Exploring Bedřicha Smetan’s family tree

Thanks to the family photos, the long-term exhibition gives you a glimpse into the history of the two marriages of the composer Bedřich Smetana. The long-term exhibition is based on two illustrated genealogical trees. The family consists of 117 people in 8 generations. The artistic representation is the work of graphic artist Jana Koksteinová.

On August 27, 1849, Bedřich Smetana married his young love, Kateřina Kolářová. However, in the mid-1850s, his family life was hit hard by a series of unfortunate events. Three of his four daughters – Gabriela, Bedřiška and Kateřina – died, only Žofia lived to adulthood. A few years later, tuberculosis also ended the life of his wife Kateřina – she died on April 19, 1859, in Dresden while returning from Gothenburg to Prague earlier than expected .

In the summer of that year, Smetana met Bettina Ferdinandiová, the younger sister of his brother Karel's wife. He left for Sweden in September with the promise of marriage, when he returned, he did as he promised and married her on July 10, 1860. The marriage yielded two daughters, Zdenka and Bozena. Zdenka married forester Antonín Heydušek (their union produced sons Miloš and Zdeněk and daughter Daniela), Bozena married forester Karel Graf (son Erich was the only child). Until his death, Smetana maintained the closest relationship with Žofia, his daughter from his first marriage. In 1874, Žofie married forester Josef Schwarz (Zdeněk, Edita, Běla, Jarmila and Jaromír were born from this marriage) and Smetana and his family spent the last 10 years of his life with them in Jabkenice. 

The photos come from the collection of the Bedřich Smetana Museum and the others come from his living descendants. The long-term exhibition is complemented by the memories of Smetana's last surviving great-grandson Ing. Peter Heydušek.