František Erben (27 November 1874 – 9 June 1942) was a

gymnast Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

, trainer, and educator from

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

, in what is now the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. Erben made his international competitive debut at the 1900 Paris Summer Olympics where he finished in 32nd place. He took part in the third-ever World Championships in 1907, where the

n team made its auspicious debut and started their several-decades-long tradition of great success at World and Olympic competition in the sport of

artistic gymnastics Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different apparatuses. The sport is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which designs the Code of Points and regulates ...

. He took bronze in the overall competition, behind his compatriot Josef Čada and Frenchman Jules Rolland. Bohemia also took gold in the team competition, and Erben took gold in both the

horizontal bar The horizontal bar, also known as the high bar, is an apparatus used by male gymnasts in artistic gymnastics. It traditionally consists of a cylindrical metal (typically steel) bar that is rigidly held above and parallel to the floor by a syste ...

and

pommel horse The pommel horse is an artistic gymnastics apparatus. Traditionally, it is used by only male gymnasts. Originally made of a metal frame with a wooden body and a leather cover, the modern pommel horse has a metal body covered with foam rubber and ...

and bronze in the

parallel bars Parallel bars are floor apparatus consisting of two wooden bars slightly over long and positioned at roughly head height. Parallel bars are used in artistic gymnastics and also for physical therapy and home exercise. Gymnasts may optionally we ...

. At the next World Championships, in 1909, the

n team won silver, behind France. At the next World Championships, Erben won silver on the horizontal bar and bronze on the rings. In addition to his competitive sporting career, Erben was also a very respected and highly sought-after instructor. Against other competing applicants from other countries and systems, such as Germany and Sweden, Erben was chosen by the Russian Government to be a gymnastics teacher at their military academies and "in 1909...was designated teacher of gymnastics at the military academy in

Petrograd Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

...Russia.". Previously, Česká Obec Sokolská, or COS ( Czech Sokol Organization) hired him as a traveling instructor for their organization. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he joined the

Czechoslovak Legion , image = Coat of arms of the Czechoslovak Legion.svg , image_size = 200px , alt = , caption = Czechoslovak Legion coat of arms , start_date ...

and returned to Czechoslovakia after the war. In May 1925, Erben, described as a "teacher hohad no equal" was hired as the Director of Sokol instructor schools, concurrent with the opening of Palác Michny z Vacínova (Michna Palace from Vacínov), more currently and simply known as Tyršův dům ( Tyrš House). Despite having suffered several strokes later in life, and being 67 years old, Erben, an active member of Sokol organization, was executed by Nazi Germans at the

Kobylisy Shooting Range Kobylisy Shooting Range () is a former military shooting range located in Kobylisy, a northern suburb of Prague, Czech Republic. The shooting range was established in 1889–1891, on a site that was at the time far outside the city, as a train ...

in Prague, following the

assassination of Reinhard Heydrich On 27 May 1942 in Prague, Reinhard Heydrichthe commander of the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA), acting governor of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, and a principal architect of the Holocaustwas attacked and wounded in an assassinatio ...

by the members of Czech resistance.Profile at CoJeCo.cz
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Erben, Frantisek Czech male artistic gymnasts Olympic gymnasts for Bohemia Gymnasts at the 1900 Summer Olympics Gymnasts from Prague 1874 births 1942 deaths People executed at Kobylisy shooting range Czechoslovak civilians killed in World War II Czechoslovak Legion personnel Sportspeople from Austria-Hungary