Vinnetou is now an ecological warrior
Czechs don’t care about the tug of war over Karl May
By IGOR PASTIEROVIC AND CLAUDIA LORD

Prague – Vinnetou at a street excavation, at sports training, with a silver rifle in the Elbe valley. But wait, something is wrong. Somehow we know Vinnetou to be more sinewy. Like a grizzled Indian chief who strides through the wilderness as gracefully as a panther.
What’s going on at the Saxon-Czech border?
The Elbe Vinnetou in XXL costume is a hero for Czech youth! A film series is being made with him as an educational programme for children – while ARD has banned Vinnetou from television in this country.
The five episodes are meant to teach values such as nature conservation. Plot: Vinnetou and Old Shatterhand embark on a time travel from the Wild West to northern Bohemia and must search for treasure.
Screenwriter Martin Krsek (48) told BILD: „Gradually they discover that the treasure is not gold or precious stones, but the Elbe Valley itself with its natural values and beauty.“
The frenzy over the banning of Vinnetou in Germany raises eyebrows among our neighbours.
„Vinnetou is a flawless hero, a defender of the weak, a bearer of high moral values and a connoisseur of nature who humbly respects its laws,“ Krsek told BILD.