Vilem Heckel Peaks
3rd biennale (2011) of the photographic competition held under the auspices of the Mayor of Prague
Deadline: 30 December 2010
Winners of the Vilem Heckel Peaks Contest 2009
GALLERY:
| Countryside and town landscape | Man and mountains | Man and environment |
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| Martin Wágner | L. Hrdlička, P. Svoboda | Martin Wágner |
Vilem Heckel Peaks is a new photography contest for photographers with permanent residency in Czech or Slovak Republic which is held under the personal auspices the Mayor of Prague. The contest categories are: 1. Countryside and town landscape 2. Man and mountains 3. Man and environment Vilem Heckel (1918-1970) is an outstanding personality of Czech photography. He belongs amongst the greatest photographers of Prague, as well as the best landscape photographers. Although he was one of the founders of industrial and advertising photograqphy in former Czechoslovakia he found his life's interest among mountains climbers. "I am at home in the mountains", he professed, "they fill my life". He regarded the mountains as a symbol of life, a metaphor for the limitless possibilities of human endurance. He died on 31th May 1970 (with other 13 members of the Czechoslovak expedition) under an avalanche from mount Huascaran that buried the mountaineers' camp during the severe earthquake (magnitude 7.8 on the Richter scale) in Peru which killed 66 000 native people.
Vilem Heckel - the legendary Czech photographer - gallery, biography →
Man's relationship with nature is a matter of his lifestyle and basic human values. Perhaps I can say that I belong to a group of people who have similar values to mine and who fell for a sport, which offers the greatest challenge. As the Mayor of Prague and an active mountain climber I am pleased that through this unique exhibition of Vilem Heckel's photographs the general public has an opportunity to understand why we always aim for greater highs and why we voluntarily risk our lives. Vilem Heckel's decision to climb mountains cost him his life but now he returns to us for a while again though his exceptional ability to stop time in his photographs.
I am honoured that the Capital City of Prague and I personally as its Mayor could participate not only in the preparation of Vilem Heckel's exhibition but also in the revival of the popular annual competition carrying Vilem Heckel's name. The competition focuses on rural and urban landscapes, mountains and the environment with the aim of promoting active awareness in the search for a better understanding of the importance of the preservation of nature, thus remaining consistent with Vilem Heckel's life-long ideals. And that is precisely why we mountain climbers say: "Where there is a will, there is a way."
PAVEL BEM
Mayor of Prague
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