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Ordinary Czechs can now experience the life of astronauts on the ISS space station. Students of the Czech Technical University have developed a virtual reality application, which simulates a space flight, everyday life in orbit, as well as some...

Before serving as a stylish backdrop to James Bond’s Casino Royale, this famous Czech spa catered to the world’s elite. In the course of the 20th century the Imperial Baths served monarchs, politicians and more recently film stars...

One of the greatest names in the history of Czech music, Má vlast composer, Bedřich Smetana, was born exactly 200 years. Bedřich Smetana (2.3.1824–12.5.1884) is one of the most influential figures in Czech music history, celebrated for his...

The private library of the late Czech writer, translator and publisher Josef Škvorecký will soon open to the public in his home town of Náchod in north Bohemia. The town hall acquired the library and other items from Škvorecký’s family in...

On Sunday, March 10, 2024, the Prague Castle grounds will host an Open Day. Visitors can tour the representative spaces, which are normally inaccessible to the public, for free. They can also look into the Cathedral of St. Vitus, Wenceslas and...

The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, took part in the summit of chairpersons of parliaments in Paris. Among the main topics discussed were equal opportunities for women in politics and the current issue of violence...

The 26th edition of the One World festival of human rights films gets underway in Prague in just under a fortnight’s time. For the first time the showcase is also including fiction films this year – but what has not changed is the breadth of...

On Monday, March 4, 2024, at Prague Castle, the President of the Republic Petr Pavel received the credentials of the new ambassadors to the Czech Republic:

The National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library in Cedar Rapids, Iowa is the foremost institution of its kind in the United States – and this year is marking the anniversary of its founding in 1974. How is the museum and library celebrating 50...

Scientists from Brno’s Masaryk University have grown hundreds of ‘mini brains’ the size of apple seeds using stem cells from Alzheimer’s patients. The idea is to study the causes and development of Alzheimer’s right from the moment the brain...

France’s president Emmanuel Macron recently refused to rule out the deployment of Western troops to Ukraine and that position appeared to find support from his Czech counterpart in Prague on Tuesday. Petr Pavel said combat troops could not be...

Karel Kryl, sometimes referred to as ‘the Czech Bob Dylan’ because of his complex and poetic lyrics on political themes, died 30 years ago today, a month shy of his 50th birthday. Kryl was one of the best-known Czech folk musicians of the...

A forgotten sculpture by the visionary Czech-born architect Jan Kaplický was recently discovered in a factory in Italy. The giant stainless steel water drop, designed 20 years ago for the Triennale di Milano, will go on display in Prague later...

Join us on a trip to the Hradec Králové Region – an area of mountains and skiers. Czechia’s highest mountain, Sněžka (1603 m), is located here. Our drone video will show you the diverse geography of the region, from the Giant...

The International Tourism and Regional Tourism Fair will occur from March 15 to 17 at the PVA EXPO PRAGUE exhibition center in Letňany. This year’s edition will offer a wide portfolio of domestic and foreign exhibitors, new and popular...

The European Commission has responded positively to Czechia’s call for the abolition of the fee that Germany charges for the transit of natural gas through its territory. Following Thursday’s meeting of energy ministers in Brussels the...

The President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, welcomed the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, at Prague Castle. The meeting followed the successful official visit of President Petr Pavel to France in December last year. On 5.3.2024...

On average, women work more than two months longer to reach the same pay as men This year, Equal Pay Day falls on March 6, 2024. It is a symbolic day that draws attention to the fact that, on average, women work 65 days more to reach the same...

Willa Cather’s novel My Ántonia is an American classic. Even though it is about Czech immigrants to Nebraska, it is virtually unknown in Czechia. It is a pity. In this episode of Czechast, we delve into a unique intersection of Czech...

Classical music is one of the priority topics of the Czech Tourism Office – CzechTourism within the framework of cultural tourism, also in connection with the Year of Czech Music. This year’s edition, with the magic four at the end, will...

Whooping cough has seen a dramatic increase this year in Czechia – at the last count there have been 1,666 confirmed cases since the start of the year, more than in the last four years combined. Over the last two decades, the only year that saw...

