AuthorMartin Hladík

Photo: Khalil Baalbaki, Czech Radio

The Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra with their chief conductor Petr Popelka has left on a two-week tour of Japan. They are set to perform six concerts in five cities across the country, starting in Osaka on Saturday. Ahead of their departure, I caught up with the orchestra’s director Jakub Čížek and I first asked him about the preparations for such a major tour:

“Usually, it takes two or three years before a planned tour takes place, but this time it took even longer, because of the Covid break.

See more here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: archive of Slavomír Valda

A Czech amateur mycologist has discovered a unique truffle-like mushroom in South Moravia. It was identified by experts as Sedecula pulvinata, a rare and protected species previously thought to grow only in the west of the United States.

Sedecula pulvinata is a potato-shaped mushroom that grows completely or partially underground.

See more here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary

The 58th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival gets underway on Friday in the west Bohemian spa town. Among the biggest stars to attend this year’s edition of the region’s biggest film event will be Hollywood actors Viggo Mortensen and Clive Owen, as well as Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh.

The region’s biggest cinema event will kick off late on Friday afternoon with the arrival of celebrities on the red carpet outside the main venue, the brutalist Thermal Hotel.

See more here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Tomáš Vodňanský, Czech Radio

The Landscape Festival Prague 2024 is a three-month multidisciplinary platform that aims to transform the urban landscape for the summer season into a place for discussion about the potential uses of public space. Through temporary architectural interventions, art installations, exhibitions and happenings, residents, politicians, architects, artists and the general public are encouraged to meet and discover disused spaces and areas of urban wilderness together.

The concept of the festival is to guide you along a track, a “green line”, starting in Prague’s Gordian knot around Florenc and leading you through Žižkov past abandoned areas and urban wildernesses, so-called “non-places” and “vague terrains”, all the way to Malešice in Prague 10.

See more here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Join us on a trip to the Karlovy Vary Region – famed for its hot mineral springs, spa treatments and the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, which every year draws movie stars from Hollywood and beyond. Our drone video will guide you from the Ore Mountains through dense forests to the rich architectural heritage of its world-famous spa towns.

Source

Authors: Vít Pohanka, Barbora Navrátilová

Photo: House of Lobkowicz

A new museum exhibition in Nelahozeves connects renowned composer Antonín Dvořák’s music with the spirit of his birthplace. The exhibition emphasizes sound and music, with visitors accessing the experience through special audio guides that detail the composer’s life from his humble origins to global fame. The exhibition opened on June 28.

Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) was born in the small village of Nelahozeves in Central Bohemia, 35 km north of Prague.

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Author: Jakub Ferenčík

Photo: Národní památkový ústav, CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 CZ

Some 110 years ago, on 28 June 1914, Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo. His wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg was killed alongside him.

Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg was the daughter of Countess Wilhelmine Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau and her husband Count Bohuslav Chotek, who was from Bohemia.

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Photo: archive of Dušan Neumann

Dušan Neumann has a great story to share. Coming to New York in 1980 was definitely NOT like coming to the promised land.

In 1980, New York was a city with mostly dysfunctional public services, a high crime rate, and corruption.

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Author: Vít Pohanka

Photo: Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary

Jiří Mádl’s new film Vlny (Waves) premiered at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on Monday night to a several-minute standing ovation. The film, set against the backdrop of the Prague Spring and the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, tells the story of a group of journalists from Czechoslovak Radio’s foreign service section who strive to continue telling listeners abroad the truth about what is happening under increasingly difficult circumstances. We spoke to film critic Vojtěch Rynda directly from the festival in Karlovy Vary to hear his impressions of the movie.

‘Vlny’ is being touted as one of the biggest Czech film successes in recent years.

See more here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Photo: archive of Czech Radio

Today’s edition of Sunday Music Show is dedicated to Rafael Kubelík, one of the country’s most renowned 20th century conductors and composers, who was born 110 years ago. To mark the occasion we will be listening to excerpts from Bedřich Smetana’s “My Homeland” conducted by Rafael Kubelík.

Source

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Barbora Navrátilová, Radio Prague International

Sourdough bread is a Czech staple that you will not find anywhere else in the world. An indelible part of the Czech cuisine, sourdough bread is something that most Czechs eat daily and that Czechs living abroad take home with them when they come to visit. How is it made? And what do Czechs eat it with? Find out in the first part of our video series Czech Food Classics.

Source

Author: Barbora Navrátilová

Photo: Ondřej Tomšů, Radio Prague International

Prague’s Václav Havel Airport has been struggling to deal with a baggage-handling crisis that has affected thousands of passengers on both incoming and outgoing flights. The airports’ handling company is taking measures to correct the situation and a special helpline has been set up for passengers whose luggage failed to arrive.

Frequent flight delays, a shortage of baggage handlers and air traffic overload –those were the reasons cited for the chaotic situation at Prague airport these past few days when incoming passengers often had to wait for several hours for their luggage to arrive and outgoing passengers sometimes found that their luggage did not arrive at their destination with them.

See more here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová

The Terrible Frog, one of the most poisonous frogs in the world, will also be on display at the Arrow Frogs exhibition at the Prague Zoo. Photo by Vít Lukáš, Prague Zoo

More than 30 species of woodpeckers in one place will be presented to the visitors of the Prague Zoo from, July 6. At 1 p.m.

The opening ceremony of the Arrow Frogs exhibition will take place in the Gočárovy Domy Gallery. The thematic program will offer a performance by a Brazilian dancer or a quiz trail for young and old. In dozens of terrariums, people can see one of the most poisonous frogs in the world, the dreaded frog, as well as rare species such as the mysterious frog or the batik Capurgana.

The exhibition returns to the Prague Zoo after several years. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

Every Sunday from 1 p.m., visitors can also look forward to guided tours with an expert breeder. People can admire the frogs whose poison is used for hunting by the Amazon Indians until mid-September. The exhibition is free for all visitors to the Prague Zoo with a valid zoo ticket.

Diversifying tourism across Asia and the Pacific, alongside promoting more and better education, will be key to building a more resilient and sustainable sector.

According to UN Tourism’s data, the sector is experiencing a rapid recovery in Asia and the Pacific, with arrivals reaching 82% of pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2024, boosted by the re-opening of many destinations throughout 2023. Now, with full recovery on the horizon, the latest joint meeting of UN Tourism’s Commission for Asia and the Pacific (CAP) and its Commission of South Asia (CSA), focused on the challenges and opportunities for creating a positive and lasting transformation.

As our data shows, tourism’s recovery is close to complete here in Asia and Pacific. We worked together to face the crisis head on.

Guiding transformation and building resilience  

The 36th meeting of the CAP-CSA welcomed more than 130 delegates from 25 countries and territories. All Members were provided with a comprehensive overview of UN Tourism’s work and achievements since the last meeting, with key priorities then presented for the years ahead.

UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “As our data shows, tourism’s recovery is close to complete here in Asia and Pacific. We worked together to face the crisis head on. And now we must work together to focus on our priorities for the future. That means supporting education, driving investments into our sector and further strengthening the ties between public and private to build resilience and advance sustainability and inclusive growth.”

Education the top-level tourism priority  

Reflecting the high-level support given to tourism and to UN Tourism’s mission to guide the sector forward, Commission host the Philippines was represented by President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, at the meeting. In his opening remarks President Marcos commended UN Tourism’s focus on education and training for the sector and stressed his commitment to wider sustainability efforts. “Education is always going to make any industry better and certainly tourism is no different,” President Marcos said. “We need to raise the standards and practices in this crucial sector by investing in education, training, and skills upgrading of all the personnel who are working in this industry.”

Emphasising his Government’s recognition of the importance of education, President Ferdinand Marcos expressed interest in opening a new Academy in Collaboration with UN Tourism in the Philippines. The institution would add to UN Tourism’s growing network of Academies, with education centres focusing on the specific needs of regions or on key skills needed for the future of tourism.

Resilience via green transformation  

Within the framework of the joint Commission meeting, Member States in the region tabled a thematic discussion on product development emphasizing the need for green transformation to enhance the tourism sector’s competitiveness, while bolstering its resilience through the promotion of innovative and green solutions.

