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Authentic Bohemian crown jewels on display...

Due to the huge amount of public interest, Prague Castle has extended the exhibition of the Bohemian crown jewels in St. Vitus Cathedral until next Tuesday. The exhibition, which opened to the public on Tuesday, was originally supposed to end...

Czech scientists test new inhalable drug to...

Czech scientists have developed a unique inhalable drug, which could help patients with Covid. Until now, it has only been available in solid form and has been used to treat other diseases. The liquid form of the drug, which is administered...

Pavel Pecháček: Journalist who headed Czech...

The Czech journalist and manager Pavel Pecháček has died in the United States at the age of 82. He joined the Czechoslovak section of Radio Free Europe after emigrating in the wake of the Soviet-led invasion and – after a stint at Voice of...

Conductor Jakub Hrůša wins another ICMA award

The Bamberg Symphony, led by Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša, has received the International Classical Music Award for best symphonic music for their 2022 CD featuring compositions by Austrians Hans Rott, Gustav Mahler and Anton Bruckner.

The Historical Match of Karel Poborský

Ten years ago, Karel Poborský played a football match which none of its participants or spectators will ever forget. This match took place in the remote Cameroonian town of Somalomo; Karel played the first half for the Deux-Zéro Team and the...

Pavel and Babiš in face-off for Czech...

The next president of Czechia will be either Petr Pavel or Andrej Babiš. The ex-head of the Czech Army will go into a second-round run-off against the billionaire ex-PM and ANO chairman in a fortnight’s time.

Jan Zrzavý – an important protagonist...

Jan Zrzavý was a painter, illustrator and scenographer, and a leading representative of the Czech avant-garde. He was a mysterious, solitary artist living in his own world, rarely open to anyone else. Although he was never admitted to the...

THE BREAKTHROUGH YEAR 2022 IN PRAGUE ZOO

After two “COVID” years Prague Zoo returned to normal in 2022. Despite the lower number of foreign visitors and the deteriorating economic situation a high number of visitors returned: in 2022 a total of 1,419,122 visitors passed through its...

PRAGUE ZOO BUILDS A MODERN EXHIBIT FOR...

The new exhibit complex for Przewalski’s horses and other representatives of fauna of inner Asia is currently being created in south-east corner of the Plains in the upper part of Prague Zoo. Until its opening in spring of 2024 Prague...

Jan Žižka meets Warcraft: Czech solo...

A short demo just released on Steam for an upcoming game is said to be reminiscent of Warcraft 3 – but instead of orcs, you are commanding Hussite soldiers. And instead of the giant team that was behind Warcraft, this game is the work of a...

Czech abroad: “It’s really important we can...

Among those taking part in elections for the next president, which begin on Friday, will be many thousands of Czechs living abroad. With postal ballots not an option, registered voters need to travel to a Czech embassy or consulate and cast...

Czech actor, who dubbed The Simpsons...

For decades now Prague city dwellers have been used to hearing a calm, modulated and well-known voice citing the names of the various stops on tram, bus and metro routes around the city. Who will have the privilege to be the voice that hundreds...

Piano works by Bedřich Smetana

Czech composer Bedřich Smetana is probably best-known for his set of symphonic poems Má Vlast, or My Country, as well as for his folkloristic operas and string quartets. However, the Czech music great has also written a number of piano...

Silly walkers march through Brno

People in Brno paid tribute to Monty Python’s famous Ministry of Silly Walks sketch last week on the occasion of the 10th edition of the annual international day of silly walking. Source

Czech School Without Borders: how kids in UK...

The Czech School Without Borders has been running in London since 2007, allowing children with a Czech parent to enhance their language skills and meet other kids from bilingual families. On a recent visit to the UK, I stopped by the school to...

The 340-year history of the Plzeň 35th...

The Plzeň 35th Regiment, whose fame is reflected in a song familiar to many Czechs, was founded in 1683. The military annals of the Austrian monarchy state that Emperor Leopold I commissioned George Frederick, Duke of Württemberg, to set up an...

10th Prague Iranian film fest starts in...

The 10th edition of Prague’s ÍRÁN:CI festival of Iranian film gets underway on Wednesday. This time it is taking place in the shadow of four months of unprecedented protests and brutal repression in Iran – a situation which has greatly shaped...

Czech scientists tracing origins of medieval...

Czech scientists, in cooperation with their colleagues from Great Britain, are carrying out research aimed at tracing the origins of medieval Gregorian chants. They are doing so with the help of computational algorithms, that are commonly used...

Discovery by Brno scientists may lead to...

A team of scientists from Brno has announced a unique discovery that could contribute to an innovative and sustainable way of lighting in the future, possibly even replacing electric light bulbs. The results of their study, based on the inner...

Dakar Rally ends for Aleš Loprais with...

The 2023 Dakar Rally was only a few days away from ending and Czech rally raid truck driver Aleš Loprais was in the lead. But he has now confirmed that he is dropping out of the famous race following an incident where a spectator died after...

“We felt like Czechoslovaks and we still do”...

Despite the Velvet Divorce, relations between Czechia and Slovakia still remain very close. This is perhaps most evident in the Moravian Slovakia region, which lies on the border between the two countries. Radio Prague International visited the...

“What is this game?” – The steady rise of...

Although still a largely unknown sport among the majority of Czechs, cricket has been played in Czechia since at least the 1990s. Today the country boasts several leagues as well as a national team that has even set some records. The sport is...

Prague library artwork becomes viral hit...

Prague’s Municipal Library has recently become a hit among foreign tourists visiting the Czech capital. The reason? An artwork called Idiom that has been in the library’s lobby since 1998, and which has just recently become a hit on social...

Chef Adina Biguine on creating Prague...

Adina Biguine was born in Kyrgyzstan, but spent more than half of her life in Prague. She originally came to the Czech capital to study at the Faculty of Humanities, but instead of psychology, she decided to pursue the art of pastry making...

Czech government approves big changes to...

The Czech government has approved an amendment to the Road Traffic Act that will mean higher penalties for the most serious transgressions such as speeding and drink-driving, while allowing young people to start driving a year earlier, from the...

Meryl Streepová, or Streep? Daily’s move...

On moving to the Czech Republic, many foreigners are surprised to find famous women such as Hillary Clinton and Meryl Streep referred to in the Czech media as ‘Hillary Clintonová’ and ‘Meryl Streepová’. Now one Czech news outlet has sparked...

“Czechia has changed” – Fiala hosts special...

Monday saw no fewer than nine former Czech prime ministers attend a special dinner hosted by the country’s current head of government, Petr Fiala. The get together was organised on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of...

Minister: Success of EU presidency shifted...

Days after it ended, cabinet members publicly assessed Czechia’s presidency of the European Union on Tuesday. The Europe minister said the country’s success during six months at the helm of the EU had surprised fellow members – and improved its...

Czechia to host several international music...

Next year Prague is set to see the goodbye concert of Kiss, a return of Maroon 5 and the first ever visit of Jack Black’s Tenacious D. In Brno, locals can look forward to bands such as Deep Purple or the Hollywood Vampires led by Johnny Depp...

Thirty years on: Czechs and Slovaks still...

Czechs and Slovaks are marking 30 years since they parted in what has become known as the Velvet Divorce. Although the two nations have gone their separate ways, culturally they remain very close and nowhere is this more evident than in the...

Survey suggests stigma around mental health...

Stigma around mental health issues and seeking professional help to deal with them has traditionally been high in Czechia. But a survey suggests attitudes may be changing, even among the older generation. According to OECD data, Czechia seems...

František Kupka: innovator in abstract art

František Kupka was the first artist in the world to publicly exhibit abstract art and received a lot of negative reviews for doing so. But nowadays his abstract paintings sell for millions – in 2021 one of his works fetched over GBP 7.5...

Jaroslav Hašek: The Improbable Titan of...

Jaroslav Hašek, author of the most translated Czech book The Good Soldier Švejk, died 100 years ago today ( January 3, 1923) before he had reached the age of forty. Vit Pohanka looks at the life and work of this improbable titan of Czech...

Czech master craftsman: “Whole world is...

One of the biggest movies in the world at present, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, has a Czech connection. The Netflix hit heavily features crystal sculptures made by a small company from North Bohemia. The current number one film globally...

Czech scientists warn toxins from fireworks...

Millions of people round the world have got used to seeing the New Year in with a grandiose fireworks display. Now Czech scientists from the Academy of Sciences are warning about the damage that the harmful chemicals from fireworks can do to...

Soviet-era Russian dissident Viktor...

Soviet-era Russian dissident Viktor Fainberg, one of the eight brave human rights activists who risked their lives to protest against the Soviet-led occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1968, has died at the age of 91. Fainberg was locked up in a...

Economist: Recession will hit Czechia harder...

Demand is falling and the economy is headed for recession according to the head of the Czech National Bank Aleš Michl. Meanwhile, the IMF’s chief Kristalina Georgieva has said that half of the European Union will experience a recession in 2023...

European Commission approves revolutionary...

The European Commission recently approved a new prostate cancer drug called Pluvicto, co-developed by a Czech researcher. The revolutionary treatment, designed for patients with advanced prostate cancer for whom other treatments have proved...

The rise and fall of Czechoslovakism

Czechoslovakism, the idea of a unitary political Czechoslovak nation with two ethnic and linguistic branches, was one of the foundational ideas of the First Czechoslovak Republic. It was born of both political pragmatism and 19th century...

“It was falling apart by itself” –...

This January marks 30 years since the end of the common Czech and Slovak state. While some of the phenomena that ultimately led to the Czechoslovak split can be identified already in the early and mid-20th century, the separation of the two...

Czech and Slovak: languages or dialects?

“A language is a dialect with an army and a navy.” This is the maxim often cited to explain the sometimes arbitrary distinctions between languages and dialects. So what about the case of Czech and Slovak, which are generally considered to be...

Child carolers take center stage in most...

Traditionally, the arrival of the New Year kicks off the largest and most successful fund-raiser in the country. The Three Kings Collection involves thousands of children taking to the streets in groups of three dressed as the three wise men...

Covid pandemic led Czech company to print...

It weighs just two kilograms and can be packed for travel, but it sounds just like the wooden original. The 3D printed cellos made by the Přerov-based company Sensio.cz are being exported across the world and the business has plans to expand...

People in Need halts programmes in...

In response to the Taliban‘s crackdown on women’s rights in Afghanistan, several international aid organisations, including the Czech NGO People in Need, have suspended their programmes in the country. Last weekend the Afghan Ministry of the...

Yemi A.D. on being Czechia’s and Nigeria’s...

Czech artist Yemi Ayinkemi Dele (professionally known as Yemi A.D.) is one of eight people selected to join Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa on a trip around the Moon on board Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket next year. The dancer and choreographer...

Toyen: the unconventional surrealist rebel

Toyen was unconventional in many ways for a woman of her time and even by today’s standards, both in her life and art. She rejected gender conformism, favouring a gender-neutral pseudonym over her birth name, referring to herself in Czech...

A Stitch in Time: Part 6 – Bellbottoms...

This is the last episode in our series A Stitch in Time, where young people tell stories from their family’s past. We have a taste of sugarcane from Guangdong province in China, we meet a Jewish boy in Baltimore who remembers his own...

Olympic champion Ledecká named Czech...

Ester Ledecká has been crowned Czech Sportsperson of the Year for the second time. The 27-year-old took her third Olympic gold medal in Beijing – but perhaps surprisingly says that wasn’t the high point of her 2022. Ester Ledecká was named...

Prague installing electric charging points...

The number of electric vehicles in Czechia is growing and according to official estimates their number could reach 100,000 by 2030. Most of them will be in the capital city. Prague has therefore decided to increase the number of charging...

What ingredients should go in Christmas Eve...

Virtually every Czech household will be eating some form of potato salad as part of their Christmas Eve dinner – but everyone seems to have their own recipe and surprisingly the list of ingredients can spark heated debate between the...

Best-known Czech Christmas pop songs

This edition of Sunday Music Show marks the Fourth Sunday of Advent, called Golden Sunday here in Czechia, when people light the last candle on their Christmas wreath. To help you get into the festive spirit we’ll be listening to some of the...

5 Key Factors for Running a Successful Small...

Running a successful small business requires a combination of hard work, planning, and the ability to adapt to changing conditions. In order to achieve success, you must be prepared to go the extra mile and make smart decisions that will...

When Two Become One: Navigating...

The number of cross-cultural marriages in Czechia is on the rise. Last year alone close to 5,000 Czechs tied the knot with a partner from a different cultural background. Kevin Loo explores the challenges and joys of being married to a Czech...

December 1997: First lung transplant takes...

The first lung transplantation was performed by the team of Professor Pavel Pafko from the Prague Motol University Hospital on December 22, 1997. The first patient with a lung transplant in Czechia is Josef Moravec, from Nymburk. The man, who...

Prague arthouse cinema Kino Pilotů wins...

Independent Prague cinema Kino Pilotů received a prize for Best Programming at the Europa Cinemas Awards earlier this month – the first time a Czech movie theatre has won. But what makes the small “kino” so special? Film buffs and cinema...

Czech project offers imperfect Christmas...

Over a million Christmas trees are sold in Czechia each year, many of them having been imported from as far as Denmark and Norway. A new initiative, called Zachraň stromek or Save a Tree, has come up with a more sustainable way of celebrating...

Manu Chilaud: We said, How can someone...

Nobody is as impacted by the freezing weather we have had recently in Czechia as the homeless. However, some are being helped by the Iglou, which offers an alternative to night shelters. The portable emergency shelter was introduced to this...

Journalist: Czech presidency kept EU united...

Czechia’s six-month presidency of the European Union is slowly coming to a close. Petr Fiala’s cabinet took over the role at a challenging moment, with Russia still waging war against Ukraine and energy prices rocketing. So what have been the...

How trees and carp became essential elements...

On Saturday, December 24, many Czechs will be putting up and decorating Christmas trees – and enjoying the common seasonal dinner of carp and potato salad. But while Czech seasonal traditions are much loved, some are relatively new – and have...

Czech Christmas traditions

As our Christmas gift to you, RPI is showcasing some Czech Christmas traditions for you to try at home. Do you already practice any of these? Watch the video here.

Czechs give record amount to charity in 2022

Despite the economic crisis, Czechs have donated a record amount to charity this year. According to preliminary statistics of the Czech Donors Forum, the final sum collected in 2022 is expected to reach some CZK 15 billion. This year, the money...

“I was euphoric”: Český Krumlov marks 30...

Český Krumlov, one of Czechia’s best preserved historic towns, is celebrating three decades since it was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. The listing placed the town on the global tourist map with tens of millions of visitors...

Let’s invite natural stone back into...

Natural stone has been one of the most used elements in construction since the beginning of time, due to its excellent characteristics. Today, we can see a great comeback of natural stone, and the key to keeping the current trend fresh is using...

The war started in Crimea, it will also end...

Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Markéta Pekarová Adamová spoke and actively participated at the First Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimean Platform which took place in the building of the National and University Library in...

EU meeting

Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Markéta Pekarová Adamová organized a meeting of chairpersons of EU parliaments in Brussels to discuss the situation of Ukrainian refugees. The meeting was also attended by the Deputy Speaker of the...

Embassy of the Republic of Korea house –...

Few weeks ago the Embassy of the Republic of Korea celebrated the Grand Opening of the New Chancery of the Embassy The Ambassador H.E. Mr. Tae-jin Kim hosted an event attended by the Prime Minister Mr. Petr Fiala, Presidential Envoy and...

Let’s act together to create a CLIMATE...

Healthy ecosystems provide food and food security, clean water, carbon sinks, and protection against natural disasters caused by climate change. They are essential for our long-term survival, wellbeing, prosperity, and security, as they are the...

Ceremony at Terezin commemorates the Turkish...

Speech by H.E. Mr. Egemen Bağış, Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to Prague Today on this cold winter day, most of us came here with our comfortable cars in our warm and cozy clothing. And we will stay here for less than an hour. However...

Říčany best place to live in Czechia...

The best place to live in Czechia is the Central Bohemian town of Říčany, followed by Prague according to this year’s Quality of Life Index put together by the Obce v Datech project. The annual list is created by using big data analysis to...

Scientists announce major breakthrough in...

An international team of scientists working to save the northern white rhino from extinction has announced a major breakthrough. They have succeeded in cultivating primordial germ cells, the precursors of rhino eggs and sperm, from stem cells...

Pakistan event

The Ambassador of Pakistan H.H Mr. Muhammad Khalid Jamali host at his resident a reception for the participants and organizers of 7th interfaith conference jointly being organized by Czech ministry of Foreign affairs, IIR, Anna lindh foundation...

Václav Havel Street inauguration in...

A new street dedicated to the late Czech president, dissident and playwright Václav Havel was unveiled in Luxembourg on Tuesday. The ceremony, marking a symbolic end to the Czech presidency of the EU Council, was attended by Czech Prime...

Prague exhibition highlights Jan Kaplický’s...

Architect Jan Kaplický earned an international reputation for futuristic projects that often resemble something out of a sci-fi movie. Now one of his earliest realised projects, a London apartment designed in the 1980s, has been brought back to...

Happy Birthday, José: renowned Argentine...

Celebrated Argentine tenor, composer and conductor José Cura has a long-standing relationship with Czechia: in addition to recording an album of love songs by Dvořák in 2003, he was also a resident artist for three years with the Prague...

Are Czechs “couch potatoes”?

Czechs are not very mobile or quick to act. At least that is the generally accepted truth. But are Czechs as a nation really lacking in enterprising spirit, curiosity, and mobility? There is a well-known Czech fairy tale character called...

Ultra high res Slav Epic part of major new...

A new project on the Google Arts & Culture platform is a real treasure trove, bringing together over 3,000 Czech art works from some of the country’s top institutions. Entitled The HeART of Czechia, it was launched within the Czech EU...

Prague’s festive Christmas markets in full...

With Christmas just around the corner, there’s no better time than now to stop by one of Prague’s many Christmas markets. Czechs may be buying less this year but they are enjoying the good cheer. It’s the most festive time of the year and...

Light of Bethlehem arrives in Czechia

Czech scout troops have collected the Light of Bethlehem, a modern symbol of the Christmas season, from their colleagues at the Austrian border this past weekend. They will now distribute it across the country, placing it in churches and...

Josef Čapek: Avantgarde Czech painter...

Josef Čapek was a Czech painter, writer, photographer, graphic designer and book illustrator. He is the elder brother of the writer Karel Čapek, with whom he worked closely, and contrary to popular belief it was Josef who coined the word...

Czechs increasingly attracted to...

“Digital nomad” is a phrase that many of us have been hearing increasingly frequently in recent years. In 2021, Merriam-Webster even added the term to their dictionary. And Czechs are no exception to this trend – more and more of them are...

A Stitch in Time: Part 5 – On Cowsheds and...

In this episode we have four stories set in the Czech or Moravian countryside, tales of ordinary people living through times that were anything but ordinary. Three of them take us back to the Stalinist years of the early 1950s in...

December 1922: Artists Květa and Jitka...

The acclaimed Czech artists Květa and Jitka Válová, who were twins, were born 100 years ago, on December 13, 1922. The sisters shared a date of birth, a lifelong home in the formerly industrial town of Kladno, near Prague, and great artistic...

Czech classical music great Antonín Dvořák

Along with Bedřich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák is perhaps the best known Czech composer. Contemporary accounts from the time of his life show that it was not just Dvořák’s music that made an impression on people, but his character as well.

Ukrainian soldiers begin training in Czechia

Ukrainian soldiers have begun training here in Czechia, days after the country’s legislators approved such a move. Meanwhile, the country’s commitment to helping the country is reflected in a report that one Czech factory is producing a tank...