Carp and seven groschen. That was the reward given to the brave defenders of Jihlava who managed to repel a night attack on the royal town in 1402. The town annually commemorates their heroic deed with a festival aptly named Carp Day. Source:...

Czech architect Juraj Lasovský has come up with a unique project reviving old military bunkers built in Czechoslovakia before the Second World War. His aim is to turn the concrete structures into liveable spaces that can be used for various...

On the occasion of the Japanese Emperor’s 64th birthday and ending the term of the Ambassador of Japan to the Czech Republic H.E. Mr. Hideo Suzuki and Mrs. Suzuki held a reception at the Marriot Hotel Prague. In front of the Speaker of the...

On the occasion of the independence day of the Republic of Kosovo, H.E. Mrs. Albesjana Iberhysaj Kapitaj – Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo host a reception at Kaiserstejnsky palac. In front of many Ambassadors, government officials...

On February 25,1969, Jan Zajíc, an 18-year-old student from Šumperk set himself on fire to protest against growing public apathy to the Soviet led-invasion in 1968. Zajíc set himself on fire in a passage off Wenceslas Square on February 25th...

Czechia took in roughly half a million Ukrainians following Russia’s full-scale invasion of their country two years ago. Many of these refugees have been young people, and to find out something about this generation’s lives here – and their...

Czech composer, pianist and organist Jan Václav Hugo Voříšek was a contemporary of Beethoven and a good friend of Franz Schubert. His most famous work, the Symphony in D major, combines his natural inclination to romanticism with a surprising...

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala is set to host his counterparts Slovakia, Poland and Hungary in Prague on Tuesday. The meeting of the Visegrad Four leaders comes against a backdrop of calls to cancel the summit after Slovakia’s Robert Fico made...

The presidents of the parliaments of the countries of the Visegrad Group met in Prague’s Liechtenstein Palace. The parliamentary summit of the V4 and Ukraine was opened by the President of the Senate, Miloš Vystrčil, with the Speaker of...

Czechs are marking two years since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine with commemorative events, marches, rallies and fundraisers taking place all around the country on Saturday. In Prague, thousands of people gathered on Old...

Two comedies written by dissident playwright Pavel Kohout in the 1970s with the intention of being performed in private in peoples’ homes are being revived by the MANA theatre in Prague’s Vršovice district – but not on a regular theatre...

Saturday, March 2 marks 200 years since the birth of Bedřich Smetana, one of the most internationally renowned and nationally celebrated Czech composers. Czech Radio is dedicating a weekend of programming to the anniversary, a number of events...

The Paris summit on Ukraine appears to have kicked into action a Czech plan to purchase badly needed ammunition for Ukraine outside of the EU. After struggling to secure international funding for the project, Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced...

Czech company, Bene Meat Technologies, is preparing to put cultivated minced beef on the Czech pet food market within the next two years, pending EU approval. But is this country of meat-lovers ready to buy food grown in a petri dish? If saving...

Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Markéta Pekarová Adamová and President of the Senate Miloš Vystrčil held talks with their Ukrainian counterpart Ruslan Stefančuk in Prague. The main topic of the meeting was the continued support for the...

The Pardubice Region has a varied terrain, beautiful castles and chateaux, a long tradition of horse-rearing, and is also famous for its sweet gingerbread! Check out its landmarks in our photo gallery! Source

Mezzo-soprano, improviser, lover of Dvořák – it would be nearly impossible to put Bella Adamova into a box. A classically trained singer, Adamova was born in Grozny but grew up in Prague and spent years abroad completing her musical...

Czechia’s Knihobot, which started out in a small second-hand book shop, has become a major name in the country’s resale economy. The service allows people to get rid of their old books for cash – and has made inroads into other markets in...

Preparations are in full swing for the annual international book fair and literary festival Book World Prague, which gets underway in May. Organizers have just announced that this year’s edition will honour the centenary of Franz Kafka. Unlike...