Untapping Gastronomy Tourism’s Potential   

In Cebu, the spotlight was put on gastronomy tourism as one of the sure routes to progress product diversification to add value to the sector and accelerate  recovery in the region. Here, UN Tourism hosted its first Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Asia and the Pacific, connecting public and private sector leaders with top entrepreneurs and leading chefs from the region and beyond. Discussions concluded with the Cebu Call to Action on Gastronomy Tourism, urging public and private leaders to integrate gastronomy tourism into policy, foster cross-sector cooperation, namely with agriculture and creative industries, support small businesses, and promote sustainable practices.

Secretary-General Polikashvili challenged tourism players to further capitalize on the region’s growing reputation as both a destination and leader in the field of gastronomy tourism. “My proposal is to leave a legacy… to create something an education center or gastronomic center here in Cebu,” he said.

Looking ahead to Indonesia 

The meetings concluded with Members agreeing to accept Indonesia’s offer to host the 37th Joint Meeting of UN Tourism’s 2 Asian Commissions in 2025. The exact dates will be confirmed in due course.

Source: UN tourism

On the first of July, the Ministry of Regional Development launched the builder’s portal for the public and the construction management information system for officials. Both connected systems are part of digital construction management, which is envisaged by the new construction law. It will contribute to shortening building permits and simplifying the work of officials at building authorities. Thanks to the digitization of construction procedures, builders will receive all permits and statements online. The systems are connected to state databases, so a number of forms are filled out for the user, who also always has an up-to-date overview of the state of the management.

From the first of July, builders upload project documentation, with exceptions, through the builder’s portal. By the eleventh hour, over 2,106 had signed up, processed 547 applications and submitted 36 of them. Over 4,000 officials across the Czech Republic had signed up to the construction management information system by 3 p.m. “From a technical point of view, the start was successful and the digitization of construction management is working. We are not aware of any system outages. Several authorities reported difficulties, but it was not a failure of the information systems,” said Ivan Bartoš, Deputy Prime Minister for Digitization and Minister for Regional Development, describing the start of digital construction management. “In some cases, local network administrators did not correctly assign roles to officials. Our call center has already helped some authorities solve these initial problems, and administrators also have a detailed manual available from us,” added Petr Klán, director of the Department of Digitization and Information Systems at MMR.

The builder’s portal allows you to submit an application, upload documentation or communicate with the authorities online. It is a web application that can be run on a regular internet browser on a computer, tablet or mobile phone. It is connected to the information system for officials. As a result, the documentation will not circulate among several authorities and concerned authorities, but everyone will have access to it from one place and it will always be up-to-date. This will simplify and automate much of the approval process. The authorities will share information with each other and the repeated requests for filling in by the citizen will disappear. The entire procedure will take place digitally, therefore the need to print construction documentation and the associated costs will no longer be necessary. The information system for officials is also linked to the real estate cadastre or the Register of Territorial Identification, Addresses and Real Estate (RÚIAN) and other state data sources. As a key part of the new construction law, digitization will contribute to shortening the duration of permits and has a significant economic benefit.

In order to ensure the greatest possible comfort when working in the new system, the Ministry secured over 208 million crowns from the National Recovery Plan and 43 million from the state budget for the purchase of new IT equipment for construction authorities. Thanks to central purchasing, municipalities have reduced administration, and the equipment is also about half the price compared to retail prices after a volume discount. The equipment is free for authorities. It is about 4,500 computers and 9,000 32-inch monitors for easier work with construction documentation.

The first containers with the wooden structure of the Czech national pavilion for EXPO 2025 in Osaka ceremoniously left Zveřovice in Novojičínsko in the Moravian-Silesian region. These are the supporting columns of the pavilion, which will be installed in the restaurant on the ground floor of the building. The first loading was ceremoniously christened by the general commissioner of the Czech participation, Ondřej Soška, ​​together with representatives of the Czech company A2Timber, which is responsible for the supply of wood to the general contractor of the construction, the Japanese construction company Daisue.

“I am very happy that the first shipment of wooden structures is leaving for Japan exactly according to our internal schedule and that we will build the national pavilion with mainly Czech materials. The path to obtaining a building permit and selecting a general construction contractor was not at all easy – we had to provide the Japanese authorities with strength tests and other additional information confirming the declared strength of the wooden panels and key connecting elements. In the end, however, we managed to successfully overcome all the obstacles and convince the local authorities that the building is strong enough to withstand possible earthquakes or strong typhoons,” says Ondřej Soška, ​​general commissioner of the Czech participation in EXPO 2025, adding: “We are aware that our the pavilion is innovative in many aspects, but I am even more pleased to announce that it will be the first wooden structure of its kind without a metal structure in Japan. In addition, it resonated so much there that it stirred up a public discussion about CLT wooden buildings and their legal regulation.”

The first seven of the total number of roughly 50 containers are now leaving the Czech Republic, the final number will depend on the capacities of the transport companies and other factors, such as the different sizes of individual pallets and loading options. Other parts of the pavilion will travel to Japan in the coming weeks. From the Czech Republic, the containers are headed to the largest German port in Hamburg, from where they will sail to Osaka, Japan, in approximately 8-10 weeks. All wooden parts of the pavilion are made from spruce wood in three production plants in the Czech Republic, they will be completed in Yumeshima, Japan.

“I see the Czech pavilion, the first part of which is now heading to Japan, as a symbol of our modernization journey, openness to the world and sustainability, expressed in a combination of modern technologies with domestic tradition, i.e. the classic building material, which is wood. Houses made of wood have a number of advantages, they use local material, their construction is faster and is up to five times less energy-intensive than a brick building. In addition, trees bind carbon, which is bound by trees, then remains stored in building wood and does not get into the atmosphere, which is what we need. That’s why we want to support wood more, not only as a material for family houses, but also for larger, multi-storey buildings, as shown by the Czech national pavilion for EXPO 2025,” says Environment Minister Petr Hladík (KDU-ČSL).

And how is the supporting wooden structure of the pavilion produced? The extracted log goes through the sawmill, where the slats are prepared, from there it goes to the processing plant for BSH (glued laminated timber) or CLT (cross-laminated solid wood), or for Novatop elements (ribbed panels, three-layer solid boards). The parts that are not ready from the factory to be installed directly on the construction site go to the timber hall of the A2Timber company, where they are further processed, the steel elements are riveted, and any painting and other operations necessary before packaging and shipping to the construction site are carried out. If necessary, part of the structure is also assembled in the hall and then dismantled. This process assembly and subsequent disassembly will be carried out, for example, with the complex roof structure of the Czech national pavilion for EXPO 2025, to ensure that everything will fit on the construction site and can be assembled without major problems.

“The Czech National Pavilion project is unique in a number of ways. This is a very unconventional building, which will be located in the challenging environment of an artificial island by the sea, with high wind and potentially seismic loads. However, it is excellent to see from the project that timber construction from CLT and glued beams has almost no limits, even though challenges exist at all levels of the design, production and implementation process of the building,” explains A2Timber CEO Martin Novák and adds: “The supply for the Czech National Pavilion is at the same time a great reference order for us. We believe that the project will bring us further opportunities in Asia, we are discussing various possibilities with the Japanese company Daisue.”

Ondřej Soška, ​​Commissioner General of the Czech participation in the EXPO 2025 world exhibition, signed the contract for the Czech national pavilion with the general construction contractor, the Japanese construction company Daisue (its CEO Kazunori Murao) on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. On Wednesday, May 15, 2024, construction was formally started , when a ceremony to pacify the earth’s deities, or Jichinsai, took place on Czech land on the island of Yumeshima.

Czechs are generally among the biggest drivers of preparations for the upcoming world exhibition. They act actively, for example, towards the organizers and participate in the coordination of European activities. In June, roughly thirty general commissioners and representatives of European states organized a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Prague. The June election of General Commissioner Soška to the so-called Steering Committee, the governing body of the world exhibition, is also proof.

About the Czech pavilion at EXPO 2025

In December 2022, after more than twenty years, the Office of the Commissioner General announced an open anonymous architectural competition for the design of the national pavilion for EXPO 2025. 38 competition teams applied for it, from which an expert jury led by the world-renowned architect Eva Jiřična selected the winning design in March 2023 in the shape of a glass spiral by Apropos Architects. 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.

