At the invitation of the President of the Republic, Petr Pavel, His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Her Majesty Queen Máxima paid a state visit to the Czech Republic on June 4 and 5, 2025.
Upon arrival at Prague Castle of His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Her Majesty Queen Máxima, President Pavel and the fist lady Mrs. Eva Pavlová welcomed the Royal couple.
Watch the video from the ceremony
The program concludes:
Private meeting of the presidential and royal couple at Habsburg Salon
Meeting of members of the official delegations of the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, Mirror Salon
Meeting with media representatives, Social Salon – Watch the Video
Memorial service at the Milada Horáková monument
Tour of the branch of the non-profit organization People in Need
Visit to the Prague – Kbely military airport, inspection of military equipment and military material provided by the Dutch and Czech sides in support of Ukraine
Awarding of a state decoration to His Majesty the King of the Netherlands by the President of the Republic, Throne Hall
Gala dinner given by the President of the Republic and Mrs. Eva Pavlová in honor of His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Her Majesty Queen Máxima
His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands returns to the Netherlands after Wednesday’s program in response to the political situation in the country.
Her Majesty Queen Máxima participates in Thursday’s program.
Visit to the Church of the Most Holy Saviour, consecration of a new bell cast from weapons used during the war in Ukraine by Monsignor Tomáš Halík
Visit of the presidential couple and Her Majesty Queen Máxima to the headquarters of Radio Free Europe
Ceremonial opening of the Czech-Dutch Business Forum with the participation of the presidential couple and Her Majesty Queen Máxima
Performance by the Dutch National Ballet hosted by His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Her Majesty Queen Máxima in Honor of the President of the Republic and Mrs. Eva Pavlová
On June 2, 2025, the Romanian Embassy in Prague organized, with the support of the Czech-Romania Parliamentary Friendship Group, whose president is the deputy Martin Hajek, a first in bilateral relations, Romania Day at the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic Parliament to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and The participation of the Romanian army in the battles for the liberation of Czechoslovakia.
The event, held under the auspices of the First-Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic, Mrs. Věra Kovářová, was attended by deputies, representatives of the ministries of foreign and defense, the Czech academic environment, members of the Czech-Romania Association, and Romanian communities in Prague.
Also, a delegation of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by Mrs. Clara Staicu, Secretary of State for European Affairs, who is in Prague for bilateral consultations.
“Romania Day” at the Chamber of Deputies, an event that constitutes a premiere in the Romanian-Czech bilateral relations, is part of the series of events organized between April – May 2025 by the Romanian Embassy in Prague to mark the role of the Romanian Army in the liberation of Czechoslovakia, under the motto “Solidarity – Memory – Gratitude”.
The event also included a lecture on the role of the Romanian army in the liberation of Czechoslovakia by Professor Emil Voráček from the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, followed by a performance of Romanian folk dances by the folk group “Tarabostes” and a tasting of wines and traditional Romanians products.
In his welcome speech addressed to the participants, Mr. Martin Hájek emphasized the importance of commemorating the common history, the moments of solidarity between Romania and the Czech Republic, which represent a solid basis for the development of bilateral cooperation, and he welcomed the presence at the event of representatives of numerous central, regional and public institutions. Czech local. The Czech deputy appreciated that the holding of the “Day of Romania” is a testimony of the friendship between the Romanian and Czech peoples and a confirmation of the new stage in the development of Czech-Romanian relations
H.E. Mrs. Antoaneta Barta, the ambassador of Romania to Prague, highlighted the significance of this chapter of history, less known to the public opinion in the Czech Republic, context in which the Embassy organized an unprecedented series of commemoration events in the towns liberated by the Romanian military 80 years ago.
She thanked Mrs. Věra Kovářová for the patronage of this event and Mr. Martin Hájek for his generous support of the initiative of the Romanian Embassy. At the same time, she expressed her special appreciation to Professor Emil Voráček, for his major contribution to the restoration of historical truth by emphasizing the crucial role of the Romanian Army in the liberation of Czechoslovakia.
The ambassador of Romania mentioned the numerous events organized in Moravia and shared with those present the emotion experienced in the visited towns, following the very moving testimonies of the locals about the courage, civilized behavior, and friendly attitude of the Romanian army towards the local population.
In her speech, the vice president of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic, Mrs. Věra Kovářová, pointed out the necessity of “repairing the historical injustice done to the Romanian people”, through the ignorance of the Czech public of the major role of the Romanian Army in the liberation of Czechoslovakia, and at the same time recalled another moment in history that Czechs need. to remember it, respectively, the refusal of our country to participate in the Soviet invasion of 1968.
Mrs. Secretary of State Clara Staicu hailed the importance of this event for preserving the memory of Romanian soldiers, underlining the excellent level of bilateral relations, transformed into a real partnership, in a time of major geopolitical turbulence. In this context, he pointed out that the presence of the MAE delegation in Prague for consultations on European issues with Czech counterparts represented a reaffirmation of the mutual desire to develop a solid partnership, based on the similarity of foreign policies, security objectives, and common values.
At the end of the conference, there was a show of Romanian folk dances by the folk group “Tarabostes”, an event organized in cooperation with Institutul Cultural Român / Romanian Cultural Institute, and a tasting of traditional Romanian wines and products, particularly appreciated by the present audience.
Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Markéta Pekarová Adamová received King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Queen Máxima in the Chamber of Deputies.
A royal visit to the lower house of the Czech legislature is a completely unique event that symbolically reflects excellent mutual relations.
After the meeting, the Speaker highlighted the extraordinary scope and intensity of Czech-Dutch cooperation and the value of mutual partnership in today’s world.
“Our countries are united by a strong partnership. It is manifested in many areas, be it security or intensive cooperation in trade, science, research, and innovation. The Czech-Dutch cultural exchange is also significant. Thanks to these diverse and lively relations, both countries are close allies and reliable partners in NATO and the EU. We share common values, a sense of responsibility and a will to contribute to peace, stability and prosperity across Europe,” said the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, after the meeting.
The reception of the Dutch royal couple, who arrived in our country on a state visit, was also attended by the Deputy Speakers of the Chamber of Deputies, Věra Kovářová and Aleš Juchelka, and MP Josef Flek.
The Przewalski’s horses only returned to the Golden Steppe in central Kazakhstan yesterday, when the harem led by the stallion Zorro left the acclimatization pen after a year. From left: Sary, Wespe, Ypsilonka, the stallion Zorro, Umbra and on the far right, the mare Tessa. Photo Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo
Wednesday, 4 June 2025, at 6 p.m. local time, the gate of the acclimatization enclosure opened, and the first Převalsky’s horses in central Kazakhstan ran out into freedom. The Převalskys’ horses, imported last June, have adapted well to the local conditions, and the stallion Zorro was able to lead his harem of five mares to their new home – the vast Golden Steppe (Altyn Dala). Researchers fitted the mares, Wespe and Umbra, with GPS collars so that the group could be monitored further. Thanks to Prague Zoo and its partners, the wild horses have now returned to the wilds of Kazakhstan, from where they disappeared hundreds of years ago due to human activity. The horses transported from Europe this week have meanwhile survived their first night in the reintroduction center in excellent condition.
