AuthorMartin Hladík

A spectacular ceremony accompanied the consecration of the Basilica of St. Ludmila in Prague’s Vinohrady district 130 years ago. Over 300 maidens dressed in white, the Hlahol singing club and thousands of ordinary citizens took part in the six-hour-long celebrations. The consecration ceremony was led by the Prague Archbishop Franziskus von Paula Graf von Schönborn.

The three-nave Neo-Gothic basilica, which is easily spotted and recognised by its two 60-metre-high towers, is one of Prague’s most distinctive landmarks. It has been featured in many Czech films as a backdrop for wedding ceremonies – and not only in film: writer Jaroslav Hašek, the author of The Good Soldier Švejk, and president Edvard Beneš, Czechia’s wartime head of state, both got married there.

The foundation stone for the basilica was laid on November 25, 1888 and the whole church took five years to build. The tabernacle in the early North German Gothic style was designed by architect Josef Mocker, best known for completing St. Vitus Cathedral in the Prague Castle complex.

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Author: Klára Stejskalová

Roughly 150 musicians took part in a public concert at Prague’s Main Railway Station on Sunday evening to raise awareness about the underfunding of culture in Czechia. The campaign, titled Let’s Not Let Culture Go Silent, is backed by two dozen important cultural institutions, among them the Czech Philharmonic, the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK, and the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra. To find out what they are striving for, I spoke with Jan Nykrýn, a member of the Czech Union of Musicians, and started by asking him why they chose a concert as a form of protest:

“The concert was organized because it is important to bring attention of the public to the cultural situation in the Czech Republic. There are three main reasons why we organized this protest. The first reason is that the Ministry of Culture is trying to reduce the amount of money that is supposed to go to the cultural sphere. The second reason is the salaries in the cultural industry, and the third is the concept of a public cultural institution, which is supposed to be a new subject of Czech law, and it is very hazardous to the institutions that should become part of this. So these are the main reasons.”

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Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

A recent report from the National Institute of Mental Health in Czechia indicated that children and adolescents are suffering from anxiety and depression at staggeringly high rates, with close to 40 percent of secondary school goers affected. But what are the factors behind these numbers? To learn more, I spoke with child therapist at Calmea, Iva Hadj Moussa.

“The numbers show that the rate of anxiety and depression amongst children and teenagers is really on the rise. It’s difficult to explain the reason why, it’s usually a combination of factors – including the influence of parents for example. High levels of stress and anxiety amongst parents can be passed on to their children. So maybe the reason our children are so stressed is because we are so stressed as parents. Also, there is a huge amount of pressure from school – kids are expected to perform highly at school and in their hobbies. Additionally, peer relationships and social pressure including difficulties making friends which can lead to loneliness. Exposure to distressing news and media content can also play a role. There are a lot of factors, but the most important thing is for parents and caregivers to be aware of the signs of anxiety, and try to support their kids.”

Read more here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Michal Kamaryt, ČTK

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

Flying to Jerusalem straight from a meeting between the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council in Oman, the Czech foreign minister discussed a range of political and practical issues relating to the current conflict with his Israeli counterpart and the country’s president. Addressing journalists at a press conference in Prague on his return, Mr Lipavský explained why he made the trip:

“I thought it important to personally express Czechia’s unanimous support for Israel. The barbaric attack by the terrorist group Hamas shocked me, as I think it did everyone else. I assured Foreign Minister Cohen that Czechia fully supports Israel’s right to self-defence.”

However, the Czech foreign minister’s speech did not ignore the Palestinian people either.

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Author: Anna Fodor

Photo: Ian Willoughby, Radio Prague International

Russia’s war on Ukraine is novel in that it is also a fight against gender and sexual equalities. That is the central thesis of a recent paper by Petr Kratochvíl and Míla O’Sullivan from Prague’s Institute of International Relations, who say that Russia is presenting itself, at home and abroad, as a defender of “traditional values” against the “decadent” West. I discussed this whole area, including the rhetoric Moscow is targeting at Czechia, with Kratochvíl at our Prague studio.

What role are ideas about gender playing in the way that Russia is conducting, or presenting, its war on Ukraine?

“That was in fact the starting point of our research. We were puzzled and amazed by the insistence of Russian leaders, policy makers, even spokespersons of ministries, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on mentioning gender very often, and especially when speaking about the difference between Russia and the West in general.

“That started long before the war. But then just after the invasion it became a flood. So obviously that seemed to be one of the central justifications for the war.

“Perhaps you remember when [Russian Orthodox Church head] Patriarch Kirill started talking about the invasion he said that that the litmus test by which we can tell on which side each any country stands, good or evil, is whether it allows Gay Prides.

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Author: Ian Willoughby

Senior officials in Prague have strongly condemned the Hamas attack on Israel that began on Saturday. President Petr Pavel called it a reprehensible terrorist act, while Prime Minister Petr Fiala said Czechia had always stood and will stand fully with Israel. For more on the Czech response, I spoke to Deputy Foreign Minister Jiří Kozák.

“The Czech government and all the Czech people have made it clear that this is an unacceptable terrorist attack against the State of Israel and the people of Israel, and we are all observing what’s going on.

“The pictures are just unbelievable. This is not a political act, this is a terrorist act.”

Members of the Israeli government were due to take part in a joint governmental meeting in Prague on Monday and obviously that was cancelled. But is there anything that Czechia is doing, or can do, to help Israel at this time?

“Our minister, Minister Lipavský, has been in contact with his Israeli counterpart and they are talking about what we can do.

“Now it is very important for the friends of Israel to make it clear that we understand the situation and that we support Israel in defending its own people and its own territory against this barbaric attack.”

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Author: Ian Willoughby

Following the Hamas attack on Israel, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala says moving his country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is now a “desirable step”. This would break with previous policy of following the EU line – and Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský says key criteria have not been met. I discussed the matter with Czech Television’s former Middle East correspondent Jakub Szántó.

Almost all countries have their embassies in Tel Aviv. What is the significance of the idea of moving the Czech Embassy to Jerusalem?

“Well, it certainly would be a huge show of support for Israel, especially in these very, very troubled and tragic times, and I think it would be very much appreciated by the government in Jerusalem.

“However, the problem with moving, en masse, European or other embassies at the same time from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem would be a problem for the Jerusalem municipality, because, simply put, there is no diplomatic quarter, unlike in Tel Aviv.

“Already the moving of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was a little bit of a headache, logistics-wise but also security-wise.

“If that happened, it would be hard to find enough buildings that would be good enough for embassies, the Czech Embassy included.

“That is why the Czech Embassy in Tel Aviv is renting an office in a commercial space, right in front of the world famous King David Hotel [in Jerusalem].

“And that is sort of to show support, without moving the entire venue, because even the Czech Republic’s embassy in Tel Aviv is pretty big.”

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Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: National theater of Moravia and Silesia

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

Born in Germany to Slovak parents, Patricia Burda Janečková grew up in Ostrava, where she studied opera at the Janáček Conservatory.

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Author: Daniela Lazarová, Source:ČTK

A new fundraiser for psychological aid to Ukrainian children was announced in connection with the second annual Crimean Platform Parliamentary Summit. It will be hosted by the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, in Prague on Tuesday, October 24. The fundraiser is held under the banner of the Committee of Good Will – Olga Havlova Foundation (VDV) and aims to raise funds for psychological assistance to children from Ukraine residing in the territory of the Czech Republic and to support Ukrainian children who were illegally detained in the territory of the Russian Federation, after their returning back to the homeland.

The International Crimean Platform was established in the summer of 2021 at the initiative of President Volodymyr Zelensky and aims to bring together and coordinate all existing national and international efforts to de-occupy the Crimean peninsula. The second edition of the summit is hosted in Prague by the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Markéta Pekarová Adamová. More than 50 parliamentary delegations from around the world confirmed their participation. “The horrors of any war always strike the most vulnerable first. In Ukraine today, it is primarily children who are mercilessly murdered and kidnapped from their homes by the Russian occupiers.

Psychological help for children who have gone through traumatic experiences has therefore long been among the top priorities of the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenská. It was she who inspired me to highlight this topic at the Crimean Platform parliamentary summit in Prague with the aim of alleviating the suffering of the innocent victims of the barbaric Russian aggression taking place near our borders,” says the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová.

The result of the collection, which is held under the auspices of the Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament Ruslan Stefanchuk and the Office of the President of Ukraine, will be announced on the eve of the summit at Prague Castle in the presence of President Petr Pavl.

The Committee of Good Will – The Olga Havel Foundation will follow up on its previous activities with the collection, when in the years 2022-2023 it supported 45 non-profit organizations throughout the Czech Republic in providing professional assistance to refugees from Ukraine, with a strong emphasis on professional psychological assistance. Thanks to the cooperation with the AMIGA organization, individual psychological support has so far been provided to 1,150 clients and group activities have taken place for more than 3,700 needy children. “Psychological problems are one of the most serious consequences of the war in Ukraine. The mental state of Ukrainians – and especially their children – is worsened by the seeming infinity of ruthless Russian aggression, heavy human and immaterial losses,” adds Monika Granja, director of VDV, adding: “Thanks to the proceeds from the collection, we will be able to continue to finance the help needed to come to terms with the war traumas and their consequences in the form of post-traumatic stress disorders, anxiety disorders, depression or sleep disorders.”

Help for Ukrainian children rescued from unauthorized detention on the territory of the Russian Federation after their return consists mainly of financial support and sensitive psychological care of local experts. You can donate to the collection using the online form here.

One of the many stories of help

“We were approached by the mother of a ten-year-old boy from Kharkiv. They moved to the Czech Republic at the beginning of the war, and the mother was struggling with the fact that the boy is aggressive, short-tempered, but also tearful, it is difficult to get along with him, and communication is completely different from what it was at home. After several interviews with the boy, the psychologist discovered that he was experiencing great fears as a result of moving, the war, but also an innate unstable nervous system. She used art therapy to reduce stress, practiced various relaxation methods. The psychologist also had a meeting with the mother, where she suggested some changes in the daily routine and other ways of supporting the son’s healthy nervous system. The boy left after ten meetings calmed down and relieved of his worries. The relationship between mother and son has also improved.”

The Frankfurt Book Fair, one of the world’s most prestigious literary events, has announced Czechia as its honorary guest for the 2026 edition. How important will its participation be for the country’s literature and publishing houses? I discussed these questions with Martin Krafl, head of the Czech Literary Centre, which is involved in planning the prestigious event:

“I think it is great news for us. We wanted to be a guest of honour at Frankfurt Book Fair for a very long time. I think that thanks to being a guest of honour at the Leipzig Book Fair in 2019, we have a good knowledge of how such a project should be organised.

“However, Frankfurt is different, of course. It is something like Olympic Games in literature, and I hope that we will be succeed there.

“I think it is a major opportunity not only for the Czech book industry but also for the country’s entire culture sector. It is also a big chance to present the high quality of Czech literature abroad but it is also an investment into the future of Czechia’s book market.”

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Author: Ruth Fraňková

On October 12, 2023, an architectural exhibition entitled Czech Pavilion EXPO 2025: Competition Proposals started in the National Museum.

It is organized by the Office of the General Commissioner for EXPO 2025 in cooperation with the National Museum. The exhibition of contemporary Czech architecture will present visitors with all 38 competition proposals, which in March 2023 fought for the unique opportunity to design the national pavilion for the next world exhibition. It will take place from April to October 2025 in Osaka, Japan.

“Although there can only be one winner, we would like to thank all the competing teams for the tremendous amount of time, effort, and work they put into the competition. That is why we have prepared an exhibition of architectural designs in cooperation with the National Museum. We want both specialists and the general public to be able to come and see it,” says Ondřej Soška, general commissioner of the Czech participation in EXPO 2025, adding: “The dignified background of the museum makes the exhibition even more attractive.” After more than twenty years, when the Czech national pavilions were created using the “Design & Build” method, the General Commissioner for EXPO 2025 Ondřej Soška, after consulting with experts from various fields, decided to return to the approach of how pavilions were built, for example, in Brussels (1958), Montreal (1967) or Osaka (1970). The Office of the Commissioner General, which is in charge of the preparation of Czech participation in world exhibitions, therefore announced an open anonymous architectural competition in December 2022 for the design of the national pavilion for EXPO 2025. The competition took place in accordance with the rules and recommendations of the Czech Chamber of Architects.

38 competition teams applied for it, from which an expert jury led by the world-renowned architect Eva Jiřična selected the winning design in the shape of a glass spiral from the Apropos Architects studio in March 2023.

The load-bearing structure of the building will be made up of modern wooden panels, while the facade will be made of art glass, which has a centuries-old tradition in the Czech Republic. The national pavilion will offer a worthy background for the Czech participation in EXPO 2025, which will be held from April to October 2025 on the artificial island of Yumeshima in the Osaka Bay. The pavilion will have a permanent exhibition, a multifunctional auditorium, facilities for business meetings, a restaurant, a VIP lounge, and in front of the pavilion there will be a relaxation area with a view of the sea for visitors.

“The EXPO exhibition is a unique opportunity to spread awareness about Czech culture and what the Czech Republic can offer in this area abroad. But at the same time, I am also pleased that we can bring the great world exhibition closer to the people here in the Czech Republic, precisely through the competition proposals, which will be on display during the month in the Travertine Hall of the New Building of the National Museum, which has a considerable connection to the EXPO world exhibitions. ” says the director general of the National Museum, Michal Lukeš.

Before the entrance to the building of the former National Assembly, today the New Building of the National Museum in Prague, there is a copy of the New Age sculpture. The original was created by the sculptor Vincenc Makovský for the Czechoslovak pavilion at the international exhibition Expo 1958 in Brussels, where the sculpture received the Grand Prize of the World Exposition. In the Travertine Hall there is a Sculpture for the Parliament by the Czech glassmakers Jaroslava Brichtová and Stanislav Libenský. The sculpture is almost nine meters long, and its shape follows on from another successful realization by the authors for the Czechoslovak pavilion at the EXPO 1970 exhibition in Osaka, Japan, where the couple exhibited a large-scale sculpture of the River of Life.

The exhibition takes place in the Travertine Hall of the New Building of the National Museum and is open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until November 19, 2023. It presents the competition proposals to visitors in the form in which they were submitted to the open architectural competition by individual teams. Each design consists of three panels. The panels usually contain visualizations, explanation of the design, architectural-interior design and technical drawings. At the same time, visitors will learn more information about world exhibitions, Czech participation or the plans of the Japanese organizers for the next EXPO.