About Czech participation in EXPO 2025

The Czech Republic will participate as an independent state in the World Exhibition EXPO for the sixth time. Ondřej Soška, ​​who won the selection procedure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with his concept and theme “Talent and creativity for life”, holds the position of general commissioner from September 2022. The Czech Republic should be presented in Osaka not only with what the Japanese know very well and admire for a long time, for example Czech glass and classical music, but especially with Czech innovations, nanotechnologies, promising startups and regional talent.

You can find more information on the website of the Czech participation in the world exhibition EXPO 2025. You can also follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

The Giant’s Gate bordering Prague Castle from Hradčanské náměstí will be closed for several weeks from Monday 8^th July 2024.

The reason is the replacement of the safety posts. The reopening of the gate is scheduled for the last week of August.

The ceremonial changing of the guards will therefore temporarily replace the performance of the Music of the Castle Guard at the III. courtyard.

The security posts at the Giant’s Gate are at the end of their life and need to be replaced. The gate used for the exit from Prague Castle will therefore have to be closed. However, visitors can still leave the Castle to Hradčanské náměstí – through the south side gate to the I. courtyard, i.e. in the same direction as they are now exiting. During the seven-week reconstruction, mainly due to the necessary archaeological inspection of the site, there will be no events in the first courtyard

ceremonial changing of the guard. It will be replaced by a performance by members of the Castle Guard Music at III. courtyard, daily from 12 to 12:15 p.m. The castle guard will also temporarily not be on duty at the posts of honor in front of the Giant’s Gate.

The Gate of the Giants, the main and ceremonial entrance with the monogram of Maria Theresa and Joseph II, is characterized by the main pillars with sculptures of fighting giants. Other pillars are then supported by smaller pairs of putti (baroque decorative element) with vases and with the symbol of the Czech kingdom – the lion and the Habsburg monarchy – the eagle. All the sculptures were created by the sculptor Ignác František Platzer in 1770–1771, but the originals were replaced in 1921 by copies by Antonín Procházka and Čeňek Vosmík. He modified the first courtyard to its present form architect Jože Plečnik after 1920. Granite paving, lighting and flagpoles were made according to his project. They were originally made of fir logs, but later they were replaced with glued parts.

On the occasion of the 248^th Anniversary of the independence of the United States of America, H.E. Mr. Bijan Sabet the Ambassador of the United States of America in the Czech Republic and his spouse Ms. Lauren Sabet organized a garden reception at the Ambassador Residence.

The honored guest was H.E Petr Pavel the president of the Czech Republic and the First Lady Mrs. Eva Pavlová

Watch the video from the ceremony and highlights from the speech of H.E. Mr. Bijan Sabet the Ambassador of the United States of America in the Czech Republic and H.E Petr Pavel the president of the Czech Republic

Happy Birthday United States of America

The official visit of the President of Argentina H.E Mr. Javier Gerardo Milei, to the Czech Republic contributed significantly to the development of the bilateral political dialogue and the boost of cooperation in many other spheres.

President Milei held meetings with President H.E Petr Pavel and Prime Minister Ph.D. Petr Fiala. Watch the Video and pictures from the reception and the meeting with the president.

At a special event organized by e15 at the Zofin,President Milei received the the annual prize of the Liberal Institute given by Petr Koblovský , Liberal Institute, Jiří Schwarz , Liberal Institute, Anglo-American University and At Josef Šíma , Liberal Institute, Metropolitan University Prague.

The Zofin was full of hundreds of guests, top business persons, politicians, Ambassadors, and other distinguished guests, who welcomed President Milei like a “Rock Star” ( Watch the video )

The President of Argentina gave a lecture: How to deal with ineffective government

More details in our next printed magazine ( 9.2024 )

Photo: Sächsische Landesbibliothek, Dresden, CC BY-SA 4.0

Baroque music was very different across European countries. What most European influences agreed on within Baroque music, however, was polyphony – the simultaneous conducting of voices which have their own rhythm and melody, yet go together perfectly and sound parallel to each other. Its unsurpassed master, Johann Sebastian Bach, found no rival in his art of polyphony for many centuries. But now we know of a worthy challenger – the “Czech Bach” Jan Dismas Zelenka.

Although he was born in the Czech town of Louňovice pod Blaníkem in 1679, he worked in Dresden, Germany, where he stayed practically all his life. And maybe that’s why, we did not know much about Jan Dismas Zelenka until the 1970s. After Zelenka’s death in 1745, his work became the property of the monarchy and was deposited in the archives of the Dresden choir. For a long time it was not possible to copy or publish his compositions. However, this prohibition was broken when, for example, Bach’s son Wilhelm Friedemann Bach copied Zelenka’s Magnificat.

See the rest here.

Authors: Bětka Horáková, Lukáš Hurník, Source:Český rozhlas

Photo: Czech Army

The Czech government has announced that after nearly half a century, the country is ready to send another astronaut to space. The man preparing for the mission, which is expected to take place in five years’ time, is Czech fighter pilot Aleš Svoboda, a member of the European Space Agency’s astronaut reserve.

The action plan to send a Czech astronaut to space, called “Czech Journey to Space”, was presented at a press conference on Thursday by Prime Minister Petr Fiala and other government and industry representatives. The Czech head of government described the project as a national mission to modernize the economy, education and science.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Klára Stejskalová, Radio Prague International

Members of Sokol, a Czech physical fitness organisation with branches the world over, are descending on Prague for the 17th All Sokol Slet, or jamboree, due to start on Sunday. Among the 20,000 enthusiasts due to attend is Joan Sedlacek, a dedicated chronicler of Sokol activities in the United States.

Joan Sedlacek, a board member of the Sokol Museum and Library in St. Paul, Minnesota, is a second-generation Czech expat. Her grandparents came to the United States in the 19th century as the first Czech settlers. They eventually moved to Chicago, where Joan’s father was born. Although her mother is of a German-Danish descent, Joan has always felt a strong connection to her Czech heritage:

“It is deep in my heart. I am a 100 percent American, but like most of the Czech people I know, they really love the Czech heritage, the people and the country. We have a lot of Czechs who married other ethnic groups and brought them into the Czech culture, and they love it as well.”

See the rest here.

Authors: Klára Stejskalová, Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Jana Myslivečková, Czech Radio

Sculptor Petr Váňa has left his mark around Czechia. He made the replica of the 1650 Marian Column on Prague’s Old Town Square and has created dozens of sculptures for Czech churches, village squares and hilltops. He even has a statue underwater, at the bottom of the Slapy dam. Now he is working on a sculpture for Nelson Island in Antarctica.

Petr Váňa’s best-known work is probably the replica of the 1650 Marian Column on Old Town Square, on which he worked for an incredible 28 years. It was installed in 2020, but both the locals and visitors feel as if it has always been there. Váňa says there is a very good reason for this.

See the rest here.

Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Šárka Formánková, Source:Český rozhlas

Photo: Ian Willoughby, Radio Prague International

After decades as one of Czechia’s best-known authors, Jaroslav Rudiš is about to see the first ever publication of one of his novels in English. However, Winterberg’s Last Journey was actually written in German, rather than Czech, reflecting the Berlin resident’s deep immersion in German culture. Ahead of the release of the English version of the novel – which traces a 99-year-old Sudeten German’s sometimes bizarre trip through Central Europe – I managed to catch up with the extremely busy Rudiš outside a Prague café.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Michal Krumphanzl, ČTK

On Friday afternoon the Czech lower house finally approved a bill that has been years in the making – the introduction of postal voting for citizens living abroad. Czech expatriates have been waiting decades for this change to happen.

While almost all EU countries allow postal voting in some form – or an alternative, such as online voting in France – Czechia is one of only three, along with Croatia and Malta, that currently requires its citizens to vote in person, whether at home or abroad.

See the rest here.

Authors: Anna Fodor, Daniela Vítů, Jana Čermáková, Source:Český rozhlas

Photo: Miloš Turek, Radio Prague International

With its picturesque towns, wooded hills, stone castles and ruins the Plzeň Region has plenty to offer visitors. Check out its sights in our photo gallery.

