AuthorMartin Hladík

Photo: Office of Czech Government

A Median poll published Tuesday reaffirms ANO’s long-term commanding lead among Czech voters. But the survey also suggests that the Czech Pirate Party, one of the smaller parties in the coalition, are now ahead of government leaders the Civic Democrats. So, what are the Pirates doing right? I put that question to political scientist Jiří Pehe.

“I think the Pirates are one of the most visible parties in the Czech government. They have two very good ministers. The minister of foreign affairs, Jan Lipavský, is considered probably the best minister in the Czech government. And the party chairman, Ivan Bartoš, is a good minister of regional development and is in charge of digitalisation.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: René Volfík, iROZHLAS.cz

President Petr Pavel made international headlines at the Munich Security Conference when he said Czechia could secure about 800,000 artillery shells for Ukraine – if partner states provided the funding. How realistic is this plan? And what would such a delivery mean for the Kyiv government? I spoke to international affairs and security expert Michal Smetana of Charles University.

“It may be realistic. It’s important to know that we are not talking about shells that are available in the Czech Republic – we are talking about shells that in partner countries abroad.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Jitka Cibulová Vokatá, Czech Radio

The South Bohemian town of Hořice has a long tradition of passion plays which are intertwined with the family histories of its Czech and German inhabitants. One such family helped save and preserve the first known score for the Šumava Passion Plays from 1935 and have now donated the valuable material to the Society for the Preservation of the Hořice Passion Plays.

The town of Hořice in the Šumava mountains was once the site of some of the largest Easter passion plays in Europe, attracting tens of thousands of visitors from across the Old Continent. According to the local archives the very first passion play – in which people re-enact the trial, suffering and death of Jesus Christ – took place in 1816, when a local weaver wrote a script for it with the help of the town priest and 15 locals performed it.

See the rest here.

Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Jitka Cibulová Vokatá, Source:Český rozhlas

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

See the rest here.

Authors: Barbora Navrátilová, Lukáš Hurník

Photo: Anaïs Raimbault, Radio Prague International

The East Bohemian city of Pardubice, which lies on the confluence of the Labe (Elbe) and Chrudimka Rivers, is mainly associated with its production of gingerbread and the famous Velká Pardubická steeplechase. The industrial city also boasts a beautiful historic centre featuring a Renaissance castle. But what has recently put Pardubice in the spotlight are the newly renovated Automatic Mills designed by the pioneering Czechoslovak architect and designer Josef Gočár at the start of the 20th century.

The Automatic Mills are one of the most iconic buildings designed by Josef Gočár, who is regarded as one of the founders of modern Czech architecture. The monumental structure, standing on the bank of the Chrudimka River, was originally designed for the Winternitz brothers. Construction of the mills, built in red brick with stone elements, started in 1909. The façade of the towering, geometric structure was inspired by the ancient Babylonian Gate of Ishtar.

See the rest here.

Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Zdeňka Kuchyňová

Photo: Vladimír Šigut, Forum magazine

Kamila Kopřivová is Czechia’s first ever female rabbi. She was ordained in September last year and has since served as a rabbi at the Westminster Synagogue at the Kent House in London. The building is also a home to Torah scrolls that were confiscated by the Nazis from Jewish communities in Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia during the Second World War. They were acquired by a British art dealer and brought to England exactly 60 years this month.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Gene J. Puskar, ČTK/AP

Chants echoed the Pittsburgh Penguins’ home arena on Sunday for the jersey retirement of the legendary Czech ice hockey player Jaromír Jágr. Jágr – who played 11 years with the Penguins – returned to the city he calls his second home to see his number 68 jersey raised to the rafters. But what is the 52-year-old’s legacy today? That’s something I discussed with Michal Dimitrov, a hockey commentator and sports journalist at Czech Television.

“From an early age, Jaromír Jágr was perceived as a big star. As a youngster, he was playing with players who were two, three, or four years older than him. He started playing in the Czechoslovak league at age 15, he was scoring goals from the very beginning, so it was clear a big star was evolving.

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Hana Slavická, Radio Prague International

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

Source

Photo: René Volfík, iROZHLAS.cz

A Thursday night screening at Prague’s Edison Filmhub of the film Utøya, about the mass shooting at a summer camp in Norway, provided an opportunity to discuss the aftermath of December’s shooting at Charles University. One topic was potential changes to Czech gun legislation, which guest speaker Jan Bartošek, who works for the Ministry of the Interior’s Security Policy Council, told me more about.

“Speaking purely about gun policy and the regulatory policy concerning firearms, it is definitely necessary after any tragedy or incident like the one in December, to have a really in depth public discussion about the system. It is perfectly understandable that the public discussions are focussed on the dangers that firearms can pose to public security.

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Jan Vodňanský, Český rozhlas

Ladislav Nagy is not just a scholar, translator and academic. He is also an experienced jockey and trainer, and even a member of the Presidium of the Czech National Jockey Club!

In today’s episode, I have the pleasure of welcoming someone whose work transcends the beauty of language and bridges cultures through the art of translation. He’s a scholar, a critic, a translator of dozens of significant titles, and an educator shaping the future of English in the Czech Republic. Ladislav Nagy is the Director of the Institute of English Studies at the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice (or Budweis), known for his self-deprecating sense of humor.

See the rest here.

Author: Vít Pohanka

Photo: Czech Television

The roots of punk rock music in Czechoslovakia are said to stretch back 45 years, to a concert by the alternative band Extempore.

The gig took place on February 23, 1979 at the Prague pub U Zábranských and featured some covers of songs by UK punk groups.

In this programme you will hear tracks from domestic punk outfits such as Visací Zámek, Plexis, ZNC, E!E, HNF and SPS.

See the rest here.

Photo: René Volfík, iROZHLAS.cz

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

Military service was part of life in this part of the world from the Austro-Hungarian Empire on. Under communism it was typically for two years, and young soldiers were often sent to the opposite ends of Czechoslovakia from their homes.

In 1993 national service was cut to one year, before being abolished completely 11 years later. The Czech Army has been fully professional since 2005.

See the rest here.

Authors: Ian Willoughby, Kateřina Gruntová

Photo: YouTube

The Integrity of the Avant-Garde: Karel Teige and the Biography of an Ambition is the title of a book set for publication next month. Its author is US-born Peter Zusi, associate professor of Czech and Comparative Literature at the University of London. Zusi discusses his interest in Czech modernist prime mover Teige in a conversation that also takes in his own teaching work – and teenage years in a rock band with a future movie star.

Peter, you’re from New York – what led you to Czech?

“Cherchez la femme: My wife is Czech. I was in graduate school when we met. I was doing Comparative Literature, and primarily German Literature, but then when I was working on my dissertation we decided we would live in Prague, because it was possible.

“We figured events would take us back to the States afterwards. And then when I was there I just started poking around among certain authors who became interesting to me.

“I ended up including one chapter in my dissertation that was on Karel Tiege and the Czech avant-garde.

“Then when I finished the first job I got was in Czech literature and it has been, as they say, all history from there.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

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

The Czech and Moravian regions offer a whole range of possibilities. An overview of the most original experiences was prepared by the Kudy z nudy portal. Including tips for interesting accommodations and trips.

Travel and Valentine’s Day have one thing in common – both are matters of the heart. Everyone who likes to travel can enjoy Valentine’s romance to their heart’s content.

“For all those who want to thoroughly enjoy this year’s Valentine’s Day, within the Kudy z nudy portal, Czech Tourism has prepared not only tips for well-known destinations, where many travelers go every year on Valentine’s Day but also tips from all over the world for undiscovered places, designer accommodation, relaxation and romance,” says František Reismüller, director of the Czech Tourism Office – CzechTourism, adding: “The Czech Republic offers an abundance of possibilities in this respect. We have beautiful nature, rich culture, and world-famous spas. After all, the new communication concept of the Czech Tourism Office’s 2024 and 2025 Unexpected Wellbeing campaigns will also refer to this fact.

For lovers of urban romance

Traditionally, the capital city is the favorite destination of all lovers. Prague offers a whole range of options, including a romantic walk across the Charles Bridge, which is the second oldest bridge in the Czech Republic and the oldest surviving bridge over the Vltava River. A picturesque corner with winding streets and small residential houses away from the main tourist industry will offer lovers the New World, where the famous Danish astronomer and mathematician Tycho Brahe, the famous architect Jan Blažej or the painter Jan Zrzavý lived in the past. History lovers will find a tangle of winding medieval streets, picturesque gables of burgher houses and romantic corners in Český Krumlov. Do you want to confess your love to your significant other closer to the clouds? If you are among the lovers of heights, then choose the above-ground panoramic Wallaška Trail with a glass viewing platform and a 150-meter-long suspended “Himalayan” walkway. You can also find a panoramic view of the surrounding mountain massifs on the trail in the clouds in Lower Moravia. At the same time, there is not just one path leading up, but a network of wooden paths that intertwine with each other. If your destination is South Moravia, then try the unique barrier-free lookout tower in Kobylí in Břeclavsk. From it you can see Pálava and, in good weather, the Austrian Alps. You can also enjoy the Valentine’s Day celebration during a romantic dinner at the Žižkov Tower.

Spa romance for two

Spa procedures and relaxation are among the most popular activities for two. And the Czech Republic has a lot to offer in this regard. Whether you head to Mariánské Lázně, Karlovy Vary, the mountain spa in Karlov Studánek or perhaps Konstantinovy Lázně in Pilsen.

For mystery lovers

You can draw positive energy for a long-term relationship between the walls and columns of the mysterious temple in Panenské Týnec. Václav Levy’s monumental Devil’s Head sculpture will appeal to you near Liběchov near the village of Želízy. And if you like mysterious places of pilgrimage, then you can head to the Praying mine near Svojkovo.

Castle romance

In addition to the vast park, the Lednice-Valtice area offers tourists access to several monuments left here by the famous Lichtenstein family. In addition to the castles in Lednice and Valtice, you will find several small buildings in the park landscape. The area is the largest conceptual landscape in the world, which is included in the list of UNESCO monuments. Romantic moments will also be offered by the Zbiroh castle, the castle in Rájc, where camellia lovers will enjoy themselves, or the Valdštejnů castle in Litvínov during a costumed tour called Cupid’s Chambers.

Together in nature

Those who prefer spending time together in nature can head, for example, to the Mumlav waterfall in the Giant Mountains, to the Czech Switzerland National Park, which is one of the most beautiful places in Europe, to admire one of the most beautiful views of the Vltava from the Máj Lookout, to reminisce at Panská skály the Proud Princess fairy tale or confess your love to your significant other in the Valley of Love in the Karlov Nature Reserve.

Unusual Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day can also be spent unconventionally, for example among animals. Ostrava Zoo or Prague Zoo offers special programs for lovers. During guided tours, visitors will learn which animals live in permanent pairs, what their courtship looks like, and who takes care of their offspring.

You don’t need to wait for next year’s Valentine’s Day to enjoy all those romantic offers. The Czech Republic is waiting for you al year around.

Photo: Czech Television/CHMI

On 11 February 1929 a temperature of -42.2 was registered at Litvínovice in South Bohemia. It was the lowest temperature since records began in Bohemia and Moravia.

The winter of 1929 was one of the coldest since records began in today’s Czechia and Slovakia. On 11 February 1929, temperatures fell well below -30 °C. The absolute lowest temperature was recorded in Litvínovice near České Budějovice at -42.2 degrees Celsius. In Jablunkov, in the very east of Moravia, the temperature dropped to -41.5 degrees Celsius.