The partners of the exhibition are CCEA MOBA and Mattoni. Czech Radio and the Czech Press Office are the media partners. The event is held under the auspices of the Czech Chamber of Architects and with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Expert jury for EXPO 2025

The Office of the Commissioner General together with the organizer of the CCEA MOBA competition assembled a highly specialized and diverse jury for the purpose of selecting the winning design of the Czech pavilion for the world exhibition EXPO 2025. On March 6 and 7, 2023, the complete composition of the seven-member jury sat on the submitted proposals, their goal was to agree on three winning concepts. The expert jury was chaired by the world-renowned architect Eva Jiřičná, the other members were the partner of the renowned architectural studio Kengo Kuma & Associates Balazs Bognar, the chief automotive designer Jozef Kabaň, the architect Markéta Smrčková, the chairman of the Czech Chamber of Architects Jan Kasl, the founder of the Association of Czech Industrial Design Martin Wichterle and the general commissioner of the Czech participation of Ondřej Soška. The jurors also had their substitutes and expert advisors,

In the Pardubice region, they are betting on technology. After the train museum or the exhibition of old machines, people can experience the (old) new Automatic Gočár mills

234,000 people came to hotels, boarding houses and apartments in the Pardubice region in the first half of this year. This is almost 12% more than the same period last year. And even more than before the covid-19 pandemic, when there were less than 217 thousand guests. Tourism in Eastern Bohemia was driven by domestic tourists, as in the whole of the Czech Republic. From January to June this year, 203.4 thousand visited the area, while 30.7 thousand tourists came from abroad. At the same time, Pardubice is currently betting on technology, new tourist destinations are often related to the country’s unique ideas and technologies. Last year Sky Bridge, this year Gočárovy młyny.

Detailed information on tourism in the regions is available on the website of the Institute of Tourism. To tourist destinations according to topics, but also according to regions, including cities and towns, then on one of the largest tourist portals Kudy from nudy.cz.

“In terms of foreigners, the Pardubice region was most interested in Slovaks (8,267 arrivals), Poles (6,747 arrivals) and Germans (5,463 arrivals) in the first half of this year. With the recent opening of the reconstructed national monument Automatic Mills from the workshop of architect Josef Gočár and other tourist destinations often related to technology, we can expect that the interest of travelers in the given region will grow again,” says Jan Herget, director of the Czech Tourism Office – CzechTourism, adding: ” The longest suspension bridge for pedestrians in the world, Sky – Bridge 721, which we helped to open last May, has had a fundamental influence on tourism in the Pardubice region. In 2022, it was among the most visited tourist destinations in the given region, with 280,000 people passing through it. I believe that Gočár’s mills also have similar potential, which is also great for the sustainability of tourism, i.e. the spread of tourists throughout the region.”

“This year’s four new tourist destinations in our region have huge potential to attract many tourists. They are Automatic mills, which can appeal not only because of the combination of historical industrial architecture with modern, but also in connection with the galleries or the educational center Sphere. Also due to the happenings and other planned events, including the possibility to sit quietly in a cafe and soak up the atmosphere of the banks of the Chrudimka and the nearby park,” says the director of the East Bohemia Destination Company, Alena Horáková, adding: “Technology fans will again find their way in Žamberk, where they have made available a unique Museum of old machines. The unconventional Planeta Hlinsko educates and entertains in an interactive way, so it is an ideal place for a family trip. And we also think of model train fans. They will certainly head to Chocno, ideally by rail, because the Museum of TT models is located on the very first platform.”

Experience Gočár’s mills. Automatic and globally unique

From the mills, designed in 1909 by the legendary Czech architect Josef Gočár, which operated continuously for 100 years and then began to deteriorate, a cultural and social center was newly created. The former brownfield consists of four buildings – the main building, the Gočár Gallery, the Educational Technical Sphere and GAMPA. The extensive area in the center of Pardubice also includes a park, a space for games, refreshment stands or a cafe, and an inner square where concerts, theater performances, etc. can be held. There is also a viewing terrace, a lecture hall, seminar rooms, technology classrooms, a unique space for projection of educational films on a unique ball, etc. The reconstruction of the Gočár mills for around 900 million crowns involves the private sector (the Smetans and their foundation Automatic Mills) in cooperation with the public administration (Pardubice region and the city of Pardubice).

Try old machines in the new museum. Interactively

In Žamberk, you can also visit the Museum of Old Machines and Technologies starting this fall. It houses an interactive exhibition of the development of technology and engineering in Austria-Hungary and later Czechoslovakia. Most of the exhibits are fully functional and visitors can try them out. In addition to steam engines, you can see, for example, old cars, motorcycles and textile equipment, which are typical for the Pardubice region. The textile tradition, which is followed by the production of nanofibers and fabrics with membranes, began right here.

Travel to the center of the Earth or the eye of a tornado. No worries In the Pardubice region, they also have a new Planeta Hlinsko Educational Center starting this summer. It cost 30 million crowns and children in particular can get to know the Earth as a planet in detail. You can look and sometimes touch the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, parts of the universe or the origin and center of the Earth. It is also possible to experience the water cycle or stand in the eye of a tornado.

Look at the trains. Progressively

This year they opened a special Museum of TT models in Chocna. On 200 square meters, they present trains, railway vehicles, buildings, railway yards, etc. In addition to history, the exhibition also shows the technological development of the field, including great social progress since the second half of the 20th century. All of this with the aim of awakening interest in railways among both young and old visitors and to get children even more excited about studying technical fields.

The parliamentary summit of the Crimean Platform will take place in Prague from October 23 to 24. It aims to raise awareness of the illegal Russian occupation of Crimea and its wider consequences. Over 40 representatives of legislative bodies from all over the world have confirmed their participation in the Prague summit. Through a live video call, the founder of the platform, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, will also speak at the beginning of the summit.

The second parliamentary summit of the Crimean Platform will take place from October 23 to 24 in Prague. The goal of the summit is to raise awareness among world leaders and the general public about the illegal Russian occupation of Crimea, its impact on the state of basic human rights of the people there, on global food security, as well as on the rules-based world order.

“The holding of the parliamentary summit of the Crimean Platform in Prague will also be a great contribution to relations with Ukraine. This is a value in itself, as Ukraine contributes significantly to the strengthening of our security through its fight against Russian aggressors. Even from a purely pragmatic point of view, this is also an investment in relations with a potentially very prosperous country, which also offers extremely interesting opportunities for Czech companies thanks to the post-war recovery,” said the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová.

32 chairmen and 19 vice-chairmen or other representatives of the parliamentary chambers have already confirmed their participation in the summit. In total, the personal participation of legislators from 41 countries and 5 parliamentary assemblies is expected. Most EU countries will be represented, including presidents of parliaments from France, Germany, and Spain. Presidents from other neighboring countries – Slovakia, Austria, or Poland – will also travel. From countries outside the EU, for example, Canada, the United Kingdom, Iraq, or Sierra Leone will be represented.

“Today, the Czech Republic is actively playing in the first diplomatic league. Holding an international summit in Prague will bring us even greater international prestige and increase our visibility on the international scene. This will significantly support the promotion of Czech interests in the future,” added the speaker of the House of Representatives, Markéta Pekarová Adamová.

The Crimean platform was created in 2021 on the initiative of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He will also address the summit participants via a live video call at the beginning of the summit.

All information about the Crimean Platform, including the complete program of the upcoming Prague summit, can be found at https://crimeaprague.psp.cz.

Learning difficulties, traumas and domestic violence –those are just some of the underlying causes of behavioral problems among schoolchildren. According to the Czech School Inspectorate, the number of children with behavioral problems has increased in recent years and teachers are ill prepared to deal with the challenge.

The case of a fourth grader physically attacking his class teacher made headlines in September, although few details were released due to the child’s age. Nevertheless, education specialists and pediatricians warn that the number of young children suffering from mental problems, self-harming or channeling their aggression outward – towards teachers and classmates -has been growing and that the Czech school system and teachers themselves are ill prepared to deal with it.

The Government’s Commissioner for Human Rights Klára Šimáčková Laurenčíková says that in many schools children are automatically punished for misbehaving and teachers generally have little time, space and experience to try to get to the root of the problem.

See the rest here.

Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Patrik Salát, Source:Český rozhlas

Photo: Daniel Vavřík and Jaroslav Valach, Czech Academy of Sciences

Academic articles are usually only read by a vanishingly small number of people, but a paper published in mid-May of this year in the journal Heritage Science has already become one of the world’s most-read scientific papers, with 36,000 views. It is the work of an international team of scientists, including some Czechs, who deciphered a text hidden inside a Bronze Age lead tablet in Israel – and found that it contained proto-Hebraic curses.

In the 1980s, Israeli archaeologist Adam Zertal came across two altars on Mount Ebal in Samaria on the West Bank of the river Jordan. He found that one of the altars dated back to the Late Bronze Age – he dated it to the mid-13th century BC – and additionally discovered that under this altar was a lead tablet that had presumably originally been part of one of the altars, but had been buried under piles of stones for the past 3,200 years.

He spent the better part of a decade studying this archaeological find, but never discovered what was written inside the tablet – or even knew that there was anything to find. But recently, an international team decided to re-examine his excavations, and found that the tablet contained inscriptions hidden inside it.

See the rest here.

Authors: Anna Fodor, Karolína Burdová, Source:iROZHLAS.cz

Photo: Jaroslav Ožana, ČTK

Czechia, Poland, Austria and Slovakia have announced they are extending the spot border checks introduced on October 4, by another 20 days. The measure, intended to curb the flow of illegal migrants along the Western Balkans route, has proved successful.

The traffic of illegal migrants along the Western Balkans route fluctuates in the course of the year and the countries that serve as transit states to the ultimate destination –Germany – respond in unison according to the gravity of the problem. Last year Czechia introduced spot border checks at the end of September and they lasted until the beginning of February.

This year they were introduced on October 4 –along with other states in the region -for a starting period of 10 days. On Wednesday, Interior Minister Vít Rakušan announced that they would remain in place for the time being.

“The Czech government has decided to maintain spot checks on the country’s border with Slovakia for another 20 days. This is in line with decisions made by the Polish, Austrian and Slovak governments, which have also extended random checks for the same period. They will remain in place until November 2.“

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová, Sources:Český rozhlas,ČTK

Illustrative photo: René Volfík, iROZHLAS.cz

Czechs know how to make good beer and enjoy it – consuming, on average, over 160 liters per person each year. And they have become increasingly fond of good wine, a fondness that is also driven by the fact that there is no excise tax on still wine in Czechia, making it highly affordable.

But there’s a downside. According to a study conducted by PAQ Research the health costs and losses in productivity incurred by excessive drinking by far exceed the amount collected in excise duty. I spoke to sociologist Daniel Prokop of the PAQ research company about its findings.

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Author: Daniela Lazarová

Photo: SOkA Zlín, č. NAD: 1294, č. obálky: 146/Tomáš Baťa Memorial

The name ‘Zlín’ has been inextricably linked with businessman Tomáš Baťa ever since the beginning of the twentieth century – so much so that, despite the word bearing no resemblance to his name, the town was renamed in 1949 by the communist leadership, who evidently found the original name to be too closely associated with the buccaneering capitalist shoe king.

However, despite the communists’ best efforts, the name and memory of Tomáš Baťa could not be entirely erased, and after 40 years of being officially known as ‘Gottwaldov’, after the first Communist leader of Czechoslovakia, Klement Gottwald, the town quickly changed its name back to Zlín after the Velvet Revolution.

Lenka Čechmánková from the Museum of south-eastern Moravia in Zlín says that during those four decades, the town’s new name never stuck.

“It was officially used but I think people didn’t really like to call it that, they were still using Zlín.”

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Author: Anna Fodor

A region of enterprising people. This is where the Bata company was founded and today its shoes are famous the world over. It boasts the town of Kroměříž, with the most beautiful castle gardens in Czechia, and the pilgrimage site Velehrad.

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Author: Vít Pohanka

Photo: Ian Willoughby, Radio Prague International

Today Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is the region’s premier cinema showcase. But practically half of its long history took place under communism – and the event in that period is the subject of a new book, Proplétání světů, Intertwining Worlds. So what did Karlovy Vary look like in the Cold War era? And why did it alternate for decades with the Moscow film festival? I discussed those questions, and much more, with the publication’s editor, historian and film journalist Jindřiška Bláhová.

Why was the festival set up in 1946?

“A combination of ambitions and politics, to put it simply. Because in ’46 cinema was nationalised and within that there was an idea, Let’s have a festival. “But, mind you, it wasn’t a festival like we imagine now. It was only 12 films. It was only a teeny tiny thing.

“It was basically driven by the idea, France has a festival, in Venice there’s a festival. “In their vision of greatness – it was part of their post-war new identity and the awakening of the nation – the representatives of Czechoslovak film decided, Oh, we can also have a festival.

“And they had a small festival to showcase the greatness, or future greatness, of Czechoslovak cinema. Because the idea was that Czechoslovak cinema can be at the forefront of global cinema.

“It was also crucial for the showcasing not only of film but the project of nationalising or making cinema state-owned as a viable, great project for the future. Because not everybody agreed – there was opposition.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: René Volfík, iROZHLAS.cz

New data from the Czech Statistics Office show that one fifth of students on Czech campuses are internationals, and nearly half of those foreigners wish to stay on in Czechia after completing their studies. To understand these numbers and the appeal of Czechia as a place for students to establish themselves, I spoke with Michal Uhl, the director of the international-focused House of Foreign Cooperation organization in Prague.

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Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Michaela Říhová, ČTK

The Thália Awards are an annual ceremony that honours artists in the performing arts in Czechia. Awards are presented to both men and women in four categories – drama, opera, dance, and musical and operetta. This year, American-born performer Becka McFadden received the Thália Award in the category of alternative theatre for their performance in the production of Black Dress. I spoke with them in our studios about what this recognition means.

I’ll start by saying congratulations on the recent Thália Award win. I want to ask what this recognition means to you?

“It means a couple of things; it feels like an embrace by the Czech theatre community, that what I’m doing makes sense and has value, and is something people are glad is here. In my acceptance speech I said that I didn’t need the award to know that it was the right decision to change my life and move here permanently about five years ago, but the award makes me feel that the feeling is a bit mutual, and that’s a lovely way to feel. It’s also significant in the sense that Black Dress is an unusual show, it deals with non-binary-femme identity, and the fact that an establishment like the Actors Association was interested in this performance, and devoted a lot of time and attention to it says something about what is happening in the performing arts in the Czech Republic, how it’s becoming more open. It says something about the exciting things that are happening in queer performances specifically, so I think it’s really exciting.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

The cult of St Wenceslas is ever-present in Czechia, not least in the field of music. The best example of this is the St. Wenceslas Chorale.

The Saint Wenceslas Chorale is a church hymn and one of the oldest known Czech songs, which is part of the cult of St. Wenceslas in music. Its roots date back to the 12th century. The content of the hymn is a prayer to Saint Wenceslas, Duke of Bohemia and the Czech patron saint, to intercede for his nation, to help protect it from injustice and ensure its salvation. The hymn is still performed today, usually on special occasions such as St Wenceslas Day. In 1918, when Czechoslovakia was established it was even discussed as a possible theme for the national anthem.

In 1895, Josef Klička, a Czech organist, composer, conductor and pedagogue at the Music Conservatory in Prague, composed a concert fantasia on the St. Wenceslas Chorale.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová

Photo: Martin Vaniš, Radio Prague International

September 28 is St. Wenceslas Day, a state holiday marking the death of the nation’s patron saint. Many of the masses celebrated in his memory will take place in churches dedicated to St. Wenceslas.