See the sights here.

Photo: Štěpánka Budková, Radio Prague International

The Plzeň Region in west Bohemia, is known as the cradle of Czech beer brewing, but there’s a lot more to it.  See how well you know the region in our quiz.

See the test here.

Photo: VHÚ Praha

The staged trial of Heliodor Pika is one of the most infamous political trials in communist Czechoslovakia, along with that of Milada Horáková. He was sentenced to death on the basis of fabricated evidence.

Heliodor Píka, a World War I legionnaire, was a patriot and respected diplomat who upheld the democratic principles of Presidents Masaryk and Beneš. During World War II, he saved the lives of many Czech refugees, housed prisoners of war and Czechoslovak Jews. In Russia, he participated in the building of a Czechoslovak military unit, meeting there, for example, with Ludvík Svoboda. Later he became commander of the Czechoslovak military mission in Russia. In May 1945, he returned to his liberated homeland, where he was promoted to the rank of division general.

See the rest here.

Source: Český rozhlas

Source: Muzeum paměti XX. století

A new exhibition in Prague explores Czechoslovak perspectives on the work of UK writer George Orwell, particularly his novel 1984. That dystopian classic, published 75 years ago this year, found a particular resonance among the country’s anti-Communist opposition.

1984: George Orwell and Czechoslovakia is the title of a new outdoor exhibition that has just opened at Prague’s Kampa.

Organised by the Museum of the 20th Century, the series of panels comes with a catalogue of the same title, edited and part written by historian Petr Blažek.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

The Ambassador of Republic of Iraq  H.E. Mr. Falah Abdulhasan Abdulsada and the Mayor of Prague 6 Mr. Jakub Starek organized a ceremonial unveiling event of the plaque of the Iraqi poet Al-Jawahiri a front of the building where he lived in Prague 6.

The ceremony was moderated by Mgr. Marek Zeman, the spoke person of Prague 6.

Muhammad Mahdi al-Jawahiri was an Iraqi poet. Considered by many as one of the best and greatest Arabian poets in the 20th century, he was also nicknamed The Greatest Arabian Poet, and is considered a leading classical Iraqi poet and one of the big three neo-classical poets of Iraq alongside al-Rusafi, and al-Zahawi.( source Wikipedia )

Watch the video with the speeches of the Ambassador of Republic of Iraq  H.E. Mr. Falah Abdulhasan Abdulsada and the Mayor of Prague 6 Mr. Jakub Starek and the adviser of the Iraq PM.

The Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesiain the Czech Republic , H.E. Mrs. Kenssy Dwi Ekaningsih organized the exhibition “Indonesia through the Eyes of an Artist” at Wisma Duta, her beautiful residence.

This exceptional exhibition, which lasts three days, enchants us with its varied palette of emotions and colors. We find ourself immersed in a world where the rich culture of Indonesia meets the personal experience of four artists who reveal their inner experiences of this country and views of it through twenty unique works – paintings, drawings, photographs, and batik fabrics.

We spend an evening full of visual and musical art and unique Indonesian flavors.

Watch the video and the pictures from this unique exhibition.

Photo: Zuzana Jarolímková, iROZHLAS.cz

Boston Bruins star forward, David Pastrňák, has won the Golden Hockey Stick award for the seventh time. The 56th edition of the traditional poll ceremony symbolically sealed the hockey year in which Czechia won the gold medal at the World Championships on home ground.

Pastrňák, 28, nicknamed “Pasta,” did not attend the event at Žofín in Prague because he is in the United States. The hockey star received 595 votes in a vote of representatives, which included the Czech Ice Hockey Federation’s sports department, national team coaches, top competition clubs, and selected journalists. He beat second-placed goaltender, Lukáš Dostál, who was there thanks to his performances at the World Championships, by 79 points. Martin Nečas was another six points behind.

See the rest here.

Author: Jakub Ferenčík

Photo: archive of Roma Education Fund

We’re tackling a persistent issue that has plagued Czechia since the fall of communism over thirty years ago: the segregation and discrimination of the Roma people.

Despite various efforts and initiatives, Czechia has been consistently criticized by international governmental and non-governmental organizations for its inability to end segregation and improve the social status of the Roma people. For instance, the European Commission, in its annual report on the state of human rights, has stated: “Tangible progress in the advancement of the rights of Roma has by and large been lacking, and a redoubling of efforts is crucial to create a real breakthrough.”

See the rest here.

Author: Vít Pohanka

Photo: Václav Pancer, ČTK

The Children’s and Youth Olympics 2024 is being hosted by the South Bohemia Region this year. Over 3,500 young athletes are competing in 20 sports disciplines at 27 venues. The regional capital of České Budějovice is the main hub, but some events are taking place in smaller towns such as Tábor and Hluboká nad Vltavou.

Source:ČTK

Photo: Entomologický ústav Biologického centra AV ČR

After more than a century, the Apollo butterfly, one of Europe’s most threatened butterfly species, has returned to the Krkonoše Mountains, where it once used to thrive. Earlier this month, conservationists reintroduced the first 55 males of the rare species to several locations in the national park.

The Apollo, known in Czech as Jasoň červenooký, is a large white mountain butterfly with distinct red spots on its wings. Once a common sight across Europe, its populations have rapidly declined in recent decades.

In Czechia, it went completely extinct about a century ago as a result of mass catching by butterfly collectors, but mainly due to the loss of its natural habitat.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Lucie Heyzlová, Český rozhlas

Archaeologists from the Museum in Roudnice nad Labem have announced a rare discovery. While surveying a site in the small town of Budyně nad Ohří they came across a number of bronze artefacts, including pieces of jewellery, dating back over 3500 years.

The discovery was made about a year ago during a routine research of a field near the town of Budyně nad Ohří, some 40 kilometres north-west of Prague. Using a metal detector, an archaeologist came upon a collection of metal objects hidden under ground.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Barbora Navrátilová, Radio Prague International

To define Nikol Bóková as a pianist and composer would be far too simplistic. The rising star we present to you today has many more talents, as we learned through this conversation. Record label owner, film producer and lover of poetry and science fiction, Bóková’s many skills and interests intersect in her beautiful music. In this episode, we learn more about the musician‘s background, and the precise moment she realized she wanted to be a concert pianist.

Source

Authors: Petr Dudek, Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Illustration photo: Lenka Žižková, Radio Prague International

People are drinking much less beer in Czechia than before, a country that is known for its highest beer consumption per capita in the world. Some of the reasons include tighter budgets due to economic uncertainty as well as the rising cost of draught beer. Will this trend continue in the years to come?

Beer consumption in Czechia is still the highest in the world despite its significant drop in recent years, Novinky.cz reported. The average number of beers drunk per capita in 2023, including infants, was 256 beers per head, about 128 litres, exceeding the lowest average consumption figures ​​during the COVID-19 restrictions and the lowest record number in 1963. But why?

See the rest here.

Author: Jakub Ferenčík

Photo: Zdeněk Zajíček, Czech Radio

If you’ve ever visited the UNESCO-listed castle in the picturesque South Bohemian town of Český Krumlov, you can’t have failed to notice the brown bears living in the former moat of the castle complex. These ursine dwellers won’t be on display for too much longer however – after years of campaigning by animal welfare organisations, the National Heritage Institute has decided to end the centuries-long tradition by 2030. Český Krumlov is planning to seek an exemption.

The keeping of bears at Czech castles has been a tradition since at least the second half of the 16th century. But in recent years, animal welfare organisations such as Bears in Mind, Four Paws, and the German Foundation for Bears (Stiftung für Bären) have received numerous alerts, usually from tourists visiting the castles, about bears being kept in inappropriate conditions.

See the rest here.

Authors: Anna Fodor, Petr Kubát, Source:iROZHLAS.cz

On the occasion of the 126^th Anniversary of the Declaration of the Philippines Independence and the 50^thAnniversary of the Philippines and Czech Republic Diplomatic Relations, H.E Mr. Eduardo R Menez The Ambassador of the Republic of Philippines in the Czech Republic, and Mrs. Marissa V. Menez host a reception at the Cloud 9 Sky Lounge at the Hilton Prague with the best city view.