A new study monitoring the burden of toxic chemicals on the population recently got underway in Czechia. Researchers in four different parts of the country are taking samples of children’s urine and hair to detect the presence of toxic...

An unusual research study is currently underway at Prague’s FAMU film school, focusing on the effect of sound on video game players. As part of the project, organised together with the Medical Faculty, participants are asked to play a horror...

The Czech Chamber of Deputies was considerably brighter and more colourful than usual on Tuesday. A number of MPs from across the political spectrum showed up for work in the traditional folk costumes of their region to celebrate regional and...

Czech MPs have approved broader rights for people in same-sex unions. However in a vote on Wednesday they stopped short of approving same-sex marriage or equal rights when it comes to adoption. I discussed the news with Czeslaw Walek, the head...

Dr. Anna Hájková is a Czech historian educated in Germany, the Netherlands and Canada. She is the author of the critically acclaimed book “The Last Ghetto: An Everyday History of Theresienstadt”, published in English by Oxford...

Large flocks of ravens, jackdows and crows swirl in the skies over Brno every evening. The birds have their winter roost in the forest between the Riviera swimming pool and the university campus in Brno. Source: ČTK

When Jiří Václav Parma fled from communist Czechoslovakia to the US in 1962, he sought to put down roots in a place that reminded him of home. He settled in Blue Knob, Pennsylvania, hung his “Bača” (sheep herder) hat on a stand and established...

While Czechia’s arms industry has seen record exports in the last two years, its armaments makers are still facing one major problem, according to the country’s defence minister. Jana Černochová says international banks are making it hard for...

21-02-2024 – The Ambassador of the Argentine Republic for the Czech Republic H.E Mr. Claudio Javier Rozencwaig and his spouse, host an Argentine Wine Tasting at their residence. Mr. Martin Marek, sommelier of Alifea presented the...

The tourism and regional tourism trade fair HOLIDAY WORLD & REGION WORLD is one of the most important events in its field, and its 32nd year will take place from March 15 to 17. The PVA EXPO PRAGUE exhibition center will be filled with...

The Committee of Good Will – The Olga Havel Foundation commemorates the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine and continues its public collection for psychological assistance to Ukrainian children affected by the war. The foundation...

A new bill recently drafted by the Czech government aims to see a minimum of one-third women in upper management positions in large companies. The draft aims to bring Czechia more in line with other EU countries, where the representation of...

Can the growing numbers of wolves in Czechia’s Šumava National Park have a positive impact on local forests? For the next three years, scientists from the Czech University of Life Sciences will be seeking to answer just that question, by...

Photo: © Barrandov Studio a.s. František Vláčil’s films Marketa Lazarová and The Valley of the Bees are considered masterpieces of Czech cinema. In 1998 he received a Crystal Globe award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for...

The war in Ukraine has been raging for almost two years, and refugees continue to arrive in Czechia. Although the majority find employment, it is often in precarious conditions, and over 60 percent of economically active Ukrainian refugees are...

The Chamber of Deputies will mark the upcoming second anniversary of Russia’s wartime aggression against Ukraine with a series of activities. The leadership of the House of Representatives, led by its Speaker, will take part, for example...

Scientists at a university in Liberec are investigating the possible impact of microorganisms on the safety of an underground radioactive waste repository, which should be built in Czechia in several decades’ time. The main focus of their...

A Median poll published Tuesday reaffirms ANO’s long-term commanding lead among Czech voters. But the survey also suggests that the Czech Pirate Party, one of the smaller parties in the coalition, are now ahead of government leaders the Civic...

President Petr Pavel made international headlines at the Munich Security Conference when he said Czechia could secure about 800,000 artillery shells for Ukraine – if partner states provided the funding. How realistic is this plan? And what...

The South Bohemian town of Hořice has a long tradition of passion plays which are intertwined with the family histories of its Czech and German inhabitants. One such family helped save and preserve the first known score for the Šumava Passion...

The second part of our video series on Czech Music Greats looks at a lesser-known name in Czech classical music – Jan Václav Hugo Voříšek. Despite passing away at a young age, he left the world a stunning symphony. Had he lived longer and...

The East Bohemian city of Pardubice, which lies on the confluence of the Labe (Elbe) and Chrudimka Rivers, is mainly associated with its production of gingerbread and the famous Velká Pardubická steeplechase. The industrial city also boasts a...

Kamila Kopřivová is Czechia’s first ever female rabbi. She was ordained in September last year and has since served as a rabbi at the Westminster Synagogue at the Kent House in London. The building is also a home to Torah scrolls that were...

Chants echoed the Pittsburgh Penguins’ home arena on Sunday for the jersey retirement of the legendary Czech ice hockey player Jaromír Jágr. Jágr – who played 11 years with the Penguins – returned to the city he calls his second home to see his...

Record temperatures in many places in Czechia suggest that spring is just around the corner. In parks and gardens, crocuses, snowdrops and winter aconites are blooming. Source

A Thursday night screening at Prague’s Edison Filmhub of the film Utøya, about the mass shooting at a summer camp in Norway, provided an opportunity to discuss the aftermath of December’s shooting at Charles University. One topic was...

Ladislav Nagy is not just a scholar, translator and academic. He is also an experienced jockey and trainer, and even a member of the Presidium of the Czech National Jockey Club! In today’s episode, I have the pleasure of welcoming someone whose...

The roots of punk rock music in Czechoslovakia are said to stretch back 45 years, to a concert by the alternative band Extempore. The gig took place on February 23, 1979 at the Prague pub U Zábranských and featured some covers of songs by UK...

Czechia ended compulsory military service two decades ago. Now, however, the head of the country’s army, Karel Řehka, says it may be necessary to bring it back – otherwise the state could have insufficient military reserves in future. Military...

The Integrity of the Avant-Garde: Karel Teige and the Biography of an Ambition is the title of a book set for publication next month. Its author is US-born Peter Zusi, associate professor of Czech and Comparative Literature at the University of...

A quiet evening together, a walk in nature or the clouds, a visit to the blossoming castle greenhouses, the zoo, relaxation in the spa, or a candlelit dinner? Celebration of St. Valentine’s Day can take dozens of forms. The Czech and...

On 11 February 1929 a temperature of -42.2 was registered at Litvínovice in South Bohemia. It was the lowest temperature since records began in Bohemia and Moravia. The winter of 1929 was one of the coldest since records began in today’s...

Voting in the European Tree of the Year 2024 contest is currently underway. Czechia’s candidate is an unusually shaped pear tree standing in the middle of a field near the village of Mrákotín in East Bohemia. The Czech nominee for the European...

Milan Kocourek is a former colleague of mine, boasts an illustrious career as a BBC World Service producer and reporter. Later he worked also for the Czech National Public Radio. Milan and I discuss what it was like when he as a young student...

The post-Christmas months are when many Czech families hit the slopes for skiing holidays. However, recent weather patterns have thrown a wrench in those plans for a snow filled getaway. Temperatures in the country are currently well above the...

February 15 marks the centenary of the birth of the multi-talented Jiří Šlitr. With stage partner Jiri Suchý, Šlitr was a driving force in Prague’s ground-breaking Semafor theatre in the 1960s – but tragically died while still in his 40s. Jiří...

The Prague 10 district has just unveiled a new visual identity that works with various takes on the logo X, the Roman numeral for 10. This follows a similar move by Prague 3 some years ago, when it even started selling merchandise with a logo...

Victims of sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church in Czechia have written a petition calling for the resignation of the head of the church in the country, Prague Archbishop Jan Graubner. They say he knew about priests, and specifically...

On Thursday, February 15, 2024, at Prague Castle, the President of the Republic Petr Pavel received the credentials of the new ambassadors to the Czech Republic: HE Mr. Ilir Tepelena, new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the...

The European Investment Bank (EIB) will be involved in supporting the emerging sector of affordable housing in the Czech Republic. This year, he will prepare a market evaluation and recommend a suitable form of financing for housing...