Wenceslas was born near Prague in 907, a son of the Duke of Bohemia. His father died in 921 and Wenceslas ruled from 922, when he was just 15 years old. He was raised as a Christian, primarily thanks to his grandmother Ludmila, who was baptised by the Greek missionaries Cyril and Methodius who brought Christianity to the region.

The reign of Wenceslas was marked by his staunch support for the Catholic Church, his aim to unify Bohemia and make peace with Germany.

These policies created enemies within his court and even his family. His brother Boleslav was one of those who plotted against him. On the morning of September 28, 935, on his way to mass, Wenceslas was attacked and stabbed to death at the entrance to the church. It is not clear to this day whether Boleslav was the murderer or whether he let his supporters to do the deed.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová, Source:Český rozhlas

Exactly 150 years ago, Prague Archbishop Bedřich Schwarzenberg laid the foundation stone for the completion of Prague’s famous St. Vitus Cathedral in neo-Gothic style.

The Cathedral of St. Vitus, Wenceslas and Vojtech at Prague Castle, a spiritual symbol of the Czech state, was founded in 1344 on the site of a Romanesque rotunda.

King John of Bohemia laid the foundation stone for the new cathedral and construction continued during the rule of his eldest son and heir to the throne Charles IV.

However, the lengthy construction process was interrupted in 1419 by the Hussite Wars and the church remained unfinished for many centuries. It was not until the second half of the 19th century that the completion of the shrine in neo-Gothic style was initiated.

The Prague Archbishop Bedřich Schwarzenberg, who laid the foundation stone for the completion of the cathedral 150 years ago today, played an important role in the process.

See the rest here.

Sources: Český rozhlas,100+1

Photo: Škoda Auto

Škoda has unveiled its next generation SUV Kodiaq. At its world premiere in Berlin on Wednesday evening, the car manufacturer presented the new car’s design and technological enhancements in a never-used subway tunnel under Potsdam Square.

The second generation Kodiaq, competitor to the Japanese Honda CR-V and the South Korean Hyundai Santa Fe or Kia EV6, has a different interior from the first generation made seven years ago. As well as more inside space, it also features second-gen TOP LED Matrix headlights and a plug-in hybrid drive with a range of up to 100 kilometres purely on electricity.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor, Source:iROZHLAS.cz

President Petr Pavel, in a speech before members of the European Parliament on October 4, 2023, supported the expansion of the European Union to include the countries of the Western Balkans or the so-called Associated Trio (Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia). He also called for European countries to continue supporting Ukraine. He further warned against misinformation at the plenary of the European Parliament.

The President recalled the twenty-three-year-old words of former Czech President Václav Havel from the European Parliament about the need for constant reflection and critical examination of European values, ideals, and principles. Since then, he said, the urgency of the task has not changed. “Making sure our citizens can identify with the principles we stand for is even more important,” he said.

In his speech, President Pavel also commented on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He called it a blunt and cynical attempt to wipe Ukraine, its people and culture off the map. He emphasized that Russian President Vladimir Putin, who tried to destroy a sovereign state and undermine the international order, must not win. “I therefore appeal to all to continue to provide assistance by all possible means. If Ukraine falls, so will we. And it will cost us much more,” he said.

He mentioned the accession of ten countries to the EU in 2004, which, according to him, brought benefits to all member states of the Union. He described the EU as the most successful peace project that the European continent has experienced. He supported further expansion of the European Union. “I am convinced that striving for a full-fledged European future for the Western Balkans and the Associated Trio is not only our moral duty. From a long-term perspective, this is an investment in the security and resilience of Europe and its citizens,” he added.

He stated that the integration process cannot be completed without the necessary reforms, both on the part of the candidate countries and the EU. “Enlargement should be seen as an opportunity to reshape the European idea. It should be seen as a chance to create a more effective Union,” he added.

The president also warned against disinformation, calling it a real threat. According to him, it is also necessary to create stronger bonds between natural European and transatlantic allies.

Today in Strasbourg, the President also met with Czech MEPs and held talks with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, with whom he spoke, for example, about the biggest challenges facing the EU. Before the end of the trip, President Pavel will also meet with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić.

Photo By: Tomáš Fongus

September seems to have unofficially been sustainability month in Czechia, with Zero Waste Week, European Sustainable Development Week and Czech Radio’s “Don’t Bin it! 7 Days for the Planet” all taking place within that period. While many of these events and campaigns were international, some were specific to Czechia – like the Waste Prevention 2023 conference that took place in Prague. I went along to find out what Czech companies are doing to reduce their environmental impact.

Microplastics accumulating in our bodies, wildlife choking on our trash, and garbage patches three times the size of France floating in our oceans – these are just some of the consequences of the estimated 2 billion tons of trash that we, the world’s population, produce each year. Sadly, with rapid population growth and urbanisation, the World Bank predicts annual waste generation will actually increase by 73% from 2020 levels to 3.88 billion tonnes in 2050.

But there are people trying to fight this trend. And although Czechia may be a small country, it is also trying to do its part to change people’s habits and combat the ever-mounting garbage disposal problem facing the planet.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Photo: Amelia Mola-Schmidt, Radio Prague International

What could be more Czech than drinking beer on an old tram? At Prague’s Bistro Točna, owner Jan Řídký and his business partner have turned a historical tram stop into a thriving business frequented by locals and tourists alike. I spoke with him about how he and his partner got the idea for the business, and how he hopes the space becomes a hub for culture in the city.

“I established this bistro with a friend of mine, but it’s really not my background. I work at a bank in risk management and my friend works in a marketing agency. One day we had this crazy idea to get into the gastro business, and the rest is history.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Josef Vostárek, ČTK

The 50th Czech Ploughing Championship was held in Chrudim at the weekend. Pictured is a participant in the horse-drawn ploughing category.

Source:ČTK

Photo: Pardubice Region

Pardubice’s Automatic Mills (Automatické mlýny) building – one of the most famous works by the pioneering Czech architect and designer Josef Gočár – has just been reopened as a multifunctional public space following a CZK 900 million renovation project.

The hugely impressive complex, including two galleries, a café, a hall and other facilities, has been winning many plaudits since its official opening on Friday.

Officials in the East Bohemian city say they hope the building on the banks of the Chrudimka River will prove a major draw with visitors.

Source

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Loreta Vašková, Radio Prague International

Just one month after private firms such as Vodafone and Skoda wrote an open letter to Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala calling for marriage equality, Czech theatres across the country followed suit. The Goose on a String theatre in Brno, is one of the participating art institutions. I spoke with Martin Sládeček, Artistic Director of the theatre, about why it was important to take a stand on this issue.

“In our country, there is vast support amongst men and women throughout the regions for equal marriage. But our politicians still somehow look past this when it comes to the matter. We had the urge to call on our prime minister and the Czech government to pay attention to public opinion and to support equal marriage for all couples. Through this letter, we’ve tried to tell them that they need to pay attention to this issue.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Mark Cocksedge

Lasvit, Czechia’s leading exporter of luxury glass and light installations, is one of three prominent design entities currently being showcased at Sketch, a high-end dining establishment in West London.

Michelin-starred Sketch in London’s posh Mayfair district describes itself as a “quirky, 18th-century townhouse tearoom that transforms into a cocktail lounge every evening”. In fact, the premises are comprised of five separate dining spaces, including the 3-Michelin star restaurant The Lecture Room and Library serving lunch and dinner, gastro-brasserie restaurant the Gallery serving afternoon tea and dinner, and the Glade, described on the restaurant’s website as “an enchanted découpage forest” serving breakfast, lunch and cocktails.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor, Sources:iROZHLAS.cz, Lasvit.com, sketch.london

Photo: Jiří Šindelář, Geo-cz

The Koněprusy Caves, the largest known cave system in Bohemia, are the first in Europe to have a digital map. It was created by a team of scientists using 3D scanning. A special camera allowed them to access places that have never been mapped before.

The Koněprusy Caves are located just 30 kilometres south-east from Prague, in the heart of a limestone region known as Bohemian Karst. The extensive cave system, formed millions of years ago, spans two kilometres in length with three levels.

They consists of passages, caverns and domed chambers rich in striking stalactites and stalagmites. The biggest attraction are the so-called Koněprusy rosettes, formed by calcium carbonate that dissolved along the edges of an underground lake.

See the rest here.

Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Jitka Cibulová Vokatá

Photo: Jaroslav Ožana, ČTK

On his way to the European Political Community summit in Granada on Thursday, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said bolder steps were needed to resolve the growing problem of illegal migration in Europe. Czechia, Austria, Poland and Slovakia this week all reintroduced random border checks in an effort to curb the flow of illegal migrants.

After a break of several months, the stream of illegal migrants crossing to Western Europe via the Western Balkans route has once again increased. With dozens of migrants detained every day, Czechia, Austria and Poland on Wednesday reinstated random border checks on their borders with Slovakia, and, in a domino effect, Bratislava announced a similar measure on its border with Hungary as of Thursday. The restrictions will remain in place for ten days with the possibility of an extension depending on the prevailing circumstances.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová

Photo: Radioservis

In today’s edition of Sunday Music Show we‘ll be listening to a new CD created jointly by opera singer Adam Plachetka and jazz and swing musician Ondřej Havelka and his band Melody Makers. Called Nebe na Zemi, or Heaven on Earth, it mainly features classic interwar songs composed by Jaroslav Ježek and the famous stage duo of Voskovec and Werich.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Heathens / Pohani

Heathens, a new Czech film set for release next week, centres on the play of the same name by Hanna Yablonska. She was a young Ukraine-born playwright who was killed in a suicide bombing at a Moscow airport.

The black and white movie Heathens (Pohani in Czech) opens with young Odessa-born playwright Hanna Yablonska becoming the victim of a terrorist attack at a Moscow airport in 2011. Also known as Anna Yablonskaya, though her real name was Anna Mashutina, she was not yet 30 when she died.

The great majority of the movie is based on her play The Pagans, a chronicle of a non-functioning family. Indeed she had flown to the Russian capital to collect a prize for the screenplay of a film adaptation.

The director of the new Czech film is Olga Dabrowská.

“Considering she died at the age of 29, she was a hugely prolific and well-known writer. She wrote 22 theatre plays that have been performed in many countries: in the United States, in France, in the UK, in Eastern Europe. The Pagans was staged here in Czechia, at the South Bohemian Theatre in České Budějovice, and in Slovakia, at the National Theatre in Bratislava. She was a modern voice in contemporary European theatre.”

The maker of Heathens explains what made Yablonska special as a writer.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Czech Centre Brussels

A temporary gallery has opened in Brussels to celebrate architect and designer Josef Hoffmann, who was born in Moravia and rose to fame in Vienna. Over the next six weeks, visitors to Café Hoffmann can sit on chairs based on his designs and attend workshops, screenings or lectures dedicated to the famous architect. I discussed his legacy with Adam Štěch, one of the project’s curators:

“Josef Hoffmann was one of the biggest masters of modern, 20th century architecture. He was born in Brtnice near Jihlava in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He went to Vienna to study and he was very lucky, because his professor was Otto Wagner, one of the founding founders of modern architecture.

“Hoffmann was very talented and very soon he became part of the Vienna Secession movement, which was pretty revolutionary at the time because it was interested in using new forms and materials in architecture.

“In 1903 Hoffmann founded, together with his friend Koloman Moser, the Vienna Werkstätte, a very famous design enterprise. They were basically workshops of various skilled craftsman who produced designs created by Hoffmann and his friends.”

I know that Hoffmann’s most famous work is the Stoclet Palace in Brussels, but has he left any traces in Czechia?

“Of course the Palais Stoclet is the ultimate icon of modern architecture, but Hoffmann worked on many other projects and commissions and quite a lot of them are located in Czechia.

“After the foundation of Czechoslovakia in 1918 he became quite dependent on commissions from Czech clients, and he had lots of supporters in this country.

“He designed not only buildings and villas for them. He also designed products for Czech companies such as the famous Moser glassworks and various furniture makers. So I would say he had a pretty close connection to the country of his birth.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

The Prague City Council recently approved the awarding of a free annual pass for the city’s public transport system, worth CZK 3,650, to volunteer blood donors who have donated at least 80 times. According to the Czech Red Cross there are currently about 250,000 regular blood donors in Czechia – but the country is still short of at least 50,000.

I spoke to Karol Čukan, Secretary General of the Czech Red Cross, to find out whether and how it is possible for foreigners living in Czechia to donate blood, what the barriers are to entry, and why I myself am not allowed to donate.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Photo: Jana Přinosilová, Czech Radio

Tributes have been pouring in for Daniel Anýž, the Czech journalist and commentator who died on Saturday at the age of 59. Mr Anýž, who served as a Washington correspondent and was known as an expert on US affairs, worked for a number of Czech media outlets, including the Czech-language service of the BBC.

Daniel Anýž, who died on Saturday at the age of 59 following a long illness, originally studied geology at the Faculty of Life Sciences in Prague before discovering his life’s calling in journalism.

Between 2006 and 2010, he worked as a US correspondent for the daily Hospodářské noviny. Upon his return, he continued to comment on US affairs for various Czech media outlets, including Czech Radio.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

The first breeding of tile turtles in European zoos is the result of a fifteen-year effort by the team of curator Peter Velenský. As part of the breeding of reptiles at the Prague Zoo, this is a historic success on a world scale. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

Exactly four months ago, two scaly turtle hatchlings hatched in the Prague Zoo. These mushroom-eating reptiles were bred by the Prague Zoo as the first zoo in Europe. Both delicate cubs thrive and transform significantly.

“They slowly lose their egg tooth and regularly eat oyster mushrooms, fruits such as figs or papaya and fresh dandelions. They gradually round out as their carapace becomes more arched. In short, they have a zest for life,” says curator of reptiles Petr Velenský. According to him, the key is that the turtles grow without deformities. “The supply of calcium is ensured by the cuttlefish bone, which they willingly nibble on. They got really hard for us. After hatching, they were unusually soft, almost like an inflatable balloon. Today, I would compare their hardness to a rugby cone,” he adds.

The egg tooth, i.e. the horn-shaped formation on the jaws, which enables small turtles to break the shell and hatch from the egg, is already only minimally visible on the head of the young. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

For the time being, the cubs remain in the background to be disturbed as little as possible. Handling them is limited to the necessary minimum. Even so, curator Velenský’s team learns valuable information about the way of life of these little-explored animals. For example, they are especially active after the terrarium has been dewed. Presumably in the belief that the mushrooms that feed on this food-specialized species will grow.

According to the IUCN Red List, leatherback turtles are an endangered species, and even critically endangered in China. In addition to the loss of the natural environment, the cause is illegal trade on Asian markets. After all, the father of the cubs also got to Prague from the confiscated shipment of turtles via the Tai-pei Zoo. The current breeding at the Prague Zoo is therefore a life-long undertaking. The emerging methodology can help in breeding and other breeding institutions.