“This is, without exaggeration, a historic moment,” said Prague Zoo Director Miroslav Bobek. “The Przewalski’s horses are back in their new home. When the herd came out of the acclimatization pen, they were completely calm, and in the low evening sun, they allowed us to take impressive photographs. It was a touching moment, in which months and months of preparation and extremely demanding transports by CASA aircraft of the Czech Army paid off. This is the highest goal in the efforts of modern zoos.”
The first moments of the first Przewalski’s horses in the wild of central Kazakhstan. From left: The mares Sary, Wespe, Ypsilonka, Umbra and the stallion Zorro. The mare Tessa is hidden behind the stallion in this photo. Photo Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo
The stallion Zorro and the mares Ypsilonka, Umbra, Wespe, Sary and Tessa behaved completely naturally after running out of the pen. They immediately started grazing and were even soon rolling around in the steppe vegetation.
Zeta II, imported last year with Zina II and Grâce, transported this year, and the stallion Galvan with four mares from the Hungarian Hortobágy National Park remain in the acclimatization pens in the Golden Steppe.
A captivating sight – the first herd of Przewalski’s horses runs through the landscape where their ancestors became extinct hundreds of years ago. Photo Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo
The UN Tourism Executive Council had its 123rd meeting. The Council assessed progress made around the priorities of innovation, investments, and education.
At that meeting, the Council nominated Shaika Al Nowais as the new Secretary-General of UN Tourism from 2026.
Upon confirmation by the UN Tourism General Assembly, Ms. Shaika Al Nowais will become the first woman to hold this position.
On June 3rd, Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský awarded the Medal for Merit in Diplomacy to sixteen people and institutions who have made a significant contribution to Czech diplomacy and foreign relations. Danny Bate was present at the ceremony, and spoke to two of the honourees.
At a resplendent ceremony at the Czernin Palace, sixteen individuals and representatives of organisations shook hands with Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský and received the ministry’s Medals for Merit in Diplomacy for this year.
On Tuesday, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and his wife, Máxima, arrive in Prague. One of the highlights of the first-ever state visit of a Dutch monarch to Czechia will be the christening of a unique bell cast in the Netherlands for the Church of the Most Holy Salvator. Remarkably, the bell was made using metal from Russian munitions used in the war against Ukraine.
“This bell has a lot of symbolism in it and it’s a very special project for us,” says owner Joost Eijsbouts at the Royal Eijsbouts bell shop in Asten, the Netherlands, after gently striking the bell standing on its pedestal on the ground with a mallet.
In this episode of Prague off the Beaten Track, listeners are guided through SAPA—Prague’s sprawling Vietnamese market complex in the district of Libuš. It’s a unique space where commerce meets culture, offering everything from street food and household goods to legal services and community events. Far from Prague’s tourist hotspots, SAPA reveals a vibrant side of the city that many have never seen.
If there’s one place in Prague that truly lives up to the idea of being off the beaten track, it’s SAPA.
This Sunday marks exactly twenty years since the opening of the first baby box in Czechia — a place where mothers can anonymously leave their babies to be cared for and adopted. Today, there are 88 baby boxes across the country, and so far, 277 children have been safely placed in them.
Three-and-a-half-year-old Ema from Prague, a lively girl with curly hair and big black eyes, is one of the nearly 280 children who have been anonymously given up by their parents in a baby box.
The sculptor Václav Lemon has been working on Olomouc’s central square to recreate a famous Baroque depiction of the Holy Trinity, only this time not out of sandstone, but out of sand!
Olomouc’s Holy Trinity Column is an icon of the city, having stood proudly on Upper Square (Horní náměstí) since the eighteenth century.
A month before its opening, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival organizers have unveiled the official line-up for this year’s 59th edition. Two Czech films—Broken Voices and Better to Go Mad in the Wilderness—will compete in the festival’s main competition. Another Czech title, On the Other Side of Summer, will appear in the Proxima section.
Broken Voices (Sbormistr in Czech), directed by Ondřej Provazník, stars actor Juraj Loj as a choirmaster whose character is loosely inspired by Bohumil Kulínský—the once-celebrated conductor of the Bambini di Praga choir, who was later convicted of sexually abusing underage girls in 2009.
The monumental bridge, which once elevated the railway above Karlín and the Vltava River, is not only one of the most significant engineering feats of its time but also a symbol of progress and engineering ingenuity.
When completed on June 1, 1850, its length of 1,111 meters was unparalleled in Europe.
Between 1990 and 2010, about 2.3 million Czechs were born. Often categorized as younger Millennials or older Gen Z, they came of age in a free country—but not an easy world. From the explosion of social media to pandemics and wars nearby, they’re facing challenges few generations before them could imagine.
One of the most prominent voices of this generation is Karel Kovář, better known as Kovy.
Photo: Miroslav Tomeš, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
They are veterans from the 1970’s and because of their characteristic front windows resembling glasses, they were nicknamed “Brejlovec”. They may be old-fashioned, but these diesel engines are not ready to retire. Czech Railways has announced it is giving them a new lease on life.
Czechia is investing millions of crowns into high-speed rail lines that will enable modern trains to travel at higher speeds across the country in the years to come.
Matt Welch was among the first wave of young Westerners who flooded into Prague in the early 1990s. Today a prominent journalist and commentator in his native US, back then he was one of the founders of Prognosis, Czechoslovakia’s first English-language newspaper. And Welch shared lots of colourful recollections of that formative period of his life from his study in New York.
What brought you to Prague in the first place in 1990?.
Every year Prague hosts the largest Romani festival in the world. This year’s 27th edition brought not only concerts of Romani music, but also theatrical performances and the Czech premiere of a documentary film about one of the most iconic figures in film history: Charlie Chaplin.
Czech President Petr Pavel and Prime Minister Petr Fiala extended congratulatory wishes to Karol Nawrocki on his victory in Poland’s presidential election. Pavel expressed optimism that Poland would uphold democratic principles and maintain its pro-Western orientation under Nawrocki’s leadership.
“I congratulate Karol Nawrocki on being elected President of Poland.
Comedian Mark Watson, a household name in the UK, was a star act at this year’s edition of the Prague Fringe. Having previously appeared on British shows like Taskmaster and Would I Lie to You?, his three performances at Malá Strana’s Metro Comedy Club brought Mark and his distinct style of stand-up to Czechia for the first time. Ahead of the second night on May 30th, Danny Bate met up with Mark to hear his impressions of Prague and to discuss what it’s like to perform comedy in another country.
To celebrate International Children’s Day, traditionally observed on June 1st, this edition of Sunday Music Show highlights Czech children’s songs across a range of styles—from folk and jazz to rock and playful “baby punk.” While originally created with young listeners in mind, these songs often carry a charm and creativity that appeal far beyond childhood.
Czech Radio station Plus hosted the Truth in Motion conference, focusing on the quality of information and the role of the media. Among the speakers was Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
“The European Union alone cannot compel Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire.
On the occasion of the Independence Day of the Republic of Azerbaijan
H.E. Mr. Yashar ALIYEV, the Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan, hosted a reception at the Hilton Hotel in Prague.
Mr. Jan Marian – Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic- was the honored speaker.
Watch the video with the speeches of H.E. Mr. Yashar ALIYEV, the Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Mr. Jan Marian, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.
HappyIndependence Day Republic of Azerbaijan
Azərbaycan Respublikasının Müstəqillik Günü mübarək
On the occasion of the National Day, Armed Forces Day of the Republic of Croatia, and 1100 Years from the first Croatian King Tomislav, the Ambassador of Croatia, H.E. Mrs. Ljiljana Pancirov, and the Defense Attache Col. Zdravko Barbaric host a reception and presentation of the tourism in the region is Central Dalmatia at the historic New Town Hall in Prague.
Watch the video with the speech of H.E. Mrs. Ljiljana Pancirov – Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia, Mr. Josko Stella from the tourism in the region is Central Dalmatia, and the beautiful cultural program.
Bongs in a picture taken in the breeding and Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy rescue station. Through it, Prague Zoo supports the program for the reintroduction of bongs into the wild, specifically by financing the planting of forest cover, to which this species is strictly tied. Photo Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo
The upcoming weekend at Prague Zoo will belong to one of the rarest mammals in the world and to child visitors. On Saturday, World Bongo Day will be celebrated, when people will get to know these critically endangered antelopes, which Prague Zoo also protects in their home country of Kenya. On Sunday, on Children’s Day, all children under 15 years of age will have one crown of admission to the Prague Zoo, while the program will be traditionally provided by the Prague City Police. In addition, with the arrival of June, commented feedings and meetings with the animals will begin to take place every day – their schedule will be available in the Prague Zoo mobile application.
“Mountain bongos are beautiful but critically endangered antelopes: only a few dozen of them survive in the forests of the Aberdare region in Kenya. The hope for saving this subspecies is to strengthen the wild population with individuals raised in human care, which, however, must be accompanied by efforts to preserve or restore their natural environment. Thanks to the initiative of breeder Lucie Křížová and her colleagues, Prague Zoo is also involved in this,” says Prague Zoo Director Miroslav Bobek. On the last Saturday in May, visitors can expect two commented bongo feedings at 11:00 and 13:30. In addition, they will be able to meet long-time bongo breeder Lucie Křížová during special meetings at 10:00 and 12:00 at their enclosure next to the Hippo Pavilion. Prague Zoo is now home to four bongos – eight-year-old females Daphne and Rayli, a young female Mimi Pipi born in 2023, and an almost three-year-old male Mau.
Mountain bongs are the rarest of the forest antelopes due to habitat loss, poaching and disease. Photo Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo
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Anyone can support the protection of mountain bongos in Kenya through the Prague Zoo collection account. We help them survive. For example, by transferring any amount to the account 43–680 466 0247/0100 or by purchasing souvenirs at the Prague Zoo e-shop in the section called We help them survive. Last but not least, visit Prague Zoo.
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On the first Sunday in June, when all children under 15 years of age will have admission to the Prague Zoo for a symbolic one crown, there will be a varied program in the area directed by the Prague Municipal Police. Children will enjoy a bouncy castle, a traffic school, face painting or artists on stilts. Adults can look forward to live music performed by the Dixie Band of the Municipal Police at the Educational Center. The full program is attached below.
Children’s Day with the Municipal Police of the capital. Prague, 9:00–18:00
Stilts Kašpar and Klaudie (main entrance and its surroundings)
Children’s traffic school (Children’s Zoo, behind Virtual Reality)
Photo corner (Archa Theatre)
Airbrush tattooing (Children’s Zoo, benches next to the snowman)
Face painting (Children’s Zoo, by the children’s tram)
Sack jumping (Children’s Zoo, by the Hanuman panel)
Target shooting (Children’s Zoo)
Bouncy castle (Veselovský meadow)
Monkey track (Veselovský meadow)
Regular performances by the Dixie Band of the Municipal Police (terrace of the Educational Centre)
Giving out gifts (terrace of the Educational Centre)
Long-time bong keeper at Prague Zoo Lucie Křížová will tell visitors about her charges right at their enclosure on Saturday – first at 10 a.m. and then again at noon. Photo Tereza Mrhálková, Prague Zoo
Award-winning organization Memorial finds asylum in the residence of the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies for its human rights, research, and educational activities
The human rights and educational organization Memorial, after being banned from operating in the Russian Federation, has found refuge in the Prague residence of the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies. From there, members of the organization have continued their professional work and research activities since 2022. These are focused both on mapping the crimes of the Soviet regime and on their current interpretation. Among other things, researchers have organized dozens of workshops and countless working meetings in the villa. They were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts.
The internationally recognized historical, educational and human rights organization Memorial has been operating in the villa of the Speakers of the Chamber of Deputies since 2022. Memorial has long been professionally focused on researching the Soviet repressive system and its contemporary reflections. It was banned by the Russian authorities for its activities, and its members faced persecution, bullying, and harsh treatment in their homeland.
“Memorial researchers systematically contribute to shedding light on the darkest chapters of the Soviet Union and the current Russian Federation. Their efforts were even awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. It is therefore not surprising that they have long been in the crosshairs of Vladimir Putin’s dictatorial regime for their research and civic activities. I am glad that the villa, which I do not live in myself, was put to meaningful use and could serve a good purpose,” said the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová.
For the past two and a half years, up to eight members of the organization have been working in the building of the First Republic functionalist villa from the 1930s on Ladronka in Prague.
“Thanks to the “asylum” provided, Memorial was able to continue its activities and projects, which were forcibly interrupted by the forced judicial liquidation of the organization’s largest branches in Russia and the emigration of many key collaborators. Some of those who had to leave Russia due to the threat of criminal prosecution found long-term refuge in the parliamentary villa – for example, the director of the Memorial library Boris Belenkin or the archivist and historian Irina Ostrovská. They were thus able to smoothly continue their previous activities, continue to expand the Memorial collection with other books, documents or objects, and record further interviews with eyewitnesses – victims of Soviet repressions. Dozens of workshops and working meetings were held in the Prague villa with colleagues from many other Memorial branches who had to leave Russia or continued their work there in difficult conditions. At these meetings, further interconnection of electronic archives and databases, school projects, etc. were agreed upon. Dozens of researchers and activists found temporary residence in the house at Ladronka as part of “The special scholarship program that Memorial announced for its collaborators to maintain its activities. Thanks to the gesture of Markéta Pekarová Adamová, Prague has become, alongside Berlin or Paris, the main support in preserving the important work of Memorial, which works in a unique way with the memory of Soviet repression and also monitors the current enormous human rights violations in Russia and the situation with the growing number of political prisoners,” added Štěpán Černoušek, Chairman of the Memorial Czech Republic.
The period of use of the premises was initially agreed with the management of the Chamber of Deputies for six months. Taking into account the mutual interest, it was then repeatedly extended after its expiration. The Memorial organization undertook to cover the costs of using the facility, which was provided to them free of charge.
It’s been nearly 60 years since Soviet tanks rolled into Czechoslovakia. But as investigative journalist Jaroslav Spurný argues in his new book, “Vrbětice: The Attack that Changed the Czech Republic”, Russia’s security services never truly left. Their tactics evolved—from military occupation to covert sabotage, money laundering, and disinformation campaigns. And Czech politicians, knowingly or not, often helped make it possible.
In the early hours of August 21, 1968, the people of Czechoslovakia woke to the rumble of tanks.
A new mural has just been completed on a building along Milady Horákové Street in Prague’s Holešovice district, near Štrossmayer Square. Created by the masked street artist Toy Box, the large-scale work pays tribute to Milada Horáková, the democratic politician executed in a communist show trial in 1950. Featuring a fragmented portrait and a quote from Horáková’s final letter to her daughter, the mural was finished earlier this week.
We are standing here at the bottom of Milady Horákové Street, in front of your stunning new mural—who was the driving force behind this project?.
After years of debate and determined civic effort, Czechia has finally adopted postal voting for its citizens living abroad. For many, it’s not just a logistical reform, but a powerful act of recognition. In this episode of Czechast, we speak with those who helped make it happen—and those who will now benefit from the change. It’s a story of activism, identity, and democratic belonging.
In the latest episode of Czechast, Radio Prague International speaks to three people closely connected to this achievement: Julie O’Donovan, Marta McCabe, and political scientist Petr Just.
The Museum of Literature in Prague is hosting a powerful new exhibition—centred around a remarkable item on loan from London. At its heart is a rare English edition of Karel Čapek’s Letters from England, signed and dedicated in the autumn of 1941 by twenty Czechoslovak parachute trainees in the UK. Among them was Jan Kubiš, one of the men who would later carry out the assassination of Nazi official Reinhard Heydrich.
The exhibition at the Museum of Literature began on Tuesday, May 27, at exactly 10:31 a.
Children and teenagers in Czechia are increasingly turning to violence as a way to express themselves, according to the Interior Ministry’s annual report on extremism for 2024.
Depression, loneliness, and suicide rates continue to increase. According to some data, in 2021, suicide was the third leading cause of death among youth aged 15 to 29. As a result, some UN Youth Delegates have called on the UN and other world leaders to make mental health one of their top priorities in the coming years, and perhaps, decades. One of them is Czech UN Youth Delegate Veronika Novotná, who outlined the document she co-wrote that focuses on this salient issue.
So, the Global Youth Call to Action on Mental Health.
Filtruj! 2025 is a sister event to Prague Coffee Festival, that functions as another opportunity for coffee enthusiasts in Prague, and for those visiting the city, to celebrate the country’s coffee culture. This year’s Filtruj! festival was held at the scenic National Library of the Czech Republic in Klementinum on May 24. Due to my fondness for great coffee, I went there to speak to its head coordinator Tereza Vybíralová.
First, let’s talk about some of the inspirations behind this year’s coffee festival, Filtruj.
On May 27th, the ‘Day of Czech’ (Den češtiny) is serving up a multi-genre programme of linguistic events, designed to inform Czech speakers about their language and help them to look at it with new eyes. Aimed in the morning at school groups, and later on the general public, the Day of Czech is being held in Prague’s Kampus Hybernská, where Danny Bate met with one of the team behind the event, Dr. Ondřej Dufek.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized the National Development Day for the second time. The public was invited to the gardens of the Czernin Palace on Friday, where information stands and key players provided information about the government’s development policy projects and humanitarian aid. Along with this, Africa Day was held on the premises of the Foreign Ministry, where diplomats, investors, and NGOs discussed development policy.
Africa is a geopolitical player of constantly growing importance, as stated by Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský at the start of Africa Day.
Tyrš House celebrated 100 years since its reconstruction and reopening as the Prague headquarters of the Czech Sokol community in 1925. To mark the occasion, the organisation christened a colourful mural by artist Michal Škapa.
Tyrš House, previously known as the Michna Palace, is an iconic sight of Prague’s Malá Strana district.
Dr. Tomáš Páleníček is a leading Czech proponent of the use of psychedelics in certain kinds of psychiatric treatment. The psychiatrist and several colleagues recently appeared in a documentary named Doctor on a Trip that followed them to the Amazon rainforest, where they mapped brain activity during ceremonies centred on ayahuasca, a traditional hallucinogenic drink. I spoke to Páleníček at our Prague studios.
The recent Czech documentary Doctor on a Trip [directed by David Čálek] shows you and your team going to the Amazon fainforest and conducting tests with ayahuasca.
Junior world cyclo-cross vice-champion Barbora Bukovská defeated her rivals by a huge margin of 1 minute and 22 seconds in a spectacular race at the Vysočina Arena. Cyclo-cross is a form of bicycle racing that combines cycling and running, since the terrains force riders to dismount and carry their bicycles over some distances.
Czech guitarist and composer David Dorůžka and Polish pianist Piotr Wyleżoł – two leading names on the Central European jazz scene – have teamed up for a new album titled When the Child Was a Child. Officially launched this week at JazzFestBrno, the record takes its name from Wim Wenders’ film Wings of Desire and offers an acoustic journey drawing on both jazz and folk traditions.
The David Dorůžka & Piotr Wyleżoł Quartet is rounded out by double bassist Michał Barański and drummer Michał Miśkiewicz.
A major exhibition dedicated to legendary Czech animator and illustrator Jiří Trnka opened this week at Prague’s Villa Pellé. It brings together both familiar and rarely seen works—from film puppets and book illustrations to paintings and sculptures— showcasing the full range of his creative genius.
Villa Pellé was brimming with visitors on Tuesday for the official opening of Jiří Trnka’s major retrospective.
While Czechia prides itself on the quality of its beer, the experience of drinking the golden liquid is just as important as the product itself. Prague has no shortage of good pubs to visit, but as the summer sun shines, it’s more tempting to make the most of the weather and enjoy a glass or two outside.
We bring you another part of our series focusing on World War II war veterans, a story of a Belgian POW who found himself in Czechoslovakia in May 1945.
In Prague, the uprising has been raging for several days.
Mark Watson, Pip Utton, Festival Indie and more – May 26-31, 2025 | Various venues in Lesser Town
Prague’s English-language theatre and comedy festival returns for its 24th year this May, and everything is shaping up to be an exceptional year. From May 26-31, Prague Fringe will once again transform the iconic venues of Lesser Town into a vibrant international stage full of theatre, comedy, storytelling, and spoken word.
With 42 productions and over 130 individual performances, the festival is proud to welcome back favorite Fringe regulars, including Pip Utton and Gareth Armstrong, whose critically acclaimed solo performance Shylock opened the first Prague Fringe in 2002. This year, they will be joined by brand new projects, international premieres, and talented new names from around the world.
One of the biggest names this year is British comedian Mark Watson, known for his sharp, lightning humor and appearances on BBC shows such as Mock the Week and Taskmaster. He will headline a rich comedy programme, created in collaboration with Prague’s Metro Comedy Club, which will transform into a center for stand-up and sketch comedy for a week.
Another big draw on the programme is the India Festival, which brings four unique productions from the world’s most populous country – a diverse mix of spoken word, comedy and theatre. Highlights include Love, Laughter & Longing, a moving performance by Priya Malik and Simar Singh on the themes of identity and desire, and The Chai Queens – A Tale of Love & Longing, a theatrical interpretation of love and expectation in a family, connecting stories that resonate across cultures.
This year’s Queer Fringe features bold, genre-defying works that explore identity, pleasure and protest. Don’t miss Fckboy, a raw and humorous look at gender dysphoria and the trans experience; Black Dress, an award-winning solo performance celebrating defiance and queer resilience; and Deeptime Atomic Waste Pleasure Party, a surreal, hedonistic journey into queer eco-futurism.
Whether you are a loyal Fringe fan or a curious newcomer, this year’s Prague Fringe invites you to venture onto the wild side of theatre.
Festival Director Steve Gove says:
“We are incredibly proud of what this year’s programme represents – a truly international celebration of creativity. From big names like Mark Watson, to powerful stories from India, to unforgettable Fringe classics – we are in for a week that will surprise, provoke, and entertain.”
For the full programme and tickets, visit: www.praguefringe.com/programme
Prague Zoo announced the details of the June transport of Przewalski’s horses to the Golden Steppe in central Kazakhstan at a press conference. This time too, it will be an extremely demanding operation.
“This year’s transport will begin on Monday, June 2nd – and just like last year, two Czech military CASA aircraft will fly, one from Prague and the other from Debrecen, Hungary. Each of them should have four Przewalski’s horses on board. This will be our eleventh transport of wild horses from Central Europe to Asia. However, I must admit that preparations have never been accompanied by so many complications,” says Prague Zoo Director Miroslav Bobek.
This year’s transport already knows the names of all the Przewalski’s horse candidates. They are selected mainly according to their character traits, health, age, and genetic suitability – so that they are as little related as possible. This year, two stallions and six mares should head to the Altyn Dala area, or the “Golden Steppe”.
The transport of four selected individuals, who will fly from Prague, will begin in the early morning hours of June 2nd at the breeding and acclimatization station in Dolní Dobřejov. Other horses from the Hortobágy National Park will fly from Debrecen on the same day.
The Prague CASA should take off at approximately 1:30 in the afternoon, and a little later, the plane from Debrecen will take off. There will be stopovers in Istanbul and Baku. The plane’s destination is the airport in Arkalyk. From there, the horses will continue by land to the Alibi reintroduction center. Upon arrival, they will first be released into acclimatization pens. There are also seven horses that Prague Zoo transported here last year in cooperation with the Czech Army. These days, they are already preparing to be released into the wild.
Prague Zoo plans to carry out transports to the Golden Steppe in Kazakhstan in the coming years, in order to ensure a viable and stable population. At the same time, however, it is also preparing a large return of Przewalski’s horses to eastern Mongolia, to the Valley of the Monasteries. Prague Zoo plays a crucial role in the story of the last wild horse. It maintains its International Stud Book and the European Breeding Program.
In a bid to attract new recruits, the Czech Army transformed Prague’s riverfront into a live demonstration of military prowess. The event featured soldiers rappelling from helicopters, armored vehicles on display, and interactive exhibits for the public.
The Czech Army recently took over Prague’s riverfront, presenting a vivid display of its capabilities to the public.
It is the duty of today’s generation to compare Nazi lies and euphemisms with those of the present, Prime Minister Petr Fiala warned against propaganda during the memorial ceremony in Terezín.
From Czech meadows and forests to tropical jungles, dry African steppes, and the mountainous slopes of Asia, Czechia is home to a wide array of botanical gardens. These gardens offer visitors the chance to admire plant species from around the world and serve as vital centres for nature conservation and ecological education.
Near Prague Zoo and the Baroque Troja Chateau lies one of the largest botanical gardens in Czechia.
A unique research project is currently underway at Palacký University in Olomouc. Chemists are studying residues—possibly the remnants of ancient medicines—on medieval medical manuscripts and printed books. The project carried out in collaboration with medical experts, aims to shed new light on historical medical practices.
Until now, most research into medieval prescriptions has focused solely on philological and historical analysis—studying text.
After seven years of research, scientists have confirmed the origin of human remains found in a mysterious chest in a church in Olomouc – they belonged to the city’s ancient Přemyslid rulers.
In the history of Bohemia and Moravia, ‘Přemyslid’ is a term that looms large.
In January 1942, the Kohn family boarded a transport at the Pilsen railway station and never returned. Other tenants moved into their apartment and their belongings were gradually lost. Everything disappeared, except for the diary that twelve-year-old Věrka Kohnová wrote, documenting the last tragic year of her life.
Journalist and writer Jana Poncarová was so moved by the twelve-year-old’s diary that she decided to publish a book based on the entries in collaboration with historian Jiří Sankot.
We all come into daily contact with a certain amount of industrially produced chemicals that are known to be harmful to our health. But some professions are more at risk than others. Researchers at Brno’s Masaryk University are conducting a study that indicates that firefighters are at increased risk of cardiovascular diseases due to “eternal chemicals”.
Eternal chemicals are a large group of widely used, industrially produced chemicals that are almost non-degradable by natural processes.
Jiří Pehe is one of Czechia’s best-known political scientists, regularly sharing his insights with domestic and international media. But his own story is also noteworthy. After a dramatic 1981 escape to the West, he made a new life in the US. Following the fall of communism he returned to his native country and became a close advisor to President Václav Havel. Pehe then became director of New York University Prague, a position he is about to retire from after more than a quarter of a century.
What was your family background? Was yours a household where politics was discussed among the family?.
The number of young people in Czechia who smoke classic cigarettes, drink alcohol or use cannabis substances continues to decline, according to the results of the Czech part of the 8th European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD).
Photo: Katarzyna Czerwińska, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 PL
Former Slovak president, Andrej Kiska, gave an interview to Radio Prague International during his visit to the Czech capital, in which he expressed concern about his country’s future under Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s government and about a possible Czech rapprochement with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán following this year’s general elections.
In late April, Slovakia’s president from 2014 to 2019, Andrej Kiska, visited the Anglo-American University in Prague to give a talk on “Democracy and Civic Duty.
Eva Haňková is a Czechoslovak-born centenarian who lives in the United States. She is one of the few surviving people who met Czechoslovakia’s co-founder and first president T.G. Masaryk. The few seconds with the president made her an overnight celebrity. To this day philatelists know her as “the girl from the stamp with President Masaryk”.
When Eva was a little girl growing up in Žďár nad Sázavou her home town was feverishly preparing for a visit by Czechoslovakia’s beloved head of state – President T.
New research carried out by Czech scientists has revealed that Říp, the country’s most iconic hill, was once a lava lake. The solitary peak formed over 26 million years ago during a powerful volcanic eruption, which sent molten lava into a deep underground crater.
At just over 460 meters above sea level, Říp isn’t the tallest mountain in the country—but its unmistakable shape makes it a dominant feature of the Central Bohemian Uplands, a volcanic landscape north of Prague.
Plans are going ahead for the construction of Via Silva Nortica – a cycling path that will connect the Highlands, South Bohemia and Lower Austria. After almost two years of effort, all the land where the path will run has been secured and construction work can begin along individual stretches.
The Via Silva Nortica will pass through the picturesque countryside of the Highlands through South Bohemia and end in Melk, known as one of the pearls of the Danube.
Visitors can see bears in castle moats across parts of Czechia in Český Krumlov, Točník, and, until recently, Konopiště and Náchod. But the 400-year tradition is increasingly under fire. Critics point to inadequate conditions, while supporters speak of tradition and regular inspections. So, can we expect bears to disappear from Czech castle moats?
The National Heritage Institute (NMI) plans to end animal breeding in castles and chateaus by 2030.
Once a year since 1966, thousands of Czechs have put on their walking shoes and set off through the Bohemian countryside to the small town of Prčice. Among the 24,500 walkers this year was RPI’s Danny Bate.
The annual Prague–Prčice March (Pochod Praha–Prčice) is a major milestone in the Czech hiker’s calendar.
The skies overhead may be dark and cloudy, but the Czech land below is currently showing worrying signs of drought. What are the causes? And what do meteorologists forecast for the summer months? Danny Bate spoke to bio-climatologist Miroslav Trnka from the Intersucho project, which monitors drought in Czechia, to find out more.
We have some pretty serious analysis from the Intersucho project, with a very scary figure that a quarter of Czechia is experiencing extreme drought this year.
Eighty years after the end of World War II, Czech and Slovak communities in London continue to reflect on its legacy. Jana Nahodilová from OKÉNKO and the British Czech and Slovak Association speaks about upcoming events, including a discussion on the Runciman Mission and a film screening of The Auschwitz Report. She also shares plans for a literature festival and summer gathering that celebrate Czech and Slovak life abroad today.
While the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II has already been commemorated in official ceremonies, the Czech and Slovak community in the United Kingdom isn’t finished remembering.
The most well-known Czech saints are likely Saint Ludmila and Saint Agnes, followed by Saint Wenceslas, Saint Jan of Nepomuk, and Saints Cyril and Methodius. Saint Jan Sarkander and Saint Zdislava were canonized on May 21, 1995, by Pope John Paul II in Olomouc.
Saint Zdislava of Lemberk was born around 1220 in Moravia, and her life was dedicated to helping those in need.
For this week’s Sunday Music Show, we’re celebrating the pinnacle of the classical-music calendar in Czechia: the Prague Spring International Music Festival.
This year, the festival is marking its eightieth edition, which began on May 12th and runs until June 3rd.
In this new episode of Czechast, host Vít Pohanka meets Jean Svoboda and her partner Richard in person for the first time. Jean, an Australian with Czech and Latvian roots, is back in Czechia to continue piecing together her family history. Richard, who had never been to Europe before their first trip, joins her again and shares what this journey has meant to him. Together, they reflect on identity, heritage, and the enduring pull of ancestral memory.
Photo: Klára Stejskalová, Radio Prague International
With the success of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, there has been a substantial increase in tourists visiting the Czech city of Kutná Hora, located just one hour outside of Prague by train. But which locations stand out? Members of our team visited the city to speak with tour guide Lara Emig about the uniquely well-rendered buildings featured in the hit game.
The first game centers around towns like Rataje, Sázava, Talmberk, and other areas nearby.
The countries of the Nordic and Baltic regions – Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden – hold their yearly joint National Days celebration together, and invited Ukraine to join them. Prague is the only place where this celebration has been arranged for many years. We fully agree with Ambassadors when they say that „our strength thrives not only in our economies and our alliances but above all in our values. Solidarity, justice, respect for human rights, and fundamental freedoms form the foundation of our societies. It works both inwards and outwards.“ We all stand for Ukraine together as great allies and partners.
This time, the celebration took place at the beautiful Fanta Hall at Prague’s main train station. One of the most beautiful Art Nouveau buildings in the capital.
The Honorable speaker was Mr. Miloš Vystrčil, President of the Senate.
Watch the video from the event with the speech of :
H.E. Ms. Gita KALMET, Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia
H.E. Mr. Fredrik JÖRGENSEN, Ambassador Sweden
H.E. Mr. Soren KELSTRUP, Ambassador of Kingdom of Denmark
H.E. Mr. Pasi Olavi TUOMINEN, Ambassador of the Republic of Finland
Mr. Kristian OEDEGAARD, Chargé d´Affaires of the Kingdom of Norway
H.E. Mr. Rolandas KAČINSKAS, Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania
H.E. Mr. Vilmars HENINŠ, Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia
On the occasion of the 77th Anniversary of the Independence of the State of Israel and the 35th year of renewal of the diplomatic relations between the Czech Republic and the State of Israel.
H.E. Ms. Anna AZARI, Ambassador of the State of Israel, hosted a reception at the beautiful garden of the Ambassador’s residence.
Mr. Tomáš Pojar – the Government National Security Adviser of the Czech Republic was the honored guest.
Watch the video with the speech of the Ambassador of the State of Israel, H.E. Ms. Anna Azari, and of Mr. Tomáš Pojar – the Government National Security Adviser of the Czech Republic.
Happy Independence Day, Israel
תחי מדינת ישראל
from left to right : Ms. Roni ABRAMSON PILTZ, Deputy Head of Mission; H.E. Ms. Anna AZARI, Ambassador; Colonel David ISRAELY, Defence Attaché; Ms. Iris Avital MALKA, Consular Affairs
On Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at Prague Castle, the President of the Republic, Petr Pavel, received the credentials of the new ambassadors extraordinary and plenipotentiary:
HE Mr. Martin Muránsky, new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Republic, based in Prague;
HE Mr. Fuad Karim Saliba Kokaly, the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Palestine, based in Prague;
HE Mr. Imomudin Mirzoyevich Sattorov, new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Tajikistan, based in Berlin;
HE Mr. Eskindir Yirga Asfaw, the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, based in Berlin.
Among the many warm tributes to Jiří Bartoška, who passed away last week at 78, has been one published by Variety from journalist Steven Gaydos. The Czech actor took the reins at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 1994 and that was also the first edition for Gaydos, who subsequently watched Bartoška and his team turn a moribund event into the vibrant, internationally renowned celebration of cinema it is today.
You first attended the Karlovy Vary festival in 1994.
Czechia is mourning star of stage and screen Jiří Bartoška, who passed away on May 8th at 78 years of age. Among his many achievements, the charismatic actor is most fondly remembered for reinvigorating the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and ensuring its lasting success.
Born in 1947 in Děčín, at that time in north-west Czechoslovakia, Bartoška learned his craft at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno.
The Prague Spring International Music Festival, one of the highlights of the Czech cultural calendar, kicked off its eightieth edition on May 12th. As per tradition, the opening concert was a performance of Bedřich Smetana’s My Country, played by the Czech Philharmonic, and with President Pavel in attendance. The programme of music runs until June 3rd. To understand the ideas and planning behind such a big event, Danny Bate spoke to its programme director, Josef Třeštík.
How would you describe the status of the Prague Spring International Music Festival?.
In a new episode, Czechast speaks to Jan Trčka, a Czech citizen who left his civilian life behind to fight in Ukraine. In a wide-ranging and deeply personal conversation, Trčka explains his motivations, battlefield experiences, and the moral clarity that drives his commitment.
As Europe marks 80 years since the end of World War II, war is once again raging on the continent—this time in Ukraine.
The Foreign Ministry expects tens of thousands of voters abroad to participate in the autumn elections to the Chamber of Deputies. More than 600,000 Czechs are long-term residents abroad. For the first, time this year, they can vote by correspondence. In order to vote, Czechs from abroad must be registered on special electoral lists at embassies. They can do so now, no later than 40 calendar days before election day.
Czech President Petr Pavel announced that the elections to the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Czech parliament, will be held on 2-3 October this year, the latest possible date.
Brno scientists are developing a system for monitoring pilot fatigue or any kind of health problem. Based on a camera with artificial intelligence, the device monitors the pilot’s condition and, if necessary, responds with an alert or a more insistent wake-up call.
Long journeys –in the air and on the road-can get tedious and, after a few hours of monotonous activity, it is easy to nod off.
Eurovision season is upon us, and Czechia is this year represented by Slovakia-born singer Adonxs (Adam Pavlovčin). Performing Kiss Kiss Goodbye, the singer will first appear before an international audience in the second semi-final on May 15th. But how will he do? Danny Bate spoke to journalist and Radio Wave broadcaster Miroslav Harant to discuss the Czech Eurovision entry.
Adonxs is a young musician originally from Myjava in Slovakia.
A team of Czech speleologists have successfully completed the longest possible cave traverse in the country—a route no one had managed until now. Over nearly two days, the trio navigated a challenging, seven-kilometre journey through the Amatérská caves system in the Moravian Karst.
It’s a feat Czech cavers have dreamt of since the 1980s.
A Museum of Survivors has opened near Brno, in the former factory of Oskar Schindler, the German industrialist credited with saving the lives of 1,200 Jews during World War II. Its official opening, held on May 10th, was planned to coincide with the celebrations marking eighty years since the end of WWII.
While the celebrated 1993 film Schindler’s List is set primarily in Poland, Oskar Schindler was himself a native of Svitavy, the town in Moravia known as Zwittau in German.
The 2025 Ice Hockey World Championship is in full swing and, after a good start for the Czechs, hockey fans at home are glued to their sets hoping for another medal.
Long before GPS apps were common and smartphones ubiquitous, Pavel Novák was printing maps and decoding clues with his wife and two young children on the streets of Brussels. It was 2008, and what started as a simple weekend activity soon evolved into something much bigger: a cross-continental pursuit of hidden treasures. As geocaching celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, Novák reflects on how the hobby shaped his family life, his travels, and even his reporting.
“It was during our stay in Brussels in 2008,” Pavel Novák explains: “My wife was there with our two children, and she was looking for something to do with them, to get them outside.
Music played a crucial role in boosting the morale of both troops and civilians during World War Two. Songs from both sides of the Atlantic got people on the dance floor and rallied spirits through many dark days and nights of the war. Here are some of the iconic hits that resounded at the time.
The song Škoda lásky from 1927 is probably one of the most famous Czech songs worldwide.
On May 13th 1935, twins Karel and Jan Saudek were born in Prague. Their life story is like something out of a dramatic film – from their early childhood during the Nazi occupation to their unique artistic careers that made them legends of Czech comics and photography.
Kája Saudek was a pioneer of Czech comics, and his style is still unmistakable today.
Photo: Magdalena Kašubová, Radio Prague International
The geopark in Český ráj (Bohemian Paradise) is in danger of losing its UNESCO status. According to auditors, it cooperates with institutions that sell precious stones of unclear origin such as “blood minerals” mined under highly problematic conditions in Africa.
The geopark is taking the matter very seriously and has ended its cooperation with the Bohemian Paradise Museum in Turnov over the dispute.
Felix Kafka was born in Prague almost exactly a century ago and escaped the Holocaust after being placed on one of the “kindertransports” to the UK organised by Nicholas Winton. He talked to Radio Prague International’s Alex Rosenzweig from his home in England, where he has lived since 1939.
Felix Kafka, thank you very much for being with us.
Photo: David Steiner, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
What do Czechs and Czech historians think about Czech treatment of the Jewish community in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and Czechoslovakia in the 20th century? Jakub Ferenčík spoke to historian Ivan Puš to understand the shifting narratives surrounding Jewish belonging in Czechoslovakia.
According to a 2025 survey published by GLOBSEC, Czechia is one of the countries in central and eastern Europe where most people would defend their homeland in the event of a foreign attack. But why? I spoke with Director for Policy and Programming at GLOBSEC Dominika Hajdu to delve into this research and what it says about Czechs.
In Czechia, up to 81 percent of respondents said they would defend their country if it were attacked.
This year the Prague Transport Company is celebrating 150 years of public transport in the Czech capital. To mark the occasion, it has prepared a documentary series entitled “The secrets of the Prague tramlines”.
Most commuters on Prague trams these days are preoccupied with their mobile phones and few of them bother to look out of the tram windows at the changing scenery along the route.
Rohanský ostrov, or Rohan Island, is a place many Prague residents pass without a second thought. Once a true island in the Vltava River, it later became a forgotten industrial zone. Today, it’s undergoing a transformation into a modern, sustainable neighborhood—with green parks, housing, and public spaces. In this episode of Prague Off the Beaten Track, we take a closer look at its layered past and ambitious future.
If you’ve ever taken the metro to Karlín, or crossed Libeňský Bridge by tram, chances are you passed right by it—without even knowing it was there.
The President of the Republic, Petr Pavel, welcomed His Majesty the King of the Belgians at Prague Castle on Monday, May 5, 2025.
President Pavel awarded the head of the Kingdom of Belgium a state decoration – the Order of the White Lion, 1st Class, with a chain of the order. He thus recognized the significant contribution to strengthening friendly relations between the Kingdom of Belgium and the Czech Republic, in particular by supporting and strengthening historical awareness of the common fight for freedom, symbolized by the participation of the Belgian 17th Rifle Battalion in the liberation of Pilsen and Western Bohemia in May 1945.
Watch the video from the reception at Prague Castle.
The Ambassador of Malaysia, H.E. Ms. SUZILAH BINTI MOHD SIDEK, hosted a farewell reception at her beautiful residence.
The honoured speakers were Senator Pavel Fischer, the chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Security, and H.E. Most Reverend Jude Thaddeus OKOLO.
Here are selected sections of speeches of Senator Pavel Fischer, H.E. Most Reverend Jude Thaddeus OKOLO, and H.E. Ms. SUZILAH BINTI MOHD SIDEK at the reception.
The Ambassador of Sweden, H.E. Mr. Fredrik JÖRGENSEN, and the “Team Sweden” hosted the opening of the exhibition “Swedish stones” by Ivana Machackova. At the beautiful Embassy garden.
Ivana Machackova is a Czech-Swedish artist living in Sweden. She is fond of monoliths and works with artistic design of outdoor spaces: parks, streets, squares, and neighborhoods in Sweden. Her inspiration comes from the Swedish nature.
Ivana Machackova has made sculptures especially for this unique exhibition in the garden of the Swedish Embassy in Prague.
The sculptures can be viewed by appointment May 7 – June 6, 2025.
It was a great evening with live music by Matěj M. Štrunc and Jan Bradáč
On May 5, 2025, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Markéta Pekarová Adamová held talks in Prague with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. They discussed the situation in Ukraine in the current global context. The Speaker emphasized that the recognition of the occupied Ukrainian territories as part of the Russian Federation is completely unacceptable. She also expressed gratitude for the commitment and dedication that Ukrainians consistently demonstrate, and which keeps dictator Putin away from our borders.
“The President appreciated the support that his country, which is being tested, receives from us. In fact, on the contrary, we should thank our Ukrainian allies every day. It is only thanks to their incredible commitment and dedication that they manage to keep the armed forces of the unscrupulous dictator Putin from advancing further west and thus further from the borders of our country,” said the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová.
The two representatives also spoke about the current situation and prospects of Ukraine in the current dynamically changing geopolitical context.
“We do not and will never consider the occupied Ukrainian territories, including Crimea, to be part of the Russian Federation. Only Ukrainians have the right to decide on their future and geopolitical direction. Russia must not be rewarded for its unprovoked aggression with Ukrainian territorial concessions – such a move would mean the end of the international order as we know it. Our essential interest and long-term goal, therefore remains the achievement of a just and lasting peace,” added the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, after the meeting.
The Chamber of Deputies delegation also included all the deputy chairmen of the lower parliamentary chamber and the Chairman of the Security Committee, Pavel Žáček.
The Chamber of Deputies has already adopted several resolutions in support of Ukraine (including on the first day of the war, designating the Ukrainian famine as genocide, and designating the Russian regime as a terrorist). Czech-Ukrainian interparliamentary cooperation also takes place within the framework of the Crimean Platform, whose second parliamentary summit took place in Prague the year before last in the autumn at the initiative of the Speaker.
Strong jaws equipped with short, tile-like “stools” serve the dracaena as a nutcracker. Photo Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo
Half aquatic, half arboreal, partly green, but also orange; but above all, uniquely snail-eating. Such are the crocodile-eating dracaenas, whose breeding at Prague Zoo has gained new blood. Five almost one-year-old lizards arrived in Prague from Basel with the aim of continuing the local successful tradition. In 1998, Prague Zoo was the first in the world to breed these sturdy reptiles. Visitors can see them in the Terrarium pavilion.
“I would compare it to polishing the family silver,” says reptile curator Petr Velenský. “In August, it will be exactly thirty years since we started breeding dracaenas. At that time, it was a creature known more from textbooks and museums, and there was little information about its life or even photographs. When we managed to breed it in 1998 and published the breeding methodology in the professional journal Zoo Prague Gazella, it was the first documented breeding of this species in human care and a real sensation. Our young went to India, for example, as part of an exchange for gharials.”
With their tongue, the dracaena skillfully turns its slippery bite several times and separates the sharp fragments of crushed shell, which they spit out. Photo Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo
However, until recently, there was only one old female left at Zoo Prague, which the breeders had to peel from the snail shell and feed directly into its mouth. In order not to interrupt the important continuity of breeding, it was necessary to obtain young, unrelated individuals.
Five young dracaenas – three males and two females hatched last July – were acquired by Zoo Prague from colleagues from the Swiss Basel Zoo. The remaining female, who is now enjoying a peaceful old age in the garden’s backyard, has been replaced by this group of vital youngsters in a massive exhibit in the Terrarium pavilion. There, people can see their bizarre diet with their own eyes.
The massive orange head and large black eyes give the crocodile-like dracaenas an attractive appearance. The wide, dark tongue is also striking. Photo Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo
“Dracaena crocodilia almost without exception seek out snails with shells. We usually feed them every other day with spotted snails, which are commonly bred on farms in our country for human consumption. They can eat up to five snails per sitting, which we provide thawed and warmed, whole, of course. The dracaenas then crack open the shells accompanied by loud cracking and slapping as they turn the morsel in their mouths, remove shell fragments with their tongues, and prepare the slippery body for swallowing,” says Velenský.
Dracaena crocodilia belongs to the family of lizards and, despite their Czech species name, they have very little in common with crocodiles, perhaps with the exception of a series of scales with low bumps and a fondness for water. They seek shelter from predators and food in the water. This species is found in the Amazon forests of South America. Due to their secretive lifestyle, relatively little is still known about them, and therefore the extent and status of the wild population cannot be well estimated.
A group of one-year-old lizards in the Terrarium pavilion in the lower part of Prague Zoo are now about 60 cm long, but as adults they can grow to twice that length and weigh around four kilograms. Photo Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo
May 5th marks eighty years since the Prague Uprising, the daring efforts of the Czech Resistance to throw off Nazi rule. Having played a pivotal part in the uprising, Czech Radio holds annual acts of commemoration.
On May 8th millions of people around Czechia rejoiced in the news that Germany had finally surrendered and the war was over. But for many inmates of the Terezín ghetto, the suffering was far from over. Many had nowhere to go and another 1,500 inmates succumbed to the typhus epidemic that spread through the camp.
Terezín was a military fortress that never served its original purpose.
Photo: Barbora Němcová, Radio Prague International
Politicians, veterans, and members of the public gathered outside Czech Radio’s Prague headquarters on Monday to mark the 80th anniversary of the Prague Uprising against Nazi rule. The uprising began on 5 May 1945, near the end of the Second World War, and the ceremony honoured those who fought and died in the final days of the occupation.
The Czech Radio building, a symbol of national resistance, was the epicentre of the uprising and the site of one of the fiercest battles against Nazi forces.
For the first time in years, American veterans are once again taking part in commemorative events marking the end of World War II. What are the stories of the last surviving liberators of the Plzeň region and southwest Bohemia?
They’re eager to make the journey – for many, it will be their first time back in Europe since 1945.
The plan to build two new nuclear units at the Dukovany power plant in the Vysočina Region has now been stalled, as the Regional Court in Brno on Tuesday blocked the signing of the final contract with a preliminary injunction. This was done in response to a lawsuit by the French energy company EDF, who unsuccessfully bid for the tender.
The construction of two new nuclear units for the Dukovany power plant is a major project of the Czech state.
The company Elektrárna Dukovany II (EDU II), which oversees the nuclear tender for the Dukovany project, will file a cassation complaint with the Supreme Administrative Court in response to a preliminary injunction issued by the Brno Regional Court.
