The legendary “soap with the stag”—once a household name in Central Europe—is at the heart of Kingdom of Soap Bubbles (Království mýdlových bublin), a new Czech documentary from director Taťána Marková. The film chronicles the fortunes of the Schicht family, pioneering industrialists from Ústí nad Labem whose empire once rivaled Baťa and Škoda.
After premiering in Ústí in mid-October, where descendants of the Schicht family gathered from across Europe and the United States, Kingdom of Soap Bubbles will make its official world premiere at this year’s Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival before reaching Czech cinemas in January 2026. The 82-minute film reconstructs three generations of innovation, philanthropy, and upheaval through personal recollections and archival discoveries.
Marková’s documentary not only restores a neglected chapter of Czech-German history but also explores how the Schichts’ descendants grapple with questions of heritage, reconciliation, and identity in the shadow of the 20th century’s turbulent events.
From basement workshop to multinational empire
The story of the Schicht family begins in the mid-19th century, when Georg Schicht started producing soap in the cellar of his home in Rynoltice near Liberec. Over the next decades, his family transformed the modest workshop into a thriving industrial concern in Ústí nad Labem, known for its Soap with the Stag—or mýdlo s jelenem—a brand that became synonymous with quality and modernity across the Austro-Hungarian Empire and later Czechoslovakia.
By the interwar period, the Schicht name carried the same prestige as Baťa, Škoda, and Kolben-Daněk. The family’s factories produced not only soaps but also cosmetics under the Elida label and food products such as Ceres fats.
Their business practices were considered groundbreaking for their time: the Schichts implemented employee welfare programs, sponsored the arts, and supported technological innovation. They even played a role in Czech film history—the first sound film screening in the Czech lands took place in Ústí thanks to their patronage.
The family’s global ambitions culminated when they became co-founders of Unilever, which remains one of the world’s largest consumer goods corporations. Yet their prominence also made them vulnerable to the political upheavals of the 20th century. Following World War II and the expulsion of the German-speaking population, the Schicht properties were nationalized, and their descendants dispersed around the world. Schicht soap is still manufactured and sold in Czechia under the Jelen brand.
Rediscovering heritage and reconciliation
For director Taťána Marková, the project began unexpectedly in 2017 while interviewing filmmaker Constantin Werner—great-grandson of Heinrich Schicht—for another documentary. Werner brought along an enamel sign advertising Soap with the Stag, a relic that sparked Marková’s curiosity about the family’s forgotten story.
“I was amazed at the breadth of their activities and their approach to life,” she later said. “They accepted the twists of fate without bitterness and tried to focus on what brought them joy.”
The documentary intertwines the Schichts’ historical rise with the modern-day journey of their descendants, who return to Ústí to reconnect with their roots. Among them is Bettina von Siemens, granddaughter of Heinrich Schicht, who described the experience as deeply emotional.
“When I entered my father’s room, it touched me deeply,” she told reporters at the Ústí premiere. Her cousin Carl von Siemens added that the family’s decision to repurchase and restore their ancestors’ Neo-Baroque villa was motivated by a desire “to preserve a building that is important for both Ústí and the Schicht family.”
The film’s co-author, historian Martin Krsek, emphasized the broader cultural importance of reviving the family’s story. “The Schicht name has been unjustly forgotten,” he said. “We hope this film helps restore it to the public consciousness.”
Supported by local historians, philanthropists, and the descendants themselves, Kingdom of Soap Bubbles serves as both a historical reconstruction and a meditation on legacy. It revisits a time when Czech and German communities coexisted and collaborated to build a modern industrial society—a theme resonating strongly in today’s divided world.
Kingdom of Soap Bubbles will have its world premiere at the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival next week before opening in Czech cinemas next year.
