AuthorMartin Hladík

The female short-tailed nuthatch born in the Prague Zoo is the first cub of this unique scaly mammal in the world in Europe. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

The five-month-old cub of Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) – female Šiška – is increasingly active, has almost switched to “solid” food, and weighs close to 1,600 grams. The Prague Zoo thus came close to historic success.

Nutmegs are found in eight species in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

“We are not able to say to what extent Šiška is still dependent on mother’s milk, however, she consumes increasingly large doses of special porridge made from drone larvae, which her parents also feed on,” explains Prague Zoo director Miroslav Bobek. “Theoretically, we could declare her to have been successfully bred – and as the first nutcracker cub in Europe – but we’d rather wait a few more weeks.”

Prague Zoo is one of two European zoos where you can see short-tailed nutcrackers. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

Pangolins are the only mammals covered with scales. They occur in eight species in sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia. As a result of hunting and illegal trade, they are currently endangered, and the Prague Zoo is also involved in their protection.

Prague 30 June 2023:

The Office of the Commissioner General and the House of Lobkowicz hosted a meeting of EXPO 2025 partners and supporters on Monday, June 26, 2023. Despite the steamy weather, two hundred guests arrived, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jan Lipavský, and the Japanese Ambassador to the Czech Republic, H.E Mr. Hideo Suzuki. During the event, Commissioner General Ondřej Soška unveiled a miniature model of the Czech pavilion, informed about the state of preparations for Czech participation in the EXPO world exhibition and signed eight memoranda on cooperation with key institutions from the media sphere, state and private sphere.

“The Japanese have started construction work on the exhibition grounds on Yumeshima Island and are continuing relatively progressively. We as the Czech Republic have started the process to obtain a building permit for the national pavilion at EXPO 2025 in Osaka, Japan. As the second country after Switzerland out of a total of 153 confirmed participating countries,” said General Commissioner Ondřej Soška , who returned from Japan last week, at a meeting of partners and supporters of EXPO 2025 in the Lobkowicz Palace . During his trip, he met, among others, Minister for EXPO 2025 Naoki Okada and Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama , who both praised the design of the Czech pavilion by Apropos Architects, Tereza Šváchová and Nikoleta Slováková.

“Thanks to the great position of the plot and the distinctive design of the Czech national pavilion, we believe that the Czech national pavilion will be among the most distinctive and most visited pavilions of the entire Expo in Osaka and will represent our country brilliantly in the great international competition. Our pavilion was appreciated not only by the expert jury of the architectural competition and the circle of people who move around the preparations but also by the general public and renowned experts,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský, adding that he is looking forward to the exhibition in Osaka starting in 656 days and visitors they will be able to view the pavilion.

memoranda of cooperation with the House of Lobkowicz, Czech Radio, Czech Television, state agencies CzechInvest, CzechTrade and CzechTourism , the Union of Industry and Transport and the startup platform Startup Disrupt before the event and during the meeting in the Lobkowicz Palace .

The memorandum with the House of Lobkowicz is dedicated to the intention to present the museum and creative center being created in the birthplace of Antonín Dvořák during the EXPO 2025 world exhibition in Osaka, Japan and during the preparations for the Czech participation in the country. The memoranda with Czech Television and Czech Radio are the basis for further media cooperation during the preparations for the Czech participation and for the duration of the world exhibition EXPO 2025 in Osaka.

The Office of the Commissioner General plans to cooperate with the CzechTrade agency to support Czech exporters who would like to expand to Japan or expand their business activities in the Asia-Pacific region. The World Exhibition could also help attract new foreign investments to the Czech Republic , or expand existing ones. According to CzechInvest CEO Petr Oček, the EXPO is a huge opportunity. This also applies to attracting potential Japanese tourists, which CzechTourism would like to bring not only to Prague, but also to the regions. The Czech Republic wants to present important Czech companies, local exporters, startups, innovations and technologies at the world exhibition, therefore the Union of Industry and Transport, as the largest employer’s union representing a decisive part of Czech industry and transport, and the startup platform Startup Disrupt will help ensure a decent presentation .

About the Czech pavilion at EXPO 2025

The architectural design competition was announced on December 12, 2022, as a transparent and anonymous one-phase competition for the design of the national pavilion. This happened after more than twenty years, the last such open competition for the design of the national pavilion was last announced in the Czech Republic before EXPO 2000, which was held in Hannover, Germany. The deadline for submitting proposals was March 1, 2023. Until the jury’s evaluation, which took place on 6-7 March 2023, all 38 submitted projects that met the contracting authority’s parameters were included. The winner was the glass spiral by Apropos Architects, in particular four architects took part in it in addition to other creatives: Tereza Šváchová, Nikoleta Slováková, Michal Gabaš and Tomáš Beránek.

About Czech participation in EXPO 2025

The Czech Republic will participate as an independent state in the world exhibition EXPO for the sixth time. Ondřej Soška, who last spring won the selection procedure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with his concept and theme “Talent and creativity for life”, will hold the position of general commissioner from September 2022. The Czech Republic should be presented in Osaka not only with what the Japanese know very well and admire for a long time, for example Czech glass and classical music, but especially with Czech innovations, nanotechnologies, promising startups and regional talent. The budget for the Czech participation in EXPO 2025 is estimated at approximately 500 million crowns, with the government of the Czech Republic having approved a budget of 290.2 million crowns for the period 2023 to 2026. Additional financial coverage will come from the sources of private companies, organizations and institutions, namely in the planned range of 170-220 million crowns.

Credit : Jan Herch, Kancelář generálního komisaře, Česká centra.

On Tuesday 4 July 2023, a historic religious meeting took place at the office premises of Humanitas Afrika in Prague.

In an extraordinary move, which could be described as the first of its kind in the Czech Republic, Kofi Nkrumah head of Humanitas Afrika brought together a Christian Pastor and a Muslim Imam to have a cordial and fruitful conversation aimed at both religious sides working in collaboration to enhance peace, harmony and good relations in the Czech Republic.

Pastor Yomi Akinyemi a native of Nigeria is the founder of the Mountain of Fire and Miracle of Ministries z.s church in the Czech Republic. He is also the founder of the NGO Global Care Foundation. Imam Kashif Janjua was born in Germany to parents originally from Pakistan and is the Chairman of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Society in the Czech Republic.

Representing their respective missions Pastor Akinyemi and Imam Janjua have pledged to work together in the Czech Republic in the best interest of humanity. Humanitas Afrika is of course pleased at the positive outcome of the meeting which which clearly validates the effort and interest of the organization to bring peoples and cultures together.

Žďár nad Sázavou in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic recently had the unusual honour of becoming the site of a 20-metre-tall cardboard structure inspired by the works of Czech architect of Italian descent Jan Blažej Santini, whose unique style combining the Baroque with the Gothic can be seen in churches and chateaus around the country. Santini is the architect behind the World Heritage Site of the Pilgrimage Church of Saint John of Nepomuk in Žďár nad Sázavou.

The special cardboard structure was the work of French architect Olivier Grossetête, who builds towers, bridges and temples from cardboard all over the world according to his own original designs – but this was the first time such a project has been seen in Czechia. The French architect came at the invitation of Žďár castle, and enlisted the help of 400 volunteers to help with the construction, which involved 1,650 pieces of cardboard and 30 km of tape.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Prague is home to many beautiful gardens, but the Vrtba, located in Prague’s Mala Strana neighbourhood, is one of the most striking. Featuring a bird aviary, colourful flowers, and terraces that overlook the historic old town, it’s surely a garden you won’t want to miss.

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Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Miloš Turek, Radio Prague International

The Basilica of St. Procopius and the Jewish Quarter in Třebíč attract thousands of visitors every year to the picturesque town located at the foothills of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. Other than Jerusalem, Třebíč’s Jewish landmarks are the only ones that have been independently included on the UNESCO protection list.

The complex of the Jewish Quarter, the Jewish cemetery and the Basilica of St. Procopius in Třebíč is not only a unique architectural and urban monument, but also a rare example of the close coexistence of Christian and Jewish cultures, lasting from the Middle Ages until the 20th century.

See the rest here.

Photo: Archive of Barbora Tellinger

Barbora Tellinger is a Czech-born jazz singer, composer and music teacher who spent most of her life in South Africa, only returning to her native Czechia shortly before the covid pandemic broke out. After a successful career in the South African jazz scene, she now works with her husband, Grammy-nominated pianist John Fresk, performing under the name Tellinger and Fresk.

Born in Karlovy Vary, Barbora left the former Czechoslovakia with her parents at the age of five. I recently interviewed her after attending an intimate jazz concert which she hosted in her Prague apartment, and started right at the beginning – by asking her what prompted her parents to move halfway across the world to a country, climate and environment as different from communist Czechoslovakia as you could possibly get.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Photo: Eva Kézrová, Czech Radio

One of the most valuable medieval monuments at Prague Castle, the glass mosaic of the Last Judgement at Saint Vitus Cathedral, is undergoing a close inspection. Two decades ago, the 650-year-old glass mosaic of the Last Judgement was completely renovated, but some of the glass pieces have now started showing signs of corrosion.

The monumental mosaic of The Last Judgement, located on the south façade of St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle, was completed in 1371 at the request of King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV.

The triptych is made of approximately one million glass pieces in over thirty shades of coloured glass. Its central panel depicts Christ surrounded by angels with six saints kneeling below, while the two side panels are images of heaven and hell.

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Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Eva Kézrová

Marine biologist Petra Nevečeřalová, who hails from the north-Bohemian town of Ústí nad Labem, has been obsessed with whales since early childhood. Today, she is part of an international team of scientists who study evolutionary genetics of the Southern Right Whale and spends a significant part of her time off the South African coast. When I caught up with her in Prague to discuss her work, I started by asking her what sparked her interest in the giant ocean mammals:

“I have no idea, honestly. I think I was born with that. One of the first memories I have is when I was a little girl and my mom bought me a blanket with a picture of a colourful seal playing with a ball. And I was always wandering: what kind of an animal is that?

“And then later in my life, my mom would buy me books about animals, because I loved animals. And one of the books was about marine mammals and there were seals on one page. I was really excited to see the seals, but then on the next page, there were dolphins, and on the next one, there were whales.

“So I quickly lost interest in seals and I fell in love with whales and dolphins. And then later, when I started to go to school, I always took notes from these books into a little notepad and I would carry that notepad everywhere, learning about whales and dolphins. So it was just in me.”

Read the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary

The 57th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival kicked off in great style at the weekend. The major Hollywood stars Russell Crowe and Ewan McGregor both received awards – and wowed the crowds – at the start of the region’s biggest cinema event.

There was huge excitement as Russell Crowe arrived at the red carpet at the start of the 57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on Friday night.

The multiple Oscar-winning star received the Crystal Globe for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema at the festival’s glitzy opening ceremony.

After picking up the prize he also played a free concert for thousands of fans in front of main venue Hotel Thermal.

But earlier in the evening Russell Crowe told the event’s KVIFF.TV that playing the show had in fact been his principal motivation for coming to West Bohemia.