Period press reports refer to major transport problems, including restrictions on the railway line between Prague and Bratislava, and a local transport collapse in Brno. In the Olomouc Region 70 percent of wild animals reportedly did not survive the deep freeze.

See the rest here.

Photo: Tomáš Kalous, Strom roku

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

The Czech nominee for the European Tree of the Year 2024, a wind-whipped pear tree standing in the middle of a field, was selected in the national round of the competition, traditionally organised by the Partnership Foundation.

The winner of the Tree of the Year contest was selected from five candidates that made it to the Czech national final. The pear received 6,433 votes out of 28,250, becoming already the third fruit tree and a second pear tree to dominate the national vote.

See the rest here.

Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Josef Ženatý

Photo: Vít Pohanka, Radio Prague International

Milan Kocourek is a former colleague of mine, boasts an illustrious career as a BBC World Service producer and reporter. Later he worked also for the Czech National Public Radio.

Milan and I discuss what it was like when he as a young student on a study stay in Scotland in 1969 made the life-changing decision not to return to the communist Czechoslovakia and stay in Britain:

“It was a hard decision to make on that particular day. But when I reconciled myself mentally with the fact that I shall see my parents, my folk, again, it was easy.”

See the rest here.

Author: Vít Pohanka

Photo: Tereza Brázdová, Czech Radio

The post-Christmas months are when many Czech families hit the slopes for skiing holidays. However, recent weather patterns have thrown a wrench in those plans for a snow filled getaway. Temperatures in the country are currently well above the seasonal average, a symptom of an ever changing climate, as Šimon Bercha, hydrologist at the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, explained to me.

“The average temperature for the Czech Republic in January is -1.3 degrees Celsius, and for February it’s – 0.4 degrees Celsius. If you look out the window, it’s so much warmer than it should be right now. When it comes to snow, it should definitely be on the mountains and on the hills which are at medium sea level. The water storage in the snow covered areas should be six times greater during this time of year. Unfortunately, snow is only in the mountain regions, and we’re currently suffering from floods, rain, and melting snow, especially in the Krkonoše and Hrubý Jeseník mountains. The current state of the weather in the Czech Republic is how it would typically be at the end of March or beginning of April.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: APF Czech Radio

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

Jiří Šlitr is best known for his work as a musician but, a man of many talents, was also a trained lawyer and skilled artist.

Born on February 15, 1924, Šlitr started out with a group from his hometown of Rychnov that were eventually named the Czechoslovak Dixieland Jazz Band. After that he was a touring pianist with the theatre company of popular actor Miroslav Horníček.

It was Horníček who in 1957 introduced him to somebody with whom Šlitr would forever be associated, Jiri Suchý.

Suchý, who is today 92, remembers the day Horníček brought them together.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby, Source:Český rozhlas

Photo: MČ Praha 10

The Prague 10 district has just unveiled a new visual identity that works with various takes on the logo X, the Roman numeral for 10. This follows a similar move by Prague 3 some years ago, when it even started selling merchandise with a logo comprising three lines. But what is the value of this kind of branding? I put that question to top Czech graphic designer Pavel Fuksa.

“For me the branding of Prague districts is somehow a positive and natural evolution of the city’s identity.

“We’re all familiar with the overall sort of umbrella branding for Prague, that well-known red square with four lines of Prague being written in different languages.

“But that serves as a sort of overwhelming, generic Prague branding.

“For me, Prague with its rich history has always been a mosaic of distinct districts and quarters, each with its own unique character and spirit.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Archdiocese of Prague

Victims of sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church in Czechia have written a petition calling for the resignation of the head of the church in the country, Prague Archbishop Jan Graubner. They say he knew about priests, and specifically one – František Merta – who was abusing children, and failed to take appropriate action. I spoke with one of the petition’s writers, Ladislav Koubek, who himself is a survivor of abuse, about the initiative.

Just for our listeners who may not be aware of this petition, could you please explain it?

“We were inspired by the recent events in Hungary, where the president of the country stepped down because she pardoned a person who covered sexual abuse. In the Czech Republic, there is the case of Archbishop Jan Graubner, who did something even worse. He knew about a priest who was sexually abusing children. Archbishop Graubner moved him from various parishes, and at each one, the priest sexually abused altar boys.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

On Thursday, February 15, 2024, at Prague Castle, the President of the Republic Petr Pavel received the credentials of the new ambassadors to the Czech Republic:

HE Mr. Ilir Tepelena, new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Albania with headquarters in Prague,

HE Mr. Tolendy Makeyev, new Extraordinary and Ambassador Plenipotentiary of the Kyrgyz Republic based in Vienna,

HE Mr. Pa Musa Jobarteh, new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of The Gambia based in Brussels,

HE Mr. Fekadu Beyene Ayana, new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia based in Berlin,

HE Mr. Emil Krsteski, the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of North Macedonia, based in Prague.

photo: Zuzana Bönisch

The European Investment Bank (EIB) will be involved in supporting the emerging sector of affordable housing in the Czech Republic. This year, he will prepare a market evaluation and recommend a suitable form of financing for housing construction and renovations. The bank’s experts will also select specific projects with high potential. Among other things, the goal is to create a system that will be attractive to multinational investors as well. In Prague, the contract on the advisory role of the bank was signed by its vice president Kyriacos Kakouris – on behalf of the Czech side, they were the Minister of Finance Zbyněk Stanjura and the Deputy Prime Minister for Digitization and the Minister for Regional Development Ivan Bartoš.

Available rental housing in the Czech Republic will expand the offer in addition to owner-occupied, cooperative, social or commercial rental housing. “In many European countries, so-called affordable housing is a key part of the effort to find a way out of the housing crisis. We are working to ensure that it also plays an important role in the Czech Republic. These are long-term cheaper rents that even middle-class people can afford if they don’t own real estate. The goal is not to replace owner-occupied housing, but to offer a decent alternative, for example, to young people who, at the beginning of their careers, cannot yet afford a mortgage,” explained Bartoš.

“The low affordability of housing is a problem for many of our citizens, especially those who belong to the low and middle income groups. In the area of housing support, interdepartmental cooperation is therefore key, and it is thanks to it that we were able to sign the contract with the EIB today. Our goal is to support investments in rental housing projects that will meet the criteria of quality, energy efficiency and affordability,” said Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura.

The Czech Republic has so far lacked practical experience in the area of investments in affordable housing. The Ministry for Regional Development and the Ministry of Finance therefore asked the European Investment Bank for its advisory services in 2023. The cooperation agreement is the result of regular negotiations between the two departments and representatives of the bank. “I am proud that the Czech government is relying on the expertise of the EIB to fulfill this important goal, and I believe that our work will support the development of the affordable housing sector in the Czech Republic and attract investments from public and private sources,” explained EIB Vice President Kyriacos Kakouris.

This year, the bank will carry out a detailed analysis of the housing market in the Czech Republic and help prepare a strategy for the development of its affordable sector. EIB experts also identify a stockpile of housing construction and renovation projects. Following this, they will prepare suitable financing options, including a possible share of funds from the bank and other international partners. “For the coming years, we have negotiated about eight billion crowns for affordable housing in the Czech Republic from the National Recovery Plan – but we are thinking long-term. We are setting up an investment system that meets European rules, and above all, it will be permanently attractive to foreign investors,” added Bartoš.

This year, the MMR plans to start supporting affordable housing as part of the program of the same name under the State Investment Support Fund (SFPI). He is negotiating its terms with the European Commission these weeks. At least 2.25 billion crowns will be available in it for this year. In the next two years, the MMR expects another almost five billion crowns. “The program, as well as the entire concept of affordable housing, envisages intensive cooperation between municipalities and the private sector. We will therefore offer practical help to local governments with the preparation of projects – teams of experts will be available for them directly in the regions. We are also preparing concrete examples of construction and financing that will make it easier for them to implement the project,” added SFPI director Daniel Ryšávka. Investments in affordable housing are part of a broad reform of the Ministry for Local Development Housing for Life. It also includes, for example, a new construction law or a draft law on support in housing.

foto: Radek Vebr

Photo: Amelia Mola-Schmidt, Radio Prague International

As the population of foreigners in Czechia continues to grow, students whose native language is not Czech struggle to succeed in the education system, and are more prone to slipping through the cracks. META is an NGO based in Prague that focuses on supporting students whose mother language is different. I visited their classroom to learn more about the work they are doing.

Homogeneity is a word often associated with Czech society, but the landscape and population make-up of Czechia has been changing significantly. At the end of last year, statistics showed that foreigners accounted for 1.2 million people making up the country’s population. So how do those who are not originally from Czechia, or were born in the country but speak a different mother language, fare in the education system here?

To put it briefly, it’s difficult for many. But one NGO based here in Prague has been responding to the needs of students who are struggling within the Czech education system. META, based out of Prague’s Žižkov neighbourhood, is a non-profit organization that works to support students who don’t speak Czech as their first language, and guides pedagogues in the way they teach these students. Kristýna Titěrová – Director of Programs and Services at META, told me more about their mission.

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

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

“A third of Czechs are vulnerable to both disinformation and misinformation. Often times, they cannot differentiate between what is disinformation and what is misinformation. The difference is in the intent of the person or entity that spreads these false narratives. But the person who is vulnerable and on the receiving end, may not know if there is mal intent or if it’s a mistake.”

Could you explain the difference between disinformation and misinformation further?

“They both describe objectively false information. Disinformation is spread with an intent to manipulate or change someone’s behaviour – the person who spreads it knows that it’s false. Misinformation can be an honest mistake, so it’s false, but there is not an intent of the spreader to manipulate or hurt someone.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Slavomír Kubeš, ČTK

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

Source: ČTK

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

This honorary position has been granted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan since 2015 to a prominent figure working outside Japan in the field of Japanese gastronomy in order to increase the awareness and popularity of Japanese agricultural products, Japanese cuisine, and culinary culture abroad.

A total of 18 new ambassadors have been appointed to promote Japanese food and gastronomy. Their tasks include, among other things, providing advice to other persons in the field, participating in MAFF projects, and cooperating with the media.

Marek Hora the co-owner and chef of Yamato Restaurant has been contributing for many years to spreading the magic of Japanese cuisine in the Czech Republic and participates in the education of other colleague chefs in this art, who, like him, reap success in international competitions. In this year’s selection, he is one of eight ambassadors who are not from Japan and he is the first ever appointed from the Czech Republic.

We are looking forward to the opening of Mr. Hora’s new restaurant this year.

Photo: Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences

Sixty-five years ago Czech scientist Jaroslav Heyrovský won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his discovery and development of polarography, becoming the first Czech recipient of the prestigious award. The discovery, however, was made much earlier, on February 10, 1922.

This Saturday marks 102 years since the invention of polarography, a pioneering method analysing substances in solutions, developed by Czech chemist Jaroslav Heyrovský.

Polarography is based on the relationship between an increasing current passing through a solution and the increasing voltage used to produce the current, and is used to analyse the types of substances in solutions as well as their quantities.

See the rest here.

Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Klára Stejskalová

Photo: Ferdinand Hauser, Radio Prague International

World War II, Cold War borders and more recently Russia’s full invasion of Ukraine – the “Czech hedgehog” has been common to all of them. The anti-tank obstacle made of metal beams is, as the name suggests, a Czech invention and dates back to the 1930s, when it was intended for border protection.

At the Military Technical Museum in Lešany, Central Bohemia, curator Lieutenant Colonel Jan Fedoseyev is surrounded by “Czech hedgehogs”.

