Good Hunting, Comrades! Fee-Based Hunting in the Depopulated Borderlands of Eastern Bohemia Under the Socialist Dictatorship

Abstract

This article describes the practice of exclusive, fee-based hunting that took place in the former Czechoslovakia during the second half of the 20th century as part of international tourism activities against the backdrop of the Iron Curtain. Using a micro-historical approach to examine a lesser-known place in eastern Bohemia as an example, the author offers insights into hunting discourse and its transformation. The study analyses various modes of hunting activities under the socialist dictatorship, including specific commercial activities – such as fee-based hunting for foreign tourists – which in many respects stood out from the ideological frameworks and normative rules of the time, thereby highlighting the multifaceted levels of East-West relations during the Cold War era. Additionally, it provides insight into the depopulated borderland area, which underwent a fundamental socio-cultural transformation following the violent expulsion of the native German population after World War II and the rise of the communist dictatorship in 1948. Through a case study of a small, unfamiliar locality and the lives of ordinary people, the paper examines the transformation of hunting traditions and the hunters’ community during the era of the Czechoslovak Communist Party’s rule, while also providing a closer look at everyday life in a depopulated area shaped by various individual strategies and experiences.