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Zdeněk BukáčekKrouna wooden toys
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Hand-turned wooden parts and a painted Krouna doll in my workshop in Krouna
Krouna near Hlinsko · Czech Republic

Krouna wooden toys

Hand-turned and hand-painted toys and decorations from my workshop in Krouna. I hold the Czech title Bearer of Folk Craft Tradition; my grandfather founded the family workshop in 1957.

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Family tradition

Three generations at the lathe

I am the third generation of my family to make turned wooden Krouna toys – after my grandfather and my father, today it is me, Zdeněk Bukáček. Everything is made by hand on a lathe in my small workshop in Krouna, not far from Hlinsko in the Czech Republic.

I choose the trees and dry the wood myself – it is the only way to be sure of a perfect result. Every part passes through my hands several times before they all come together in a unique toy, today more of a memory of bygone times when children were happy with very little.

Decorations with a soul. Step into the world of Krouna toys.

Hanging sign of my workshop, Zd. Bukáček – a painted rider on a wooden horse, “Hand made in Czech Rep.”
Three generations

A family workshop since 1957

  1. 1910–1974

    František Bukáček

    My grandfather. In 1957 he opened a toy workshop in Krouna and started the family production.

  2. 1936–2002

    Zdeněk Bukáček Sr.

    My father. He made Krouna toys for the shops of the Czech Folk Art Production Centre (ÚLUV).

  3. born 1957

    Zdeněk Bukáček

    That's me. I was born the year the workshop opened, trained as a wood artisan at the School Institute of Folk Art Production in Prague and have run the workshop on my own since 1992.

How a toy is made

From the tree to the last brushstroke

Wood from the winter felling

I choose logs from the winter felling myself. The timber dries naturally for two years and then finishes drying in the workshop.

Spruce, alder and beech

I turn the figures from spruce and alder and make small accessories, such as the tools in their hands, from beech.

Moving toys

As in the past, I join moving parts with wooden pegs and work them with an unbleached thread.

Painted by hand

I paint the colours and ornaments by hand, so every piece is an original.

What I make

Figures, nativity scenes and moving toys

In my workshop I make almost all the typical shapes of traditional Czech figures. On request I also make hunters, cooks, firefighters or anglers – for clubs, for example.

Full gallery
  • Dolls with a baby, a butter churn or bread
  • Hussars, dragoons and horses
  • Musicians and craftsmen
  • Hens and birds
  • Wooden chess sets
  • Nativity scenes and Christmas candle holders
  • St Nicholas, chimney sweeps and snowmen
  • Moving toys – blacksmiths at the anvil
Hand-painted wooden chess set – kings, queens, soldiers and horses on a chessboard
Wooden chess set
Hand-painted wooden figures of soldiers, musicians and dolls in folk costume on an exhibition table
Soldiers and dolls in folk costume
Traditional moving Krouna toy – two blacksmiths striking an anvil with hammers
Blacksmiths at the anvil
Wooden Christmas candle holder with candles, a nativity scene with the Three Kings and sheep
Christmas candle holder and nativity
Awards

Bearer of Folk Craft Tradition

My work is held in museum and private collections. I presented it in person at EXPO 2015 in Milan, and my pieces have travelled across Europe and to America, Canada and Japan.

2002

Bearer of Folk Craft Tradition

Honorary title awarded to me by the Czech Ministry of Culture for turned wooden toys.

2015

Bearer of Tradition of the Pardubice Region

Regional award I received for traditional turned toys of the Hlinsko and Krouna type.

In the media

TV, radio and press about my workshop

All programmes and articles are in Czech.

FAQ

Krouna toys in a nutshell

What are Krouna toys?

Traditional Czech folk toys from the village of Krouna in the Hlinsko region. They are turned from wood on a lathe and painted by hand. Typical motifs are figures in folk costume, soldiers, dolls and moving toys.

Who is Zdeněk Bukáček?

That's me – a third-generation maker of Krouna toys, born in 1957. I trained at the School Institute of Folk Art Production in Prague, and in 2002 the Czech Ministry of Culture awarded me the title Bearer of Folk Craft Tradition.

Where are the toys made?

In my small family workshop in Krouna, near Hlinsko in the Czech Republic (Krouna 337, 539 43). The workshop has been running since 1957.

Are the toys really handmade?

Yes. I select the wood myself, let it dry for two years and turn and paint every part by hand, so each piece is unique.

Are they toys for small children to play with?

Because of current toy legislation, I sell my pieces as folk and decorative items, not as toys. They are intended for collectors and as decorations.