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Czech team discovers ancient tomb of royal...

Czech Egyptologists have made another important discovery in Abusir – the roughly 2,500-year-old tomb of a young royal scribe. Together with other recent archaeological finds in the area, this newly discovered tomb gives researchers a better...

Czech scientists develop drones for...

Czech scientists are developing a new technology that could help in accidents involving radioactive materials. Called the RaDron, it combines autonomous drones with unique particle detectors, which can expose even unknown sources of radiation...

Czechast Special: Czechs in Oklahoma

You can meet them wherever you go in America, from New York in the East, to San Francisco and Los Angeles in the West, from Chicago in the North to Houston and Miami in the South. But it is in the Midwestern states where you can find whole...

Czechast: Czech-American couple Maggie and...

How do you bring up children in bilingual and bicultural families? On the one hand, it is potentially a great advantage if the kids get this educational and learning impulse and live in two cultures at the same time. On the other hand, it is...

Czech and Slovak foreign ministers say...

Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský on Monday met for talks with his newly-appointed Slovak counterpart Juraj Blanár from the ruling SMER party, which has indicated a U-turn in the country’s support for Ukraine. The meeting was viewed as an indicator...

“We want to make science accessible”: Week...

The week of the Czech Academy of Sciences started on Monday, commencing six days of programming that presents the latest and most important findings of modern scientific research in Czechia. Around 400 events are taking place in 22 locations...

Simon Johnson: The UK developer making his...

One of biggest construction projects in Prague at present is the renovation and extension of the city centre Savarin Palace. Behind the 1.7 hectare complex, which should house Alphonse Mucha’s Slav Epic, are developers Crestyl, who are also...

Charles Games brings historical events or...

Charles Games incorporates history and social issues into their games. The World War II period appears in Attentat 1942, the pitfalls of modern technology in DigiStories Nela. This makes them good teaching material. “You learn about...

Český Krumlov’s Egon Schiele Art Centre...

The Egon Schiele Art Centre, one of the most popular attractions in Český Krumlov, first opened its doors in 1993. The Austrian Expressionist painter Egon Schiele died at only 28. However, he spent spells of his short life in the pretty South...

Capybara? Capybara! The Internet Phenomenon

You wanted them, so you will have them. Capybaras are coming back to Prague Zoo. Probably the most popular animals in the world at the moment. At least in the world of social networks, where they appear in countless memes with huge numbers of...

GORILA RICHARD HAS LIVED IN PRAGUE FOR 20...

The famous male gorilla Richard has lived in the Prague Zoo for 20 years. On Saturday, November 4, two decades will pass since the arrival of the silver-backed founder of the local breeding and the father of all gorilla cubs to date in the...

“We always try to support young artists”:...

The Prague Sounds music festival is set to kick off on Tuesday, ushering in more than two weeks of performances, with concerts ranging from classic jazz to hip-hop. On the eve of the event – formerly known as Strings of Autumn – I spoke with...

“He had a great heart”: Tomáš Plekanec...

With a career spanning over two decades, 41-year-old Czech professional ice hockey player Tomáš Plekanec announced his retirement from the game on Saturday evening. Known as ‘Pleky’ by his devoted fans, he spent more than a decade with NHL team...

Olomouc Region

The Olomouc Region is located in the north-western and central part of Moravia. Spreading over an area of just over 5,000 square kilometers, it is the 6th largest region in the country. The region’s assets include the university town of...

Olga Havlová’s tree in Nový Hrozenkov

Olga Havlová's fourth Tree was planted in front of the Charity Nový Hrozenkov building on the day of the celebration of the 105th anniversary of the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia. With this act, the picturesque Wallachian village...

Czech nutrition is improving, but more time...

A new study from the FOOD Barometer survey commissioned by the Czech Chamber of Commerce sheds light on how Czechs eat on a daily basis. The study revealed that Czechs are much less guided by the nutritional value of foods, and that while...

Václav Neckář inducted into Czech Radio Hall...

For more than 50 years, actor and singer Václav Neckář has been captivating and entertaining radio listeners with his voice. This past weekend, just two days shy of his 80th birthday, Neckář was inducted into the prestigious Czech Radio Hall of...

Major new Prague building project Masaryčka...

Developers Penta Real Estate have completed work on the Masaryčka building complex by Prague’s Masaryk railway station. It was designed by the UK’s Zaha Hadid Studios and is regarded as one of the boldest projects of its kind in the Czech...

“He had a really big career abroad”:...

The new film You Will Never See It All puts the spotlight on Ján Mančuška, a conceptual artist who is not so well-known in his native Czechia despite having works in the collections of Paris’s Pompidou Centre and MOMA in New York. The film...

Lviv and Prague: a tale of two cities

The award-winning Ukrainian novelist and short story writer Natalia Matolinets is fascinated by the layers of common history shared by the cities of central Europe. She was born and lives in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, which, she says...

London statue made by Czechoslovak Jewish...

A famous London avant-garde sculpture created by Karel Vogel, a Jewish refugee from Czechoslovakia, is set to undergo a major renovation. The concrete figure of a reclining woman, considered to be one of London’s most important pieces of...

New Lasvit installation in London honours...

A new installation by Czech luxury glass and light firm Lasvit honouring war veterans was recently unveiled in London. The site-specific artwork, called Poppies, was made for the Raffles London hotel, situated in the Old War Office, which...

Czechast Special: Czechs and Their Nobility

Czechs have always had somewhat contradictory feelings toward their nobility. One of the country’s leading aristocrats once even bitterly complained that Czechs are either louts or boot-lickers, nothing in between. One of the first laws of the...

Petr Jasinčuk on the magic of playing the...

Jaw harp, known in Czech as brumle, is an ancient musical instrument that has been played all over the world for centuries. Here in Czechia, it is mostly used in traditional folk music, especially in Moravia, but it has also found its way into...

Leading child cardiologist Jan Marek on the...

One of the laureates of the 2023 Gratias Agit awards, handed out by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs to people and organizations for promoting the good name of the Czech Republic abroad, is Jan Marek, a leading expert in the field of...

Together for Israel

Together for Israel, was the name of the public gathering organized by the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic (FŽO) in support of the State of Israel and its people. On Wednesday, November 1, 2023, the Old Town Square in the...

Political scientist: incidence of hate...

Since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7 there have been reports of increasing harassment, hate speech and sometimes even physical assaults against members of both Jewish and Muslim communities in countries around the world. So what is...

Charity event turns Halloween from US import...

Halloween often has the reputation of being an imported US holiday in Czechia, but long-term Prague resident Dinah Spritzer wanted to find a way for her half-Czech kids to be able to enjoy trick-or-treating – so she got the idea of making...

Engineering games from Keen Software House...

There is no main story in Space Engineers. This allows players to have an infinite number of objectives. “Games allow us to create new realities,” says Marek Rosa, founder of Keen Software House. Since its founding, the studio has...

Thousands turn out for fish harvest

Around 40,000 people turned out to watch the annual fish harvest at the Vrkoč pond in the Brno Region at the weekend. Fish specialties were available for tasting at Vrkoč, one of the country’s biggest fish ponds, producing around 200 tonnes of...

Women’s rights activist: Feri trial...

The closely-watched trial of former MP Dominik Feri, who was found guilty of two counts of rape and one attempted rape and sentenced to three years in jail, has sparked a public debate on sexual assault and victim treatment in Czechia. I spoke...

International Charity Festival 2023 –...

Thanks to the work of the Diplomatic Spouses Association and under the auspices of the First Lady Mrs. Eva Pavlova, the annual International Charity Festival will resume after 4 years on Sunday 12th November, from 10 a.m. to 04 p.m., at Hilton...

Founder on 15 years of DOX: “It exceeded my...

Prague’s DOX Centre for Contemporary Art is now celebrating 15 years of existence. The biggest independent institution of its kind in Czechia, it runs multiple exhibitions – and holds various events in a distinctive wooden structure resembling...

Czechs know about sustainable tourism, but...

The biggest obstacle to sustainable travel for Czechs is the time requirement (58%), the insufficient infrastructure of the destination (57%), money (21%), personal comfort (15%), and customs in the locality (5%). This emerged from a survey...

October 1923: First ČSA flight takes off...

The first ever flight of Czechoslovak air carrier ČSA took off on October 29, 1923. On board the first ever flight of Czechoslovak State Airlines – which was from Prague to Bratislava – were pilot Karel Brabenec and the editor of the Brno-based...

PUMPKIN FESTIVAL at Prague ZOO

Tomorrow at the Prague Zoo, pumpkin feasts will begin for almost two dozen species of animals and will last until Sunday. On the national holiday of October 28, visitors can also look forward to a special feeding of lions – as animals...

Case of prostitute murdered and dismembered...

In 1933, Czechoslovakia was rocked by a gruesome murder. Two suitcases were found on 2 September, independently of each other, in the Slovak cities of Bratislava and Košice. The suitcase that was found in Košice contained a woman’s torso, and...

Five U.S. travel destinations interested in...

On October 11, 2023, U.S. Embassy Prague U.S. Commercial Service organized its second U.S. Destination Showcase. Five U.S. travel destinations interested in attracting Czech tourists were introduced. The U.S. Embassy’s Commercial Service joined...

Expert on ban of heated tobacco products: “I...

A ban on the sale of flavoured heated tobacco products came into force in Czechia this week, bringing it in line with an EU directive issued last year. I discussed the move with Dr Eva Králíková, who heads a stop smoking clinic at Prague’s...

“Over 2,000 tickets have been issued”:...

When walking through the heart of Prague today, one might notice electric scooters that often litter the grounds of the city’s historic centre. Bolt and Lime scooters are used in many cities across Europe, although Paris has just recently...

Sometimes, history repeats itself happily...

The title by the Ambassador of Romania in Prague, H.E. Mrs. Antoaneta Barta, on the occasion of the unveiling of the commemorative plaque honoring the support of the Romanian people for the declaration of Czechoslovakia’s independence...

October 1898: First Czech Olympic champion...

Gymnast Bedřich Šupčík became the first Czech to win a gold medal at the Olympics when he triumphed in rope climbing at the 1924 Paris Games. Šupčík was born in October 22, 1898 near Vienna but was raised by an aunt in Kroměříž, Moravia. In...

Olga Havel Foundation collects 700,000 Czech...

October 23, 2023 – Over 700 thousand crowns will go to psychological help for children from Ukraine. For this purpose, a public collection was announced at the beginning of this October in connection with the second annual Crimean Platform...

Mirek Gosney: Czechs were in “weird middle...

Hundreds of thousands of Czechs were among the many millions of people, many from Eastern Europe, used by the Nazis as forced labour during World War II. Among them was trained mechanic Miroslav Jeřábek. Many decades later, his UK-born great...

Czech government moves to address shortage...

The Czech government has moved to address the shortage of qualified workers on the country’s labour market. Last Friday, it approved a proposal put forward by the Ministry of Industry and Trade to increase quotas for foreign workers from third...

Merging masters with new talent: Marek...

The 27th edition of the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival kicks off today, ushering in six days of documentary films by both seasoned and new filmmakers. To learn more about the history of the festival and this year’s edition, I...

A great Indian writer and his forgotten...

The Indian writer, investigative journalist and translator Ashutosh Bhardwaj is known internationally for his work on the tribal people in Central India caught between Maoist insurgents and the police. But it was something very different that...

HELENA LEISZTNER KROFT DIPTYCH FROM THE...

More than three dozen renowned Czech artists, enchanted by the magic of porcelain painting, created more than 300 pieces of large porcelain originals, including their own flower triptychs. Each of the authors individually conceived the subject...

Foreign Ministry hands out annual Gratias...

The Foreign Ministry has handed out its annual Gratias Agit Awards to Czech expats and foreigners for promoting the good name of the Czech Republic abroad. Among this year’s recipients were eight personalities and one organization, including...

100 years of the French collection

In 2023, the NATIONAL GALLERY PRAGUE celebrate one hundred years since the Czechoslovak state made a generous purchase of French art under the auspices of the President of the Republic Tomáš Garrigu Masaryk. It was the result of the Czech...

Czech PM says his country will back Israel’s...

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala visited Israel on Wednesday to signal his country’s strong support for the Jewish state in its war against Hamas. Amid calls for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Middle East, the Czech head of government said...

The International Charity Festival of the...

After a long hiatus, the Diplomatic Spouse Association is delighted to resume its annual Charity Festival. We cordially invite you to visit the festival with stends and shows for an enchanting journey to over 40 foreign communities and...

The new director of the CzechTourism agency...

The Czech Tourism Office - CzechTourism is changing its management. From November 1, 2023, the current director of marketing and foreign offices, František Reismüller, will be the new director based on a selection process. This was announced by...

Crimean Platform, has become the world...

The second parliamentary summit of the Crimean Platform took place in Prague on October 24, 2023. It aims to raise awareness of the illegal Russian occupation of Crimea and its wider strategic consequences. The situation of Ukrainian children...

Czechast with historian Igor Lukeš about...

It is a kind of bitter déjà vu. As the war in Ukraine conflict heightened tensions between the West and Russia, Prague has become a focal point for intelligence and disinformation. There have been increasing intelligence reports over the years...

Cold-war drama ‘Brothers’ hits Czech cinemas

The film ‘Brothers’, based on the Cold War story of the controversial Mašín brothers who formed an armed resistance group and fought their way out of communist Czechoslovakia to freedom in the West, premiered in Prague on Wednesday night before...

Another Challenge for Indomitable Pipi

In mid-August I wrote here about a young mountain bongo female from our zoo, who lost her mother but showed a tremendous will to live. Thanks to her connection with the herd, she began to drink from two other females, who were caring for their...

New York based Gratias Agit award winner...

Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský awarded eight Czechs with the prestigious Gratias Agit Award this week, honouring those individuals who have made their mark in areas of science, literature, and culture. Among the laureates was Josef...

Zlín: modernist architecture, bustling...

In a country famed for its well-preserved medieval towns and beautiful historical architecture, Zlín stands out as something of an outlier in Czechia. You won’t find any Gothic cathedrals or Baroque chateaus in this Moravian city – but fans of...

COLORFUL AUTUMN AT THE PRAGUE ZOO

The Prague Zoo is decked out in captivating October colors, and the prepared program is just as varied: this Sunday, October 22, the zoo will celebrate World Wombat Day, with two guided feedings of them. During the autumn holidays, visitors can...

“Computer games are like works of art”:...

The Visiongame archive contains over five thousand Czech and Slovak titles. “Computer games are like works of art. We need to archive them for future generations,” says Miroslav Žák, a collector of videogames. “For stronger growth...

Collection of Czech glass works on display...

A unique exhibit of Czech glass artworks called Bohemian Glass: The Great Masters, is on display now at the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, Italy. The display features the art of six Czech glassmakers and the work of Czech...

Czechast Special: The Velvet Revolution did...

When it comes to the fall of Communism in Czechia, most attention is concentrated on what happened in Prague. And understandably so, as it was the real center of the revolution. However, there were many dramatic moments in smaller cities in the...

1583: Rudolf II moves the seat of the...

In 1583, Rudolf II, head of the Holy Roman Empire and king of Bohemia, Hungary and Croatia, moved the seat of the Habsburg monarchy from Vienna to Prague turning the city into one of the leading centers of the arts and sciences on the Continent...

Some Czech drivers will have to undergo...

Anyone who has driven on Czech roads knows that tempers can flare high and considerate drivers are few and far between. Brake-checking has become a particularly popular way of expressing road rage of late, but as of next year drivers could pay...

Over 200 Czechs repatriated from Israel on...

The repatriation of Czechs from Israel was successfully concluded on Friday, with a total of 228 citizens returning to the country on six government planes. In addition, the Czech government met Israel’s request for it to fly home Israelis who...

People in Need aid coordinator for Ukraine...

One of the biggest providers of Czech humanitarian aid in Ukraine has been the NGO People in Need. As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reached 600 days on Monday, I spoke to Petr Štefan, humanitarian aid coordinator in the country, and I first...

Jakub König comes out of the Kittchen with...

Czech singer-songwriter Jakub König came to attention with the DIY project Kittchen and as frontman of the large band Zvíře jménem Podzim. He has now released Hvězdy (Stars), his first LP under his own name. The relatively upbeat eight-track...

Czech humour is something we can ‘all learn...

If you’re an Instagram user living in Prague, you may have scrolled past content by the account Just Czech Things, a profile with over 65k followers run by 32-year-old Arthur Kornienko. Originally from Russia, Kornienko is often mistaken as a...

Prague-based journalist detained in Russia

Journalist Alsu Kurmasheva has been detained in Russia and charged with failing to register as a foreign agent. The Prague-based editor at Radio Free Europe’s Tatar-Bashkir service faces up to five years in jail if she is found guilty by the...

NOS LADINS – WE LADINS | DISCOVERING ALTA...

It is the people who live there who make it an authentic place, rich in culture and traditions, which are handed down from generation to generation. The project Nos Ladins – We Ladins aims to bring tourists closer to the local traditions...

Holocaust survivor Erbenová: I’ve lost my...

Among those receiving an award at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday for promoting the good name of Czechia will be Holocaust survivor and writer Eva Erbenová. Aged 92, she arrived in the country last week on a government plane...

“It’s our responsibility to help”:...

An exhibition on Czech humanitarian aid and development cooperation was unveiled on the Dvořák embankment in Prague on Tuesday. Organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it aims to raise awareness of the different ways in which Czechia is...

Political scientist: Gov. will pay high...

Halfway through its term in office the Fiala administration has pushed through a package of austerity measures aimed at reducing the steep deficit in public finances. In order to do so, it had to break its election promise not to raise taxes...

Míla Furstová’s illustrations for Babička...

Czech Post recently released a special edition of stamps featuring illustrations from Božena Němcová’s novel The Grandmother (Babička) by the Czech-British artist Míla Furstová. The colourful etchings were originally created for the most recent...

Martin Dvořák: from regional mayor to the...

Martin Dvořák started making his mark on public life during the Velvet Revolution of 1989. As a young, obscure economist at a meat processing plant in Eastern Bohemia, he played a pivotal role in establishing the local branch of the Civic...

Drumming for Bubny: a protest against...

The annual event Drumming for Bubny, commemorating the victims of the first Nazi transport of Jews from Prague on October 16, 1941, will take place at the site of the Bubny railway station on Monday evening. Organized by the Memorial of...

Czech government’s austerity package gets...

The Fiala government has won approval for its austerity package in the Chamber of Deputies. The set of reforms, which aims to put a handbrake on the growing deficit in public finances, includes tax hikes, cuts in subsidies and lay-offs and will...

“Warning strike” calls for increased funding...

Professors and faculty members at universities across the country are taking part in a nationwide warning strike on Tuesday to protest against the underfunding of various faculties and the worsening conditions for academic staff. To learn more...

WINKLEIGH FEMALE Wombat TRAINING FOR SPECIAL...

The female common Winkleigh wombat at the Prague Zoo is training for abdominal examination these days. Leaning on a special gate reveals sensitive parts and builds mutual trust with the breeder. When she’s pregnant or has a baby in her...

A FEMALE CHEETAH INHABITED THE ENCLOSURE

Visitors to the Prague Zoo can observe a female cheetah in the enclosure these days. Nine-year-old Femi is most active in the morning these days. After the current cold nights, she likes to bask on the raised platform in the middle of her...

Vintage vehicles rally in Olomouc

On the 100th anniversary of the founding of what was originally a motorcycle club, the Central Moravian Automobile and Motorcycle Club organized a show of historic cars and motorcycles up to the year 1945 on the Olomouc square Horní náměstí at...

The world has changed and so must spas. How...

29 countries, 300 delegates, more than 40 buyers from all over the world. This is what the European Spa and Balneological Congress looked like. After more than 20 years, it was held in Karlovy Vary. Simultaneously with the congress, SPA-CE was...

Signal festival of light art to kick off...

The annual festival of digital and creative culture, also known as the Signal festival of light art will begin this Thursday across Prague, presenting four days of Czech and international artwork. To learn more about this year’s 11th edition, I...

Czech TV anchor Martin Řezníček speaks about...

Martin Řezníček is one of the anchors of the Czech Public Television flagship news program Události. He recently moderated a key debate in the Czech presidential election campaign. His firm and flawless performance angered one of the...

EP86: Petr Kratochvíl

Petr Kratochvíl on a new paper he co-authored which says Russia’s war on Ukraine is novel in that it is also a fight against gender and sexual equalities, with Moscow presenting itself as a defender of traditional values against the...

October 8, 1893: Náměstí Míru’s distinctive...

A spectacular ceremony accompanied the consecration of the Basilica of St. Ludmila in Prague’s Vinohrady district 130 years ago. Over 300 maidens dressed in white, the Hlahol singing club and thousands of ordinary citizens took part in the six...

“Culture is a service to the public”:...

Roughly 150 musicians took part in a public concert at Prague’s Main Railway Station on Sunday evening to raise awareness about the underfunding of culture in Czechia. The campaign, titled Let’s Not Let Culture Go Silent, is backed by two dozen...

“Kids should not feel alone”: Children’s...

A recent report from the National Institute of Mental Health in Czechia indicated that children and adolescents are suffering from anxiety and depression at staggeringly high rates, with close to 40 percent of secondary school goers affected...

Czech minister first foreign official to...

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský was the first foreign dignitary to visit Israel in the wake of Saturday’s attack on the country by the Palestinian group Hamas. He assured President Yitzhak Herzog and his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen of...

Petr Kratochvíl on Russia’s targeting of...

Russia’s war on Ukraine is novel in that it is also a fight against gender and sexual equalities. That is the central thesis of a recent paper by Petr Kratochvíl and Míla O’Sullivan from Prague’s Institute of International Relations, who say...

Deputy minister: We support Israel in...

Senior officials in Prague have strongly condemned the Hamas attack on Israel that began on Saturday. President Petr Pavel called it a reprehensible terrorist act, while Prime Minister Petr Fiala said Czechia had always stood and will stand...

“It would be huge show of support for...

Following the Hamas attack on Israel, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala says moving his country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is now a “desirable step”. This would break with previous policy of following the EU line – and Foreign Minister...

Rising opera star Patricia Burda Janečková...

Soprano Patricia Burda Janečková was one of the bright lights of the opera world. Her young life and promising career were tragically cut short by cancer to which she succumbed at the age of 25. She died on October 1, 2023. Born in Germany to...

A new fundraiser for psychological help for...

A new fundraiser for psychological aid to Ukrainian children was announced in connection with the second annual Crimean Platform Parliamentary Summit. It will be hosted by the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, in...

Czechia to be honorary guest at 2026...

The Frankfurt Book Fair, one of the world’s most prestigious literary events, has announced Czechia as its honorary guest for the 2026 edition. How important will its participation be for the country’s literature and publishing houses? I...

The National Museum is exhibiting all 38...

On October 12, 2023, an architectural exhibition entitled Czech Pavilion EXPO 2025: Competition Proposals started in the National Museum. It is organized by the Office of the General Commissioner for EXPO 2025 in cooperation with the National...

Gočárovy mlýny

In the Pardubice region, they are betting on technology. After the train museum or the exhibition of old machines, people can experience the (old) new Automatic Gočár mills 234,000 people came to hotels, boarding houses and apartments in the...