Mrs. Zuzana is a small, fragile blonde, arousing a strong protective instinct in men. But exactly until he shakes their hand. He has the grip of a two-meter Canadian lumberjack. She is used to working with her hands and in fact she cannot do otherwise. From childhood, she had a clear idea of ​​what she wanted to do in life. She had her big dream. A dream of a craft that is almost exclusively a male domain. The dream of becoming a shoemaker. Not that she was enchanted by the character of a shoemaker from a fairy tale about the Proud Princess or the Cat in Boots. It was her grandfather she loved. She never played Princesses. “I am the youngest of four sisters. I was supposed to be a boy, so I became more of a boy’s guy. I climbed trees, played football, competed in athletics. I was a musketeer rescuer and went to see my grandfather in the workshop. He was an excellent shoemaker. ” To make a shoe from a piece of leather that lies stretched out on the table in front of you, it takes a certain amount of magic and charm that your grandfather mastered perfectly. While living in Russia, he also sewed shoes for Khrushchev. Perhaps the shoe that this gentleman had beaten on the table at a meeting at the UN, making him a perfect laugh in front of the whole world, was just from him. “As a professional, he made shoes for everyone who came, and the head of state could not be refused anyway. His grandfather lived there with a woman who saved his life in the First World War and whom he then married. After a while, they moved together to Bohemia, but further into the shoe mecca of Italy, he never wanted to. It was more to the west of my grandmother, she was a nurse in Vienna, that’s the history of our family. ” Zuzana made her first shoes at the age of 12 from a piece of board and various tapes. Since then, she has been producing something and at the age of 15 she enrolled at the School of Applied Arts in Uherské Hradiště – the field of shoe design and modeling. Despite the fact that four girls studied with her, in the end she remained the only one as a woman. “It’s a very physically demanding job, because one of your best friends will be a hammer and you have to really like the job to persevere.” husband and father of his daughter, Mile. There is no competition in their household. She creates a new thing, he repairs and restores worn shoes. She has her shop at Prague Castle, he has his repair shop on Vinohradská Street. They help each other. Only here and there does a little jealousy appear: “That’s what the old shoemakers in the grave would turn to if they saw you doing it,” my husband sometimes stabs me. When you work with leather, your own technologies come out over time, everyone develops their own direction and specializes in their craft. ”Zuzana’s domain is sandals of all kinds, shapes and colors with and without accessories. Low, hand-sewn, light, soft shoe for children, girls, ladies and men. Also bags of all sizes and ribbons, or a combination of both, colored travel models, safe against thieves. Its clientele consists of casual pedestrians and those regular, aged customers who enjoy their tailor-made shoes and are happy to be able to co-create them as well. They enjoy looking for the right color in leather samples and choosing ornaments that match their own dress. The person in Krámek on the Town Hall Stairs of Prague Castle has this possibility. It is a shop and a gallery of Czech crafts at the same time. Not as an attraction for tourists, but because Zuzana values ​​the work of her fellow artists, with whom she has been working for years. A small oasis of fine art in places where it belongs. There are eight shoemakers in Prague who sew shoes by hand and are able to make a living from it. Each of them produces a different species. Although the shoemaker’s rallies do not take place, everyone knows about themselves, they closely follow the work of each other and of themselves such famous “giants” as Mr. Blahník, without whose models any famous movie star refuses to leave his home. He goes to trade fairs in Brno, London, Paris and Milan. The craft tradition, which can be observed in our neighbors, especially to the west, but is still missing in our country. A good craftsman is a respected citizen, people can appreciate his work, while many arts and crafts are slowly disappearing here. ” It’s a shame. We are not yet sure that the craft will really feed us, even though some of them are excellent. The market is flooded with goods imported from all over the world, and the dictates of seasonal fashion prevail for most people. They do not mind the uniformity or quality of the products. Some time ago, there was a trend to return to natural materials and handmade products, especially among young people, and I am very happy about that. ” Customers who return to Zuzana’s shop are also from abroad and often remind Zuzana how fast time goes. They are wearing 5-year-old shoes, for example, and she remembers what happened when she was sewing them (each has its own history). “Then I’m usually moved that they still wear them and that they went through the world with them. It’s a wonderful feeling and also because of it I’m happy that I can make a living from this craft, that I can do what I enjoy and what brings me joy. It is a great happiness for which I am grateful. “

Text by Tereza Herz Pokorná