The reproduction of terrapins, whose adult individuals can be found by visitors in Velemlokário and which until recently were considered not only non-reproducible, but even unkillable, was preceded by a fifteen-year effort. The whole story is, among other things, colorfully described in the current issue of the Trojský kóník, the magazine of the Prague Zoo.

The extremely delicate hatchlings remain in the hinterland for the time being, where they live a very sedentary lifestyle. They only come out of their shelter to feed. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

The authorities have tightened the rules for the roughly 45,000 veteran and vintage cars in Czechia. As of September 2023, they are required to undergo a classic vehicle inspection every five years and will be entered into the national car register.

Milan Belko is a veteran car enthusiast who lavishes time and money on his 1939 Jawa Minor. He says he has had it for 15 years and regularly attends veteran car jamborees and rides around the country. Before the new regulation came into force, his car was checked by inspectors at the veteran car club to make sure it was in good running order. He thinks that the newly-ordered inspections at technical stations will be more or less a formality.

“Veterans require specific attention. You’ve got a two-stroke, so they won’t be measuring emissions. You’ve got mechanical cable brakes, so they can’t test them in the usual way. They will check that the car brakes, the lights come on, the horn sounds, the wipers wipe and that will be about it. The problem is that the people who will be undertaking the inspection are experts on modern cars, not veterans and vintage ones.”

Some stations counter that they are ready for the challenge since they serviced veteran cars in the past. The technical inspection station in Olomouc –a town that boasts a museum of veteran cars and motorcycles – says it is ready to provide the service. Owners of vintage cars have been coming here for inspections for many years, but until September there was no call for technicians to register them in the Transport Ministry’s records. The head of the station Vladimir Foukal says owners of veteran and vintage cars can rely on getting a proper comprehensive inspection.

See the rest here.

Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Barbora Taševská, Source:ČRo

South Moravia is a region of wine, beautiful UNESCO-listed castles and the Moravian metropolis Brno. Check out some of its beautiful landmarks in our photo gallery.

Source: CzechTourism

Photo by Zuzana Bönisch

President Petr Pavel and First Lady Eva Pavlova ended a two-day trip to the South Moravian Region today. During the visit, the president met with representatives of the region and Brno, held discussions with representatives of technology companies.

The President spoke to the mayors of municipalities that were hit by a devastating tornado two years ago. Among other things, Mrs. Pavlová visited the Danzinger blue print workshop in Olešnice na Moravá.

At the beginning of the trip, President Pavel met with Governor Jan Grolich, Mayor of Brno Markéta Vaňková, and South Moravian representatives.

The South Moravian Region is a champion among regions in supporting entrepreneurship, innovation, and new technologies. “Which made it the region that was the first among the regions of the Czech Republic to receive the Business Region of the Year award,” said the president.

He mentioned the availability of education for all age categories of children and students as another positive of the region. On the other hand, he sees transport infrastructure and the level of various quality parameters as problems of life in more remote parts of the region. The topic was also the issue of drought and the possibility of ensuring sufficient water for agricultural production all year round.

Together with the British ambassador, President Pavel subsequently unveiled a commemorative plaque of Czech-British cooperation in the Technology Park in Brno. He also visited the South Moravian Innovation Center, where he debated with representatives of promising companies from small start-ups to companies with billions in turnover. “This center is probably the largest in Central Europe. It can be compared with similar centers in, for example, Eindhoven in the Netherlands and is definitely a place that should inspire followers,” he said.

On the first day of his trip to the South Moravian region, he also visited the Punkevní cave and debated with mayors of municipalities in Blanensko. He talked to them about the unavailability of doctors and dentists. He wants to talk about the problem soon with the Minister of Health Vlastimil Válek.

Today, the presidential couple visited Hrušky in Břeclavsk, where they met with the mayors of the municipalities affected by the June 2021 tornado and with representatives of the Integrated Rescue System. The president talked to them about the way the affected municipalities managed to deal with the two-year-old disaster.

At the end of the trip, President Pavel and his wife visited the archaeological site Hradisko near Mušov and met winemakers in Dolní Dunajovice. From South Moravia, he then headed to Vysočina, where he inspected, among other things, the new Venom and Viper helicopters at the air base in Náměšt nad Oslavou.

Photo: Michaela Danelová, Czech Radio

The head of the Czech Counterintelligence Service (BIS) Michal Koudelka on Monday highlighted the activities of Russian agents in the country in connection with the war in Ukraine. He said efforts to disseminate Kremlin propaganda in Czechia were now so blatant that anyone who does not see them must be “blind and deaf”.

The public rarely hears about the work of intelligence services in uncovering foreign agents active in the country, but at a conference on disinformation in the Czech lower house of Parliament, the Czech counterintelligence chief reported on a relatively recent case of a Russian agent at work.

“The counterintelligence service ascertained that a Russian agent operating in Czechia paid selected journalists several thousand euros to secure the spread of Russian propaganda in this country. The agent paid for selected articles and financed several foreign trips that resulted in narratives supporting the foreign policy interests of the Russian Federation in relation to the war in Ukraine. These were disseminated in the public space, and well-known personalities were abused for this purpose.”

Mr. Koudelka refused to say who the well-known personalities involved were, but he said the facts were clear and convincing.

Among the fake news disseminated by Russian agents in this country was a report that emerged during the Czech presidential campaign in January of 2023, when the Russian state media channel Sputnik released a fake video of the hot candidate Petr Pavel, in which he allegedly claimed that Czechia should get involved in the war in Ukraine.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová

Just trailing Tokyo, Japan, Czechia’s capital city has been ranked the second best destination in the world for solo travellers by travel operator Planet Cruise. The ranking was based on safety, accommodation costs, available attractions, and public transportation. To understand what has been done to bolster the city’s reputation internationally, I spoke to Jan Herget, director of CzechTourism here in Prague.

“This doesn’t surprise me, Prague is a beautiful city with an amazing history, many sight-seeing opportunities, good hotels, and gastronomy. But even more important is safety. The Czech Republic is among the top ten safest countries in the world, which is very important. Public services like transport also operate on a very high level. So the combination of the beauty of the city, safety, and public services make the city so successful.”

I know CzechTourism has been doing quite a bit of work to change the reputation of Prague being a ‘wild party city’ that it’s garnered over the years. Do you see your work paying off, and what are the steps the city has taken to change this reputation internationally?

“Absolutely, we are trying hard together with the city – and I think it’s very important that the city and government have made many changes. For example, taxi and money exchange services have improved. These changes have improved the quality of services, and naturally have shown that Prague is not a stag party city anymore, that the romantic beauty of the city is more important than the price of beer.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Tomáš Vodňanský, Czech Radio

The Dvořák Prague International Music Festival, currently taking place in the capital’s Rudolfinum concert hall, will have its closing concert on Monday evening – and it will be performed by none other than Czech Radio’s own symphony orchestra. Headed by energetic conductor Petr Popelka, the orchestra will perform De Profundis, a symphonic poem by Vítězslav Novák, followed by the celebratory Te Deum, written by Novák’s teacher and the festival’s namesake, Antonín Dvořák.

See the rest here.

Author: Klára Stejskalová

Photo: Michael Erhart, Czech Radio

Opera singer Adam Plachetka has teamed up with jazz and swing specialist Ondřej Havelka and his band Melody Makers on a unique new CD. Nebe na Zemi, or Heaven on Earth, mainly features classic interwar songs composed by Jaroslav Ježek and the famous stage duo of Voskovec and Werich. I spoke to Plachetka at the album’s launch at Czech Radio.

How did this project originate?

“I was asked by Czech Television if I could put together a 50-minute programme of Voskovec and Werich. When I was memorizing the words I listened to the old recordings of Voskovec and Werich and had to admit that with an orchestra it’s even more colourful and nicer to listen to than just with piano.

“So I picked up the phone and called Ondřej and asked if they could find some time and would be interested in doing such a project. They were in favour, which was great news. We put our heads together and came up with dates and a timeline, and within about two years we managed to organise the whole thing.”

How familiar were you with these songs at the beginning of the project?

“There are a few that were recommended by Ondřej on this album. Other than that I would say I know most of their songs from my childhood.

“So it was a music I was familiar with. But pieces like Svítá and Rub a líc – there were a few that I had to learn new.”

How was it working with Ondřej Havelka and his Melody Makers. They have been together for so long I guess they play together very naturally?

“Yes, it’s been great fun. I’m glad we’ve got many concerts, because usually when I prepare a programme it’s for very few concerts and we’ve got at least 15 good to go right now.

“And it’s probably going to go on a little longer even than we think. So it’s something that will have space and time to develop and I’m really looking forward to seeing it in a year.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Ian Willoughby, Radio Prague International

The Ukraine crisis has provided an opportunity to revive a European Union that had lost its way. That is one of the assertions of Benjamin Tallis in his essay collection To Ukraine With Love, which got its Czech launch last month. The Berlin-based foreign policy expert also identifies a new approach to foreign affairs – seen in, among others, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský – which he has dubbed “neo-idealism”. I spoke to Tallis, who previously lived in Prague, at our studios in Vinohrady.

If I could start with one of the first lines in your book, you say that “Russia’s war and Ukraine’s heroic resistance have had a clarifying effect”. Could you elaborate on that?

“I think the war and Ukraine’s resistance have had a clarifying effect in the following ways: They’ve shown us what it is we need to stand up for, and how. That if we don’t defend democracy, it can die; and that’s what Ukrainians have been willing to die for.

“I think that’s given us the wake-up call – to say this is something we can’t rely on being there forever, that we have to actively fight to defend our freedom.

“And that’s made a lot of other things simpler, in a lot of ways: What it is we prioritise, and what we don’t. What kind of actions that we take, and what we don’t.

“But on an individual level for many of us I think it’s been a prompt to make our own work, and our own words, clearer. And whether that’s through our activity social media – or in my case my professional work – I think that’s the clarifying effect that it has had.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

The Consulate General of the Czech Republic based in New York City has jurisdiction over ten states across the eastern part of the United States. On a visit to Prague, Consul General Arnošt Kareš spoke with Amelia Mola Schmidt about the work he does to promote Czech business, connect with the Czech diaspora, and the history of the oldest Czech consulate abroad.

“The Consulate of the Czech Republic in New York is an integral part of the diplomatic network in the United States. We represent Czechia on the east coast, and it has a rich history dating back to the early 20th century. Diplomatic relations between the United States and former Czechoslovakia began in 1918 after we declared our independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire on October 16th, 1918.

“President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk wrote a letter to his friend František Kopecký effectively entrusting him with the process of opening a Czechoslovak consulate in New York. It is evident that the consulate in New York was the first established Czechoslovak consulate. It started its activities on October 30th, 1918. Unfortunately, the Consulate General stopped its activities after February 1948.”

See the rest here.

Autho: Amelia Mola Schmidt

Photo: René Volfík, iROZHLAS.cz

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, addressed Czech entrepreneurs and business owners at a Green Deal summit in Prague on Tuesday, telling them the potential of Czech industry to be a European leader in the green economy of the future was in their hands.

Ursula Von der Leyen told the audience of assorted business and industry players at the Green Deal Summit that Czech industry had “enormous potential” to lead the way in green innovation, describing Czechia as a country “of inventors and innovators” which has been the beating heart of European production for centuries, where the traditional and the modern have always been intertwined. She said that Czechia has a strong industrial base and ingenuity, which is everything that is needed to make the country a European leader in the green economy.

The head of the EC also called on Czech businesses to use the opportunities that the Green Deal affords, saying that it ensures a predictable environment for companies to invest in innovation, and reminding them that the future is in their hands.

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Author: Anna Fodor, Source:ČTK

Photo: ČT24

Entomologist Kateřina Sam is on the 2023 Forbes list of top Czech female scientists. She has been working on an experimental study aimed at mapping the interdependence of birds and insects and how their disappearance may affect the landscape and in turn humankind in different parts of the world. I recently had the chance to speak to her about her work.

“The project is important because we previously observed that insectivorous birds are missing from some of the tropical forests. When the forests are disturbed the abundance and diversity of these birds goes quickly down. So we wanted to study what would happen if the birds were to disappear completely. We built cages around selected trees, so as to simulate their disappearance.”

Where did you do this?

“We did this at several study sites across the globe –in Japan, Germany, China, in Papua New Guinea and at two study sites in Australia. However, some of the results are only just being analyzed now. We recently published the results of the study in Papua New Guinea. There, the situation was quite specific because we worked around Mount Wilhelm which is the highest mountain of Papua New Guinea and we worked at study sites which were 3,000 meters above sea level and as low as 200 metres above sea level. So a 30 km long elevation gradient.”

And were your findings a particular cause for concern – what did you find?

“In Papua New Guinea we found that the abundance of arthropods increased by dozens of percent. Typically we have around 20 arthropods per square meter of foliage, but when we excluded the predators their numbers doubled, sometimes even tripled, which is a problem for the plants because tropical plants are really sensitive to herbivory damage and when the arthropod communities increased they were causing much higher damage to the trees. The herbivory damage increased by roughly 10 to 20 percent on average. This damage might be critical for small saplings –they could die in the next season or the course of several seasons. That affects the restoration of forests. Because when the forest is selectively logged, the birds disappear, because they don’t like partially logged forests. These areas get lighter and warmer and the birds leave. When that happens the number of arthropods increases and the number of insects increases and they cause more damage to the small saplings. So the restoration of the forest does not happen naturally or it is lower than what we would like to see.”

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Author: Daniela Lazarová

Photo: Karel Čapek Memorial

The Karel Čapek Memorial, at the famous Czech writer’s former home in Central Bohemia, is this weekend celebrating 60 years of existence.

Karel Čapek and his wife Olga received the villa in Stará Huť as a wedding present. They fell in love with the place and spent all their free time there until the author’s death in 1938. The couple found an island of peace there in the turbulent times of the second half of the 1930s. The Čapeks hosted friends at the villa and important works, such as The White Disease, were written there.

“Čapek was happy here. Visitors can still feel the positive energy even now, 85 years after his death. He would surely be happy that the Gulch still stands and remains a place of cultural meetings, reminding adults and young people of his work and what he aspired to,” says Zdeněk Vacek, director of the memorial.

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the memorial, Mr. Vacek has prepared an extensive exhibition. “We are also launching the celebrations with the premiere of a new documentary film about the transformations of various interesting corners of the garden and the house.”

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Author: Klára Stejskalová

Photo: Martin Vaniš, Radio Prague International

Vlasta Černý and his wife Michaela describe themselves as an “almost” normal heterosexual couple. However, when the two of them step outside, they almost never fail to attract attention because of Vlasta’s weakness for women’s dresses. The couple, who usually wears matching outfits, share their pictures on a blog called Gender Blender with the aim to encourage other people to dress as they wish in public. Vlasta, accompanied by his wife, recently paid a visit to Radio Prague to talk about his own journey to fashion freedom:

“I grew up in the Communist era, so it wasn’t really possible. And then later in my life, there were a lot of things happening and although I considered it, I decided against it, because it could have hurt me professionally or privately. So I probably did it too late, but at least I did it.”

So what was the first time you stepped out in women’s clothes, what was it like? How did it feel? And how long did it take you to muster the courage to do something like this?

“It felt like having a dumpling in my throat. I remember standing in front of my door for at least 10 minutes, trying to find the courage to open it and go out.”

So when was that? How long ago?

“It was about 15 years ago. But I really went out for only about five minutes, just walking around the block. Still, I felt like I had conquered Mount Everest.”

So would you say relief was the major emotion you felt at that moment?

“Yes, because you think the world will collapse, but then you realize that nothing happened. When we go out, people sometimes stare at us. Sometimes they say something positive, sometimes it is negative, but it is much less common than you would probably expect.

“And if you feel that you are strong enough to do that and you feel comfortable, then people around you will notice that and then you will naturally dodge the negative comments and reactions.”

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Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Designblok

Czechia’s premier event in its field, Designblok, is about to take place for the 25th time. The showcase runs from October 4 to October 8 at a number of top Prague venues, including the city’s Trade Fair Palace and, for the first time in years, Prague Castle. I spoke to Designblok co-founder Jana Zielinski at a presentation of the event on Tuesday.

“The theme is ‘journey’ and it means the journey of Czech design. But it’s not only the journey of the past but also the future – and that’s why we have created the main exhibition. It’s called Designblok Cosmos and it’s about the future of Czech design.

“You will see an excellent installation by Jan Pecháč and it will be placed in Prague Castle, so I would emphasise this future journey of Czech design.”

The festival’s traditional centre is called the Superstudio, and it’s at the Veletržní palác, the Trade Fair Palace, this year?

“Yes, it’s at the National Gallery. We are very, very happy and grateful that we are able to be in the Veletržní palác. There will be companies there who cooperate with designers, international and Czech companies, and we are very happy that they are that there will be the premieres of new editions of collections by like Moser, Rückl, Bomma, Benedikt and many, many other Czech and international companies.”

You also have something called Openstudio – what is that?

“Openstudio is about designers. About school ateliers and young talents. And we are very happy that we have more than 180 designers exhibiting, not only from the Czech Republic but also other countries.”

Personally what are you most looking forward to this year? Is there any special event, or aspect?

“I really look forward to the Sunday closing dinner, when the Designblok awards will be announced at Prague Castle, under the auspices of the president. And I think that by the Sunday I will be happy that Designblok is successfully, hopefully, over [laughs].”

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Miroslav Chaloupka, ČTK

The small town Město Touškov in Western Bohemia held its fifth annual festival of bread at the weekend. In addition to baking bread in the parish oven, the program included a presentation of a hospice project and a small farmers’ market. Baker Roman Sebera (pictured) prepared buns for visitors in a very old school kitchen.

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The aardvark female Pieta today. Photo Miroslav Bobek

I preferred not to talk too much about it, not to jinx it and waited patiently until Saturday. Then I went to congratulate Pieta with a handful of mealworms.

Pieta is our aardvark female. Last Saturday, on September 16, 2023, she reached age of 32 years and 28 days! Already in the last more than a quarter of a year she was the oldest living aardvark not only in Europe, but in the entire world. And now she has broken the historical record! No other aardvark has ever been documented to be older!

Pieta took over the imaginary sceptre of the oldest living aardvark at the beginning of this June from the male Afer, who died in Colchester Zoo in England at the age of 32 years and 27 days. And last Saturday she also surpassed him in overall age. By the way, both – Pieta and Afer – were sired by the same father. Theoretically, the female from Crandon Park Zoo in Miami could compete with these two long-lived aardvark siblings, she was thought to be over thirty years old, but she originated from the wild and only 26 years of her life were documented. In short, Pieta is an indisputable record holder!

Pieta came to our zoo from her native zoo in Arnhem in the Netherlands in 2004. She was already an experienced mother, who had raised four young, among them surprisingly also twins, the females Poq and Puq. When she arrived in Prague, she was pregnant again and she gave birth here to her last young, the female Danny. Her then keeper Lenka Vrabcová recalls how Pieta took excellent care of her young. She also liked digging in the bark in the backyard behind the African House and often tried to climb out of it using huge stones. Taking her off them must have been an unenviable task…

In 2014 we moved Pieta to quarters in the back lot. The company of two younger and much more active aardvarks in African House – Kvída and Draco – didn’t do her good and Pieta suffered from health issues. However, she is satisfied in her “retirement retreat” and keeps in great shape for her age. Let’s wish her as many golden years as possible!

Czech scientists, together with a small experimental brewer, have come up with the country’s first “Celtic beer”. Called TauriALE, the recreation of the ancient alcoholic beverage was achieved using laboratory analysis of pollen from an early Celtic burial site in Moravia.

In 2020 and 2021, scientists from Charles University in Prague and Palacký University in Olomouc made excavations at the well-known archaeological site of Býčí Skála in the Moravian Karst, which dates back to the Early Iron Age.

The site was discovered back in 1867 and is one of the most important cult and burial centres of the Hallstatt people – the early Celtic inhabitants of central Europe.

The aim of the excavations was to collect samples of the soil for detailed laboratory analysis, says Zuzana Golec Mírová, one of the members of the team:

“We discovered the remains of burial chambers, which were quite common in the Hallstat period and inside those chambers there was soil, as well as organic and botanical remains. We took samples for chemical analysis, but also for pollen analysis, which turned out to be crucial.”

The analysis of the pollen, carried out by the Brno Botanical Institute, has revealed traces of millet and various herbs in the samples, which are ingredients that were commonly used by Celts to make beer.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: National Museum in Prague

Czech Egyptologists working between the pyramid fields of Abusir and Saqqara have announced a major discovery. They have located and explored a lost tomb that belonged to an ancient Egyptian official called Ptahshepses, who lived during the 24th and 25th centuries BC.

The tomb of the ancient Egyptian dignitary Ptahshepses was discovered and partially exposed by a French scholar Auguste Mariette almost 160 years ago.

However, not long after the discovery, the mastaba, a rectangular tomb with a flat roof, disappeared again under the sands of the Western Desert, says Renata Landgráfová, head of the Czech Institute of Egyptology:

“It appears that Mariette didn’t explore the tomb fully. Either he didn’t get to the burial chamber or he simply ignored what was in there, because we found a mummy preserved in its entirety.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Reserve Dja is the largest pavilion in the Prague Zoo. The total area affected by the construction is 12,637 m2. However, thanks to the considerate architectural solution, it does not disturb the landscape character of the surroundings. Photo by Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo

The results of the Green Roof competition, which has a ten-year tradition, were solemnly announced yesterday at the Great World of Technology in Ostrava-Vítkovice. The winner of the competition was the green roof on the new gorilla pavilion – the Dja Reserve – at the Prague Zoo.

During the evaluation, the judges focused on the overall plan and the quality of the architectural design and technical solutions, the sustainability of the project, but also the current state of the green roof. Regarding the victory of the roof at the Dja Reserve, they said that this pavilion “blends perfectly with the surrounding meadows with its organic shape and vegetation on the roof”.

“We are very happy about the award, because it confirms what we have been striving for,” said the director of the Prague Zoo, Miroslav Bobek. “Our goal was for the roof of the pavilion to connect with the steppe around the Sklenářka homestead, not only optically, but also ecologically. Thanks to the efforts of Mr. and Mrs. Chvostov, this plan was perfectly fulfilled and the roof is covered with autochthonous vegetation and has already been inhabited by a number of heat-loving invertebrates, often very rare.”

Reserve Dja is the largest pavilion in the Prague Zoo. The total area affected by the construction is 12,637 m2. However, thanks to the considerate architectural solution, it does not disturb the landscape character of the surroundings. Photo by Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo

A survey by entomologists on the spot discovered species classified as endangered in the Czech Republic. For example, the needle bluebird, which, according to experts, does not otherwise occupy roofs. Similarly surprising was the discovery for artificial biotopes of a rare species of sailing spider or common flower-loving spider.

“In addition to butterflies and spiders, ground squirrels also visit the roof, and with their digging they create space for reseeding plants from the wider area. This increases the biodiversity of the place and for us it is a confirmation that the roof is a real part of the ecosystem,” says Kateřina Chvostová, head of green design at the Prague Zoo, who accepted the award. “The implementation itself took three years, but the preparation was even longer. It was a real challenge and the result is exceptional,” she said.

The orientation of the roof offered two thematic units. A narrow strip along the visitor route connecting African-themed plantings and a larger area related to nearby native steppe habitats. Exotic species such as the African Pennisetum macrourum were planted in the all-area foundation of steppe species, established primarily by grasses of the genus Festuca and Stipa. On the other hand, the non-African part was enriched by the plantings of Dianthus carthusianorum or Scabiosa ochroleuca, grown in the program of the Department of the Environment, Hl. m. of Prague Regional Prague mixture.

“Green roofs help us improve the microclimate of the metropolis and at the same time reduce the so-called urban heat island effect. Our Prague zoo sets an example in adaptation measures to climate change, which I greatly appreciate and congratulate on the award,” says Deputy Mayor Mr. City of Prague for the environment and climate plan Jana Komrsková.

The “living” roof adorns the most modern and at the same time the largest pavilion in the Prague Zoo. The Dja Reserve welcomed its first visitors last September. In addition to the family group of lowland gorillas and other Central African animal species, the Prague Zoo presents to the public the long-term activities of the Prague Zoo to protect biodiversity in Cameroon.

Richard, who resides in the Méfou Center, i.e. in the old gorilla pavilion in the lower part of the zoo, is undoubtedly one of the most famous residents of the Prague Zoo. His mark in the history of local breeding is indelible, especially thanks to the paternity of all the cubs born so far. Photo by Oliver Le Que, Prague Zoo

On Saturday, September 23, the Prague Zoo will celebrate World Gorilla Day together with the 60th anniversary of the breeding of these largest primates in the world.

Visitors can look forward to an extraordinary program in both pavilions – in the Dja Reserve, which was opened last year and is inhabited by a family group, and also in the Méfou Center, where the famous Richard lives with his sons.

Every hour from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., a special commented meeting will take place at both locations. In addition, the keepers prepared a surprise for all the gorillas at 3 p.m.

Ten-year-old Duni – the daughter of the famous Moja – is currently pregnant. If all goes well, she will give birth to her first offspring at the end of this year. She too will receive a surprise from the breeders this Saturday at 3 p.m. Photo by Oliver Le Que, Prague Zoo

Program in the Dja Reservation

• The recycling of mobile phones makes sense and you can also help: the joint site of Remobil and the Prague Zoo will present the raw materials obtained from them.

• Forest rangers: Why are they important and what does their job consist of? You will find out all this at the tent of these eco guards in front of the pavilion!

• Meeting in Somalomo: Learn about the project to protect (not only) gorillas in Cameroon in an African school classroom inside the pavilion. Program at the Méfou Centre

• Titan was the first, or Get to know the gorilla personalities throughout the breeding history: Can you recognize the faces of the gorillas from the photos and determine which picture shows, for example, Ajabu, Moja, Kamba or Richard?

• Intelligence of gorillas: Gorillas are among the most intelligent animals and their inquisitiveness needs to be constantly developed in farms and care must be taken to ensure that they do not get bored. Breeders use various puzzles for this. Can you handle the puzzle as well as the gorilla, or maybe even better?

On Tuesday, September 12, the Olga Havlova Foundation Goodwill Run charity race took place for the fifth time in the Hvězda nature reserve in Prague 6. More than 500 male and female runners took part in it, thanks to which they managed to collect a record 658,800 crowns to help families in need.

A popular race for the general running public, it was held on 10 km, 5 km tracks for women and 4 x 2.5 km for relays, corporate relays and, for the first time, embassy relays. Juniors and children from the youngest to fifteen years old also had their races, who ran in five age categories of different lengths.

The participants of the event could have refreshments at the many stands of non-profit organizations and try the javelin throw with Olympian Irena Gillarová. The sports afternoon was enriched by the Spejbla and Hurvínek Theater and the construction of a jubilee mosaic of a tree made of LEGO® bricks. The smallest children could assemble from LEGO® DUPLO® bricks. There was also a LEGO® photo corner. Olga Havlová’s late 90th birthday was commemorated by the outdoor exhibition “Olga Havlová – First Lady of the Republic – Queen of Children”. A Song for Olga by the singer and composer Aneta Langerová was also performed, which during the 2023 anniversary year is sung by local singers and choirs at meetings at Olga Havel’s Trees throughout the Czech Republic.

Czech TV commentator Stanislav Bartůšek and gym teacher Jiří Doležal accompanied the sports afternoon. The patronage of the event was taken over by ultramarathoner Miloš Škorpil, javelin thrower Irena Gillarová and also fresh Wimbledon winner Markéta Vondroušová. The main race for adults was started by the director of the foundation, Monika Granja, and Jakub Stárek, the mayor of the Prague 6 municipality, who financially supported the race. Thanks also go to the ČEZ Foundation for financial support.

All proceeds from the entry fee will be donated by the Goodwill Committee – the Olga Havel Foundation to help families in need, i.e. families who have lost a roof over their heads, single-parent families or families with disabled children. Financial assistance will provide families at risk of losing their housing with temporary accommodation in replacement, asylum or crisis houses, where social workers help solve the living situation. A financial donation will also be received, for example, by a mother who is raising two small boys by herself, for the purchase of a medical pram for the younger Adamek. A three-year-old boy suffers from cerebral palsy with partial paralysis of the limbs on the right side of the body. The mother herself is struggling with a medical handicap.

Media partners: Czech Radio, Radio 1
Partners: MCAE, Bona Foundation, Sportega, Dino, Mizuno, Copy General, Volvo, Minet Elektro, Lidl, Salet, Pražské vodovody a kanalizace, Ochranný svaz authorský

Photo: David Hertl, Czech Radio

The northern town of Žatec and surrounding hop-growing landscape have just been granted UNESCO World Heritage status, becoming the 17th Czech entry on the list. Žatec is called Saaz in German and its distinctive Saaz hops are what have earned it this accolade. But what makes these hops so special? I spoke with the Prague-based US beer and travel writer Evan Rail.

“They’re just really high quality, in terms of the aroma and flavour, and they have been for about a thousand years. They’ve been prized around the world – especially around Europe – for their really delicate, gentle aroma.

“Hops can be quite strong, even overbearing, but they refer to this aroma of Saaz hops as really ‘noble’. There are only four, or arguably five, noble hop strains in the world, and Saaz is the king of them.”

Are most of these Saaz hops exported, or are they used here in Czechia?

“I actually don’t know the answer to that question. But I can tell you this: They are prized so much by people around the world that every year there’s a contingent of Japanese brewers, from some of the big Japanese brew houses, who come over and select their Saaz hops, right there in Žatec. They come and select them by what’s called ‘rubbing’ – they actually sense the aromas and decide which batch they want.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Czech Technical University

Czech scientists have developed a small weather station for space. The gadget tracks streams of charged particles moving in space and the first is already in orbit.