RNDr. Miloš Vystrčil – President of the Senate of CR was the honored guest.

Watch the video with the speech of H.E. Mr.  Eduardo R Menez – Ambassador of the Republic of Philippines and RNDr. Miloš Vystrčil – President of the Senate of CR

H.E. Mr. Fredrik JÖRGENSEN, Ambassador of Sweden, H.E. Mr. Laimonas TALAT-KELPŠA, Ambassador of Lithuania, H.E. Ms. Gita KALMET, Ambassador  of Estonia, H.E. Mr. Soren KELSTRUP, Ambassador of Denmark, H.E. Mr. Pasi Olavi TUOMINEN, Ambassador  of Finland, Mr. Per Oystein VATNE,  Deputy Head of Mission at Norway Embassy, H.E. Ms. Elita KUZMA, Ambassador of Latvia, H.E. Ms. Maria Erla MARELSDÓTTIR, Ambassador Iceland, Mr. Vitalii USATYI,  Chargé d´Affaires of Ukraine, RNDr. Miloš Vystrčil – President of the Senate of CR

The countries of Nordic and Baltic regions – Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden – hold their yearly joint National Days celebration together. Ukraine joins them as a guest country.  Prague is the only place where this celebration has been arranged for many years. We fully agree with Ambassadors when they say that „our strength thrives not only on our economies and our alliances but above all on our values. Solidarity, justice, respect for human rights, and fundamental freedoms form the foundation of our societies. It works both inwards and outwards.“ We all stand for Ukraine together as great allies and partners.

The guest of honor was Mr. Milos Vystrcil the president of the Senate of the CR.

The guests enjoyed the performance of the very unique and talented “Sunny Swing Band”

Watch the video with the speeches of the Ambassadors and the Senate President.

The first Czech baby wombat peeks out of its mother Winkleigh’s pouch.

The first baby wombat born in the Czech Republic can be seen at the Prague Zoo. Although it was born last September, it can only now be observed because wombats, like other marsupials, are born in the embryonic stage and subsequent development takes place in the safety of the mother’s pouch. In February, the cub began to stick its limbs out of the bag, and from March onwards, its head, which was still bare at the time. She is now fully furred and left her mother Winkleigh’s pouch for the first time a few days ago for a short walk. On Saturday, June 15, the gender and name of the little wombat will be revealed by the patron of Prague wombats, actor and presenter Ondřej Sokol. The festive event will start at 2 pm in the Darwin Crater.

“Male Cooper didn’t have an easy time with his mate Winkleigh at first. Straight from Tasmania, the female chased Cooper around the paddock and gave him more than one bite while getting to know him. But there is no better confirmation that they have found their way to each other than the birth of a cub – the first of its kind in Czech zoos,” said the director of the Prague Zoo, Miroslav Bobek.

The cub’s parents are the aforementioned first pair of common wombats in the Czech Republic: a five-year-old female Winkleigh born at the Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary in Tasmania and an almost four-year-old male Cooper from the Hanover Zoo. These marsupials, related to koalas, are famous for their cute appearance and unique cube-shaped droppings. The best way to see them is during their guided feeding, which takes place every day from June 1 at 2 p.m. in the Darwin’s Crater exhibition unit in the lower part of the zoo.

In addition to christenings, a thematic program will also be prepared for children visiting Veselovského luka and its surroundings on Saturday. It is inspired by Peter John Nicholson’s research on the “wombat boy” and includes, for example, digging or measuring wombat burrows, searching for treasure, making wombat cubes or demonstrations of their atypical defenses.

For the media: On Saturday, June 15, there will be a meeting for the christening at 1:30 p.m. at the main entrance to the Prague Zoo. Requests for accreditation should be sent by noon on Friday to the email masek@zoopraha.cz.

Photo by Oliver Le Que, Prague Zoo

Tourism leaders from across the world have met again in Barcelona, Spain to shape the sector’s future, emphasizing the sector’s vital economic importance while also placing it firmly on the political agenda.

The 121st session of the Executive Council of UN Tourism welcomed representatives of 47 countries, including 18 Ministers of Tourism, to advance the Organization’s vision for the sector as it achieves full recovery from the impacts of the pandemic. According to UN Tourism data, around 285 million tourists traveled internationally in the first quarter of 2024, 20% more than the same period of last year, while international tourism receipts grew back to USD 1.5 trillion in 2023.

Investments and education remain priorities for the sector   

Opening the session, UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, stressed the need to embrace innovation and grow and direct investment into the sector in order to drive its positive transformation. “With tourism having bounced back from the biggest crisis in its history, now is the time to channel our energy into building greater resilience against any future shocks,” he said. “At the same time, we must ensure tourism’s growth benefits people everywhere, above all by expanding access to education and job opportunities and harnessing the power of new technology.”

Read more : https://www.unwto.org/news/un-tourism-executive-council-meets-to-place-tourism-in-global-economic-agenda?utm_source=news&utm_medium=crm

Photo: René Volfík, iROZHLAS.cz

Moscow is very likely to blame for a recent failed arson attack on city busews in Prague, the Czech prime minister said on Monday. Petr Fiala said the foiled plot was part of a hybrid war Russia is waging against Czechia. But what can the authorities do to combat this kind of “low level” terrorism?

Last Wednesday night a Spanish-speaking man in his 20s from a South American state is believed to have attempted to set fire to buses at a Prague transport authority depot in the district of Klíčov.

Alert staff doused the flames and damage was kept to around CZK 200,000.

On Saturday the police arrested the suspect, who they said had been in Czechia for five days.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Smetanova Litomyšl

The annual Smetana Litomyšl, the second oldest music festival in Czechia and the country’s largest classical music festival outside of Prague, gets underway on Saturday. This year’s edition, marking the bicentenary of the birth of Bedřich Smetana, promises to be the biggest in the festival’s history. I discussed the event with its artistic director Marek Šulc:

“It will be the largest festival so far, not only in terms of the number of days – we are starting this Saturday, June 8, and the final concert will be on July 6 – but we also have the biggest number of concerts. So it really will be a full month of music in Litomyšl.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Vít Šimánek, ČTK

There was success for Czech athletes at the Canoe World Cup held in Prague’s Troja district over the weekend. Gabriela Satková (pictured) and Jiří Prskavec won gold medals in the women’s and men’s canoe slalom races respectively.

Source: ČTK

What really happens to your waste after you’ve sorted it and dutifully put it in your local recycling container? The Czech Environment Ministry attempted to find out via a unique experiment – at least for one very specific type of rubbish. They put tracking devices on 100 PET bottles and put them in recycling bins in locations all around the country to see where they ended up after three months – and the results were surprising.

My partner and I are keen waste sorters and pride ourselves on hardly ever having to take out our mixed waste because there is so little of it. We compost our organic waste and dutifully sort everything else into paper, plastic, glass and metal.

But plastic waste still makes up the biggest proportion of our sorted rubbish, despite our efforts to reduce it. And so every time we take our plastic recycling to our nearest yellow container in Prague, we wonder, ‘Will this actually get recycled?’

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

President Petr Pavel and Eva Pavlova received the President of the Slovak Republic Zuzana Čaputová and Juraj Rizman at Prague Castle. This is the last official visit of Zuzana Čaputová in the role of president. They discussed Czech-Slovak relations, current events in Slovakia, the results of the European Parliament elections, and the situation in Ukraine with President Pavel.

“I am very happy to be able to welcome President Zuzana Čaputová to Prague again today during her visit to the Czech Republic. Today, in addition to joy, it is also with a certain sadness, because it is the last time I will meet her as president of our nearest neighbor. Through the personal approach of the President, her friendliness, openness, and correctness, the relations between our countries have been deepened and strengthened in the desired direction in recent years. And for that, we owe her a lot of thanks” said President Pavel at a press conference.

In the evening, the presidential couples will attend a performance at the Dejvický Theater together, on Thursday they will have breakfast in Lány, and in the afternoon President Pavel will present the Order of the White Lion to President Čaputová at the Prague Castle for her contribution to the development of relations between the two countries. The program will end with a gala lunch.

