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Mirek has two exciting exhibitions happening in Old Town this Christmas season. These showcases highlight his incredible talent and creativity. Christmas in Motion The first exhibition, Christmas in Motion , is located at the Manufaktura toy store on Karlova 26. Here, you can see Mirek's Christmas automata. These unique pieces now feature motors and special sensors, bringing them to life in a way that captivates both children and adults alike. Zvesela / Merry Merry The second

As soon as Advent begins (four weeks before Christmas), Czechs start celebrating the holidays in earnest. Even though this is one of the world's least religious countries, people value Christmas traditions. One of our favorites is the mechanical nativity scene, carved folk art where everyday people, animals and and Czech landscapes overshadow religious imagery. Learn more including how they are constructed at our December Puppet Recipe - our monthly workshops. WHEN: December

On Sunday November 17, we will light a candle to remember the Velvet Revolution, which took place 35 years ago and was initiated by students

See the first session of our Simple Mechanisms Workshop, the opening of our 2025-26 Automata Fundamentals Online Workshop, which took place on September, 2025. Learn to make several simple automata that you can easily make at home with scrap wood, clothespins, and other materials that are easily sourced. Our Automata Fundamentals Course will run from September 2025 to April 2026. It will be taught by Mirek Trejtnar, expert woodcarver, toymaker and automata builder. You can j

Learn about how to make all kinds of controllers:

Make your own at our next 2-hour online Puppet Recipe. November 9, 7-9 p.m. CET / 1-3 pm EST What do you need to consider when making a controller for your marionette? We will start with the basic Czech-style controllers for a human marionette, including the differences between a puppet on a wire vs. a puppet on strings. Then how to adjust your controller for special movements of hands and feet, moveable jaw, special controllers for trick variety puppets, how to design a cont

Learn the techniques for making this intriguing mechanism at our upcoming Waves Workshop. It is part of our full-year Automata Fundamentals Onlike Workshop, but you can sign up for an individual module. Mechanism by Chesley Cannon, made in our 2024-25 Automata workshop WHEN: November 23 + December 24, 7-9 p.m. Central European Time / 1-3 p.m. EST WHERE: Zoom platform Find out more here!

Get inspired by puppeteers Jakub Šulík and Johana Bartová Šulíková. They founded the Fras Theatre company in 2019, and since then they have become well known in the Czech theatre world for their original puppet shows that tell stories inspired by different kinds of materials.