Mysterious Camera Discovered in Český Krumlov

Update: the owner of the camera dredged from the river with its memory card intact has been found

Elizabeth Zahradnicek-Haas

Written by Elizabeth Zahradnicek-Haas Published on 15.09.2015 11:02:11 (updated on 15.09.2015) Reading time: 1 minute

UPDATE: the girl in the photos has been identified and located, according to iDnes. Her name is Chloe, she lives in Australia, and a package with the recovered photos will be sent to her. 

As one of the most photogenic cities in the world, it’s hardly surprising that a lost camera might turn up in Český Krumlov. But what are the odds that the camera’s memory card, after nearly half a decade submerged at the bottom of the Vtlava, would still work?

iDNES.cz reports that in early August an aquatics camp instructor in the South Bohemian city pulled a rusty camera from the river only to later discover that the memory card was still functioning and contained more than 1,000 photos, many of them featuring the same young woman who is believed to be the owner of the camera.

Image: Facebook/Lubomir Zajíček
Image: Facebook/Lubomir Zajíček

Lubomir Zajíček, the diver who recovered the camera, told iDNES.cz that the photos capture everything from pets to a trip to England to the final shots of Český Krumlov dated June 12, 2010.

And now the search is on to find her. Several of the pictures were posted on Facebook earlier this week resulting in over 23,000 shares. It is the hope of Zajíček and his colleagues that the camera’s owner will come forward and claim her “recorded memories.”

Image: Facebook/Lubomir Zajíček
Image: Facebook/Lubomir Zajíček

The story presents an interesting parallel to the 2006 Czech documentary Lost Holiday in which filmmakers discover a trove of photos taken by unknown Asian tourists and attempt to locate its owners.

Perhaps a budding documentary filmmaker out there will follow the Český Krumlov case with equal interest?

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