Statement of the President of the Republic at the press conference here ( in Czech).

https://www.hrad.cz/cs/prezident-cr/soucasny-prezident-cr/verejna-vystoupeni-a-rozhovory/vyjadreni-prezidenta-republiky-na-tiskove-konferenci-pri-navsteve-slovenske-prezidentky-v-cr-17935

Photo: Prague Sounds

The Prague Sounds music festival, which takes place in November and was previously called Strings of Autumn, prides itself on mixing up genres. This year it will feature jazz great Branford Marsalis alongside rather less well-known names in the fields of hip-hop, modern classical and electronic music. I spoke to programmer Guy Borg at an event this week unveiling the 2024 Prague Sounds.

Branford Marsalis is your biggest name and he’s playing at the Grand Hall at Lucerna. What does it mean to you to have such a major artist as part of your festival?

“Well, throughout the history of the festival we’ve been lucky enough to have some of the great legends of jazz, actually usually in concert at Lucerna, in the Grand Hall. For example, Sonny Rollins or Wayne Shorter.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: René Volfík, iROZHLAS.cz

Under pressure to decide the never-ending battle between outdoor concert organizers and local residents regarding excessive noise, the Czech Health Miwnistry has ruled in favour of the culture scene. In a statement published on its web page, the ministry argues that short-term exposure to loud music is a nuisance, rather than a health risk.

The arrival of summer heralds a string of music festivals, concerts and outdoor events – all highly anticipated by music lovers and dreaded by local residents, who have to put up with high decibel levels whether they like it or not. In recent years, the residents of Prague’s Braník district, a popular location for outdoor concerts, have repeatedly complained to the town hall and health ministry about excessive noise pollution.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová, Sources:Český rozhlas, ČTK

The Czech government has moved to open the labor market to foreign workers from nine countries outside of the European Union. As of July 1, foreign workers from the selected states will no longer need employment cards or work permits in Czechia.

According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, there are currently close to 818,000  foreign workers in Czechia. Employees from the nine selected countries ‒ Australia, Japan, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, the UK, the US, Israel, and Singapore ‒ only comprise about 1.2 percent of the Czech labor market, approximately 10,000 employees. However, 80% of them are in highly skilled positions. The country needs to attract more of these foreign experts to fill vacancies on the labour market.

See the rest here.

Author: Jakub Ferencik

The KHNP (Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Company) organized an event on the occasion of “Czechia – Korea Nuclear Energy and Cultural Exchange Day”, which took place at the beautiful Zofin Palace by the Vltava River in Prague.

The event was organized to provide an opportunity to raise awareness of nuclear energy and to enjoy the culture of Czechia & Korea.

The event was supported by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Czech Republic and the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic.

The Main speakers were :

Jooho Whang – President and CED of KHNP

Jan Rafaj –  President of the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic

Tomas Ehler – Deputy Director General at the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the CR

H.E Mr. Youngki Hong – Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the CR

Seungcheol Lim – Secretary General of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission

Jan Fishe – Co-President of Czechhia Future Forum

Photo: Jaroslav Větvička

A newly restored Jawa 750, which appeared at the start of the legendary 1930s race Thousand Miles of Czechoslovakia, was recently unveiled at the National Technical Museum in Prague. This Thursday, the fiery red sports car will take part in the race again, 90 years after its first appearance.

The Jawa 750 racing specials were created in the early 1930s to participate in the legendary race that took place in Czechoslovakia’s First Republic under the patronage of President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk. The race only took place three times, between 1933 and 1935 and the eight Jawas that took part in it eventually ended up in private hands.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

The Embassy of Georgia in the Czech Republic and Georgian Wings organize a B2B workshop and presentation at the Lindner Hotel Prague Castle on the occasion of starting direct flights between Prague Airport and Tbilisi Airport.

The main speakers were H.E. Ms. Tea Maisuradze – the Ambassador of Georgia to the Czech Republic, Mr. Shalva ( Shako) Kiknadze – president Geosky the owner of the Georgian Wings, Mgr. Petr Cecak – Ministry of Transport of the CR – Air Transport Division – Civil Aviation Department, and Mr. Ludek Hladis – AVIAREPS General Manager for CR & Slovakia.

Watch the speeches and the interesting presentations.

Looking forward to visiting Georgia.

Photo: Ian Willoughby, Radio Prague International

In the past 12 years Eva and Rob McLean, who live just outside Prague, have fostered no fewer than 12 children. All of them were new-borns who stayed with the pair for a year. What motivates them to devote so much care to often traumatised infants? How do their own sons feel about sharing their lives and home with a succession of babies? And how hard is it to give the children up after 12 months? I discussed these questions and much more with the Czech-American couple.

What prompted you to begin fostering? How many years ago was that?

Rob: “I guess we started 12 years ago. About a year before that, when our kids were, I think, about seven and nine, we were thinking, Is our family complete right now?

“I suggested that we could adopt a child and Eva was completely into that, had no problem with that, though she was more interested I think in temporary foster care, which is something I’d never heard of.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

For the 7^th year, Prague 6 is organizing a special and unique festival – the Festival of Embassies – Food & Culture.

This year 55 countries and Ambassadors participated in this big festival which was also an EU Voting Day Big celebration.

The festival was hosted by Mr. Jakub Starek the Mayor of Prague 6, Mr. Jan Lacina – a member of the Parliament of the CR, Mr. Jiří Růžička – a member of the Senate of the CR, and other officials.

Ambassadors greet the big crowd by saying “Bon Appetit” in their language.

A unique cultural show from all over the world entertains the crowd.

It was a big success – Tour around the world in 12 hours.

Enjoy the video.

Photo: Maxim Oweyssi, Czech Radio

Concerts packed with Czech and foreign performers, music enthusiasts from around Europe and a great community atmosphere – summer music festivals, are becoming more and more popular in this country and there are plenty to choose from. Here are a few of the events you shouldn’t miss in the upcoming months.

Rock for People

The legendary festival will head to Hradec Králové again this week between Wednesday 12 and Saturday 15 June. It is especially attractive for rock fans who can look forward to The Prodigy, The Offspring or Bring Me the Horizon. Yungblud or Avril Lavigne will be present too.

Fans of the domestic scene can look forward to Vypsaná fixa, Mňága a Žďorp and Aneta Langerová, among others. In addition, the festival brings new or lesser-known talents into the spotlight. Civilní obrana, Night Art Expo and Naty Hrychová will all be making their debut here.

A standard four-day ticket costs around 4000 CZK.

See the rest here.

Author: Bětka Horáková

Photo: Zuzana Jarolímková, iROZHLAS.cz

Like in other EU member states, elections to the European Parliament in Czechia brought a number of surprises. In addition to a record turnout, almost double that ten years ago, many voters came to the polls to cast a protest vote.

As the results of the European elections were made public late on Sunday night, it was clear that the parties of the ruling centre-right coalition had suffered a humiliating defeat. The most votes went to the opposition ANO party which won 7 mandates, taking a third of the country’s 21 seats, and gaining one more seat than they did in the last elections. ANO leader Andrej Babiš called it a success that surpassed his expectations and said the party’s MEPs would get to work right away to deliver on their election promises.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová, Sources:Český rozhlas,ČTK

Some seven percent of children and adolescents in Czechia witnessed or directly experienced repeated domestic violence last year. This behaviour is often linked to excessive alcohol consumption. Experts across the board are currently drafting an action plan regulating access to alcohol and reducing alcohol-related damage.

According to last year’s annual report on addictions, one in eight adults in Czechia drinks excessively at least once a week and as many as 1.3 million people over the age of 15 are risk-drinkers.

While alcohol is usually not the cause of domestic violence, it definitely escalates the problem. Experts point out that serious injuries and even deaths are many times more likely to occur when alcohol is involved.

See the rest here.

Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Iva Vokurková

The Czech government has approved a proposed amendment that would outlaw corporal punishment of children. Czechia is one of the last EU member states to adopt such a regulation and while there will be no sanctions for breaking it, child experts hope it will change age-old habits.

According to the results of an SC&C survey the number of Czech parents who regularly use corporal  punishment in bringing up their children has dropped to around 4 percent, which is significantly less than in the past. However, there are those who still firmly believe that “to spare the rod is to spoil the child”. Kristyna, a mother of two, recalls how slapping her first-born was normal when she was under pressure.

” When my son was two, I would slap his hands, when he was three, I would smack him on the bottom. I knew it was wrong. At night, when he was sleeping, I felt regret. Also it didn’t lead anywhere, there was no change for the better.”

See the rest here.

Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Petr Král, Michaela Sladká
Source: Český rozhlas

Photo: František Fridrich, Zdeněk Wirth, ‘Stará Praha’, J. Otto, 1940/Wikimedia Commons, public domain

The ceremony was attended by Emperor Franz Joseph I and his wife Elisabeth, also known as Sissi. The imperial couple also made a significant contribution to a public fundraiser for the construction of one of the largest church buildings of its time.

The collection was financially supported by the Emperor’s predecessor Ferdinand I of Austria, who lived in Prague after his abdication, and later by the widowed Empress Caroline, after whom the newly built district was named – Karolinenthal – Karlín. Marie Riegrová-Palacká and her Committee of Ladies also contributed to the success of the collection. Nine years after the laying of the foundation stone, on the day of the millennium of the arrival of the Slavic heroes Cyril and Methodius, the church was consecrated by the Archbishop of Prague and Cardinal Bedřich Schwarzenberg.

See the rest here

Source: Český rozhlas.

Photo: Czech Television

Czech footballer Petr Čech, considered one of the best goalkeepers of the modern era, was born in the west Bohemian city of Plzeň. His journey to the top of the football world is a fascinating story of determination and talent. He launched his career at the local club Viktoria Plzeň and worked his way up through Chmel Blšany, Sparta Prague and Rennes in France all the way to London’s legendary clubs Chelsea and Arsenal.

Petr Čech started as a striker in the junior team of Viktoria Plzeň when he was just seven years old. Jiří Hošek, editor-in-chief of Canal Plus Sport, who has followed his career closely, explains how Čech ended up “between the sticks”:

“That’s because he suffered a very serious injury at the age of twelve: a complicated fracture in his leg. For many, this could have been a career-ending injury. Luckily, in Petr Čech’s case, the leg healed very well. But it definitely was a turning point.”

Even though he had already made the national team as a junior and shone at the European Under-16 Championship, where he was named the best goalkeeper of the tournament, Viktorka Plzeň let him move to Chmel Blšany for just CZK 350,000.

See the rest here.

Authors: Vít Pohanka, Ruth Fraňková

In June, several types of restoration work will begin in the Cathedral of St. Vitus, Wenceslas, and Vojtěch. Those on the stained glass windows with the theme of the Holy Trinity have already started, and monitoring of the mosaic of the Last Judgment on the Golden Gate of the cathedral is also currently underway. The total restoration of the plinths around the entire perimeter of the building is also underway, and scaffolding is starting to be built near the southwest tower, which will be used for the next stage of care for the outer shell and will also allow the revision and treatment of several figurative gargoyles.

The St. Vitus Cathedral has been undergoing gradual repairs and restoration continuously, without interruption, since 1973.

At the Golden Gate, restorers are now working on a unique mosaic of the Last Judgment from the 14th century. The mosaic is composed of more than a million pieces of chipped glass cubes and stone, making it one of the largest and best-preserved mosaics in Europe, and unlike most others, it is mounted on an exterior facade. It underwent a major restoration at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and then before the end of the millennium when it was restored and covered with a protective layer of special varnish. The condition of this protective layer is monitored annually.

In June, the restoration work will also focus on the stained glass window with the theme of the Holy Trinity. It was made between 1935 and 1936 by the artistic glazier Josef Jiřička according to the design of František Kysela. Jiřiček’s diamond-engraved signature has survived to this day on one of the parts of the glass filling. During the period of the protectorate, the stained glass had to be dismantled and never returned to its place – in the middle window above the main altar there is a stained glass window designed by Max Švabinský. However, the pieces of Kysel’s stained glass are part of the art collections of the Prague Castle; their restoration is provided by the Jirička-Coufal art glassworks, the successor of Josef Jiřička’s workshop.

In addition to the work on the exterior, restoration work is also planned inside the cathedral, in two parts of the choir.

Photo: © Prague Castle Administration, Jan Gloc

The trucks raced through the steppe, raising high clouds of dust behind them, along the improvised road, which the grader dug for them a few days ago. The moment when three Przewalski’s horses, loaded on their decks, would be able to leave the crammed transport crates after more than thirty hours was approaching. At that moment only tens of minutes of driving were left to reach the introduction centre in Alibi and with every kilometre my hope that everything would turn out well after all and that after hundreds of years Przewalski’s horses would return in steppes of Central Kazakhstan was growing.

Unfortunately, our first – and at the same time already twinned – transport of Przewalski’s horses from central Europe to Kazakhstani Golden Steppe has been dogged by serious problems. On Monday afternoon, two army CASA planes were supposed to fly to Arkalyk, Kazakhstan, simultaneously, one from Prague, the other one from Berlin, both of them with four Przewalski’s horses on board.  In reality, however, only the CASA flight from Prague left, after a small delay, carrying three horses. During the journey to the airport we sent back to the zoo the stallion Pelle, who had started sitting down in the crate, which could cost him his life during such a long journey. Departure of the second plane from Berlin was at that moment already delayed by at least 48 hours due to a technical defect. During the journey, however, there were other, although not so serious, difficulties that got on our nerves.

But the main things worked. Our “Prague” CASA landed with no difficulties at the runway in Arkalyk, abandoned for decades. Everything was ready on the spot – rescue services, firemen, custom officers and so on – and we were welcomed by the Minister of Environment of Kazakhstan. However, we didn’t have time for ceremonies. We loaded the horses on the trucks and while there were celebrations going on at the airport, we set off for Alibi. Fortunately, the sceptical estimates that the journey would take ten hours were incorrect.

A river ford was the last big obstacle we faced before Alibi. We were already worried about it since our first visit in April last year. But we found it well-tended and with a low water level, so the trucks as well as the escort vehicles got over it easily and soon the gate to one of the two acclimatisation enclosures opened in front of them.

The three-year-old mare Zeta II was the first to touch the ground of Kazakhstan on Tuesday evening. I insisted that it be her. Her namesake Zeta became a legend of Gobi, where she managed to survive the harshest winters and became the mother of many foals. Hopefully Zeta II will follow her… the mare Ypsilonka was the second one to enter the steppe, and the stallion Zorro was the third.

It was a historic moment: the first step to the return of the wild horses to another area, where they had lived in past, and at the same moment the culmination of a tremendous effort of many people. All of them, whether they were on the spot or thousands of kilometres away, could breathe a sight of relief, and some had tears in their eyes…

On Thursday morning the army plane CASA with four mares on board from Berlin landed in Arkalyk. These are now, on Thursday evening, also in the acclimatization enclosure in Alibi.

Done! The first seven Przewalski’s horses are in the Golden Steppe.

Well… done for this moment. We still have a lot of work to do.

Photo : Miroslav Bobek

The Ambassador of Brazil H.E. Ms. Sonia Regina Guimaraes Gomes and the Mayor of Prague 6 Mr. Jakub Starek organize an unveiling ceremony of the bust of the former Brazilian president Juscelino Kubitschek that has Czech roots.

The ceremony took place at Lázaro Cárdenas Park, Nám. Interbrigády, Bubeneč, in Prague 6.

Watch the video with the speechs of the Ambassador of Brazil H.E. Ms. Sonia Regina Guimaraes Gomes and the Mayor of Prague 6 Mr. Jakub Starek.

It’s a beautiful park, visit it and enjoy the beauty.

The Embassy of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg with the Czech Post Museum organizes an exhibition “The Luxembourg Dynasty between Two Countries “ at the post office at Prague Castle.

This unique exhibition was opened by the Ambassador of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg H.E. Mr. Ronald  Dofing , and the manager of the Czech Post Museum Mr. Jiri Strecha.

Watch the video with their speeches and highlights of the exhibition.

If you are at Prague Castle, visit the post office at the 3^rd yard.

