Sokol Heritage

The idea of physical education as well as the promotion of moral values was formulated by Dr Miroslav Tyrs, a professor of the Charles University, and by Jindrich Fugner in 1862 in the Austrian Czech lands, which later became Czechoslovakia and now the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic.  Their program, Sokol, was based on the democratic principles of the ancient Greeks and their idea of developing “a sound mind in a sound body”.  Tyrs was the creator of calisthenics and exercises, placing the whole system on a firm scientific basis and the philosophy that only physically fit, mentally alert, and culturally well-developed citizens can make a nation strong and give life to the honorable spirit of patriotism.

Sokol came to the United States via Czech-land immigrants in 1865.  Well into its second century, Sokol continues today around the world as a vital, thriving entity dedicated to both youth and adults participating in its programs, the local communities served, and to the physical, mental, and cultural  advancement of its members.