AuthorMartin Hladík

Czechia is becoming increasingly attractive for international students, and numbers are growing fast, but the bureaucratic challenges faced by prospective students can be daunting.  We bring you tips and advice on how to get your diploma recognised.

To many people the word nostrification is unknown until they become students abroad. In essence, this is the official process of comparing and matching foreign high school or university qualifications to the local system. Contrary to its simple explanation, the nostrification process in the Czech Republic can be long and complicated, especially for undergraduate students who have completed their secondary education outside the country or the European Union as a whole.

See the rest here.

Author: Lora Lúkova

Photo: Filip Jandourek, Czech Radio

A telescope in the Štefánik Observatory on Prague’s Petřín hill has been returned after underdoing extensive repairs in Germany for two years. The telescope, which was first placed in the observatory in 1930, allows visitors to observe the moon, planets, and even the Sun during the day. Magdalena Hrnkova, a specialist at the Observatory, told me more.

“The telescope has been at the observatory since the 1930s and has undergone some minor repairs, most of which were done by hand. It was in dire need of serious repairs this time.”

What is special about this telescope? What can be seen through it?

“It’s a telescope with a very big lens, which aren’t very common these days although they were quite common 100 years ago. Telescopes like these are used for mapping the moon, it has two telescopes – one for observing and one for taking photographs. It is particularly good at observing the solar system, the moon and the planets.”

Given the fact that the telescope is quite old, was it complicated to take out for repair and reinstall?

“Yes, it was quite a complicated process and we were quite nervous about it. To get it out of the building, we had to lift it out with a crane. Since the observatory is in the middle of the rose garden at Petřín, we didn’t know if the crane would fit. The telescope is quite heavy, five tonnes in total. So we needed to take it out in two parts. But all went well, and it’s safely back in now.”

See the rest here.

Písek, a South Bohemian town of around 30,000 inhabitants, was an important town in the Middle Ages and has a well-preserved medieval centre with six churches and a partly preserved Gothic castle, rebuilt into the town hall and a brewery. Known as a centre of education, it also is home to a number of important schools.

Where is Czechia’s oldest bridge? You might be tempted to think it’s Charles Bridge in Prague – but you would be wrong. The oldest surviving bridge in what is now Czechia is actually located in the South Bohemian town of Písek, as Jaroslav Jiřík from the Prácheň Museum in Písek proudly tells me.

“We have here the oldest stone bridge in the Czech Republic. It’s older than Charles Bridge in Prague. It was founded in the 13th century and Charles Bridge was built by Emperor Charles IV, so only in the middle or late 14th century.”

The Písek Stone Bridge, one of the oldest preserved bridges in Europe, was the site of some colourful local traditions, says Jan Kouba, also from the Prácheň Museum.

See the rest here.

Authors: Anna Fodor, Zdeňka Kuchyňová

When your child isn’t feeling well, the next step any parent would take after over the counter medicine would be a paediatrician – but that’s not so easy any more in Czechia. Today, many Czech parents don’t have a general practitioner for their child, meaning more end up going to emergency rooms for more minor issues, causing a backlog in hospitals. Czech Radio reporter Lucie Pávová told me more about the issue.

“The main problem is that the paediatricians in the Czech Republic are getting older. Right now, there are about 2,000 of them – but half of them are older than 60. This is a big problem, especially because younger paediatricians don’t want to work in smaller towns, cities, and villages. There is a small town called Tachov near the German border – and the issue is that the few paediatricians who are working in the town are older and will retire soon, and no one younger wants to replace them.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

On Thursday, April 18, 2024, at Prague Castle, the President of the Republic Petr Pavel received the credentials of the new ambassadors to the Czech Republic:

H.E. Mr. Suwat Kaewsook, the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Thailand, based in Prague

H.E. Mr. Kansuke Nagaoka, the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan based in Prague

H.E. Mrs. Ana Berenice Díaz Ceballos Parada, the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of Mexico, based in Prague

H.E. Mr.  Benjamin Albert Hayes, the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Commonwealth of Australia, based in Warsaw.

Source : Hrad.cz

Pictures : Tomáš Fongus

In the past year, 43% of foreigners and 36% of domestic travelers visited one of the cultural monuments in the Czech Republic. Castles and chateaux are the most frequently visited. Monuments in Prague play a leading role, and visitors also spend the most on this activity. Among foreign visitors, the sights in the Czech Republic are most often sought by travelers from the USA, France, Spain, and Italy.

Cultural monuments have long been among the most visited destinations from the point of view of foreign and domestic tourists. During the last year, they recorded a total of over 21 million visits, 3 million year-on-year, and almost 17% more. People in this area most often head for castles and chateaux, but there is also interest in museums and galleries, temples and churches, towers, folk culture, architecture, or perhaps places associated with important personalities.

“From the VISA data, it follows that expenses for activities from the category of cultural monuments make up roughly 17% of all tourist spending, the most of which is in Prague – almost 80%. Those who are further away from us travel to see monuments. It is logical – if a person is considering a longer trip, he wants to see as much of the country as possible. But those who believe in cultural monuments and history also include people who have culture in their blood. In addition to US citizens (73%), travelers from France (77%), Spain (73%), or Italy (72%) also search for them most often. Swedes (69%) and the Dutch (66%) also like them. On the other hand, citizens of neighboring countries – Austria, Slovakia, Poland, and Germany – spend their stay in the Czech Republic also in other activities, and on average a third of them go to see sights in their own country,” sums up František Reismüller, director of the Czech Tourism Office – CzechTourism.

Last year, 4.2 million people visited state castles, chateaux, and other monuments managed by the National Institute of Monuments, which is a year-on-year increase of 10%. % more than the year before. Last year, the greatest increase in the interest of tourists was recorded in monuments after restoration, which made available additional spaces or sightseeing routes and thus offered new things to visitors.

“The other most visited monuments are Lednice Castle with 349,000 visitors or the European Marian pilgrimage site Svatá Hora in the Příbram region, which was visited by over 310,000 people. There is also considerable interest in the largest Czech outdoor museum – the Wallachian Museum in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, where 305,000 people went. tourists. The Sedlec Campus in Kutná Hora, which was chosen for a visit by 291,000 people, is sought after. tourists, the art nouveau gem of Prague, the Municipal House, which was visited by 261 thousand visitors, or the Old Synagogue, where last year they welcomed over 251 thousand. lovers of history and sacred monuments,” adds Petr Janeček, head of the Institute of Tourism of the Czech Tourism Headquarters – CzechTourism.

Monuments, as a key attraction, form the basis of CzechTourism’s promotion of the country. They are reflected in almost all her activities. The aim is to support tourism in all regions. Including those that are away from the crowds but have a lot to offer and are worth a visit. An example of a campaign for the domestic market is the TV series Skryté skvosty, the second season of which is currently running on ČT, and in which the actor Jaroslav Plesl, himself a passionate lover of monuments, guides viewers through lesser-known jewels of Czech historical architecture.

Those interested can also find tips for visiting cultural monuments, including lesser-known and normally inaccessible objects, on the Kudy z nudy web portal. They can thus remember the International Day of Monuments, which was declared in 1982 by UNESCO and the United Nations Department for Education, Science, and Culture, and which falls on April 18 every year.

Source: Prague Jewish Museum

The Jewish Museum in Prague has joined an international project called the Library of Lost Books. It invites readers from all over the world to help track down the thousands of books that once belonged to the Higher Institute for Jewish Studies in Berlin, one of the world’s most important Jewish libraries before the Second World War.

The Higher Institute of Jewish Studies or Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentum operated in Berlin since 1872 and housed some 60,000 books on Jewish history, culture and religion, before it was shut down by the Nazis in 1942. Some of the confiscated books were destroyed during the war, but others survived, ending up in various libraries and collections all over the world.

See the rest here.

Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Terezie Jirásková

Photo: Martina Schneibergová, Radio Prague International

One of the places writer Franz Kafka liked to visit was Třešt’. Indeed before he entered the workforce he regularly visited his uncle in the small Vysočina town in summer.

We begin our journey in Franz Kafka’s footsteps at the former synagogue in Třešt’. Our guide is Romana Št’astná, head of the Department of Culture at the local municipal office. She leads the way through an arcade into a striking white building and we continue up the stairs to the first floor. There we find an exhibition dedicated to Kafka and his family.

The Prague-born German-language writer regularly came to Třešt’ during his studies, between 1900 and 1907. He spent his holidays there with his uncle Siegfried Löwy, who had a medical practice in the town. Dr. Löwy was the youngest brother of Kafka’s mother.

See the rest here.

Author: Martina Schneibergová

Photo: Vojta Pechar, @mulletnatripu

Travelling along Route 66, riding free by plane, going to a casino and taking part in a beer run. These are just some of the many adventures Czech traveller Vojtěch Pechar experienced on a hitchhiking trip across the United States, during which he didn’t spend a cent of his own money. He spent three months travelling from New York to San Francisco, passing through 18 states, getting rides in 50 cars and covering a distance of 9,000 kilometres. He documented his journey on an Instagram account called Mullet na tripu or Mullet on a Trip, which refers to his rather unusual haircut, and which attracted more than 90,000 followers.

I caught up with Vojtěch Pechar to discuss his unusual journey and I started by asking him what made him embark on his trip across the US without a single dollar.

“I just love hitchhiking. I have been hitchhiking in Europe, and I wanted some bigger challenge, so I decided to hitchhike the longest range in a country where I can understand the language. That’s why I chose America and the longest distance between its two cities.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

The Czech Republic is strengthening its potential as a European golf destination. Golf tourism is one of the important sources of income in the tourism industry. Golf is gaining popularity among both domestic and foreign tourists. In this regard, the Czech Republic can entertain the whole family. The position of the unequivocal leader in Eastern Europe is currently confirmed by the opening of the largest golf destination in the country – 55 HOLES Golf Destination, which was created by connecting two golf resorts, Prosper Golf Resort Čeladná, and Golf & Ski Resort Ostravice.

Golf has a rich and long history in the Czech Republic. We can boast of three roughly century-old playgrounds. One of the oldest golf courses in continental Europe is the Royal Golf Club in Mariánské Lázně, which was inaugurated in 1905 by the British King Edward VII. In 2007, the Czech Republic received the title “Undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year” from the International Golf Travel Writers Association. There are currently more than 100 courses and roughly 200 golf clubs in the country. Foreign tourists most often go to the Central Bohemian, Moravian-Silesian, and Karlovy Vary regions for this sport. Domestic golfers then go to Central Bohemia, Karlovy Vary, and the Ústí Region.

“Golf tourism has huge potential and fits into the concept of promoting the Czech Republic as a destination suitable for active tourism. A golf holiday with us doesn’t have to be just about golf. We have castles, chateaux, beautiful nature, and all this can be combined with this sport. In other words, we can entertain the whole family. Even if, for example, one of their members is not looking for golf. Travelers can thus divide the day into parts, spend it according to their preferences, and then enjoy relaxation together, for example in the wellness spa. Or, on the contrary, they can go to the playground and combine their visit with a trip to, for example, a nearby castle,” says František Reismüller, director of the Czech Tourism Center – CzechToursim.

As already mentioned – this year’s golf event is the opening of the 55 HOLES Golf Destination. Adherents of the traditional game on the green can play on three 18-hole championship courses. They have two restaurants, three hotels, and two conference halls for organizing social events and conferences or wellness. In other words, this is an example of an activity where the country offers comprehensive services.

“In the context of the Czech Republic’s offer for golfers, it is a unique combination of beautiful nature, cultural monuments and other leisure opportunities. In short, the whole family can come to the Czech Republic, and even directly to North Moravia, and everyone will find something for themselves. The opening of a new destination takes your golf vacation to the next level. The unique golf destination 55 Holes Golf Destination is unique not only in its area, but also in its services, the untouched nature of the Beskydy Mountains and a number of attractions in the immediate vicinity, from traditional culture in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm to the modern face of Ostrava with technical uniques,” says the director of the product management department, České head office of the tourism industry – CzechTourism Veronika Janečková.

