doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion German & Austrian Sporting Guns @ doublegunshop.com L'epopee de Zidlochovice

This is the title of an antique French book I found and bought in the 80's when living in France at one of the gun/trade-shows there.
It translates to "The epic of Zidlochovice", issued 1961,author is Jean Lurkin, a writer/historian.
Zidlochovice is a town in southern Moravia, the central
province of Czechia.
At about the same time I found and bought another antique
coffe-table book in Prague/Czechia titled "Ein J�gerparadies",
issued in 1962, with German text , by Jaroslav Holecek, a photographer.
This has been 30 years ago, since then Google-universe has
happened and no need to travel to France or Prague.
As it turned out both books are on offer/can be located
by a Google-inquiry.
This French writer accompanied a wealthy French hunter-group - including 4 very proficient lady-shots - to
high-volume days to this Zidlochovice in 1957/1958.
Jaroslav Holecek has been the photographer in charge
and his book section on pheasant is an account of
these French days there.
It needs to be seen in some historical context to understand
the dimension of this hunt.
This has been an affluent group of French middleaged hunters,
who happily had survived WW II.
For them new post-WW II time has been heralded by
the Giant Millesimes of Bordeaux of 1945,1947,1949. This
after the misery/deprivation of WW II - a type of recompense.
For the folks in Central Europe times were rather bleak.
German population in Czechia was faced with ethnic cleansing
at the end of WW II, their properties/estates expropriated
by the Benes degrees.
Then the commie-takeover of Czechia happened in 2/1948,
with the nationalisation of private properties like
all the gunmaker businesses.
Commie takeover of Austria failed to strong worker
prevention/opposition.
Then in 10/1956 Hungarian uprise/revolution took place with
100000+ fleeing the country.
We are in 1957 pragmatic Czechia , deepest commie-country behind the iron-curtain,
hosting paying guests from France and being able to arrange for them a feast of feudal dimensions.
Neighbouring Austria had game-depopulated territories,
(I have encountered the first wild pheasant cock in 1956.)
What is special behind this French trip:
Their total bag 6000 pheasants in 6 hunt-days to 10 shots.
In addition 200-300 hares per hunt.
When looking at the photos I have to admit the French
celebrated their stay with charm and grandezza.
Un grand melange de savoir-faire Czech avec du
savoir-vivre Francais.

Photos - all copyright/courtesy Artia or Editions Saint Hubert

High volume/quality birds above shots
http://www.jpgbox.com/page/51672
The supporting caste
http://www.jpgbox.com/page/51669
http://www.jpgbox.com/page/51670
The bag
http://www.jpgbox.com/page/51665
Al fresco lunch
http://www.jpgbox.com/page/51664
Dining in style
http://www.jpgbox.com/page/51666
Menu card
http://www.jpgbox.com/page/51671
Celebrating farewell with French charm
http://www.jpgbox.com/page/51667
Both books
http://www.jpgbox.com/page/51674
http://www.jpgbox.com/page/51675

Lovu zdar
Felix Neuberger

Sorry but those links do not work, they just go to page which ask you to log in.

They work for me.

I assume Lovu zdar! is the equivalent of Waidmannsheil!??

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Yes, but dont nail me down from a linguistic point of view.
(lov stands for hunt, zdar for success)
It is usually in "print" or "pieces of wood" adorning the
laid out bag of the day.
In addition its the last word/sentence of the hunt-master
closing the hunt.
Cheers
Felix