“It’s a steel anti-tank obstacle. It was made to repel the tanks and armoured vehicles of that era. Development on it started in 1935 or 1936, when the Germans already had the Panzer I, II and III, and it was created to repel just such tanks. It was tried and tested – and full production began in 1937 and continued in 1938.”

Up to around 200,000 hedgehogs were made for Czechoslovakia’s border fortifications, intended to protect the young republic from hostile neighbours.

See the rest here.

Authors: Ferdinand Hauser, Ian Willoughby

Photo: Elena Horálková, Český rozhlas

This week’s Sunday Music Show profiles chanson singer, guitarist and composer Lenka Filipová, who will turn 70 next week. To mark the occasion, the Supraphon label has released her first, and perhaps the most popular album from 1981, called Zamilovaná or In Love. The singer, who started out as a classical guitar player and developed into a successful chanson singer recorded more than 30 albums in a career spanning more than 40 years.

See the rest here.

Photo: Petr Voldán, Czech Radio

Emil Holub, perhaps the best-known Czech explorer, was born in the Pardubice Region in 1847. His birthplace of Holice boasts the only museum in Czechia dedicated to Holub, who made vast contributions to public understanding of Africa in the latter half of the 19th century.

Emil Holub is to the Czechs what David Livingstone was to the British. He was born in the small town of Holice in the Pardubice Region and like Livingstone, he studied medicine and travelled to Africa to explore its previously unexplored regions. A museum dedicated to his life and career, called the African Museum of Doctor Emil Holub, was built in his hometown. Jitka Koudelková is in charge of it:

“Emil Holub was born here in October 1847 to the family of a local doctor, František Holub. The Holub family lived in the town for 10 years and little Emil attended the local school. He was a very friendly boy and a good student.

“Even though the Holub family eventually moved away, he put down such deep roots here that the people of Holice supported his trip to Africa. They didn’t support him just financially, they also provided him with good shoes, because this was a shoemaking village.

See the rest here.

Authors: Vít Pohanka, Ruth Fraňková

Photo: National Theatre Brno

Photo: National Theatre Brno

This year marks 200 years since the birth of the great Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. To mark the anniversary, the National Theatre in Brno has prepared a new staging of his opera Dalibor. Its British director David Pountney found inspiration in Bobby Sands, a member of the IRA who died in a hunger strike in 1981.

Bedřich Smetana’s opera Dalibor is based on the medieval tale of the Knight Dalibor of Kozojedy, who learned to play the violin in prison. The drama about revenge, passion and political intrigue was first staged in 1868 on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of Prague’s National Theatre.

The new, and very contemporary, production of Dalibor, premiered at the Janáček Theatre in Brno, earlier this month. I discussed it with its UK director, David Pountney:

“What’s interesting about the character of Dalibor is that he is on the one hand a murderer and somebody we would probably describe as a terrorist, but he is also clearly presented as a heroic figure. Not only is he violent but he also has one could say a deeply spiritual connection to music. So it’s a very unusual combination of features.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: X of Emily McLaughlin

In August 2023, Canada appointed a new Ambassador to Czechia, Emily McLaughlin. Ambassador McLaughlin, whose career has spanned over 20 years in the Canadian Foreign Service, has previously held positions in New York, London and Hong Kong. Recently, I met with her at the Canadian Embassy in Prague to discuss her mission, her hopes of connecting with Canadians in Czechia, and the values that the two nations have in common. But of course, as a fellow Canadian, my first question was about Ambassador McLaughlin’s upbringing in Canada.

“I’m from the west coast – I grew up in a small town called White Rock, just outside of the city of Vancouver in British Colombia. It’s right on the beach, and we could see the United States from our house. Sometimes we would get up late and watch the Fourth of July fireworks. It was nice growing up in a small town that was close to the big city. We had a small hobby farm, and we always had a menagerie of animals, pets, and big gardens. It was a pretty nice life for a kid. My brother and I grew up playing in the forest around us and by the creek. It’s a beautiful part of the world, and holds a special place in my heart.”

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Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Natalie Máchová, Czech Radio

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

Czechs are first introduced to the works of the great Czech novelist and story writer Karel Čapek through the popular children’s book Dashenka or the Life of a Puppy, first published in 1933. Later they discover Krakatit, The War with the Newts, The Insect Play and Tales from Two Pockets. But even people who know his works inside out would be hard put to bring to mind the sound of his voice.

The Karel Čapek Memorial in Stará Hut near Dobříš has now made that possible with a new interactive app created with the help of artificial intelligence and Czech Radio.

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Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Natalie Máchová, Source:Český rozhlas

Photo: Hana Slavická, Radio Prague International

The “zmijovka” hat is a common sight in Czechia in winter, particularly in the country. But it turns out it is also popular in parts of West Africa, where it is sometimes called a “Cabral hat” after anti-colonial leader Amílcar Cabral, who frequently wore one. The forthcoming documentary Beyond a Knit Cap focuses on this fascinating connection. And its director, former FAMU student Violette Deffontaines, says the inspiration came from the streets of Marseille.

“I was wearing my zmijovka and I met some Senegalese people. They stopped me and we started taking and they said it was a revolutionary cap for them. So it’s how I got the idea.”

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Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Ian Willoughby, Radio Prague International

On Friday evening the Nicholas Winton biopic One Life gets its Czech premiere in Prague, where it is partly set. The film climaxes with Winton’s 1988 appearance on Esther Rantzen’s TV show That’s Life, when the discovery of how the Englishman saved 669 mostly Jewish children from the Holocaust allowed many of those survivors to connect with him for the first time

Among the children on the “kindertransports” to the UK organised by Winton and several others were half-sisters Eva Paddock and Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines, who are today aged 88 and 94. The women, whose maiden name was Fleischmann, came to Prague for the movie’s Czech premiere. Just ahead of the big event, I caught up with them.

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Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Jan Ebr, Czech Academy of Sciences

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

LISA, standing for Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, is a space-based gravitational wave detector that uses precision lasers to do its job. Or at least, it will once it is finished – the mission is scheduled to launch in the mid-2030s.

Consisting of three spacecraft separated by millions of miles and arranged in a triangle, LISA will trail behind the Earth as it orbits the sun. These three spacecraft will relay laser beams back and forth between each other, and the combined signals will search for gravitational wave signatures that come from distortions of spacetime.

The technology developed by Czech scientists will be in charge of switching between the main and backup laser and will be critical to the functioning of the entire system, says Asen Christov from the Institute of Physics.

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Authors: Anna Fodor, Martin Srb, Sources:iROZHLAS.cz,NASA

Photo: Suchej únor

February is here – and for some Czechs that means putting down their pint glasses and taking a break from alcohol consumption for the month. The ‘Dry February” campaign aims to shed light on the problematic reliance some have with alcohol, and encourages individuals to rethink their relationship with it. To learn more about the campaign, I spoke with Petr Freimann from the Dry February organization.

For our listeners who may not be familiar with the concept of ‘Dry February’, could you explain it?

“Dry February is a campaign that sheds light on the fact that over one million people in the country are considered ‘risky drinkers’. Most of these people do not know if they control alcohol or if alcohol and other addictions control them.”

You said one million people here?

“It’s actually over one million. Addiction experts talk about the number being closer to 1.3 or 1.5 million people.”

And you said ‘risky drinking’ – is that drinking that could be classified as alcoholism?

“Alcoholism or heavy drinking is considered to be a different thing, but risky drinking means that an individual could be one step below what we would consider an alcoholic. That’s why Dry February is the perfect occasion to try and experience if we control alcohol, or if it controls us.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Barbora Linková, Czech Radio

Rapper Rohony has won fans around the country for music containing themes such as booze, football and Czech small-town life in general.

Adam Rohony, to give him his full name, is from Stařeč (population 1,700) in the Vysočina Region and was recently dubbed “the king of the villages” by the weekly Respekt. His most recent LP, entitled Superfly, came out in December and features tracks such as Neděle se dohrává (Sunday is Playing Out) and Toni Kroos (opening with the line “I wear the same boots as Toni Kroos”.)

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Roman Vondrouš, ČTK

Prague classical music buffs will soon get more regular opportunities to enjoy Sir Simon Rattle in action, after the world famous conductor on Wednesday signed as principal guest conductor with the Czech Philharmonic from next season. I spoke to Sir Simon soon after the big news was announced at the orchestra’s home, the Rudolfinum.

What were your motivations in accepting the invitation to become principal guest conductor with the Czech Philharmonic?

“Oh, it was pure pleasure. I fell in love with the orchestra the first time I came to conduct. Of course I had known them for years, but if you’re conducting it’s a different thing.

“I just thought, Look, this is a relationship I would like to keep – I would like not to be just an occasional guest; I’d like to be a bit part of this institution.

“And of course it is one of the greatest orchestras in the world – I hope everybody in this country knows that.

“So it’s selfish. I love the orchestra and I want to keep on making music with them.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Petr Kolmann, RAF Station Czechoslovakia

Richard Santus is a pilot and a vintage plane collector. He recently acquired a 1960 Czechoslovak-made Aero 145 aircraft and flew it all the way from Australia to his museum in Podhořany in east Bohemia. Due to all sorts of troubles, including several days spent in jail, it took him nearly two months to cover the 20,000-kilometre journey.

I met with Richard Santus shortly upon his return to Czechia and I first asked him what makes the Aero 145 so special that it was worth taking the trip:

“I think this airplane is the most famous design from former Czechoslovakia and there are only a few left in the world that are still flying. There are a couple more on static displays, but this one has been flying since 1960, when it was made in Czechoslovakia. “There was only one left in Australia, apart from two more which are in Czechoslovakia, one is in Czechia and one in Slovakia. So it was a sort of natural decision to go down and bring it back.”

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Author: Ruth Fraňková

Lying mostly in Bohemia with a small portion of its territory in Moravia, the Pardubice Region has a varied terrain ranging from mountains to river plains. Combining modernity and heritage, it features beautiful castles and chateaux, a long tradition of horse-breeding and racing, and a musical connection as the birthplace of composers Bedřich Smetana and Bohuslav Martinů. It is also famous for its sweet gingerbread!

See the video here.

Author: Vít Pohanka

Photo: Barbora Navrátilová, Radio Prague International

Czechia has announced that it will abstain in the vote on an EU migration and asylum pact expected to take place later this month. According to government officials, the new draft of the proposal would reduce the possibility of effectively preventing illegal migration on the EU’s external borders.

A badly needed overhaul of the European Union’s asylum and migration system was years in the making as member states struggled with the practical impacts of several large waves of migrants from the Middle East and Ukraine. The first comprehensive draft of the pact was proposed in September of 2020 and it was not until December of last year that the EU reached a major breakthrough in the quest of a new common system for managing migration.

The aim of the new pact is to introduce more effective controls, secure a faster return of failed asylum seekers to their countries of origin and bring into effect a mechanism of “compulsory solidarity”, under which member states would have to accept a certain quota of migrants or else compensate overburdened countries financially.

The Belgian presidency of the EU Council is now working on finalising the details, and EU member states should vote on the draft’s adoption later this month.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová, Sources: Český rozhlas, Česká televize

Photo: Tomáš Zatloukal/ČT24

Little Martin, a two-year-old Czech boy with a rare hereditary disorder, is currently recovering in a hospital in France after undergoing a revolutionary new gene therapy. His treatment was paid for by public donations of more than CZK 150 million.

With his little head of curly hair, two-year-old Martin looks like a cherub in a Renaissance painting. But he was born with a very human condition – an ultra-rare inherited disease called AADC deficiency. Patients with this disorder typically experience developmental delays, weak muscle tone and inability to control the movement of their limbs. It is a long-term, debilitating and life-threatening condition that can lead to multiple organ failure and ultimately death, even before the sufferer is 10 years old.

The disease typically manifests within the first year of life and can appear with different degrees of severity, but Thomas Roujeau, one of the French doctors who operated on Martin, told Radio Prague that he had a very severe form of the disease.

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Authors: Anna Fodor, Guillaume Narguet

Source: Radio Prague International

Over a dozen children so far this year, primarily in the Karlovy Vary region, have ended up in hospital after consuming jelly sweets containing the psychoactive substance HHC. The Ministry of Health now wants to push for an outright ban.

In January, National anti-drug coordinator Jindřich Vobořil warned in a press release of new sweets and confectionary products containing the new semi-synthetic cannabinoid substance HHC being marketed to children. This substance, which has effects comparable to THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, is legally available to children in Czechia and can be bought from street vending machines in the form of candy.

A week later, a spokesperson for the Karlovy Vary Region police force revealed that they were investigating the case of five children – two middle-schoolers and three elementary school students – who had been admitted to hospital after eating sweets containing HHC.

Markéta Singerová from Ostrov Hospital in the Karlovy Vary region says that the number of cases has increased dramatically this year.

See the rest here.

Authors: Anna Fodor, Andrea Strohmaierová, Tomáš Pancíř, Source:Český rozhlas

Photo: Babylon / Czech Television

When Valerio Mendoza Guillén first arrived in Prague in 2009, he had no intention of staying away from his native Venezuela for long. Fourteen years later, the documentary filmmaker and teacher at FAMU has laid strong roots in the city and has even co-founded an NGO – La Casa Venezolana, that helps Venezuelans who are new to the country. I met Guillén in a Vinohrady cafe to learn more about what led him to make Czechia his second home.

How has integration into Czech society been for you over the years you spent here?

“It has taken a lot of time – after 14 years I would say it’s going well. I think the key element is the language, and I think you either have incredible self-discipline to learn it, or you’re forced to learn it from family or work – and neither have been the case for me.

“My work is 100% in Spanish and English, and my partner is also from Venezuela, most of my friends are not Czech, so I’m really never in a daily situation where I need to listen or speak in Czech, so my learning curve has been quite slow. I think if you don’t have great language skills, integration can be a challenge.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Michal Sladký, Czech Radio

Just days after Czechia’s centuries-old hand-made glass production was registered on the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage, one of the oldest glass factories in the Czech Republic was forced to close its doors. Fortunately, a new buyer appeared on the scene in time to save the craft, which has been handed down from generation to generation since medieval times.

When the tradition of hand-made glass production made the UNESCO list of cultural heritage in December of last year, master glassmakers around Czechia were popping champagne bottles to the future of the Czech glass making tradition. However, the mood in the Kvetna glassworks –one of the longest running glass factories in the country – was somber. Its 82 highly skilled employees had been given notice just ahead of Christmas, since its then owner Cerve Bohemia announced it was closing production due to high energy costs.

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Author: Daniela Lazarová, Source:Český rozhlas

Photo: Josef Vostárek, ČTK

The first foal of the year at the National Stud in Kladruby nad Labem was born on February 4. Old Kladruber horses have been bred at this location in East Bohemia for over 400 years.

Source: ČTK

Photo: Khalil Baalbaki, Czech Radio

Czech legislators are spreading disinformation on the floor of Parliament – including those from government parties. So says political scientist Miloš Gregor, who is currently also an advisor on this subject to Prime Minister Petr Fiala. I asked him what kind of disinformation was being heard in lawmakers’ debates.

“We often hear that approval of marriage for homosexual couples would somehow increase the numbers of paedophiles, or perhaps ease their access to children, which is absolute nonsense.

“In the same way, some lobby groups try to equate gay marriage with surrogacy, which is not covered by the bill. So I would say the debate on homosexual marriage, whose bill is in Parliament right now, is mainly connected to these two topics.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Ondřej Tomšů, Radio Prague Int.

After spending time abroad in both Shanghai and Brussels, František Reismüller, CEO of CzechTourism, is back in Prague working to promote Czechia as an attractive destination for tourists coming from abroad, and also internally for natives of the country. I spoke with him about how his experiences outside of Czechia prepared him for his role as CEO, and what he is hoping to accomplish for the tourism industry of the country.

You’re based in Prague now, but I saw that previously you were the head of CzechTourism in Shanghai. Tell me about that.

“I should start by saying that I graduated from a Chinese studies program, so I’ve always had a special relationship with China. I previously worked for a Chinese tour operator here in Prague, and then I applied for the position of Director of CzechTourism in Shanghai – I basically established the office there. I spent four years there promoting the Czech Republic to potential Chinese tourists. To this day, I still call Shanghai my second home, and I love it and love China.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Illustrative photo: Anaïs Raimbault, Radio Prague International

Forty percent of global carbon emissions come from the construction industry, and a new exhibition at Prague’s Centre for Architecture and Metropolitan Planning (CAMP), A Lot With Little, features 10 architectural projects from the Global North and South that bring sustainable solutions in housing and building transformations. The designs featured are described as “bold but affordable”, so I asked head curator, Argentinian born architect Noemí Blager, how these two methods go hand in hand.

“Most of the projects in A Lot With Little have been made with smaller budgets, others with more generous budgets. When I talk about doing a lot with little, it’s not necessarily little money, it’s more about the projects having little or no cost in terms of their environmental impact. When we think about the word ‘bold’ here, it describes the nature of the projects. All the architects are very daring, because they don’t care about prejudice.

“For example, in Niamey, the capital of Niger, there is a project that has used compact earth to build housing for middle class people in the city. But society has a prejudice against the materials that were used, because people conceive it as a material for ‘poor people’. The architects had to overcome this prejudice, and build something that responds to the climate conditions of the area, that provides beautiful architectural spaces, without having to use something like concrete, which might be the expectation because it’s what is used in the west, even though it’s wrong for the climate condition of the specific place.

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Jaroslav Svoboda, ČTK

More than 250 athletes from 33 countries have gathered in the town of Nové Město na Moravě for the Biathlon World Championships, which officially got underway on Tuesday evening.

The event, which runs until February 18, was ceremonially launched on the town’s packed Vratislav Square by the president of the International Biathlon Union, Ole Dahlin and the head of the Czech Biathlon Jiří Hamza.

The gala evening started with a new circus performance called Biathlon in the Sky, which was followed by a joint entry of the flag bearers of all participating countries. The programme, attended by mostly Czech fans, ended with a concert by Czech pop-star Ewa Farna.

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Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Markéta Vejvodová, Czech Radio

The summer palace Belveder, near Kutná Hora in central Bohemia, was once an architectural gem. Although it is now in ruins it has a powerful presence and many visitors say they feel a special energy within its ancient stone walls.

Most people, who are familiar with the Czech capital, associate the name Belveder with the beautiful Renaissance building in the Royal Gardens of Prague Castle. The summer palace which Ferdinand I built for his wife Anna Jagiellon between 1538 and 1560 , now serves as an exhibition space for fine art and is visited by millions of people every year.

But, away from the beaten tourist tracks, hidden in a forest on Vysoká Hill near Kutná Hora in Central Bohemia you can come across another Belveder – the Belveder Summer Palace which Count František Antonín Špork built on his estate at the end of the 17th century.

The monumental building, which hosted the nobility and artists of the time, eventually went to ruin, but its impressive octagonal shape, reminiscent of one-time grandeur, and its Chapel of St. John the Baptist bespeak of a fascinating past.

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Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Markéta Vejvodová, Source:Český rozhlas

Visitors to the Prague Zoo can best observe the pinecone between 9 and 10 in the morning, i.e. immediately after the zoo opens, when the Indonesian Jungle pavilion’s night exhibit is still in daytime light mode. At that time, it often deftly climbs the branches. Photo by Oliver Le Que, Prague Zoo

On February 2nd, the first European-bred nutcracker chick will be one year old. Šiška is already weighed over three kilograms and eats roughly two-thirds of her parents’ ration every day.

Prague Zoo has prepared an extraordinary program for the weekend. On Saturday and Sunday, there will be a special meeting at 9:30 a.m. and a guided birthday feeding at 3:30 p.m. at the short-tailed nutcracker exhibit in the Indonesian jungle nocturne.

“Šiška lives to be a year old, and during that time she has become not only the first nuthatch bred in Europe – which is a great achievement in itself – but thanks to public interest, she has also become an ‘ambassador’ for wild nuthatch, helping to spread awareness of the threat to this group of animals by illegal hunting and trade,” said the director of the Prague Zoo, Miroslav Bobek, recalling the toast dedicated to Šiška, which was sent to the Prague Zoo by Jane Goodall.

The pine cone is the first cultivated nutmeg in Europe. In a year of her life, she became an “ambassador” of wild-living nutcrackers and thus successfully spreads awareness about the critical situation of these only scaly mammals in the world in the wild. Photo by Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo

However, the first weeks of the baby’s life were not without problems. Siška had a reasonable postpartum weight and she did not lack the zest for life, and her mother Run Hou Tang also took excellent care of her, but the problem was that she did not have enough breast milk. However, thanks to the lactation support products given to Run Hou Tang and the artificial feeding of Šiška, this unfavorable situation was resolved relatively quickly.

“Today, Šiška is already fully independent and lives in its own exhibition – from the visitors’ point of view, it is the first one next to the outhouses. She expertly prepares a nest in a house and likes to climb trees. Visitors can best see her in the first hour after the zoo opens when there is still daylight in the exhibit,” says breeder David Vala. Šiška’s parents, female Run Hou Tang and male Guo Bao, have successfully mated again in recent months. With any luck, an ultrasound examination could confirm the possible pregnancy already in the next few weeks.

Prague Zoo is the only Czech zoo and one of two in Europe that is proud of these scaly mammals. The main motivation for their breeding stems primarily from their threat. Nutcrackers are massively hunted in Africa and Asia and have long been among the most illegally traded mammals in the world.

The beginnings of Šiška’s life were not without problems. Although she was born healthy and with a reasonable postpartum weight of 135 grams, her mother Run Hou Tang did not produce enough breast milk. Supplemental feeding and substances to support lactation, however, solved the problem and today Šiška already weighs over three kilograms. Šiška is pictured last March at the age of one month. Photo by Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo

Prague Zoo strives to protect them both in Cameroon, where it runs the educational project Roaming Bus and in Southeast Asia, where it supported the construction of rescue stations. A nice gift for Šiška on her first birthday would certainly be to support the protection of her wild relatives. People can do so by transferring any amount to the collection account of the Prague Zoo We help them survive (no.: 43–680 466 0247/0100) or by purchasing souvenirs in the e-shop in the section called We help them survive: https://eshop.zoopraha .cz/souvenyry/pomahame-jim-prezit.html. And last but not least, of course, a visit to the Prague Zoo.

Photo: Olga Vasinkevich, Radio Prague International

Vysočina lies on the border between Bohemia and Moravia. An area of peaceful rolling hills and rural idyll, it has more UNESCO World Heritage sites than any other Czech region. Check out some of its landmarks in our photo gallery!

See photos here.

Photo: Barbora Navrátilová, Radio Prague International

Nové Město na Moravě lies in the heart of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands and is a prominent sports resort. In winter, it is a mecca of Czech biathlon and cross-country skiing; in summer it hosts mountain bike riding events. Next week the town will host the 2024 IBU World Championships.

With just days to go to the World Biathlon Championships in Nové Město na Moravě, the anticipation in the mountain town of around 10,000 inhabitants is palpable. Winter and summer sports have been a big part of life in the town ever since the first ski race was organized there in 1910.

See the rest here.

Authors: Guillaume Narguet, Till Janzer, Daniela Lazarová

Photo: Embassy of the Czech Republic

A memorial plaque was unveiled in the French city of Marseille on Friday dedicated to former Czechoslovak diplomat Vladimír Vochoč, who helped to save hundreds of Jews from France during the Holocaust. Despite his service to the country, he was persecuted by the Communists and spent more than seven years in prison.

Vladimír Vochoč, who served as Czechoslovakia’s consular official in Marseille between 1938 and 1941, enabled hundreds of Jews to escape from France by providing them with Czechoslovak passports. His actions were linked to a rescue operation organised by US journalist Varian Fry.

The two men allegedly struck a deal: While Vochoč issued a passport to anyone proposed by Varian Fry, the American financed the printing of the false documents. They are believed to have saved around 2,500 people in this way.

See the rest here.

Authors: Anna Kubišta, Ruth Fraňková

Tennis is hugely popular but it also leaves behind a substantial amount of rubbish in the form of used tennis balls that take hundreds of years to decompose. A Czech start-up is looking at ways to keep the fuzzy yellow balls out of landfills by giving them a new purpose.

An estimated 400 million tennis balls are produced worldwide each year. Grand Slam events such as the recently ended Australian Open go through over 50,000 balls over the course of the tournament. Most of the rubber balls eventually end up in landfills, where they take more than 400 years to decompose.

While that might present only a tiny fraction of the hundreds of millions of tons of garbage produced every year, experts are trying to find ways how to keep them out of the environment, making tennis more sustainable.

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Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Jan Kaliba

According to the Gender Equality Index, the share of women among the members of the boards of directors of the largest listed companies and supervisory boards in the Czech Republic is only 21%. Compared to EU countries, the Czech Republic is thus in 20th place. Together with a 17.7% pay gap against women, we are among the worst on the European continent. At the seventh meeting of the signatories and supporters of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) with the subtitle Equality Means Business, the main focus was on why change is so slow and difficult to implement and how to convince those who can accelerate change.

The panel discussion was led by Radmila Pinkavová Jirkovská, who recently took on the role of European coordinator of WEPs.

The meeting took place on Thursday, January 25 at the Embassy of Romania and was attended by 11 female ambassadors working in the Czech Republic. In her welcome speech, Ambassador of Romania Antoaneta Barta said: “Equality in business, as in other sectors, is a goal that has not yet been achieved. According to statistics, less than 30% of leadership positions are held by women worldwide. This is despite many studies that show positive results of equality on productivity, profitability, and innovativeness of businesses. The main causes of this situation are gender stereotypes and mentality, which lead to differences between the sexes in the labor market, differences in the remuneration of women and men, unequal involvement in various sectors of the economy and society.‟

The ambassador pointed out that in view of these facts, Thursday’s refusal to ratify the Istanbul Convention by the Senate is a very bad signal for those who strive to eliminate violence against women. She emphasized that “equality should not only be promoted by women, on the contrary”, and therefore it is important that the Women’s Empowerment Principles are also supported by men, especially those in top positions.

You can find out what was said at the panel discussion and other information about the Women’s Empowerment Principles in the attached press release ( in Czech ).

Photo : Michaela Danelová, Czech Radio

The Czech government has confirmed its decision to rely on nuclear power as the main source of energy for the future. At a press briefing in Prague on Wednesday the cabinet announced plans to expand the Dukovany tender to four nuclear reactors instead of one.

Wednesday’s press briefing in Prague brought a number of surprises. First, the cabinet said it was seriously considering the possibility to build four nuclear reactors in the coming years instead of one, and second it announced that the hot favourite in the Dukovany tender – the US company Westinghouse – was out of the running. Industry and Trade Minister Jozef Sikela explained why.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová, Sources:Český rozhlas,Česká televize

Today at the Castle, President Petr Pavel met with two dozen young people from various fields to jointly plan the connection of the activities of the president and young people for the year 2024. The President listened to the group’s initiatives, which professionally calls itself the Youth Council, and discussed with it key topics of youth generation and possible events where he could open these topics.

“I welcome that most of the initiative comes from your side, because otherwise it wouldn’t make much sense. We can accommodate where possible. I don’t want the cooperation to be just formal, to take a photo at the round table, but also to have concrete content,” said President Pavel at the beginning of the meeting.

At the meeting with the president, representatives of the young generation talked about topics such as mental health, rape, the euro, housing affordability, education reform, the Istanbul Convention, or the shooting at the FF UK. This year, the plan includes regular meetings of the Youth Council with the president and KPR representatives, as well as various forms of involvement of President Pavel in individual events.

Photo: National Museum

Palaeontologists have discovered that the jaw of a prehistoric animal, found a few years ago near the town of Valeč in the Karlovy Vary region, belongs to a hitherto unknown species of mammal. The unique find is the oldest evidence of a cat-like animal in Europe.

The left lower jaw of the creature was discovered in 2017 during a geological survey by National Museum palaeontologist Boris Ekrt and his colleague Lucia Kunstmülerová from Charles University. On closer examination, it turned out to be a previously unknown species, Fejfarictis valecensis, named after the respected Czech palaeontologist and populariser of the field, Professor Oldřich Fejfar, and the place the fossil was found.

The jaw was found in rock strata dating to the mid-to-late Palaeogene period, i.e. 33 to 34 million years ago – a period from which not many beasts of prey have been found in Europe. Following several years of research by specialists from the Czech National Museum, Charles University’s Faculty of Natural Sciences, the Czech Geological Survey and the French University in Poitiers, the jaw was found to belong to a very early member of the suborder Feliformia, a group of animals consisting of “cat-like” animals, including today’s large and small cats, hyenas, and mongooses.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor, Source:ČTK

Following days of filibustering, the lower house on Thursday approved a government proposal to allow postal voting for Czechs living abroad. The governing coalition wants the bill, which faces two more readings in the lower house, approved in time for the 2025 parliamentary elections. I spoke to political scientist Petr Just about its significance and its chances of winning approval.

“I think the chances are quite high since the ruling coalition has a comfortable majority in both parliamentary chambers, and this is an electoral law which must be approved by both chambers equally. There is no possibility for the lower chamber to override the veto of the upper chamber since electoral laws have a special status. Since the government has a comfortable majority in both chambers, it’s very likely that the law will be adopted in time for the 2025 general elections and be used for the first time by Czechs living abroad.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Source: IPR Praha

The final design for the new Vltava Philharmonic was recently revealed. Danish design studio Bjarke Ingels Group won the bid for its vision of the modern music hall in May 2022, and has now developed it into a detailed architectural study. The space will naturally be home to the Prague Symphony Orchestra and the Czech Philharmonic, but it will also serve as a public space. I spoke with Monika Habrová, Project Manager of the Vlatava Philharmonic Hall, to learn more.

Other than a music venue, how else will the space at the Vltava Philharmonic be used?

“Apart from the music, which of course is the main component, the building will be used for its educational spaces. In the building, there will be a creative hub, which will have a classroom, a musical library and a school hall. It’s designed as a space for students and kids to come and learn.

“The space will also be used for leisure. There will be two restaurants on the top of the building, one called the City View Bistro, and a fine dining restaurant. Another important destination will just be the building itself. The roof and terraces will offer new viewpoints of the city, so it will definitely be a destination for people.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

One Life is a British biographical drama film directed by James Hawes based on the true story of a British aid worker Nicholas Winton.

He made efforts to save a group of Jewish children from Czechoslovakia just before the beginning of World War II.

The main roles in the film were played by Anthony Hopkins and Johnny Flynn as Sir Nicholas Winton.

Winton’s daughter requested that Hopkins should play her father. Winton’s son praised Hopkins’ portrayal of his father.

In supporting roles: Helena Bonham Carter, Jonathan Pryce, Lena Olin, Romola Garai, and Alex Sharp.

Filming took place in London and Prague.

The world première at the Toronto Film on September 2023, and London Film Festival.

Picture released it in the Czech Republic on 1st February 2024.

Photo: Czech Television

Today’s edition of Sunday Music Show is dedicated to Eva Olmerová, whom many consider to be the greatest Czech jazz singer of all time. Olmerová, who was born 90 years ago last Saturday, has been labelled by critics as “our own Bessie Smith”. Her enormous talent and potential was never fully realized due to political persecution and personal problems, but her popularity has lasted to this day.

See the rest here.

Photo: Radio Prague International

Czech scientists recently discovered what is believed to be the country’s oldest beech tree. Growing in a forest in Krušné Hory near the town of Horní Jiřetín, the tree witnessed the ascent of the Habsburg dynasty to the Czech throne, and is estimated to be at least 470 years old.

The sapling of the beech tree started to grow on a wooded slope near the Jezeří Castle around the time when Ferdinand I was crowned King of Bohemia, making the Habsburgs the most powerful reigning dynasty in Europe.

The oldest beech tree was discovered by researchers from the Department of Forest Ecology at the Czech University of Life Sciences. The fact that it was found in a production forest in Krušné Hory, in the close proximity of a brown coal mine, took them by surprise, says researcher Vojtěch Čada.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Illustrative photo: René Volfík, Czech Radio

The Czech health sector is currently short of around 3,000 registered nurses. What makes things worse is that a third of the country’s nurses are now over the age of 60 and are due to retire within the next ten years. Hospital heads are ringing alarm bells and calling for action from the government.

Daria Hrabánková is head nurse of the internal medicine clinic at the Prague Faculty Hospital. Although the work of a head nurse is demanding, her biggest headache is planning the shifts for the week ahead. The lack of nurses is an ever-present concern.

“We are currently addressing the shortage of nurses by closing hospital beds. And I try to rotate nurses within the clinic wherever they are needed. I might send them from one ward to another, so as to temporarily saturate an urgent need there. If that can’t be done, then there is no other option but to close beds”.

See the rest here.

Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Vojtěch Tomášek, Source:Český rozhlas

Photo: Jan Schejbal, Czech Army

Czechia has just signed an agreement with the United States to buy two dozen F-35 advanced fighter jets. The procurement is seen as significantly boosting the Czechs’ military capabilities and integration with NATO and represents the largest defence contract ever signed by the country.

On Monday morning the Czech minister of defence, Jana Černochová, and the US ambassador to Prague, Bijan Sabet, put pens to paper on a memorandum of understanding on the biggest defence contract signed by Czechia in its history.

Under the deal, rubberstamped by the Prague government last September, Czechia is set to receive 24 fifth-generation F-35 stealth fighter jets at a cost of CZK 150 billion crowns.

See more here.

Author: Ian Willoughby, Source:Česká televize

The National Gallery Prague (NGP) presents the exhibition schedule for 2024. Visitors can look forward to seeing the work of Michelangelo and other masters here for the first time, in collaboration with the Musée du Louvre.

An exhibition devoted to the theme of solidarity and the role of art in times marked by conflict will open in the Trade Fair Palace.

In the spring, the Kinsky Palace will welcome an unconventional project dedicated to the phenomenon of hockey.

The main event of the autumn season will be a show of Czech artists in interwar France. NGP is also preparing a Czech presentation at the 60th Art Biennale in Venice with the support of the Ministry of Culture.

This year’s exhibition plan reflects the institution’s development concept, which was approved by the Ministry of Culture, the founder of the NGP. The concept emphasizes, among other things, the creation of a safe and stable environment for the development of artistic projects. With its dramaturgy, the NGP devotes itself to expanding the European canon of history by Czech art. “Our dramaturgy until 2026 focuses on the themes of solidarity, Czech exile art, the representation of women in the history of art, or issues of the environmental crisis. In addition, the digitization of our collections is underway and we are making strategic investments such as building a new depository in Jinonice, which NGP urgently needs,” outlines CEO Alicja Knast.

The gallery’s key goals include expanding knowledge about the collections through basic research and multidisciplinary projects, the results of which are presented in the form of publications and exhibitions. As was the case, for example, with last year’s most successful exhibition Brandl: The Story of the Bohemian, which attracted over fifty thousand visitors.

In total, almost 434,000 visitors visited the NGP’s collection exhibits and short-term exhibitions last year, which is 15% more than in 2022. The number of Friends Club members is also growing, reaching almost five thousand. More than 46,000 children and adults visited NGP’s educational and public programs in 2023.

For more information you can read the document attached ( in Czech).

Photo: Barbora Navrátilová, Radio Prague International

Welcome to the Faces of Czech Music, the podcast where we introduce you to the fresh musical talent the country has to offer. On our first episode, we speak with musician, composer, producer, and DJ, Ondřej Mikula – better known as Aid Kid. Aid Kid is one of the country’s most popular electronic musicians – but as we discovered in this conversation, he’s so much more than that. From his collaboration with the Czech Radio Big Band musicians, to his work on the soundtrack for the 2022 film Arvéd, the introspective Aid Kid is a great example of a musician unbound by genre.

See the rest here.

Authors: Amelia Mola-Schmidt, Petr Dudek

Photo: X of Chemis

A Czech artist who goes by the name Chemis has recently unveiled a mural in Prague’s Smíchov neighbourhood. The artwork is in collaboration with Doctors Without Borders, and focusses on the civilians who are affected and injured by war, and pays tribute to the doctors working to save them. I met with Chemis to discuss the mural and the meaning behind it.

“The mural is in Smichov on quite a busy road. It’s a collaboration with Doctors Without Borders, an organization here in Czechia. They asked me if I would do a mural based on the work that they do, and I chose the topic of surgeries and the aftercare of war related injuries – bombs, gunshots, and things like that. The mural took half a year to plan and two weeks to make.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Luděk Peřina, ČTK

Colourful masks, folk dances and pig-killing feasts attract crowds of people to the streets and signal the approach of Czechia’s masopust (Mardi Gras) celebrations, traditionally followed by a 40-day fasting period before Easter. Ash Wednesday, which marks the end of Mardi Gras, falls on 14 February this year.

Source: ČTK

Photo: Štěpánka Budková, Radio Prague International

In recent years Ed Ley has won fans on social media for his in-depth research into the streets of the Czech capital. Indeed the Englishman has already explored the stories of all the streets of Pragues 2 and 3 in daily postings on Twitter/X – and is now halfway through the city centre Prague 1. How did he get started? And what are some of the most remarkable facts he has turned up? I discussed these questions and much more with Ed Ley at our studios.

Where are you from, and what do you do, Ed?

“I’m from the UK. I was born in London and grew up in Brighton, but I live in Prague.

“And I work in development aid, so essentially I work for a firm where we review projects which are financed by international donors, such as the EU, the UN and national governments. So rather interesting.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

One of the most eye-catching of a raft of proposals from the government’s economic council is to give Czech bosses more flexibility in hiring and firing, including redundancies without stated grounds. But how much would this radical idea, backed by Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura, actually benefit the economy? I asked UK-based economist Tomáš Dvořak.

“In its core, it’s not a bad proposal, because we do have a problem with labour market flexibility.

“But having read the set of proposals from the economic council, this would probably come as my last priority. It’s not something I think is desperately needed at the moment.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

St. Brigid’s Day celebrates Ireland’s only female patron saint on February 1 and most people will be familiar with the popular tradition of making crosses in St Brigid’s honour. From 2022 it’s an official holiday in Ireland.

On this day the Embassy of Ireland in the Czech Republic as part of the celebration of St. Brigid’s Day, organize an event “Leading Irish and Czech women in Business” at the residence of Ambassador H.E. Mr. Alan GIBBONS.

The main speakers were Sonia Deasy – founder and Managing director of Irish cosmetic company Pestle & Mortar and Hana & Lenka Reuterova, Owner and Managing director of IDC Food.

Ambassador H.E. Mr. Alan GIBBONS welcomes the guest with a very interesting speech about women’s rights in Ireland.

More details in our next printed magazine.

Photo: Czech Foreign Ministry

A memorial was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Prague in advance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

On Thursday afternoon the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Prague held a memorial commemorating International Holocaust Remembrance Day (which falls on January 27) and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský, Ambassador of the State of Israel Anna Azari, and Ambassador of the United States of America Bijan Sabet were among those in attendance. Perhaps the most moving moment of the memorial was a talk given by Holocaust survivor Dita Krausová. Born in 1929 in Prague, Krausová and her family were deported to Terezín ghetto in November of 1942. After surviving the Holocaust, she and her husband emigrated to Israel. In a speech given by Minister Lipavský, he expressed the urgency to “defend and shape a democratic world in which we can live in peace and freedom, and which we can pass on to future generations.”

Source

Exotic pearls, attractive destinations across continents, and the most eye-catching tourist attractions in the Czech Republic. This will be presented by domestic and foreign exhibitors at the international tourism and regional tourism fair HOLIDAY WORLD & REGION WORLD, which will take place from March 15 to 17 at the PVA EXPO PRAGUE exhibition center. In Letňany, there will also be an accompanying program full of interesting things for experts and the general public.

As part of HOLIDAY WORLD, visitors will see exhibits from popular as well as completely new destinations and areas, such as the Italian island of Elba, popular Croatia with its attractions, Slovenia, but also more distant destinations such as Peru, Indonesia, and, for the second time, Japan. After a longer hiatus, he returns to Letňan Sri Lanka.

REGION WORLD will offer the most comprehensive exhibition of tourist locations, trends, and news from the territory of the Czech Republic. There will be inspiring exhibits including all vacation tips, a portfolio of tour offers around our country, as well as overviews of attractive places in individual regions. The Moravian-Silesian Region became the partner region for 2024.

Meeting of experts

The first fair day on March 15 will be dedicated to the professional public in the field of tourism, for which an attractive accompanying program has been prepared.

The 12th edition of the conference and educational platform Forum of Tourism, organized by the CzechTourism agency, dealing with current and future tourism challenges that fundamentally affect foreign and domestic visitors to the Czech Republic, will not be missed. From last year’s theme of sustainability, the conference will move to ESG (Enviromental, Social, and Corporate Governance), the program will also include a panel discussion regarding active and spa tourism and their current trends. On the same day, the 5th edition of MBM Tourism Prague will take place, with the possibility of personal business meetings with professionals. For the third time, the prestigious Grand Prize of Tourism 2023/2024 will be awarded at PVA EXPO PRAGUE, which is a competition announced by the communication agency COT Group. The competition will take place in the categories of Best Tourist Product, Innovative Marketing Communication, Best e-project, and Best Sustainable Project.

The region of my heart was voted on last year by Czechs in a poll organized by the editors of the Kam v Českú portal in cooperation with ABF, a.s. held under the auspices of the Association of Regions of the Czech Republic. Those interested can vote for their favorite location HERE until the end of February. The winners will receive their prizes during the accompanying program on the first day of the international fair.

HOLIDAY WORLD & REGION WORLD takes place in conjunction with the 15th edition of the motorhome and caravan exhibition FOR CARAVAN and the 7th edition of the boat and water sports exhibition FOR BOAT.

You can find more information at www.holidayworld.cz.

Photo: René Volfík, iROZHLAS.cz

The names of three Czechoslovak ice hockey players will be used to mark the streets in a new housing development in Prague by real estate company Penta. The players, who were Olympic medal winners in the 1940’s in Czechoslovakia, were jailed without trial by the communist party in 1950.

A new housing development near Prague’s Radlice and Jinonice neighbourhoods called Nová Waltrovka will honour the memory of three Czechoslovak ice hockey players who were persecuted and jailed by the communist regime. Penta, the real estate company behind the new development, has selected players from the 1948 Czechoslovak national team who won an Olympic silver medal as the namesakes of two streets and the central square in the new district.

Augustin Bubník, Vladimír Kobranov, and Václav Roziňák are those who will be commemorated, and Martin Lánský, public relations manager at Penta, told me more about their story.

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

The Committee of Good Will – The Olga Havel Foundation (VDV) will award the thirtieth annual Olga Havel Award this year. The prestigious award goes to a person who, despite his or her health handicap, helps others. Candidates for this year can be nominated by the public via the online form on the website www.cenaolgyhavlove.cz from February 1 to April 1, 2024. The award ceremony will take place on May 27 in Prague.

“The Olga Havlová Award was first announced by Olga Havlová in 1995 to honor people with health disabilities who selflessly help others despite their handicap,” says Monika Granja, director of the Goodwill Committee – Olga Havlová Foundation. “During thirty years, we have met the destinies of exceptional people who have become an inspiration to overcome obstacles for others,” adds M. Granja.

The first Award ceremony took place on May 5, 1995 in the Liechtenstein Palace in Kampa. Mrs. Olga Havlová personally presented the award to Jana Hrdá. After 1990, Mrs. Jana Hrdá, who was completely paralyzed after a spinal injury, together with other wheelchair users founded the Prague Organization of Wheelchair Users and started organizing personal assistance courses for the independent lifestyle movement in the Czech Republic. She won the right to take care of her two children and, with the help of friends, gradually organized her life in her home. She participated in the implementation of the reform of social services in the Czech Republic.

A jury appointed by the foundation’s board of directors will decide who will become this year’s prize winner and receive Olbram Zoubek’s bronze sculpture “Encouragement”. Since 2017, VDV has also been awarding the Public Prize as part of the Olga Havel Prize, the winner of which can be voted for online. Like the winner of the Olga Havlova Prize, the winner of the Public Prize will be presented at a gala event that will take place on May 27 in the newly renovated Art Nouveau Fant building of the Main Railway Station in Prague.

Last year, Filip Pšenčík received an award for his efforts to help build barrier-free housing for people with medical disabilities. As a self-sufficiency assistant at the Wheelchair League in Brno, he advises clients on the selection of compensatory aids and modifications to their housing. During his tenure, a training apartment was completed at the organization’s headquarters, serving not only clients to practice living independently but also for training personal assistants and volunteers. Heřman Volf became the recipient of the Public Prize.

Candidates for this year can be nominated by the public via the online form on the website www.cenaolgyhavlove.cz from February 1 to April 1, 2024.

Photo: Adrienn Vigyinszki, archive of Václav Šulista

Václav’s story is one of transition and adaptation; from leading a team in a pharmaceutical corporation to embarking on an entrepreneurial path with his own consulting business. Apart from his professional achievements, Václav has been serving as the Czech Honorary Consul in Basel for several years.

Václav’s background is profoundly Czech: born in České Budějovice in South Bohemia, he went on to study analytical chemistry in Prague. And it was there in 1986, that he met his future wife: a young Swiss lady on a visit. They became pen-friends and romantically fell in love when Václav had to do his military service in still Communist Czechoslovakia. They got married two days after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and the whole of Eastern Europe including Czechoslovakia was seized by a revolutionary wave.

See the rest here.

Author: Vít Pohanka

Czechia’s score in Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) has hardly improved at all over the last eight years. While its position in the 2023 ranking remains the same as the year before, it still scored well below the EU average. I spoke to Marek Chromý, head analyst at Transparency International’s Czech branch, to find out why.

First of all, I’m curious how the CPI is calculated – isn’t corruption, by nature, something that usually happens secretly, behind closed doors? How do you get the data from all these different countries in order to be able to calculate it?

“You are right – corruption, in order to be successful, has to remain hidden – thus, it’s impossible to measure it. That’s why Transparency International developed the Corruption Perception Index, as it aims to score and rank countries based on how corrupt a country’s public sector is perceived to be by experts, academics, journalists, business executives and so on.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Photo: Václav Vojtěch, ‘Námořníkem, topičem a psovodem za jižním polárním kruhem’, 1932

Ninety-five years ago, Václav Vojtěch, geography teacher, scientist and polar explorer, became the first Czech to reach Antarctica together with an American expedition.

Václav Vojtěch was born in 1901 in the town of Skřivany, east of Prague, and as the son of a forester, loved adventure and the great outdoors from an early age. He studied history and geography, and as an editor of Czechoslovak Radio he was able to visit Paris. There, he saw a film about the race to the South Pole between Norwegian Roald Amundsen and British adventurer Robert Scott and became obsessed with the notion to reach the South Pole himself. Eventually, after many attempts and rejections, he was able to join an expedition to Antarctica led by the American Admiral Richard Byrd. Vojtěch was twenty-seven, and although he participated in the expedition only as a gunner on a supply ship and later as a waiter, on January 27, 1929 his lifelong dream came true. That day he stepped onto the shore in Ross Sea’s Whale Bay on the coast of Antarctica.

See the rest here.

Source: Český rozhlas

Who doesn’t want to look younger? Now it’s much more easy and closer to you.

Official Hydrafacial center was newly opened in Prague city center. The center serves as a training center for clinics and cosmetic that work with Hydrafacial, and also provides this care to the general public.

Hydrafacial is a complete non-invasive device skin treatment said Renata Sičáková. She has been active in the field of healthcare, intensive care, dermatology, and cosmetics for over twenty years. During that time, she worked both with patients in the Czech Republic and abroad, as well as in the distribution of medical devices and cosmetics. Together with her husband, MUDr. Michal Sičák, operates a network of dermatological clinics, Derma Medical Clinic.

It uses patented vortex technology, which enables better dermabrasion and deeper penetration of active substances into the skin than conventional cosmetics. Treatments can be individually tailored to clients according to the needs of their skin. Care involves several steps. First, the skin is prepared with dermabrasion and peeling. It is then perfectly cleaned. The skin prepared in this way is infused with active substances. The result is perfectly clean, healthy, hydrated, and rejuvenated skin.

Hydrafacial is recommended by world leaders in aesthetic dermatology and cosmetics, such as plastic surgeons Dr. Paul Nassif and Jennifer Lopez.

Photo: Pavel Halla, Czech Radio

Vysočina can proudly boast that it has more UNESCO World Heritage sites than any other Czech region. It is an area of peaceful rolling hills and rural idyll, so don’t come if you like big city life – its largest urban settlement is home to only 50,000 people. But its towns and villages, though small, tend to offer rich cultural programmes and tight-knit communal life, as I found out when I braved the January cold to go there.

You would be hard-pressed to find a person with deeper roots in the Vysočina region than local journalist Vít Pohanka, whom you may know as the host of Czechast. His family has lived in the area around Žďár nad Sázavou going back as far as the 15th century – but the majority of Žďár’s 20,000 or so inhabitants are actually much newer transplants, he says.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Photo: Czech Foreign Ministry

Since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, pilots have been unable to complete the required training necessary for their certification. In response to this, the Czech government has announced its support of a new project bridging the Czech Technical University and the National Aviation University in Kiev, where 20 Ukrainian students will train in the Czech air space and get their pilot certification.

On Tuesday afternoon at the Czech Technical University (CTU), Czechia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský announced a new project being funded by the state – a program in which young Ukrainian transport pilots are trained in Czechia. The training program is in collaborations with CTU and the National Aviation University in Kiev (NAU). Minister Lipavský explained.

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

The main communication topic of Czech tourism for the next two years is Active tourism. The key campaign of the CzechTourism agency Unexpected Wellbeing will show how to exercise, relax, and rest while traveling. It follows on from the original and imaginative visual of Unexpected Traditions from 2023, which was appreciated by experts, and moves the theme of active tourism into a non-traditional form tuned in cooperation with the regions. With a common goal not only with the Ministry for Regional Development: to attract as many travelers as possible to the Czech Republic from all over the world.

Tourism is of fundamental importance for the domestic economy. It contributes 95 billion crowns to the GDP and provides 214,000 jobs, which means that every 25th Czech Republic works there. * (*Source: Czech Statistical Office, data for the year 2021) Tourism has the largest share of employment in the Karlovy Vary Region, Prague, and South Moravian Region, and GDP in the Karlovy Vary Region, South Bohemia, and Prague.

“The importance of tourism for the Czech economy is unquestionable. It has a positive impact on the development of regions, prevents their depopulation, and supports investment opportunities. The benefits of tourism need to be brought closer to people – thanks to it, the infrastructure of basic and accompanying services has been built in many regions. We want the Czech Republic to be an attractive destination not only for tourists but also for investors and entrepreneurs. Therefore, one of the first things we did at the Ministry of Regional Development at the beginning of the year was to allocate 200 million crowns to support tourism. In two calls, we will support the equipment of tourist routes, the development of navigation and information systems in destinations, the modification of cross-country ski routes or environmentally friendly transport in tourist regions, and marketing activities,” says Deputy Prime Minister for Digitization and Minister for Regional Development Ivan Bartoš.

Active tourism is a global trend, where everyone is trying to “get people out of their chairs”. The Czech Republic has all the prerequisites for this: the best system of tourist signage in the world, a great tradition of sports and outdoor activities, and high-quality world-renowned spas that are also on the UNESCO list.

“The good news is that we managed to negotiate about 27 million CZK more for tourism this year than last year. The budget of the CzechTourism agency increased to CZK 400 million compared to last year’s roughly 373 million. In this way, we will be able to strengthen the visibility of the Czech Republic abroad and at domestic events,” says František Reismüller, director of the Czech Tourism Office – CzechTourism, adding: “Money naturally plays a very important role in how individual countries manage to attract guests from abroad. Although in the first three quarters of last year, mass accommodation facilities in the Czech Republic were visited by almost 2.3 million more tourists than in 2022, approximately 17.4 million, more than half of them were domestic travelers. There were 10.2 million of them, while 7.2 million foreigners came to us. At the same time, foreign tourists spend more than residents on trips to and around the Czech Republic. Germany, Poland, Slovakia, the USA and Great Britain were the most creditworthy markets for the Czech Republic from the 1st quarter of 2022 to the 3rd quarter of 2023. It is there, but not only, that we want to target our biggest campaigns this year.”

The new communication concept of the Czech Tourism Board’s 2024 and 2025 Unexpected Wellbeing campaigns is based on the idea that the Czech Republic is de facto one big spa. There is such relaxation, beautiful nature, and rich culture that even if you spend your vacation in the Czech Republic actively relaxing, you feel like you are in a spa. And so each one easily sports activity becomes an unexpected spa procedure. The visuals, which were primarily created in English, have slogans (claims) such as “unexpected steam room” for a photo of a cyclist in the fog, “unexpected pedicure” for a photo of bare feet walking on rocks in the forest or “unexpected aromatherapy” for a group of people walking across a blossoming meadow. In addition to the campaigns, CzechTourism is also planning a whole range of other activities.

“Of course, our biggest B2B event aimed at buyers and representatives of travel agencies from all over the world and domestic experts and entrepreneurs in the tourism industry will take place again this year under the name Czechia Travel Trade Day. It is held in a different regional city every year. Last year’s very successful one in Brno, on which we worked intensively with the Center for Tourism – South Moravia and the statutory city of Brno, was attended by 74 buyers from 23 countries around the world, and 1,800 individual B2B meetings took place over two days. We are preparing this year’s so-called TTD for April 29 and 30 in Hradec Králové, it will be the 7th edition,” says František Reismüller, director of the Czech Tourism Office – CzechTourism, adding: “In addition, we will continue to develop our destination portals Visit Czechia and Kudy and Nudy, which last year recorded the highest number of visitors in history – VC more than 2.4 million, KzN more than 28 million visits. In general, it is clear that digitization and tourism are inextricably linked.”

“We are also preparing a new approach to the registration of accommodated tourists. Imagine not having to fill out lengthy paper forms when visiting an accommodation facility. Instead, we are entering the era of digital tourism, when a single digital place will be used to register tourists in our accommodation facilities. At the Ministry for Regional Development, we are working on an amendment that will reduce the administrative burden and adapt the tourism industry to new technologies. We will have data in real-time, which will benefit not only our ministry but also the foreign police, the statistical office, and the municipalities themselves. Each mayoress will see how many tourists they currently have in their cadastre and how much money they will get into the budget in fees thanks to them. These can then be used, for example, to develop infrastructure,” says Deputy Prime Minister for Digitization and Minister for Regional Development Ivan Bartoš and adds: “This revolution in accommodation records naturally also includes tourists who use online accommodation platforms. Every visitor to our country will be required to register, in accordance with the European Union regulation currently being discussed by the European Parliament. Modern times demand modern solutions – we will not stand by, but will meet them.”

In 2024, the further involvement of artificial intelligence (AI) in the Kudy z nudy and Visit Czechia portals should also be analyzed in order to facilitate the work of users. On/s Kudy z nudy will continue to create thematic landing pages and conclude data alliances so that it is possible to use high-quality external data sources. Currently, CzechTourism, among other things, is helping to implement a project of the Ministry of Culture in the context of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Bedřich Smetana. Not only thanks to this composer, the year 2024 is known as the Year of Czech Music, in which a whole series of events will take place in connection with classical music, information about which can already be found on a special signpost.

At KzN, people can also familiarize themselves with the upcoming news of 2024, sports events and what domestic spas are planning this year. And the Czech Tourism Office, in cooperation with partners, is also preparing the Tourism Forum, which will be part of the HOLIDAY WORLD & REGION WORLD 2024 fairs in March, the presentation of the Czech Republic at foreign fairs, various events under the banner of the Czech Convention Bureau, etc.

Photo: Film Europe

The annual SCANDI film festival, curated by Prague’s Edison Filmhub, showcases the best of contemporary Nordic cinema. For this year’s edition, Academy Award and two-time Cannes winning Danish director Bille August is in attendance to promote his latest work, The Kiss. I caught up with him ahead of the film’s screening.

Back in 2015 you said that the more Nordic cinema is, the more popular it’s become, and that staying true to that genre has brought much success. Do you still feel the same way today?

“I think film in general has become more international in the sense of the storytelling. What I think is unique about Nordic films is the way of storytelling, but also the light, the way we live with the dramatic changes of seasons. In the winter it’s cold, it’s almost a monochromatic world with snow everywhere, and the lack of ability to meet others because of the cold, but in the summer, all emotion comes out and it’s very colourful. I think these changes have a big impact on the way we live and our culture.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

At the beautiful Morzin Palace, where the Romanian Embassy is located, we celebrated the Culture Day of both Romania and the Republic of Moldova. The event was hosted by H.E. Mrs. Antoaneta Barta, Ambassador of Romania, and H.E. Mr. Alexandru Codreanu, Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova.

The cultural program included a team of very talented International ballet dancers from Romania and Moldova.

On a personal note: I was born in Romania. As a child, I remember my older sister dancing as a ballerina. She was extremely talented, and what I remember most was her dancing as the dying swan in Saint-Saëns’ “Le Cygne”, from Carnival of the Animals. These memories came rushing back to me, watching Ballerina Alina Nanu performing this ballet.

Thank you very much for such a great cultural event.

Photo: René Volfík, iROZHLAS.cz

Many Czechs have been shocked by a case in which a man got only a suspended sentence for raping his minor stepdaughter – after a court expert said the violations, which went on for two years, had not greatly impacted her. Following the verdict, the victim repeatedly attempted suicide. I discussed the case with Lucie Hrdá, a lawyer and women’s rights campaigner.

“We should rethink mandatory training for judges in victimology and the psychology of victims, and to do mandatory training… not only mandatory, it should also be something that they need to do before they can ask for a promotion.

“And I also expect Czech society to call for [ratification of] the Istanbul Convention. Because we really need and this is something that could help us and prevent other decisions like this.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

On January 25, 2024, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, led a parliamentary delegation on a two-day working trip to the United Kingdom. In London, she held talks with the Speaker of the British House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, about support for defiant Ukraine. She then discussed Czech-British relations with the Speaker of the House of Lords, Lord McFall of Alcluith. The delegation also had on its agenda, among other things, the resumption of the activities of the Friends of the Czech Republic group in the British Parliament, a meeting with the “Winton children” and a debate with Czech university students.

The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, visited the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the head of a parliamentary delegation. In the House of Commons, she first negotiated with her British counterpart, Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

“Our countries have long-term very similar views on several foreign policy topics. It concerns both the situation in Ukraine, and the role of Russia, but also the area of cybercrime and hybrid threats, or the observance of basic human rights and freedoms in the world. Our common values brought us even closer together when a brutal war instigated by the dictator Putin returned to Europe almost two years ago. It is our common interest and fundamental civilizational obligation not to let Putin win in Ukraine,” said the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, after the meeting.

The parliamentary delegation consisting of the chairman of the inter-parliamentary group of friends of the Czech Republic – Great Britain Ondřej Lochman and member of the same group Aleš Juchelka also met with the chairman of the House of Lords Lord McFall of Alcluith. They also took part in the official launch of the renewed activity of the group of friends of the Czech Republic in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

“I very much welcome the revival of this group given the intensity of our mutual cooperation, the shared values of parliamentary democracy, and the historically strong ties between our countries and legislatures. Our strong bilateral ties at as many levels as possible are indispensable and irreplaceable in the post-Brexit era,” added the speaker of the House of Representatives, Markéta Pekarová Adamová.

The work program also included a stop at the former headquarters of Czechoslovak military intelligence in Porchester Gate or a meeting with the “Winton children” Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines and Lord Alfred Dubs. They, along with almost seven hundred other girls and boys, were rescued from occupied Czechoslovakia in 1939 by the English humanist Sir Nicholas Winton.

Last but not least, there was also a debate with Czech university students and teachers working at prestigious British universities.

“Czech-British relations are excellent. Not only at the political level but also in the area of investments and mutual trade, where the mutual balance reaches pre-covid values again. Our cooperation also flourishes in the field of science and research or cultural life. No less important is that mutual interpersonal contacts also thrive. Approximately 80,000 Czech citizens live in the United Kingdom, and approximately 9,000 citizens of the United Kingdom live in the Czech Republic. This is an extremely promising investment for the development of our relations in the future as well,” concluded chairwoman Markéta Pekarová Adamová.

Photo: Michaela Danelová, iROZHLAS.cz

On this day 55 years ago, Sándor Bauer and Josef Hlavatý emulated Jan Palach’s sacrifice and set themselves ablaze in protest of the Soviet occupation.

Just a day later, two people followed Jan Palach’s example. The first was Sándor Bauer, a 16-year-old boy from Budapest, who set himself on fire outside the city’s Hungarian National Museum. Holding two national flags in his hands, he protested against the Soviet occupation of Hungary and Hungarian participation in the occupation of Czechoslovakia.

Later on the same day, a 25-year-old brewery worker from Pilsen, Josef Hlavatý, doused himself with kerosene, burning to death on the city’s Dukla Square. In his own words, he was protesting against the “Russian occupiers”.

See the rest here.

Photo: Paul-Henri Perrain, Radio Prague International

People passing through Prague’s Můstek metro station should find their commutes considerably brightened by some fresh greenery that has been placed there. A new six-metre-wide installation that extends from floor to ceiling contains around 30 plants growing in a smart greenhouse.

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Authors: Anna Fodor, Tereza Bartůňková, Source:iROZHLAS.cz

Photo: Mystify / YouTube

Many music videos have been made in Prague over the decades. But perhaps the best known of all is the 1988 video for Never Tear Us Apart by the Australian group INXS. But why Prague? And how did the recording go in the still communist city? Director Richard Lowenstein looks back on a video shoot for the ages.

Sweeping shots of still unspoiled Prague. Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, even a saxophone player in the Old Jewish Cemetery. The video for INXS’s huge hit single Never Tear Us Apart – which delivered indelible images of the city to millions via MTV – has it all.

Thirty-six years later, its director, Richard Lowenstein, explains how the famous rock band ended up in the Czechoslovak capital.

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Authors: Ian Willoughby, Juan Pablo Bertazza

The President of the Republic, Petr Pavel, agreed with the head of the Office of the President of the Republic, Jana Vohralíková, to be relieved of her duties

The President of the Republic, Petr Pavel, agreed with the head of the Office of the President of the Republic, Jana Vohralíková, to be relieved of her duties. The reasons for her departure are personal.

The President of the Republic praised the work of the chancellor: “Jana Vohralíková did an excellent job during the extremely difficult time of the beginning of the presidential mandate and the building of the office. She was able to bring professionals into leadership positions, set up the organization and functioning of the entire team. My big thanks to her for that. I would be delighted to continue to use her experience or recommendations and stay in touch with her. The door to the Castle will be open.’

Jana Vohralíková will be replaced by Milan Vašina, who is one of the top managers in the country. Since 2007, he managed Slovakian T–Mobile and since 2011 he was the general director of T–Mobile ČR. He is currently the Executive Director of the Aspen Institute.

Read the interview with Jana Vohralíková from a few years ago :

“Having a job as a REWARD”

https://www.czechleaders.com/interviews/jana-vohralikova-2

Photo: Zuzana Jarolímková, iROZHLAS.cz

The Czech Senate rejected ratification of the Istanbul Convention in a hotly contested vote Wednesday night. The treaty, which Czechia formally signed in 2016, seeks to prevent, prosecute and eliminate domestic violence. So why have Czech politicians rejected it? I spoke to political scientist Jiří Pehe.

“I think part of the decision of the Senate is tied to what I would basically call disinformation.

“There have been a lot of attempts by people who defend the so-called traditional family, and traditional values, to depict the Istanbul Convention as something that could affect the standing of the family, traditional values and so on in the Czech Republic.

“Unfortunately it seems that a critical mass of senators decided to support this.

“They ignored the fact that the Istanbul Convention is already ratified in most Western European countries and that the Czech lawmakers will not find anything new there.

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Author: Ian Willoughby

On Wednesday 24th January 2024 at the beautiful Augustine Hotel, took place the opening of Helena Laisztner Kroftova exhibition “Colors of Woman 3D” – 35 years of living art.

The event was under the auspices of Terezie Radomerska – Mayor of Prague 1, with many distinguished guests, Ambassadors, media, models, and Helena friends.

We attached just a few pictures to this news article. More details and pictures are in our Spring printed magazine.

On the last Saturday of January, 28 years will pass since the departure of the founder of the Goodwill Committee — the Olga Havlova Foundation (VDV). A memorial meeting at the Havel family tomb in the Vinohradský cemetery with a symbolic lighting of a candle for Mrs. Olga will take place on Friday, January 26, from 2 p.m. Olga Havlova’s legacy will be remembered by the chairman of the board of directors of the foundation Vojtěch Sedláček and its director Monika Granja, the sermon will be delivered by parish priest Miroslav Erdinger. The commemorative event will be musically accompanied by the Besharmonie student choir.

“With a candle for Olga Havlová, we will continue to the year 2023, during which we organized many extraordinary events and projects under the banner of the campaign “Olga is here with us” on the occasion of Olga’s 90th birthday, which she did not live to see,” said VDV director Monika Granja. “For example, we continued with the planting of Olga Havel’s Trees, and we planted the symbolic ninetieth tree in Jelení kopá with the presidential couple Petr and Eva Pavlov. Over 100 commemorative and benefit events took place across the country,” adds the director.

Many partners and important personalities were involved in the commemorative year. Aneta Langerová in collaboration with Jakub Zitek, at the request of the foundation, composed a Song for Olga in honor of Olga Havel, which became the imaginary anthem of the year. Based on the photographs of Bohdan Holomíček and Ondřej Němec, directed by Martin Dušek, a cartoon video spot “Olga is here with us” was created, which was shown by Czech TV and selected cinemas throughout the Czech Republic. It was animated by Martin Máj, the illustrations were created by Adéla Marie Jirků. Her author’s drawing, a portrait of Olga Havlová and an illustration of trees were also the basis for a printed sheet of stamps with additional printing, which was published by the Czech Post in cooperation with the foundation. The year-long collection with the symbolic name Gift for Olga raised more than 860,000 crowns to help those in need.

The “Olga is here with us” campaign was a continuation of the foundation’s activities in the spirit of Olga Havel’s legacy. Even in 2023, the organization focused mainly on helping people with health and social disadvantages. From programs to support the elderly, the dying, and people at risk of social exclusion, the foundation supported 173 organizations with the amount of 7.9 million crowns. It contributed to the purchase of wheelchairs, hearing aids, and other compensatory aids and to movement therapies for 330 people with a medical disadvantage. Throughout the year, she supported 112 disadvantaged students with scholarships and involved 163 high school students in the “Give a Heart” call to help the needy. VDV, in cooperation with the OSF Foundation and the Scout Institute, continued to administer the Active Citizens Fund program, the aim of which is to strengthen civil society in the Czech Republic.

Photo: Štěpánka Budková, Radio Prague International

At a conference marking the 20th anniversary of Czech membership in the EU, the country’s top officials highlighted the numerous advantages of belonging to the alliance. One thing they were unable to agree on was the prospect of euro adoption.

While Czechia’s former sister state Slovakia adopted the euro in 2009, Czechs have been reluctant to relinquish their national currency: the crown. Past references to the country’s commitment to adopt the euro were made in a hazy manner, as something that was in the pipeline at some point in the future.

At the start of this year, the subject was raised by President Petr Pavel, who urged the government to act on this matter. On the 20th anniversary of Czech EU membership and with European elections looming, it was inevitable that the country’s top politicians should make their stand on this issue known and it revealed that, all in all, only two of the smaller parties in government are in favour of setting a time frame for euro adoption.

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Author: Daniela Lazarová, Sources:Český rozhlas,ČT24,ČTK

Photo: Kateřina Šulová, ČTK

This year’s celebrations of the 20th anniversary of Czechia’s accession to the European Union kicked off on Monday with a conference marking the country’s two decades of membership. It was the first in a series of events that will take place throughout 2024.

Czechia officially joined the European Union on May 1, 2004, but the first in a series of events highlighting the anniversary, a conference entitled “20 Years of Making Europe”, took place at Prague’s Liechtenstein Palace already this Monday.

Speaking at its opening, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said that during the two-decades of EU membership, Czechia has repeatedly proven itself to be an honest and reliable partner to the other member states:

“We have proven, over the 20 years of our membership, that we can do the right thing in crises, that we are ready to show solidarity with the weak.

“I think both of these facts are visible today, when the EU and the whole of Europe are coming to terms with the consequences of Russian aggression, with a war raging close to our borders.”

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Author: Ruth Fraňková