One of the goals of 55 Holes Golf Destination is to increase the attractiveness of the Moravian-Silesian region not only for Czech golfers and tourists but also to address foreign clientele and increase awareness of the region in foreign markets. Very good cooperation with the Moravian-Silesian Region, Destination North Moravia, and CzechTourism helps in this.

“Golf is one of the cornerstones of tourism in our region. We definitely welcome the fact that the region will be proud of the largest golf destination in the Czech Republic. Linking golf courses is an important undertaking in the tourism industry, which will help improve the image of our tourist destination North Moravia. I believe that this significant investment in golf infrastructure will attract even more visitors to us and strengthen not only our position on the map of golf destinations, but also the awareness of the destination North Moravia as a great holiday area with a rich network of services and quality facilities for leisure activities.” adds Petr Koudela, executive director of Moravian-Silesian Tourism.

“We are very happy that after many years we can take advantage of the unique situation where two of the most important golf resorts in the Czech Republic are so close together. By combining them into joint products and services, the most significant golf destination in our country can thus be created. The great thing is that thanks to our reinforcement, the Spanish coach Gonzálo Sanchez, from the very beginning with international overlap. The news is all the more that Prosper Golf Čeladná has undergone an extensive renovation and is ready for the new season in better condition, not only technically, but also in terms of the services it offers to golfers and other guests,” says General Manager of Prosper Golf Resort Čeladná Jan Kastner.

For some time now, golf has been among the most sought-after sporting experiences in the Czech Republic for a wide range of people of all ages and social groups. Lovers of holes in the country will find excellently equipped golf resorts, championship courses, training academies, indoor simulators and golf courses. New courses are added every year, where you can relax perfectly on the green. The Kudy z nudy web portal also offers tips for inspiration.

“In the beginning, golf tourism was predominantly a male affair. Currently, the general Czech golfing population is divided into 70% men and 30% women. As part of golf tourism, couples most often travel – a man and a woman who both play golf. Or groups of couples. And mixed or all-female groups continue to seek golf. The newest group in golf tourism is families. As a rule, it happens with them that, for example, three out of five family members play golf. It is important for them to have sufficient infrastructure available, including practice fields or golf academies,” says the president of the Czech Golf Federation, Vratislav Janda.

The Czech Republic also supports golf tourism as part of youth support within the project “Going to Golf School”. Some schools have even included this sport in their curriculum.

Photo: Dušan Tománek, Animal Music

Guitarist David Dorůžka, regarded as one of Czechia’s leading jazz musicians, teamed up with flutist Robert Fischmann and drummer Martin Novák to record an album inspired by Jewish music. Called Gilgul, which means “cycle” in Hebrew, it has recently been awarded the Czech Music Academy Anděl award for the best jazz album of the year. You can listen to excerpts from the record in today’s edition of Sunday Music Show.

The trio, including jazz guitarist David Dorůžka, flutist Robert Fischmann and percussionist Martin Novák, formed in late 2020 with the aim to create new music that would develop the various Jewish musical traditions that have evolved over many centuries in different regions of Europe and the Middle East.

All three musicians have been involved in Jewish music before. This time, however, they came with a very unusual concept and sound, based on unusual instrumentation and mixing liturgical Hasidic melodies from Eastern Europe with melodies from medieval Spain, Ashkenazi Yiddish songs as well as inspirations from New York’s downtown scene.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: ČT24

There were scenes of great joy at Prague airport 20 years ago when three Czech journalists kidnapped in Iraq were reunited with their families. Vít Pohanka, now your Czechast host, was one of them.

This special episode is really a Czechast first: it is hosted by Amelia Mola-Schmidt and her guest is Vít Pohanka. He was among the three Czech reporters kidnapped near Baghdad twenty years ago.

The drama lasted over 5 days and was frontline news for the whole time. Czech authorities put together an emergency team at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and were in constant contact with the American authorities in occupied Baghdad but nobody knew whether the three journalists were alive, held by the insurgents or dead.

This was a time of a very high level of violence when quite a few other foreigners were kidnapped in Iraq and, in some cases, gruesomely executed in front of a video camera, their deaths then broadcast globally.

See the rest here.

Author: Vít Pohanka

This episode serves as a prologue to our upcoming discussions about the deep-rooted connections between Czechs and Britain, particularly through the lens of London.

It was the late summer of 1938, and the clouds of war loomed ominously over Europe. The Sudetenland, home to a significant German-speaking minority, became the flashpoint in an international crisis. These Czechoslovak citizens found themselves at the heart of a contentious debate: remain part of Czechoslovakia or join Nazi Germany. Adolf Hitler’s aggressive demands threatened not just peace in our homeland but across the continent.

In a desperate bid to avoid conflict, Britain and France, though bound by treaties to support Czechoslovakia, were eager to appease Hitler. Into this tense atmosphere stepped a British diplomat—Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount of Doxford, or as he is commonly known, Lord Runciman.

See the rest here.

Author: Vít Pohanka

Photo: Václav Pancer, ČTK

The traditional ceremony of “unlocking rivers” opened the canoeing season in Czechia at the weekend. Pictured here are fans of canoeing in Český Krumlov.

Source:ČTK

Already the Friday before last I published in a newspaper a photo of the gorilla female Mobi “looking out” for a sibling. By that I meant the baby, which Kijivu was due to give birth any day, if not any second.

According to data in literature on the duration of gravidity of lowland gorillas the earliest day of the birth could have been as early as March 14^th. On the other side, the latest day, when we could expect Kijivu’s baby, was May 7^th. But Kijivu already had four babies in the past, so we could base our guesses on the duration of her previous pregnancies. According to this criteria, Mobi’s sibling should have been already born last Thursday, on April 4. So, when I was publishing the picture of Mobi “looking out” for a sibling, I added that while the newspaper was being pressed, the baby might have already been born.

Well, it did not happen. And we waited in vain even on following days. The time came only the night of Thursday 11^thto Friday April 12^th.

Kijivu gave birth to her fifth baby at half past midnight. She behaved very expertly and pushed it to her breast, so before 1 am we could confirm that the baby was drinking. However, we know all of that thanks from the camera footage; we let everything to take its course and we went to see Kijivu with the baby on our own eyes only at 8 am, when the curtain covering the gorilla exhibit from the light of phytolamps was raised.

At that moment, Kijivu was sitting with her new-born baby just next to Duni with little Mobi. It was an amazing sight! However, Kisumu, the father of both babies immediately stood in front of them, and then they moved a bit away from each other.

If I recall the view of both mothers with babies, I can describe it in a style of Jára Cimrman in this way: there was grandmother Kijivu next to her granddaughter Duni, who was carrying her great granddaughter Mobi in her arms. But for Kijivu’s newborn baby Mobi is a sibling – they have the same father Kisumu – and a great-niece at the same time. Ugh, I hope I got it right, if not, correct me. But I had to mention it because of various pettifoggers.

However, the important thing is that the second baby born this year in our Dja Reserve is doing well, Kijivu is taking perfect care for it and that there is harmony in the gorilla group. We even evaluated the situation as being good enough that we could keep the house opened for visitors and only limited using long lenses and big cameras, which could provoke Kisumu.

We don’t know the sex of the Kijivu’s baby with one hundred percent certainty, but it seems that it might be a female. But we know exactly, who will select the name for it. It will be the famous primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall, who will officially baptise it on May 11, at 11 am in the Dja Reserve.

Photo: Office of Czech Government

Following talks with US President Joe Biden on Monday, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala visited the US Congress on Tuesday meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson and a number of Democrat and Republican lawmakers ahead of a crucial vote on funding for Ukraine.

The Czech prime minister has been a staunch supporter of military aid to Ukraine and I asked political analyst Jiří Pehe whether the timing of the Czech prime minister’s visit to the US added to its significance.

“I think the timing of the visit was important because Prime Minister Fiala visited the US exactly at the same time when the House of Representatives will be voting on one of the most important pieces of legislation in recent history. The fate of Ukraine will depend on whether the US will decide to support the country. So yes, the timing of the visit was quite important. Whether he was able to influence US lawmakers is, of course, a different story.”

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Czech Republic and the Argentine Republic, the Embassy of Argentina and the restaurant Gran Fierro organized a special event the “Malbec World Day”.

The wine tasting will take place in the Gran Fierro restaurant, Myslíkova 8, Prague 2.

The tasting was a unique opportunity to bring together key importers of Argentine wine and showcase the potential of Argentina products to representatives from restaurants, catering companies, wholesalers, distributors, and specialized media.

In addition to the exquisite wines, Gran Fierro will be served gourmet appetizers to complement the tasting experience.

H.E. Mr. Claudio Javier ROZENCWAIG – Ambassador of Argentina greeted the guests.

The President of the Republic, Petr Pavel, continues his visit to Rwanda. The second day of the planned trip was dedicated to commemoration the Kwibuka 30 event, which commemorated the thirtieth anniversary of the beginning of the genocide in Rwanda.

It was the Czech Republic that was the first country to describe the events in Rwanda on the grounds of the UN Security Council as genocide. In 2010, the then Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Karel Kovanda, received one of the highest Rwandan honors – Umurinzi.

The main part of the commemorative events took place in the capital, Kigali. The heads of state and government and other guests started day with a ceremony and laying of wreaths at the Genocide Memorial. The event in the new BK Arena sports hall was also attended by the public. The day ended with a night memorial event for the victims of the genocide “Night Vigil”.

Photos By: Zuzana Bönisch

Max (left) and Rudi (right) are already starting to show themselves as adult males, so it is appropriate for them to leave the Prague Zoo and strengthen breeding – on the recommendation of the breeding program coordinator – elsewhere in Europe. Photo by Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo

The first purely Prague elephants Max and Rudi are coming of age and are therefore heading to new homes. Maxmilián, born in April 2016, will go to the zoo in Antwerp, Belgium in June, while Rudolph, who is half a year younger, will still be traveling to the Pombia Safari Park in northern Italy in April. The two young Indian elephants went down in history as the first elephants born and conceived at the Prague Zoo. Visitors were able to say goodbye to the almost eight-year-old brothers on Saturday., they got a “farewell gift” in the grass enclosure of the Elephant Valley near the Gulab restaurant.

Indian elephant Maxmilián (Max) is the first elephant born and conceived in Prague. Now, on the threshold of his eighth birthday, a new home awaits him at Antwerp Zoo in Belgium. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

“The birth of the first and second ‘100% Prague elephants’ – Max and Rudi – was a great satisfaction for us, and the upcoming farewell is all the more difficult for us,” said the director of the Prague Zoo, Miroslav Bobek. “Their arrival in the world was not only the result of breeding efforts, but also the long-term work associated with obtaining their mothers – Janita and Tamara – from Sri Lanka.”

Maxmilián was born on April 5, 2016 to Janita, with Mekong as the father. Max has been playful and self-confident since childhood. Named after Emperor Maximilian II. Habsburg, who probably had the first elephant ever to enter Czech territory in his yard. Rudolf was born on October 7, 2016 to Tamara, while the father was Ankhor. Compared to Max, Rudi is more conservative and calm. His name is a reminder of Rudolph II. Habsburg, whose Prague menageries were the forerunners of European zoos.

Rudolph (Rudi), the second Indian elephant conceived and born in Prague, has larger tusks compared to his brother. He, too, will soon leave the Prague Zoo and head to the northern Italian Pombia Safari Park. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

Today, both male elephants are on the threshold of adulthood, and they are also beginning to manifest their personalities accordingly. The task of the coordinator of the European Breeding Program (EEP) was to choose a suitable location for both youngsters.

“For me, the breeding of any animal is truly complete only when it is involved in breeding with us, or goes to a new home as part of the breeding program,” claims curator of mammals Pavel Brandl. “It must be added that Max and Rudi stayed with us for an exceptionally long time, mainly thanks to the great coexistence with the adult male Ankhor. He functioned flawlessly as a calming element among elephant adolescents.”

Max (center) and Rudi (right) lived in the Prague Zoo in recent years alongside the adult male and father Rudi Ankhor (left). Ankhor was not afraid to discipline the two daring young men, and it was thanks to his calm and patient nature that the elephant brothers could stay in Prague’s Elephant Valley for quite a long time. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

Photo: Amelia Mola-Schmidt, Radio Prague International

Farah Abou Kharroub has one of those personalities that draws you in from the moment you meet her. That warmth and hospitality is something that she is trying to translate into her new venture, Aleb – a wine bar purveying exclusively natural wines from around Czechia and serving up food from the Levant region where she hails from. A filmmaker by training, a wine bar was never in the cards for Farah, but when I visited Aleb, she told me more about her time in Prague and how it’s led her here.

“I moved to Prague seven years ago to study film direction at FAMU. I’m in love with the city and the culture, and I call this place my home. I’m graduating this year, and it’s important for me to have more things to do in Prague after I finish at FAMU. I wanted to start a cultural space where we introduce my culture’s food and create a hub where my friends and I can learn together and be together, so that’s how this place was born.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Illustrative photo: Hana Slavická, Radio Prague International

Czechia experienced its first bout of tropical weather this past weekend, with temperatures reaching as high as 30 degrees Celsius in some parts of the country. While the warmer weather is welcomed by some, it’s indicative of a larger problem being experienced globally – climate change. Miroslav Havránek, a researcher from the Charles University Environment Centre, told me more.

We had a really warm weekend here in Prague and all over Czechia. Temperatures reached almost 30 degrees in some parts of the country. What are these weather patterns saying about our current climate here?

“This is something we have been observing for two or three decades now, so it’s surprising by the standards of the month, but scientists and climatologists are not surprised that we are getting new record temperatures. This weekend we actually had the first tropical day of the year, which has never happened before this early in the spring. Every year, we are getting new record temperatures, and this pattern is directly tied to climate change.”

Is this a trend where we suddenly have different seasons appearing sporadically throughout the year? Will seasons begin to amalgamate with one another?

“In short, yes. These mid seasons like spring and autumn will become shorter and shorter. We’ve only had spring for two or three weeks and we’re starting to have early summer. So it’s a pattern that’s going to be observed more often.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Vít Šimánek, ČTK

Unusually high temperatures have been leading Czechs to spend their free time by the water and it feels like summer in many places. Pictured are girls on a pedal boat near Prague’s Charles Bridge.

Source: ČTK

Photo: Archive od Ilona Borská / Wikimedia Commons, public domain

The name Vlasta Kálalová Di Lotti might not mean very much to you – even many Czechs have not heard of her. But the woman with the exotic-sounding name was decidedly one of the most fascinating figures of the First Republic and had an incredible life story that deserves to be more widely known. Not only a female surgeon at a time when this was extremely uncommon, she was also intrepid and pioneering, setting up a clinic in Iraq in the 1920s, and was said to have been fluent in over a dozen languages.

Most of what is now known about Vlasta Kálalová Di Lotti comes from a single book – Doktorka z domu Trubačů or The Doctor from the Trubač Family House, by the now-deceased biographer Ilona Borská. Jana Renner, who a few years ago published a book about pioneering Czech women who made their mark on history, which of course included the story of Vlasta Kálalová Di Lotti, told Radio Prague that reading Di Lotti’s story in Ilona Borská’s biographical novel had made an impression on her as a young girl.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor, Source:Český rozhlas

Photo: BIOCEV

A new laboratory enabling safe work with highly infectious viruses and bacteria opened this week at the Biocev science centre in Vestec near Prague. The state-of-the-art facility will enable scientists to study hepatitis B, HIV, Covid and other dangerous viruses.

The Biotechnology and Biomedical Centre research centre of the Academy of Sciences and Charles University, opened in Vestec, a small village on the western outskirts of Prague, already in 2014.

However, over the past year it has now been upgraded to a high-security facility, known as BSL3, which enables scientists to work with dangerous viruses.

Tomáš Košt’ák, a manager for JRTech, the company that carried out the year-long reconstruction, says the laboratory must comply with very specific conditions concerning heating, ventilation and air-conditioning:

“The lab’s air ventilation system has to be self-contained. All the exhaust air from the lab is filtered through HEPA filters. There is no way the viruses could escape from the main room, because they are sealed in a vacuum.”

See the rest here.

Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Eva Kézrová

Source: National Gallery Prague, public domain

On April 9, 1624 Ferdinand II issued a patent allowing only the Catholic religion in Bohemia. A few days later he banned royal towns from accepting non-Catholic burghers and also forbade non-Catholics to practice their trade in such towns.

The Battle of White Mountain in 1620 was fatal for the Protestant Estates. With the victory of the imperial troops, a new phase of re-Catholization began under Emperor Ferdinand II.

Re-Catholization took basically two forms: a strict, harsh and uncompromising approach using all means of coercion; and a gradual, consistent and non-violent approach with an attempt to awaken a genuine and sincere interest in the Catholic faith. Any rebellion was nipped in the bud.

See the rest here.

The Czech statute books are set for a significant change. After a lower house debate on Wednesday rape will be defined as non-consensual sex, rather than the current forcible sex. The new bill also gives greater protection to the under 12s in this area.

One-hundred and 68 votes for, zero votes against. Politicians from all parties in the Czech Chamber of Deputies raised their hands in unison on Wednesday to overhaul the definition of rape in the country’s statue books.

At present rape is defined as forcible sexual intercourse. But once the new legislation takes effect this will be replaced by a definition of non-consensual intercourse.

Under the government amendment, disapproval can also be indicated non-verbally, through gestures, crying or adopting a defensive posture.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Martina Kutková, Radio Prague International

The great writer Franz Kafka was born in Prague in 1883 and spent his entire life in the city. His early years, and the life of his family, are closely linked to its Old Town district.

Today Prague’s Old Town is filled with tourists from all over the world. Naturally, the place looked rather different in the final years of the 19th century, when the young Franz Kafka walked its streets.

To get a flavour of Kafka’s links to the Old Town we spoke to guide Dana Kratochvílová, who shows visitors – foreign and local – around the district of his youth.

“Czechs don’t know much about Kafka. It always surprises me that teenage Americans have read The Metamorphosis and Kafka is a familiar subject for them. Many Czech young people have also learned about him. But under communism here, Kafka was taboo. For several generations, including my own, he was simply kept secret.”

See the rest here.

Author: Magdalena Hrozínková

Mayors of the center will be offered suitable financing models for affordable housing projects and will advise on legal and technical questions, for example. Experts will work in all regions. The centers are financed from European sources, specifically from the component of the National Recovery Plan of the Ministry for Regional Development to support affordable housing.

Last year’s representative survey by the Ministry of Regional Development (MMR) and the Union of Towns and Municipalities in the Czech Republic showed that 69% of municipalities are not satisfied with their housing stock and 72% want to expand or renovate it. At the same time, only about a third of the municipalities had any experience with their own housing project in the last eight years. “Big cities have their experts, they know how to manage projects. On the contrary, smaller towns and villages often lack them, which is also why they do not engage in the construction, repair or purchase of apartments as much. After all, due to the low interest of local governments, the support programs under the previous government did not succeed. For this reason, in addition to financial support, we also offer practical advice and recommendations, for example how to find a quality builder and economist, how to change a spatial plan or prepare an urban study,” explains Deputy Prime Minister for Digitization and Minister for Regional Development Ivan Bartoš.

SFPI regional housing investment support centers were established in eight regions and their branches operate in the rest – thanks to this, they cover the entire territory of the Czech Republic. They will work in cooperation with regional development agencies and a network of selected experts. “The newly established centers will provide mayors with free advice not only regarding state subsidies in the area of housing, but also expert investment advice. Their staff have previous experience in regional development and public construction in their regions. They will actively contact and tour individual municipalities so that both sides fully utilize their potential,” says Daniel Ryšávka, director of the State Investment Support Fund (SFPI).

Photo: Toy Box, Czech Radio

With European Parliament elections around the corner, Czechs are gearing up to head to the polls. But how do Czechs, specifically younger ones, feel about the EU and Czechia’s membership? That’s a question that Czech Radio reporter Anna Urbanová set out to answer based on data from a new study, and I spoke with her about it in our studios.

“We are talking about a project called Divided by Europe, which is a survey conducted for Czech Radio. This part of the survey focussed on young Czechs aged 18-29, the so called ‘EU Generation’. These people were born into non-communist Czechia that was already apart of western structures. The most important trends we observed amongst young Czechs are that the EU is a natural part of western structures, and that the EU is a part of Czechs character – that they can’t imagine that Czechia wouldn’t be a part of the EU. For example, 78 percent of young people would vote in favour of remaining in a hypothetical referendum.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Kristýna Maková, Praha křížem krážem

Conservationists have applied a special protective paint on one of the Gothic towers on Prague’s Charles Bridge, the city’s most famous landmark. The transparent nano-coating can decompose algae and mosses with the help of light alone, keeping the stone walls clean and protected.

The entrance to Prague’s famous Charles Bridge is guarded on both sides by monumental Gothic towers. The taller one of them, known as the Lesser Town Bridge Tower, has been regularly overgrown with mosses and lichen, making its sandstone walls look green rather than beige.

Thanks to modern technologies, experts may have found a solution to the problem. A few months ago, they scraped the walls clean and painted them over with a special coating of transparent nano-paint with self-cleaning properties. So far, it seems to have done the trick, says Karel Kučera, from Prague City Museum:

“There was quite a lot of green growth in the form of cyanobacteria, algae and lichens on both of the tower’s galleries. Occasionally you can still see a trace of lichen. It’s a very indomitable organism and it creates sort of a green map on the stone, but otherwise it’s stable, and nothing new has appeared.”

See the rest here.

Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Tereza Janouškovcová

Photo: Amelia Mola-Schmidt, Radio Prague International

Walking through the streets of Czechia, you might spot people sporting tri-coloured sneakers in the country’s national colours; blue, white, and red. Those kicks are from an iconic brand called Botas, originally founded in 1949. Last year, the company almost went under, but two brothers came to its rescue. I caught up with 22-year-old Vít Staněk to learn more about the plans to give this classic Czech brand a new lease on life.

“In 2023, the Botas company was about to be liquidated. My brother and I had a thought that maybe we could continue the legacy of this iconic brand. We decided we would do whatever it takes to buy this company and keep it alive.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Office of Czech Government

The Czech government has officially acknowledged the term “antigypsyism” with the aim of curbing discrimination towards Roma people in the country. But what does the term mean, and how will its use effect change? I asked human rights activist Gwendolyn Albert.

The Czech government has officially adopted the term “antigypsyism”, which signifies them taking a stance on discrimination towards Roma individuals in Czechia. To start off, could you define what antigypsyism means in this context?

“The definition that has been adopted is a legally non-binding definition, it’s just a recognition of this phenomenon. The term is based on the definition that was adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance to discuss how to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive and the ideology that led to it. The adoption of antigyspyism is meant to be parallel to the term anti-Semitism – it’s a one word way to reference a very specific set of stereotypes and prejudices that are held in the minds of people around the world about the Roma. The pejorative term that has developed over the centuries for Romani people is gypsy, and so the term antigypsyism is against using that term and the ideas that come with it.

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

The main season of the Prague Zoo has officially started, and along with it, the public’s questions are multiplying: When is the best time to go to the zoo? How to avoid the queue at the checkout? Are there any discounts available? That’s why we answer these and other questions in the new top ten of the experienced Prague Zoo visitors.

We attach a thematic photo to each of the tips. Their sources can be found below.

Lev indický. Foto Petr Hamerník, Zoo Praha

1. Sunday is quieter than Saturday

Most people head to the zoo on the weekend. If you are hesitating about which of your free days to spend visiting the Prague Zoo, then keep in mind the secret of all seasoned visitors: Sunday is always less busy than Saturday. Not only will you be able to park more comfortably on Sundays, but you will also avoid possible crowds in the area. And if you plan to visit on a weekday, then know that statistically Tuesday is the “freest”!

Tučňáci Humboldtovi. Foto Petr Hamerník, Zoo Praha

2. With an e-ticket, no waiting, and cheaper

Queuing to buy a ticket at the box office? No way, waiting is for the uninitiated… A seasoned visitor conveniently buys an electronic ticket in advance in our e-shop and heads straight to the turnstiles. And they save money on top of that. Whether it is an adult, child or student ticket, its electronic version is up to 50 crowns cheaper than a paper ticket. You can even save 150 crowns on a family ticket, which is valid for two adults and up to four children, by purchasing it online!

You can find more information and make a purchase here: https://vstupenka.zoopraha.cz/

Surikaty. Foto Petr Hamerník, Zoo Praha

3. Favorable offer for schools and kindergartens

Speaking of discounts, we remind you of another very favorable offer, for school groups. Pupils of primary and secondary schools here pay only one hundred crowns, kindergarten pupils even only 50 crowns. In addition, teachers can choose from a whole range of thematic tours with our expert guide and thus have fun supplementing the material they are currently discussing in biology, natural science or primary education!

You can find more information here.

Gorila nížinná. Foto Oliver Le Que, Zoo Praha

4. Use the new entrance and public transport stop

Everyone knows the zoo’s iconic main entrance with its Walk of Fame, and motorists often use the south entrance near the river by the vast parking lot. But did you know that we recently opened a brand new gate to the zoo? Right on Sklenářka, near the new gorilla pavilion. No crowds, no waiting. In addition, if you use the entrance in the morning, you will have the Dja Reservation and the small female gorilla Mobi all to yourself. And what’s more – just like at the main entrance, city buses stop right in front of the gate. Just go in the direction of Podhoří: number 234 from Holešovice or lines 235 and 236 from Bohnice.

Pelikán kadeřavý. Foto Petr Hamerník, Zoo Praha

5. Bad weather as an unexpected advantage

Thinking about visiting the zoo but it’s raining, windy, or cloudy? So don’t hesitate for a second and start putting on your shoes! After all, we have 15 indoor pavilions. In the Dja Reserve, which was opened last year, you can take a seat in the vast auditorium, from where you can not only watch the gorillas but also have a snack there or charge your mobile phone. You can also visit tigers, hippos, or giraffes with dry feet, warm up with orangutans or Komodo dragons in the Indonesian jungle, or among free-flying parrots in the Rákos pavilion. Look at the map and plan the indoor route of the Prague Zoo!

Gaviál indický a želvy Smithovy. Foto Petr Hamerník, Zoo Praha

6. Ride around the area for young and old

A visit to our zoo does not have to be just a walk, it can also be a drive! For families with children, we rent special strollers free of charge at the main entrance, in which you can pull your little ones around the area. If you or your partner have mobility problems, there is nothing easier than booking a wheelchair with us for free, or purchasing a ride on our ZooExpress – in this case, accompanied by an expert guide.

More information about wheelchairs here.

More about ZooExpres here.

Vlk hřivnatý. Foto Petr Hamerník, Zoo Praha

7. Take the dog with you, leave your luggage with us

Dogs of all sizes are welcome at the Prague Zoo. Each visitor is allowed one dog friend on a leash. In addition to visiting pavilions, walk-through exhibitions and playgrounds, it can go anywhere with you. And while you watch the animals in the pavilion, you can leave the muzzled dog at the tethering point. On the other hand, you don’t have to drag any heavy luggage around the area – you can conveniently use the storage boxes at all entrances to store them free of charge.

Lemur kata. Foto Petr Hamerník, Zoo Praha

8. Zoogastro in the 21st century

Fryer, hot dog or ice cream cone. Of course, we do! But today you don’t have to rely only on fried or fatty ones. Did you know that you can find several meat-free dishes at the Gulab restaurant? Will you try black beluga lentils with halloumi cheese or perhaps vegetarian curry with homemade pita bread? At the Oceán restaurant, you will be delighted with a different daily cash offer, at Obora they will prepare fresh burgers with guaranteed the best view in Prague, and at Gočárové houses you will be transported to the period of the First Republic with first-class sirloin steak or duck in front of you. In short, lunch at the zoo can have style!

Orangutan sumaterský. Foto Oliver Le Que, Zoo Praha

9. Events for free visitors every week

Do you want to experience something special at the Prague Zoo? Follow our program! In all seasons, a number of guided feedings and meetings with the animals await you – you can have breakfast alongside bizarre burrowing owls, have lunch with a flock of penguins or have a snack with the famous nutcracker female Šiška. In addition, we are planning at least one thematic event every week. The program includes tours of selected exhibition units with an expert guide free of charge for all visitors.

Complete program of upcoming events.

Nestor kea. Foto Petr Hamerník, Zoo Praha

10. Take your time, observe, take pictures, film, share!

And the last tip? Above all, enjoy your visit to our zoo. Don’t try to do everything at any cost. Prague Zoo is vast, you wouldn’t be able to do it in comfort anyway. Stop by the exhibits, watch the behavior of the animals, sit on a bench in the Hippo Pavilion or the African House, or take a seat in the comfortable auditorium next to the gorillas or sea lions and watch the action in front of you. Take your time. And if you manage to photograph or film something nice, tag Prague Zoo in your story on Instagram or Facebook. We will then be happy to share your photo on our official profile!

Olgoi-khorkhoi as portrayed by the painter Jiří Houska.

Olgoi-khorkhoi – the mythical killing worm from the Gobi Desert – is perhaps better known today in Czech Republic than in Mongolia itself. It happened thanks to Czech enigmologists, who searched for it in local sand dunes. And on top of that, one of them, the late Ivan Mackerle, gave rise to olgoi-khorkhoi‘s world-wide fame  that it gained in sensation-hunting circles.

Today we can say that the origin of the legend of olgoi-khorkhoi was caused by the Tartar sand boa. But the truth is that for a long time it was not known what it was all about.

R. C. Andrews, who led an American paleontological expedition in Mongolia in the 1920s, was the first to report on olgoi-khorkhoi:

“At the Cabinet meeting the Premier asked that I should capture for the Mongolian Government a specimen of the Allergorhai horhai. This is probably an entirely mythical animal, but it may have some little basis in fact, for every northern Mongol firmly believes in it and will give essentially the same description. It is said to be about two feet long, the body shaped like a sausage, and to have no head or legs; it is so poisonous that even to touch it means instant death.”

Tartar sand boa peeks out of the sand. Photo: Miroslav Bobek

Note, that in Andrews’ rendering olgoi-khorkhoi cannot kill at a distance.

In the 1940s, the Russian palaeontologist I. A. Yefremov picked up the topic and portrayed it in one of his short stories:

“…I called the driver and Misha to come back. But they continued running to the unknown animals, and either they didn’t hear me, or they didn’t want to.

I took a step toward them, but Darkhin pulled me back. I broke free from the guide’s tenacious hands and at the same moment I watched the animals. My assistants had already reached them: the radio operator in front, Grisha little bit behind.

Suddenly each of the worms curled up into a ring. At the same moment their yellow-grey colouring darkened, turning into purple-blue and bright blue at the ends. Without a cry, the radio operator suddenly collapsed and laid motionless with his face in the sand. I heard a scream from the driver, who was at that moment running to the radio operator lying about four metres from the worms.  A second – and Grisha bent over just as strangely and fell on his side.

His body flipped over, rolled to the bottom of the dune and disappeared from the sight.”

Well, it is a different story!

Yefremov’s short story has also been repeatedly published in Czech – and I am sure that it initiated the interest of Czech enigmologists, among whom the abovementioned Ivan Mackerle stood out. In early 1990s, he searched hard for olgoi-khorkhoi in Mongolia. He was even allegedly trying to drive him out of the dunes by setting off the explosions of small charges. With no result. However, his belief in the existence of a worm, which kills at a distance, was unwavering. At the same moment the testimonies of witnesses he recorded largely support an interpretation that he had even not thought of, namely that the myth of olgoi-khorkhoi arose from encounters between shepherds and Tartar sand boa. For example, the old woman Püret told him:

“ʻI have never seen it myself, but I have heard a lot about it. In the past shepherds occasionally encountered it, but today it is very, very rare. It usually appears after rain, but it rarely rains here. It basks in the sun for two to three days and then it disappears again. In a sea of sand like a fish in water,’ she laughed. ʻUsually, it digs holes just under the ground and on the surface above him the sand is pushed a little bit, so it is possible to see where it is moving. When it wants to attack somebody, it pulls half a way out of the sand. It starts inflating, the bubble on its end gets bigger and bigger until finally the poison squirts out of it.’”

And so, eventhough Mackerle was wrong, he gave rise to popularization of the “killing worm from Gobi” and I dare say that if it were not for him, I probably would not have thought about showing the archetype of olgoi-khorkhoi – Tartar sand boa – in our zoo.

Photo: Vyšehrad

On this week’s Sunday Music show, we spotlight a classic piece of Easter music – Jan Dismas Zelenka’s ‘Cantata sacra Il serpente di bronzo’. Composed in the year 1730, the piece was first performed on Good Friday of that year in Dresden, Germany. Performed at the Saxonian-Polish court, the piece is an important contribution to Catholic sacred music.

Born in 1679 in the Bohemian village of Louňovi, Jan Dismas Zelenka, dubbed the “Czech Bach”, is one of the most significant Baroque composers. Yet his music was largely forgotten after his death and was only rediscovered more than a century later. Today all his works are available in digitized form and have become increasingly popular with the public.

See the rest here.

Photo: Emily Sawicki, Santa Monica Daily Press

A new work by David Černý – a five-tonne kinetic metal head of iconic movie director David Lynch – was recently unveiled at an apartment complex in Santa Monica, LA. The Czech sculptor is perhaps best known for works that have made their mark on Prague, such as the babies crawling on Žižkov TV Tower. So how did this project in California come about?

“I was reached by the developer via an art agent. That’s a normal way how I am reached. So it wasn’t even via my American gallerist, it was direct.”

But was it the case that they had seen your Kafka head in Prague and were looking for something similar? Because it is quite similar.

“Yes, actually, they did see what I was doing here. Generally they told me that they would like to have a piece that would resemble, somehow, the piece in Prague.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Join us on a trip to South Bohemia – a region of castles, ponds, and the famous Budějovický Budvar brewery. Check out its dense network of centuries-old fish ponds, its picture-perfect UNESCO heritage villages, and the lush forests of the Šumava Mountains – all from a bird’s eye view!

See the rest here.

Authors: Vít Pohanka, Barbora Navrátilová

Photo: Martin Pařízek, Czech Radio

Researchers at the Czech Technical University in Prague are using artificial intelligence to train robots, teaching them to search unfamiliar or hard-to-reach areas. In the future, these intelligent robots could help search for missing persons or victims of accidents.

Scientists at Czech Technical University’s Faculty of Electrical Engineering are working with a number of robots, some of which resemble tiny vehicles while others look like dogs or giant spiders.

Doctoral student Miloš Prágr uses a game console controller to drive one of the robots, a black and yellow vehicle on four rubber wheels, out of the lab and into the corridor.

“It’s a four-wheeled robot of small to medium size that we use mainly to inspect sites or facilities.  It is equipped with several cameras. The two located at the top are both colour and depth cameras, which allows them to sense the geometry of the surrounding environment. The other set of cameras are simple colour cameras. We use them to detect various objects or people.”

See the rest here.

Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Ondřej Vaňura, Source:iROZHLAS.cz

Photo: Barbora Navrátilová, Radio Prague International

Pavel Bobek gained his first teaching experience in an immigrant neighbourhood in London’s district of Croydon. After two years he returned to Prague and has since been teaching at one of the city’s primary schools. Are the teaching methods that he learned in the UK also applicable in a Czech school?  How does he gain respect in a classroom of 30 kids? And how does he make sure that all the children, including those with a different mother tongue and with learning disabilities, move forward? These are just some of the questions we discussed, but I started by asking what prompted Pavel, who originally studied political science, to become a teacher:

“I have always been close to education and to work with children. I volunteered in Czech-German youth projects for many years. Later I worked for the Goethe Institute as head of an international debating project, working with pupils alongside teachers.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Zuzana Jarolímková, iROZHLAS.cz

Revelations a Czech-based Russian influence network was paying politicians in several states have made headlines around Europe. Czechia’s European commissioner says she sensed Moscow was using such dirty tricks – and says steps should be taken to weed dodgy politicians out of the European Parliament.

Last week Prime Minister Petr Fiala dropped some bombshell news: The Czech secret service had uncovered a Russian network seeking to influence the European Parliament, to which elections take place in two months.

It was soon reported that the group, including pro-Russian Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, were funnelling cash to anti-establishment politicians in EU states, including, allegedly, Petr Bystroň of Alternative for Germany.

See the rest here.

Author:Ian Willoughby, Source:Czech Radio

Photo: Stanislava Brádlová, Czech Radio

The Crystal Touch Museum in Litoměřice offers a unique exposition of authentic handprints of famous personalities captured in Bohemia crystal. The exhibition is the work of glass master Jan Huňát who launched the project in 2007.

Most people are familiar with the handprints of celebrities on Hollywood Boulevard, but few people know that Czechia also has its collection of handprints of famous people. The Crystal Touch Museum in Litoměřice offers a unique exposition of authentic handprints of famous personalities captured in Bohemia crystal – among them the hands of the late Czech president Václav Havel, Ringo Starr, Ennio Morricone, Sir Nicolas Winton, Jaromír Jágr, Patrik Elias, Elijah Wood, Sir Tom Finney, Dominik Hašek, Madeleine Albright, Ivan Lendl and many others.

See the rest here.

Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Stanislava Brádlová, Source:Český rozhlas

Photo: Soňa Vaicenbacherová, Czech Radio

In the West Bohemian city of Plzeň there is a modern sculpture that people either love or hate. Its official name is The Panopticon, but in Plzeň everybody calls it “the pink rabbit”. Why is it there? And is it art or a terrible kitsch?

The concrete sculpture of a gigantic pink rabbit eating a human being was erected in Plzeň’s Lochotín district in 2015. Ever since it was unveiled, it has been a point of controversy among both locals and visitors. Miroslav Brabec, the mayor of the Lochotin district where it stands, says that he too suffered an initial shock on seeing it.

See the rest here.

Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Soňa Vaicenbacherová, Source:Český rozhlas

Photo: Honza Ptáček, Czech Radio

Easter egg trees are a popular Central European tradition and the town of Pardubice has one to make the locals proud this year. Whoever guesses the exact number of eggs on it can look forward to a prize!

The egg is an ancient symbol of life in many countries of the world and the tradition of brightly decorated Easter egg trees is common in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Czechia, Poland, and Hungary. Multi-colored, mouth-blown eggs are hung on branches of trees and bushes and on cut branches inside homes.

While many families decorate tree branches with eggs in the home, not all towns and villages sport Easter egg trees, which require a lot more time and effort.

See the rest here.

Author: Magdalena Tereza Kadula, Source:Český rozhlas

Photo: Barbora Navrátilová, Radio Prague International

In the English-speaking world, we know the days during Holy Week leading up to Easter as Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and so on. But, despite also sharing a Christian heritage with Anglophone countries, the Czechs call these days by pretty different names in most cases – and many of their Easter traditions are quite alien to people from Anglo-American cultures, as they often pre-date Christianity, originating from Slavic pagan times.

Palm Sunday = Blossoming Sunday

Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, is known as “Květná neděle” or Blossoming Sunday in Czech. People would decorate their houses with pussy willow, and according to Czech tradition, one shouldn’t bake anything with flour on this day. Farmers would watch the weather, as the saying went that whatever the weather was like on Palm Sunday was an omen for the coming harvest.

See the rest here.

Authors: Anna Fodor, Barbora Kvapilová, Source:Český rozhlas

Photo: archive of Carmelite Monastery in Drasty

Prague’s Hradčany Square right next to Prague Castle is a top-notch address, but with hordes of tourists and ever rising noise levels it is not conducive to quiet contemplation and prayers. This led the community of Barefoot Carmelite Sisters to roll up their sleeves and get to work to turn a derelict farmhouse on the periphery into their new spiritual retreat.    

The order of the barefoot Carmelite Sisters was founded during the 12th century on Mount Carmel in Israel and reformed by Saint Teresa of Avila in 16th century Spain. The nuns originally walked barefoot, but as the order spread to places with harsher winters, the rules adapted. However what has not changed is that the order lives isolated from the world in silence and contemplation. The sisters rarely venture outside of their spiritual retreat and even do their shopping online.

The Prague-based order originally lived in Prague’s Hradčany square right next to Prague Castle. But when the noise levels and the hustle and bustle around their monastery increased they looked around for a new home in a quieter setting.

See the rest here.

Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Bára Kvapilová, Source:Český rozhlas

Photo: Ondřej Hájek, ČTK

The historic astronomical clock in Česká Kamenice has been successfully repaired at the cost of about one million crowns. Its fourteen glass figures were made by students of the glass school in neighbouring Kamenický Šenov. The  astronomical clock is the work of local watchmaker and goldsmith Adolf Eiselt, who put it into operation in 1920.

Source:ČTK

Photo: Kateřina Šulová, ČTK

More than 200 young people joined the traditional three-kilometer run through Prague’s Stromovka park at the weekend and President Petr Pavel was among them.

Source: CTK

Photo: Ian Willoughby, Radio Prague International

The new book Red Tape: Radio and Politics in Czechoslovakia, 1945-1969 takes a fresh look at radio broadcasting in, and to, the country between the end of the war and the immediate aftermath of the Soviet-led invasion. How “Communist” were staff at Czechoslovak Radio? How did reporters respond to the new freedoms that came with the Prague Spring? And what happened after that relatively liberal period was brutally curtailed? I discussed those questions and more with author Rosamund Johnston, a Vienna-based historian who is also a former colleague at Radio Prague International.

What state was Czechoslovak Radio right after the war, let’s say in the summer of 1945?

“I would say it was in a maybe surprisingly good state, given a lot of continental Europe and given a lot of the infrastructure in continental Europe at that time.

“On the other hand, there had just been a big fight for, among other things, Czechoslovak Radio, and it bore some of the scars, as well as had some of the prestige, of that.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Hana Slavická, Radio Prague International

The Municipal District of Prague 1 recently launched an initiative to help residents of the area deal with common problems. The aim is to curb depopulation and reassure residents of the area that the heart of the city is in fact a comfortable place to live for locals and families, and is not just a reserve for tourists.

Living in the heart of Czechia’s capital may sound like a fairy tale to some, but the reality of renting a flat in the city’s Prague 1 district can be far from idyllic for its residents. Astronomical rents, dealing with a rotation of people coming in from Airbnbs, and the noise of rowdy tourists on the street has led to an exodus from the city centre.

In an effort to reduce the depopulation of Prague 1, the local authorities have launched a new effort called ‘Contact Point’, with the aim of providing citizens with information, support, and guidance regarding housing in the area. Karolína Šnejdarová, spokesperson for Prague 1, told me more.

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: © Kaupo Kikkas

Arguably one of the most internationally renowned contemporary Czech composers, Miroslav Srnka has wowed audiences across the globe with his original and innovative operas. In 2016, Srnka debuted his double opera, South Pole, which tells the story of a 20th century arctic expedition – receiving outstanding reviews. In our third episode of the Faces of Czech Music, we learn more about the elusive man who often feels more comfortable outside of his native Czechia than in it, the inspiration behind some of his most recognized works, and how he believes today’s art is often  softened for the masses.

See the rest here.

Authors: Amelia Mola-Schmidt, Petr Dudek

Photo: Regional museum Most

On 26 March 1964, the Czechoslovak government decided to liquidate the old city of Most to make way for new coal mines and apartments to house the miners who would be working there. The demolition of the historic centre of the town lasted 23 years, finally finishing on 1 April 1987.

The history of Most – or Brüx, as it was known by its majority German-speaking population – dates back to the mid-13th century, when the settlement received the status of a royal city. In 1273, it received the privileges of Přemysl II, which included, for example, the right to imprison debtors.

See the rest here.

Author: Klára Stejskalová

Photo: David Hertl, Czech Radio

The well-known Máj department store in the centre of Prague is soon to re-open following a two-year renovation. The long-awaited reconstruction has already sparked controversy, when it emerged that the façade of the building will be adorned with two giant butterflies made of Spitfire aircraft fuselages.

See the rest here.

Author:Ruth Fraňková

This week’s Sunday Music show is devoted to pop singer Aneta Langerová, the winner of the first ever Czech Pop Idol contest, who is celebrating 20 years on stage. To mark the occasion, Aneta has released a double album, mapping the two decades of her career. Apart from her biggest hits, it also includes a brand new song, called Zázračná písně krajina or Miracle Song Landscape.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Markéta Kachlíková, Radio Prague International

The Hradec Králové Region ranges from the Giant Mountains to the lowlands around the Elbe. Check out its landmarks in our photo gallery!

See the rest here.

Illustrative photo: Štěpánka Budková, Radio Prague International

A recent study that analyses the housing situation in Prague revealed that the country’s real estate market is the least affordable in Europe. Factors such as privatization and a lack of growth in real wages have put an increasing number of residents in an insecure position. To learn more, I spoke with one of the editors of the study, Václav Orcígr.

According to this survey – Prague is the most unaffordable city in Europe for housing. Housing prices have risen by 50 percent while wages have only gone up by 21 percent. Can you tell me a little bit more about what the study has revealed?

“The study is quite complex. We tried to gather data that is recent and up to date regarding housing affordability in Prague. The main data sources are either international surveys or local Czech surveys from the Czech Statists Council, Deloitte, or the Institute of Planning and Development. There are about 200 sources that were used in this publication.

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: YouTube

Thursday is the 55th anniversary of a famous moment in the country’s modern history. On March 28, 1969 a Czechoslovak ice hockey win over the USSR – less than a year after the Soviet invasion – sparked celebrations that turned into riots in Prague and other parts of the country.

On March 28, 1969 Czechoslovakia beat the USSR 4:3 at the World Ice Hockey Championships in Sweden. It followed another (2:0) victory over the Soviets a week earlier.

While the first win saw some celebrating on the streets, tens of thousands took to Prague’s Wenceslas Square, many waving Czechoslovak flags, on Friday March 28.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Lukáš Řezník, Czech Radio

The new Škoda 1000 MB was unveiled in Mladá Boleslav on March 21, 1964. Designed to be an inexpensive family car, it was Czechoslovakia’s answer to the Ford Model T: the first mass-affordable automobile, making car travel available to more people in the country than ever before.

See the rest here.

Authors: Anna Fodor, Luděk Hubáček, Agáta Faltová, Source:iROZHLAS.cz

Photo: Martin Pařízek, Czech Radio

Over 400,000 Czechs have availed of the opportunity to take part in Erasmus, the EU’s academic exchange programme, since Czechia signed up in the late 1990s. But what specifically do students get out of the experience? I spoke to some former participants.

According to data recently published by the Czech National Agency for International Education and Research, no fewer than 411,000 Czechs have taken part in the Erasmus Programme since the country joined it in 1998, just over a decade after the scheme began.

Erasmus+, as it is now referred to, also includes stays abroad for academics, and even offers opportunities to secondary and primary school children.

But it is mainly third-level students who sign up for the programme, people such as Veronika Kührová, a Film Studies student in Brno who did her Erasmus in the Germany city of Jena in 2007.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

The Czech secret service has scored a major success, uncovering a Russian network attempting to influence elections in various European states. The Prague government followed this revelation with sanctions on two individuals, including a pro-Russian Ukrainian politician.

Czechia’s counterintelligence service, known by the acronym BIS, has achieved a considerable success, breaking up a Russian network in the country that was seeking to exert influence on upcoming European elections and foment anti-Ukraine sentiment.

Speaking on Wednesday afternoon, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala revealed something of what BIS had discovered about the Moscow-financed suspects and detailed in a 300-page report.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Vít Pohanka, Radio Prague International

Brian Goodman is an author and an associate professor at Arizona State University. He has spent the past two decades immersed in a project that bridges American and Czech literary worlds, delving into the shadows of the Cold War.

Brian’s book, “The Nonconformists: American and Czech Writers across the Iron Curtain,” has been making waves since its publication last year by the prestigious Harvard University Press. The book has garnered acclaim for its insightful analysis and meticulous research, even earning high praise in venerable publications like the Times Literary Supplement.

But what makes Brian’s work truly remarkable is the depth of his research. He ventured into the heart of the Czech Republic’s past, spending countless hours in the communist secret police archives and interviewing writers and former dissidents in Prague to bring the stories of these writers to life in full detail. For example: Why did one the most significant American authors of the 20th century Philip Roth become interested in Prague?

See the rest here.

Author: Vít Pohanka

Photo: Zdeněk Rerych, Gambit Cafe

If you’ve spent a day or two in Prague, you’ll know that the city is dotted with cafes, from the small and cozy places offering good coffee and traditional Czech desserts to the luxury cafes in Prague’s historic city center usually frequented by tourists. But, increasingly clients want more than just good coffee and so some Prague coffee houses are offering a special program to go with it.

For those looking for more than just a cup of good coffee there is a wide variety of cafes to choose from in Prague. One where you are served by a robotic arm, another where your image is printed onto the foam of your cappuccino, a café where your order arrives on a model train or one which offers a wall of roses for selfie-lovers.

There are several where you can play board games but there is only one coffee house in Prague reserved for lovers of chess and you will find it in the trendy district of Karlín.

See the rest here.

Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Václav Müller, Source:Český rozhlas

Photo: Galerie hlavního města Prahy

An exhibition called New Realisms opened in Prague City Gallery on Wednesday, offering a fresh perspective on visual culture and art in Czechoslovakia between 1918 and 1945. It presents works by well-known artists, such as Otto Guttfreund and Jan Zrzavý, alongside artists from the German, Slovak and Hungarian-speaking minorities. I discussed the exhibition with one of its curators, Ivo Habán, and I first asked him to explain the term New Realisms:

“The term New Realism is connected with the overall atmosphere in Europe after World War I. It was connected with ideas about the possibility of new life and fairer society and there were paintings depicting for instance ‘new Adam and new Eve’.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Amanita Design

The Czech independent studio Amanita Design has won the award for Excellence in Visual Art at the prestigious San Francisco Independent Games Festival for their new game Phonopolis. The hand-crafted adventure, set in a dystopian city made of cardboard, was inspired by George Orwell’s 1984. I discussed it with Amanita’s producer Lukáš Kunce and I first asked him about the inspiration behind the game:

“The inspiration for Phonopolis for the artists and the creative team behind the game comes mainly from the interwar artistic movements, like Constructivism, Futurism and Suprematism, as well as the entire Avant-Garde movement. It can not only be seen in the visuals but it can also be heard in the music by Tomáš Dvořák aka Floex, as well as in the sound design.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

The rapid growth of generative AI is influencing many areas of life and there is no doubt that it will play a role in campaigning in the European elections. So are Czech parties preparing to harness the potential it affords and will Czech voters be able to recognize AI-driven disinformation?

A survey among Czech political parties shows they are gradually starting to make use of the benefits AI offers. The Pirate Party, which is the main driving force behind the digitization of the state sector, argues that not to use the technologies of the modern day and age is to fall behind. The party says it uses AI wherever it is useful – to produce texts, generate images, edit photos and videos –while fully respecting ethics and clearly labelling AI generated content. The SPOLU coalition (Civic Democrats, Christian Democrats and TOP 09) also says it uses AI to subtitle videos and analyze data, but insists that their election campaign will be conducted in a fair manner. Jakub Skyva is spokesperson for the SPOLU coalition.

See the rest here.

Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Jana Karasová

Photo: Patrik Uhlíř, ČTK

The Brno Zoo organized a spring welcoming event a few days early at the weekend, with a special program that included feeding the animals. In the picture, the zoo’s Kamchatka bear getting his share.

Source: ČTK

Photo: Jana Karasová, Czech Radio

As the world watched the orchestrated re-election of Vladimir Putin as Russia’s president for the next six years, Russian nationals in Prague gathered on Wenceslas Square in a symbolic show of support for the “Noon against Putin” protests at home. Many of them did not get the chance to vote.

Russians opposed to the Putin regime, took to the streets in cities around the world on Sunday in a symbolic show of support for Kremlin opponents at home. In Prague several dozen Russian nationals assembled on Wenceslas Square holding up banners reading “Putin is not my president”, “Prague against Putin” and “End the war!”. The organizer of the event, Anton Litvin, said it is important to show the world that not all Russians support what is happening.

See the rest here.

Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Jana Karasová

Photo: René Volfík, iROZHLAS.cz

The ruling coalition has accused opposition leader Andrej Babiš of undermining the government’s support for Ukraine through his “pacifist” language and putting at risk Czechia’s security. At a special session of the lower house on Tuesday the prime minister said the opposition should make clear whether it sides with the free West or with Putin.

Although Czechia has been one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, in recent months the opposition has been increasingly vocal regarding the need for peace talks. Growing tension between the ruling parties and opposition leader Andrej Babiš reached a head last week when Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský labelled him “a security threat” and Babiš asked his close associates for a dossier on Lipavský and his family, using extremely vulgar language. He sent the mail to the wrong address and its contents ended up in the media. The ruling parties slammed Babiš for communist-era practices and called a session of the lower house to clarify the country’s security interests.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová, Sources: ČTK,Česká televize

Photo: Daniela Honigmann, Radio Prague International

People in Need is one of Czechia’s most well-known NGOs, providing humanitarian relief to crisis-affected regions and implementing long-term development projects and educational and human rights programmes around the world. It has been 30 years since it adopted its current name on 21 March 1994, so on the occasion, I spoke to the non-profit’s founder and director, Šimon Pánek, to find out about its beginnings and how it got its name.

It’s been 30 years since Člověk v tísni (People in Need) got its name, but the organisation has been around a couple of years longer than that. Could you tell us briefly about its very beginnings and how you got started?

“Soon after communism fell, conflicts popped up like mushrooms in many of the multi-ethnic former communist countries. Because communism, besides everything else, pretended that we have a new, stronger, better identity – the socialist or communist identity – not Czech or Slovak, or Croat or Bosnian, or Russian or Chechen. So unfortunately, along with newfound freedom, conflicts appeared.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Photo: X/Martin Baxa

The National Library of the Czech Republic is currently working on getting a project off the ground that will provide mobile units that would be sent to Ukraine to help preserve cultural artefacts endangered by the war. The head of the National Library Tomáš Foltýn, told me more about the endeavour

“We started this project around 2016/2017 when we were creating and updating our strategy for the Czech National Library. An integral part in this strategy concerned the long term preservation of our physical collection. One of the parts of the strategy was also the creation of a mobile unit aimed at conserving and restoring our physical collections.

“The war in Ukraine is ongoing, and we were starting to think about how we could help the cultural institutions of the country. We were talking with the Czech Ministry of Culture about different ideas, and we thought about creating an ‘arc’, a unit where we can restore and conserve the physical collections, or a unit aimed at digitizing the masterpieces of Ukrainian libraries. The Czech Ministry of Culture ended up loving the idea.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Radek Petrášek, ČTK

Organizers of the upcoming 2024 Ice Hockey World Championship have unveiled the gold, silver and bronze medals that will be awarded to the winning teams. The trophies, produced by glassmakers in the north Bohemian town of Nový Bor, are made of crystal glass, which resembles a piece of ice scratched by skates.

Preparations are in full swing for the Ice Hockey World Championship that will get underway in Prague and Ostrava in May. Glassmakers from the Kolektiv Ateliers in the north Bohemian town of Nový Bor are currently working on a set of medals for the winning teams. They have to produce at least 40 pieces of each metal in case some of the medals break.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Klára Stejskalová, Radio Prague International

Hradec Králové, which lies on the confluence of the Labe (Elbe) and Orlice rivers in north-east Bohemia, is one of the oldest and historically most significant Czech cities. For centuries, it was one of the dowry towns of Czech queens. At the turn of the 20th century, Hradec Králové was remodelled by the pioneering Czechoslovak architects Jan Kotěra and Josef Gočár, who turned it into a modern and progressive city, which became known as the Salon of the Republic.

The first written evidence of Hradec Hrálové comes from 1225, when the settlement of Hradec was mentioned in the deed of the Bohemian King Přemysl Otakar I. In 1306, Hradec became a dowry town ruled by Bohemian queens. Hence its name Hradec Králové, which literally means “the castle of the queen”, explains local tourist guide Lucie Nováková:

“The local royal castle was therefore home to queens, namely Elizabeth Richeza of Poland and later Elizabeth of Pomerania, the last wife of Charles IV. During the reign of George of Poděbrady, the town was one of the most important and beautiful Renaissance seats, but this happy period was brought to an end by frequent fires, plague epidemics and the Thirty Years’ War.”

See the rest here.

Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Zdeňka Kuchyňová

Photo: Sabina Vosecká, Czech Radio

Havel Speaking, Can You Hear Me? is the name of a brand new documentary tracing the final years of Václav Havel’s life. The current Czech president and his Slovak counterpart were in the audience for a special screening of the film at Prague Castle on Monday night.

Over the years there have been several documentary films about Václav Havel, the dissident playwright turned head of state. In fact Citizen Havel from 2007 did some of the best box office for a Czech documentary ever.

Now a new film about the final years of the last president of Czechoslovakia and the first president of Czechia is ready to hit cinema screens.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Source: Charles Games, Goethe Institut

This June will mark 100 years since the death of Franz Kafka, the German-speaking Jewish writer who lived in Prague at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. To mark the occasion, Charles Games studio along with Prague’s Goethe Institute developed a 3D game set in the world of Kafka’s novels. The first module of the game, which is based on The Trial, is already available. The full version of the game will be released in May in Czech, English and German.

This June will mark 100 years since the death of Franz Kafka, the German-speaking Jewish writer who lived in Prague at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. To mark the occasion, Charles Games studio along with Prague’s Goethe Institute developed a 3D game set in the world of Kafka’s novels. The first module of the game, which is based on The Trial, is already available. The full version of the game will be released in May in Czech, English and German.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: CAMP

A new exhibition titled ‘Planet Prague’ opens on Wednesday at the Centre for Architecture and Metropolitan Planning in Prague. The installation aims to tell the story of the city’s wildlife through an interactive lens, and was put together with the help of botany and biology experts. I spoke with CAMP’s Štěpán Bärtl to learn more about what visitors can expect.

“Planet Prague is a brand new exhibition where we look at the city, architecture, and urbanism from the perspective of plants and animals. It’s a bit different than what we usually do, but it’s very relevant. How we co-exist with nature is more relevant now than ever. There’s so much to do at this exhibit, there’s a virtual reality, and interactive screens. One other thing that I’m really excited about is that we’ve started an open air experiment. Today, on the first day of spring, we’re going to start leaving our atrium open for the next six months and let nature run wild. We will see how it changes over the course of the exhibition, and it’s going to become its own little urban jungle.”

When I was reading about the exhibition I noticed there’s a lot of experts involved – scientists, biologists and so on. Can you tell me about the team behind the exhibition?

“The source material of the exhibition is a book and film called Planet Prague, and it was put together by a team of botanists, biologists, and entomologists who have spent their lives walking around Prague and monitoring urban nature. One of our main protagonists in the exhibition is Jan Albert Šturma. He spends a lot of time in shrubberies and different bushes over the weekend and monitors nature, so he was a big part of it.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Erasmus mobility programs, which offer students the chance to study and live in a new country, have become increasingly popular for both Czechs who want to go abroad, and foreigners who wish to move to Czechia. Last year alone, 31,000 Czechs participated in an international exchange program. To learn more about the rise in interest, I spoke with Michal Uhl, Director of the Czech National Agency for International Education and Research.

Data was just released that revealed there’s been a significant uptick in the number of Czechs wanting to go abroad. Is there any indication why this is the case?

“It’s because they have the opportunity to go abroad – we do a lot of promotions with our universities. Czech students know that international experiences can change their life. It’s a combination of two things, the fact that they want to go on exchange and because they can. Our budget that we have allocated for Erasmus programs this year is almost 90 million euros, last year it was 80 million – so it is quite significant and increasing every year.”

Are there any destinations in particular that Czechs are interested in going to? Are they mainly within Europe or are other continents popular as well?

“Eighty percent of the budget had to be spent within Europe. But we do have partner schools in Japan, Israel, and the United States, so some mobility’s are outside of Europe. The top European countries are France, Germany, Poland and Slovakia.”

See the rest here.

Photo: Praha ve stínu hákového kříže/Wikimedia Commons, public domain

When they were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and during the First Republic, Czechs were accustomed to driving on the left. That changed with the Nazi occupation in 1939.

Driving on the left side of the road used to be the general rule, and was legislated by a papal decree around 1300.  During the Austro-Hungarian Empire people drove on the left and when it broke up  most of its former territories stayed left, including Czechoslovakia.

That changed –almost overnight – in 1939. Just a couple of days after the Nazis invaded most of Bohemia and Moravia on March 15th Czech motorists were ordered to drive on the right.

Interestingly, the changeover was first introduced in the provinces on March 17, and then just over a week later in Prague, on March 26.

See the rest here.

Source:Český rozhlas

Mobi observes the world from the back of his mother Duni. She manifests herself as a very playful parent, but at the same time very cautious. Although she shows her Mobi to visitors every day, she has not loaned any other gorillas to her daughter yet. Photo by Oliver Le Que, Prague Zoo

The two-month-old female lowland gorilla Mobi at the Prague Zoo is keenly interested in her surroundings. In recent days, better fixation of the head has contributed to this, so the baby gorilla is already responding to all kinds of stimuli in a targeted manner. She looks around more and more while Mother Duni carries her on her back or lifts her up, stretching the little gorilla’s stomach and limbs.

“With a bit of exaggeration, it can be said that Mobi has already started looking for her sister or brother, whose birth we expect next month,” says head primate breeder Martin Vojáček. The second cub this year in the Dja Reserve will be born to an experienced Kijivu female. However, what makes the breeders happy now is the continued perfect care of first-time mother Duni for little Mobi. “In short, Duni can be seen that her mother Moja prepared her flawlessly for her own motherhood. For example, when Duni lifts little Mobi up and down with her legs, we can’t tell which one enjoys it more.”

The grip reflex of the little Mobi is very good. Visitors to the Dja Reserve pavilion have the best chance to see her “on a ride” around 10 am or 3 pm during feeding. Photo by Oliver Le Que, Prague Zoo

In addition, for ten-year-old Duni, the first cub is a ticket to the higher rungs of the pack’s hierarchical ladder. Although Duni still plays with the almost eight-year-old male, Ajabu, who shows the most interest in little Mobi out of the group, at the same time, he defines himself more dominantly towards the other females, especially Shinda.

“Shinda is the most dominant female and is thus right below the leader male Kisum in the group hierarchy. But Duni suddenly stops dodging her and, for example, in a recent dispute over a sleeping nest, she even stood up to her. Duni is very smart and knows that as Kisumu’s current favorite, she can afford such daring experiments,” Vojáček explains, adding that Kisumu’s natural role is to resolve such situations calmly.

Duni shows great interest in his daughter Mobi and exercises with her very often. Stretching the baby like this has a similar effect to massaging a human baby’s tummy.

Little Mobi, which in translation from the Cameroonian dialect badjoué means “heiress” or “continuator”, was born on January 2nd and today she is exactly ten weeks old. He starts toddling around his mother at the age of about four months, and he starts tasting his first solid food, most likely vegetables, at the age of about nine months, i.e. in autumn. By that time, if all goes well, the aforementioned baby Kijivu will also be born, and visitors to the Prague Zoo will be able to observe two small gorilla cubs at the same time for the first time in history.

Photo by Oliver Le Que, Prague Zoo

The President of the Republic Petr Pavel and Eva Pavlova welcomed the President of the Republic of the Philippines Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. at the Prague Castle. with his wife Louisa Araneta-Marco. After the ceremonial welcome, the meeting of the couples, the meeting of the delegations, and the press conference of the presidential couple, a festive dinner awaits. This is the first state visit of a Philippines President to the Czech Republic after 27 years. The last visit was in 1997.

The main goal of the meeting between the two presidents is to strengthen Czech activity towards the Indo-Pacific region. The 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, which the countries commemorated last year, marked a restart of high-level meetings, with the last presidential visits taking place in the 1990s.

“I am very happy that the Philippine president visited the Czech Republic in addition to Germany, it is proof of interest in mutual cooperation, but also an expression of our mutual relations,” said President Petr Pavel at a joint press conference.

The main topic of the meeting will also be the support of business and bilateral business. Perspective areas of cooperation are railway and air transport, agriculture and food industry, space technology, security and defense industry, waste management, energy, water management, and tourism. The Philippines is the most important partner for the Czech Republic in terms of foreign employees.

On the sidelines of the talks with President Marcos, a Joint Communiqué on the establishment of a consultative mechanism in the field of labor will be signed. As part of the program, the Presidents will open a Business Forum at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday.

During the two-day visit, the Philippine president will also meet with Senate President Miloš Vystrčil, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Markéta Pekarová Adamová and Prime Minister Petr Fiala.

Photo: Český lev/ČFTA

Czech Television’s series Volga swept this year’s Czech Lion national film awards at the weekend. The mini-series about a Czechoslovak television chauffer picked up five prizes, including the Best Actor and best Supporting Actor. The Best Film Award went to Brothers, a retelling of the Cold War story of the controversial Mašín brothers.

The Best Film award at Saturday’s Czech Lions went to Brothers, a film about the controversial Mašín brothers, who formed an armed resistance group and who fought their way out of communist Czechoslovakia to West Berlin killing several people in the process, a topic which remains divisive to this day.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Klára Stejskalová, Radio Prague International

The third part of our video series on Czech Music Greats is devoted to the work of one of the giants of Czech classical music Bedřich Smetana.

Bedřich Smetana, whom Czechs like to call ”the father of Czech music”, composed eight operas.

Internationally he is best known for his 1866 opera The Bartered Bride and for the symphonic cycle Má vlast (“My Fatherland”), which portrays the history, legends and landscape of the composer’s native Bohemia.

The Bartered Bride (Prodaná nevěsta) is a comic opera in three acts. Set in a country village, it tells the story of how true love prevails over the combined efforts of ambitious parents and a scheming marriage broker.

See the rest here.

Authors: Lukáš Hurník, Barbora Navrátilová

Photo: Office of Czech Government

Relations between Czechia and Slovakia, which were part of one country for over seven decades, have consistently been described as “exceptional”. But mounting differences over foreign policy have now led the Czech government to suspend a planned joint meeting of the two cabinets in what is seen as a clear message that Prague wants to distance itself from Bratislava’s pro-Russian stance.

Inter-governmental consultations between the former sister states have been taking place since 2012, highlighting the special relationship between the two neighbours. And, although linguistically close, the countries’ leaders no longer understand each other. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said the differences in basic values and key security issues were so great there was no point in getting together.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová, Sources:Český rozhlas,ČTK

Photo: Czech Radio

Known for introducing the word ‘robot’ to the world through his literature, Karel Čapek is one of the most famous Czech writers internationally – and one of the most loved at home. The author of ‘War with the Newts’ and ‘R.U.R.’ lived in several parts of the country throughout his life – but his childhood was spent in what is today the Hradec Králové Region.

Karel Čapek was born the youngest of three children in the village of Malé Svatoňovice in 1890, only a few kilometres from the Polish border. Zdeněk Vacek, the director of the Čapek memorial in Stará Huť near Dobříš in the Central Bohemian Region – formerly the Čapek family’s summer residence where the writer spent much of the last three years of his life – says that Čapek’s childhood was very much shaped by growing up in the foothills of the Bohemian mountains.

See the rest here.

Authors: Anna Fodor, Vít Pohanka

Photo: Czech Television

Former US President Bill Clinton is in Prague for a conference commemorating the 25th anniversary of Czechia’s admission to NATO. On Sunday night he visited Prague’s Reduta jazz club, where he celebrated the country’s admission to Western structures together with then president Vaclav Havel and US secretary of state Madeleine Albright a quarter of a century ago.

On January 11, 1994 then US President Bill Clinton was recorded live at the Reduta Jazz Club in Prague, playing Summertime on the saxophone with Czech jazz musicians. Next to him was the icon of the Velvet Revolution Vaclav Havel and then US secretary of state Madeleine Albright, who significantly contributed to the fact that just five years after the fall of communism the Czech Republic was being taken into the Western fold of nations. Symbolically, the popular music venue Reduta is located on Narodní třída, where the communist secret police cracked down on an unarmed student demonstration sparking protests that led to the regime’s downfall.

See the rest here.

Author:Daniela Lazarová|Sources:CNN Prima News,ČTK

Photo: Jakub Lucký, Czech Radio

The Czech capital is set to become a so-called city of refuge. The City of Prague has signed a contract with the Norwegian non-profit organisation ICORN, joining a network of more than 80 cities around the world that provide temporary asylum to writers or artists persecuted in their home countries.

The idea to establish a network of cities that would provide refuge to persecuted artists, writers and journalists originated back in the 1990s. The people behind the original concept, called International Parliament of Writers, included Salman Rushdie, but also the late Czech president and playwright Václav Havel.

Since 2006, the job was taken over by the Norwegian non-profit organisation ICORN. On Tuesday, Prague has become the 86th city to join the network. The signing of the agreement was also attended by ICORN director general Helge Lunde:

“Since we started in 2006 we have protected more than 300 persecuted writers and artists, who can be everything from novelists, poets, journalists, but also cartoonists and lately also non-verbal artists.

See the rest here.

Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Jakub Lucký

Illustrative photo: Czech Television

The very first Prague nursery was established in 1884 by the Czech philanthropist Marie Riegrová-Palacká, daughter of the famous historian František Palacký. A few years earlier, in 1869, she had established the first Czech kindergarten.

Riegrová herself visited poor families to select children who should be admitted to the nursery or kindergarten and decide whether they should be entitled to free meals. When the children arrived at the nursery, they were bathed, given clean clothes and food.

However, once they left the nursery and kindergarten, they often ended up on the streets or had to start working. Only a fraction of them started school.

See the rest here.

Photo: Paseka publishing

What creates a romantic attachment? Is it just genetics, do our parents play a part or is it simply a magical uncontrollable process? What if every relationship you get into is an exact copy of the one that just ended? These are just some of the questions examined in the latest autobiographical novel by Štěpánka Jislová, called Srdcovka or Heartcore.

What creates a romantic attachment? Is it just genetics, do our parents play a part or is it simply a magical uncontrollable process? What if every relationship you get into is an exact copy of the one that just ended? These are just some of the questions examined in the latest autobiographical novel by Štěpánka Jislová, called Srdcovka or Heartcore. The deeply personal memoir, which examines the toxicity of modern relationships as well as sexual violence, has been hailed by critics as one of the best Czech graphic novels in years and recently won the Muriel Award for the best comic book of the year. I met with Štěpánka Jislová to discuss her book and first asked her to summarize its main themes:

“Heartcore is an autobiographical graphic novel and its story can be described as searching for answers. The main question is how our childhood trauma influences who we fall for in adulthood. But there is also a bunch of other themes.

See the rest here

Author: Ruth Fraňková.

Photo: Kateřina Šulová, ČTK

Friday marks Petr Pavel’s first year as president of Czechia. What have been his biggest successes so far? And did he succeed in uniting the divided Czech society? I discussed these questions with political scientist Vlastimil Havlík from Masaryk University in Brno:

“I would say that the most important thing related to his first year is that he was kind of a moderate president, not very “activist” and not competing with the cabinet or with the other part of the executive. That is quite a big difference from Miloš Zeman and it is the first thing that comes to my mind when evaluating him.”

What would you say where his biggest successes so far? Would you say it is the continuing support for Ukraine, namely the current shells-for-Ukraine plan?

“I would say that he was quite visible in two areas. The first one was his role in foreign policy, including his clear support for Ukraine. Again, we could say it was a really visible a turn from Miloš Zeman.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Ian Willoughby, Radio Prague International

Czechia, along with Poland and Hungary, joined NATO exactly 25 years ago, on March 12, 1999. But how has Czech membership of the alliance actually gone over the last quarter century? And how has Russia’s war on Ukraine impacted that membership? I discussed those questions, and many more, with Michal Smetana, an international security expert and associate professor at Charles University.

Czechia officially joined NATO on March 12, 1999. How significant a moment was that for Czechia?

“It was extremely significant for Czechoslovakia and then Czechia, at that time. This was a period when we were going through a transformation from the communist era to a new orientation toward Western structures.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

In the last five years, almost half of the tourists in the Czech Republic have visited a place where a movie, fairy tale, or series was filmed. According to a survey by the Czech Tourism Office – CzechTourism, the most frequent destinations included chateaux and castles such as Hluboká nad Vltavou, Bouzov, Červená Lhota or Karlštejn, as well as the cities of Český Krumlov and Prague, especially their historic centers. Film travelers often choose Lednice, Telč, Hoštice, or Karlovy Vary as their destination.

The film industry has an irreplaceable place in the state’s economy. Filming brings income not only within the film as such, but also in other areas. Those who provide staff with accommodation, transport, work in the construction industry, in gastronomy or perhaps work in the clothing sector benefit from it. Up to 60% of the income from filming goes to these segments.

Box office blockbusters and major films are often produced in Prague in the Czech Republic. Thanks to the well-preserved architecture, filmmakers often shoot in the center of Liberec, even though it often represents another city, such as Vienna or Hamburg. Other sought-after places are, for example, the romantic Bouzov castle, our largest rock city of the Adršpašsko-Teplické rocks, the Bohemian Paradise area, the Rococo castle Dobříš, Krkonoše or perhaps one of the oldest and most important royal castles in the Czech Republic, Křivoklát.

“The Czech Republic is one of the sought-after locations for foreign productions. In addition to the costs incurred in hiring domestic actors or renting venues pay off compared to other countries, they also appreciate the local fans and the skill of the “Czech hands”. Let us recall, for example, the admirable crystal from Sklárna Pačinek in the film Na nože: Glass Onion with Daniel Graig in the lead role. “Czech glass from the small North Bohemian village of Kunratice near Cvikov has reached Hollywood fame,” says František Reismüller, director of the Czech Tourism Office – CzechTourism, adding: “The film generates income not only thanks to foreign films shot here, but domestic films also contribute to the budget to a large extent creation. Although there was no Czech representation at this year’s film Oscars, our cinematography did well last year. This is also confirmed by the rich participation of the Czech Republic in international film festivals. Among others, the feature-length film Brothers, the sci-fi thriller Point of Recovery, or the series Volga are definitely worth mentioning. All these works also scored points at the Czech Lion 2024 award ceremony.”

Filming location and tourism are connected by excellently functioning vessels. CzechTourism or its tourist portal Kudy z nudy are often partners in audiovisual projects. In the past, the continuation of the James Bond series Casino Royal, the first part of the Chronicles of Narnia trilogy, the action film Mission: Impossible, and the Oscar-winning film Edith Piaf have been beneficial for the Czech Republic, not only from an economic point of view. In the last two years, for example, the story of the former CIA agent Gray Man or the sequel to the movie Redemption 2, which was originally supposed to be filmed in Australia, but due to the lockdowns, the creators decided to shoot it in the Czech Republic. And Bollywood movies full of spectacular musical scenes and emotional shots are definitely worth mentioning. The magic of the shots resonated with the Indian audience for a long time after watching the Bollywood blockbuster Superstar, Jab Harry met Sejal or Bang Bang and contributed to an increase in demand for the Czech Republic.

“The film invites long-term travel around the world. Thanks to places known from the movie screen, many foreign tourists decide to vacation here. The same applies to Czech residents who set out to discover foreign countries that they have seen in movies or on television. Among other things, our survey showed that almost 48% of Czechs have recently gone or are planning to go on a trip or vacation in their country based on the inspiration of a film or series that appealed to them,” adds Petr Janeček, head of the Tourism Institute of the Czech Tourism Office – CzechTourism .

There are two types of tourists who travel for film. Everyone expects something a little different. The more common one gets excited about a certain country, region, or city thanks to the film and wants to get to know it for himself. It is then in the given locality whether it is ready for tourists or prepared for travelers, whether it has built sufficient infrastructure, functioning services, and even with increased tourism, it can ensure the privacy of the locals and reduce the carbon footprint that greater mobility brings. The second type of person can be called a Film Tourist with a capital F. A fan of audiovisual works who wants to see the locations, i.e. the place where his “heartthrob” was filmed. The so-called film-induced tourism is also appearing in the Czech Republic. In general, these people mainly travel for fantasy films or witch sagas. And lately, in connection with the boom in platforms for streaming movies and series, also for action pictures.

“Film plays an important role in marketing and in promoting interest in individual countries. We attract filmmakers from all over the world with, among other things, favorable incentives, kind treatment, and excellent professionals in the field that foreign productions hire. It’s all a matter of supply and demand, economic benefit and sustainability leaning in all directions. The wise know that if “And yet it spins!” is paid, it will help everyone,” concludes Veronika Janečková, director of the product management, research, and B2B cooperation department of the Czech Tourism Headquarters – CzechTourism.

Photo: Kristýna Maková, Radio Prague International

Despite attempts to redefine the city’s image as a party destination, Prague reigns supreme in a recent UK-based index that measures nightlife across European cities. Taking in factors such as price of accommodation, cost of beer, and the number of bars and clubs per capita, the Czech capital came out on top. But is this title really welcome? I put the question to Barbora Scherf, spokesperson for Prague City Tourism.

Prague was just ranked the best nightlife destination in Europe – is this recognition welcome in the eyes of Prague City Tourism?

“Of course, we are not happy to see these statistics that people are still coming to Prague because they see it as a party destination. The City of Prague and Prague City Tourism launched a conception in 2020 that was supposed to rebrand Prague and the narrative of the city. We wanted to show that it is not a place where you can come on a stag or hen trip to get cheap food and drinks in the old town, but rather a place that offers great European history where you come to see culture, gastronomy, and so on.  Since we started this new conception in 2020, we’ve already finished 30 or 35 projects of the 70 that are planned for the coming years.

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Gabriela Hykl, Czech Radio

She was the daughter of the founding father of Czechoslovakia, took on the role of First Lady after her mother died, and headed the Czechoslovak Red Cross for 20 years during the First Republic. And yet, surprisingly, Alice Masaryk has never had a Czech street named after her – until now.

In practically every town in Czechia of more than a few thousand inhabitants, you are likely to find a street, square, or school named after the founder and first president of Czechoslovakia, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk. His son, the diplomat and politician Jan Masaryk, also has his fair share of namesakes, and even T. G. Masaryk’s wife, the American Charlotte Garrigue Masaryk, has a park in Prague named after her.

But until recently, the Masaryks’ eldest child, Alice, has, surprisingly, never had a municipal landmark named after her, despite doing much to improve social welfare in the nascent Czechoslovak republic. That has now changed, thanks to the efforts of Bára Svátková, a nurse from Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, a town of about 16,000 inhabitants in the Zlín Region.

See the rest here.

Authors: Anna Fodor, Gabriela Hykl, Source:iROZHLAS.cz

Photo: Jan Beneš, Czech Radio

The state-owned forest company Lesy ČR, which manages a large share of the country’s forests, is opening the very first plant in Czechia specializing in a wide variety of products made from wild game. Game lovers will be able to start ordering fresh delicacies as of this autumn.

Although Czechs are known as a nation of pork lovers, hunting remains a popular sport and the country’s extensive forests are teeming with deer, wild boar, pheasants, partridges and wood pigeons. Traditional game dishes can be found in both exclusive restaurants and out of the way country pubs.

Until now, game meat was processed on small scale and sold in select butchers’ shops and at farmers’ markets around the country. Now the state owned forest company Lesy ČR which manages 1.2 million hectares of state owned forests (45% of overall forest land) is opening the very first plant for a wide variety of wild game products in Czechia.

See the rest here.

Authors: Daniela Lazarová,Jan Beneš, Source:Český rozhlas

Photo: Utah State University

Dr. Evelyn funda discusses “Weeds: A Farm Daughter’s Lament”, her award winning book, and much more about her family and life of Czech immigrants in the American West.

As you may have already found out in the previous episode of Czechast, Dr. Evelyn Funda, is a distinguished scholar, author, and emeritus Professor from Utah State University. She has spent a lifetime exploring the rich tapestry of American western literature, specializing in the works of Willa Cather, namely her famous novel about Bohemian immigrants My Ántonia, bridging cultures, and delving deep into the heart of what it means to belong to two worlds.

Born and raised near the small farming community of Emmett, Idaho, to a Czech-immigrant family, Dr. Funda has woven her heritage into her academic and literary pursuits. Her Czech family lived on a farm:

“We were almost 2 miles outside of Emmet, Idaho. And Emmet itself was a very small town in a very rural state.”

See the rest here.

Author: Vít Pohanka

Photo: René Volfík, iROZHLAS.cz

Czechia on Tuesday celebrated 25 years since its accession to NATO, on March 12, 1999. One of the main events on the anniversary was the conference Our Security Cannot Be Taken for Granted with speakers including Bill Clinton, who was US president when the Czechs joined the alliance.

“History will record March 12, 1999 as the day the people of Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland strode through NATO’s open door and assumed their rightful place on NATO’s councils.To them I say that President Clinton’s pledge is now fulfilled: Never again will your fates be tossed around like poker chips on a bargaining table.”

These words were delivered exactly 25 years ago by the Prague-born US secretary of state, Madeleine Albright.

She was referred to several times on Tuesday at a conference entitled Our Security Cannot Be Taken for Granted that took place at Prague Castle’s Spanish Hall.

The special guests included George Robertson, a former secretary general of NATO.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Filip Jandourek, Czech Radio

The Brady family, originally from Nové Město na Moravě, has an inspiring story that spans generations and continents. George Brady, immigrated to Toronto, Canada after surviving Auschwitz and fleeing communism. Having promised himself as a prisoner that he would never turn his back on people in need if he survived the war, he assisted expats and helped to educate young people about the Holocaust.

On a recent visit home to Toronto, I met with Lara Hana Brady, daughter of George Brady, to find out more about his life story, going right back to his idyllic early childhood in Moravia.

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Lenka Kratochvílová, Czech Radio

Archaeologists from the central Moravian city of Přerov have announced a unique discovery. While carrying out excavations in the centre of the town, they came across an ice skate made of animal bone dating back some 1,000 years.

Experts from the Comenius Museum in Přerov, a town situated on the River Bečva, have been carrying out rescue digs in the basement of a house located on the city’s Upper Square. While sifting through the soil, they unearthed a bone skate dating back to the 10th or 11th century. Archaeologist Zdeněk Schenk says it was most likely made of horse shin bone:

“The object has a specific shape. On one side, it is curved into a tip which has a hole drilled in it and there is another hole at the back. They were used to thread a strap through, which was used to attach the skate to a shoe or to a wooden sledge.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Czech Television

At the start of her career, Věra Bílá soared on the wings of her incredible talent. She sold out concert halls all over the world; in France she won the award for Best Album of the Year in the world music category for her debut album Rom-Pop.

Newspapers such as The Guardian and Libération described her as an extraordinary talent and did not spare words such as “star” or “diva”. At a private concert in the White House, she sang for Bill Clinton and sold out concert halls such as the Olympia in Paris.

See the rest here.

Source: Český rozhlas