortunately, it wasn’t for sale, but he kindly allowed us to make a copy.”
Eventually, another original surfaced, again by chance. This year, the public will be able to view the postcard for the first time. “About a year ago,” Parízek recalls, “one of my colleagues was cleaning in a house in Prague when an old book tumbled down and landed near him. The postcard was tucked inside. He remembered me and gave it to us. This year, it will be exhibited for the first time at the Museum of the Czech Karst as part of a rolling stock model exhibition.”
Jarmila Witoszová from Králova Dvory is a regular participant, attending since the very beginning. Her period costume is an original piece from the First Republic. “For example,” she reveals, “the shoes I once found at my grandmother’s are still from my great-grandmother, and the dress is from my grandmother’s wardrobe. The shoes, especially, perfectly fit the theme. I have other items stored in a chest in the attic, and I wear them once a year for this event. I’d be happy to lend something to a friend who comes along, but it gets trickier to find things for my children as they grow up.”
Model of Beroun Tramway made by Josef Hubka