“I was ignorant to this whole thing until just a little while ago, maybe eight, nine months ago, when people started bringing this up. And I’m just amazed by this place. It’s so beautiful and the level of organisation of the festival is, quite frankly, better than any other festival I’ve ever been to. So I’m a little bit surprised that I haven’t been here before and I haven’t heard about it. I’m looking forward to getting the award, that’s going to be nice. But I’m really looking forward to rocking this town.”

Russell Crowe’s concert with band Indoor Garden Party was very well received.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary

The Karlovy Vary film festival is currently in full swing in the West Bohemian spa town. As every year, the region’s biggest cinema event offers extremely broad fare, from main competition films to fascinating documentaries – and all sorts of titles in between.

We Were Never Modern by Matěj Chlupáček has been one of the most anticipated films at this year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

The main Crystal Globe competition picture is set in a Baťa style industry town in Slovakia – and also features a very modern theme, as the director explained to the festival’s KVIFF.TV.

“The whole idea for the film came from screenwriter Miro Šifra, who found a book on forensic medicine by a professor Hájek from the ‘30s, where a full 100 pages were devoted to hermaphroditism – or intersex as we call it today. We were really intrigued by the fact that today’s big taboo topic was, at that time, written about so extensively. It was then partly forgotten. From the ‘40s until the 21st century, we pretended these things don’t exist, and we are only discovering them now.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

July 6th is a public holiday in the Czech Republic marking the 608th anniversary of the burning at stake of reformer priest Jan Hus. Masses are celebrated around the country, among others in Jan Hus’ birthplace Husinec and at Bethlehem chapel in Prague, where the reformer priest preached.

The events linked to the anniversary include theatre performances, debates, music concerts and film screenings dedicated to Jan Hus.

In search of Jan Hus

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Author: Daniela Lazarová

Photo: Klára Stejskalová, Radio Prague International

Built at the end of the 1930s, the Skleněný palác or Glass Palace is a late functionalist-style apartment building constructed for Prague’s middle class. With its groundbreaking design and plush amenities, the palace was extraordinary not just for Prague but also for the whole of Europe.

The Glass Palace or “Skleňák”, as it is colloquially known in Czech, has stood on Náměstí svobody in Prague’s Bubeneč district for more than 85 years. With its off-white tiled exterior, the building can be easy to overlook. Nonetheless, it is a cultural monument, designed by architect Richard Podzemný. Architecture historian Miroslav Pavel points out the unique aspects of the Glass Palace.

“For me personally, the Glass Palace stands out because it does not really fit in with its surroundings. The plan for the whole area around Dejvické náměstí was created in 1926, and it was based on a style that reflected the nationally conscious mood of the time, that is the neoclassical national style. However, the “Skleňák” already belongs to the later Czech functionalism, which was one of a kind. Podzemný gave us a type of architecture that perfectly matched the five points of architecture developed by Le Corbusier. The Glass Palace stands on the corner and opens out to the surroundings. It communicates with the big square next to it and naturally stands out.”

See the rest here.

Authors: Vojtěch Pohanka, Klára Stejskalová

Making friends in a foreign city can take time. Kevin Loo collects anecdotes from foreigners and Czechs to find out what it’s like to find genuine friendship during life abroad.

Making real, genuine friendships is challenging enough in ordinary circumstances. Without the anchoring of childhood, school or family circles, those who move to another country have to venture even further from their comfort zones to find friends. This makes the process as challenging as it is rewarding (when it works out). I collected stories from my social circles, locals and foreigners alike, to uncover the highs and lows of making friends during life abroad.

For many, the first port of call these days is through online platforms. Social media algorithms are more powerful than ever, making the search for people with similar interests as easy as a tap of your phone screen. It may be as simple as finding someone who matches your aesthetic, or someone who goes to the same concerts as you. A like-minded community is never far in today’s perpetually online world.

Of course, this will never match the reality of physical presence, which is why digital friendship is often a gateway to organising a meet-up over coffee or beer, or coordinating which secret techno pop-up event to go to on the weekend.

See the rest here.

Author: Kevin Loo

The General Commissioner of Czech participation Ondřej Soška visited on 10-19 June 2023 Japan on a business trip. Together with entrepreneurs, representatives of universities, and the Union of Industry and Transport, he became part of the delegation of the Deputy Prime Minister for Digitization and Minister for Regional Development Ivan Bartoš (Pirates).

On Tuesday, June 13, 2023, Soška together with Minister Bartoš visited Japanese Minister for EXPO 2025 Naoki Okada. Together they discussed the upcoming EXPO world exhibition, the state of preparations for the Czech participation, or the revitalization of the regions. Minister Okada praised the winning design of the Czech pavilion by Apropos Architects in the shape of a glass spiral. At the same time, Commissioner Soška presented Minister Okada with a rare gift, a baseball jersey with the distinctive number 2025 (the year of the EXPO exhibition) signed by Czech baseball players in Okada’s name.

The Commissioner General met with the mayor of Osaka, Hideyuki Yokoyama on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, and together they discussed the state of preparations for the Czech participation and the pavilion itself. The signed jersey of the Czech baseball players pleased the mayor who is a big baseball fan himself.

Baseball is very popular in Japan, and in March of this year at the World Baseball Classic, which was held in Japan, the Czech national team won considerable support and recognition from the home fans for their great performance against strong competition. The Czech baseball players don’t make a living from this sport, but unlike other professional athletes, they devote themselves to it in their free time. The Czech baseball players played Group B in Tokyo, where they defeated China and played solid matches against the Japanese champions, Korea and Australia. The World Baseball Classic is one of the two most important international baseball tournaments..

Photo: Amelia Mola-Schmidt, Radio Prague International

Lucia Legáthová is an economic diplomacy specialist for the City of Prague and also runs the Prague Expat Centre, located in the heart of downtown. I recently sat down with Legáthová to talk about what the Centre does to help newcomers, and the allure of Prague as a city to foreigners.

“The centre was established in 2020 right before Covid hit us, so it was difficult to get ahead and get started. But we’re still here after three years and we’re quite happy about that. The basis of our work is that we are the official information service for the City of Prague. We want to help expats who come to Prague with orientation in the city.

“We know it can be quite difficult when you come to a new city and especially when you don’t speak the language – understanding the bureaucracy is difficult even for Czech people, it must be crazy for people who speak English or another language. And that’s why we came to be – we just want to make expats lives easier and help with whatever we can help with.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: SNDK

This year marks 90 years since the publishing of Karel Čapek’s children’s book Dashenka, which chronicles the life of a fox terrier puppy growing up in the famous writer’s household. To mark the anniversary, the Karel Čapek Memorial at Strž near Dobříš has prepared a special summer programme dedicated to the legendary dog.

Dashenka, the Wire Fox Terrier puppy, is perhaps the best known dog in Czech literature. It was born to Karel Čapek’s dog Iris and grew under the watchful eye of the famous writer, who recorded its life through a series of texts, photographs and whimsical illustrations.

Dashenka or the Life of a Puppy was first published in 1933 and has since become a children’s classic, says Zdeněk Vacek, director of the Karel Čapek’s memorial at Strž near Dobříš:

“Dashenka has definitely brought a smile to many generations of Czechs. The famous book by Karel Čapek was published for the first time ninety years ago and it was a funny story about his little dog, a fox terrier that grew up in his household.

“The book is not intended only for children. Even adults will be charmed by the lovely style and also by Karel Čapek’s illustrations and photographs of Dashenka.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Valtameri / GNU FL

July 5th is a public holiday in the Czech Republic honouring the legacy of Saints Cyril and Methodius who came to Great Moravia in 863 to spread the Christian faith and lay the foundations of literacy with the Glagolitic alphabet.

Thousands of people are expected to attend celebrations at the Velehrad pilgrimage site, which traditionally include an open air mass, exhibitions, lectures and public debates and a charity concert within the Days of People of Goodwill.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová

Photo: Michaela Danelová, Czech Radio

Prague is home to beautiful cycle paths in quieter areas of the city, but when it comes to hopping on two wheels in the heart of the city centre, it can be a safety gamble with aggressive drivers behind the wheel of cars, coupled with narrow historical streets.

According to Time Out, a publisher of tourist guides, Prague is home to the second-best public transport system in the world. But when it comes to other forms of transportation, in particular, cycling, the city is certainly not boasting about its conditions for those getting around on two wheels.

According to the Global Bicycle Cities Index 2022, Prague ranked 73 out of 90 countries for its cycling conditions, accumulating only 25.87 points out of 100. The countries with the best cycling conditions had scores that were closer to the 100 point mark.

Cities were judged based on 16 criteria, including the number of cycling accidents each year, cycling infrastructure quality, and road safety. Trailing Prague in poorer cycling conditions were cities like Istanbul and Cairo, and Utrecht in the Netherlands claimed the top spot for the best biking conditions.

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: APF Czech Radio

July 3 marks 50 years since the death of the phenomenal Czech conductor Karel Ančerl. Ančerl was a Holocaust survivor, artistic director of the Czech Philharmonic for 18 years, and later a 1968 emigré to Canada.

Karel Ančerl’s career was developing promisingly even before the Second World War, when he became the conductor at the popular Prague Osvobozené Theatre.

But the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Hitler’s Germany, as for most people of Jewish origin, brought great hardship to Ančerl. Being dismissed from his post and having his family property confiscated was just the beginning.

He and his family were sent to the Jewish ghetto in Terezín, and then deported to Auschwitz in October 1944. Ančerl survived, but tragically his wife and young son did not.

See the rest here.

Since the fall of communism, Prague has seen a massive increase in foreigners, and part of this group of expats are Canadians – a close knit community here in Prague who meet a few times a year to share some memories and laughs, and celebrate their culture.

Czechs and Canadians – two countries that share a mutual love for hockey and a good cold beer. But how do Canadians living in Czechia see their culture, and why did they make the move to Prague in the first place?

This past weekend, I caught up with a group of Canadians who were celebrating Canada Day at Letna park to find out why. One of the group’s main organisers, Leah Takata, a photographer here in Prague explains more.

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Jan Kaliba, Czech Radio

Whether you are a shoe junkie or a history buff, this is a place that will stop you in your tracks. The Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto is the largest museum in the world entirely dedicated to the culture, traditions and styles of footwear.

Created in 1995 by the family of the Czech-born shoe mogul Thomas Bata, the museum exhibits every kind of shoe made by man in different parts of the world over the centuries – from Egyptian footwear dating back 4,500 years to huge size 56 basketball shoes from giant Shaquille O’Neal.

Most of the exhibits come from the private collection of Sonja Bata, President of the Bata Shoe Museum Foundation and wife of Thomas J. Bata, President of the Bata company and son of the founder Thomas Bata.

The museum, designed by architect Raymond Moriyama, is located in the heart of the Canadian metropolis and is visited annually by over 100,000 visitors from all over the world.

In addition to a permanent exhibition, it offers three temporary exhibitions which are dedicated to showcasing different themes.

See the rest here.

Author: Jan Kaliba

I have collected some photos of butterflies during my walks around the zoo. When I looked at them yesterday, I realized that it is a decent collection and includes some very rare species. Even the experts, who determined the relevant species, refer to a few shots from Sklenářka in their reports.

This small inventory of butterfly photos led me to an intention to document the butterflies in the zoo in more systematic way, which would be beautiful; however, I already know that it will probably fail due to lack of time. But there is one species, which I definitely want to take a photo of, and I will find time for that. It will be the eastern baton blue, called in the jargon “vicrama” (based on its scientific name Pseudophilotes vicrama). This tiny blue butterfly is super rare in our country; it became extinct in Moravia in 2005, and in Bohemia it occurs “in a few small populations in a vicinity of Prague, in Bohemian Karst, in the Central Bohemian Uplands, the surroundings of Most and in the Žatec region.” It regularly appeared at the premises of Prague Zoo, specifically at the aforementioned Sklenářka, until 1994.

To be honest, I already have taken a photo of “vicrama” in the zoo premises, and I attach the photo here. However, it is its miniature caterpillar, not an adult. And most importantly: it comes from breeding in human care. However, I am getting a little ahead of my story.

The eastern baton blue disappeared from the slopes near Sklenářka because the local forest-steppe was overgrown with weeds and tall grass. Thus, the areas covered with sparse vegetation and pillows of thyme (particularly Eurasian thyme, Thymus pannonicus), which are the nutrient plants of the eastern baton blue, dissapeared. Therefore, the first step to revitalize the original environment became sheep grazing. The sheep were placed near Sklenářka mainly to maintain low growth of grass, which was the initial prerequisite for the return of European ground squirrels to this location (that this return was successful, you can see today in the giraffe enclosure, where the ground squirrels are very numerous). In the recent years, the trees and bushes above Sklenářka were cut down; these works, as well as the works on reintroduction of eastern baton blue, have been realized by the conservation association Třesina.

The first attempt to reintroduce the eastern baton blue to Sklenářka happened in 2021. Members of the association raised caterpillars from the eggs of the females captured in the Central Bohemian Uplands; they protected them from natural enemies, parasites, and diseases, therefore incomparably more of them survived to the pupation stage than would have been the case in nature. Some of them have been returned to the original locality, and 59 pupae we together with ing Pavel Skala placed on the slope above Sklenářka. However, success did not come – no eastern baton blue had been recorded there during the following year. The possible explanation is that the pupating caterpillars would choose different places for hibernation than we did.

Another attempt is taking place this year. On Tuesday, we placed first 23 caterpillars of eastern baton blue on the thyme growths, and more will follow. The batch from Wednesday is for sure already pupated at this moment. The first adults of eastern baton blue might fly near Sklenářka already this year, but especially during next spring. We will see.

I personally hope that sometime in May 2024 I will add a photo of “vicrama” sitting on a blossoming thyme, hopefully with Sklenářka in background, to my butterfly photo collection.

Photo: Roman Vondrouš, ČTK

Czech singer songwriter Marek Ztracený is currently at the height of his career. Earlier this month, he sold out Prague’s Eden stadium three times in a row, attracting a domestic record of 100,000 spectators.

Ztracený was born in a small village in the Šumava mountains as Mirek Slodičák. His stage name Ztracený, which translates as “lost”, was also the title of a song on his debut album in 2008 which made him an instant celebrity.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Established in 1945 by members of the Czech and Slovak community, the Masaryk Memorial Institute, a non-profit organization based in Toronto, Canada, provides a space for young and old to celebrate their Czech and Slovak heritage.

Czech and Slovak culture is thriving far from Central Europe. Across the pond in Toronto, Canada, Masaryktown is a plot of land dedicated to preserving and celebrating Czech and Slovak culture. Herb Dubsky, Co-President of the Masaryk Memorial Institute, explains its history.

“This property, known as Masaryktown, was purchased by the Czech and Slovak community in 1948. On that property we have a Prague restaurant, with traditional Czech and Eastern European food. There’s a chapel on the property where there’s an occasional Sunday service. We have a library with about 10,000 books, and there is a monument to the victims of communism.

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Archive of VOID collective

In your standard guidebook it may be referred to as the “city of a hundred spires”. Its municipal administration is certainly interested in making Prague a destination for high culture and congress events. But, if you know the right people and the right places, you will discover that the Czech capital is also a budding techno hotspot.

To find out more about this raw side of Prague I caught up with two members of the local up-and-coming VOID collective, Greg and Thibault. They are set to hold an event at one of the capital’s most popular techno venues – Altenburg 1964 – this Saturday, July 1.

Greg is an IT specialist during the day and a techno DJ when the sun goes down. He says he first got into the music genre around eight years ago. Back when he was still living in his native Poland.

Thibault, meanwhile, is from Reims in France and acts as the collective’s chief event organizer. He ran a club in his hometown before eventually moving to Prague.

See the rest here.

Author: Thomas McEnchroe

Taste of Prague is an Instagram page, food tour business, and now a bistro run by husband and wife duo Jan Valenta and Zuzana Valenta Daňková. I spoke with Jan to talk about how the business has grown over the years, and how Prague’s food scene has developed and grown since they got started.

If you’re an avid food lover in Prague, chances are your Instagram algorithm has showed you content from the account Taste of Prague, run by husband and wife duo Jan Valenta and Zuzana Valenta Daňková.

But the pair do more than social media – they also run a food tour business here in Prague, guiding visitors through their favourite spots in the city. Jan explains:

“We’ve been running food tours in Prague for 12 years now, and it’s very simple; we take people to places in Prague they might not have visited, we order food they might not have ordered, and we tell them things that they wouldn’t google.

“It’s a lot of history, and my personal history.

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Bořivoj Hájek, Czech Television

At 111 metres, Brno’s AZ Tower remains Czechia’s highest building a decade after it officially opened in June 2013.

The idea of outdoing the hitherto tallest building in the country, the City Tower in Prague, came from Brno’s leaders; the AZ Tower was originally planned for eight metres shorter, before the mayor suggested a slight upward extension.

The skyscraper cost CZK 800 million to build. It has 30 above-ground and two underground floors and 17,000 square metres of floor space.

The three-storey base houses shops and other commercial spaces. The tower then houses offices and seventeen apartments on the upper floors.

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Photo: Jaroslav Mach, Radio Prague International

Pornography, sex shops and prostitution were all taboo in communist Czechoslovakia. And there was no sex education of any kind, neither in schools nor in teen magazines. So how did Czechs live without all that?

With no official sources, young people looked for what they could find about sex in world literature. In the 1980s Czech comedy Jen si tak trochu písknout (Just Whistle a Little), we find a dialogue between two young men referring to “a perfect rape scene” on page 242 of Alberto Moravia’s La Ciociara.

Lots of Czechs over the age of 50 can still recall the novel from which they gained information about sex in their youth. In a small survey for this program, a variety of titles came up, including Lady Chatterley’s Lover, The Life of Klim Samgin by Maxim Gorky and novels by the Japanese writer Kenzaburo Oe.

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Author: Libor Kukal

Photo: Michal Krumphanzl, ČTK

As the turbulent events of the past weekend unfolded in Russia, world leaders braced for potential civil war that could turn the tide of history within the space of hours. The Czech foreign ministry warned Czech nationals against travelling to the country, but said its diplomatic representation would remain in place for the time being.

Representatives of the interior, defense and foreign ministries attended a meeting of the Crisis Staff on Sunday evening, to discuss the situation in Russia and map out possible action to protect Czechs in the country. Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said the situation was explosive and the security environment could deteriorate at any moment.

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Author: Daniela Lazarová

photo: Zuzana Bönisch

The presidential couple started the first day with a visit to Cimburkova elementary school:

They proceeded to a memorial service to honor the memory of the victims of communism:

Full speech can be found here ( in Czech ).

After the lunch of the presidential couple with Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda and his wife, a meeting on the issue of education took place at the municipality, as well as a debate with the leadership of Prague and individual city districts.

Transcript of President Pavel’s first day summary ( in Czech ) can be found here.

photo: Zuzana Bönisch

The President ended the first day of his visit to Prague by visiting the Masaryk Institute and cutting the ribbon on the occasion of the ceremonial opening of the T. G. Masaryk Presidential Library.

photo: Tomáš Fongus

On the second day of the visit, President Pavel started at the Center for Architecture and Urban Planning (CAMP) with a discussion on the topic “Affordability of housing” at the Institute of Planning and Development of the Capital City of Prague. He also visited the construction site of metro D and the non-profit organization Jahoda in Černý Most, including the low-threshold center Džagoda.

photo: Tomáš Fongus

Transcript of President Pavel second day summary ( in Czceh ) can be found here.

Photos from the visit : 1st day Zuzana Bönisch, 2nd day Tomáš Fongus

Photo: Zuzana Jarolímková, Czech Radio

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Czechia has deployed a mobile ICU bus to be used across Ukraine to provide medical aid to those in need. I spoke to Petr Gandalovič, Director of the Department of Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid, about the purpose the bus will serve, and its symbolism for Czechia’s ongoing support of Ukraine.

“The bus is a mobile ICU unit, and we can imagine it as a moving hospital.

“It will be used in different places in the Zhytomyr region in Ukraine, and it will be used wherever it will be needed in that region.

“I don’t know exactly where it will be stationed, I believe that it won’t be stationed in one place, it will definitely move to places where it’s necessary.”

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Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Martin Vaniš, Radio Prague International

Czechs are marking 73 years since the death of Milada Horáková, a democratic opposition leader who was sentenced and executed in a communist show trial on June 27, 1950. A host of events is taking place around the country in honour of the brave politician and champion of women’s rights.

Milada Horáková, a democratic politician in Masaryk’s First Republic and a resistance figure during the Second World War, was sentenced to death by a communist jury on June 8, 1950.

She was hanged at dawn on June 27 at Prague’s Pankrác Prison, despite protests from many prominent figures in the West, including Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill.

Milada Horáková was born in Prague on December 25, 1901. She studied law at Charles University and in 1926, three years after graduating, she joined the Democratic Socialist party.

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Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: National Film Archive

Lucerna Cinema, built in 1909 by the grandfather of the late Czech president Václav Havel, is one of the oldest cinemas in Europe. While they screen both Czech and international films, their monthly series Made in Czechoslovakia spotlights a classic movie with English subtitles, making it friendly to expats and tourists alike.

On Monday Lucerna Cinema or Kino Lucerna in downtown Prague will be screening the 1963 film IKARIE XB 1 1963, directed by Jindřich Polák.

The showing is part of their Made in Czechoslovakia film series, where a classic Czechoslovak movie is shown with English subtitles.

IKARIE XB 1 is a sci-fi film that predates major films of the genre like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Trek.

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Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Claudio Gärtner, ČTK

Czech tennis star Petra Kvitová will be bringing home yet another trophy after Sunday’s German Open final in Berlin. The current top-ranked Czech tennis player in the world cemented her position by beating the Croatian Donna Vekic without losing a single set.

Despite a tiring Saturday that saw Kvitová play the quarter-final and semi-final of the German Open in one day due to bad weather on Friday, the 33-year-old still managed to triumph over Croatia’s Donna Vekic, seven years her younger, in Sunday’s final, beating her 6:2, 7:6.

The match lasted one hour and 43 minutes and Kvitová managed to bag the title, her 31st on the WTA circuit, without losing a single set. She is only the second player aged over 30 ever to win the tournament.

Following her victory, Kvitová thanked her coaches, fans and family for their support.

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Author: Anna Fodor

Photo: Ian Willoughby, Radio Prague International

It is well-known that jeans – a symbol of the West – were a highly sought-after commodity in the final decades of communism in Czechoslovakia. How did people manage to obtain them? And what imported brands were even available? I visited a new exhibition in Prague dedicated to all things denim, pre-1989.

On the top floor of the mid-1970s Kotva Department Store in Prague is where you will find the Retro Museum, which operators say has drawn over 50,000 visitors since opening just over a year ago.

Recently it acquired a new attraction in the form of an exhibition dedicated to jeans, a hard to get but greatly desired commodity in late communist Czechoslovakia.

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Author: Ian Willoughby

Czechia has slipped down the World Economic Forum’s rankings for gender equality. The country is currently ranked 101st out of 146 countries, 25 places lower than it was last year. I discussed the situation with Johana Jonáková, head of Gender Studies organization promoting equal opportunities for men and women, and asked her about the main reasons behind Czechia’s poor performance:

“I would say the biggest inequalities between women and men in Czechia are in the area of power and women’s access to decision-making positions, in other words, in the proportion of women in managerial positions and on executive boards.

“This is where Czechia scored the lowest in the global gender equality index. I think it doesn’t necessarily mean that Czechia is doing worse than in the previous years, but that we are not improving, while other states have improved since last year.”

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Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Amelia Mola-Schmidt, Radio Prague International

Homelessness is a significant problem for both men and women in Prague, but women have specific issues and vulnerabilities they face on the streets. Olga Pek, an employee of the NGO Jako Doma, is working to raise awareness around these issues and advocate for these women.

Olga Pek works for Jako Doma, a not for profit that helps women experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity in Prague. Jako Doma was founded over a decade ago, and their community centre located in Prague 8 has become a safe haven for many women in the city, as Pek explains.

“At the reception desk, women can talk to one of our social workers and request a private session where they can talk about what we can do to help their situation.

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Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Hanna McKay, ČTK/AP

Over 150 Czech economic diplomats based the world over met in Prague this week for consultations on how to further the country’s economic interests. Addressing the gathering, Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský stressed the need to transform the Czech economy from assembly to design, seek new markets outside the EU and build a solid Czech brand.

With its export-driven economy, competitiveness and export opportunities are key to Czechia’s future prosperity making economic diplomacy an important part of the foreign ministry’s agenda. Regular consultations take place at Czernín palace to further the country’s economic interests in a fast changing world. Addressing the gathering on Monday, Foreign Minister Jan Lipavskýy said it was essential for Czechia to respond to the changes taking place –be it the impact of the Green Deal on Czechia’s car industry or the need to cut the country’s dependence on Russian energy.

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Author: Daniela Lazarová

Photo: Czech Television

Czech electronic music artist dné released his debut LP several years ago, picking up multiple domestic awards and millions of streaming plays. Now dné, known to his friends as Ondřej Holý, is back with a long-awaited follow-up, Basic Living.

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Author: Ian Willoughby

The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, led a delegation on an official visit to the State of Israel. In the Knesset, she negotiated with her Israeli counterpart, Amir Ochana. Together, they signed the first ever memorandum on inter-parliamentary cooperation. This concerns areas such as cyber and object security, energy-efficient building management and communication (more information in Czech about the memorandum can be found here: https://www.psp.cz/sqw/cms.sqw?z=17685 ).

“Efforts for friendly relations between our country and Israel unite Czech deputies like perhaps no other topic. Mr. Speaker Ochana assured me that the same applies to the Knesset. However, true friends can not only learn a lot from each other, but they can also openly talk about their problems. That is why I invited the President to visit Prague so that we can continue our discussion,” said the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, immediately after the meeting.

The parliamentary delegation was also accompanied on the way by a business mission. As part of the business forum in Tel Aviv, she focused on deepening promising Czech-Israeli cooperation, especially in the defense industry, IT, cyber security, pharmaceuticals and healthcare. “Economic cooperation between Czechs and Israelis, which is based on generations of intensive interpersonal contacts, is truly alive and productive. Israel, also known as the “start-up nation”, is a huge source of inspiration and opportunities for Czech entrepreneurs. Our producers have great potential to complement the Israeli economy and vice versa,” added the Speaker of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Markéta Pekarová Adamová.

As part of another work program, the Speaker honored the memory of the victims of the Holocaust at the Yad Vashem memorial in Jerusalem, met with representatives of Czech compatriots in Herzliya Pituach and also visited the Masaryk forest in the north of the country. At the end, the delegation was received by Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog.

“We started our journey in the forest that bears the name of the first Czechoslovak president, and we end it with a visit to the current president of Israel. I think it symbolically documents our bond with each other. The roots of this bond grow from shared democratic values and reach deep into the past. It should therefore be our joint responsibility to take care of their healthy development in the future as well,” concluded The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Markéta Pekarová Adamová

The cub is eager to be born and regularly drinks breast milk from its mother, Khamiina. Photo by Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo

The first foal was born in the paddock of Převalský’s horses at the Maiden’s Castle in Prague. It is also the first addition of this species to the Prague Zoo this year. The mother is the five-year-old mare Khamiina, the father is the seven-year-old stallion Granola. Both became parents for the first time ever. People can observe the cub, which according to initial estimates is a female, together with the herd in the twenty-hectare enclosure there.

The foal born on the night from Friday to Saturday is the first foal of Převalský’s horses at Dívče hrady. According to the first estimates, it is a female, but for now the herd is being allowed to rest before a possible veterinary examination. Photo by Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo

“Khamiina gave birth without any complications during the night. After all, night births are typical for horses,” says ungulate curator Barbora Dobiášová. “The cub is healthy and, according to our observations, it is almost certainly a female. However, we are allowing the herd peace for the time being, and the gender of the foal will be confirmed with certainty only after a possible veterinary examination,” he explains.

People can observe the two-day-old foal on the vast pasture at Dívče hrad already. Photo by Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo

Převalský’s horses inhabited Dívčí hrady above Prague’s Smíchov in April 2021. The purpose of the project is not only to revive the historical location, but also to contribute to the prosperity of the original communities of plants and animals here with the help of grazing grass. Today, people can observe a herd of seven, including a two-day-old foal, from the lookout. The remaining horses live at the breeding station in Dolní Dobřejov. In the meantime, a new enclosure and quarters are being built in the Troj area for the iconic animals of the Prague Zoo. At the top station of the cable car, visitors will see other Mongolian fauna in the modern exhibition in addition to the “rollers” already in the spring of 2024.

Forest dog puppies have already passed their first critical period, and visitors to the Prague Zoo can now observe their antics in the enclosure near the polar bear exhibit. Photo by Oliver Le Que, Prague Zoo

Forest dog puppies were born at the Prague Zoo.

Visitors can now observe the pair of cubs in the outdoor enclosure. These South American beasts managed to breed here after five years. This is the first litter of a newly assembled pair of these difficult to breed wild dogs.

“The new breeding female came from France last November based on the recommendation of the coordinator of the European Breeding Program (EEP) and we are already looking forward to the first puppies, which we consider a great success,” says the curator of mammals Pavel Brandl, also with regard to the genetic value of the individuals. The father of the male – the grandfather of this year’s cubs – came to the Prague Zoo all the way from Japan, while the mother of the female comes from French Guiana.

: Young forest dogs are significantly darker than adults. This helps them to hide better in the vegetation. Photo by Oliver Le Que, Prague Zoo

The pair of puppies were born on April 8, and until now their exhibit at the Small American Carnivores area has been covered in hibernation. When raising young, forest dogs are very sensitive to any disturbance. That is why they are rarely kept in zoos today.

“These days, people can see puppies mainly in the outdoor enclosure. We do not yet know their gender, as they are still awaiting a thorough veterinary examination. But they are starting to color beautifully and acquire a lighter color than the adults,” explains Denisa Zběhlíková, head breeder of small mammals. According to her, they don’t lack appetite and these days they are completely switching from mother’s milk to a meat diet. “The best thing for visitors is to go see them in the morning after the zoo opens,” advises Zbehlíková. “They’re resting in one of the cool burrows under the strong midday sun, which they can’t blame anyway.”

The parents of this year’s cubs are a young couple and this is their first litter. A five-year-old dog and a two-year-old female form a harmonious couple from day one. Visitors can recognize males by their larger heads and lighter fur. Photo by Oliver Le Que, Prague Zoo

The forest dog is a medium-sized canine animal inhabiting the territory of Central and South America from Panama to Paraguay. Despite their size, their pack can take down even a tapir, although the majority of their diet consists of armadillos and agoutis. Today, forest dogs are threatened mainly by the expansion of agricultural land, less prey due to illegal hunting, and also the increased risk of contracting deadly diseases from domestic dogs. For these reasons, the species is listed on the IUCN Red List as Near Threatened.

A six-year-old female Cape Sabi forms a breeding pair with a fourteen-year-old male Draco. According to breeders, she is inquisitive and temperamental. Photo by Oliver Le Que, Prague Zoo

A new female Cape grebe has arrived at the Prague Zoo.

Almost six-year-old Sabi forms a breeding pair with fourteen-year-old male Draco. Visitors can now observe the new couple in the African House.

“Breeding Cape grebes in human care is very demanding, but the Prague Zoo has been doing well for a long time. We would therefore like to capitalize on our experience and at the same time take advantage of the fact that we have a proven breeding male in the zoo, of which there are half the number of females in the European population – and that is why Sabi came to us,” says Barbora Dobiášová, curator of ungulates at the Prague Zoo. “She is a young female and her behavior reflects that. Compared to Draco, he is significantly more temperamental and lively,” adds Dobiášová.

A new pair of rakes, on the left the female Sabi, on the right the male Draco, clearly understood each other at the first meeting together. Photo by Oliver Le Que, Prague Zoo

Sabi was born in August 2017 at the zoo in Antwerp, Belgium. Since 2019, she has lived in the Pilsen Zoo, from where she traveled to the Prague Zoo this spring. The current breeding female from Prague, the popular Kvída, will now devote herself more to rest due to her advanced age. However, her daughter Farisa, born last year, went to the Pilsen Zoo.

If visitors want to be sure to see a new pair of grebes, they can observe them during their regular feeding from 10.30 in the African House. They enjoy this on mealybug larvae, which they can pick from a narrow glass tube or from a special ball with holes using their long sticky tongue.

Breeding of Cape grebes has a long history at the Prague Zoo. The first pair, female Bojsa and Nebojsa, came to the zoo already in 1979. The first breeding was successful here in 1989.

Photo: Barbora Němcová, Radio Prague International

Prague’s Vyšehrad Railway Bridge, built in 1901 and granted national monument status in 2004, has long been in need of repair. But the dispute over how those repairs should be carried out have intensified since an architectural competition to design a new replacement for the bridge was held, with even UNESCO recently trying to intervene.

The organisation Nebourat’s name means ‘Do not demolish’ – and that pretty accurately sums up what the group is all about. They spoke out especially loudly when, in May last year, an architectural competition to expand the bridge from two to three tracks was announced by the Railway Administration, with the winning design announced last November. Ina Koldová is one of Nebourat’s three board members.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Photo: Kateřina Šulová, ČTK

An international conference on Ukraine organised by Czech Radio on the occasion of its 100th anniversary took place in Prague on Thursday. The event, focusing on the role of public media in covering the events in Ukraine was attended by, among others, American academic Marci Shore and Russian opposition journalist Zhanna Nemtsova.

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Author: Ruth Fraňková

If you’ve heard the roars of a crowd at Prague’s Viktoria Zizkov stadium, there’s a chance it’s been fans of the Prague Lions, the American football team who recently qualified for the European League of Football (ELF) this season. This past week, I sat down with head coach Zach Harrod and quarterback Shazzon Mumphrey to talk about what the process of stepping up into the ELF has meant for the team and for the sport here in Czechia.

Zach, you talk a lot about how much of a privilege it has been for you to grow American football over the past 20 years here in Czechia, tell me about that journey of developing the sport here.

“I think it’s important to give credit where credit’s due. In many ways, I’m standing on the shoulders of people who started growing the sport before me.

“The Lions started in 1991 when I was 11, and I came over ten years after that. But over the last 20 years it’s been an up and down, a rollercoaster in many ways.

“I came here in my mid 20’s wanting to coach and make a difference in lives through the sport, and realized that the game had far more potential.

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Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

According to the Czech police, there has been a sharp increase in the number of young people taking steroids over the last few years. Experts say that social media and the pressure to achieve the “perfect body” play a significant role.

Police statistics show a marked increase in the number of intercepted postal items from abroad containing banned athletic performance-enhancing drugs in the last couple of years. While in 2020, the customs administration registered only one such case, in 2022, there were 41 cases and so far there have already been 36 this year.

The police are trying to target distributors. For example, they recently busted a criminal group that was importing anabolic steroids from China and selling them, says the director of the National Anti-Drug Division, Jakub Frydrych:

“The distribution was taking place mainly in Prague and the Central Bohemia region, but also via the Internet and mail order.”

Even though police officers investigate dozens of cases related to steroids every year, according to Frydrych, their actual use in the population is many times greater.

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Authors: Anna Fodor, Patrik Salát

Photo: Lukáš Milota, Czech Radio

This Tuesday, June 20, marks World Refugee Day, held to honour people around the world who have been forced to flee their homes in the face of conflict and persecution. In connection with the annual day, the Czech office of the UN Refugee Agency hosted a debate in Prague addressing the current situation of Ukrainian refugees in Czechia.

Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Czechia has granted over 500,000 temporary protection visas to Ukrainian refugees, becoming their third most common European Union destination and the country with the highest number of Ukrainian refugees per 100 000 inhabitants.

While in the first months following the invasion, there were up to 3,000 Ukrainians arriving in Czechia on a daily basis, the influx of refugees has since slowed down considerably.

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Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Magdalena Hrozínková

Photo: Martin Vaniš, Radio Prague International

Pavlína Adam, a biologist and adventurer, recently became the first Czech woman to complete the Great Himalaya Trail, one of the world’s most difficult treks, stretching 1,700 kilometres across the Himalayas, with an approximately 240,000 metres of elevation gain. Pavlína and her US friend Sarah Kruger covered the trek in just 101 days, during the monsoon season, becoming the first female-only team to complete the challenge.

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Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Zuzana Jarolímková, Czech Radio

Saturday marks Petr Pavel’s first 100 days as president of Czechia. What have been his biggest successes – and his biggest failures? I spoke to political scientist Jiří Pehe about how he would rate how the fledgling president is doing so far.

“I think that President Pavel is doing quite well, especially if we compare his performance with that of his predecessor, Miloš Zeman, who really wasn’t an active president during the last years of his presidency, and who also wasn’t really a very constructive politician, getting into a number of conflicts and clashes with other politicians and so on. Whereas it seems to me that Mr Pavel is trying very hard to find consensus on the Czech political scene, and his performance in foreign policy in particular is very impressive.”

Has he done the things he promised during his election campaign that he would do in his first 100 days?

“If we look at what he promised and what he has actually been doing, he has pretty much managed to stick to his intentions. Especially in foreign policy, he has been very active and he has tried very hard to find some consensus with other top politicians in the Czech Republic – the prime minister and the speakers of both houses of parliament. He has returned the Czech Republic firmly on a pro-Western path, and that is certainly an achievement.

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Author: Anna Fodor

Photo: Ondřej Tomšů, Radio Prague International

Ludwig Löwi Moser supplied the courts of emperors and monarchs such as Franz Joseph I, the Persian Shah and the British King Edward VII with his elegant creations.

The founder of the global brand Moser was not only a skilled craftsman, but also a clever businessman. He already had his own glassware shop by the age of 24. With time, he began to specialise in luxury, cut, and engraved decorative glass.

However, his real breakthrough came when he went to the Vienna World Fair, where his glass creations caught the eye of Emperor Franz Joseph I, who subsequently appointed him his official imperial court glass supplier.

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Photo: Michaela Danelová, Český rozhlas

Špejchar 1969–1991 I–II is the title of a compilation by the great Czech singer and guitar player Vladimír Mišík.

The double album, which has now been rereleased by the label Supraphon, contains many of the popular artist’s best-loved songs released over 22 years in the first half of his career. The now 76-year-old rocker recorded with several groups, including Flamengo, Blue Effect and Vladimír Mišík and Etc.

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Photo: Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary

The organisers of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival have just revealed that actress Robin Wright will appear this year. She joins other star names, including Russell Crowe, whose band will perform for the public on the opening night. But the festival will also have numerous other notable guests, as I found out from artistic director, Karel Och.

This year’s stars are Russell Crowe, Alicia Vikander, Ewan McGregor and you’ve just announced Robin Wright. Which of them will create the greatest excitement among the public in Karlovy Vary, do you think?

“It’s hard to know. But I’m sure Russell Crowe will cause amazing excitement.

“Not just because he’s an amazing actor, but because he’s a musician.

“I think if a famous actor plays music and sings, it’s that added value that is rather exotic for many people.

“It reminds me maybe of the visit of John Malkovich, when he presented his fashion show, or Tim Robbins, who also performed as a musician.

“So to be presented in a different light – that’s twice as exciting.

“But I wouldn’t like to underplay Ewan McGregor’s fame and importance, and of course Alicia Vikander.

“And Robin Wright, too – it’s quite an amazing year, I would say.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Metronome Festival

On Wednesday the sixth edition of the Metronome festival will kick off in Prague, ushering in four days of international musical programming and cultural events. I spoke with David Gaydečka, the founder of the festival, about the development of Metronome over the years, and the new elements being implemented this year.

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Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Elena Horálková, Radio Prague International

Although perhaps not as well-known as the nearby Lucerna, the Koruna Palace is an architectural masterpiece. With its unique blend of function and style, the palace has been an important Prague feature for over a century.

The Koruna, or “Crown”, Palace is one of a handful of truly beautiful modernist buildings on Wenceslas Square. After it was built in 1912, the palace was important first and foremost because of the everyday services it provided for Prague citizens.

Architectural historian Radomíra Sedláková told Radio Prague that the palace was one of the first multifunctional buildings that began to appear in the city in that period.

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Author: Vojtěch Pohanka

In the latest in a series of moves by the city to rid itself of reminders of its decades of Soviet occupation and oppression, Prague City Hall voted on Monday to rename Koněvova Street, which is called after the controversial Soviet military commander Ivan Konev.

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Author: Anna Fodor

Czechoslovakia decriminalised homosexuality in 1961, earlier than many Western European countries. Why was it that the generally repressive Communist regime showed such tolerance? And what was like life for gay people under communism?

The Prague government was not a European champion in the legalization of homosexual relations. Countries such as France and Belgium preceded Czechoslovakia by a century.

Nevertheless, decriminalization in 1961 (it entered into force on January 1, 1962) came ahead of states like England, where gays could be sent to prison until 1967. West Germany introduced such legislation in 1968, Norway in 1972 and Scotland in 1981. It took Ireland and Russia until 1993 to do so.

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Author: Libor Kukal

Father’s Day is this Sunday, but are Czech dads actively involved in the day to day domestic duties of running a family amongst heterosexual couples, or are mothers still bearing the brunt of the workload? I asked Dr. Jana Klímová Chaloupková from the Institute of Sociology at the Czech Academy of Social Sciences about the current division of labour in the home.

“Significant changes have occurred in regards to the expectation of gender roles within the family. Today, there is an increased expectation for fathers to actively participate in child care, including the care of the youngest children.

“Many fathers aspire to be more than just breadwinners, and want to play an active role in raising their children.

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Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Amelia Mola-Schmidt, Radio Prague International

On Tuesday evening at the Platforma 15 gallery in Prague, Czech artist Renata Machýčková will debut her first show in 10 years in her native country. The exhibition titled “Blades on Heels” showcases her paintings as well as paper carvings that she has used to capture the diversity of the female form.

Renata Machýčková, who is from Moravia, has been living and working in Bergamo, Italy for nearly a decade.

Her new exhibition of work will be her first show on Czech soil in 10 years, since she was a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, where she studied in the painting studios of Czech artists Vladimír Skrepl and Jiří Kovanda.

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Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Dinner in the Sky / Facebook

Dinner in the Sky is a food concept taking place across the world highlighting the best chefs and faces in contemporary gastronomy. Since 2017 the event has also been held in Prague, presenting Czech chefs who serve guests – at an altitude of 50 metres.

Calling all adrenaline junkies and those who love delicious food. Dinner in the Sky is coming back to Prague, a dining experience where you can be served a multiple course meal by a top ranking Czech chef, all while being hoisted up on a platform above the city ¬– that’s if you have 4,000 crowns to spare on a meal.

Dinner in the Sky is a global food experience that has been operating across 60 different countries since 2006. From Paris to Sao Paolo, the experience showcases the most influential faces in gastronomy and food culture of participating cities. Joining the ranks of major foodie cities, Prague hosted its first Dinner in the Sky experience in 2017.

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Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

František Bělský is largely unknown in his native country. However, the Czech, who was born in 1921, achieved great success in his adopted UK, becoming the only sculptor ever to create busts of four generations of the royal family. Bělský’s remarkable life and career are the subject of a new book by journalist Bohumil Vostal, who first reported on his legacy while serving as Czech Television’s London correspondent.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

In Darwin Crater we have recently introduced Winkleigh, the wombat female, to the public. Now we are expecting the arrival of the breeding group of Tasmanian devils. And between these two major events, one more has been squeezed in: We now have a contemporary of dinosaurs in this exhibit. It is Wollemi pine, whose unbelievable story began to unfold in front of the eyes of people all over the world less than thirty years ago.

In September 1994, David Noble with his two friends was exploring one of the countless canyons in the Wollemi National Park. Canyoning was a great hobby of his, and according to the blog he writes, it still is. At that time, when the group was having lunch after abseiling down to a stream, he noticed a group of strange trees. He did not know them; therefore, he took a small twig with him when leaving.

Probably no one would have expected that a ranger of the National Park Noble would make in the Blue Mountains (less than 200 km away from the four-million-town of Sydney) one of the greatest botanical discoveries of the 20th century. But that is exactly what has happened.

At the National Park administration Noble handed the twig to the botanist Wyn Jones. He put it aside, saying that he didn’t have time to examine it. Only after several days he asked Noble if he took it from some bush. When Noble told him that it comes from a tall tree, his interest has raised. But it still took a while before it came to light that it was something truly extraordinary.

Then a bomb exploded. All the world learned that Noble had come across a group of trees that were identical with fossils as old as 100 and 120 million years. Amateurs, and even more so experts, were astonished when they learned that in a small distant canyon, which protected them from fires and drought, the contemporaries of dinosaurs survived. A story like from The Lost Word of A. C. Doyle!

The trees “from the dinosaurs’ era”, discovered by Noble, were up to 40 metres high and their main trunks with bark resembling bubbling chocolate were almost one meter in diameter. However, the strangest thing was that the large, flat, and soft needles of these trees grew along the terminal twigs similarly to fern ribs. This placed them within the family of araucarians, a very old group of coniferous trees, whose representatives occur at the Southern Hemisphere. The botanists Jones, Hill and Allen then described them as Wollemia genus, according to the area of their present-day occurrence, and nobilis species, which means “noble”, but also refers to Noble.

The locality, where Wollemi pines were found, immediately became a subject of a strict secret and access to it was prohibited under a huge penalty. Even Noble himself visited it for the last time in 1995. The reason was not only the interest of various growers in these trees, but above all the fear of introducing various pathogens, which could liquidate Wollemi pines very quickly.

In addition to the group of Wollemi pines discovered by Noble, two more localities of their occurrence were successfully discovered in Blue Mountains. Even so, this living fossil is still extremely vulnerable. Therefore, cultivation of Wollemi pines has been initiated. First Australian botanical gardens received the trees created by cutting, and in 2006 – after the worries about introducing pathogens into the natural growth were confirmed – Wollemi pines were released for sale internationally with great media attention. Today, Wollemi pines are commonly seen in botanical gardens as well as private homes – and one beautiful specimen you can find also at the entrance to Darwin Crater.

Female Winkleigh, who is originally from Tasmania, is getting used to her new home at Prague Zoo. He explores the enclosure most often first thing in the morning and then in the early evening. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

After the wild pairing, the atmosphere in the common wombat exhibit is noticeably calmer. Biting, gnashing of teeth, and loud yelling have been replaced by regular meetings and obvious interest in each other. Visitors can get to know the first pair of these attractive marsupials in the Czech Republic – the male Cooper and the newly arrived female Winkleigh – on Sunday, June 11, during the Prague Zoo’s rich Wombat Day program.

“I would say that now they are in a phase of mutual tolerance, which is slowly approaching affection. Winkleigh is now allowing Cooper to share the burrow with her, which is a clear sign of sympathy in the wombat world,” breeder David Vala describes the situation.

Winkleigh was born in Tasmania and, like the male Cooper, belongs to the Tasmanian wombat subspecies. It is characterized by a smaller appearance and higher resistance to colder climates. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

Winkleigh, who arrived at the zoo in April and, after a mandatory month-long quarantine, inhabited the exhibit in the Darwin Crater in May, is also getting used to her new home well. “He’s been going to the paddock more and more often, although unlike the more relaxed Cooper, he’s a little sloppy. For example, she climbed into one of the flower pots, whose greenery she then devastated. Cooper has not thought of anything like that in the two and a half years he has been in Prague,” adds Vala. This also shows the high level of individuality of individuals.

Winkleigh and Cooper’s first introduction was wild and there was no shortage of bites and growls. They now share a den together and show more and more affection. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

People can catch wombats in the outdoor enclosure best right after the zoo opens or, conversely, in the early evening. But on Sunday at 2 p.m., their special commented feeding awaits visitors. This will be part of a colorful Wombat Day, which was inspired by Peter J. Nicholson’s ‘wombat boy’ research. As a fifteen-year-old in Australia in the 1960s, he gathered considerable knowledge about the life of these marsupials, and his student work laid the foundation for further scientific research.

Those interested can try out its activities on Sunday at the Veselovského meadow in the lower part of the area. Little explorers will record a whole range of themed activities including digging and measuring burrows, searching for treasures, wombat speech and an atypical way of defense in the Explorer’s Journal and receive small rewards for completing the tasks. Visitors can also enjoy guided tours of the Darwin Crater from 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. for free.

The explorer’s diary will be given to little explorers at the Prague Zoo this Sunday. A number of activities, tasks and puzzles await them as part of the Day with Wombats. Source: Prague Zoo

Photo: Tereza Cedidlová, Czech Radio

Several dozen people gathered in Prague’s Stromovka Park at sunrise on Friday morning to take part in the annual scythe mowing event, during which they cut down a wild flower meadow to the sound of folk music.

The traditional scythe mowing event in Prague’s biggest park, the Stromovka, has been taking place since 2014. This year’s edition attracted a record number of people and they only took about an hour to cut down the entire meadow.

They stayed afterwards to drink a cup of slivovitz and listen to the folk songs that were traditionally sung during haymaking.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space, the largest festival of its kind in the world, gets underway in Prague on Thursday. Located in various venues around the capital, it will explore scenography in its broadest sense, from scenic art to street performances. I discussed the event with its artistic director, Markéta Fantová, and first asked her about its main theme, which is RARE:

“We chose this topic because it reflects the situation we are all in; the situation of our current world, considering the pandemic we just went through and the Russian aggression.

“The word “rare” seems to express it really well because it allows us to look at unique things in different countries and regions and areas and it also tells the story of what surrounds us. And it seems that countries and regions and their creative teems are reflecting it quite nicely.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

author: Zuzana Bönisch/KPR

The President of the Republic, Petr Pavel, was on a working visit to Slovakia on June 6 and 7. He attended the meeting of B9 presidents in Bratislava and visited the soldiers of the Czech contingent at the training center in Lešt.

The top politicians of the countries of the Eastern wing of NATO met at a joint meeting in Bratislava. The Czech Republic was represented at the meeting by President Petr Pavel. The main topic was the war in Ukraine. On the first day of his visit to Bratislava, the President met with Gitanas Nausėda, President of the Republic of Lithuania at a bilateral meeting and laid a wreath at the Tomb of General Milan Rastislav Štefánik.

On the second day, President Petr Pavel and the President of the Slovak Republic, Zuzana Čaputová, visited the Lešť training area and informally met with Czech soldiers who are part of the battalion of the multinational combat group in Slovakia, which was created in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

author: Zuzana Bönisch/KPR

Statement by the President of the Republic to the media after a two-day working trip to Slovakia

June 7, 2023

We are very happy that I had the opportunity to meet the presidents of nine countries in the region, in the case of Bulgaria, that is, the vice president, so we had the opportunity to discuss a common position at the NATO summit, because it is important if we can at least agree regionally in international institutions. As a small country, we don’t always have the opportunity to assert our opinion. If nine of us can agree, then it is a weight that must be heard after all. And that agreement was on all the basic things that will be discussed at the summit, that is, support for Ukraine, a long-term plan for it, the construction of a stronger advanced defense on the eastern flank of the alliance, some cooperative projects. I think we’ve really been able to agree on everything, and that’s a positive thing.

author: Zuzana Bönisch/KPR

The other side is the bilateral cooperation with Slovakia, which has been really good lately. And here in Leště, where the Czech Republic is the leading state of the multinational battalion group that was created after the annexation of Crimea and after the NATO countries decided to significantly strengthen their presence on the eastern flank, it is not only an expression of our allied responsibility. Although we are a landlocked country from NATO’s point of view, we perceive the threat of the eastern members of the alliance as our threat and we participate in making them feel safe, which I think is clearly the principle of why we are actually in the alliance.

author: Zuzana Bönisch/KPR

Photo: Amelia Mola-Schmidt, Radio Prague International

At CAMP, the Centre for Architecture and Metropolitan Planning in downtown Prague, a new exhibit presents a mosaic of everyday life in the city through the eyes of Dutch photographer Iwaan Baan. The exhibit features thousands of images of Prague, shot on the ground level and from a birds eye view.

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Markéta Pekarová Adamová held talks on 7.6.2023 with her Korean counterpart Kim Jin-pyo in Prague. The main topics were Czech-Korean cooperation in the political and economic fields. The President, who visited Korea in March this year, also invited her counterpart to the Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimean Platform. Its second year will take place in Prague this October.

The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, held talks with the Chairman of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, Kim Jin-pyo, in Prague.

“Our countries share the same democratic values. However, their preservation in the world is not automatically guaranteed. Last year he confirmed that this is not an empty phrase. Ukraine is at war with Russia because of its decision to embrace these values and build a democratic, prosperous country based on the rule of law and respect for basic human rights and freedoms. That is why I invited Mr. Chairman to Prague for the October session of the second annual Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimean Platform. I am sure that his experience and knowledge will be enriching for the participants in the meeting and that we will continue the broader discussion about the defense of our shared values,” said the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, immediately after the meeting.

The two officials also discussed Czech-Korean business cooperation. “The Republic of Korea is the third largest investor in the Czech Republic and the second most important trading partner of the Czech Republic in Asia. Mutual cooperation in the area of drug supplies is also progressing, which we already discussed during my first visit to Seoul in March. I am also glad that we managed to restore a direct flight between our capitals,” added the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová. As part of her trip in March, on which she was accompanied by a large business delegation, she visited, in addition to the capital Seoul, the important South Korean commercial city of Pusan.

June 6, 2023 – Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Markéta Pekarová Adamová, Speaker of the Austrian National Council Wolfgang Sobotka and Speaker of the Slovak National Council Boris Kollár jointly made a two-day working trip to Georgia. In the capital city of Tbilisi, they held talks with the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia Shalva Papuashvili, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili and Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. The purpose of the joint negotiations was to support Georgia’s pro-Western orientation and its territorial integrity.
The delegation also visited the border of the Russian-occupied territory of South Ossetia.

The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, took part in the meeting of the chairmen of the legislative assemblies of Georgia and the countries of the so-called Slavkov format (S3). In addition to the Czech Republic, it is also made up of Austria (represented at the meeting by the Chairman of the National Council Wolfgang Sobotka) and Slovakia (represented by the Chairman of the National Council Boris Kollár).

“I am glad that I was able to visit Georgia in the company of my colleagues from the Slavkov format. It is the very first joint trip abroad in this composition. Our three countries are undoubtedly among the best friends and supporters of Georgia in Europe. And this ancient country should have the ambition to belong to a united, safe, and prosperous Europe,” said the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová.

Monday’s program of the delegation in Tbilisi mainly included a working meeting with the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia Shalva Papuashvili, a reception by the Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, and a meeting with Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.

“Georgia’s representatives are facing a difficult task today. Successful integration into the structures of the European Union requires the implementation of a whole series of very demanding and not always popular reforms. However, they need to be implemented not only for the sake of the EU but above all for the sake of the Georgians themselves. Georgia still has all this ahead of it. The Czech Republic has already gone through this process and, together with Austria and Slovakia, is ready to provide our Georgian friends with their experience and support them in every possible way on the way to our common European goal. During our conversations, we did not avoid controversial topics, such as problems with freedom of speech, recent controversial statements by Georgian politicians, or political polarization. However, constructive criticism is desirable between partners,” said Speaker of the Chamber Markéta Pekarová Adamová.

On Tuesday, as part of their work program in Tbilisi, the heads of Central European parliaments set aside time for an informal discussion meeting with representatives of local civil society. The whole delegation then visited the village of Odzisi, located near the border of the Russian-occupied territory of South Ossetia.

“We want to send a clear and strong signal to Russia here. Disregarding the territorial integrity of Georgia is absolutely unacceptable! The occupation of large parts of the country and the creation of puppet “states” by Russia is a clear violation of international law. Unfortunately, we are also witnessing this in Moldova or Ukraine,” added the speaker of the House of Representatives, Markéta Pekarová Adamová.

At the end of the trip, the members of the delegation completed a presentation of the project “Sustainable development of the PLA Aragvi and local communities”, which is being implemented with the financial support of the S3 countries. “Georgia has long been one of the priority targets of Czech development and transformation cooperation programs. The meaningful, balanced and sustainable development of Georgia goes hand in hand with the hope for a better future not only for the Georgians themselves but for the entire family of European democracies,” concluded President Markéta Pekarová Adamová.

Photo: Miloš Turek, Radio Prague International

More than 1,800 churches, temples and religious sites will open their doors to the public within the 15th annual Night of Open Churches on Friday, June 2. The event includes concerts, exhibitions, and access to houses of prayer otherwise closed to the public. I spoke with Stanislav Zeman from the Prague Archbishopric and asked him how this increasingly popular tradition started.

“It started in Germany actually, in the year 2003, namely in Frankfurt and Hannover. They say it started by coincidence, by a church accidentally being left open in the evening. People were interested and sneaked in. And the clergy realized that people were interested and would welcome the chance to visit churches even in the night hours and so that is how it begun. Slowly, it spread all over Europe. For example, two years after, in 2005, Vienna joined massively, the year after that Brno – the Moravian Diocese – joined in and in the following year it went nationwide.”

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová

Photo: Adam Trachtman/Nomad Jawn Press

Immersion, translated into Czech as ‘do hloubky’, is the new and cool-looking graphic novel by Adam Trachtman that details his adventures – linguistic, itinerant, and sexual – as he joins the hordes of young Westerners heading east in the early 90s to experience the brave new world of post-Communist Europe. What they find is, in Adam’s words, “a not-so-brave visa-free world where conversational English teachers make more than doctors, beer is cheaper than water, and law enforcement is entrepreneurial.” I spoke to Adam in our studio about how he used AI to help him with the novel, what brought a poor kid from Philadelphia to Czechia, and what kept him here for 29 years. But first, I wanted to know a bit more about the plot of the book…

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Photo: Martin Vaniš, Radio Prague International

A replica of a Marian column torn down in 1918 was erected on Prague’s Old Town Square three years ago, in June 2020, after years of often turbulent debate.

A group called the Society for the Restoration of the Marian Column lobbied for the return of the column, which was torn down in November 1918.

They said it was a symbolic commemoration of the defenders of Prague during the Thirty Years’ War, though opponents saw it – as had its original removers – as a symbol of Habsburg domination and oppression of the nation.

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Photo: Elena Horálková, Radio Prague International

Located just off Wenceslas Square, the Lucerna Palace is an iconic building. Its rooftop terraces and passages are unique even for the historic centre of Prague. Interestingly, the palace was originally planned to be one storey higher and have an ice rink instead of its main concert hall.

The spiritual father of the Lucerna Palace was engineer, architect, and builder Vácslav Havel, grandfather of the late Czech president Václav Havel. Lucerna means lantern in Czech, and it is not known for certain why Havel chose it as the name for his project. Many locals believe that it comes from the glass façade of a nearby building on the corner of Wenceslas Square. However, that building is not part of Lucerna Palace, explains Petr Hájek, an architect who worked on the reconstruction of Lucerna’s terraces.

See the rest here.

Authors: Vojtěch Pohanka, Zdeňka Kuchyňová

Photo: Miloš Turek, Radio Prague International

If you ask a Czech for a good summer getaway, it is quite likely they will mention the Lipno reservoir. Built during the 1950s it is not only the largest reservoir in Czechia, but it also borders the beautiful Šumava Natural Park.

Despite being a popular destination during the holiday season, there are several spots around Lipno that remain quite serene and full of hidden secrets. Take the town of Horní Planá for example, whose central square is quite reminiscent of a park and lies just around a kilometre away from the recently built Dobrá voda lookout tower that offers lovely views over the surrounding area.

See the rest here.

Authors: Miloš Turek, Thomas McEnchroe

There were no goods in shops. You weren’t allowed to travel. Rock stars didn’t come to the country to perform. So how else were Czechs supposed to entertain themselves?

“Sex was one of the few pleasures that were available back then at the same standard of quality as today. The bread rolls tasted bad. You don’t even want to know what kind of meat was sold in shops. And pears, for example, you couldn’t get those anywhere. But sex wasn’t any worse than it is today, and so people actively made use of it. A typical snapshot of life under Czechoslovak socialism was the sexual act on the office desk.”

See the rest here.

Author: Libor Kukal

Photo: AP Photo/Libkos

In the wake of the Kakhovka dam flooding, the Czech government and NGOs have joined the humanitarian aid effort. The Czech Defense Ministry is preparing a consignment of tankers for the distribution of drinking water, life vests and water pumps and the Foreign Ministry has earmarked 10 million crowns to assist the humanitarian effort. NGOs are also pitching in. I spoke to Petr Štefan from the largest Czech charity organization People in Need about its response to the crisis.

“We responded immediately to the needs of the people in the villages which were flooded. Even as we speak we are distributing drinking water in two villages on the right bank of the Dnipro River. In the coming days we want to deliver emergency water storage tanks and we are planning to distribute 1,000 hygiene kits among the people affected. This is based on the needs articulated yesterday by the Ukrainian authorities.”

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová

Photo: Jiří Šeda, ČRo

To mark the centenary of Czech Radio, the public broadcaster’s jazz station prepared a special project called 100 Years of Jazz/100 Years of Radio. Within the project, contemporary composers were asked to create new arrangements of traditional jazz compositions, which are connected in one way or another to the history of Czech Radio. To mark the anniversary, Czech Radio also commissioned a brand new composition called Swinging on the Radio Waves. The songs were performed by the Gustav Brom Radio Big Band at a concert earlier this year and you can listen to some of them now, in this edition of Sunday Music Show.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Ukrainian Ice Hockey Federation/Facebook

The legendary Czech goalie Dominik Hašek (nicknamed The Dominator) paid a visit to the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Monday to express support for the country, which has been successfully resisting Russian military aggression since February of last year.

In a video posted on Facebook, Hašek expressed his support for Ukrainian hockey players, Ukrainian children and the brave people of Ukraine. In the video, The Domintor is seen posing with members of the Ukrainian Hockey Federation.

“It was with great pleasure that I came to Kharkiv to tell everyone that I support Ukraine, Ukrainian sport, its youth and children. I want your children to be able to play hockey and go to school again,” Hašek says in the video. “Good luck Ukraine, good luck Kharkiv!” he concludes with a broad smile and a thumbs up.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová

Czechia has a rich history of cinema and that heritage is carefully administered by the National Film Archive in Prague, which is currently celebrating 80 years of existence. I discussed the archive’s establishment during the Nazi occupation, the recent tradition of restoring classic Czech movies, how NFA archivists defied the authorities to save treasures and much more with its director, Michal Bregant.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Amelia Mola-Schmidt, Radio Prague International

On the outskirts of the city centre in Prague 3, a delicious Italian bakery serves up traditional Tuscan and Italian fare, and has become a social hub for both Italian expats in the neighbourhood and local Czechs.

In the heart of downtown Žižkov, a bakery by the name of Il Pane Italská Pekárna owned by husband and wife duo Roberto Setti and Deborah Giorgi serves up beautifully baked Italian breads and traditional Tuscan schiacciata. Originally from Florence, the couple came to Prague on their honeymoon years ago, and Roberto fell in love with the city. In September 2020, the doors of the bakery opened to the neighbourhood of Žižkov, where it has received a warm reception from the community for the delicious food and warm social atmosphere.

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Art & Activism

This Friday, June 9th will be the opening night of the first annual Prague Art and Activism exhibition. A night showcasing the talent of artists whose thought-provoking work crosses boundaries between advocacy and multi-medium beauty.

Nicholas Dungey, an American professor living in Prague, is the founder of Reluvotion, an app that connects not-for profits and NGO’s with volunteers across the world, he has coordinated the exhibition alongside local artists and activists.

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Jeff Couloute and Phillip Schniedermeier, Photo: Amelia Mola-Schmidt, Radio Prague International

Best friends Phillip Schniedermeier and Jeff Couloute who together make up the duo behind the American restaurant Philly & Co’s in lower Žižkov have turned their passion for cooking up American and their native Chicago style food into a hub for local Czechs and expats alike. Amelia Mola Schmidt went to check it out.

Deep dish pizza, Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, and chicken wings – those aren’t exactly foods native to Czechia’s cuisine. But two expats from Chicago have turned traditional American and Chicago style fare into a successful business in lower Žižkov. Philip Schniedermeier and Jeff Couloute opened Philly & Co in the summer of 2020, and together have created a thriving business that welcomes everyone – from expats to local Czechs. The two met when they were teenagers playing basketball together, and moved to Prague originally to teach English, as Jeff explains.

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Jolana Nováková, Czech Radio

The Toy Museum Prague offers a fascinating collection of toys spanning three centuries. The Golden Age of Toys was put together and is curated by Ivan Steiger, a prominent Czech filmmaker, illustrator and cartoonist, who has lived and worked in Germany since 1969.

Ivan Steiger studied at the Prague Film Faculty, where he trained under the well-known Czech writer Milan Kundera. He graduated as film and TV scriptwriter and director in 1967 and even as a student published cartoons in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, The Tribune and the Daily Mirror. Following a number of successful projects in Czechoslovakia, he started exhibiting abroad and emigrated in 1968, settling in Munich.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová

Photo: Anna Fodor, Radio Prague International

Susan Loy is an American artist who had a successful business selling her paintings in the US, but left it all behind a few years ago to move to Prague, when she was already in her 70s. Like Charlotte Garrigue Masaryk, the American wife of Czechoslovakia’s first president, Susan is a Unitarian, and moved to the Czech Republic with Unitarian sponsorship. She is also the curator of an international art exhibition which is on display right now at the Unitarian Church in Prague, so I started by asking her what prompted her to organise it.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Brno, Prague, Warsaw, Budapest, and Calgary – these are some of the cities where an ingenious invention by two Moravian dog owners has spread. Their patented dog urinal prevents unsightly stains and nasty odours from sullying public spaces.

Ten years ago, a group of dog owners in Brno were out walking their canine companions when the subject of the tell-tale stains left on the facades of houses and the unmistakable stench of dog urine came up. They discussed the fact that it has become standard practice to pick up your dog’s excrement, but there still wasn’t any hygienic solution for dealing with pee.

One member of the group, František Tomeček, had an idea after noticing that his dog wouldn’t urinate in the same spot after it had rained and the smell was gone. His colleague, graphic designer Šárka Fialová, explains what happened next.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Cigarettes are getting increasingly more expensive in Czechia, but recent data suggests that as much as a quarter of people over the age of 15 are smokers. On the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, we spoke to Dr Eva Králíková, who heads a stop smoking clinic at Prague’s General Faculty Hospital, asking her how big of an issue smoking is in Czechia when compared with other addictions.

“It definitely is a big issue. Smoking kills about 16,000 to 18,000 people annually in Czechia, compared to alcohol that kills around 5,000 to 7,000 and drugs that, at most, kill around 500 people a year. These other addictions are also a problem of course, but smoking is definitely the biggest problem.”

See the rest here.

Author: Thomas McEnchroe

Photo: The Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren

The country’s largest Protestant denomination, the Evangelical Church of the Czech Brethren, announced over the weekend that it will officially allow pastors to bless same-sex unions. I spoke to Filip Milde of the organisation Jsme Fér, which campaigns for marriage equality in Czechia, to find out what he thought the significance of this move is.

“We believe it has huge significance, although the church is actually the second in the Czech Republic to allow the blessing of same-sex couples. Last year, the Old Catholic Church of the Czech Republic was already the first church to allow it.

“But it sends a very strong message that, even though we are the most atheistic country in the world, the people of faith really support equality, and we are on the right path towards marriage equality.”

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

The President of the Republic Petr Pavel and Eva Pavlova started their visit to Austria in the early evening of May 31 with a meeting with their compatriots. They met the students of the Comenius School, listened to the school’s children’s choir, and debated with representatives of compatriot associations.

On the second day (June 1), they were received by the President of the Republic of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen, and Mrs. Doris Schmidauer after a walk through the historic part of the city with military honors.

The official part of the program continued with the meeting of the President of the Republic with Wolfgang Sobotka, Chairman of the National Council of Austria. In the building of the Defense Academy, the president held talks with Klaudia Tanner, the Federal Minister of Defence, and then at 4:30 p.m. he will deliver a speech on the topic of Our Freedom and Security in a Globalized World.

(author: Tomáš Fongus/KPR, Source)

Photo: Vít Pohanka, Czech Radio

This weekend the Moravian village of Vlčnov celebrated its most cherished festival of the year: the traditional “Ride of the Kings” which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The traditional Ride of Kings is by no means a quiet event. The central figure of the procession riding a horse down the main street is a young boy. He is the son of a respected local family, must be under the age of 15, and is dressed as a young woman in traditional folk costume and a red, flower-adorned hat, to conceal his identity. He carries a rose in his mouth, so as to remain silent and not give himself away.

See the rest here.

Author: Vít Pohanka

I am pleased to learn that the Senate today overwhelmingly supported the first three candidates for constitutional judges. We thus managed to fulfill the first part of our common constitutional responsibility – to ensure the full functioning of the Constitutional Court. I also appreciate the public discussion that took place around the individual nominations, the diversity of opinions is a sign of a functioning democracy. My goal was to make the process of selecting constitutional judges transparent and based on the assessment of professional criteria, not political pressures. I am convinced that Daniela Zemanová, Jan Wintr and Josef Baxa are a guarantee that the Constitutional Court will be composed of diverse personalities with high moral integrity, competence and the ability to withstand all possible pressures.

The President of the Republic, Petr Pavel, appointed new constitutional judges on Monday, June 5 2023.

Photos: Tomáš Fongus

President of the Senate Miloš Vystrčil, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Markéta Pekarová Adamová, Prime Minister Petr Fiala, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský met today at Prague Castle with President Petr Pavel. The reason for the meeting was a return to trying to coordinate foreign policy at the highest level. A joint meeting of the highest constitutional officials on this topic took place after more than three years. The participants of the meeting talked about relations with neighboring states, coordination of foreign trips, preparations for the NATO summit in Vilnius, as well as assistance to Ukraine, and relations with China.

“We agreed not only on the fact that we want to coordinate foreign policy but also on a number of practical steps on how to do it. So that we maximize the effect for the Czech Republic. We have agreed that these meetings will be held approximately once every six months, but in the meantime, we will meet again on the topic of the longer-term direction of the Czech Republic’s foreign policy,” said President Petr Pavel after the meeting.

“For the first time in the time that I have held the position of President of the Senate, I felt that in the field of foreign policy, we agree with both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as the President and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies. I see this as a great opportunity for us to work together for the benefit of the Czech Republic and our priorities, which is the defense of the values on which the existence and functioning of the Czech Republic are built, as well as its prosperity in terms of economic development,” said the President of the Senate, Miloš Vystrčil .

According to the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, we have such a degree of agreement in foreign policy that we are clearly better able to promote the interests of the Czech Republic and its citizens. “I think this is the best possible news for all citizens. It was not always obvious, but now we are getting into a situation where it is, and we should try to make the most of it,” she said after the meeting.

The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Petr Fiala, emphasized the importance of foreign policy coordination. “It is necessary for the key representatives of the state to speak with one voice as much as possible because this is the only way foreign policy is credible and also effective. It thus brings the necessary effects for our citizens, for our business, and for our security,” he added.

“Our presidency of the European Union has shown that the Czech voice is heard and that it is respected, and we want to build on that further. We have a strong political consensus, and this is also a signal for our institutions. We are breaking down the walls between these institutions and creating a truly common foreign policy,” added Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský.

Pictures : Tomáš Fongus

The 2023 edition of the multi-genre Prague Sounds music festival will feature the likes of Benjamin Clementine, Alva Noto & Ensemble Modern and jazz great Ron Carter. Though the event is not until November, the organisers unveiled the line-up this week – and I spoke to programmer Guy Borg.

“We tend to try to look beyond strict genre categories, although it’s fair to say that in our programme you will find things like hip hop, electronic music, contemporary classical music and jazz and so on.

“But each of the artists in those categories, we feel, kind of go beyond those genres in various ways.

“Those are the kind of artists we look for and that’s the kind of programme we try to put together.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Filip Jandourek, Czech Radio

This week the Prague authorities approved studies to revitalise the through-road cutting across the centre of the city. The plans – which still need permits – would make the unpopular “magistrála” more attractive for pedestrians and cyclists. But could the communist-era road ever be removed? I discussed the matter with leading Prague architect Jakub Cigler.

“I am excited that the magistrála will around the Main Railway Station have two times two lanes only.

“Because the magistrála is a kind of magnet that concentrates more and more cars; if there were more lanes, there would be more cars.

“And this way is not sustainable. It is not the way forward.

“It’s not the right thing to drive through Prague, it’s better to around.

“We don’t have a périphérique, like Paris has, for example.

“But transportation design should change in the centre in such a way that there is a diminished amount of cars on the streets.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Miloš Turek, Radio Prague International

One of the most popular lookout spots on the River Vltava is in the hills of the Central Bohemian Upland, about an hour’s drive south of Prague.

In the southwestern part of the Drbákov-Albertovy skály nature reserve there are up to 1,000 red yew trees.

The most interesting parts of the reserve feature a 7.4 km circular nature trail, which starts at the U Křížku car park. Occasionally the river’s surface flashes through the trees before finally the view of the Vltava opens up to its full extent and walkers come out at the Tis (Yew) lookout spot.

See the rest here.

Photo: Archive of Magdalena Kracík Štorkánová, Art and Craft Mozaika z.s.

One of Prague’s iconic Brutalist structures, the Central Telecommunications Building in the district of Žižkov, is gradually being demolished. However, some valuable art pieces from its interior have been saved, including a large-scale mosaic created by Italian artist Sauro Ballardini out of hundreds of pieces of glass.

The Central Telecommunications building with its unmistakable tower is known among Praguers as Mordor, a reference to Lord of the Rings. It was built between 1972 and 1979 and at the time, it was the tallest building in Czechoslovakia and the tallest telecom building in Europe.

The communist planners commissioned a number of art pieces for the then state-of the-art building, including a huge mosaic made by Sauro Ballardini, who also did the mural at Florenc metro station.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Czech National Bank

70 years ago, on June 1, 1953, the ruling Communist regime announced a major monetary reform which significantly cut the value of the money in circulation. Many people lost most of their savings and became virtually penniless.

1953 was not a great time to be alive in Czechoslovakia. Show trials, inspired by those in the Soviet Union, had been going on for years and were just culminating in the prosecution of 14 high ranking Communist Party officials that had fallen out of favour. Among them was the former general secretary of the party, Rudolf Slánský. He would soon hang after a confession forced out of him through repeated torture sessions.

The country, which had been ruled by the Communists since 1948, was heavily in debt after five years of economic mismanagement and people were still reliant on a state rationing system that had been originally put in place during the Second World War.

See the rest here.

Photo: Petr Veber, Czech Radio

Czech-born mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená (born on May 26, 1973) is one of the bright lights of world opera. Although based in Britain, she returns regularly to Czechia to perform and was one of the biggest attractions of this year’s Prague Spring Festival together with the award-winning Japanese pianist Mitsuko Uchida.

Magdalena Kožená studied at the Brno Conservatory and Bratislava’s Academy of Performing Arts winning several major prizes at home and abroad, the most significant of which was the Sixth International Mozart Competition in Salzburg.

On the opera stage, she made her debut at the Salzburg Festival in 2002 as Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni and first appeared at New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 2003 as Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, where she has been a regular guest since.

See the rest here.

Photo: Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary

The organisers of the Karlovy Vary film festival have just unveiled its two competitions, a month before the 57th edition starts. The main Crystal Globe competition will have one fewer entry than usual, after the Chinese authorities intervened. But local cinema fans will be excited to hear there are two Czech films in the running, We Have Never Been Modern and A Sensitive Person. I asked Karlovy Vary’s artistic director Karel Och about them.

“We Have Never Been Modern is the English title of the second feature film by Matěj Chlupáček, who is an extremely young but already established filmmaker; he’s not even 30 yet.

“He is the author of this very self-assured period drama set in 1937.

“It is a, let’s say, detective drama. There’s a very strong suspense moment in the movie, which is gorgeously shot.

“The main character is a woman who is about to give birth to a child. She’s the wife of the director of the factory where a stillborn child is found.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Bohemian Identity

A largescale project is currently in the works that seeks to present the history and current forms of Czech graphic design to both the domestic and international audience. Bohemian Identity, as it is called, will trace the story of how various designs, ranging from banknotes, state symbols, brands, metro signs and more, helped shape the country’s national identity. To find out more about what’s in store I spoke to one of the founders of the project, Michal Gregorini.

“The idea originally started in 2018 in light of the celebrations of the 100 year anniversary of the birth of the independent Czechoslovak state. Filip Blažek and Linda Kudrnovská, the angels behind this project, came up with the idea to cover this 100 year history through the story of Czech and Czechoslovak design because it is very unique and has a special history of its own.”

See the rest here.

Author: Thomas McEnchroe