Differently charged particles, which scientists call “space weather”, stream through space. They are described as “solar wind” or “electro-magnetic storms”. Most of them don’t reach Earth because it is protected by a magnetic “umbrella”. But on a spacecraft outside of the Earth’s magnetic field, the particles can do similar damage as lightning or hail on Earth and can be dangerous not only for astronauts, but also for the electronics on spaceships.

The “weather station”, or detector named Hardpix, is about the size of a tiny camera and fits in the palm of your hand. Milan Malich from the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics at the Czech Technical University explains:

“Our goal was to develop a device that would be as compact as possible. The current version weighs around 150 grams. Most of that weight is the protective aluminum box, the electron itself is very light. It’s basically like the camera in your mobile, but this is designed to detect particles.”

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Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Martin Srb, Source:ČRo

Photo: Dalibor Glück, ČTK

The village of Ostrožská Lhota in the Zlín region has been named “Village of the Year” for 2023, ahead of Hrádek from Moravia-Silesia and Dolní Poustevna from the Ústí nad Labem region. The winner was announced this past weekend at a folk festival in the Moravian town of Luhačovice.

Representatives of Ostrožská Lhota, a picturesque south Moravian village at the foothills of the White Carpathians, popped the champagne as soon as the winner of the Village of the Year competition was announced, handing out home-made gingerbread cookies decorated with the town’s church and the inscription Ostrožská Lhota.

The annual Village of the Year competition has been organised by the Association for Rural Renewal along with the Agriculture and Regional Development ministries since 1995. Its main criterion is the quality of local projects that encourage the community spirit. This year, some 175 municipalities from Czechia’s 13 regions took part. The mayor of Ostrožská Lhota, Roman Tuháček, says the community spirit is indeed the main reason why his village earned the title for 2023:

“Ostrožská Lhota is a picturesque village located in a small valley, off the main roads. What makes it special is the wonderful community of local people who are organised in 23 different associations, and who are behind its busy cultural and social life.

“I think the title is proof that our village is a good place to live, because no matter how beautiful your village is, you cannot win this competition if there is no social life in it.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Filip Jandourek, Czech Radio

Martin Tlapa will begin his new posting as Czech ambassador to Canada in Ottawa on September 25th. The agenda items he wishes to tackle during his posting range from boosting tourism and student movement between the two nations, driving further business development amongst Czech and Canadian firms, and working closely to build strong connections with the Czech community across Canada. We caught up with him about these agenda items when he was back in Prague this past August.

“I am very happy to be posted to Canada, I love the country and my task will be to bring more attention to the relations between Czechs and Canadians. We have lots of things in common, and we share similar values regarding the future of the world and happiness of the people. So my task will be to build strong and bold messages with action to our relations.”

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Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Museum of Kroměříž

Valuable paintings, stained glass windows in Prague’s St. Vitus Cathedral, the first official portrait of President T. G. Masaryk and a series of postage stamps – these are just some of the works by Max Švabinský, one of the most important Czech painters of the last century.

Švabinský was born in September 1873 in Kroměříž. After graduating from high school in 1891, he was admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. His exceptional talent was already evident back then.

His portraits, which captured many important personalities of his time, such as Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, Jan Neruda, Josef Mánes and Antonín Dvořák, became an essential part of his later work.

In addition to his paintings and prints, Švabinský became famous for three stained glass windows in St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle. He participated in the decoration of the Municipal House in Prague and designed some Czechoslovak banknotes and postage stamps. Švabinský also devoted himself to teaching. In 1910 he was appointed professor at the Prague Academy of Fine Arts. He was also one of the founders of the Mánes Society of Artists and an important representative of the Hollar Association of Czech Graphic Artists.

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Author: Ruth Fraňková

The Prague Castle Administration has prepared a new exhibition called Windows of the St. Vitus Cathedral, which will present the craftsmanship of breathtaking stained glass windows in large-format photographs. Visitors will thus be able to view in detail what can only be perceived from afar in the cathedral. They can see it in the premises of the Císařská kónirna from September 22 to December 31, 2023.

“The exhibition shows a wealth of subjects, different artistic styles and different artistic techniques, e.g. a mosaic made of colored glass or painting on glass. Each of the windows is presented with a picture of the whole and photographs of selected details that the visitor cannot see from a normal point of view,” said the author of the exhibition, Petr Chotěbor. “Some windows had interesting fates – for example, the oldest realized fillings were replaced by others after thirty years, and the original ones found use in another church. The exhibition also shows medieval and modern stone tracery windows and examples of their sculptural decoration. The visitor has a unique opportunity to look into the process of creating stained glass windows and their restoration,” added Chotěbor.

Important loans at the exhibition include original stained glass windows from the 14th century from the property of the Metropolitan Chapter at St. Welcome to Prague, as well as a design for a stained-glass window for a rosette in the west facade of the church with the motif of the Creation of the World by František Kysela, which was lent by the Museum of Applied Arts in Prague, and a number of original architectural and artistic designs for the cathedral’s windows from the Prague Castle Archive. Important exhibits are also the artistic designs according to which the stained glass windows were realized.

All the stained glass windows, with one exception (windows in the chapel of St. Wenceslas) come from the era of Unity for the completion of the main church of St. Welcome to Prague Castle, as was the full name of the association that financed repairs and the entire completion of the cathedral. The set of stained glass was created gradually over a period of approximately one hundred years (1865-1969). Their implementation was made possible by generous financial donations from insurance companies, savings banks or other institutions and a whole range of individuals; there were even donors who did not want to be named. Artistic designs were ordered from a number of authors, among whom were well-known artists (e.g. František Kysela, Max Švabinský, Karel Svolinský, Cyril Bouda, Alfons Mucha). The first two modern cathedral builders, Josef Kranner and Josef Mocker, also took part in some of the designs. The oldest surviving windows were made by Jan Zachariaš Quast, after which production was entrusted to the Tyrolean Glassworks for Stained Glass and Cathedral Glass in Innsbruck for more than thirty years, as no glassworks capable of producing the necessary colored glass could be found in Bohemia. This changed in the period of the First Republic, when the window glazing was carried out by the domestic companies of Jan Jaroš, Josef Vlasák, Josef Jiřička and Jan Veselý.

Among the windows of the St. Vitus Cathedral are the oldest stained glass windows, namely in the windows of the chapel of St. Anthony the Hermit (St. John the Baptist). The youngest stained glass windows are in the windows of the chapel of St. Wenceslas, where both south windows are filled with an abstract composition of metallurgical glass designed by Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová. The most striking stained glass window (rosette) can be found in the window of the west facade and represents the Creation of the World according to František Kysela’s design. The most striking is the stained glass window in the chapel in Horov, whose composition on the theme of the celebration of the Slavic Annunciations and the central scene of the baptism of Prince Bořivoj was created by Alfons Mucha. The largest stained glass window has a window in the front of the transverse wall, the design for the theme of the Last Judgment was created by Max Švabinský.

Windows of St. Vitus Cathedral
Imperial Stables of Prague Castle
22 September – 31 December 2023
open daily 10am-6pm

Basic entrance fee: CZK 140
Reduced entrance fee: CZK 60
Family entrance fee: CZK 280

The exhibition is organized by the Prague Castle Administration.

Photo: Zuzana Bönisch

On Tuesday, September 19, 2023, President Petr Pavel delivered a speech in the general debate of the UN General Assembly. In it, he criticized Russia for violating the UN Charter and international law in connection with its invasion of Ukraine. In the morning New York time, the President attended the opening of the UN General Assembly and held several bilateral meetings during the day. He met with King Abdullah II of Jordan and with UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

In a speech lasting about 15 minutes, President Pavel pointed out the security problems facing the world in the general debate.

He spoke in particular about Russian aggression against Ukraine and the crimes Russia committed during the invasion.

He called for their termination. “Russia must unconditionally withdraw all its troops from the entire territory of Ukraine within the scope of its internationally recognized borders. Russia’s leaders must be held accountable for the crime of aggression against their neighbor,” he said. According to him, the Ukrainian people deserve not only an end to the fighting, but a just and lasting peace. If peace is to be sustainable, it cannot be based on unfair compromise or conditions imposed by the conqueror.

He promised that the Czech Republic would support Ukraine in its legitimate defense as long as needed. At the same time, he said that the restoration of Ukraine may be the greatest reconstruction effort in modern history. He called on all states to join it.

In his speech, President Pavel also pointed out, for example, the security, humanitarian, and political crisis in the Sahel region. He said that the Czech Republic strongly disagrees with China’s military activities, which increase tensions in the Taiwan Strait. He also mentioned the threat posed by climate change to global stability and security. He also emphasized the need for an active policy in the field of human rights and democracy, as well as the need to support media freedom.

The Czech president last spoke at the UN in 2017.

On Tuesday, President Pavel also met with King Abdullah II of Jordan, whom he invited to visit the Czech Republic. They talked about defense and security cooperation and humanitarian aid.

He agreed with Liechtenstein’s Hereditary Prince Alois on the issue of Russian aggression in Ukraine, they also discussed the ongoing dispute before the European Court of Human Rights, which concerns Liechtenstein property expropriated by Czechoslovakia after the Second World War. Prince Alois emphasized that he is ready to seek an out-of-court solution to this issue.

President Pavel also had a bilateral meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres. It took place in an extremely friendly atmosphere. Guterres praised the active and at the same time constructive approach of the Czech Republic not only at the UN, where Czech diplomacy often helps in reaching consensus. President Pavel declared his readiness to actively engage in global issues.

The president arrived in New York on Sunday evening. On Monday, he gave a speech at a summit on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were set until 2030. After the summit, the president told journalists that due to the covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and climate change, only about 15 percent of the goals have been met. The aim of the meeting was therefore to remind all countries of the need to adhere to these goals.

The president also had bilateral meetings on Monday. He spoke with the President of the Republic of Korea, Jun Sok-yol, about support for Ukraine, energy or high-speed lines. He also held talks with the President of the UN General Assembly, Dennis Francis. At the meeting with him, he condemned Russian aggression and the trampling of the UN Charter. He also met with representatives of the American Jewish Committee, with whom he discussed, for example, the need to confront increasingly numerous manifestations of anti-Semitism or the growing Iranian threat.

In the evening, the President attended a German reception for the 50th anniversary of Germany’s membership in the United Nations.

President Petr Pavel also spoke in an open debate of the Security Council, which dealt with the conflict in Ukraine. In his speech, he described the Russian invasion as a brutal and unprovoked offensive war in which Russia grossly violated the UN Charter. “It is a shameful affront to the rules-based order, and thus to the entire international community,” he said of Russia’s aggression.

According to President Pavel, Ukraine’s final victory means the victory of the rule of law and respect for others, while its defeat would allow brutality and lawlessness to prevail. “Therefore, it is not possible for any country to be neutral towards this conflict,” he noted. He said Russia must fully and unconditionally withdraw from Ukraine and Kremlin officials must face consequences and be brought to justice.

He supported the actions of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his peace plan. “Only Ukraine can set the terms of any peaceful solution,” he said. He also recalled the Czech experience with Russian imperialism from 1968.

Photo: Šárka Ševčíková, Czech Radio

Yvonne Přenosilová, a popular 1960s Czechoslovak singing star who later became a radio presenter, sadly passed away last week.

The dark-haired Yvonne Přenosilová appeared as a teenage singer in Miloš Foman’s 1963 film Audition and a couple of years later became a bona fide pop star.

Her best-loved songs include Czech versions of US hits, such as Roň slzy (based on Brenda Lee’s I’m Sorry), Zlý znamení (Sonny and Cher’s The Beat Goes On) and Boty proti lásce (Lee Hazelwood’s These Boots Were Made for Walking, made famous by Nancy Sinatra).

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Czech Radio

At the end of the summer, Czech diplomats stationed around the world traditionally come back to Prague for a week of consultations about their individual agendas and global affairs. This year the meeting was inevitably overshadowed by the war in Ukraine and its impacts on the world at large. I met with Jakub Landovský, Czechia’s ambassador to NATO, to discuss the course of this conflict, its impacts on global security and whether it can change the world order as we know it.

“As in every war, it depends on the result and in every war there are two distinct possibilities –either we win or we lose. If you believe that you will win –or lose –you will be right in both cases. You need to believe in victory to make it happen.

“If we win, this will stop the usage of power as a tool to change the borders of countries, which means returning to the stable period of our history, returning to the UN Charter and global stability. If we win it will confirm the right of nations to decide their own fate, including Ukraine’s decision to join NATO, the EU and to fulfil their destiny within Euro-Atlantic structures. So the freedom of action of states will be reconfirmed. If we win, Russia will lose part of its ability to project power by force through its neighboring environment.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová

Photo: Jaroslav Ožana, ČTK

Tens of thousands of people attended the annual NATO Days at Ostrava’s Mošnov Airport at the weekend. The big attraction this year were US F-35 Lightning II aircraft piloted by the US Air Force Demo Team.

Source:ČTK

Photo: Jan Miklín, Krásnou Pálavou

Nestled at the foot of the Pálava Mountains in the south of Moravia, the picturesque town of Mikulov is one of Czechia’s most attractive destinations. While the town is best known for its wine cellars and historical monuments including an old Jewish quarter, there is more to Mikulov than meets the average tourist’s eye. For instance, few people know that in the past few decades, the town assembled one of the largest collections of contemporary Czech art.

A small diesel train brought me to the town of Mikulov, on the Czech-Austrian border, in the southeast of the country. When its monumental castle emerges like a mirage on the horizon along with a cluster of white chapels on top of the limestone hill above, visitors feel as if they are about to enter some kind of fairy-tale land. The town’s deputy mayor Petra Korlaar confirms that Mikulov is no ordinary place.

“First of all, Mikulov is very special for its geographical position, it’s literally on the border between the Czech Republic and Austria and therefore, it has accumulated something of both cultures. It’s not typically a Czech town, you can see many historical levels in Mikulov that are connected not only to the Czech Republic but also to its neighbouring countries.”

See the rest here.

Author: Pavla Horáková

Photo: Czech Olympic Committee

The newly established Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) held its first inaugural player draft this past Monday, where the six teams set to play in January 2024 selected their top player picks. Among them were Czech women who will head across the pond to lace up their skates in the highly anticipated women’s league.

Czech women will be able to make their mark on the professional ice hockey rink this coming year, as Czech talent were amongst those names selected on Monday’s first PWHL draft. Dominika Lásková, a 26-year-old defender who was part of the bronze medal winning Czech national women’s team for two consecutive years was selected in the fourth round of picks to play for Montreal’s new women’s club, making her the highest selected Czech player in the league.

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Traditional fishing has taken place in the waterways between Jindřichův Hradec, Tábor and České Budějovice for over a thousand years. This area is primarily where Czechia’s annual 20,000 tons of fish are caught, almost 90% of which are carp – the traditional fish eaten by Czechs at Christmas. But this centuries-old fishing tradition could be under threat – from climate change.

See the rest here.

Authors: Anna Fodor, Filip Cerny, Source:iROZHLAS.cz

The powerful narcotic fentanyl has had a devastating impact in the US, contributing to record overdose numbers. Just last week the first fentanyl-related deaths in Czechia were reported in the media. So should the authorities be worried about a similar crisis in this country? I spoke to Viktor Mravčík, an expert on drug addiction.

“Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid. It’s part of the family of opiates, which are derivatives from natural opium. Like morphine, for example, or codeine and heroin.

“Fentanyl is used in medicine as a pharmaceutical drug, but in recent years it’s also misused, so it’s used a similar context as heroin or other illicit opioids.”

How has it contributed so much to these record drug deaths in the US?

“Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids have contributed to the so-called third wave of the opioid epidemic in the US.

“And how? There is simply a supply of illicit synthetic opioids including fentanyl and its derivatives on the US and North American illicit market and there is demand for opioids. “This is part of the context of this overdose crisis.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Envirofest

Envirofest is the only festival in Czechia focusing on environmental issues and awareness – and it is organised not by professional ecologists, but by ordinary people who want to motivate others to lead a more sustainable way of life. Through music, inspirational meetings and workshops, the festival aims to show that a sustainable lifestyle makes sense – and to make it mainstream.

See the rest here.

Authors: Anna Fodor, Markéta Ševčíková, Source:Český rozhlas Plus

Photo: Ian Willoughby, Radio Prague International

A group of nine young people from mainly Eastern European states – including Georgia, Albania, Ukraine and Serbia – are currently in Czechia at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under a scheme to establish ties with high-flyers in the region. And some of the participants in the Duke Wenceslas Future Leaders Programme – Ani Khachatryan from Armenia, Timur Vilic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia’s Grigol Gegelia – came into our studios during a visit to Czech Radio.

Khachatryan: “I’m trained as a diplomat. I work currently for the European Union and in strategic communication and public diplomacy for the EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood. For seven years I have also worked for the public broadcaster of Armenia, serving first as a senior international officer for the public TV company and then as PR and communications manager of the council of the public broadcaster.”

How about you Timur? What’s your background?

Vilic: “I am currently the president of a local youth forum of Naša stranka, which is a social-liberal party from Bosnia and Herzegovina. We are rather small, not more than 10 percent of the vote, but we believe that we are bringing a new vision to our country, for Euro-Atlantic integration. I myself work as a translator currently. I studied Italian and Persian; I’m interested in languages, beside politics. But politics is something that I believe more young people should get involved in in Bosnia, because the situation is quite complicated and we need fresher views, fresher ideas.”

And Grigol, where are you from and what do you do?

Gegelia: “I’m from Georgia. I’m an opposition politician. I work on foreign relations and I’m the foreign secretary of a liberal centrist party called Lelo for Georgia. I’m one of the people engaged in trying to revitalise Georgian democracy, because we are currently run by an oligarch and his government. He is officially and formally pro-EU, but in terms of values, in terms of the set of ideals that they have, they are very far from the European ideal to which 90 percent of Georgians aspire. So as a citizen and as a politician I find it my mission to deliver my country from this political turmoil and to bring as much prosperity and safety to my people as possible. I’m really happy to be doing international relations, because that always brings me into the company of very nice and interesting people, like my colleagues here, like all our colleagues from Czechia. I’m very happy to be here and, again, to be thinking of how better to deliver my country away from these existential problems and security threats that we have, coming from Russia – which you, the people of Czechia, understand so well – and to ensure safety.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: National Museum in Prague

A new exhibition marking the inclusion of Antonín Dvořák’s Archive on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register got underway this week. Among other thing, visitors to the Dvořák Museum in Prague will have a rare chance to see a manuscript of his Moravian Duets, which paved the composer’s way to world-wide fame.

The Moravian Duets, a cycle of 23 compositions for two voices and piano based on Moravian folk-song lyrics, were written by Dvořák between 1876 and 1885. According to Emanuele Gadaleta, head of the Dvořák Museum in Prague, the opus contributed significantly to the success of the composer’s work abroad.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková; Michaela Vetešková

51% of Czechs plan to spend their autumn holidays in the Czech Republic. This follows from a survey by the Institute of Tourism of the CzechTourism agency. According to him, people would like to take an average of 8 days off in autumn, which is the same as last year and most often visit the South Bohemian and South Moravian regions. The estimated average expenditure of Czechs in the given period per person is CZK 6,371, i.e. CZK 458 higher than last year. On vacation, travelers most want to pay by card, 57% of respondents prefer these payments in the Czech Republic, 46% abroad. In many places in the heart of Europe, however, it is still not possible to pay by card.

According to the August survey, in which 1,000 respondents took part, people in the Czech Republic currently pay by card during their vacation mainly for fuel (63%), food in restaurants (54%) and accommodation (51%). On the contrary, he pays cash mainly for souvenirs (50%).

“In the digital age, it can be a surprise for many foreign and domestic tourists in the Czech Republic if they cannot pay by card somewhere. Not everyone carries cash with them, so it can unfortunately happen that the inability to pay by card will discourage them from visiting a beautiful place, if there is no ATM nearby,” says the Director of the Czech Tourism Office – CzechTourism Jan Herget and adds: “Of course, it is only up to the sellers , whether they accept cards and how far they perceive the given thing as customer-friendly. Similarly, the card companies are helpful towards sellers. At the same time, the reality is that cash payments can be a time problem, for example at large events, which are also key for tourism, among other things. It usually takes longer to receive and return cash than to pay by card. And we are not talking about the gray economy, and thus less income from tourism to the state budget.”

Accommodation, apart from the fact that Czechs most often pay for it by card during their free days, usually also makes up the largest part of the Czech holiday budget. This fall, according to the survey, they make up 44% of the total average spending per person. This is CZK 6,371, i.e. CZK 458 higher than in the same period last year. In general, Czechs traveling in the Czech Republic spend less on average per person per day than guests from abroad. The largest number of foreign tourists to the Czech Republic came from Germany in the second quarter of this year, with 637,000 arrivals. Slovaks followed, numbering 237,000. 212,000 Poles, 143,000 Americans and 113,000 Britons also visited the center of Europe. While Germans spent an average of 2,979 CZK per person and day in the Czech Republic in the given period, it was 1,538 CZK for Slovaks and 1,954 CZK for Poles. Out of the first TOP 5 foreigners in the Czech Republic, in terms of the number of arrivals, the spending by citizens of Great Britain was significantly higher. It was CZK 3,053.

“In the past summer season, we recorded a 25% year-on-year increase in the number of non-cash transactions of foreign tourists in our territory. Conversely, the number of ATM withdrawals fell by 10%. As expected, the gastronomy segment saw the biggest increase, with foreigners spending 42% more than last year, followed by transport, followed by food and drink purchases in brick-and-mortar stores. From our data, we also see that Americans, Danes and Norwegians spent the most with us,” says Visa Country Manager Petr Polák, adding “At Visa, we help connect local merchants with tourists thanks to our payment network, which is one of the largest in the world.”

Overall, the number of tourists in the Czech Republic in the 2nd quarter of this year was almost the same as before the coronavirus pandemic. 5,770,399 stayed in hotels, pensions and apartments, while in the same period of 2019 there were 5,776,284 guests. 2.5 million foreigners came to us, i.e. 32% more than last year. There were 3.2 million domestic tourists, which meant a year-on-year increase of 4%. Czechs are currently planning their autumn vacation to be the same length as last year, i.e. 8 days. In the Czech Republic, according to the survey mentioned above, they most often want to visit South Bohemia (22%), South Moravia (12%), Liberecký and Královéhradecký (11%) regions.

“From all available statistics, data and everyday experience, it follows that Czechs consider the card their primary payment instrument. This also applies when traveling in our country and in Europe, when in recent years many people no longer exchange money at all and rely on the fact that everywhere they pay comfortably, quickly and safely with a card, or they choose the local currency at an ATM,” says the director of business development for public administration at Mastercard Katarína Kakalíková and adds: “Our four neighbors have long been among the most popular countries for Czech tourists: Poland, Germany, Slovakia and Austria, but also Croatia and Italy. We are following an interesting development in Croatia, where significantly fewer Czechs went this year than last year, and they also spent less money there. However, we are observing the growing popularity of the use of payment cards throughout Europe, which is also confirmed by the decrease in the average amount paid: just like at home, people also get used to paying cashless even for smaller purchases on vacation.”

Ice hockey players across Czechia are lacing up their skates for another season as the Extraliga returns. But who are the favourites to take the top flight title in 2023–2024? And how do hockey games here compare to, for instance, in the NHL? I spoke to Czech Radio hockey commentator František Kuna on the eve of the new season.

“There are three teams favoured this season. One is Sparta Prague, the other is Třinec – they won the last four titles. The third is Pardubice from East Bohemia, they are a team with a lot of money and great offensive players who have experience in the NHL.”

See the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Czechia has the third lowest share of university graduates in the European Union, after Italy and Romania, according to a recent study published by the OECD. Only 26.67 percent of Czech residents between the ages of 25 to 64 have a university education, compared to the EU average of 37.67 percent. I discussed the situation with education expert Bob Kartous:

“This is the consequence of history, because in Czech Republic and in Czechoslovakia it was common trend to end the education process at the level of high school.

“Over the past 30 years, it has been changing, but the process is slow and the level of university and college graduates is still under the European Union average.

“This presents a problem both for the Czech society and the Czech labour market, because it suffers by the lack of people with qualification and skills from universities and colleges.”

So what do you think the government should do to attract more students to universities?

“I think that one way to raise the number of people studying colleges and universities is a plan presented by the current minister of education, Mikuláš Bek. He wants to encourage universities to open more practically oriented programs which should be shorter, three or four years long, and which should reflect more the requirements of the labour market and businesses.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Soon it will have been two years. Each day then I snorkelled in the Red Sea trying to see (and possibly also take a photo of) as many animals as possible. Every evening I wrote a note about what interested me the most. Hawksbill sea turtle, a huge school of mackerel, dugong… Only one day – 18 October 2021 – I had not written anything. But now I was unexpectedly reminded of this very day through the iNaturalist network.

That day I was already returning to the shore when I saw a strange object just below the surface of the water. First, I thought that it was a piece of plastic, but immediately I realized that it could be some kind of organism. So, I took one photo and in the evening I uploaded it to iNaturalist. Unfortunately, its artificial intelligence extraordinarily had not offered me any hint at all, so my photo remained without any identification.

This has finally changed now. The marine biologist, Alejandro Escánez, from the University of Vigo in Spain, identified it as the eggs of diamond squid.

Once more: S-q-u-i-d!

Of course, my schoolboy years immediately jumped in my head, when I devoured Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea:

“But hardly were the screws loosed, when the panel rosed with great violence, evidently drawn by the suckers of a poulp’s arm. Immediately one of the arms slid like a serpent down the opening, and twenty others were above. With one blow of the axe Captain Nemo cut this formidable tentacle, that slid wriggling down the ladder.”

Although Jules Verne writes about a poulp, the memorable engravings by Alphonse de Neuville and Édouard Riou depict a squid; not to mention the fact that Verne himself referred to a story of the corvette Alecton, which tried to hunt down a two-ton giant squid in November 1861 (this was probably a huge overstatement, however, the truth is that this mysterious squid can reach truly fascinating proportions).

In the case of my observation, it was not the eggs of the giant squid, but the significantly smaller diamond squid; however: How often do you come across a clutch of such a strange, downright iconic creature?

“My” diamond squid can measure over one meter without the tentacles, so it is no little thing either. Moreover, it is remarkable in other ways, such as by its clutch. The female lays it by paired oviducts and at the same time she excretes a secretion, which connects them in a helix into phosphorescent tube with a diameter of ten to twenty centimetres and length of up to two metres. This twisted cylinder can contain tens of thousands of eggs – and when a diver very rarely comes across it, immediately wild speculations arise about what it could have been. At the same time, however, the record of each such a clutch is a valuable proof of the presence and reproduction activity of diamond squid in the area.

So in summary: The identification of the object on my almost two-year-old photo, confirmed also by a specialist in cephalopods, really pleased me and improved not only one, but several of my days.

Miroslav Bobek

The male common wombat Cooper and his mate Winkleigh are the only wombats in the Czech Republic. Photo by Oliver Le Que, Prague Zoo

The beautiful weather at the end of summer offers ideal conditions for visiting the Prague Zoo. In addition to the usual guided feedings, the Prague Zoo has also prepared a special program for the following Saturday and Sunday afternoons (i.e. September 16 and 17) among the inhabitants of the Darwin Crater: devils, wombats, kangaroos and kangaroos.

Walk right among the kangaroos and their babies through the walk-through exhibit in the Darwin Crater. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

The program of weekend afternoons with the “protopods” at the Prague Zoo, in Darwin’s Crater:

14.00 meeting at the wombats

14.30 feeding the kangaroos in the walk-through exhibit

15.00 feeding of birds from the bush and wetlands

15.30 feeding of kangaroo rats

16.00 feeding of bear-like devils

Australian and Tasmanian collections will be on sale on both afternoons Prague Zoo with a special discount.

As part of the busy program, visitors can come and watch food specialists feed kangaroo rats. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

Václav Šálek, ČTK

A three-day wine festival, or vinobraní, has just taken place in the Moravian town of Znojmo. Highlights included a “march of John of Luxembourg”, complete with fire show.

Source

Photo: Prague 3

The annual Vinohradské vinobraní festival is taking place in Prague 3 this Friday and Saturday. The event, which has a curated theme each year, is celebrating the wines of Bohemia and Moravia, highlighting the rich wine making history in Czechia. Just before it began, I spoke to one of the event’s coordinators, Jiří Hannich.

What’s to be expected this weekend at the wine festival?

“The festival is a very popular and traditional event in Prague 3. This year is the 27th anniversary of the festival, and every year we try and give the festival a theme. For example, last year it was an Austro-Hungarian monarchy theme, so wines from the former monarchy were presented. This year, we’re spotlighting wines from Bohemia and Moravia. We want to support domestic wine makers and show that we have something to be proud of in this area in the Czech Republic. There will be about 31 wineries at the event during both days on Friday and Saturday.”

Why is it important to showcase that Czech wine is something to be proud of, especially to those who maybe aren’t from Czechia and are just visiting or are foreigners living here?

“Wine making and drinking wine has a tradition in the Czech Republic, and also it’s connected with Vinohrady where the festival is. The name ‘Vinohrady’ roughly translates to royal vineyard, and it’s named this because the area used to be covered in vineyards dating back to the 14th century, so we like to remember this tradition through this event.”

Read the rest here.

Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Silvie Mikulcová, Czech Radio

The Venus of Petřkovice, a statuette from the late Stone Age period believed to be 23,000 years old is currently being exhibited at the site where it was first discovered in the Ostrava district of Petřkovice 70 years ago. The unique item, which is the only “slender Venus” ever discovered in Europe, will be on display until Sunday.

Along with the clay statue of the Venus of Věstonice, the Petřkovice Venus is considered one of Czechia’s most unique examples of prehistoric art. The headless female torso was carved from hematite during the Upper Palaeolithic period. However, its age is not the only thing that makes it so special, explains Ján Hlobil from the Mining Museum in Landek Park in Ostrava:

“It is unique above all because it is the only slender Venus found in Europe. It is 4.6 centimetres tall and represents a young woman who was probably in the early stages of pregnancy.