As the population of foreigners in Czechia continues to grow, students whose native language is not Czech struggle to succeed in the education system, and are more prone to slipping through the cracks. META is an NGO based in Prague that...

It’s estimated that one-third of Czechs are vulnerable to disinformation and misinformation, says Veronika Víchová, an analyst at NGO the Centre for an Informed Society. But what’s the difference between the two, and what threat do they pose to...

According to a local chronicle, the village of Sulislav in the west of Czechia celebrated its first Masopust (Mardi Gras) in 1785. Locals have been following the colourful tradition virtually every year since then and this year’s edition saw a...

H.E.Mr. Hideo SUZUKI, the Ambassador of Japan to the Czech Republic held a ceremony for the appointment of Mr. Marek Hora as the Japanese Cuisine Ambassador in the Czech Republic. The ceremony took place at the Ambassador’s residence. This...

Sixty-five years ago Czech scientist Jaroslav Heyrovský won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his discovery and development of polarography, becoming the first Czech recipient of the prestigious award. The discovery, however, was made much...

World War II, Cold War borders and more recently Russia’s full invasion of Ukraine – the “Czech hedgehog” has been common to all of them. The anti-tank obstacle made of metal beams is, as the name suggests, a Czech invention and dates back to...

This week’s Sunday Music Show profiles chanson singer, guitarist and composer Lenka Filipová, who will turn 70 next week. To mark the occasion, the Supraphon label has released her first, and perhaps the most popular album from 1981, called...

Emil Holub, perhaps the best-known Czech explorer, was born in the Pardubice Region in 1847. His birthplace of Holice boasts the only museum in Czechia dedicated to Holub, who made vast contributions to public understanding of Africa in the...

Photo: National Theatre Brno This year marks 200 years since the birth of the great Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. To mark the anniversary, the National Theatre in Brno has prepared a new staging of his opera Dalibor. Its British director...

In August 2023, Canada appointed a new Ambassador to Czechia, Emily McLaughlin. Ambassador McLaughlin, whose career has spanned over 20 years in the Canadian Foreign Service, has previously held positions in New York, London and Hong Kong...

The great Czech novelist, playwright, journalist and travel writer Karel Čapek, is world famous for his R.U.R. or The War with the Newts, but even his biggest fans are not familiar with the sound of his voice. Thanks to a new app made in...

Column written by Miroslav Bobek, Director of Prague Zoo.

The “zmijovka” hat is a common sight in Czechia in winter, particularly in the country. But it turns out it is also popular in parts of West Africa, where it is sometimes called a “Cabral hat” after anti-colonial leader Amílcar Cabral, who...

On Friday evening the Nicholas Winton biopic One Life gets its Czech premiere in Prague, where it is partly set. The film climaxes with Winton’s 1988 appearance on Esther Rantzen’s TV show That’s Life, when the discovery of how the Englishman...

Experts from the Czech Academy of Sciences have presented their first contribution to the LISA space mission. Approved by the European Space Agency (ESA) a few days ago, the Czech component will be crucial to the functioning of the giant...

February is here – and for some Czechs that means putting down their pint glasses and taking a break from alcohol consumption for the month. The ‘Dry February” campaign aims to shed light on the problematic reliance some have with alcohol, and...

Rapper Rohony has won fans around the country for music containing themes such as booze, football and Czech small-town life in general. Adam Rohony, to give him his full name, is from Stařeč (population 1,700) in the Vysočina Region and was...

Prague classical music buffs will soon get more regular opportunities to enjoy Sir Simon Rattle in action, after the world famous conductor on Wednesday signed as principal guest conductor with the Czech Philharmonic from next season. I spoke...

Richard Santus is a pilot and a vintage plane collector. He recently acquired a 1960 Czechoslovak-made Aero 145 aircraft and flew it all the way from Australia to his museum in Podhořany in east Bohemia. Due to all sorts of troubles, including...

Lying mostly in Bohemia with a small portion of its territory in Moravia, the Pardubice Region has a varied terrain ranging from mountains to river plains. Combining modernity and heritage, it features beautiful castles and chateaux, a long...