#bohemianstyle

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Chodsko Czech girl from Western Bohemia

The Chods (Chodové) are an ethnic group that traditionally lived in western Bohemia. Their ethnic designation, similar to that of Cossacks is based on their way of life and occupation; in combination with them being formed by a multiethnic ancestral population, coming from the western Carpathians of what is now Slovakia, Poland, and Western Ukraine. They settled in a stretch of villages along what’s now the western border of the Czech Republic, mainly around towns like Domažlice, Přimda, and Tachov.

In the Middle Ages, they were given unique privileges by the rulers of Bohemia, guarding the western frontier with Bavaria. In reward, they were granted freedom from the bounds of serfdom, a right to carry weapons, purchase and own land, and even breed large dogs; some lines of the German Shepherd might've been influenced by the Bohemian Shepherd's bred by them, known also as "Chodští psi (Chod Dogs)."

Eventually, those rights were taken away, particularly in the 17th century, under the rule of powerful landlords like the Lamminger clan. The Chods rebelled against this in an event known as: "The Chod Uprising of 1695," now seen as a symbol of resistance and Czech identity.