“The statuette was discovered in July 14, 1953 during archaeological research initiated by the Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences and led by Mr. Bohuslav Klíma.”

Upon its discovery, archaeologists thought the head of the statue had broken off. Only later did they discover from the shape of the material that it was most likely the artist’s intention.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Lucie Heyzlová, Czech Radio

The government has earmarked major investment for Terezín, site of the Czech lands’ biggest WWII Jewish ghetto, and Josefov, another 18th century garrison town. The project is based on two aims – preservation and development.

Terezín, known as Theresienstadt in German, was established in the 18th century as a military fortress town by Emperor Joseph II. He named it after his mother, the Empress Maria Theresa, and it was intended to serve as a defence against invasions from Prussia.

During World War II the Germans turned the town north of Prague into a Jewish ghetto. Over 30,000 Jews died at the transit camp itself, while nearly 90,000 prisoners were later murdered at Nazi extermination camps.

Though today home to a Holocaust memorial, Terezín has fallen into increasing disrepair in recent times, a state that has been highlighted by international media reports.

But now the Czech government is taking action to rectify the situation, pledging to invest around CZK 3 billion in Terezín and another 18th century fortress town, Josefov in East Bohemia.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby, Source:Český rozhlas

A delegation of the Czech Republic led by President Petr Pavl will take part on September 17-22 in the high-level week within the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský will also be a member of the delegation.

The goal is to present the Czech Republic as a reliable partner in the world that supports the reform efforts of the UN towards effective multilateralism in the 21st century. The main theme of the high-level week, which will be attended by the heads of the UN member states, will be the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Throughout the negotiations, the Czech Republic will advocate for the support of Ukraine and the punishment of Russia for launching a war against Ukraine. Other important topics will be climate change, UN reform, respect for rights in the digital environment or international cooperation in response to pandemics.

In this context, the speeches of the President of the Republic in the general debate of the UN General Assembly, at the Summit on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG Summit) and at the open meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in Ukraine will be crucial.

The presence of senior statesmen will be used by the president and the minister of foreign affairs to meet with a wide range of bilateral partners and representatives of international organizations. Among other things, the topics of the meeting will be the sharing of the Czech position on Russian aggression in Ukraine and the presentation of the newly announced Czech candidacy for the UN Security Council for the period 2032-33.

Last but not least, the negotiations will be an opportunity to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Czech Republic’s membership in the United Nations as the successor state of Czechoslovakia, which was one of the co-founders of this organization. On this occasion, a gala dinner will be held in the Czech National Building in New York on September 20 under the auspices of President Petr Pavel and Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová.

Among the most important events, Mr. President will actively participate in the following: The SDG Summit will take place on 18-19 September. It is the flagship event of the week at a high level. Its goal is to mobilize support for achieving the goals of sustainable development. Performance is expected at the level of heads of state and government. The Czech President will speak on the morning of September 18 on behalf of the Pathfinders group of states (a group of 46 countries promoting the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal No. 16 – peace, justice and strong institutions). With its active participation, the Czech Republic shows the importance of achieving the goals of sustainable development, even in the light of the complicated security and economic environment.

The opening of the general debate of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly will take place on 19 September. The President of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, Dennis Francis (Trinidad and Tobago), chose the topic “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable” for the general debate Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all”. The heads of delegations of all states will speak in the debate. The President of the Republic will deliver a national speech on the first day of the general debate on September 19.

During the high-level week, an open debate of the UN Security Council on the situation in Ukraine is also convened on September 20. The debate will be led by the prime minister of Albania, which will chair the UN Security Council in September, and a number of world statesmen will speak at it. Ukraine is to be represented at the level of President V. Zelensky. The President of the Republic will speak for the Czech Republic.

Photo: Elena Horálková, Tschechischer Rundfunk

Vašo Patejdl, who recently passed away at the age of 68, was a leading Slovak singer, keyboardist and songwriter. He co-founded the legendary Slovak group Elán and is considered to be one Czechoslovakia’s biggest hit-makers. In today’s edition of Sunday Music Show, you can listen to some of his best-known songs.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

The Czech Parliament has approved a bill which would allow additional voluntary overtime for workers in the healthcare sector of up to 1000 hours per year. The decision has provoked an outcry from doctors, with some threatening to stop working overtime altogether.

Although the newly approved bill touches on several areas affecting the work of doctors, the part that has sparked controversy is a stipulation increasing the amount of voluntary overtime that they are allowed to work. Critics point out that the regulation allows the number of overtime hours medics work per year to roughly double – up to 832 hours for doctors and 1000 hours for paramedics.

The law was passed despite opposition from young doctors, who called on politicians on Monday to reject the bill. Martin Kočí, the chairman of the Association of Young Doctors, told Czech Radio last week that long hours affect the ability of doctors to do their jobs properly.

“It is impossible to imagine that any person would be able to stay focused and work continuously for 26 hours straight. That is simply impossible. There are jobs where you simply can’t do more than 12 hours.”

A survey on the mental health of doctors conducted by the association revealed that 70 percent suffer from exhaustion, 46 percent from burnout, 37 percent from psychosomatic problems, 33 percent from anxiety disorders, 28 percent from depression, 20 percent from abuse of alcohol, medication or drugs, and 17 percent from post-traumatic stress disorder.

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Authors: Anna Fodor, Tomáš Pancíř, Sources:iROZHLAS.cz,ČTK

Photo: ČT24

Writer Milan Kundera was one of the most famous sons of the South Moravian regional capital. Best known for his novels weaving intricate tales of love, politics, and exile, Kundera has been celebrated throughout his career for his unique narrative style, philosophical depth, and keen insights into the human condition.

Kundera was born on April 1, 1929, in Brno, Czechoslovakia. As a student in the late 1940s and early 1950s, he became a member of the Communist Party and wrote poetry in admiration of the then-Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. He later left the party and regretted the errors of his youth.

His works were intimately tied to the political and cultural milieu of his homeland. Novels such as “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” and “The Book of Laughter and Forgetting” provide profound commentary on the nature of love, memory, and the human experience within the complex historical and political landscapes of Central Europe, especially during the era of Soviet influence.

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Author: Vít Pohanka

Photo: Ian Willoughby, Radio Prague International

Set up by eager but wholly inexperienced young music fans, Prague’s Radio 1 was the first non-state station in Czechoslovakia after the fall of communism. Decades later, the story of the station – which is still going strong – is the subject of a colourful new book, Radio 1: Life in the Ether, by Jana Kománková, one of its longest serving DJs. We spoke on the eve of its publication.

What is your own association with the station? When did you start working for Radio 1?

“I started in 1993. I was working for a music magazine that had a guest show each week on the air, and I was really happy to be able to go there. I think the others were sort of tired going to the Radio, so they happily let me go.

“And once I was in I sort of got some shifts covering somebody else’s shift and I just stayed.”

When was the station first set up? It was the first ever non-state radio station in Prague after the fall of communism?

“It began in 1990. First it was a pirate station. A bunch of students got hold of some equipment for broadcasting and they asked for the possibility to broadcast legally, but since it was very shortly after the Velvet Revolution there wasn’t a law that would enable the starting of a radio station.

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Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Magdalena Hrozínková, Radio Prague International

Museum Kampa, an institution best-known for the works of František Kupka and other leading Czech modern artists, first opened its doors in 2003.

Britain’s Guardian has ranked Museum Kampa among the top 10 best little-known museums in Europe. This would not have been the case if it were not for the enormous efforts of the patron and art collector Meda Mládková. Thanks to her, the museum in the Sova’s Mills building right by the Vltava on Prague’s Kampa, has become one of Prague’s important cultural institutions.

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The case of Leopold Hilsner, a Jewish vagrant convicted in 1899 for the ritual murder of a Christian girl, may be on the path to re-examination. It is the first time since 1900 that a review of the case has been ordered in an effort to reopen Hilsner’s infamous trial, which sparked a huge wave of anti-Semitism at the time.

The murder of the 19-year-old seamstress Anežka Hrůzová took place near Polná in South Bohemia, on March 29, 1899. The body was found three days later with a deep cut to the neck, although there was allegedly only a small amount of blood at the scene of the crime.

Easter that year coincided with the Jewish holiday of Passover, and talk of a ritual “blood libel” killing immediately started. Although there were other suspects, the investigation concentrated on Leopold Hilsner, a 22-year-old simple-minded Jewish vagrant. He was arrested without any incriminating evidence due to mounting public pressure and an anti-Semitic press campaign.

He confessed to the charge of murder and named his accomplices while in prison, after fellow inmates told him doing so would save his neck. Hilsner was released from prison shortly before the end of the First World War after serving 18 years of a life sentence, following a pardon by the Austrian Emperor.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

A new survey from Eurostat indicates that no fewer than 48 percent of Czechs do not eat a single serving of fruits or vegetables every day. What does this mean for individuals – and for the country’s health care system? I discussed the implications of these findings with nutrition expert Dr. Eliška Selinger.

“Of course the implications are on health of people, because the consumption of fruits and vegetables are very important for our bodies, they contain a lot of vitamins, minerals and fibre. We know very well that a low consumption of vegetables and fruits is tightly connected to a higher risk of developing cardio-vascular diseases, diabetes, or different kinds of cancer. There is quite a high risk amongst the Czech population for these diseases, and we are sure that this sort of behaviour costs us a lot of money and impacts the quality of life and health.”

What are the barriers that prevent Czechs from consuming these important food groups? Is it the cost of these items, or is this a lifestyle choice linked to traditional foods?

“It’s a combination as it always is with these complex topics. The traditional Czech diet does not include many vegetables, it’s meat with dumplings or rice. People just don’t learn how to cook vegetables properly or how to involve them in their diet. Often people need to re-educate themselves on how to involve these foods. As always in public health, we know very well that our environment shapes our choices. This is an issue with the diet here in Czechia because vegetables are expensive, and often veggie meals in restaurants and canteens are the most expensive meal on the menu, so you have to be able and willing to pay for it. Very often it’s not only the cost, but in some places there isn’t even a vegetarian option on the menu. We need to pay more attention to our environment.”

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Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Dublin-Smart-Tourismn from anywhere

Dublin City Council has launched a new augmented reality map that allows users to access a virtual map of the city on their mobile device. The feature can be accessed via the existing Dublin Discovery Trails app.

‘DiscovAR Dublin’ is hailed as a first for Ireland and uses new open Google Maps technology to create an interactive 3D map.

Users can be “transported into the city” to learn more about the history and significance of locations such as the Guinness Storehouse, EPIC – the Irish Emigration Museum, and 14 Henrietta Street.

“DiscovAR offers a new way for visitors and locals to experience the capital city,” said Jamie Cudden, Smart City Lead, Dublin City Council.

“Through our Smart Dublin programme, we are always thinking about how we can embrace new technologies to enhance how people engage with our city.

 ”This app through its immersive AR technology is a new and fun way to explore the city’s culture and history and we see huge potential to expand this.”

Netflix approach

The project is a collaboration between Dublin City Council, Smart Dublin and Virgin Media Business alongside Peel X, which developed the feature for the Dublin Discovery Trails app.

The app – which launched in January 2023 – is part of a larger ‘smart tourism’ strategy to invest in digital technology to improve the visitor experience.

“The app was built on an augmented reality platform called Unity,” Barry Rogers, Head of the Dublin City Tourism Unit, told Cities Today.

“Initially when we designed the app, its core purpose was for a digital heritage trail ‘Doors into Docklands’, which launched in January 2023.

“Essentially the app is a platform – it’s similar to the way that online streaming services like Netflix work, where you’ve got a platform and then multiple features on that platform. Now it’s a much bigger platform with more trails, and the augmented reality map feature.”

Read the rest here.

In the first half of this year, diesel vehicles made up a larger proportion of new cars sold in Czechia than in any other EU country. While in the rest of the EU, sales of diesel cars have been steeply declining over the past few years, in Czechia the proportion has steadfastly remained at around one-quarter since 2019.

Across the EU, the share of new cars sold so far this year that were diesel was only 14.52 percent, down from 44.4 percent in 2017. Meanwhile, in Czechia that proportion has remained relatively unchanged over the same period, declining slightly from 37.69 percent and hovering around 25 percent since 2019.

So why are diesel cars so comparatively popular in Czechia? Some car owners, like Oldřich Růžička, see clear advantages.

“With my old petrol cars, I always had problems with the spark plugs and cables. Since I’ve had a diesel car, that doesn’t happen and I wouldn’t want any other type of car. It has better acceleration and a bigger range.”

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Authors: Anna Fodor, Daniel Zach, Sources:Český rozhlas Plus, Centrum dopravního výzkumu

Covid-19 has been back in the news cycle in recent weeks, with cases on the rise across the world. On Monday, Health Minister Vlastimil Válek urged Czechs to get their Covid booster and flu vaccines, with priority being given to those in vulnerable groups. To get a better understanding of the picture here in Czechia, we spoke to molecular geneticist Dr. Jan Pačes.

“So far the numbers are very low, yet they are all rising. What we can predict is that in one month, the number of infected people will grow. Like with the flu, at some point it will become too much, and then it would be a good idea to start taking some protective measures. The issue is, even if you get Covid and you have no symptoms or very mild symptoms, you can still get long Covid. It looks like people are not protected against long Covid even after the second or third infection, you can still get it. Long Covid is something that can make your life much harder, you can lose smell, get some physiological and psychological problems like brain fog. Covid is not an easy disease that we can just forget about.”

While the number of infections are currently low, tracking new Covid-19 cases here in Czechia is not easy, and little is known about the impact of new variants such as Pirola and Eris, says Dr. Pačes.

“During summer, the numbers of new infections, hospitalizations and deaths dropped very low. But we do not have the exact numbers, because Covid-19 is no longer a disease that has to be reported, so we do not have much information.”

When it comes to the efficacy of vaccines against new variants, the information available now points to certain shots being more effective than others.

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Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Juan Pablo Bertazza, Radio Prague International

This coming Saturday, Prague’s Olšany Cemetery will be hosting a somewhat unusual one-day music festival called Mezi hroby or Between the Graves. The aim of the event is to raise money for the restoration of neglected graves that have a special artistic, historical or architectural significance, but also to invite members of the public to adopt them. I discussed these goals with one of its organizers, architect Filip Ditrich:

“We wanted to help restore some old graves in our cemeteries, in particular here in the Olšany Cemetery. Some of them are really big and expensive to renovate, so we decided to organize a benefit concert to help raise the money for it.

“The second reason is to show the public that cemeteries are not just burial grounds. They are places where you can sit and contemplate and they can also serve to host special cultural events. So I hope our event is the right way to show this.”

Can you tell us more about the program for adoption of graves? When was it established and how does it work?

“The programme has been running for more than five years. Currently we have some 520 graves available for adoption, not only here at the Olšany Cemetery, but also in other cemeteries that the Prague Cemeteries and Funeral services is in charge of.

“Some 307 of them have already been adopted, but we are still looking for people who will be willing to take care of the remaining ones.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková