AuthorMartin Hladík

On Monday night, members of the Chinese community in Prague gathered in Prague’s Národní trída, in a show of solidarity with the anti-government protests that have broken out across China. Many donned facemasks to protect themselves and feared to speak openly.

Last week, protests flared up across China in response to the government’s “zero Covid” policy of mass testing, quarantines and snap lockdowns that have affected more than 1.4 billion people. In what was the last straw, they prevented firefighters from getting to a fire that killed ten people in an apartment building under lockdown.

From Shanghai to Beijing, citizens have been gathering, with chants of “lift the lockdown”, and “we want freedom”, being echoed by the crowds. Some have even been calling for the Communist Party and its leader, Xi Jinping, to step down in what is the biggest show of public discontent since the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Footage from the protests, show a heavy police presence, with growing violence and arrests.

Read more here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Správa železnic

The railway bridge connecting Prague’s Výtoň and Smíchov districts is due to get a new look – and not everyone is happy about it.

The Vyšehrad Railway Bridge, built at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, has been in need of reconstruction for a while. This has long been a topic of discussion in Prague, with various proposals made over the years. An architectural competition was announced by the Railway Administration last May, with an essential component of the new design being an expansion from two to three tracks.

This week, the winning design was announced. The decision by the 11-member selection committee was apparently a difficult one following long and arduous discussions. According to Pavel Paidar from the Railway Administration, the selected proposal by company 2T engineering best deals with train, pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Carp has been the traditional Christmas dish for centuries. But it is only now that scientists have discovered its other possible uses – in smoothing out wrinkles and making jelly bears.

Carp is the most common fish breed in Czechia and over 20,000 tons of carp are netted annually, for consumption at home and abroad. Fried carp appears on almost every Czech table at Christmas but scientists from Tomáš Bat’a University in Zlín have now alerted Czechs to the fact that it could help make their lives better all-year-round. They have developed a method that uses residues from the processing of freshwater fish, especially carp, to produce collagen that has many uses in the food and cosmetics industries.

The heads, scales, bones and skin of carp account for up to half of the waste in processing and represent a large amount of unused raw materials, particularly rich in proteins, fats, minerals and vitamins. Pavel Mokrejš, head of the project says all this currently goes to waste.

See the rest here.

Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Roman Verner

Three baby turtles of a rare species known as the enigmatic leaf turtle have hatched in Prague Zoo, the Czech News Agency reported on Wednesday. This species of turtle is little studied in the wild and is classified as a Near Threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Prague Zoo says that it is currently the only zoo breeding this species of turtle in Europe. The current hatchlings are the first to be born at the zoo in more than four years.

In the wild, the enigmatic leaf turtle inhabits Malaysian and Indonesian forest areas. Visitors to Prague Zoo can see the turtles in the Indonesian Jungle pavillion.

The villa of Miroslav Zikmund, Photo: Onomono Photography

The former home of the legendary Czech traveller Miroslav Zikmund in the Moravian town of Zlín opened to the public this month. The iconic functionalist villa, built in the 1930s by the Baťa Company, has been turned into a museum dedicated to Mr Zikmund.

Miroslav Zikmund, who passed away last December at the age of 102, bought the Zlín villa in 1953 from the Oscar-winning director Elmar Klos and lived there for nearly 70 years. Shortly before his death he sold it to his friend Čestmír Vančura, who established the Zikmund Villa Endowment Fund with the aim to restore the place and maintain it as a tribute to Zikmund and his travels.

Inside the villa there are furnishings from the 1950s, when the building was adapted by architect Zdeněk Plesník. A collection of furniture by designer Miroslav Navrátil and Zikmund’s personal items are also on display. The villa will be open to visitors only once a month for four commented tours.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

GZ Media, based at Loděnice near Prague, produces vinyl records around the clock in order to meet huge demand. In fact the company, which also has three plants in North America, is the world’s biggest producer of a music medium that many thought was bound for the dustbin of history.

Are you one of the growing number of people again purchasing music on the once dominant delivery format of vinyl records? If so, there is a big chance part of your collection has been pressed up here in Czechia.

GZ Media, which is located in Loděnice, a small town near Prague, was founded in Communist Czechoslovakia in the late 1940s.

See the rest here.

Authors: Zdenka Kuchyňová, Ian Willoughby

Photo: Barbora Němcová, Radio Prague International

For several decades now, one of the most popular books among Czech readers has been The Egg and I by American writer Betty MacDonald. The 1945 memoir about life on a chicken farm in the Northwest has been largely forgotten in the United States, but here in Czechia, it still continues to top readers’ lists. What has caused this somewhat unexpected popularity? And how come it has lasted for nearly eighty years? Czech literary theorist Jiří Trávníček decided to explore this unusual phenomenon in his new book called Betty a my (Betty and Us).

Author: Ruth Fraňková

See the article here.

Photo: Petr Hejna, DPP

On November 21, 1962, the Tatra T3 tram was put into regular service in Prague. It was a very modern tram for its time and would become a successful export product. Today, T3’s can still be seen transporting people in country’s such as Ukraine.

The T3 ranked among the proudest products of Czechoslovak industry during the 1960s. Designer František Kardaus came up with a timeless design for the tram that featured a round front with two protruding round reflectors. The T3 became the most produced tram in world history, with roughly 14,000 carriages of all prototypes being made.

Nowadays you can still take a ride in the T3 if you step into the “Nostalgic line no. 23”, which passes around Prague Castle, as well as the Old and New Towns. Standard operating lines in Prague stopped using the model in 2011. However, the trams are still used in some countries, for example in Kyiv, Ukraine, where some of them were even converted into barriers during the initial Russian advance. It wasn’t the first time that the T3 was used for this purpose. Prague residents did the same in 1968 to try and slow down invading Warsaw Pact forces.

See the rest here.

Photo: Czech Radio

Tereza Stehlíková is a film and visual artist engaged in cross-disciplinary research at the intersection of art, philosophy, and science. As well as an interest in landscape and place, Stehlíková has devoted much of her career to exploring how the different senses interact with one another – particularly how moving images can be used to communicate embodied experience, how the audio-visual senses can evoke touch, taste, and smell, and the connection of the senses with emotions and memory. On December 1 she will be hosting a multidisciplinary symposium in Prague, bringing together artists, scientists and philosophers to discuss humans’ relationship to our physical environment.

Tereza’s recent exhibition Ophelia in Exile, held earlier this year at the Czech Centre London, explored what happens when the sensory components of our lives are lost, as many of us experienced during successive covid lockdowns when the world was reduced to screens with little to no multi-sensory engagement. The idea behind the exhibition was that the Shakespearean character Ophelia had been quarantined in her living room and her only means of engagement with the outside world was through screens. By inviting you into the location of her “sensory exile”, Stehlíková explored the feelings of flatness and disembodiment that many of us became all too familiar with during the height of the pandemic.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Archivists at Czech Radio have discovered 1,300 discs of recordings from the 1946 trial with Karl Hermann Frank, who was in charge of the Nazi security forces during the wartime occupation of Bohemia and Moravia. The discs are currently in the process of digitisation, making it possible to play the sounds for the first time in more than 70 years.

Karl Hermann Frank was one of the highest ranking Nazis within the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia during the occupation of the Czech lands from March 1939 to May 1945. He was responsible for handling much of the Protectorate’s internal security and played an instrumental role in events such as the wiping out of the Lidice a Ležáky villages in 1942. Frank was arrested by US troops a day after the official end of the war in Europe and extradited to Czech authorities who subsequently tried and executed him by hanging a year later.

Historian Michal Pehr told Czech Radio that the trial had a symbolic meaning for Czech society at the time as it was a way through which people could come to terms with six years of Nazi occupation.

See the rest here.

Authors: Thomas McEnchroe, David Hertl

Photo: Jana Plavec

A papier-mâché effigy of the Russian and Belarusian leaders Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko, made famous at anti-Russian demonstrations in Prague over the past year and a half, has now been put to auction. Bidding starts at 10,000 euros.

The gaudy artwork most recently drew the attention of European leaders at an informal summit held at Prague Castle in September. But it has been making the rounds at public events and “happenings” around Prague since April 2021, when it had its premiere outside the Russian embassy, with the fence also being decorated with golden toilet brushes.

Toilet brushes have become a symbol of resistance against Putin’s regime ever since Alexei Navalny’s opposition movement released a documentary film in early 2021 showing footage of a giant palace by the Black Sea, which the filmmakers say was constructed by Putin using slush funds, where the toilet brushes alone reportedly cost 15,000 euros. This then became the inspiration for the papier-mâché sculpture “Naked Killer”, depicting Putin sitting naked on a golden toilet.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Photo: Masaryk University Brno

Scientists at Mendel University in Brno are exploring the possibility of using cyanobacteria to clean up plastic waste in the oceans. After special treatment, the photosynthetic microscopic organisms could break down micro-particles of plastic waste, which accumulates in so-called garbage patches in the oceans.

Garbage patches are large areas of the ocean where litter, fishing gear and other marine debris collects as a result of swirling ocean currents, which have been growing steadily since the mid-1980s.

There are currently five such patches infesting the world’s three largest oceans, covering an area roughly the size of Australia and presenting an ever-growing threat to marine wildlife.

See the rest here.

Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Barbora Kroutilíková

“Asking Answers, Finding Questions”, Photo: archive of Don Hall

Don Hall grew up in the Deep South of the United States, in a poor, conservative, religious family. He became a successful evangelical Christian minister and was preaching to crowds of people all over the southeastern United States. But he was deeply unhappy because he held a secret that would ruin him if it were found out – he was gay.

At the age of 30, Don decided to change his life and moved to Europe, eventually settling in Prague. Now he’s written a book about his experiences and his journey to get to where he is today.

I spoke to Don at his home in the Prague district of Vršovice to get a taste of what the book is about, and started by asking him when he first realised he was gay.

“I think I realised there was a difference probably as early as four years old but I didn’t have a name for it, but then I realised what that difference was – it was being gay. That was difficult, being raised in a fundamentalist Christian family in the Deep South.”

Author: Anna Fodor

See the rest here.

Photo: Filip Jandourek, Czech Radio

The grand Pařížská street has just ranked 17th in the latest analysis of the world’s most expensive streets, overtaking its old rival Na Příkopě.

The wide tree-lined boulevard nestled between Prague’s Old Town Square, Jewish Quarter and the Vltava River is reminiscent of the city that it is named after – Paris. Pařížská is certainly no stranger to wealth – the street is home to designer boutiques and luxury brands such as Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo, and Dior, housed in stately Art Nouveau buildings with façades combining historic features and decorative detail.

But now, according to the latest Main Streets Across the World report by real estate consulting firm Cushman & Wakefield, which compiles the world’s most expensive retail streets by prime rental value, it has been confirmed as the most expensive street in the Czech Republic and the 17th most expensive street worldwide.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Photo: Roman Vondrouš, ČTK

The National Gallery in Prague has acquired a particularly valuable item – a wood carving of Mary sitting on a heavenly throne with baby Jesus resting on her lap and surrounded by three angels. The object is being called the Madonna from Havraň and is believed to have been carved during the 1360s or 1370s.

This Tuesday the National Gallery in Prague announced it had purchased the Madonna for CZK 4.5 million from a private owner. The purchase was made through the use of Ministry of Culture funds and the owner wished to remain anonymous.

The object is believed to have been carved by the same master who created the Bečov Madonna, another acclaimed piece of 14th century medieval art. The author most likely worked in Prague, which was then the residence of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. It seems that the city also possessed a sophisticated art scene at the time.

Olga Kotková, who is in charge of the National Gallery’s Collection of Old Masters, says that the statue may have been carved by the master of the workshop himself.

“This was a truly exceptional workshop that seems to have been based in Prague, but delivered its products to Northern Bohemia. It’s possible that the workshop was located there as well at a certain point.”

See the rest here.

Authors: Thomas McEnchroe, Anna Kubišta

Photo: European Commission

This year will see real wage decline in Czechia reach 8.3 percent, the largest such drop within the Visegrad Group (Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia), according to an analysis conducted by investment firm Cyrrus. Meanwhile, for next year the firm expects real wages to fall by 0.1 percent. I asked Cyrrus’ chief economist Vít Hradil why this is the case.

“Well, there are really two factors at play here. One of them is obviously inflation which, at least in terms of the outlook for the year 2022, is higher than in those other countries. Prices are rising faster. The other thing is obviously the nominal wages, meaning how much more employees in Czechia will be making, and that growth is lower.

“There are two explanations I can think of when it comes to why our nominal wage growth is lower than in other countries around us.

One of them is that the economic output, or the growth of the Czech economy, is expected to be significantly lower than in Poland or Hungary. Furthermore, Czech employees are notoriously bad at negotiating higher wages. I would be guessing whether the reasons for that are cultural or psychological, but it just happens to be the case that Czechs tend to settle more easily for lower wages than in other countries.

“When you combine all of these things together you get a higher real wage drop. I would also add one more thing – Czechs employees are the richest out of all of these countries at this point. It is therefore of course much easier to fall from a higher starting point than from a lower one.”

Your colleague, Cyrrus analyst Anna Píchová, also pointed out that wages have been growing much faster than the average in the Eurozone. Is this decrease in income much sharper among low-demand professions? And could you perhaps tell us what these are?

“I think that the drop is going to affect just about anyone at this point. It is very seldom that you can find a specific profession whose wage increase is expected to cover the inflation rise, or even get close to it.

See the rest here.

Author: Thomas McEnchroe

Photo: Czech Army

The European Space Agency announced its new team of astronauts at the Grand Palais Éphémère in Paris on Wednesday – and among them is Czech fighter pilot Aleš Svoboda. Svoboda is part of the reserve pool, but if he gets to go into space, he will become the second Czech ever to do so.

The ESA’s new team of 17 astronauts consists of five core members, three men and two women, and 12 reserves. Aleš Svoboda is a member of the reserve team, and to get there was no mean feat. He was selected from almost 22,600 candidates, all eager for their chance to see the Earth from a distance. Of these tens of thousands of applicants, approximately 200 were Czech – but he was the only one of his countrymen to make the team. Svoboda describes his feelings about being chosen from the selection procedure.

Author: Anna Fodor

See the rest here.

Růženka Kindlová (right) and her older sister Viktorie, Photo: archive of Žaneta Málková

In this episode we continue our journey into the recent past through the eyes of the youngest generation, starting with a classic tale of European emigration in search of the American dream. It is followed the moving story of a Czech family whose world was turned upside down by the First World War and the story of a Moravian village that has disappeared without trace.

We hear from fifteen-year-old Gabby Gartner, who lives in Prague, fourteen-year-old Žaneta Málková from Sezemice, a small town about a hundred kilometres east of Prague, and seventeen-year-old Martin Rada from Brno.

See the rest here.

Author: David Vaughan

Photo: Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Václav Brožík is arguably the most famous Czech painter of the late 19th century and the best-known representative of the style of Czech historicism. His artworks, often addressing important moments of Czech history, grace some of the most important buildings in Prague, including the Old Town Hall, the National Theatre and the National Museum.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

The Old Town Bridge Tower, a gateway to Charles Bridge, which dates back to the 14th century, is to undergo extensive renovation. The tower is steeped in history, having witnessed the coronation procession of Czech kings on their way to Prague Castle.

Hailed as one of the most beautiful Gothic gateways in the world, the Old Town Bridge Tower was conceived as a symbolic victory arch through which Czech kings passed on their coronation processions. Work on the tower, along with that on Charles Bridge, started under Emperor Charles IV according to designs by Master Otto from Prague‘s Lesser Town and was finished by Petr Parléř in the mid-14 th century during the reign of Charles‘ son Vaclav IV.

Apart from witnessing the coronation processions of Czech kings, the tower has witnessed several momentous events. At the end of the Thirty Years’ War in 1648, Prague’s townspeople managed to fend off Swedish troops, partly thanks to the Old Town Bridge Tower. Nevertheless, as a result of Swedish cannon fire, the rich Gothic decorations of the western side of the tower were extensively damaged. The tower made history for the second time during the 1848 uprising, when the rebels repelled Austrian troops trying to cross the bridge. Extensive renovation work had to be carried out to save the monument in later years.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová

Photo: Evgeniy Maloletka, ČTK/AP

A picture can paint a thousand words. This is certainly the case with the photograph of a pregnant woman being carried out on a stretcher by five paramedics from a Mariupol hospital, where a Russian bomb had just landed on March 9th 2022. This picture by Ukrainian photojournalist Evgeniy Maloletka has become a symbol of the Russian war in Ukraine. It made such an impact on Czech writer Kateřina Tučková that, when a few days after the bombing, Czech Radio asked her for a short story about the war, she was in no doubt as to what the topic would be. She filled in with words the gaps left by the photo and thus tried to save the nameless war victims from disappearing into the annals of history. You can hear her short story Epitaph read by Czech actress Petra Bučková.

Listen to the story here.

Photo: Josef Vostárek, ČTK

An exhibition presenting the life’s work of the twin sisters Jitka and Květa Válová got underway in Gallery of the Central Bohemian Region in Kutná Hora earlier this month. Entitled A Path Destined by Faith, it presents numerous works on loan from other galleries, as well as works from both sisters’ estates that were donated to the gallery’s collection in 2021, marking the centenary of the sisters’ birth.

I discussed the exhibition with its curator, Richard Drury, and I first asked him to tell me more about the sisters, considered one of the most distinctive artists of their generation:

“I would begin with the important fact that the Válová sisters were identical twins. They were born in 1922 and they lived through a very difficult period of the 20th century in what was then Czechoslovakia.

“They studied painting at the Prague Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design under Professor Emil Filla, who was a very important figure of Czech avant-garde painting.

“The Válová sisters lived together in Kladno, and the industrial atmosphere of a mining and steel-making environment really influenced not only the themes in their work but also their mentality, the way they saw the world.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

November 11 is St. Martin’s Day, and in Czechia that often means eating roast goose paired with St. Martin’s wine. But what is special about this wine, and how do you know you’re getting the real thing?

St. Martin’s Day falls every year on 11 November, and is celebrated in many European countries with Catholic traditions. The day is known for its unrestrained merriment and feasting – ancient Christians indulged in greater consumption of meat on this holiday, especially roast goose. The custom was connected with the end of the agricultural year, when grazing ended, winter supplies were prepared, food was preserved and wine was fermented.

In Czechia, St. Martin’s Day traditions stretch back to at least the early Middle Ages, when the custom of celebrating the day began to spread across Europe from France. Despite Christian festivals being suppressed by the Czechoslovak Communist regime for 40 years, St. Martin’s Day traditions were gradually revived after the Velvet Revolution in 1989.

As well as the tradition of eating roast goose on St. Martin’s Day, people also eat baked rolls and cakes, and there are processions (sometimes with lanterns), fairs, bonfires, and songs. But one of the traditions you really can’t miss is St. Martin’s wine – the tasting of the first wine of the year. These wines have only been matured for a few weeks, giving them a fresh and fruity flavour.

The origin of the association of wine with the day has its roots in France. Saint Martin was a bishop in the French city of Tours, where 150 years after his death a miraculous grapevine appeared. Thus Saint Martin became patron saint of wine and winemakers in France. From there, the tradition of St. Martin’s wine gradually spread across Europe. The name “St. Martin’s wine” was already being used in the 18th century at the court of Emperor Joseph II, ruler of the Habsburg lands, which included modern-day Czechia.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Photo: Radio Prague Internationa

We recently invited children and teenagers from across the Czech Republic to write a story about a member of their own family who had become an influence or inspiration to them. Many of the stories were beautifully and sensitively written, drawing us into the recent and sometimes more distant past through the traces it has left on families. In the coming weeks we shall be joining the children as they explore the world of their family’s history, but in this first episode we offer a foretaste of what is to come.

See the rest here.

Author: David Vaughan

Photo: Preciosa Lighting

Hand-made Bohemia crystal-glass and glass jewelry have a centuries old tradition that is taken to new heights by cutting-edge technology. Stunning crystal glass lighting installations, art works and glasses grace palaces, luxury hotels, public spaces and private residences worldwide. Bohemia glass artisans pioneered a technique for replicating the look of precious stones, producing cut-glass crystals that closely resembled diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds sought after the world over.

The birth of Crystal Valley

The first glass furnace was lit in Bohemia in 1376 and in the 1550’s a glass industry was gradually established in the north of the country, centered around the cities of Jablonec nad Nisou, Bedrichov, Železný Brod, Nový Bor and several others.

The northern regions of Bohemia were rich in quartz deposits and the region’s deep pine forests, offered an affordable supply of wood for heating the large furnaces required to melt glass. These basic assets helped to establish a tradition of Bohemian crystal glass and glass costume jewelry that gained world-wide recognition. Thus Crystal Valley was born.

In 1715 Bohemian glassmakers discovered the art of melting coloured glass, which opened up new horizons. Glass artisans soon pioneered a technique for replicating the look of precious and semi-precious stones, producing cut-glass crystals that resembled diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová

Photo: VZLÚ

‘Miya’ is an aeroplane with a difference – designed to carry up to four passengers, she can fly without a pilot. She is also intended primarily for getting around in cities – and can do so almost completely silently.

How do you like to travel around the city? Tram? Metro? Car? Well, in the future you may be doing it in a Czech-developed pilotless passenger aircraft called ‘Miya’.

Admittedly, that future is still quite far off – at the moment, the four-passenger aircraft only exists as a computer-generated visualisation and in scale models. But engineers at the Czech Aerospace Research Centre are working hard to test how the real aeroplane would behave in various – often extreme – conditions. For example, by placing a scaled-down (1:6) model deliberately upside down in a wind tunnel that can simulate speeds of up to 300 km/h, they can see how the tail of the plane pointing downwind would affect its flight.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Every big chapter in your life comes with its own challenges, and choosing a college program is no different. Some might find this process easy, considering they’ve only ever had one passion in their life, while others could struggle with selecting a life path so early on. If you’re having trouble with determining the right courses and fields to pursue in the future as well, here are some tips that will help you select the best college program for yourself:

Consider your wishes

The first step in choosing the best program for yourself is understanding your wants, needs, what you enjoy doing in life, and what could end up being a profitable career. The available industries and fields you can venture into are nearly endless, which is why it’s recommended to find the best compromise between personal taste and overall career prospects. For example, those who enjoy travel might find hotel management more fruitful than being a travel agent, while tech-savvy individuals could opt for programming instead of computer engineering to expand the potential roles they could take on in the future.

Determine your goals

While financing your lifestyle appropriately is important, some individuals might have different goals than simply making money. For example, you may be dreaming of a creative career that will allow you to be more innovative, in which case you could go for arts or design. Similarly, those wanting to support their passions could choose something more unorthodox like video game testing or becoming a fragrance expert. Regardless of your preferences, try to set clear goals for your future career and then compare them with your wants and needs to find the best and most fulfilling college program.

Leverage technology

If your location and similar factors are affecting your college choices, or you simply need more flexibility in your schedule, consider leveraging technology and going for online solutions. They are often more affordable than traditional schooling while still being high in quality and credibility. Take a look at Australian students, for instance. When pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree, they often find the best mba in Australia online and make a decision according to their unique needs and requirements. In turn, this enables them to decide on the most suitable online MBA that can instantly boost their career. You could do the same.

Analyze your finances

On the other hand, individuals across the US and similar countries might have different troubles – financing their educational journeys. If you live in an area where college education is particularly expensive as well, you might want to focus on this important aspect, too. Analyze your finances and see which courses you could afford to narrow down your potential college options. In case you wish to pursue a degree that’s out of your price range, there are other options apart from an online course. For example, you could take out a student loan, or even look for any scholarships or grants offered in your local community.

Aim to ask around

At the end of the day, the best recommendations come from other students, considering the fact that they have extensive first-hand experience with educational institutions. If you’re torn between two courses or uncertain of which colleges you can trust, ask current and previous students about their experiences. If you know someone personally, reach out to them directly, or think about finding online groups and communities for additional information. Specialized review websites can be another great source of unfiltered opinions. Take all of these aspects into consideration when narrowing down your college program options.

Choosing a specific path for your life can be an incredibly difficult and stressful decision. Selecting the right college program that supports your passions may be challenging, but the advice above will help you make the right decision.

By Peter Minkoff

Peter is a lifestyle and travel writer at Men-Ual magazine, living between Ústí nad Labem and Antwerp. Follow Peter on Twitter for more tips.

The newly-restored greenhouse in the garden of the Augustinian abbey in Brno where the father of modern genetics, Gregor Johann Mendel, cross-bred pea plants and thereby discovered the laws of heredity, opened to the public for the first time on Saturday afternoon. The ceremonial opening was planned to coincide with the anniversary celebrations of the bicentenary of Mendel’s birth.

The original greenhouse where Mendel conducted his experiments with pea plants was built in 1854 by his mentor, the abbot Cyrill Napp. However, the building wasn’t around for very long. Archaeologist Lenka Sedláčková, who was part of the team which uncovered the stone perimeter walls of the original greenhouse, explained to Czech Radio what happened:

“Sometime in the 1870s, a huge storm blew through the area, badly damaging the greenhouse. It was originally assumed that the building was not restored after this. But thanks to archival research it has been possible to find several photos, and now we know that the greenhouse stood here until the 1960s, when it was demolished due to its extremely dilapidated condition.”

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

The division of Czechoslovakia into two separate states was a peaceful process without a single shot being fired. However, arguments over the division of assets that belonged to the former state dragged on for 7 years.

The process began exactly 30 years ago when the Federal Assembly approved a law concerned with the division of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic’s assets between Czechia and Slovakia – the two new state entities that were to come into existence from January 1, 1993.

Immovable assets would fall to whichever of the two states they were located in. Meanwhile, movable assets, as well as those held abroad, were to be divided by a ratio of 2:1. Not everyone agreed with this method.

The greatest problems ultimately came when dividing up transport assets. The ratio method did not take into account that Czechia had a denser railway network. Train wagons for personal transport and financial compensation for the Czech side were therefore counted for those that were missing.

The situation was even more complicated when it came to air transportation. The issue was not so much about aircraft, but rather about the preservation of specific connections and about the Czechoslovak Airlines brand.

The issues were finally resolved in 1999, when the then prime ministers Miloš Zeman a Mikuláš Dzurinda agreed on how to solve the remaining points of the law on dividing the former state’s assets.

Source

Proponents of “Czechia” got a boost this month, when Olympic officials in Prague asked the International Olympic Committee to register it in its database of country names. But will the short name ever replace the official “the Czech Republic” in common speech? I discussed the matter with leading Czech linguist Karel Oliva.

“The first time when Czechia was used was in the 17th century. The story is that in the 17th century it already used to be used, in parallel with Bohemia, in Latin.

“I don’t know about English. I’m a little bit reluctant to say that it was used in English; I don’t think so, but I’m not sure

“The story is, however, that at that time it was really a synonym of Bohemia, so actually it did not also comprise Moravia and Silesia.

“Today, however, the usage should be – as I understand it – different.

“It should be the whole of the Czech Republic, which means Bohemia and Moravia and the part of Silesia which remained after the wars with Prussia.”

A lot of people are invested in this issue and I see a lot of arguments online. People get really angry about the history of the name Czechia, whether it’s fake, whether it’s real. But if you’re introducing a new name like this, does it really matter if it has a history?

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: René Volfík, iROZHLAS.cz

University students across Czechia are taking part in protests against climate change, calling on the government to take immediate action to address global warming, soaring energy prices and growing social inequalities. The series of events, including sleep-in and sit-in protests as well as demonstrations, started on Monday and will culminate on Thursday with a march through Prague. I discussed the events with one of the organisers, Anežka Lindaurová:

“We have decided for the sit-in protest because we firmly believe that the government is not doing enough to prevent a climate crisis that is becoming our daily reality.

“The reason why it is happening now is that we are taking part in the international process that sparked the movement, which is occupying universities and protesting against climate injustice all over the world.

“The other reason why we decided the Czech event should take place in these days specifically is that the days around November 17 are traditionally associated with the student movement.”

You are calling on the government to take immediate action to address global warming. What exactly are your demands?

“We want our government to really prioritize the action that needs to be taken to defeat climate change. And what is really important for us is for the Czech government to start immediately closing the coal power plants that are still running.

“We also want them to invest into renewable energy but in a way that does not affect the working people and that makes those who are responsible for the climate crisis and those who are profiting off of the climate crisis to pay the bills the crisis is going to cost.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Anna Fodor, Radio Prague International

Andrea Vytlačilová is only 26 years old – but has the extremely impressive CV you’d expect of a person with many more years of life behind them. Already with work experience under her belt from fashion houses such as Marc Jacobs in New York, Acne Studio in Stockholm, and Kenzo in Paris, and collaborations with famous names like Versace, Swarovski, and 20th Century Fox, Andrea is an up-and-coming designer who was voted one of Forbes Czechia’s 30 under 30.

A native of East Bohemia, historically famous for its textile industry and craftsmanship, she draws a lot on the rich traditions of the region where she grew up, such as textile dyeing, Indigo printing, traditional lacemaking and glass production.

Recently having finished her MA in fashion design at the prestigious Central Saint Martins in London – typically considered the best fashion school in the world, with alumni including Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney – and having moved back to the Czech Republic, I met her at her studio in Malá Strana, overlooking the gardens below Strahov Monastery.

I started by asking her when she first became interested in fashion and textile design. “I think I’ve always had it in me. I was always interested in drawing, cutting paper, any form of creating really, as far as I can remember. Then it started to move towards textiles as I got to know the idea of dressing up and fashion in general.”

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Photo: Barbora Navrátilová, Radio Prague International

This Thursday saw the 33rd anniversary of the onset of the Velvet Revolution. Commemorative events as well as demonstrations were held across the country.

Czechs marked the 33rd anniversary of the beginning of the Velvet Revolution as well as International Students day on Thursday through a wide variety of events held across the country.

The prime minister and members of the government, as well as the speakers of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies or the leader of the strongest opposition party, paid their respects on the site of the memorial on Národní třída. Some of them were heckled as they laid wreaths by the memorial.

Politicians, including Prime Minister Petr Fiala, tended to stress the importance of freedom and democracy, with the Czech head of government saying that they were fragile and needed to be cared for to ensure their continued survival. Senate Speaker Miloš Vystrčil said that Czechia is facing attempts to distort its memory of totalitarianism. Meanwhile, the speaker of the lower-house, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, called for continued support for Ukraine until the last Russian soldier leaves that country’s territory. Several of the candidates running for the office of president could also be seen paying their respects at the memorial.

See the rest here.

Author: Thomas McEnchroe

On the backdrop of the ongoing Czech EU presidency, a special exhibition titled: “Design and transformation. Stories of Czech design 1990-2020” is currently on display at the Design Museum Brussels. The exhibition serves not just as an opportunity to show beautiful Czech designs and the stories of selected brands, but also as a much-needed call for a unified strategy of how to present Czech product design abroad. I spoke to one of the key figures behind the exhibition – the Vice-Rector of the Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design in Prague Radek Sidun.

“This exhibition was prepared for the occasion of the Czech EU presidency and it is for that reason that we chose to follow this political and economic aspect of our disciplines. By this I mean design or production that is in some way connected with design.

“We followed the stories of 14 brands and companies that show their processes and history because, of course, Czechia, or Czechoslovakia to be more precise, had a few ups and downs both politically and economically.

See the rest here.

Author: Thomas McEnchroe

Photo illustrative: Wokandapix, Pixabay, Pixabay License

The case of a man who was allowed to work with children after twice raping a minor has led the authorities to consider blacklisting offenders of child sex crimes.

The rape of a child by a perpetrator who had committed the same crime previously aroused outrage among parents in Czechia back in 2008. The court slapped the man with a six-year sentence the second time round, but several years later he was still able to set up a children’s group with weekend events and camps. No law prohibited him from doing so. Earlier this year, he sexually abused seven other children at one of the camps. The youngest was not even five years old.

See the rest here.

Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Artur Janoušek

The ‘gimmel ring’, Photo: Overhead, Naše historie

The final resting place of the Rožmberk clan, one of the richest and mightiest noble families in the land, was veiled in mystery for over 400 years. When researchers lowered a probe into the Rožmberk crypt in the Cistercian Monastery in Vyšší Brod they mapped the remains of the entire clan. What remained a mystery was the gold ring lying on the coffin of Petr Vok –the last male member of the house.

The might and influence of the Rožmberk clan, known also by the German name of Rosenberg, did not wane for 300 years. Their power, second only to the king’s, was such that, according to popular legend, the members of the clan were not buried lying in coffins but sitting on golden chairs around a table. It was also said that anyone who dares to disturb the noble family vault would be cursed and would die within a year.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová

1,044 MW plant will be situated in western Romania and will be capable of providing clean power to more than 370,000 households

Company keen to develop similar projects in the Czech Republic

Rezolv developing a Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy in Prague

Prague, 3 November 2022: Rezolv Energy, a Prague-based independent clean energy power producer focused on sustainable power in Central and South Eastern Europe, has acquired the rights to build and operate a 1,044 MW solar photovoltaic plant in western Romania. Once constructed, it is expected to be the largest solar PV plant in Europe.

The project is already in the late-stage development phase. Rezolv Energy is already appraising technology solutions and debt financing options with construction due to start in the first half of next year; it is expected to be online by 2025.

The plant will be covered by approximately 1.6 million new solar panels. With an average annual power generation of approximately 1,500,000 MWh, it is expected to be able to provide clean power for more than 370,000 households. The power will be sold to commercial and industrial users through long-term Power Purchase Agreements.

The project will be connected to the 400 kV high voltage overhead lines in the area and will likely include a 135 MW battery storage system, capable of delivering electricity for four hours. This will enable the high voltage lines to be smartly loaded, balancing the variability of the renewable energy supply.

The project will be designed, constructed, and operated to the highest environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards, with a particular emphasis on integrating symbiotic agricultural activities on the site. Much of the poor-quality agricultural land will be returned to pasture, with sheep managing the vegetation through grazing. Recent research from the United States has shown the numerous advantages of this approach, confirming that the overall return from grazing is the same in both solar pastures and open fields with no PV panels. The project will also seek to incorporate beekeeping and other measures to increase biodiversity.

Rezolv Energy was launched earlier this year by Actis, a leading global investor in sustainable infrastructure, and the Rezolv leadership team, which had been based in Prague for well over a decade and had previously developed and run a portfolio of energy projects in the Czech Republic, including the 18 MW wind farm at Horní Loděnice near Olomouc, and the RETA solar project, which comprises over 96,000 solar panels at three parks in Mimoň (4.4 MW), Točník (2.1 MW) and Lomeček (0.9 MW). Last month, the company announced that it was partnering with Low Carbon to deliver another major renewable energy project in Romania: the 450MW ‘Vis Viva’ onshore wind farm.

The Czech Republic remains a key strategic priority for Rezolv, and the company is developing a Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy in Prague, drawing on the best Czech talent as well as international expertise to support its growth plans.

Jim Campion, Chief Executive, Rezolv Energy, said: “The Czech Republic is our home market and we would love to develop similar projects here. Installed solar photovoltaic capacity is still, right now, higher in the Czech Republic than Romania, but Romania is forging ahead while no major new solar parks have been built here in over a decade. The wind energy potential in the Czech Republic is far lower than other countries in the region so now is the time to re-focus on solar. Not only can it offer highly competitive, subsidy-free electricity at a stable price for industrial and commercial users, it would make a huge contribution to this country’s twin objectives of increasing its energy independence and reducing its net emissions to zero.”

Clifford Chance acted as legal advisor to Rezolv Energy on this transaction.

It may be a little known fact, but Czechia houses a company that was once the main producer of photographic materials for the Eastern Bloc. The foundations of Foma Bohemia’s success were set up during the First Czechoslovak Republic. Today, the company is a leading manufacturer on the black and white photography market, as well as producing essential equipment for medical and forensics professionals.

First Republic origins

The origins of Foma can be traced back to as far as the early 20th century. In 1919, Evžen Schier, together with his associate Gustav Bárta, set up a small workshop for making photographic and diapositiv sheets in Nusle – a town that was back then not yet a part of Prague. The products made in this workshop were sold under the brand Ibis.

See the rest here.

Authors: Thomas McEnchroe, Magdalena Šorelová, Jitka Škápíková

Illustrative photo: Czech Academy of Sciences

The Oriental Institute (OI) of the Czech Academy of Sciences is celebrating 100 years of existence this year. One of the oldest institutions dedicated to the study of Oriental cultures in Central and Eastern Europe, the OI has played its part in furthering not just domestic but also worldwide knowledge about Asian cultures, languages and history. Marking the occasion, the institute has organised several events profiling its work for the ongoing Week of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

While it became a part of what was then the newly-established Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in 1953, the Oriental Institute traces its beginnings to 1922, when it was officially approved by the National Assembly of the First Czechoslovak Republic.

Dr Táňa Dluhošová, the director of the institute, explains.

“Professor Alois Musil arrived from Vienna to Prague in 1916 and he had this idea to set up an institute that would have two branches.

“One of them would be economic and aim to help the new Czechoslovak state get its foot in the door when it came to so-called ‘oriental’ lands.

See the rest here.

Author: Thomas McEnchroe

Photo: René Volfík, iROZHLAS.cz

Seven miniature versions of Prague’s Communist-era brutalist buildings have been installed in a park outside the Malostranská Metro Station. The site-specific project, featuring seven illuminated sculptures cast from concrete, was created by Czech artist Krištof Kintera for Kunsthalle Praha. I discussed the installation with its curator, Christelle Havránek, who says it is a continuation of their first exhibition, called Kinetismus.

“Kinetismus was the first exhibition at the newly opened Kunsthalle Praha. It referred to the original function of the building, which was an electricity transformer station.

“So in the framework of this collective exhibition we approached Krištof Kinetra and asked him if he would agree to produce a new work in the outdoor space in front of the building. It was really up to him to decide how he would approach our request.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Dumplings, poppy-seed cakes and Czech traditions help keep the memory of the “old country” alive in the community of second and third generation Canadian Czechs in Saskatchewan province, Canada. A group of local enthusiasts are now also working to restore a derelict Jan Hus church built and used by their forefathers.

The present-day community of Czech immigrants in Canada was established in several waves, and their exodus was almost always triggered by hardship and oppression. A wave of Czechs from Volhynia, predominantly farmers, arrived in Canada probably in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They founded their first settlement, Gerald, in the close vicinity of Kolín and Esterhazy and although their beginnings were difficult, they significantly contributed to the creation of an impressive Czech presence in southern Saskatchewan forming settlements in Gerald, Hanley, Broderick, Milden, Strongfield, Kenaston, Outlook, Glenside, Hawarden, Davidson and Sovereign.

See the rest here.

Authors: Klára Stejskalová, Daniela Lazarová

Fyield, a group of musicians from Czechia and Iceland, have just released the LP Future Landscapes. The unusual project, based on field recordings made in a variety of locations in both states, is aimed at boosting awareness of climate change. Member Václav Havelka, a well-known Czech alternative musician, outlines the spark of the endeavour.

“Two years ago, when with the director Ivo Bystřičan and his wife Tereza, I was asked if I want to be part of this idea they had, which was to study and explore the impact of humans on climate change.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Festival Unbreakable and Sacrificed, Photo: Muzeum paměti XX. století

A film festival highlighting brave acts of resistance to the Nazi and Communist regimes and the people behind them is currently underway in Prague. Organized by the Museum of 20th Century Memory the festival offers screenings, lectures and debates about the turbulent events of the 20th century.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová

With heating bills going through the roof, many Czechs are turning back to solid fuels, stocking up on coal, firewood and in the worst-case scenario, burning household waste, including plastics. Environmental experts are warning of the multiple dangers to human health and the environment.

The dark smoke coming from many chimneys in the regions is a clear indication of what is happening. After a massive government campaign aimed at getting people to switch to EU and state-sponsored eco-friendly forms of heating, such as pellet stoves and biomass boilers, many Czechs are turning back to their old stoves and using solid fuels to heat their homes.

There has been a scramble for firewood and those who are not buying it are collecting smaller branches lying around in the forest for free, which is permissible under Czech law.

See the rest here.

Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Štěpánka Kadlečková

Markéta Goetz-Stankiewicz, Photo: David Vaughan, Radio Prague International

Translator, writer and tireless promoter of Czech literature Markéta Goetz-Stankiewicz passed away at the age of 95 in Vancouver on Sunday. During the 1970s and ‘80s, she became a crucial link for Czechoslovak dissidents with the West, smuggling forbidden books into Czechoslovakia and in turn smuggling dissident literature out of the country, helping to bring it into the Western consciousness.

Born into a Czech-German-Jewish family in the First Republic, Markéta Goetz-Stankiewicz lived through the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, World War II, and the Communist takeover in 1948, before she and her parents emigrated to Canada. She was born on 15 February 1927 in Liberec and grew up in a bilingual environment.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Photo: Irena Vodáková, Jatka 78

Sanusi Ayomide is a 24-year-old professional dancer from Nigeria. For the past year, he has lived in Prague as part of a Nigerian mission established by Czech artist and UN Goodwill Ambassador of the Czech Republic Yemi Ankemi (professionally known as Yemi A.D.)

Out of 200 applicants, Sanusi was one of four students selected to have one-year residencies at the Czech Dance Conservatory in Prague, with the support of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior.

As he wraps up his time here, Sanusi shared his experiences with the Prague theatre scene, what dance means for Nigerians and Czechs, and the importance of authenticity in art.

See the rest here.

Author: Kevin Loo

Czech Children’s Book Centre, Photo: Centrum české dětské knihy

A new Czech Children’s Book Centre has recently opened in Prague with the aim of promoting quality children’s books by small publishers and encouraging a love of reading among the young. The institution, located at Janský Vršek just below Prague Castle, also serves as a meeting place for authors, illustrators and readers of all ages.

“We want children to meet the authors, to ask them all sorts of question about how a book is created and why it is important to read,” says Jakub Pavlovský, director of the newly opened Czech Children’s Book Centre.

See the rest here.

Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Adéla Burešová

Prague hosted the largest international fair of cannabis and medicinal herbs of its kind last weekend. Known as Cannafest, the 12th edition of the fair drew great numbers of Czechs of all ages to explore and try out the various legal cannabis products looking to break in or widen their share on the Czech market. Among them many international companies.

The fair took place in the PVA Expo hall in Prague’s Letňany district. Dozens of companies, most of them with an international background could be seen exhibiting their products in various attention grabbing ways, as I found out for myself when an eager looking lady approached me and started moving something resembling a pin, or toothpick towards what I first thought was my wrist.

“It’s new and few people know about it. You can put it inside your cigarette or joint. It’s twice as strong as normal CBD.”

See the rest here.

Author: Thomas McEnchroe

A previously unknown work by one of the greatest Czech composers, Bohuslav Martinů, was recently discovered in the Israeli National Library in Jerusalem. Czech musicologist Natálie Krátká came across the piece while researching the library’s catalogue. On Tuesday night, it was performed for the first time in Prague.

I discuss the discovery with Aleš Březina, head of the Institute of Bohuslav Martinů:

“The composition was written by Bohuslav Martinů in May 1930 probably as a gift to the famous photographer Boris Lipnitzki, who was of Ukrainian-Jewish origin and who took a wedding photograph of Bohuslav Martinů with his wife Charlotte in 1930.

“The complete estate of the famous photographer is now in Israel. This is where my colleague Natálie Krátká found the copy of this short but very original composition.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Frantisek Bílek’s villa in Hradčany, Photo: Martin Vaniš, Radio Prague International

Frantisek Bílek’s villa in Hradčany is one of the most original houses in Prague. The villa has an unusual round floor plan, which is supposed to resemble the footprint of a scythe in a field of wheat. Wheat plants also served as inspiration for the villa’s exterior and interior decor. November 6, marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of the famous Czech Art Nouveau Symbolist sculptor František Bílek, who designed and built this villa for his family.

František Bílek wanted to be a painter, but because he was partially colour blind, his teachers at the academy advised him to take up sculpture instead. In the Czech environment, Bílek was exceptional for his deep spirituality. Most of his works depict religious motifs. Bílek’s crucifix is located in the north aisle of St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle. However, the artist broke with the Catholic Church after sculpting his first small plaster sketch of Jan Hus in 1900. He was inspired by the legacy and motifs of the Czech Reformation. Later, he and his entire family converted to the Czechoslovak Hussite Church.

See the rest here.

Photo: Darkening / Tmání

One of the highlights of this year’s Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival was the Czech premiere of Darkening (Tmání), a film by Ondřej Moravec that explores depression – via virtual reality. Headsets are used for Darkening, with several viewers experiencing it at the same time. I spoke to the director of the interactive, very personal film, which had its world premiere in Venice.

“I’ve been working in this field for several years already, because I’m also a festival programmer and I was selecting VR pieces for One World and other festivals.

“And then because I studied filmmaking – screenwriting – at FAMU I wanted to come back to the creative process as well.

“So it was kind of a natural combination, that I would turn to VR.

“And then the selection of topic was for me also quite natural, because it’s said that it’s good to start with something you know really a lot.

“So this was the topic that I chose, and I believe that to explore states of mind in VR is quite powerful.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Václav Šálek, ČTK

A faithful replica of the Venus of Dolní Věstonice, Czechia’s most famous archaeological find, went on sale on Tuesday at the Moravian Museum in Brno. The current model is much more accurate than any of the previous ones. The prototype for the mould from which the copies were cast was based on CT scans of the original.

The Venus of Dolní Věstonice, a ceramic statuette of a naked woman believed to be 29,000 years old, is considered to be one of the oldest artefacts of its kind in the world. A few years ago, researchers scanned the figurine in a special 3D microscope, creating a detailed digital model.

Using the information from the scan, sculptor Jiří Pec created a faithful replica of the Neolithic statuette:

“It is no longer possible to make a classic mould for the Venus of Věstonice that would reveal all the irregularities on the surface. Since the original could be damaged in the process, we had to choose a digital form.”

The museum staff wanted to create a sufficiently faithful and representative copy that would match the original not only in appearance, but also in weight and finish.

See the rest here.

Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Vlasta Gajdošíková

Collection of photographs depicting everyday life in the Terezín ghetto are on display at the Memorial of Silence, Photo: Památník ticha

A unique collection of newly discovered photographs depicting everyday life in the Terezín ghetto are currently on display at the Memorial of Silence in Prague. The previously unseen images are on display at the Bubny train station, the place which saw tens of thousands of Czech Jews leave for the ghettoes and Nazi death camps. The exhibition, called simply Album G.T., also presents the stories of the people whose identity has been revealed.

The tiny album of photos was preserved for many decades on the estate of journalist Milan Weiner, a survivor of both Terezín and Auschwitz, who died in 1969.

The collection of 41 photographs were taken between the years 1942 and 1944 and includes stylised portraits of the ghetto’s residents as well as secretly shot images of life in Terezín. They are the first surviving photographs showing authentic life in the ghetto other than the stills from Nazi propaganda films.

Jana Šmídová, the daughter of Milan Weiner, who is also a journalist, says the family has always suspected where the pictures came from, but for various reasons, they didn’t attach that much importance to the album.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Andrea Skalická, Czech Radio

According to sexologists, interest in sex change among young people in Czechia is on the rise. While in 2013 a special commission at the Ministry of Health approved 47 applications for gender transition, last year it was 195.

Tobiáš, now 22, began to realise that he was uncomfortable in his own body when he was 14.

“I acted like a boy, I looked like one, I felt like one. I first told my friend, who was my roommate at the time. When I first got hormones, I was incredibly happy. When I woke up after surgery, it was the same thing. Life is so much better.”

According to sexologists, the number of young people who do not identify with the sex they were born with has increased significantly in the last decade.

But the process from sensing they want a change to actually getting there takes several years in Czechia. A request is followed by lengthy examinations by a sexologist, psychiatrist, endocrinologist, as well as a gynecologist or urologist. A patient can only apply for gender reassignment surgery after at least 12 months of hormone therapy and living in a new gender role, says Petr Weiss from the Institute of Sexology at the General University Hospital in Prague.

See the rest here.

Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Andrea Skalická

Photo: ELTON hodinářská, a.s.

Prim watches, which started to be produced more than 70 years ago, are one of the most famous Czech trademarks. For many people in Czechia, who grew up during the Communist regime, the brand is synonymous with wristwatches. Today, Prim watches are produced by two separate companies, which have been fighting over the trademark for more than two decades.

The history of Prim watches began in November 1949 in the town of Nové Město nad Metují. At that time, a branch of the national company Chronotechna, which already produced alarm clocks and wall clocks, was established there, under the name Elton.

The task of the new factory was to develop serial production of Czechoslovak wristwatches, which were in great shortage at the time. It took the company five years to build the first model, becoming one of only a few manufactures in the world who could industrially produce complete watches.

Serial production at the company in Nové Město nad Metují started in 1957. Over the decades it has produced over 16 million watches, says Libor Hovorka, author of two books dedicated to the history of Prim:

“The factory in Nové Město was founded in 1949. The first prototype, called Spartak, was made in 1954. The watch was part of a verification series and cost 250 crowns, which was quite a lot of money at the time. It was a very narrow profile and very hard to get.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Neela Winkelmann-Heyrovská never had the chance to meet her Nobel-prize winning chemist grandfather – Jaroslav Heyrovský died in 1967 and she was born two years later. But she had to live with his legacy her whole life – which, she says, was both a blessing and a curse. To complicate matters further, she grew up in a mixed-race family in Czechoslovakia, the daughter of a Czech father and Indian mother, at a time when such things were extremely uncommon.

On 27 October 1959, Professor Jaroslav Heyrovský received a telegram from Stockholm which read “Swedish Academy of Science today decided to award you for your polarographic method the 1959 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Letter follows – Rudberg, Secretary.” It was one day before the 41st anniversary of Czechoslovak Independence Day.

To this day, Heyrovský remains the only Czechoslovak scientist to be awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry – or indeed any of the sciences. The only other Czech to win a Nobel Prize to date is Jaroslav Seifert, who got it for Literature in 1984.

Heyrovský’s granddaughter Neela was unusual when she was growing up, not just because she was the direct descendant of the first, and at the time only, Czech Nobel Prize winner ever, but also in that she was mixed-race, in a period when there were very few foreigners in Czechoslovakia.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Photo: Petr Horálek, NASA / ČT24

Czech astrophotographer Petr Horálek from the University of Opava was selected for NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day for his photograph “Seven Years of Halley Dust”. The photograph is a composite of the biannual Orionid meteor shower caused by the famous Halley’s Comet, captured each year between 2015 through 2022. In the foreground, one can see the mountains in eastern Slovakia near the city of Prešov.

Source

Marcus Mucha | Photo: Till Janzer, Radio Prague International

The Mucha exhibition which opened in July at Prague’s Waldstein Riding School has proven so popular that it has been extended until the end of the year, although it was originally slated to close on Monday. Marcus Mucha, the great-grandson of the famous artist, led Radio Prague’s Till Janzer around the exhibition.

Alphonse Mucha’s artistic style is so iconic that it is still seen today in rock’n’roll posters, manga, and even superhero movies and video games. But the exhibition Mucha: The Family Collection, recently extended by popular demand to December 31, includes some works that have never been seen by the public before.

Never before seen items

Divided into six sections, each part tells the story of a different formative period in Mucha’s life that had a big influence on him and his art. In this way you get to follow Mucha through the progression of his life, from his childhood in South Moravia through his studies in Paris and his life in the US all the way to the creation of his crowning masterpiece, the famous Slav Epic.

See the rest here.

Authors: Anna Fodor,Till Janzer

Photo: Adam Kebrt, Czech Radio

The great singer and dissident Marta Kubišová – who many Czechs associate with key moments in the country’s modern history – turns 80 on November 1.

Marta Kubišová’s signature song Modlitba pro Martu, A Prayer for Marta, was very popular in the period following the crushing of the 1968 Prague Spring by Soviet tanks – and also came to symbolise the 1989 Velvet Revolution.

Originally titled just Modlitba, the song was composed by Jiří Brabec with lyrics written especially for Kubišová by Petr Rada.

Those inspirational lyrics include a quote from the 17th century Czech educator Comenius along the lines of, The people will one day once again decide on their own fates.

When the so-called normalisation period got underway following the quelling of the Prague Spring reform movement, Kubišová, who had been a member of the hugely popular group Golden Kids, was barred from performing by the communist authorities.

Golden kids – Časy se mění

She was forced to do menial jobs and could only sing at private events. Her signing of the Charter 77 human rights document led to an escalation in harassment from the Communist secret police. However, this did not stop her from serving as a spokesperson for the dissident initiative.

In an extremely moving moment during the 1989 Velvet Revolution Kubišová sang Modlitba pro Martu to tens of thousands of people jammed into Wenceslas Square.

This is how she recalled that day in an interview some years back.

“I didn’t cry, I was overcome by the sheer sight of the whole square jammed with people. I said to myself, no singer ever had a comeback like this! Foreign film crews told me people were in tears and when they asked what are you crying for, they said, It’s that woman…”

See the rest here.

Professor Jan Bedrna is one of the early pioneers of heart surgery in the former Czechoslovakia. At a hospital in Hradec Králové 75 years ago, he performed cardiac surgery for the first time in the country’s history.

On 30 October 1947, Professor Jan Bedrna performed the first successful patent ductus arteriosus ligation – the surgical closure of a blood vessel (the ductus arteriosus) which normally closes by itself after birth but stays open in the case of a congenital heart defect, causing some of the blood that should go to the body to go to the lungs instead.

The renowned doctor also advocated for the establishment of the first heart surgery clinic in Czechoslovakia. He got his wish when the clinic in Hradec Králové was set up in 1951, and in the same year he became the first Czech to perform intracardiac surgery. Many cardiac surgeons in Czechoslovakia helped to introduce these procedures to other clinics in the country as well.

Since then, heart surgery has undergone tremendous development. There are thirteen cardiac surgery clinics operating throughout the country today, and the clinic in Hradec Králové is among the three largest. It carries out 800 to 900 operations annually. Czechia also ranks among the countries with the highest number of heart transplants in Europe.

See the rest here.

Author: Klára Stejskalová

Data released by Eurostat on Monday show that Czechia saw the sharpest year-on-year rise in electricity prices out of all EU member states in the first half of 2022 (+62%). The average cost of electricity for Czechs was the sixth highest in the EU and higher than in any other Visegrad Four state (Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia). I asked ENA analyst and executive director of the Association of Independent Energy Suppliers Jiří Gavor why this was the case.

“Czech prices were completely based off of the free market in contrast to many other EU countries where state aid was adopted. For example, Poland adopted the policy of decreasing VAT and many other EU countries are practicing the state regulation of household energy prices. Meanwhile, Germany announced it would cut its renewables surcharge already in the first half of 2022. And there were plenty more similar cases.

“The Czech government was quite reluctant to adopt state aid. The first state aid package for all consumers of energy was adopted starting from October 1 of this year, so after the first half of 2022. It therefore cannot be reflected in Eurostat statistics.”

Perhaps this also connects to your point that the Czech energy market was very much free market based: Czechia houses one of the largest energy conglomerates in Europe – ČEZ Group– which is majority owned by the government and the country also ranks among net electricity exporters in Europe. So there probably was some room for manoeuvring there, right?

“Yes, many inhabitants of Czechia wonder about this. Namely, how it’s possible that we pay such high electricity prices in a situation when we are exporters of energy.

See the rest here.

Author: Thomas McEnchroe

The 26th edition of the Ji.hlava International Festival of Documentary Films has just got underway. This year’s edition of Czechia’s biggest documentary event will deliver nearly 100 world premieres and several valuable retrospectives. On the eve of the festival I called founder Marek Hovorka in Jihlava and asked him about the film to be screened at Tuesday night’s gala opening.

“It’s the world premiere of 8th Day of the War, which is a film about the Ukraine war.

“But it’s very special – I haven’t ever seen a film like this before.

“Because it’s shot with Ukrainian people who are living in the Czech Republic and shot only during 24 hours, at the very beginning of the war between Russia and Ukraine.

“It’s so powerful to see this Ukrainian community living in the Czech Republic is facing this completely new, horror situation, how much they want to help their families who stayed in Ukraine and how they deal with this shock they are going through.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Foto: Kateřina Šulová, ČTK

The great Czech artist Theodor Pištěk, who turned 90 on Tuesday, won an Oscar in 1985 for his costumes for Amadeus. However, he regards himself primarily as a painter – and a cross-section of his works can now be seen at a joint exhibition in Prague with his son Jan.

Theodor Pištěk is probably best known internationally for designing the costumes for Miloš Forman’s cinematic masterpiece Amadeus, for which both he and the film itself won Oscars (the film in fact picked up an impressive eight Oscars in total, including Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Picture). But for his part, Theodor Pištěk said years later in an interview for Czech Radio that the award came as a complete surprise.

“I really didn’t expect it – we expected a completely different outcome. I already had one foot half out the door when they announced that I’d won.”

And yet, despite the international recognition for his costume designs, Theodor Pištěk says that he sees himself primarily as a painter.

“My main profession, even my life’s calling, is painting. Everything else is secondary – side projects which don’t play such an important role in my life.”

It is precisely as a painter that he is being represented in the exhibition Pištěk & Pištěk, dva světy (Pištěk & Pištěk, Two Worlds), his first joint exhibition with his son Jan. The fresh nonagenarian’s works have been drawn from his oeuvre by curator Martin Dostál and the artist himself.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

In retaliation for the assassination of Heydrich, 262 relatives and helpers of the paratroopers from groups Anthropoid, Silver A, Bivouac, Out Distance, Steel and Intransitive were court-martialled and sentenced to death by the Prague Gestapo 80 years ago.

The victims were mostly entire families, including children aged 14-17. They were taken to Mauthausen concentration camp from Terezín and murdered on October 24, 1942.

In the room where they were sent for a supposed medical examination, they were made to stand with their backs to a wall marked with a height meter. They were then shot with a bullet to the back of the head through a hidden hole in the wall.

According to the Mauthausen execution records and death certificates, they were killed in two-minute intervals over a period of almost nine hours. Their bodies were burned and the ashes dumped on a rubbish pile behind the camp.

Read the rest here.

Author: Klára Stejskalová

Saudi Arabia’s national airline to be the first airline in the MENA region to invest in sustainable air mobility with plans to purchase 100 all-electric Lilium Jets and support certification across the region.

SAUDIA, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, and Lilium N.V. (NASDAQ: LILM) (“Lilium”), developer of the first all-electric vertical take-off and landing (“eVTOL”) jet, at the sixth edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII), announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the proposed development and operation by SAUDIA of an eVTOL network across Saudi Arabia. The proposed arrangement will make SAUDIA the first airline in the MENA region to purchase 100 Lilium Jets alongside yearly support services.

With zero operating emissions, the Lilium Jet will enable sustainable and time-saving travel. SAUDIA intends to launch a state-of-the-art service with the purchase of 100 Lilium Jets including new electric point-to-point connections as well as seamless feeder connections to SAUDIA’s hubs for business class guests. Lilium Jet’s flexible cabin architecture is expected to enable a range of spacious interior configurations that are well suited to the needs of the premium market, which Lilium believes can help drive the early adoption of eVTOL aircraft required to scale.

Read the rest here.

Photo: Martin Balucha, Czech Radio

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Lidice tragedy, the Czech village razed to the ground by the Nazis in 1942 as revenge for the assassination of Nazi governor Reinhard Heydrich. 340 people were murdered, including 88 children. For the last 50 years, an international children’s art competition has taken place to commemorate the child victims, and now a special exhibition comprised of some of the best entries from over the years has opened in Paris to mark the anniversary.

Over 200 pictures painted by children from more than 60 countries around the world are now on display at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The artworks are all prize-winning entries from the last 20 years of the Lidice International Children’s Art Competition, which was established to honour the memory of the children murdered in the Czech village of Lidice during WWII. The competition celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

Curator Veronika Trubačová says the exhibition is divided into two parts, the first part presenting a selection of the best works from the last 20 years reproduced on banners, and the second part presenting last year’s winners.

See the rest here.

Photo: Kateřina Srbková, Radio Prague International

The iconic Lennon Wall in Prague’s Kampa is one of the most visited sites in the Czech capital. Now a Czech artist has taken this symbol of resistance to Paris within celebrations of the Czech EU presidency.

People walking past the Pantheon in Paris on Thursday were treated to a surprising sight: an inflatable copy of Prague’s famous Lennon Wall with its most recent murals created by 27 artists from across the European Union and two special guests from Ukraine and Norway.

The man behind the project, titled “Wall of Freedom and Energy”, is Czech artist Pavel Štastný. Štastný says Prague’s Lennon Wall – a symbol of resistance to oppression in the communist years – seemed like the perfect platform to portray the ideas and values uniting the EU in the present day.

See the rest here.

Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Martin Balucha

Photo: Radek Petrášek, ČTK

The Skalka cable car in the Ještěd Ski Resort in Liberec undergoes a thorough safety test ahead of each season. And what better way to do that in Czechia than with beer? The process involves putting 200 fifty-litre beer kegs on the cable car to make sure it can take the weight.

Josef Václav Mysliveček, was a famous 18th century Czech composer who spent most of his life in Italy, where he was known as the ingenious ‘Il Boemo’. Musicologists speak about his significant contribution to the formation of late eighteenth-century classicism in music.

Mysliveček was born in Prague in 1737, where he received a sound education in music at the Prague Jesuit College. He was the son of a prosperous mill owner but he decided not to take over his father’s mills and devote himself fully to music.

At the age of 26 he left Prague when it became clear he could not make a good living there as a composer. He settled in Italy where he soon gained immense popularity.

His operas were performed in Milan, Rome, Venice, Bologna, Parma and Florence. But the most important event in Mysliveček’s career was the performance of his opera Il Bellerofonte, written for the Real Teatro San Carlo in Naples, the most prestigious venue in Italy at that time.

It became an overnight success and helped to establish Mysliveček as one of the most sough-after opera composers in Italy. His operas were performed at theatre houses around the country and he was welcomed at nearly all the courts in Europe, where his abilities won him great praise and where he made friends with the greatest personalities.

See the rest here.

Screenwriter and director Patrik Křivánek has become the first Czech to win a prize at the Page International Screenwriting Award competition, which aims to discover up-and-coming scriptwriters from around the world. His story about an aging Holocaust survivor who has spent her whole life trying to escape a painful past was selected from nearly nine thousand entries.

INT. COTTAGE IN SUDETENLAND/UNDER THE FLOOR – NIGHT (1938) HANKA (14), in her nightclothes, lies silhouetted in a shallow pantry hidden beneath the floor. She cradles her brother, RUDOLF (5), also in his nightclothes, one hand pressed over his mouth. Dim light seeps in through the cracks in the floorboards.

This is the opening scene of Muddy Shoes, a screenplay written by Patrik Křivánek and his US colleague Laurie Weltz, which won the Silver Prize in the Drama category at the 2022 PAGE International Screenwriting Awards.

See the rest here.

Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Martin Hrnčíř

Czechia has just over two more months at the helm of the EU and according to the Minister for European Affairs Mikuláš Bek, the hardest test of its ability as a negotiator is yet to come. Prague needs to push ahead with some of the basic agreements of the Green Deal at a time when Europe is increasingly feeling the energy crunch.

The aim of the EUs climate package is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union by 55 percent by 2030. And it is the Czech presidency’s role to negotiate the individual agreements between the European Parliament and member states. Minister Bek says it will not be an easy task.

“We have a crucial test ahead of us on the Fit for 55 package, where we would like to finalize at least some of the proposals on the table. The process is not easy because the ambitions of MEPs are always much higher than those of the member states. But we very much want to complete the negotiations on the commitments of individual member states in terms of reducing emissions. We would also like to conclude the deal on the carbon border tariff and the package on the use of arable land and forests.”

Czechia should also push forward with talks on an agreement to further reduce car emissions, which includes a ban on the production of cars with internal combustion engines after 2035. The regulation also envisages the building of charging stations or the use of hydrogen in transport. All these issues are now subject of heated debate in the European Union.

Minister Bek says that in view of the energy crisis any agreement reached is likely to be open to revision in the future. But, he says, the groundwork must be set.

“What is important now is to set some basic targets so that companies know how to behave, how to set their strategies. But if it turns out that the price of electric cars evolves faster or slower than the regulations foresee, then some corrections will be in order.”

The proposals that the Czech Republic will not be able to finalise by the end of the year will fall to the upcoming Swedish Presidency, which is more ambitious in the long term in the climate area.

A big issue that Prague has high hopes of pushing ahead with is the reform of the EU’s migration and asylum policy.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová

The global network of Czech Centres operates as the cultural wing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, promoting the Czech Republic abroad and strengthening cultural ties between countries. There are 26 Czech Centres operating in 24 countries on three continents. On a recent trip to the UK, I spoke to Přemysl Pela, director of the Czech Centre London, and started by asking him what projects they have lined up for the next few months.

“There are a number of projects – autumn is one of our top seasons. In October we have a very strong programme starting with the opening of an exhibition on augmented reality and innovations for a sustainable future, showing how science and innovation help us to meet our long-term targets and humankind’s most pressing challenges.

“The project is on the backbone of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. We are presenting them with the graphic design of Pavel Fuksa at the Europe House here in London – there’s great interest from the media and the public. The opening is going to be on 6 October and will be there for the next two months until the beginning of December.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Photo: Jan Arazim, Miroslav Dyk, Jindřich Šour, Trolejbusy v pražských ulicích

The last trolleybus route in Prague, from Orionka to Strahov Stadium, came to an end on 15 October 1972.

The city’s first trolleybus service began in today’s Prague 6 on 29 August 1936. The mode of transport was better suited to climbing hills than the regular buses at that time.

Trolleybuses were an important part of Prague’s public transport system for three decades, with around 180 of them on the streets by 1963. It is not clear why they were discontinued.

However, the trolleybus’s reduction of emissions and more energy-efficient operation have prompted the Prague authorities to bring them back.

In January, the city’s transport authority started the construction of a line from Palmovka through Prosek and Letňany to Čakovice. The first passengers could ride along the 11-kilometre route as early as next year.

See the rest here.

Stained glass of the Tesla company in Prague’s Světozor arcade | Photo: Elena Horálková, Radio Prague International

Say “Tesla” and most people think of electric cars. But here in Czechia people associate the brand name with a wide variety of electronic products they grew up with. During the communist era Czech households relied on Tesla radios, Tesla TV sets, Tesla gramophones, cassette recorders, CD players and a great deal else.

The Tesla brand and logo was a familiar sight not only to millions of Czechs and Slovaks but to people in the communist bloc countries where Tesla’s products were exported. This is how Czechs in the street responded to the brand name.

“The brand reminds me of my young days, because Tesla was the first radio we had.”

“Tesla made TV sets and radios.”

“They made electronics in Hradec Kralove, but they also had plants in Lanškroun and Vrchlabí.”

“They made household electronics.”

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová

Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša is set to become music director of the Royal Opera House in London. The 41-year-old Hrůša, who is currently chief conductor of the Bamberg Symphony, will take over from Antonio Pappano in 2025. However, he will serve as a guest conductor at the famous Covent Garden venue in the previous season.

I discussed Mr Hrůša’s appointment with Neil Fisher, deputy arts editor for the British daily The Times, and started by asking whether he was surprised by the choice.

“I think both yes and no. I myself had been running through the candidates in my head over the last few months and even the last few years as speculation intensified over what the plans were for the Covent Garden.

“Hrůša was not on my shortlist, but actually I think he should have been. He is an excellent conductor, first and foremost, and he has been part of British operatic life for a long time.

“He has been conducting in Glyndebourne for over a decade and he has done some very impressive things there since he was very young. And there is of course his work with the great orchestras in the rest of Europe.

“But I think the real challenge is that there are sort of two jobs involved in this position. There is the job of being an excellent conductor of great productions and there is the job of being a sort of cultural ambassador and a champion for opera and high culture, which is really quite threatened in Great Britain right now.”

So would you say he is up to the task?

“Well, of those two jobs the second one comes with a question mark. He does live in London with his family, which is, I think, incredibly important. It is essential that the music director of the Covent Garden is based in London and is part of the art scene there.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

The common European mole, immortalised as Zdeněk Miler’s beloved cartoon character in animated films, now has another Czech connection – a Czech scientist was part of the team that discovered the mole’s unusual evolutionary tactic for surviving winter.

Animals living in colder climates face an existential problem in the wintertime – their bodies require more food than is available to them during the coldest months of the year. Different species have developed various evolutionary strategies to deal with this conundrum – birds migrate to warmer climes, bears and squirrels hibernate, and humans learned how to grow their own food and store it. But moles, as Czech scientist Lucie Farková Nováková has helped to unearth, have developed an altogether different energy-saving tactic – they shrink their brains.

This phenomenon was not unknown to science before the Czech scientist’s team at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour found it in European moles – it was first described in 1949 by Polish zoologist August Dehnel when he noticed, while measuring the skulls of shrews, that they are smaller in winter than in summer. This finding ended up being named after him as the Dehnel phenomenon.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Photo: Patrik Uhlíř, ČTK

A new memorial to war veterans was unveiled at War Veterans Alley at Rajhrad near Brno at the weekend. Pictured by the monument, which takes the form of a tree is Jakub Bruno Středa, veteran of a Czech mission to Afghanistan.

Source

The shooting dead last week of two young gay men in the Slovak capital Bratislava has also rocked the LGBT community in Czechia, with many drawing a link between negative portrayals of sexual minorities and acts of violence. I discussed that issue with Czech marriage equality campaigner Adéla Horáková – but first asked her about the mood among her community.“First of all it’s sadness – sadness for the victims, for their families, for all the LGBT people in Slovakia and in the region.

“And I think the second most frequent reaction, or emotion, I have seen at vigils, on social media, among my friends, is anger.

“People are angry at the people who let this happen, who enabled this to happen, and who continue to enable this to happen”.

On Thursday, the day after the murders, there was an interview with the presidential candidate Pavel Fischer, who suggested marriage equality could lead to child trafficking. That seemed to spark a debate about whether such views can lead to violence. What would you say to those people who would argue that this view is perhaps exaggerated, and that what happened in Bratislava was an isolated incident involving one disturbed individual?

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Ondřej Polák

The Lauder School of Prague, the only Jewish educational institution in Czechia, is marking 25 years since its foundation this year. The school, which opened its first class in 1997, celebrated the anniversary this Thursday, on the occasion of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

The courtyard of Prague’s Jewish school in the Vinohrady district was packed on Thursday afternoon with dozens of current and former students, teachers and parents who came to celebrate its 25th anniversary.

The Lauder School of Prague, which runs from kindergarten through high school, is part of a network of Jewish schools founded by the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation in the 1990s in Central and Eastern Europe.

The first Czech class opened in 1997 with only seven pupils, and in the first few years of its existence, there were some doubts whether the project would be successful.

Petr Karas, the school’s director, joined as a geography and history teacher already in 1999:

“We were worried, and I think quite rightly so. The number of children grew rapidly, that was not a problem, but it turned out the school didn’t really have a clear concept and it was unable to meet the different demands.

“After about five years, the school found itself in a crisis that looked really bad, but eventually we managed to find a solution and the school survived and continues to develop.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Michal Koudelka and Petr Fiala | Photo: Vít Šimánek, ČTK

The country’s counterintelligence service BIS traditionally performs quietly and efficiently behind the scenes. But on Monday it was at the centre of media attention due to a rare visit by the prime minister, the first in 24 years.

It is not often that the head of the country’s counterintelligence service BIS appears at a press briefing, much less takes questions from the media, so the press hall at the service’s headquarters in Prague was packed with journalists on Monday.

In an opening statement Prime Minister Fiala thanked the service for its good work.

“The work of the intelligence services has acquired new significance at this exceptionally difficult time for the world, when Russia is not only waging a war against Ukraine, but a war against Europe and all democratic countries.”

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová

The Archa theatre, Photo: Tomáš Vodňanský, Czech Radio

One of Prague’s leading arts venues, the Archa theatre, has begun its final full season, with the final curtain set for the end of next year. Since its foundation in 1994 Archa has hosted some of the world’s greatest alternative theatre and dance companies, as well as musicians such as Philip Glass and Patti Smith. So why is Archa coming to an end? I asked founder Ondřej Hrab.

“I think it’s time. You know, when you build something it has a certain life – so I think it’s also time, naturally, to finish it.

“I was trying to find a successor, someone who would continue in my work, and I was not successful in that.

“So after some time I decided that the only, and natural, way would be to finish the programme of Archa theatre and to hand over the premises to a new organisation which would have a different name and also different content.”

Do you feel pressure to make the final season particularly good, to go out on a high?

“I don’t feel the pressure from outside.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Anna Fodorová | Photo: Julie Kalodová, Czech Radio

Anna Fodorova is the daughter of the well-known Prague Jewish author Lenka Reinerová – but is a successful novelist in her own right, as well as a practising psychotherapist and former animator. On a recent trip to the UK, I had the pleasure of interviewing Anna in her home in South London.

Anna’s new novel In The Blood comes out at the end of this month. Described as a semi-autobiographical twentieth-century family saga, the book explores topics such as grief, identity, longing, mother-daughter relationships, and inter-generational trauma. Set against the backdrop of late ’80s London, Prague and Munich and the fall of Communism, it tells the story of Agata, who grew up believing that the majority of her family had perished in the Holocaust. When she discovers that some of her relatives may still be alive, she becomes obsessed with finding them.

My and Anna’s interview centred around the novel but also touched a lot on her family and her own life. We were especially thrilled to meet each other because it was a first for both of us to meet someone with exactly the same name – aside from the suffix -ova, we have identical first and last names. We are not related as far as we can work out, but naturally, my first question had to be about that…

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Škoda Auto boasts one of the oldest unbroken histories among car manufacturers still operating today. It is the fifth-oldest company in the world still producing cars, after Daimler, Opel, Peugeot, and Tatra, another Czech company – meaning that two out of the five oldest car manufacturers still operating today are Czech.

Škoda has to be one of the most globally well-known Czech brands today. But its image abroad wasn’t necessarily always positive – during the Communist era, Škoda became something of a laughing stock in the West, and was the butt of many a snide joke.

However, it is a testament to the enduring power of the brand that even when it was at the height of its notoriety in Western Europe as a symbol of shoddy Communist design and engineering, the car still sold extremely well throughout the 1970s and 1980s, especially in comparison with other Eastern bloc cars such as the East German Trabant and the Russian Lada, which saw nothing like the same sales.

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Authors: Anna Fodor,Thomas McEnchroe

Photo: Radek Petrášek, Technical University of Liberec

Czech researchers at the Technical University of Liberec have developed a new material that could find multiple uses in interior design and various artistic fields such as the creation of perfumed jewelry. The new glass-ceramic porous material called Porous Glass Plasticine (PGP) will have its world premiere at the international glass fair glasstec in Düsseldorf later this month.

The material called Porous Glass Plasticine – was created by a team of researchers at the Department of Glass Machinery and Robotics of the Faculty of Engineering of the Technical University of Liberec, which has over 60 years of experience in the glass industry.

Vlastimil Hotař spearheaded the project.

“The material itself is not hard to make. The secret lies in mixing the different components in the right order and the right proportion. What is special about glass plasticine is that, unlike similar materials such as foam glass, it has open pores that give it exceptional qualities. It can be used to make perfumed jewelry, for micro-particle filters or nanoparticle carriers.”

See the rest here.

Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Tomáš Mařas

Photo: Nadační fond pro zbudování a provozování Dokumentačního centra holokaustu na Moravě

The renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has won an international competition for the design of a new Jewish Museum in the Moravian city of Brno. The striking building in the shape of a seemingly endless white ribbon with a tree in the centre was selected by an international jury, presided by the famous Czech architect Josef Pleskot:

Four world-known architecture studios, including the Dutch studio MVRDV, took part in the competition for the construction of the Moravian Jewish Museum Mehrin, which was announced in February this year.

The winning design by the famous Japanese architect Kengo Kuma was selected unanimously by a nine-member international jury. The striking modern building should be located in city centre, on what is currently a parking lot between the city’s bus and train stations.

Besides its original design, the jury praised the winning entry for fitting in with the surroundings, says head of the jury Josef Pleskot:

“The building is in the shape of an endless ribbon that gradually rises from the sidewalk. At the centre of the building is a beautiful library and in the heart of that is a garden with a tree, which has a certain symbolic meaning.”

One of the people behind the idea to build a brand new museum dedicated to the history of Moravian Jews is the Brno-based writer and publisher Martin Reiner, who currently heads the endowment fund for its construction:

“One of my friends, the historian Michal Konečný, came up with the idea to combine a socially serious topic with brand new architecture. I myself adopted the idea in the spring of 2019 and since then I have been working hard to make it come true.”

What is the aim of the project? In what way is it going to be different from other Jewish Museums in the Czech Republic?

“We want to establish it as an important and needed institution that would map the life of the Jewish community in Moravia but we also want to construct a brand new building that would accommodate the institution.

“We don’t want to create an old-fashioned kind of museum that is filled with stuffed animals, or in this case, with dozens of menorahs.

“We want to make a statement that will reach visitors on an emotional level. We want to present powerful, touching life-stories with the help of 21st century technology. That’s the difference.”

Read more here.

Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Tomáš Kremr

The first Czech kindergarten in the neighbourhood of St. James Church | Photo: Světozor, 26. 2. 1869, public domain

The first pre-school institution -a so-called “model youth nursery” – was founded in 1832 by Jan Svoboda, a teacher at the Prague Emmaus parish school Na Hrádku. Svoboda taught children aged three to six the basics of reading, writing and German and instilled moral principles in his charges through games, rhymes and singing.

Thirty years later, a group of Czech-Germans founded a kindergarten in Spálená Street in Prague and seven years later Czech patriots followed their example and set up a Czech kindergarten on the premises of the St. James Church in Prague. It was founded at the initiative of Marie Riegrová-Palacka, a Czech philanthropist who sent two Czech mothers to France to gain experience in running pre-school institutions. This kindergarten was financed largely by donations although the city of Prague contributed to its operation. Thanks to the donations, the kindergarten could operate all day long, the children did not have to bring their own snacks and the poorest ones were given clothes.

See the rest here.

Lenka Morávková and the Bohemian Cristal Instrument | Photo: Marek Musil

Lenka Morávková is a sound-artist and electronic producer from North Bohemia who divides her time between Prague and Los Angeles. A few years ago, she created a one-of-a-kind glass sculpture called the Bohemian Cristal Instrument, a unique version of the legendary Cristal Baschet. The sonic explorer, as she calls herself, has since achieved wide international acclaim. She performed at the prestigious Broad Museum in Los Angeles and her video, shot in the blooming Californian desert, has attracted more than two million views.

I met with Lenka Morávková during her stay in Prague to discuss her work and see her perform on the experimental instrument made of Bohemian Cristal.

“This is my own version of an instrument called Cristal Baschet, which was originally made by the Baschet brothers from France. They had been developing experimental instruments and sound sculptures since the1950s and the best-known instrument they had ever built was the Cristal Baschet.

“When I lived in Barcelona I had a chance to meet their successor, the Metaludic Baschet Studio from University of Bellas Artes de Barcelona. These guys are taking care of all the Baschet instruments all around the world and they are also working on new, post-Baschet sculptures.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Four out of ten people in Czechia expect that they will be doing the same job until they retire and a further 20 percent believe that they will be doing the same job for at least another decade, according to a survey conducted by the Data Collect agency for personnel company Předvýběr.cz. The survey shows that many Czechs are unwilling to get themselves requalified despite expectations of major changes on the demand side of the labour market.

More than 40 percent of respondents said that they do not invest any money into job related education, with a further third saying that these investments do not exceed CZK 5,000. On the other hand, around a quarter of those who took part in the survey said that they spend between CZK 5,000 to 100,000 on their professional development.

Read more here.

Author: Thomas McEnchroe

Just because you have a medical condition diagnosed, doesn’t mean you should never leave your city or country. People suffering from chronic illness travel just as often as healthy people. As long as you’re mobile and don’t depend on other people, you can travel safely alone. All you need to do is pay more attention to your luggage and consider a few more aspects of the trip. Here’s how to travel safely, if you have a medical condition.

Book a proper insurance policy

Booking travel insurance comes immediately after booking the ticket to your desired destination. While people without a medical condition would look for a standard health insurance policy, you should look for additional benefits covering your potential hospital stay due to your illness. Sometimes, the insurance policy will potentially cover the need for medical treatment related to your medical condition if you pay a minimal fee. Don’t risk overpaying for hospital bills in a foreign country because you were afraid to ask.

Bring enough medication

Delayed flights, crowded motorways, and cancelled trains can cause terrible problems. If you need to take medication at a specific time during the day, ensure to bring extra, in case you cannot make it home in time. Travelling abroad means you might not be able to buy your medication everywhere, or you’ll need a specific prescription for that country. Also, airport security will require you to show proof of medication dosage prescribed to you to verify you’re not importing pills into a foreign country. To be safe, pack all medication in your hand luggage. Checked-in luggage often goes missing in transport, and you can go several days without it, leaving you helpless and in harm’s way.

Double-check treatment options at the destination country

When looking for places to travel to, don’t forget to explore the available treatment options they offer for your medical condition. If you’re visiting Amarante in Portugal, for instance, and you have a kidney condition, you can book dialysis at Amarante online quickly, and enjoy your vacation knowing that you’ll get the needed treatment on time. Regardless of the condition you have, always look for the availability of treatment options before you buy our ticket and book accommodation.

Wear your medical alert identification

One of the best ways to stay safe when travelling with a medical condition is to display your medical condition. A medical alert bracelet will allow others in another country to identify your medical condition within seconds. Whether you feel unwell in the middle of the street or you end up in a car accident, unable to explain that you have a medical condition, a medical alert identification will save your life. People with epilepsy tend to wear a bracelet with their condition engraved. Those with chronic heart conditions and stents in their blood vessels will carry a card or a certificate in their wallet at all times. Whatever is more convenient for your condition, keep it available and visible when you travel.

Keep your family informed 24/7

How often do you tell your family about your whereabouts? If you plan to travel alone, let them know about your daily plans. If you’re travelling with a group of people and have a tour guide, you’ll receive a detailed itinerary beforehand. Email the schedule to your family, so they know where you’ll be going. Check in with them as often as possible for their peace of mind. In case they cannot reach you for a few hours or even days, they will be able to give more information to the authorities and find out what happened much faster.

Final thoughts

Are you eager to travel, but you have a medical condition? No problem. You can travel safely with a medical condition, so long as you adhere to some important rules. Check out the tips we’ve listed above, and you’ll enjoy every trip regardless of the distance.

By Peter Minkoff

Peter is a lifestyle and travel writer at Men-Ual magazine, living between Ústí nad Labem and Antwerp. Follow Peter on Twitter for more tips.

Photo: repro: Josef Pondělík, ‘Století fotbalu’/Olympia

The first ever football match in the Czech lands is not very well documented. According to some sources it took place 135 years ago, according to others it was five years later.

What is certain is that the match took place on an island on the Labe River in Roudnice nad Labem and pitted representatives of the local Sokol movement against members of a Czech rowing club.

The rest is unclear. While in the book Football – Training of Future Stars by Jaromír Votík, the date of the first match is given as September 29, 1887, Josef Pondělík, in his publication Century of Football, states that the first ever match took place on August 15, 1892, in honour of the National Unity of North Bohemia. It is not clear by what rules the game was played or what the score was.

Organized football only spread in the Czech lands a few years later. The oldest Czech club was formed in Loučná, Nymburk. When Prince Erich Thurn-Taxis returned home from his studies in England, he, a butler and a gardener reportedly formed the core of the first local football team together with boys from the surrounding area.

Read more here.

Photo: Academia Publishing

UK historian Mark Cornwall is an expert on Czech-German relations and the late Habsburg Empire. His book The Devil’s Wall explores the previously little-known story of Heinz Rutha, an associate of Sudeten German leader Konrad Henlein whose sexuality led to criminal charges. Cornwall is currently preparing one book that should be entitled Queer Bohemians and another on treason under Austria-Hungary. We spoke during a recent visit he made to Prague.

What led you to study Czech back in the mid-1980s?

“It was purely by chance, really, because I was looking for a job in the mid-1980s and there were hardly any jobs around, and then a research post came up in Oxford, at the university, working with the Czech historian in exile Zbyněk Zeman.

“It was a project about the Czech-German problem, Czech-German relations.

“I worked on that with him, but as a condition of getting that post I had to learn Czech.

“So that took me into learning Czech – and I was then led down the Czech route for 30, 40 years.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby