History of the Czechoslovak Tourist Society until 1938

Abstract

The present paper examines the history of the second largest tourist organisation of interwar Czechoslovakia. Unlike other tourist organisations of the period, the Czechoslovak Tourist Society was founded relatively late, in 1925. Its membership was composed mainly of members of the middle and lower walks of life of the nation. Consequently, its primary objective was to offer the less well-off classes of the nation inexpensive group tours, visits to the natural beauties of Czechoslovakia or recreation stays in spas, while paying minimum membership fees. Through these activities, the Czechoslovak Tourist Society sought to contribute to the improvement of health of working people, believing that the physical and mental fitness of working people constituted a necessary prerequisite for the economic prosperity of the State and the nation’s ability to defend itself. The secondary objectives were to mark hiking trails or to build a small number of footholds that would enable the Czechoslovak Tourist Society to develop its recreation or training activities. Despite being the second largest tourist organisation in interwar Czechoslovakia, the Czechoslovak Tourist Society membership was relatively small compared to the dominant Club of Czechoslovak Tourists. At the end of the 1930s, the theme echoing in the Czechoslovak tourism consisted in the formation of a unified tourist organisation; nonetheless, the Czechoslovak Tourist Society disagreed to its proposed structure and therefore insisted on its, at least temporary, independence.