AuthorMartin Hladík

Photo: Mystify / YouTube

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

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

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

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Authors: Ian Willoughby, Juan Pablo Bertazza

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

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

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

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

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

“Having a job as a REWARD”

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

Photo: Zuzana Jarolímková, iROZHLAS.cz

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

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

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

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

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

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo: Štěpánka Budková, Radio Prague International

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

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

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

See the rest here.

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

Photo: Kateřina Šulová, ČTK

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

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

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

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

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

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: archive of Jean Svoboda

Imagine knowing little to nothing about your roots, your lineage shrouded in the mists of time and distance. This was the reality for Jean Svoboda, an Australian with a Czech father and Latvian mother. Despite being born and raised down under, Jean’s heritage whispered tales from far-off lands, tales she knew she had to uncover.

See the rest here.

Author: Vít Pohanka

Photo: Blanka Mazalová, Czech Radio

A valuable book from the early 16th century, which went missing from the Olomouc Archbishopric more than 80 years ago, was recently rediscovered. The postil, or a set of comments on Biblical texts, was officially handed over this week by the Italian police, who seized it at an auction in Trieste last year.

The lost and found 16th century book, which disappeared from the Olomouc Archbishopric in the 1940s, contains interpretations of New Testament epistles and gospels that were read at Mass during the liturgical year. Its editor was an unknown Dominican, William of Paris, who died in 1485.

The copy in question was published in Basel in 1518. It is lavishly decorated with woodcuts by a local artist and bound in brown leather adorned with a blind-print of the Crucifixion. How it got from Basel to Olomouc is also a bit of a mystery, says archivist Štěpán Kohout:

“We know that it was in the hands of a Bohemian Protestant who wrote down notes in the margins, some with a strongly anti-Catholic tone. Then it somehow came into the hands of the Olomouc priest David Pipper of Jáchymov, who was also the chapter librarian, and he donated the book to the library.”

See the rest here.

Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Blanka Mazalová

Scientists from Masaryk University in Brno set out on Wednesday on their 20th expedition to the Johan Gregor Mendel Polar Station on Antarctica’s James Ross Island. The 16-member team includes climatologists, geologists, but also two filmmakers. I discussed the goals of this year’s mission with Daniel Nývlt, head of the Czech Antarctic Research:

“The main aim is still the same: a long-term monitoring of climate and a complex evaluation of marginal Antarctic geo and ecosystems. We carry out long-term monitoring of local glaciers, permafrost and active layer, and also the deglaciated areas where numerous lakes and streams evolved. We also do microbiological research and the research of local biota, which is present in deglaciated areas of James Ross Island.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

The two-week-old female is the first addition to the group of gorillas living in the Dja Reserve pavilion. At the same time, she is also the granddaughter of the legendary gorilla Moji. She became the first ever bred gorilla in the Czech Republic, and her story can thus continue thanks to the new cub. Photo by Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo

The baby lowland gorilla, which was born at the Prague Zoo on January 2, Duni, is a female. The director of the Prague Zoo, Miroslav Bobek, told media representatives. The gender was determined based on a special blood test performed at the Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine.

The public will now have the opportunity to choose a name for the cub from ten suggestions made by children from the area of the real Dja Biosphere Reserve in Cameroon, Central Africa.

“Yes, it’s a female!” said the director of the Prague Zoo, Miroslav Bobek. “And a lot of people were clear about that even before our announcement today. When I did two polls on different social networks about the gender of the baby gorilla, both came out roughly 2:1 in favor of female. The discussion posts also showed a firm belief that it was a female. Father’s Wish Thoughts? Perhaps. But I do not think that. I’m sure some people just recognized it. The little gorilla’s face has ‘girlish’ features that many of us perceive, even if only subconsciously. It wouldn’t be surprising. Gorillas are perhaps extremely close to us in all respects. As I say, they’re just slightly different people.’

The gender was confirmed based on a special examination in which DNA was isolated from the umbilical cord blood and umbilical cord.

“First, we isolated DNA from the placenta and umbilical cord. Here, we subsequently exposed the polymerase chain reaction with special primers, that is, with the help of those primers, we amplified the section located on the Y chromosome, which carries a gene called SRY – it determines the male sex,” explains Professor Jiří Rubeš from the Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine in Brno. “We then used the DNA for gel electrophoresis, which determined whether the gene was there or not.

Prague Zoo decided to reach out to children from the area of the real Dja Biosphere Reserve in Central African Cameroon, who participated in the Roaming Bus project, to come up with name suggestions for the female gorilla. The public will then choose the final name from them. Photo by Oliver Le Que, Prague Zoo

So when we discovered the absence of this gene, it was clear that it was a female. In the case of his presence, on the other hand, the cub would be male.”

With the knowledge of the gender, nothing stands in the way of choosing a name for the baby. Prague Zoo asked children who live in the vicinity of the Dja Biosphere Reserve in Cameroon, where the zoo has been running the educational project Wandering Bus for over 10 years. These children took a trip on the Wandering Bus and thus became guardians of the gorillas and the entire ecosystem there.

Starting tomorrow (19.1.2024), the Czech public can choose the winner of the poll from ten proposals in the local Badjoué dialect on the website idnes.cz.

“The little female gorilla is not only the result of the great work of the breeders at the Prague Zoo, but also the decision to build a new pavilion at the Reserve Dja. Without him, it would not be possible to continue breeding these critically endangered primates, and for a long time the only group of gorillas in the whole of the Czech Republic would live without the possibility of breeding. Everything went smoothly and now we are looking forward not only to the granddaughter of the iconic Moja, but also to the next cub that will be born in the spring,” said in her speech the deputy mayor of the City of Prague for the environment Jana Komrsková.

The baby gorilla is enjoying good health and her mother Duni is increasingly allowing other members of the group to approach the cub, especially the female Kijiva. The seven-year-old male Ajabu continues to be the most curious member. He regularly sits with Duni and the cub and tries to establish contact with him. People can watch these interactions from the comfort of a large auditorium in the warmth of the pavilion. The best time is when feeding around 10 a.m. and then again after 3 p.m.

Photo: Petr Veber, Czech Radio

Gustav Mahler, one of the greatest composers of the early 20th century was born in Vysočina Region, also known as the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. Mahler’s birthplace in the village of Kaliště now serves as a guesthouse, restaurant, and concert venue adorned with the composer’s images and artworks.

Czechs like to think of themselves as a nation of musicians. While it’s challenging to gauge the musicality of over 10 million individuals, one undeniable fact is that this country has produced several globally renowned composers. Among them, Leoš Janáček and Antonín Dvořák are perhaps the most celebrated. Yet, there’s another luminary with roots in Czechia who gained fame far beyond its borders: Gustav Mahler.

See the rest here.

Author: Vít Pohanka

Photo: CES on-line/Centrální evidence sbírek muzejní povahy

Born in 1874, Josef Suk was known as one of the great Czech lyricists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was one of Antonín Dvořák’s favorite pupils, and also became personally close to his mentor – so much so that he married his daughter, Otýlie, in 1898.

What followed were some of the happiest years of Suk’s life. The couple had one child, a son, also named Josef, that same year.

But the second half of his life was marked by tragedy. Over the span of 14 months in 1904 – 1905, not only did Suk lose his mentor, Dvořák, but also his wife. Otýlie died of heart failure aged 27 in 1905, a year after her father. These events inspired Suk’s Azrael Symphony, named after the Angel of Death.

The first half of his life and career was markedly more cheerful. In his youth, Suk followed in the tradition of the Romantic composers. As well as Antonín Dvořák, he also learned from Johannes Brahms, whose influence can be clearly seen in his Symphony in E major, which he composed in 1899, a year after his marriage to Otýlie.

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The 2024 Ice Hockey U18 Women’s World Championship is underway in Switzerland, and Czechia is on track to play for a medal for the first time since 2014. But the response from some Czech observers, has been far from supportive for the professional athletes dressing for their country. Two time bronze medal winner for the Czech women’s national ice hockey team Blanka Škodová posted a tweet about her thoughts on the response these young athletes have been getting, sparking a discussion around how female hockey players are treated. I spoke with Škodová about her thoughts on the matter.

I want to start by asking you what exactly you’ve been observing in regards to the online comments about the women’s U18 championship?

“I was not expecting much of this when I posted it on Twitter. I only meant to use my small platform to express my frustration over these comments, and I wanted to point them out. A few people reached out to me saying what a great initiative it was, and how they could support the statement too, and that really showed me that it was the right time to speak out. I really just couldn’t take it any longer, because I can’t imagine how these girls feel about it.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Václav Šálek, ČTK

Skaters took to the frozen surface of the Baťa Canal in the Hodonín region at the weekend. Some played ice hockey on the frozen waterway while others skated several kilometres between villages and other spots along the canal.

Source: ČTK

Photo: Prague 6

The first specialized center for victims of sexual violence in Czechia is due to open in Prague on Monday. The facility will offer victims psychological support and assistance, as well as short-term accommodation enabling them to take stock of their situation in peace.

The PORT center was established by the ProFem organization, which helps victims of domestic and sexual violence. The head of the organization, Jitka Poláková, says that a facility offering shelter and comprehensive support has been desperately lacking in this country.

“According to the results of our latest research, which has yet to be published, 20 percent of Czech women have experienced rape. This comprehensive help center is a pilot project and we hope that in due time other such centers will be created around the country.”

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová, Source:Český rozhlas

On Thursday 18.1.2024 at Prague Castle, President Petr Pavel welcomed several dozen representatives of the Integrated Rescue System who intervened in the case of a shooter at the University’s Faculty of Arts Karlovy on December 21 last year.

He met with police officers, doctors and paramedics, firefighters, as well as psychologists and interventionists. The President primarily wanted to thank them for their commitment on the day of the tragic event, but also to talk to them about what their work entailed.

“I am extremely appreciative of the fact that you did everything in your power and in accordance with the applicable rules. I want to thank you all and at the same time wish you never to do this again they did not have to participate in the intervention,” said President Pavel to those present at the beginning of the meeting.

The meeting was also attended by the Director of the Regional Directorate of the Police, Petr Matějček, the Director of the Fire Rescue Service, Vladimír Vlček, and the Director of the Prague Rescue Service, Petr Kolouch.

foto: Tomáš Fongus

On Monday, January 15, 2024, President Pavel started a three-day trip to the Middle East in Israel. The trip was planned for a long time, President Pavel received the invitation to Israel shortly after his election as president. He started his visit with a meeting with the President of Israel, Yitzchak Herzog , with whom he talked about the security situation in the country and assistance to Palestinian civilians. Due to the long-term strategic partnership between the two countries, business cooperation and the future of relations were also a big topic.

“I am happy to say that the Czech Republic considers Israel not only a friend but also a strategic partner. We stand in solidarity with your right to fight terrorism and defend your population, but at the same time we care about civilian victims, because civilians on both sides have the same right to be protected, and that is why we are concerned about the level of humanitarian aid and access to humanitarian aid,” said President Pavel after meeting with President Herzog. President Pavel also met with the Speaker of the Knesset, Amir Ochana, and with the member of the war cabinet and the chairman of the National Unity Bloc, Benny Gantz, who served as the alternate prime minister in 2020-2021. He also held talks with current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At the press conference, President Pavel announced that the Czech Republic has decided to send a total of ten million crowns for humanitarian aid, five million for aid to Palestinian civilians, and five million for Israeli medical organizations.

President Petr Pavel met with the families of the kidnapped hostages in the presence of Minister of Foreign Affairs Israel Katz and visited the Austrian Pilgrimage Hospice at the Holy Family in Jerusalem.

The second day of the official visit to Israel was started by the President of the Republic, Petr Pavel, on his way to the Erez military base, which was affected by the terrorist attacks of October 7 last year. He met Lt. Col. Amnon Shefler here. The main topic of the meeting was the distribution of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

After that, the president of the republic discussed with the leadership of the Israel National Cyber Directorate, among other things, the cyber dimension of the war. The meeting was accompanied by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of cyber cooperation, which was signed by the director of NÚKIB, Lukáš Kintr, on behalf of the Czech side.

“The signing of this memorandum places us in an elite group of states that deal with cyber security at a top level. Here, too, we had the opportunity to see how dramatically cyber attacks have increased since October 7, not only against Israeli institutions but also against other states that express support for Israel in any way. I am glad that I could see it with my own eyes, because I can get a real picture not only of the situation related to humanitarian aid, but also of the situation related to cyber security, and therefore the security of all of us,” said the President of the Republic after the meeting at the press briefing.

President Pavel also addressed the topic of cyber security in the afternoon during a tour of the cyber security operations center.

In parallel with the program of the President of the Republic, the program of the business delegation accompanying him on the state visit was also taking place, including, for example, representatives of the Union of Industry and Transport of the Czech Republic, the Association of Manufacturers and Suppliers of Medical Devices, the Association of Companies of the Czech Railway Industry, the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry or cyber security companies CyWeTa.

The President of the Republic continued his trip to the Middle East on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, flying from Israel to Qatar. The main point of his agenda was a meeting with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Sani in his palace. The topic was the role of Qatar in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but above all the cooperation between the two states, for example in the fields of energy, defense, and tourism.

“Qatar is one of the countries in the region with which it is important to have a dialogue because they are able to moderate sensitive issues and are inclined to have individual states communicate more with each other and try to find common solutions, which is definitely in our interest,” said President Pavel at the press briefing after the meeting.

President Pavel also met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah.

He visited the traditional marketplace in Doha and at the Czech embassy, which has been operating in the country since 2022, he met with Czech compatriots who have been living in Qatar for a long time.

foto: Zuzana Bönisch

Photo: Czech Television

Palach Week, which occurred 10 months before protests that toppled Czechoslovakia’s Communist regime, began 35 years ago, on January 15, 1989. The demonstrations were brutally suppressed – but still signaled a growing willingness to reject the regime.

What became known as Palach Week, the most significant street protests in Czechoslovakia prior to the Velvet Revolution, began on Sunday January 15, 1989.

The initial aim was to commemorate the self-immolation of student Jan Palach in central Prague exactly two decades earlier.

Co-organisers Charter 77 had announced in advance their intention of laying flowers in tribute to Palach. The Communist authorities duly banned the event – and were waiting, says historian Jan Adamec.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Martina Schneibergová, Radio Prague International

Participants of talks on developing a peace formula for Russia’s war on Ukraine met in Davos last Sunday and President Zelensky subsequently asked Switzerland to organize a high-profile peace conference on the drawn-out conflict. I spoke to Czech Deputy Foreign Minister Jan Marian, who represented Czechia at the Davos talks, to find out how much progress was made and whether the prospects for peace have improved.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová

Photo: Czech Foreign Ministry

Prague has been hitting back at propaganda launched after Czechia recently refused a Russian “summons” to the UN Security Council. With the social media campaign “Pro-Kremlin Fairy Tales”, the Czech Foreign Ministry is using humour to highlight the absurdity of Russian claims, combining storybook images with biting commentary. Karel Smékal, head of communications at the ministry, explains.

“This particular campaign is reacting to a number of preposterous statements from the Russian side that we noticed in the last couple of weeks.

“Of course, when those statements appeared the first, principal reaction that Czechia had, and has, is the official one, made by official diplomatic statement.

“But since in the last weeks we noticed that Russian propaganda has taken aim at Czechia in several cases we felt that it would be OK to also react in a maybe slightly non-traditional way.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Jaroslav Winter, Broumov Monastery

A copy of the Shroud of Turin, venerated by some as the believed burial shroud of Jesus Christ, was discovered at Czechia’s Broumov Monastery a quarter century ago. The rare artefact is now held at a different monastery, at Prague’s Břevnov, while a replica is on show today in Broumov.

The work was discovered in January 1999 in a wooden box behind a stucco wreath in a church in the Broumov Monastery by its then administrator.

According to a Latin inscription on the rectangular strip of cloth, it was donated in 1651 by the Archbishop of Turin, Julius Caesar Bergiria, to the abbot of the Church of St. Nicholas in Prague’s Old Town (and later archbishop of Prague), Matouš Ferdinand Sobek from Bílenberk. He dedicated it to Broumov Monastery.

See the rest here.

Photo: Barbora Němcová, Radio Prague International

Karel Janovický a Czech-born composer, pianist and broadcaster, died last week in the United Kingdom at the age of 93. Janovický escaped from communist Czechoslovakia in 1949 and settled in London, where he worked for the BBC and headed the station’s Czechoslovak section in the 1980s.

Karel Janovický, whose real name was Bohuš František Šimsa, left Czechoslovakia in October 1949 with his future wife Sylva, following the Communist takeover in February 1948.

He continued his studies in England, graduating from the Royal College of Music and eventually started working for the BBC. He spoke about it in an interview for Radio Prague in 2008:

“It took a long time for me to get some freelance work for the BBC at the beginning, and then I got into the gramophone department of Radio 3, which was the classical music station – in 1964 in fact – so it was quite late in the day. Before then I earned my living as a freelance musician, composer, teacher.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Petra Hajská, The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Renowned Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša granted an interview to the Czech Centre New York just before conducting the first of his three concerts with the New York Philharmonic and violinist Hilary Hahn.

How many times have you actually played with the New York Philharmonic?

“I’m performing with the New York Philharmonic this week for I think the fourth or fifth time. It’s always a great experience. The New Yorkers are an extremely technically equipped orchestra, which also has a very vigorous and lively sound, their concerts always have a lot of ‘juice.’

“However, we also fit each other very well personally. The ensemble has become much younger in recent years, and I can say from my experience that they are very open to both new repertoire and new ideas in pieces that they have played countless times. Simply put, working with them is very creative, freeing and personally satisfying.

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Author: Miroslav Konvalina

Farewell to the General Manager of Hilton Prague Michael Specking and Welcome to his successor, Ryan Gauci

On January 10, 2024, The Hilton Prague celebrated a memorable farewell event for its esteemed General Manager, Michael Specking, who was retiring after nearly 17 years at Hilton Prague.

The event brought together ambassadors, clients, business partners, and other special guests to bid him farewell and welcome the new General Manager, Ryan Gauci.

The evening unfolded in the mystical ambiance of “Alchemist’, filled with enchantment, time travel, and captivating performances. The highlight of the evening was the symbolic passing of the key, as Michael handed it over the Ryan.

Michael expressed his gratitude for the support and collaboration of the Hilton Prague team, guests, and partners throughout his time in Prague.

Ryan addressed the gathering with enthusiasm and gratitude. He shared his excitement about the opportunity to lead the flagship Hilton Prague into a new chapter aiming to continue the hotel’s tradition of providing exceptional services and memorable experiences.

Adding to the significance, Hilton representatives Mr Dominique Piquemal, VP Luxury Operations EMEA, and Mr. Ben Bengougam SVP HR EMEA took the stage. They expressed appreciation to Michael for his contributions and extended a warm welcome to Ryan, wishing him all the best in his new role.

Czech scientists have developed a system that uses artificial intelligence to detect shooting and the type of weapon used. In a critical situation, the acoustic detector can provide the police with essential information in a matter of seconds.

The tragic shooting at Charles University has sparked a heated debate on Czech gun ownership legislation. It has also raised the question of safety measures that could help minimize the risk and help the crisis response to such incidents in the future.

Scientists from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague are now working on a new type of acoustic gun detector. While a device of this kind has already been used for some time, their detector is the first to use neural networks to identify the type of weapon that was used to fire a shot, says Jakub Svatoš from the faculty’s Department of Measurement:

“The uniqueness of this system is the use of neural networks to identify the calibre of the weapon that fired the shot. It differs from other systems in that, in addition to detecting and locating the shooter, it can also determine with a high probability what type of weapon was fired.”

See the rest here.

Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Martina Mašková

Photo: Technologie hlavního města Prahy

A replica of a famous clock tower that used to stand outside Prague’s Florenc metro station for nearly four decades has returned to its former location. The original steel structure from the mid-1980s had degraded beyond repair due to extensive corrosion and had to be removed in 2020.

The clock tower, called Radio Clock, designed by academic sculptor Rudolf Svoboda in 1985, shows the time in a number of ways, including a world time board indicating time in ten world capitals, says art curator Agáta Hošnová from the Prague City Gallery:

“It’s a 12-meters-long vertical sculpture that carries a round clock of very simple design. The clock is embedded in one of the two vertical towers that are kind of reaching towards the sky.

“What I think is the most interesting element of the sculpture is situated in its lower part. It’s an old analogue flip clock that shows different real times from around the world.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Facebook profile Saša jede

A four-year old Czech girl called Zara made headlines earlier this month when she reportedly became the youngest female to reach the base camp of Mount Everest, along with her father and seven-year-old brother. The overall length of the expedition to and from the base camp was around 270 kilometres, with an elevation gain of more than 20,000 meters.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

In the first part of our video series on Czech Music Greats, we introduce one of the best-known names in Czech classical music – Antonín Dvořák.

Antonín Dvořák is known worldwide for his New World Symphony, but without doubt, one of his much loved works is his Symphony No. 8 in G major.

Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 is cheery and lyrical and draws inspiration from the Bohemian folk music that the composer loved.

In it, the composer kept the typical format of a symphony in four movements, but structured them in an unusual way. All movements show a remarkable variety of themes and improvisation.

See the rest here.

Authors: Barbora Navrátilová, Lukáš Hurník

Photo: Ian Willoughby, Radio Prague International

Iran-born Kaveh Daneshmand moved to Prague to study film a decade and a half ago and has been based in the city ever since. Alongside his own filmmaking projects, Daneshmand heads the Írán:ci festival of Iranian cinema. On the eve of this year’s edition, I asked him how his homeland manages to produce great films despite severe restrictions – and whether he could ever imagine returning to the Islamic country.

Could you please tell us something about your background? Where did you grow up?

“I grew up in Iran. I was born in Karaj, which is a city close to Teheran. When I was 10 my family moved to Teheran, so I spent most of my teenage years and then university years in Teheran.

“Then when I was 28 I moved to Prague to study filmmaking – and since then I’ve been living in Prague.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Vít Pohanka, Radio Prague International

Why and how did a young woman from Brno find her new home in Britain? How does this impact her sense of nationality and identity? Does she feel more British or Czech? That’s what I ask Leona Merclová who lives on a canal boat in England and works on a shore bird awarness project.

As I record this episode, we’re experiencing what we call “holomráz” in Czechia — literally translated as “bare-frost.” It’s characterized by low winter temperatures well below freezing point but with very little or no snow at all. However, looking at the pictures and videos sent by my guest today from England, you might be forgiven for thinking it’s spring. You can look them up on the Radio Prague International YouTube channel. I put a short video there where Leona Merclová introduces herself.

See the rest here.

Author: Vít Pohanka

Photo: Amelia Mola-Schmidt, Radio Prague International

Twenty-five-year-old Raymi Britto had no intention of starting up an Instagram account that would garner thousands of followers when he first moved to Prague eight years ago. But today, the Italian native reaches audiences from local Czechs, to expats living in the country with his funny videos documenting his life and experiences as an Italian living in Czechia. He came by our studio to talk about the account, how he learned Czech, and how he’s observed Prague change since he first landed here nearly a decade ago.

I’m a big fan of your Instagram account. I’ve been following you since I first moved to Prague. I noticed two flags in your Instagram bio, one is Italian, the other I didn’t recognize. Can you tell me a bit about your background?

“It’s probably the Peruvian one you didn’t recognize! My father is Peruvian. I was born in Milan, Italy, but my father is Peruvian, my mother is Italian. I was still raised with two languages – Spanish and Italian, which luckily are quite similar. I’d say I don’t feel Peruvian, because I didn’t grow up in that world – but it’s still a part of me, so I like to represent it.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Pýchavka before the first large veterinary intervention last autumn. Photo Miroslav Bobek

I started calling her Pýchavka (Puffball). Pýchavka with y, although for a spiny animal, Píchavka would be more suggestive. (Píchavka is derived from the verb píchat, which means to prickle in English). But in the first video taken by the camera her spines were hardly noticeable, and she really reminded me more of a puffball mushroom than anything else. So – Pýchavka. Our first successfully bred short-beaked echidna puggle.

With the exception of a break of several years we have had echidnas in Prague Zoo for seventy years. They are truly remarkable animals, and although at first glance they may resemble overgrown hedgehogs, in reality they are monotremes, mammals which display many reptilian features. For example, they lay eggs. Breeding echidnas in captivity is, however, extremely difficult – and now we also have succeeded in our zoo.

Pýchavka hatched around mid-December 2022 and left her mother’s poach at the beginning of February 2023. However, I did not break the silence about her existence until New Years Eve, when she was more than a year old (counting from her hatching from the egg). There was a good reason for this. We have had an unfortunate experience with the preceding echidna puggle, which we called Vrána (Crow). It died in November 2021, when it was eight months old. As happens with echidnas in human care, it did not make the transition from mother’s milk to solid food.

After all, the same fate almost hit Pýchavka. She started losing weight during summer. In mid-June she weighed 1,319 grams, and only 1,000 at the early October. It was obvious that something was wrong. Therefore, after consultations with experts from San Diego Zoo, our colleagues put the puggle to sleep, X-rayed and examined her. Her digestive track was full of sand, and she suffered from coccidiosis. She had to be fed through a tube under anaesthesia and given antiparasitic drugs. Of course, it is easy to write it, but much harder to do it… And this extraordinarily demanding procedure had to be repeated four times! The puggle’s weight dropped as far as to 870 grams, however, step by step it was possible to get rid of the sand in her digestive track and suppress the coccidia infection. In the end – after several month without eating by herself! – her appetite came back, and she started gaining weight.

At the last weighing Pýchavka had already 1,605 grams. Her breeding was successful only thanks to an extraordinary effort of her keeper David Vala, the vet Roman Vodička and the curator Pavel Brandl. I think, they are the ones who should chose her final name.

Every year the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic organizes a traditional Gala Dinner. Is a wonderful opportunity to meet both familiar faces and new people and to network informally in the exceptional atmosphere of the Four Seasons Hotel.

Delicious food and Sicilian wines make this a truly enjoyable event and bring people together in a natural way.

This year the Gala Dinner will take place on Tuesday 20.2.2024 with a special performance by the children´s vocal group Kroky Dobra.

A baby lowland gorilla was born to a female Duna at the Prague Zoo on January 2 shortly after nine o’clock in the evening. It is the first ever baby gorilla born in the new pavilion of the Dja Reserve. If all goes well, the Prague Zoo will have one more cub in three months. The Kijivu female is also pregnant. Photo by Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo

More than a week after birth, the cub is thriving, Duni is proving to be a great mother, and the gorilla group is calm. Therefore, it is now possible to waive the measures where visitors could not watch the gorillas directly at the glass of the exhibition, and the use of cameras and cameras with large lenses was prohibited.

“The reason for these measures was the fact that Kisumu’s leading male sometimes reacts very negatively to cameras and cameras, and we didn’t want there to be unrest in the group,” said Prague Zoo director Miroslav Bobek. “Now we see no reason for these restrictions, but I appeal to visitors to respect the instructions of our staff.”

Duni allows the other females to observe the young only from a distance. The breeders explain this by saying that the bond between Duni and the other females is not as strong as, for example, in the case of the half-sisters Shinda and Kijivu, who have known each other practically all their lives – in the past, they used to borrow little Ajabu from each other already a week after his birth. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

Even on these frosty days, it’s a good time to come and see Duna’s cub. The generous visitor area of the Dja Reservation offers enough space, warmth, and comfort for a long and pleasant stay. In addition, there is a new entrance directly at the Dja Reservation, where buses of line 234 from the Nádraží Holešovice stop, as well as lines 235 and 236 in the direction from Bohnice, stop.

Photo: Ondřej Wolf, Czech Radio

A 7,000-year-old well found in Czechia’s Pardubice region six years ago will soon be on display as part of an archaeological exhibition at the Museum of East Bohemia. The wooden well, which has been in the care of restorers for the last few years, is, according to analyses, the oldest wooden man-made object in the world.

The discovery of the Neolithic well on the site of a planned motorway in 2018 caused much excitement, with experts already suggesting then that it may be the oldest wooden structure ever found in Europe. This was confirmed a couple of years later by dendrochronological and radiocarbon dating analyses, which showed that the prehistoric wooden structure was not only the oldest known such object found in Europe, but indeed anywhere in the world, dating back to 5,256 or 5,255 BCE.

The well uses building techniques that archaeologists had previously assumed had only appeared later, during the Bronze Age, and the level of technical skill is impressive, says restorer Karol Bayer.

See the rest here.

Authors: Anna Fodor, Naďa Kubínková, Source:Český rozhlas

Vysočina, sometimes known as the Czech Highlands, lies in the very centre of the country, where Bohemia meets Moravia. The country’s fifth largest region is famous for its untouched natural beauty, clean environment and numerous historical monuments, three of which are UNESCO listed World Heritage Sites.

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Author: Vít Pohanka

Photo: Magdalena Hrozínková, Radio Prague International

The sad truth is that more wild animals are kept in private ownership in Czechia than in zoos – often illegally and in very poor conditions. Until now there has been a problem finding places to put animals that are rescued from such situations, but Tábor Zoo hopes a new enclosure it is building will provide the solution.

Tigers kept in cages that are too small for them with hardly enough space to turn around in, or pumas hungry and malnourished due to a lack of appropriate food – unfortunately, this is all too often the reality for large wild animals, very often big cats, that are kept by private breeders and owners in Czechia. Caring for such animals is not easy – in addition to the space required, there are huge sums needed for food, veterinary care and enclosures, not to mention the significant amount of bureaucracy involved, as many of these animals belong to species that are endangered and therefore require special permits. Many enthusiasts therefore try to circumvent the regulations, says Evžen Korec, the head of Tábor Zoo.

See the rest here.

Authors: Anna Fodor, Jan Kopřiva
Source: iROZHLAS.cz

Photo: Patrik Salát, Czech Radio

This past week, Czechia has seen temperatures drop below -20 degrees in the north of the country, while Prague expects to see a low of -11 by mid-week. The extreme cold has a profound impact on vulnerable groups, specifically those who are unhoused, who turn to organizations like the Salvation Army for help during the winter months. I spoke with the director of social services at the Salvation Army, Jitka Klánová to learn more about what the organization is doing to keep people warm.

The temperatures in Prague have dropped quite suddenly in what has been a relatively mild winter. Are you seeing an increased demand at the Salvation Army for your services with this cold snap?

“Yes definitely, more and more clients are coming to use our services, especially the low threshold ones like day shelters and night shelters. The Salvation Army and other organizations are part of a winter humanitarian measures program that is provided by the municipality of Prague every winter from December to the end of March. These days, with the low temperatures, we can see an extra demand in all these extra humanitarian services that are opened for these four months of the year.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Jan Langer, Czech Television

Following the publication of my previous episode on the name “Czechia”, I received a brisk reaction from a vehement proponent of the name in international forums Professor Pavlínek who teaches goegraphy in Prague and Omaha, Nebraska. He was not happy about some of the formulations and we debate what “grinds his gears”.

In this special episode of Czechast you will be able to hear Professor Pavlínek’s reservations and objections. To provide context for our recorded conversation, which is in English, it’s worth noting that we spent about two hours in a friendly and honest discussion, conversing in both Czech and English. The following recording has been edited for brevity and clarity, but rest assured, this has not altered the tone or meaning of my questions or Professor Pavlínek’s answers.

But since professor Pavlínek divides his time between Czechia and the US, we did not talk just about the name of this country. First, I inquired about how he balances his teaching responsibilities between Prague and Omaha, Nebraska.

Source

Author: Vít Pohanka

Photo: Sony Music

Depeche Mode, Rammstein, Ed Sheeran or Sting, these are just some of the famous names due to perform in Czechia in 2024. In this year’s first edition of Sunday Music Show, you can have a listen to some of their biggest hits.

Among the first big names to appear in Prague is the legendary Depeche Mode. They will perform at the city’s O2 Arena on February 22 and 24 as part of a tour for their new album called Memento Mori. On March 4, the British singer-songwriter James Blunt, who will perform at Prague’s Forum Karlín within the tour for his new album Who We Used to Be.

See the rest here.

Photo: René Volfík, iROZHLAS.cz

Monty Python fans around Czechia took to the streets this weekend for a bit of fun marking their 11th annual get-together.

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Reconstruction work at the Masaryk Railway Station in Prague got underway on Thursday. The reconstruction will involve building a platform above the track, providing better connection with Florenc metro and bus station and adding two more tracks to the current seven.

The redevelopment, which is expected to cost some CZK 3.4 billion, is due to be finished in 2027. The construction was officially launched on Thursday afternoon by Transport Minister Martin Kupka, head of the Railway Administration Jiří Svoboda and Prague City Hall representatives.

Masaryk railway station is the oldest railway station in the capital, with up to 30,000 passengers passing through every day. After the reconstruction of the line from Prague to Kladno and Václav Havel Airport in Ruzyně, the station will be the starting point of the railway to the airport.

Photo: e-Sbírky, Národní muzeum, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Olomouc-born Eliška Junková is regarded as one of the most extraordinary drivers in Grand Prix motor racing history. Although her career was cut short by the tragic death of her husband, a fellow racer, she achieved a remarkable amount in only five years, winning several events and becoming the first woman to ever compete in the infamous Targa Florio, beating 25 other top drivers in the process.

Born Alžběta Pospíšilová to a locksmith as the sixth of eight children, Junková was nicknamed “smíšek” at an early age for her ever-present smile. She had a taste for adventure and in her youth already developed a desire to travel the world, which led her to learn languages and subsequently get a job at a bank at the age of 16.

Her job not only allowed her to travel abroad to France and Gibraltar, but also to meet Čeněk Junek, the man who would later become her husband and introduce her to the world of competitive motor racing. Čeněk had a passion for the high-performance automobiles of the day, and began competing in races in the early 1920s, bringing Eliška, whom he had married in 1922, along with him.

See the rest here.

Authors: Anna Fodor, Daniel Ordóñez

As the twinkling lights of the 2023 holiday season fade into cherished memories, you might find yourself already dreaming about where the festive spirit will take you in 2024. For many travelers, the allure of exploring new destinations during the holidays is irresistible. It’s a time to experience the warmth of different cultures, discover how the festive season is celebrated around the globe, and create new memories. Whether it’s the joy of a white Christmas in a snowy wonderland, the excitement of vibrant holiday markets, or the serenity of a tropical escape, each destination offers its own unique blend of traditions, celebrations, and enchanting atmospheres. So, let your imagination wander to corners of the world where the magic of the holidays awaits, and read on for our recommendations for unforgettable holiday adventures.

The allure of the road less traveled

By choosing lesser-known destinations, you avoid the tourist crowds. This allows for a more relaxed and intimate experience, where you can truly soak in the atmosphere and spirit of the place. These destinations offer a deeper cultural immersion. You’re not just an observer but become part of the local way of life, even if just for a short while. Off-the-beaten-path destinations also often preserve the most authentic and unique holiday traditions. Whether it’s a centuries-old festival or a local custom, these experiences are as genuine as they are unforgettable.

Exploring less-visited destinations also aligns with responsible and sustainable travel practices. It helps distribute tourism benefits to places that might not usually receive them, supporting local economies and communities.

Discovering hidden holiday gems

Now, as you ponder where to venture for the 2024 festive season, let me introduce you to some extraordinary destinations. Each offers a unique way to celebrate the holidays, away from the typical tourist trails, and promises an experience that is both unique and memorable.

Rovaniemi, Finland

Rovaniemi, the official hometown of Santa Claus, is a true winter wonderland. In December, the city is enveloped in a thick blanket of snow, transforming it into a scene straight out of a Christmas card. The days are short, with a mystical twilight hue, but the darkness is often illuminated by the mesmerizing Northern Lights. The main attraction is Santa Claus Village, where you can meet Santa himself, cross the Arctic Circle, and send postcards from Santa’s official post office. The village is adorned with festive decorations and filled with the spirit of Christmas. You can also enjoy reindeer sleigh rides, husky safaris, and snowmobile tours.

See all the destinations here.

Author: Kristin Winkaffe

Every year, a small number of Czech foundations help bright and talented young people to study abroad at some of the world’s most prestigious universities. As well as the huge financial obstacle that these top schools present, especially to international students, the admissions procedures are notoriously tough, not to mention the additional cultural and linguistic obstacles for foreign applicants. But attending an internationally-renowned institution can be a game-changer for them.

Nina Formánek Jaganjacová has an impressive CV – born in Bosnia but raised in Prague, at 34 she is the author of a book about cancer and the founder of Sifty, a non-profit organisation that provides education and raises awareness around health. But she says she couldn’t have done all that without her Master’s degree from The London School of Economics (LSE), one of the UK’s most prestigious universities.

“I don’t think I could have, actually. Because after LSE I went to work in the health sector at the European Commission in Luxembourg, and the name of LSE and institutions like it is something that really gives you credit and everything that goes with it. They view you as someone who is capable. I always felt like it’s a bit of a pre-selection for all these big international organisations.”

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Photo: Barbora Slezáková, Czech Radio

The ethnographic ensemble Formani was established twenty years ago by local folk music enthusiasts. Based on historical records, they compose music, create their own choreographies and sew costumes, helping to preserve the folk traditions of the Pardubice region, east of Prague.

Twenty years ago the Koutek family in Slatiňany decided they would take their love of folk music and traditions outside of the closed family circle and aside from their own enjoyment of singing and dancing would do something to preserve the region’s traditions for future generations.

They established the ethnographic ensemble Formani and use their talent to the full to document and maintain the folk traditions of their region. Based on historical records, they compose music, invent choreographies and sew costumes for their performances.

See the rest here.

Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Barbora Slezáková

Photo: Little Mehrin Museum

A new exhibition at the temporary Moravian Jewish Museum in Brno highlights some of the city’s houses that used to belong to Jewish owners before being confiscated by the Nazis and tells the stories of eight families who lived in them

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková; Tomáš Kremr

Czechia and Poland violate the EU election law as their national laws do not enable citizens of other EU countries to join Czech, respectively Polish political parties, preventing them from running in local or European elections, the Court of Justice of the European Union Advocate-General, Jean Richard de La Tour, said on Thursday.

According to the European Commission, which turned to the European Court of Justice in June 2021, this entails discrimination on grounds of nationality. The executive claims Czechia and Poland are the only two EU countries where such restrictions apply.

While Mr. La Tour backed the European Commission’s position, his view may not coincide with the ruling of the court.

Photo: Kateřina Ayzpurvit, Radio Prague International

The spooky-looking gargoyles of the past that we know from horror films, castle tours and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, weren’t purely decorative. They also served a function – to get rid of wastewater. But 250 years ago, things changed.

Gargoyles, taking the form of human vices, animals and dragons, can be seen on castles and chateaux all over Czechia, including on St. Vitus Cathedral. Their original purpose was to drain wastewater, which could otherwise cause floods, through pipes coming from their mouths that aimed the water as far as possible from the building.

See the rest here.

Source:ČTK

Photo: Děti úplňku

An event called Night of Dignity took place outside the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs on Monday afternoon with the aim to draw attention to the poor system of care for people with mental disabilities. It was established in response to a horrific real-life story.

Dorota Šandorová, a 37-year-old woman with a severe mental disability, died on the night of January 6 three years ago. Her caregiver straddled her, brutally twisted her arms behind her back and pushed full force against her chest until she fell unconscious and suffocated. The court initially convicted the perpetrator of murder, then reclassified the act as negligent homicide.

The event called Night of Dignity, which is now in its second year, wants to commemorate Dorota Šandorová’s memory and to make sure that such a thing never happens again. It also wants to draw attention to the challenges faced by people with mental disabilities and those who care for them.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Illustrative photo: Czech Television

Close to two years after the Russian invasion, Ukraine is now the most mine-contaminated country globally since World War II. The EU is actively helping the demining effort and Czechia is one of the countries that have offered to train Ukrainian experts in the field.

The Russian invasion has led to 30% of Ukrainian land currently contaminated by landmines and other explosives. Even as the war continues, the priority is to return as much land to civilian use as fast as possible, enabling people to return to their homes and communities and restart economic activities in the area.

The EU is helping to tackle this challenge and is providing more than EUR 110 million to support the effort. Lithuania has been tasked with assembling a coalition of countries to help demine Ukraine. The mission will operate on territories liberated from Russian occupation and EU members have been invited to take part in, train or equip the demining effort – as they see fit. Last year, Czechia was one of 12 countries to join the “demining coalition”, alongside Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark, among others.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová, Sources:Novinky.cz,Český rozhlas

Photo: Czech Television

In 2016, “Czechia” emerged as the official short, one-word geographical name promoted by the Czech government. This name has seen international adoption in organizations such as the United Nations and the European Union, yet it continues to evoke mixed feelings among the people it represents and observers abroad.

Vít Pohanka, the host of Czechast, admits:

“At first, I thought I would research and prepare just a brief overview of the process that led the Czech government and official institutions to select “Czechia” as the best one-word name for this country. But then I realized that it is difficult, if not impossible, to explain why so much time and energy was spent on a seemingly simple task, without understanding the historic context. Where did the name “Bohemia” come from? Why are the Bohemians called “Češi” in their native tongue and “Czechs” in English? And why do many people in the eastern parts of the country, called Moravia and Silesia, tend to be so unhappy about the name “Czechia”? It just led me deeper and deeper into history, which I try to at least outline in the first part of this episode.”

In the second part, Vít talks to Jiří Preis, geographer at the University of West Bohemia. Crucially, he also serves as the Vice President of the Czech Geographical Society. He followed the discussions about the introduction of Czechia from the proverbial front row seat and he brings in an impartial and non-political perspective.

See the rest here.

Author: Vít Pohanka

Almost as many foreign tourists as guests from the Czech Republic arrived at domestic hotels last November. This follows from an analysis by the Institute of Tourism based on data from the Czech Statistical Office. While 587,517 foreigners stayed in hotels in the Czech Republic, there were 559,337 residents. This was a total of 1,146,854 guests, which – if we compare last November with the same period in 2022 – means 15% more travelers. And compared to November 2019, i.e. before the coronavirus pandemic, only 2% fewer tourists.

Last November, the largest number of guests came to domestic hotels from Germany (116,723, +9% year-on-year). This was followed by the Slovaks (58,274, year-on-year +12%), the British (39,523, year-on-year +50%), the Poles (32,509, -6% year-on-year) and the Americans (31,685, year-on-year +37%). Except for Poland and Ukraine, foreign tourists from the TOP 10 arrival countries of the Czech Republic, if we take last November and November in 2022, increased.

Italians (31,275, +55%), Ukrainians (19,547, -8%), French (18,502, +17%), Spaniards (18,347, +62%), and Austrians (18,118, +17%),” says František Reismüller, director of the Czech Tourism Office – CzechTourism, and adds: “In the TOP 10 arrival countries of the Czech Republic, Spaniards and Italians increased the most year-on-year. Overall, however, tourists from Asia have started traveling significantly more, which is related to the direct air routes that have been put into operation. Approximately 9x more Taiwanese arrived (16,622 vs. 1,904) year-on-year. 3x more guests from Saudi Arabia (2,015 vs. 748) and approx. 2x as many Koreans as in November 2022 (17,902 vs. 7,288). Now we can expect that together with the new flights, on which we are intensively working with Prague Airport and Prague City Tourism as part of the Touchpoint project, there will be an increase in visitors from abroad.”

Although last November the number of guests in domestic hotels abroad almost equaled those from the Czech Republic, if we compare the situation with the period before the coronavirus pandemic, i.e., in November 2019, foreigners arrived by 15% less, residents by 18% more. The largest drop in the number of travelers concerned Russia (-93%), Israel (-81%) and China (-80%).

“From our analysis, it is clear that there are still fewer guests of good standing from abroad than before the coronavirus pandemic. More specialized offers of hotels, restaurants, and other services, i.e. so-called luxury tourism, can help to change this – in addition to the mentioned direct air connections. The global “luxury travel” market, which was estimated at less than 2 trillion USD in 2022, should increase by 6% in the long term,” says Petr Janeček, head of the Institute of Tourism of the Czech Tourism Office – CzechTourism.

“In this context, domestic spas and wellness centers have great potential. In addition to the fact that last year we intensively participated in the success of the ESPA European Spa and Balneology Congress, which took place in Karlovy Vary, in cooperation with the destination agency Živý kraj, we also implemented a campaign to support this area in the Czech Republic. And spas, along with active tourism as an option for active rest, are the main communication topic of Czech tourism this year. Everyone can choose and enjoy our spas in the spirit of world trends,” concludes Veronika Janečková, director of the product management, research and B2B cooperation department of the Czech Tourism Office – CzechTourism.

Information on the number of tourists in domestic hotels by individual month and country, including a comparison with the years 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, can be found at https://tourdata.cz/data/navstevnost-v-hotelech-2023-vs-2019-2022/.

H.E. Mr. Claudio Javier Rozencwaig, Ambassador of the Argentine Republic in the Czech Rrepublic and Mr. Jiří Kozák, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.

The centenary of the establishment of Czech-Argentine diplomatic relations took place in Prague on Monday 8th January 2024.

The First Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Jirí Kozák and the Ambassador of the Argentine Republic H.E Mr.Claudio J. Rozencwaig delivered wreaths at the T. G. Masaryk Memorial and met at the Czernin Palace with representatives of the state administration, education, culture, commercial and other areas.

The wreaths of the Argentine Embassy in the Czech Republic and the flowers from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic in front of the statue of Tomáš G. Masaryk at Hradčanské náměstí , Prague.

A century ago, Argentine Plenipotentiary Minister Gabriel Martínez Campos presented his credentials to the first Czechoslovak President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, marking the beginning of a relationship that has evolved and flourished in several areas.

The Czech Republic and Argentina have been working together for 100 years to strengthen their bilateral relations. Many decades of cultural, educational, and commercial exchanges have built a deep mutual understanding. Both countries also share democratic values and support a rules-based international legal order, human rights, and the rule of law.

H.E. Mr. Claudio Javier Rozencwaig, Ambassador of the Argentine republic in the Czech republic and Mr. Jiří Kozák Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic with the wreaths for the commemoration of 100 years of diplomatic relations between both countries.

Today, the relations have reached a stage of institutional maturity, evidenced by frequent and fruitful meetings. To highlight a recent example, in 2022, Buenos Aires hosted the fourth meeting of the Vice-Ministerial-level Political Consultations Mechanism. In the same year, Argentina hosted Vice Minister for Extra-European Affairs, Economic, and Development Cooperation, Mr. Martín Tlapa, and Secretary of State Miroslav Stashek in January and March respectively.

Diplomatic Corps and other distinguished guests from the cultural, political, academic, scientific, commercial, sports and press fields.

In the context of this significant anniversary, both foreign ministries and embassies are preparing a joint agenda of events that will promote cultural expressions, high-level political meetings, economic and trade promotion activities, scientific and educational exchanges, among other areas of mutual interest.

H.E. Mr. Claudio Javier Rozencwaig, Ambassador of the Argentine Republic in the Czech republic and Mr. Jiří Kozák, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic during their speeches.

Photo: Nadace Neuron

Czech and Slovak archaeologists have announced a major discovery. An expedition to the Guatemalan jungle, which took place last summer, discovered the remains of a Mayan city, which is almost three thousand years old. I discussed the discovery, which could shed more light on the rise and fall of one of the world’s oldest civilizations, with one of the members of the team, archaeologist Sara Polak:

“I think the most important thing is to put the discovery into context. A Czechoslovakian expedition has been going to the area of Petén, which is a northern Guatemalan jungle, for approximately 15 years, so there was already a kind of a rich understanding of the area.

“Obviously, as you get talking with the locals, who are also working on the local digging site, you get a hunch that there might be something else in the jungle, which in many ways was the centre of the Maya civilization in the pre-classical period.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Ondřej Hájek, ČTK

Sparklers, which were over 70 years old, were recently discovered by museum workers in Ústí nad Labem while cleaning out an apartment. They were fully functional and were made by the DRUTEP cooperative, which has been producing traditional New Year’s Eve props since 1951.

Source

Photo: Michal Krumphanzl, ČTK

Life in Czechia came to a standstill at midday on Saturday, December 23, as the nation held a minute of silence in memory of the victims of Thursday’s tragic shooting incident at the Faculty of Arts in Prague.

Bells tolled around the country, flags were flown at half-mast and many people stopped in their tracks at midday in a show of respect for those slain in Thursday’s shootings. Even Prague’s busy international airport stopped operations to observe a minute of silence for the 14 lives senselessly cut short.

The usual Christmas bustle was visibly muted and many Czechs headed for the impromptu memorials sites outside Charles University’s main building, the Faculty of Arts and other places around the country at which the sea of candles and flowers has been growing by the hour.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová

Photo: Svatopluk Klesnil, Olomouc’s Palacký University

“We provide a lot of music for little money,” says Jaroslav Miller, a prominent Czech historian, academic and now deputy minister of education. He is not your typical politician; his extensive background in academia sets him apart. For seven years, Jaroslav served as the rector, or president, of Palacký University in Olomouc, one of the Czech Republic’s leading universities. His impressive academic journey includes postgraduate studies at Oxford University, being honored twice as a fellow of the prestigious German scientific Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and he’s also a former Fulbright Fellow at Georgia College and State University in the United States. As a visiting professor at the University of Western Australia in Darwin, he has a special affinity for this part of the world.

See the rest here.

Author: Vít Pohanka

Photo: Barbora Kvapilová, Czech Radio

The Infant Jesus of Prague, one of the most venerated statuettes in the Roman Catholic world, is known to millions of believers the world over. Painter and dress designer Markéta Melenovská is one of the artists behind its rich hand-made wardrobe.

The Church of Our Lady Victorious in Prague is one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Czechia, home to the Infant Jesus of Prague – a revered figure in the Roman Catholic world. The 49cm tall statuette, which originated in Spain and was brought to Bohemia by Marie Manrique de Lara y Mendoza, portrays Jesus as a child, or more specifically, as a young king or prince. In one hand he holds a small globe the other hand is raised in blessing.

Millions of people from all over the world have made the journey to Prague to pray to the Infant Jesus. Many say their prayers are answered and take away a copy of the Infant Jesus for their local church.

See the rest here.

Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Barbora Kvapilová
Source: Český rozhlas

Festive Christmas Receptio in the Atrium Lobby

On Wednesday December 20, 2023 Hilton Prague and Hilton Prague Old Town organized the 25th edition of the annual Christmas Charity Concert featuring the Karlovy Vary Symphonic Orchestra and soloist Jiří Stivín, conducted by Maestro Debashish Chaudhuri.

Charity Cheque Hand Over

The Christmas spirit was brought by the International Ladies Chamber Choir Viva Voce with a special guest, Charlottka Hrubá, a talented pianist from the Nadace Terezy Maxové Dětem foundation.

Charity Cheque hand over to Tereza Maxova Detem Foundaton

The evening was presented by Michael Specking, General Manager of Hilton Prague together with Czech actor Markéta Hrubešová.

Michael Specking, General Manager of Hilton Prague, Marketa Hrubesova, Presenter

The event was held in support of the Tereza Maxová Dětem Foundation, adopce.com project, whose Marketing & Operations Manager Petra Zapletalová took over a cheque amounting to CZK 100,000 from Michael Specking, General Manager of Hilton Prague, Tanya Podgoretska, General Manager of Hilton Prague Old Town, David Lesch, CEO of AV Media, and Vlastimil Vyskočáni, Director of Business Segment at ČEZ ESCO, main partners of the concert.

International Ladies Choir Viva Voce

Special thanks also go to the partners of the concert, especially the main partners – AV Media, ČEZ ESCO and Gesto Computers.

Debashish Chaudhuri, Conductor

Jiri Stivin, Soloist

Karlovy Vary Symphonic Orchestra

Photo: Jiří Němec, Radio Prague International

Gyms, swimming pools, ice skating rinks, football and tennis courts and other sports venues have opened their doors to visitors for free this week! The annual event which is now in its 15th year, aims to promote a healthy lifestyle.

Within the annual Week of Free Sports, organized by the Prague municipality, Prague residents can visit sports facilities in the capital free of charge from Monday, December 25, till Sunday, December 31.

People can choose from more than three dozen sports clubs and venues to workout, swim, skate, play football, table tennis or badminton.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová
Source: Český rozhlas

Photo: Česká televize, ČT24

In his Christmas address to the nation, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said the country had seen two hard years, but 2024 would bring a turn for the better. He said that thanks to a policy of fiscal discipline the soaring deficit in public finances had been brought under control.

Addressing the nation on St. Stephen’s Day, Prime Minister Fiala first touched on the tragic shooting at the Faculty of Arts that has been very much in people’s minds over the holidays. This Christmas, he said, had been like no other.

“We were all badly shaken by the brutal attack at the Prague Faculty of Arts. Throughout Christmas, our thoughts have been with the families and friends of those directly affected by it. We have prayed and continue to pray for the victims, for the injured and for strength to those who must come to terms with this terrible tragedy. For many this was the saddest Christmas ever”.

Mr. Fiala said that, in the face of this tragic event, it was important to remember that Christmas is a time of hope. Despite all the tragedies surrounding us, it is important for people to believe that good will defeat evil, that better times will come after hard times, the prime minister said, emphasizing that hope is the very essence of Christmas.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová
Source: Český rozhlas

Photo: Prague archbishopric

Paradoxically for an atheist country, it is Baby Jesus, not Santa, who brings the Christmas presents in Czechia. And very many people attend Christmas mass. So how is it with Czechs and religion? Why are so few Czechs believers? What are the challenges ahead of the Catholic Church and has it managed to overcome the years of communist oppression? Those are some of the questions I discussed with Roman Catholic priest Vojtěch Eliáš. Sitting in the parish house in the Prague district of Chvaly where he now serves, I began by asking how he found his calling.

“It was during communist times, and at that time it was very risky because to be a priest you did not only need to be accepted by the Church but by the government and the public authorities as well. In those days, many priests were only accepted by the Church, but they did not have permission to serve from the government. So, possibly, that inspired me as well, the fact that I might have to serve the people clandestinely.”

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová

Photo: Czech Radio

For the past few years, the Czech Radio Endowment Fund has organised a project called ‘Santa’s Grandchildren’ that turns ordinary people into guardian angels and Christmas fairies, granting the wishes of elderly people in retirement homes. Although many people mistakenly think that it is only a Christmas event, the project actually continues to raise money and bring joy to the elderly all year round, not just at Christmas.

Helena Kocourová was six years old when she met the first president of Czechoslovakia, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk. Now a venerable woman of 99, she got her wish this year through Santa’s Grandchildren of meeting another Czech president – the current head of state, Petr Pavel. In a visit to Ms. Kocourová’s retirement home in Mníšek pod Brdy that not even the staff knew about beforehand, President Pavel and his wife Eva surprised the nonagenarian in what she described afterwards as the best present she had ever received.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Photo: Marion Galard, Radio Prague International

Welcome to a special holiday edition of Czechast, brought to you by Radio Prague International. Today, we’re diving into the heartwarming and festive world of Christmas celebrations. In this episode, we’ll explore the rich traditions and customs of Christmas in the Czech Republic, as well as how Czech and Moravian communities in the United States keep their heritage alive during this joyous season.

Czechs have a saying: “Láska prochází žaludkem”, which I suppose is closely mirrored by the English saying, “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” And since Christmas is a celebration of love, we simply cannot ignore the delights on our festive tables, be it here in Czechia or in the Czech communities across the Atlantic.

See the rest here.

Author: Vít Pohanka

Photo: Zrní

The Czech band Zrní this year released their seventh studio album Široko daleko (Far and Wide) to positive reviews.

The respected alternative rock band formed in Kladno near Prague in the early 2000s and released their first record in 2009. Four of the band are named Jan (Unger, Fišer, Juklík and Caithaml), while the fifth member is an Ondřej (Slavík).

See the rest here.

Unsold Christmas trees will delight animals between December 27 and 29. The elephants get them for all three days, always at 1:15 p.m. Visitors will be able to watch how they cope with them from the lookout near the wolf enclosure. In the photo, the youngest member of the herd, the three-year-old elephant Lakuna. Photo by Oliver Le Que, Prague Zoo

ADMISSIONS FOR JUST ONE CROWN AND AN EXTRA BONUS AT THE ANIMALS

On Christmas Day and both Christmas holidays, children under 15 will have entry to the Prague Zoo for 1 CZK.

Then, on New Year’s Day, all Prague residents will be able to prove themselves with a Lítačka card or application.

Starting today until December 26, people can bring edible gifts to the animals. Apples, carrots or unsweetened dry bread are welcome.

During the holidays, visitors to the Prague Zoo can also look forward to a traditional animal giveaway – from December 27 to 29, selected species will receive unsold Christmas trees.

How do gorillas, elephants or even parrots deal with them?

In addition, scouts brought the Light of Bethlehem to the Prague Zoo. This is now available to visitors at the main entrance until Christmas Day.

Below you will find a schedule of all special guided animal feedings and encounters from Christmas Day to New Year’s.

The carnivorous residents of the Prague Zoo will also enjoy the “animal treat”, although they will have to make the Christmas enrichment more attractive with meaty content. Pictured is a five-year-old female nutmeg bear devil. Photo by Oliver Le Que, Prague Zoo

24. 12. Christmas Day at the Prague Zoo

• 10:00 a.m. feeding of Cape grebes – African House
• 10.30 feeding of giant and red-necked kangaroos – Darwin Crater
• 11.00 feeding of Humboldt penguins – Penguin Pavilion
• 11.00 a.m. meeting at the Brazz cats – Reservation Dja
• 11.15 a.m. meeting at the African brush tusks – Reserve Dja
• 11.30 meeting with lowland gorillas – Dja Reserve
• 12.30 meeting with the Nubian giraffes – African House
• 13.15 meeting with the Indian elephants – Elephant Valley
• 1.30 p.m. South African sea lions training – sea lion exhibition in the lower part of the zoo

25. 12. The first Christmas holiday at the Prague Zoo

• 10:00 a.m. feeding of Cape grebes – African House
• 10.30 feeding of giant and red-necked kangaroos – Darwin Crater
• 11.00 feeding of Humboldt penguins – Penguin Pavilion
• 11.00 a.m. meeting at the Brazz cats – Reservation Dja
• 11.15 a.m. meeting at the African brush tusks – Reserve Dja
• 11.30 meeting with lowland gorillas – Dja Reserve
• 12.30 meeting with the Nubian giraffes – African House
• 13.15 meeting with the Indian elephants – Elephant Valley
• 14.00 feeding of common wombats – Darwin Crater
• 14.30 meeting at the bear-like devils – Darwin Crater
• 15.30 feeding of short-tailed nutcrackers – Indonesian jungle

26. 12. The second Christmas holiday at the Prague Zoo

• 10:00 a.m. feeding of Cape grebes – African House
• 10.30 feeding of giant and red-necked kangaroos – Darwin Crater
• 11.00 feeding of Humboldt penguins – Penguin Pavilion
• 11.00 a.m. meeting at the Brazz cats – Reservation Dja
• 11.15 a.m. meeting at the African brush tusks – Reserve Dja
• 11.30 meeting with lowland gorillas – Dja Reserve
• 12.30 meeting with the Nubian giraffes – African House
• 13.00 meeting at the big turtles – Pavilion of the big turtles
• 13.15 meeting with the Indian elephants – Elephant Valley
• 14.00 feeding of common wombats – Darwin Crater
• 14.30 meeting at the bear-like devils – Darwin Crater
• 15.30 feeding of short-tailed nutcrackers – Indonesian jungle

The animal supply will please the animals not only in the enclosures, but also in the heated pavilions. E.g. in the Dja Reserve, visitors will be able to watch gorillas with trees from a comfortable auditorium. Pictured is a seven-year-old male lowland gorilla, Ajabu. Photo by Oliver Le Que, Prague Zoo

27. 12. Animal donation: commented handing over of saplings

• 10.30 meeting with Cape honeyeaters – Africa up close
• 12.45 meeting with Manchurian leopards – Northern Forest
• 13.15 meeting with the Indian elephants – Elephant Valley
• 2:00 p.m. meeting with cats and dogs – Reserve Dja
• 2.30 p.m. meeting with maned spiders – Rock massif (mountain ungulates)
• 15.00 meeting with Central American experts – Water World and Monkey Islands

28. 12. Animal donation: commented handing over of saplings

• 10.30 meeting with Cape honeyeaters – Africa up close
• 11.00 a.m. meeting at the white-tailed deer – Water World and Monkey Islands
• 12.45 meeting at the Ussuri tigers – Northern Forest
• 13.15 meeting with the Indian elephants – Elephant Valley
• 2:00 p.m. meeting with cats and dogs – Reserve Dja
• 14.30 meeting at the bear-like devils – Darwin Crater
• 15.00 meeting with lowland gorillas – Méfou Center (old gorilla pavilion)

29. 12. Lottery for animals: commented handing over of saplings

• 10.00 a.m. meeting at nestors kea – Rákos’ pavilion
• 10.30 meeting with Cape honeyeaters – Africa up close
• 11.00 a.m. meeting at the northern talapoins – Dja Reservation
• 12.45 meeting with the chabrak hyenas – hyena exhibition opposite the Elephant Valley
• 13.15 meeting with the Indian elephants – Elephant Valley
• 2:00 p.m. meeting with cats and dogs – Reserve Dja
• 2.30 p.m. meeting with maned spiders – Rock massif (mountain ungulates)
• 15.00 meeting at the hangman’s lemurs – Lemur Island

December 30 and December 31. End of the year at the Prague Zoo

• 10:00 a.m. feeding of Cape grebes – African House
• 10.30 feeding of giant and red-necked kangaroos – Darwin Crater
• 11.00 feeding of Humboldt penguins – Penguin Pavilion
• 11.00 a.m. meeting at the Brazz cats – Reservation Dja
• 11.15 a.m. meeting at the African brush tusks – Reserve Dja
• 11.30 meeting with lowland gorillas – Dja Reserve
• 12.30 meeting with the Nubian giraffes – African House
• 13.00 meeting at the big turtles – Pavilion of the big turtles
• 13.15 meeting with the Indian elephants – Elephant Valley
• 14.00 feeding of common wombats – Darwin Crater
• 14.00 meeting at the reptiles – Pavilion of beasts and reptiles
• 14.30 meeting at the bear-like devils – Darwin Crater
• 15.30 feeding of short-tailed nutcrackers – Indonesian jungle
• 15.30 feeding of Indian gharials – Chambal (only on Sunday 31 December)

People can bring gifts for animals in the form of carrots, apples or unsweetened dry bread to the main entrance to the Prague Zoo from today until December 26. Donors arriving on Christmas Day will also receive a small reward from representatives of the zoo for a gift for the animals. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

1. 1. New Year at the Prague Zoo

• 10:00 a.m. feeding of Cape grebes – African House
• 10.30 feeding of giant and red-necked kangaroos – Darwin Crater
• 11.00 feeding of Humboldt penguins – Penguin Pavilion
• 11.00 a.m. meeting at the Brazz cats – Reservation Dja
• 11.15 a.m. meeting at the African brush tusks – Reserve Dja
• 11.30 meeting with lowland gorillas – Dja Reserve
• 12.30 meeting with the Nubian giraffes – African House
• 13.00 meeting at the big turtles – Pavilion of the big turtles
• 13.15 meeting with the Indian elephants – Elephant Valley
• 1.30 p.m. South African sea lions training – sea lion exhibition in the lower part of the zoo
• 14.00 feeding of common wombats – Darwin Crater
• 14.30 meeting at the bear-like devils – Darwin Crater
• 15.30 feeding of short-tailed nutcrackers – Indonesian jungle

Photo: Barbora Navrátilová, Radio Prague International

Bijan Sabet became US ambassador to Czechia in early 2023. Since then Mr. Sabet has become a familiar face in Prague, meeting top Czech officials and military top brass and hosting events with various civil society groups. In a wide-ranging interview, the successful tech investor speaks about his connection to Joe Biden, experience as an early backer of Twitter and training in the art of diplomacy, as well as more personal matters such as his interest in photography and how owning a dog is the “fastest friendship maker” in Czechia.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

You can also read our interview with H.E. Mr. Sabet in our previous issue.

Photo: Radek Petrášek, ČTK

A model of Trosky Castle – one of the dominant features of the Bohemian Paradise region – was made from a ton of ice in a single day this weekend with the help of saws and chisels.

Source: ČTK

Photo: René Volfík, iROZHLAS.cz

President Petr Pavel has called on Czechia’s government, who have been taking a battering in the ratings for some time, to seek help with their communication skills. But is it actually possible to sugarcoat austerity policies that leave voters with less money in their pockets? I spoke to Anna Shavit, a political marketing expert who teaches at Charles University.

“It’s a very interesting situation when the president actually sort of openly criticises the government on the communication aspect; it certainly is very new in this country.

“But it also shows in the case of President Pavel that he sort of understands that people might actually either be having a difficult life or feeling that, predominantly, they’re not doing that well.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Barbora Navrátilová, Radio Prague International

Octobriana is the name of a Soviet-era comic superheroine, who originated from a major literary hoax spread by Czech artist Petr Sadecký. Sadecký, who emigrated from Czechoslovakia in the early 1970s, claimed it was the work of Soviet dissidents. In fact, he commissioned the work from two Czech artists Bohumil Konečný and Zdeněk Burian, who never got full credit for their work. The superheroine, sporting a red star on her forehead, gained unexpected popularity, appearing in various comic adaptations all over the world.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Following the government resolution of August 16, 2023 on the schedule for the migration of central state administration bodies to the unified state domain gov.cz on December 18, 2023, the domains of the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all embassies abroad will be transferred.

Czech diplomacy is thus one of the first state administration bodies to switch to a single domain for state websites and e-mail addresses. The current domain mzv.cz will remain functional for some time and the domain mzv.gov.cz redirects the user.

The key advantage of a unified domain is high cyber security and legal certainty wherever the state communicates with citizens. Based on the website address, the user will be able to make sure that he is on the official website of the office.

Not only from abroad, but also in the Czech Republic, there are known cases where fraudsters tried to imitate official websites or ensure redirection from them to another domain. These phishing attacks and attempts will be easier to detect thanks to the gov.cz domain, and it is assumed that the number of frauds will decrease as a result of the transition to a unified state domain.

A single domain for state websites increases credibility and friendliness even for foreign partners. The idea of a state domain gov is not new, similar to the Czech Republic it is used in, for example, Belgium, Estonia, Croatia, Poland or the United Kingdom. At the same time as the address of the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and embassies will change on December 18, 2023, the e-mail addresses of employees and individual departments will also change. However, in the interest of maintaining continuity in communication, existing e-mail addresses with the domain @mzv.cz will remain functional and ensure the delivery of e-mails to new mailboxes with the domain for another 10 years, i.e. until December 17, 2033.@mzv.gov.cz

In the case of e-mail addresses of employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and embassies of the Czech Republic, the underscore between the first and last name was removed and replaced with a period (e.g. the current address jan_novak@mzv.cz will be newly jan.novak@mzv.gov.cz). The word “embassy” has been removed from the e-mail addresses of embassies (e.g. the current address of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Bratislava bratislava@embassy.mzv.cz will be bratislava@mzv.gov.cz). The syntax of e-mail addresses of departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also been simplified.

Domain migration is a process that unfortunately also involves unwanted errors. We therefore welcome notification of any broken web or email address by sending a message using this link

Photo: Zdeňka Kuchyňová, Radio Prague International

Moravia-Silesia is a region more known for its industrial past than its pretty scenery. But in fact it boasts mountains, natural beauty and castles in addition to its industrial attractions. Check out some of its landmarks in our photo gallery.

See the rest here.

Photo: Moravian Library Brno, public domain

The Čapek brothers, Karel Poláček, and Ferdinand Peroutka – these were just some of the prominent contributors to Lidové noviny, a leading Czech daily in interwar Czechoslovakia.

The first issue of Lidové noviny came out in the Moravian city of Brno 120 years ago, on December 16, 1893. Like other newspapers of the time, it had a morning and evening edition. By mid-1920, a branch editorial office was established in Prague, making the local daily one of the country’s most influential newspapers.

See the rest here.

Photo: Anaïs Raimbault, Radio Prague International

If you need to get from Prague’s district of Žizkov to neighbouring Karlín, there is no faster way than to walk, or cycle, through the Žižkov Tunnel. The 303-metre pedestrian shortcut, which also houses a nuclear shelter, was fully completed exactly 70 years ago, on December 19, 1953.

The tunnel connecting the districts of Žižkov and Karlín opened to the public already in 1951, but it was not fully completed until two years later. It is approximately 4.5 metres wide and 3.4 metres tall, and if you go from the direction of Žižkov, it runs slightly downhill. It is also curved so once you reach the middle, you cannot see the entrance or the exit.

See the rest here.

Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Anaïs Raimbault

Mokosh by Jitka Uhříčková, Photo: FAMU

The game design programme at Prague’s Film and TV School (FAMU) has only been around for two years, making it one of Europe’s oldest film school’s newest Master’s degrees.

Before the game design degree was launched at FAMU, there was no university programme in Czechia that combined the artistic and technical aspects of game development. As a master’s degree programme, it brings together people from various fields and backgrounds, including from areas like computer science but also less predictable ones such as philosophy and art. No prior programming knowledge is necessary – “The most important thing is showing that you want to make games and have the talent to make them,” says Michal Berlinger, who teaches the course.

See the rest here.

Author: Barbora Navrátilová

Photo: Jana Káninská, Czech Radio

One of the many Czech Christmas traditions is the burning of incense cones, known as Františeks, which originated in the Ore Mountains on the Czech-German border more than 300 years ago. A small workshop in Roztoky u Křivoklátu has been producing the scented charcoal cones for over twenty years.

For many Czechs, the scent associated with Christmas is that of burned scented charcoal cones, or Františeks. The tradition originated in the Ore-Mountains in the north-west of the country and dates back to the 1700s. Its roots, however, are much older, going back to the use of frankincense in Catholic liturgy.

While the Germans call it Räucherkegel, literally a smoking candle, the origin of the Czech name František or little Francis, is less clear. It is interpreted as a variation of the English frankincense, derived from the Latin incēnsum, but it could also refer to its shape reminiscent of a Franciscan monk’s hood.

See the rest here.

Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Magdalena Hrozínková

Photo: Ondřej Surový, Art for the City/Prague City Gallery

Artists in Czechoslovakia produced a number of objects made from polyester fiberglass between the 1950s and 1980s. While many of these artworks have survived to this day, they are in urgent need of repair. Experts from the Czech Technical Engineering are now looking for ways to preserve them.

Polyester fiberglass is a fairly lightweight and durable material that can be painted and glazed to look like stone, porcelain, bronze or marble. In Czechoslovakia, the material became popular in the late 1950s, first as a temporary replacement of more exclusive materials. Gradually, it established itself as a material in its own right.

A number of fiberglass resin statues were made throughout the 1960s and 70s as part of the deal to fund artwork for public spaces. You can still come across them at housing estates, parks and in front of public buildings.

Despite their durability, many of these objects are falling apart due to time and weather conditions. Experts from the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague are now looking for ways to repair the statues made from the otherwise very durable plastic.

See the rest here.

Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Eva Kézrová

Photo: Skupina D

Drones have become a weapon of key importance in the war in Ukraine. Russia has clearly understood this and is reportedly ramping up its wartime production by converting prisons and schools into drone factories. In order to help the Ukrainian army keep up, a new Czech NGO is trying to raise money to deliver 10,000 drones to the country.

Although many charitable organisations to support Ukraine exist in Czechia already, according to Chief of the Army General Staff Karel Řehka, who is the patron and honorary chairman of the new NGO Skupina D (Group D), this one is unique in that it knows precisely what the Ukrainian army needs and can respond accordingly.

See the rest here.

Authors: Anna Fodor, Kateřina Gruntová, Source:iROZHLAS.cz

Photo: Tumisu, Pixabay, Pixabay License

Czechs have become accustomed to shopping online, chatting online, choosing their holidays online and increasingly also self-diagnosing online. The number of people googling health related issues has risen steeply since the Covid pandemic and doctors are warning about the risks involved.

Earache, rash or chronic back pain. Thousands of Czechs go online every day to find out what’s wrong with them, seek reassurance from those who have experienced similar symptoms and get advice on what they can get for it at their local chemists.

A recent survey suggests that 95 percent of Czechs have gone on the internet for medical advice for themselves or close family members and 52 percent of people regularly consult health issues online.

Most often they turn to the internet because of unusual symptoms they have noticed -and close to half of the respondents polled said they check online whether they need to see a doctor if they are having difficulties. According to the survey, people under 30, residents of larger cities and women are more likely to seek advice online.

See the rest here.

Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Vojtěch Bidrman

Photo: Hana Kožušníková, Pizzeria Da Pietro

Ten years ago, Petr Soukal set out to open a business selling speciality food items imported from Italy. After the success of the store in his hometown of Plzeň, Soukal decided to open the first location of Da Pietro, a pizzeria specializing in Neapolitan style pies, in Prague. Two weeks ago, the second location of Da Pietro opened its doors in Prague’s Vinohrady district. I was curious about how this Czech native fostered such a passion for Italian cuisine, and stopped by the pizzeria to find out more.

“It was exactly ten years ago, I was deciding what I wanted to do. I already loved Italy and Italian food, so it was my idea to open a little shop with Italian foods in Plzeň. Ten years ago, I opened this shop in Plzeň, and I started to go to Italy every month to purchase products. I found my small suppliers and wine makers, and I would take things back to Plzeň.

“After two years, a friend of mine told me that I should open a pizzeria in the shop, but I really knew nothing about pizza. After some time, I thought ‘why not’, and decided we should open a Neapolitan pizzeria, because no one was making it in Plzeň at the time. My friend and I went to Naples and tried famous pizza across the area, and after two months I went to Naples to learn how to make pizza.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Radio Prague International has prepared a selection of articles on Christmas traditions for you.

See them here.

Photo: Organization for Aid to Refugees

Hall 17 at Prague’s Holešovická tržnice will be home to a Ukrainian-Czech themed Christmas market this Sunday, aiming to promote collaboration between the two cultures, and support artisans from both countries. To learn more about the event, I spoke with coordinator Soňa Spěváková.

“There is a combination of Czech and Ukrainian vendors, who will sell their own handmade products. But it’s not just this, there will also be a lot of workshops for adults and kids, and also a Ukrainian singer and band who will be playing during the day.”

I’m curious why you think these events that promote Czech-Ukrainian collaboration are important?

“Our aim is to bring two cultures together. Czech and Ukrainian culture actually has a lot in common, and we wanted to show the public that Ukrainian vendors are just as skilled as Czech ones, and that we are all the same people living on this planet.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Michal Růžička, TIC Brno

Czechia’s second-largest city, Brno, has been announced the winner of the European Capital of Christmas 2024 award. All cities and towns in the 27 EU member states are eligible to participate in the competition, as well as Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Switzerland and United Kingdom, so taking the crown is no mean feat. I spoke to Hana Bánovská from TIC Brno, the city’s tourist information centre, about what it took to get the title.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Photo: Body–Soul–Patient/Youtube

The freshly released Czech documentary Body-Soul-Patient maps new teaching methods at the 2nd Faculty of Medicine at Charles University aimed at improving medical students’ communication with patients. But are Czech doctors really lacking when it comes to bedside manner? I discussed this issue, and much more, with the film’s director, Jindrich Andrš.

How did your latest project Body-Soul-Patient come about?

“I wanted to make a film about medical students for a very long time, actually. When I went to study film 10 years ago, I already had it as one of my main topics, because I’m from a family of doctors.

“I was interested in the moment when a medical student is starting to think like a doctor, or starting to feel the weight and the responsibilities it has.

“So I wanted to capture this kind of moment. And when they told me at Charles University that they would like to make a film, I was very happy that I could start working on this topic.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

The cub was born on the last day of November and is eager to give birth. Palawan porcupines, unlike other porcupine species, usually give birth to a single young. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

A baby Palawan porcupine was born at the Prague Zoo. Visitors can comfortably observe the two-week-old addition and both of its parents in the warmth of the Indonesian Jungle Pavilion. The young is valuable for breeding – this endemic of the Philippine island of Palawan is the only species of Old World porcupine that is listed on the Red List of Threatened Species. Hunting and deforestation are behind its declining numbers.

“The birth of a cub is great news also because out of only nine zoos that keep this species in Europe, we are one of two where a cub was born this year. The reason for joy is also the fact that we did not have too high hopes for the birth of another healthy offspring from our older, already deserving female,” says curator of mammals Pavel Brandl.

In addition to mother’s milk, the little porcupine also showed interest in solid food in the form of a varied mixture of vegetables. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

This is the tenth cub of this species born here since the beginning of breeding in 2015. In addition, all nine previous ones were successfully bred. Later, the Prague porcupines strengthened or even established breeding in other zoos. The current cub also has good prospects – the mother is taking excellent care of him and, according to the breeders, the little rodent has already shown an interest in solid food in addition to sucking his mother’s milk.

Visitors will find the cub near the exit of the Indonesian Jungle Pavilion. The mother and cub stay near the glass near the visitor areas, so these days it is possible to observe them breastfeeding or getting close to each other. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

The Palawan porcupine inhabits Palawan, Philippines, and several smaller surrounding islands. It is one of the smallest porcupines in the world, adult animals usually do not weigh more than 5 kg. As an island species with limited occurrence and gene pool, it is unfortunately threatened by hunting and loss of natural habitat. Its numbers are decreasing, which is why, according to the IUCN, it is currently classified as vulnerable on the Red List of Threatened Species.

Photo: Lenka Žižková, Radio Prague International

A church that opened in Prague’s Žižkov district in the 1920s is about to get a whole new purpose. Now called Žižkostel, from January it will serve as a community centre, creating a new hub where people from various backgrounds can gather, receive help, and hopefully, bring new life to the building.

Tucked into Prague’s Žižkov neighbourhood on the corner of Náměstí Barikád is a bright yellow building that was once the site of a church attended by locals in the area. But today, the former religious site is being converted into a community space. Táňa Vozková, a therapist and coordinator at the community centre, hopes it will become a thriving place for the local community to gather, as she explained while guiding me through the building’s newly renovated main hall.

“The space was built in 1924, and at the time about 300 people came to the church every week, now, it’s about 30 people. We would really like to use this space not only for the church, we want to host workshops here, and also we host therapy here. We do therapy for couples and families. We also plan to host concerts and theatre.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: See-Saw Films

One Life, a biopic that shows how Sir Nicholas Winton saved 669 mainly Jewish children from Czechoslovakia on the eve of World War II, recently received its UK premiere. Meanwhile, some of the now elderly people that the Englishman rescued feature in a new photography exhibition in London. I discussed it, and the movie, with Sir Nicholas’s grandson, Laurence Winton.

“I’ve seen the film One Life three times now and it hasn’t lost its emotional punch. It’s hard for me personally to be objective about it, because it’s based on my mother’s book. “It’s a very personal story: seeing my grandparents come to life in front of my eyes and have all these conversations that I never would have seen.

“I grew up knowing so many of the kinder, the rescued children, that they’re sort of extended family for me. But I think it’s a brilliant film. I think they’ve done an excellent job.

“They’ve been very loyal to the accuracy of the story, of the facts. But it also gets across Nicky’s character and his values and some of his family context: why he did what he did, his own political awareness, which enabled him to sort of see coming what Hitler was planning to do.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Filip Jandourek, Czech Radio

Czechia has another entry on the prestigious UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage list, having succeeded with the nomination for its handmade glass production. The nomination was submitted together with France, Finland, Germany, Hungary, and Spain.

The art of glass making has a centuries-old tradition in Czechia, dating back to medieval times. The first glass furnace was lit in Bohemia in 1376 and by the 17th century, a major glass industry was founded in the north of the country, around the town of Jablonec nad Nisou, but also in the regions of Zlín and Vysočina.

Despite industrialisation, handmade glass production has survived to this day. More than 5,000 glassmakers, cutters, engravers, painters, jewellery manufacturers and designers work in glassworks, family workshops and studios across the country and their hand-crafted products are sought after all over the world.

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Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Petr Sznapka, ČTK

Some 77 Tatra trucks gathered in Ostrava at the weekend, setting a new Czech record. The greatest rarities among the Tatras assembled, including some from Slovakia and Poland, were a 1971 Tatra 138 and an orange Tatra 148.

Source: ČTK

Photo: Roman Vondrouš, ČTK

The official funeral mass for Karel Schwarzenberg took place with state honours in St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle on Saturday afternoon. The roughly two-hour ceremony, which began at noon, was attended by hundreds of guests from the worlds of politics, culture, and the nobility.

Mr. Schwarzenberg’s funeral mass was officiated by Prague Archbishop Jan Graubner, with a sermon delivered by Catholic priest and theologian Tomáš Halík. Czech President Petr Pavel gave a short eulogy, in which he said that Czechia had lost a great figure of modern history and that he would be sorely missed.

“He loved his homeland and of all the paths he could have taken, he chose the path of service to the Czech Republic. Even when he couldn’t live here, he supported this country,” the president said, referring to the more than four decades during Communist rule that Schwarzenberg lived in exile with his family in Austria.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor, Source:ČTK

Exhibitions and permanent expositions of Prague Castle will be half price for visitors during the Christmas holidays. People can use the 50 percent discount from December 22, 2023 to January 1, 2024. This applies to the entrance to the tour circuit, which includes the Prague Castle Picture Gallery, the Prague Castle Story exhibit, and the Castle Guard exhibit. For half the entrance fee, interested parties can also see the exhibition Windows of the St. Vitus Cathedral in the Imperial Stables.

Photo: Anton Kajmakov, Radio Prague International

Ostrava has – or at least it did until pretty recently – a reputation for being ugly and polluted. Formerly known as the “steel heart” of the Czech Republic, it was a centre of mining and heavy industry for two centuries. After its plants and collieries shut down following the Velvet Revolution, for a while it looked like Ostrava might suffer from the urban decay that many former mining and industrial towns underwent once they lost the industries that had made them rich and employed so many. But that’s not what happened. Instead, Ostrava underwent a fairly rapid transformation, both economically and culturally.

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Authors: Anna Fodor, Patrik Rozehnal, Romana Kubicová, Daniela Lazarová, Libor Kukal, Sources: iROZHLAS.cz, Radio Prague International

The traditional watch seller Hodinářství Bechyně is one of the long-term supporters of the National Gallery Prague. One of the rarest paintings in the gallery’s collections, the Feast of the Rosary by Renaissance master Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), is the main motif of its new campaign, which begins in December. the aim of the campaign is not only to emphasize the joint partnership but the shared principles, which are the love of art and the respect for the masterwork not only of the painters but also of the people who take care of the works of art.

Championship takes time

Dürer painted a painting called The Solemnity of the Rosary in 1506 commissioned by German merchants for the church of San Bartolomeo in Venice. It depicts the scene of an ideal gathering of the Rosary Brotherhood. This is a landmark work, depicting the transformation of German Gothic art into the Renaissance period. The masterful processing of the image proves that German painting was able to achieve the qualities of the renowned Venetian painting.

The creation of a phenomenal work took time, as did its restoration. “Championship takes time” is also the slogan of the Hodinářství Bechyně campaign. The restoration itself will be very demanding, as the defects in the painting appear on the surface of one-fifth of the entire painting.

Restoration of the work

This is one of the most demanding and complicated restoration projects in the Czech Republic. In the project’s first phase, previous restoration surveys will be comprehensively revised and analyzed, supplemented by the latest scientific methods. Subsequently, the concept of the restoration intervention will be created.

The methodology of the restoration procedures will be consulted at the international level through a commission composed of leading specialists from the ranks of restorers and art historians.

Although the restoration work is planned for five years, this does not mean that the important work will be lost from the eyes of the cultural public for that long. Those interested will be able to learn about the key moments of the restoration process on an ongoing basis, among other things, in the form of guided tours.

“Our interest is for the NGP brand to be even stronger, and at the same time we would like to contribute to education and increase the aesthetics of public space with our campaign,” said Lenka Bechyňová, manager of Hodinářství Bechyně, about the campaign.

The Solemnity of the Rosary: A History

Regardless of the price, the important art collector – Emperor Rudolf II wanted to get the rosary ceremony. He also bought the painting in 1606, 100 years after it was created, and had it brought to Prague wrapped in carpets over the Alps. However, the journey of the painting to the National Gallery in Prague was certainly not straightforward, and it was reflected in the current state of the painting.

Albrecht Dürer

Dürer was one of the greatest artists of his time. He boldly combined the thorough and technically bravura approach of the German medieval master with lightness, generosity and bright colors, i.e. the characteristics characteristic of Venetian Renaissance painting. He was the first German artist to write about his life, the first to treat self-portraits as a separate genre, he brought watercolor and printing to artistic and technological perfection at an early stage, and the first in what is now Germany to draw nudes based on living models. Here, too, he was the first to support his work with art-theoretical treatises, thus giving an insight into the creative process and the ideas behind his works.

National Gallery Prague

The Prague National Gallery presents the great names of Czech and world art from the Middle Ages to the present day. With its activities and collections, which are comparable to important world galleries, it welcomes 700,000 visitors annually.

The National Gallery Prague cooperates with many foreign institutions and presents unique exhibitions in the Czech environment: Rembrandt, French Impressionism, František Kupka, Alberto Giacometti, Gerhard Richter and many others. For example, you can currently visit the exhibition Petr Brandl: The Story of a Bohemian in the Valdštejnská jízdárna.

Watchmaker Bechyně

We are Hodinářství Bechyně, a Czech family company that started to build a modern tradition of representing prestigious brands in the Czech Republic. We represent high-quality German and Swiss watch brands, including their service. We were the first to obtain a representation of the Rolex brand in our country. We also deal with buying and selling vintage watches. Watches are our passion and joy. Over the years, many customers have become our friends. We are united not only by our love for the world of watches, but also by shared values. What matters to us is customer satisfaction. With us, buying a watch is more than just a purchase, we are happy to introduce you to the fascinating world of quality and beauty.

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Opening hours
Tuesday–Sunday 10 a.m.–6 p.m
every first Wednesday of the month 10–20 h

The President of the Republic, Petr Pavel, received the credentials of the new ambassadors to the Czech Republic on Friday, December 8, 2023 at Prague Castle:

H.E. Mr. Claudio Javier Rozencwaig, the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Argentine Republic based in Prague,

HE Mr. Stephen Muribu, the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uganda based in Berlin,

H.E. Mrs. Editha Antoinette Itoua, new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of the Congo based in Berlin.

Photos from the ceremony 8.12. 2023 (source: photo Office of the President: Zuzana Bönisch)

Photo: Jiří Matějů, Český rozhlas

It will have been 30 years next fall since Czech rock band Lucie released their now-iconic album Černý kočky mokrý žáby (Black cats, wet frogs). To celebrate the anniversary, the popular 90s band played three exclusive concerts this autumn in České Budějovice, Brno and Prague, where they performed the entire album live from start to finish. The Prague concert took place on Thursday this week in the O2 arena.

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The Czech Republic has links with India going back to long before both countries won independence. In this programme, in our occasional series In Their Own Words, we draw from our archives to look at Czech-Indian connections – through music, literature, geopolitics and even yoga.

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Author: David Vaughan

Photo: Hangar 13

Studio Hangar 13, formerly Illusion Softworks, is behind the successful Mafia saga in which players become power-hungry gangsters. The developers take inspiration from period images of cities or cars, but never copy their exact appearance. The games also feature Czech events or artefacts.

“People still talk about the original Mafia and still play it. That’s also our big success,” says Roman Hladík, general manager of Hangar 13.

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Author: Barbora Navrátilová

Text : M. Zisso  picture – Vaclav Pavlas

Germany has long held the 1st place in the number of foreign tourists visiting the Czech Republic. “A total of 178,891 Germans arrived at domestic hotels in August this year, which was 9% more than last year and even 13% more than in August 2019, before the Coronavirus pandemic. Among the foreigners who visited the Czech Republic, guests from Germany won an imaginary gold medal, they were the most,” says František Reismüller, director of the Czech Tourism Center – CzechTourism.

Natural monuments, gastronomy, castles, and sustainable travel. These were the themes of this year’s Czech-German cross-border campaign Ahoj Nachbarn! – Hallo sousede!, meaning ‘Hello neighbor!’ in the funny mix of respective languages. “We focused primarily on sustainable tourism. Cross-border travel concerns not only attractive border areas, but also other regions of both countries,” says Jan Pohaněl, head of the German Tourist Office for the Czech Republic.

We are enjoying the special German atmosphere of the Christmas markets, we loaded the car for a short trip with our two dogs, who are happy to travel around and off to Regensburg, about 2 a 2-and-a-half-hour drive from Prague.

We took a hotel room in the city center “Hotel Goldenes Kreuz”. Great location, even with a few parking spaces in the yard. The staff was very friendly, and the room was big and clean. The hotel is friendly to pets.

Exploring this beautiful city, visiting St. Peter Cathedral and Basilica of the Nativity of our Lady Regensburg, and stopping at almost all the Christmas markets on the way. Great atmosphere delicious food and hot wine.

We visited a few years ago, just before the Covid time the Regensburg market at the St. Emmeram’s Palace, the residence of the princely “Thurn und Taxis” family. It was something special. With very high expectations we walk to the palace to enjoy this year’s market. A long line at the entrance to pay almost 10 Euro entrance fee. With such a high entrance fee our expectations were even higher than before.

I must say I was very disappointed, the charm of the place disappeared, there was no special activity for the entrance fee we paid, just the same stands with food, beverages, and presents like at the other Christmas markets in the city that are for free and less crowded.

We had a very nice traditional German dinner at “Gravenreuther” ( pictures attached ). Dogs friendly and good service.

It was still early evening, just a few minutes after 8 pm, we wanted to have a few more drinks at the Christmas markets around. Then we found out they were closing at 8 pm. Walking around we saw a nice place to have a drink. “Orphee” – it’s a French restaurant with very special food, but we were full and tasted only the dessert menu: Crepe “Ballett” with Chocolate and nuts, served “flambe”, “Pavlova” cake, Crème Brulee and Mousse au Chocolate. It was a great end of the evening.

The next morning after a nice breakfast at the hotel we plan to do some shopping at the Donau-Einkaufszentrum, the biggest mall in Regensburg. We were very disappointed when we found out that Dogs are NOT allowed in like at other shopping centers in Germany.

We will travel again to Germany our neighbor beautiful country.