Interesting

001/100 From Ancient Locks to Modern Masterpieces: The Evolution of Locksmithing Through the Centuries

2025-04-26T08:06:58+02:00By |Categories: All posts, Interesting, TOP 100 Blog news 2025|Tags: , , , |

FROM ANCIENT LOCKS TO MODERN MASTERPIECES: The Evolution of Locksmithing Through the Centuries Lockpicking—the art of opening locks without the original key—has a long and fascinating history. This skill, often shrouded in mystery, reflects the constant battle between the human desire to protect valuables and the ingenuity of those seeking ways to bypass security. From the earliest wooden locks in ancient Egypt to the complex mechanical systems of medieval Europe, locks have evolved alongside technological advancements and increasing security needs. As locks became more sophisticated, so did the skills and techniques of those attempting to open them. In modern [...]

100 Key Topics on Lockpicking and Security

2025-04-26T08:07:18+02:00By |Categories: All posts, Interesting, News and events|Tags: , , , |

100 Key Topics on Lockpicking and Security Throughout 2025, we’re bringing you a unique blog series exploring the world of locks, security, and non-destructive entry. Every Monday and Thursday, a new article dives into a timeless, engaging, and practically focused topic. From the history of locksmithing to modern technologies, from security psychology to everyday risks – this blog is for lockpicking enthusiasts and anyone wanting to better understand what protects them. Below you’ll find all the articles published so far. Welcome to a world where a lock is not an obstacle, but a story waiting to be unlocked. [...]

15 Years of ACL: Looking Back at Our History and Looking Ahead to the Future 🔐🎉

2025-04-26T08:07:43+02:00By |Categories: All posts, Interesting, News and events|

15 YEARS OF THE CZECH LOCKPICKERS ASSOCIATION | LOOKING BACK AT OUR HISTORY AND LOOKING AHEAD TO THE FUTURE 🔐🎉 This year, we celebrate 15 years of the Czech Lockpickers Association (ACL) on both the Czech and international scene. Since our founding in 2010, we have made great strides in raising awareness about lockpicking as a sport while actively contributing to education and security testing. The pioneer and founder of ACL, Evžen Ivanov, played a key role in establishing the association and laying its solid foundation. Thanks to him, ACL has become a respected organization that brings together lockpicking [...]

SURVEY – Lockpicking and Me

2025-04-26T08:14:45+02:00By |Categories: All posts, Interesting|Tags: , , , |

Census of Lockpickers 2021 – Results of the “Lockpicking and Me” Survey The survey has been successfully completed! In 2021, following the national census of population, houses, and apartments in the Czech Republic, we decided to conduct the first historical census of lockpickers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The aim of the survey was to find out who is involved in lockpicking, what their experience is, and what they enjoy most about this hobby. Based on the responses, we gained a unique insight into the Czech and Slovak lockpicking community. Below is a summary of the results. Basic [...]

Looking Back at 2020 – What Happened and What Didn’t?

2025-04-26T08:15:34+02:00By |Categories: All posts, Interesting, News and events|Tags: , , , , , , |

2020 IS BEHIND US?! WHAT HAPPENED & WHAT DIDN’T? Exactly a year ago, we counted down, “three, two, one… and soon it will be 2020,” stepping into the new year with excitement and big plans. However, none of us could have predicted what would happen in the spring… Despite everything, those 366 days flew by. We can now divide 2020 into the pre-COVID era and the COVID era. What We Accomplished At the beginning of the year, our chairwoman Nikol Ivanovová and the Czech Republic’s 2nd vice-champion in lockpicking, Karel Burian, appeared on the TV Seznam show Rozstřel. [...]

Lockpicking in the Czech online world (COVID-19 pandemic 2020)

2025-04-26T08:15:53+02:00By |Categories: All posts, Interesting|Tags: , , , , , , , |

WHAT’S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW? LOCKPICKING GOES VIRTUAL As we all know, we’ve had to retreat into the virtual world for a while. But there’s a silver lining—our community is growing stronger! Lockpickers are training more, and thanks to online platforms, we’ve made even more friends. This article highlights the achievements of lockpickers during the COVID era in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Lockpicking in the Digital Space We share photos and videos in our Facebook group “Lockpicking nás baví”, which now has nearly 200 members. Some are newcomers who have only been practicing lockpicking for a year but [...]

Mladá fronta DNES – Special Edition (February 26, 2020)

2025-04-26T08:16:32+02:00By |Categories: All posts, Interesting, News and events|Tags: , , , , , |

The DOMA magazine issue, which is included every Wednesday in Mladá fronta DNES, was published on February 26, 2020, and is available only in the Czech language. You can find the full magazine issue here.

“All Locks Can Be Opened,” Say Lockpickers in Rozstřel

2025-04-26T08:16:43+02:00By |Categories: All posts, Interesting, News and events|Tags: , , , , , |

“ALL LOCKS CAN BE OPENED,” SAY LOCKPICKERS IN ROZSTŘEL Nikol Ivanovová, the chairwoman of the Association of Czech Lockpickers, sees lockpicking as a competitive sport. She was joined in Monday’s Rozstřel interview by Karel Burian, the second vice-champion of the Czech Republic in lockpicking. Lockpicking is the art of opening a lock without damage and without using a key. “I come from a family of locksmiths, so my father taught me the basics, and it felt natural to me,” Ivanovová explained. Together with Burian, she discussed who is legally authorized to open a home lock. The answer? Either [...]

Home Security – What Should We Do?!

2025-04-26T08:16:56+02:00By |Categories: All posts, Interesting|Tags: , , |

PROTECT YOUR OWN PROPERTY – AND YOUR NEIGHBOR’S TOO! Last year, 6,500 homes, apartments, and cottages were burglarized. Recently, the media has reported about a highly organized gang operating in Central Bohemia, and authorities have yet to catch them. In today’s world, good mechanical security alone is no longer enough – it needs to be combined with electronic security systems. Saying, “It will never happen to me, I don’t have anything valuable at home!” is the wrong approach. Even if a burglar enters your home and steals nothing, the psychological impact of knowing that someone invaded your personal [...]

A reminder of 2019 or what happened and did not happen

2025-04-26T08:17:21+02:00By |Categories: All posts, Interesting, News and events|Tags: , , , , , , |

YEAR 2019 IS OVER?! WHAT HAPPENED AND DIDN'T HAPPEN?! Three two one .. and in less than a minute the year 2020 is here. The previous 365 days have gone so fast and the same thing awaits us in 2020, but one more day?! Funny, but again there is a leap year with us. Before we fine-tune and debug our annual report of the Association of Czech Lockpickers, let's recall 2019 what made it special and what we did. An important change was that we organized regular lockpicking trainings where the public could participate. In the total number [...]

Trainings in lockpicking 2019 are behind us

2025-04-26T08:17:36+02:00By |Categories: All posts, Interesting, Trainings and seminars|Tags: , , , , , , |

THROUGHOUT YEAR 2019, TRAINING SESSIONS IN LOCKPICKING WERE HELD Throughout the spring and autumn, we organized lockpicking trainings that were open to the public and held in Prague. We were visited by many future lockpickers, but also curious people. Next year we will focus more on the terminology of locks and lock systems, besides the disassembly and subsequent setting up of the cylinder will be the part of our trainings. Several dozen future lockpickers, enthusiasts or curious tried lockpicking. >>> PHOTO GALLERY HERE <<<

The challenge how to open a cemetery chapel in non-destructive way?!

2025-04-26T08:18:03+02:00By |Categories: All posts, Interesting|Tags: , |

THE CHALLENGE HOW TO OPEN A CEMETERY CHAPEL IN NON-DESTRUCTIVE WAY?! There are only 186 inhabitants in the village of Vrbno nad Lesy (as of 1 January 2019) and the oldest mention of the village dates back to 1143. The mayor of the village Mr. Radomír Volek asked us if we can help with opening the door from the old cemetery chapel and also make a key. We did not hesitate and accepted this challenge, part of the team of the Czech Lockpicker Association (a team of professional locksmiths) went on a journey to the North to [...]

EVVA Training Autumn 2019

2025-04-26T08:18:25+02:00By |Categories: All posts, Interesting|Tags: , , |

On Wednesday, October 30, 2019, all-day professional training took place at EVVA in Barrandov, Prague, which was divided into three parts and some members of the Czech Lockpicker Association were there. First, Mr. Koudelka, CEO, introduced all of the participants to the company's product portfolio, namely mechanical locking approaches (MCS, 4KS, ICS, EPS, FPS) and electronic locking systems such as AirKey or Xesar. These electronic access systems are characterized by high security and ease of use with a smartphone. In the second part, Mr. Ladislav Kratochvíl (president of AZKS - Association of lock and key services) introduced [...]

LockCon 2019

2025-04-26T08:18:32+02:00By |Categories: All posts, Interesting|Tags: , , , |

Finally, we visited the well-known event LockCon, which took place from 25 to 27 October 2019 near the German border at De Berckt Castle in Baarlo, the Netherlands. This event is organized annually by Toool (The Open Organization Of Lockpickers), which dates back to 1997. It is a combination of lockpicker not only from the Netherlands, but also from the US, Great Britain, Belgium, Norway and Australia. The event is open only to invited guests, so this is a closed lockpicker community. >Countless lectures and workshops were held throughout the extended weekend and of course there were competitions. On Friday [...]

Don’t write on the social networks where you are in now, the advice of the Association of Czech Lockpickers

2025-04-26T08:18:50+02:00By |Categories: All posts, Interesting|Tags: , , , |

DON'T WRITE ON THE SOCIAL NETWORKS WHERE YOU ARE IN NOW, THE ADVICE OF THE ASSOCIATION OF CZECH LOCKPICKERS Nikol Ivanovova is the head of the independent organization of the Association of Czech Lockpickers, which associates fans of nondestructive overcoming locks as a sporting discipline and hobby. "It pays to pay extra money for a better security cylinder," Ivanovova says in an interview with Metro journal. We are after the holidays, but people are still leaving for their holidays to the sea, they are approaching the mountains. It is also business travel time. How can people protect their [...]

Tips and advice on choosing the right picks and tension tools

2025-04-26T08:19:50+02:00By |Categories: All posts, Interesting|Tags: , , , , , , , |

TIPS AND ADVICE ON CHOOSING THE RIGHT PICKS AND TENSION TOOLS Lock picks are an essential part of every lockpicker’s toolkit, as well as for professional locksmiths. The easiest way to purchase lock picks is through online stores, as they are rarely available in physical shops. In the Czech Republic, we recommend our partner, Locksmith CZ, for high-quality lockpicking equipment. However, we do not discourage anyone from buying cheaper Chinese picks from third-party sellers. While these may be more affordable, their quality is often subpar, especially when it comes to craftsmanship and handle ergonomics. If you take lockpicking seriously, investing [...]

Bonus – Interview with our ACL President

2025-04-26T08:20:01+02:00By |Categories: All posts, Interesting|Tags: , , , , , , |

INTERVIEW WITH A MEMBER WHO IS PART OF OUR TEAM FROM THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF CZECH LOCKPICKERS We will conclude our memories of previous years by interviewed the person who was at the birth of the Czech championships and was the only part of all organized competitions - president of the Association of Czech Lockpickers (ACL) Nikol Ivanovová (32). Thanks to this interview we want to lure and motivate other lockpickers to join us or come to compete at least. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: Nikol, how did you get into lockpicking? I have been playing with locks since I [...]

Bonus – Interview with the Blitz winner

2025-04-26T08:20:14+02:00By |Categories: All posts, Interesting|Tags: , , , , , , |

INTERVIEW WITH OUR "BEAR" THAT KNOCKED OUT ALL COMPETITORS We have already introduced the Freestyle and Lockpicking Champions of the Czech Republic. Now, let's see another member of our Association of Czech Lockpickers (ACL) and go to Pilsen. This time we visited Mr. Miroslav Buchbauer (52), who last year knocked out both Czech and foreign lockpickers in blitz and was the only one to win the gold medal for the first place. We wondered how he did it. Thanks to this interview we would like to lure and motivate other lockpickers to join us or come to compete at least. [...]

Bonus – Interview with Freestyle Champion

2025-04-26T08:20:34+02:00By |Categories: All posts, Interesting|Tags: , , , , , , |

INTERVIEW WITH A FREESTYLE CHAMPION HOLDING AN UNBELIEVABLE RECORD UNDER ONE SECOND We have already introduced the Czech Champion in Lockpicking to you in the previous article (interview), but now we will visit the champion of records. In 2017, an incredible record was set in the freestyle discipline, when a member of the Czech Lockpicker Association (ACL) team opened the cylinder in less than one second. Mr. Petr Wittner (45) from Prague opened a record time of 0.47 seconds. This record has not yet been broken, perhaps someone will have a luck at this year's event. Thanks to this interview [...]

Bonus – Interview with champion the Czech lockpicking championship

2025-04-26T08:20:47+02:00By |Categories: All posts, Interesting|Tags: , , , , , , |

INTERVIEW WITH OUR CHAMPION OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC IN LOCKPICKING This year's 10th Czech Championship in Lockpicking is knocking on the door. We reminded you all the disciplines on our blog, we remembered the interesting facts from previous years and now we have some interviews with our members of the Association of Czech Lockpickers (ACL). Last year, Jaroslav Coufal (53) from Prostějov, who has been a member of the Association of Czech Lockpickers since 2015, took first place among all Czech lockpickers. We decided to interview him. We were wondering how he does it that he is so good and [...]