He tore decks of cards, bent iron. Strongman Franta Kocourek will have a monument in Brno

Strongman Franta Kocourek

* He was born in Řečkovice in Brno on February 21, 1947.
* Strongman, actor, mystificator and recessionist contributed to the expansion of the Brno hantanc. He is also known for the stories of Miroslav Donutil.
* He was responsible for the popularization of the singer Rudy Kovanda, who almost won the Golden Nightingale. When the organizers learned that it was a recession, they canceled its votes.
* He died at the age of 44 on July 7, 1991 in Vír on vacation. At first, his friends thought it was another joke.

A native of Řečkovice in Brno, he originally trained as a letter painter. Already in his youth he started training in the wrestling club of the Brno Zbrojovka. “His experience from the wrestling mat later catapulted him as a tall young man with entertaining inclinations to the stage, where he impressed with his strong, gladiatorial and artistic performances. He also became one of the legendary figures in the Brno region as a folk philosopher, immediate mystifier, notorious recessionist and actor in the Brno Goose on a String Theater, ”described the historian Miroslava Menšíková in the Internet Encyclopedia of the History of Brno.

Nicknamed the Golden Torro and Boris Tyger, he performed in Vienna. Viewers also saw him on television screens, for example in the film Ballad for a Bandit or Antony’s Chance. But people know the cat the most thanks to the fantastic stories of actor Miroslav Donutil.

Silák’s fans and friends still remember how Franta Kocourek decided to turn his discovery and singer Rudy Kovanda into a Golden Nightingale. He almost won the place of Karel Gott, but the organizers found out that it was a recession and they did not count the votes for Kovanda. “Censorship then concealed Kovand’s victory over Karl Gott. The entire String Theater at the time also took part in this event. In this case, he was not only a recessionist, but a conceptual artist, “said Petr Oslzlý, director of the Center for Experimental Theater, to Rovnosti.

Lying World Cup

In addition to this story, Jindra Eliáš, a strongman’s friend and expert on the Brno handball, still remembers, for example, the World Lying Championships. “In Řečkovice, he explained about two young bachelors in a pub. They had deep pockets, so they looked for an eater in the woods and went to cut it at night. It seemed very difficult for them, when they came home, they found out that there was a frozen hunter on it, “Elijah told the story with which his friend won the championship. The hunter was finally defrosted by the pair. And because they saved his life, they didn’t even get a fine.

Kocourek’s fame is still commemorated by his imitator and strongman František Šebela from Jedovnice in the Blansko region. He first saw his performance when he was eight. “It simply came to my notice then. Later, I started doing strength training with the vision that I would one day perform like him. He was a role model for me, “said Šebela.

A monument in Řečkovice opposite the church will be unveiled to Kocourek on Friday afternoon. “The Greek band Prometheus will also play, which accompanied Franta at the performances,” Kocman invited

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