Releasing the Wespe mare from the transport box to the acclimatization enclosure. Photo by Václav Šilha, Prague Zoo

A CASA plane of the CR Army landed in Arkalyk in central Kazakhstan with four more Převalský horses. The mares Tessa, Wespe, Umbra and Sara completed an 18-hour flight from Berlin and then traveled on the backs of trucks over difficult terrain for over seven hours. Before 5:00 p.m. local time, the mares were released into the acclimatization pen at the Alibi reintroduction center in the Altyn Dala region. At the same time, since Tuesday, the stallion Zorro and two mares Zeta II and Ypsilonka, transported from Prague on the first of the flights, have been getting used to the next enclosure.

Unloading of Převalský’s horses from the CASA aircraft of the CR Army at the airport in Arkalyk after an 18-hour flight from Berlin. Photo by Václav Šilha, Prague Zoo

“This is an event of historical importance: The seven ‘rollers’ that we transported here with two CASA machines represent the first individuals of this species in central Kazakhstan in hundreds of years,” said the director of the Prague Zoo, Miroslav Bobek. “With the double transport, we have taken a significant step towards the return of the last wild horse to another area where they were found in the past. Our goal is to gradually transport at least forty individuals here so that a viable population can be created here. Few exemplify the meaning of modern zoos like The Return of the Wild Horses.”

Today, three mares born in Germany arrived in Altyn Dala, i.e. the Golden Steppe – a stout five-year-old Tessa originally from Tierpark Berlin, an equally old dark-legged Wespe born in the zoo in Weilburg and a three-and-a-half-year-old light-warming Umbra from the semi-natural reserve Aschaffenburg Schweinheim. They were joined by the youngest Sara, who will only be three years old in two weeks and who is the only one from France, from ZooSafari de Thoiry. All the candidates met in Tierpark Berlin in the past six months – similar to what happened here in Dolní Dobřejov, where the Prague Zoo runs a breeding station. The final selection of individuals suitable for transport, mainly with regard to their health status, was carried out by experts from the Prague Zoo together with colleagues from Tierpark Berlin.

The road on the way from the airport to the reintroduction center is in places devastated by the recent floods. Photo by Václav Šilha, Prague Zoo

Today, Tessa was the first to run out of the transport box into the enclosure, followed by Wespe, followed by Umbra, and Sary rounded out the foursome. They will not be joined with the stallion Zorro and the two mares Zeta II and Ypsilonka brought from Prague in order to ensure the genetic diversity of the local population. In the future, he will ideally form a harem with another stallion so that more stallions are bred in the place from the beginning. In two vast enclosures totaling 80 hectares, the seven horses will get used to the local conditions and to themselves under the close supervision of researchers. Before being released into the wild, they must demonstrate resistance to frost or parasites, as well as the ability to find suitable food under a thick snow cover. Their acclimatization will take about a year.

In cooperation with its partners, Prague Zoo is preparing another Kazakh transport for next spring. At the same time, however, preparations are underway for the first-ever transport of Převalský’s horses to the east of Mongolia, to the so-called Valley of the Monastery, in 2026. After a break of several years, this iconic ungulate returned to the Troy area of ​​the Prague Zoo this year. People will now find Převalský’s horses alongside other Central Asian fauna in the Gobi exhibit near the top station of the cable car.

More about the project: zoopraha.cz/kazachstan-2024

Kamaz trucks with horses on their backs also passed long-abandoned houses made of burnt bricks during their journey through the steppes. Photo by Václav Šilha, Prague Zoo

Photo: Anna Strejcová, Czech Radio

Trumpeter and composer Štěpánka Balcarová, a two-time Anděl Award winner in the jazz category, recently released a new album inspired by her own experience of becoming a mother. It includes eight compositions, inspired by one of the basic human emotions. Called simply Emotions, the album was voted Czechia’s second best jazz album of 2023 by Czech Radio’s Czech Jazz Harvest critics’ poll.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Source: Festival Rosa Bohemica

Rosa Bohemica is not your typical arts festival in that it doesn’t just take place in one location, but in 13. Spread out over four different Czech regions, the festival includes concerts, theatre and talks, all held in unique and exceptional settings.

Thirteen concerts, four theatre performances and two lectures – that’s what the fourth edition of the Rosa Bohemica festival offers in its programme this year. Founder and director of the festival Gabriela Eibenová explains what makes the festival unique:

“It brings together historical places and quality music. There is a high concentration of excellent concerts in Prague, but 50km away, people don’t get to hear it. So I wanted to bring these terrific composers and artists out of Prague and fill beautiful places in other parts of the country with their music – beautiful places where very likely such music used to be played a lot more often, because they are locations like churches, castles, and so on.”

One of the aims of the festival is to try to breathe some life back into remarkable yet often-forgotten historical buildings.

See the rest here.

Author: Anna Fodor

Photo: René Volfík, iROZHLAS.cz

More than two years after the Russian invasion of Ukraine started, there are over 339,000 Ukrainian nationals with temporary protection status living in Czechia. As the war drags on, many have grown accustomed to the idea that they may never return. But, there are also refugees who wish to go back, no matter the risks, and the Czech government has launched a program to help them do so.

Fifty-year-old Olena still remembers the day she arrived in Czechia and the volunteer who helped her to get her bearings in a foreign country. Olena has lived in Czechia for two years now and has no plans to return to Ukraine for the time being. Like many refugees, she has no place to go. Her house in Kharkiv was completely destroyed by Russian troops. But Olena understands those of her compatriots who want to return to their homeland, despite the unstable situation. Some yearn to see the family and friends they left behind. Others who need health care prefer to get treatment in their homeland from doctors they know and trust.

See the rest here.

Authors: Daniela Lazarová, Marie Veselá, Source:Český rozhlas

Photo: Pražské jaro

For the third consecutive year, Prague’s DOX Centre for Contemporary Art is hosting Prague Offspring, a Prague Spring festival concert format dedicated to contemporary music. The legendary Klangforum Wien will again appear in the role of ensemble-in-residence and will also feature in a special concert featuring 50 pianos. I asked Josef Třeštík, Prague Spring’s programme director, to tell me more:

“Prague Offspring takes place for the third time this year and for the third and last time the ensemble-in-residence is Klangforum Wien, an excellent specialised contemporary music ensemble from Vienna. The composer-in-residence this year is Rebecca Saunders, a British-born Berlin-based composer.

“We will feature two of her major works, Nether and Scar. Nether is for a soprano and ensemble at it is based on Molly Bloom’s monologue from the Ulysses by James Joyce. It’s a rather complex work based on sonic qualities of language, which are interacting with the sounds coming from the ensemble.

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Pavel Vlach, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED

Join us on a trip to the Plzeň Region – the birthplace of Czech pilsner lager. Our drone video will guide you through wooded hills, stone castles and ruins, all from a bird’s eye view.

See the rest here.

Authors: Vít Pohanka, Barbora Navrátilová

Photo: Michaela Říhová, ČTK

The one-month-old male Sumatran orangutan born at Prague Zoo has been named Harapan, which means ‘hope’ in Indonesian. He is pictured in his mother’s arms, the 11-year-old female Diri. The zoo keepers have shortened Harapan’s name to Hari.

Source:ČTK

Photo: Kateřina Šulová, ČTK

The war in Ukraine dominated an informal summit of NATO foreign ministers in Prague, which entered its second day Friday. Also in attendance was the alliance’s secretary general, who responded positively to news the US is allowing Ukraine to hit targets inside Russia with American weapons.

The informal summit of NATO foreign ministers in Prague was held in preparation for a full summit in Washington in July and was the biggest alliance event in Czechia in over two decades.

The venue for the two-day event was the grand Czernin Palace in the city’s Hradčany district, home of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: Barbora Navrátilová, Radio Prague International

Ondřej Krutílek is a member of the ruling Civic Democratic Party and is running in the European elections within the coalition SPOLU, made up of Civic Democrats, Christian Democrats and TOP 09. He is an expert on EU legislation and is familiar with the workings of the EU.

This is a critical time for Europe, when decisions on security, migration and climate change will decide the future of the Continent. What kind of leadership does Europe need at this time?

“It is not just about the leadership, but also about the structure of the European Parliament and its composition. In my view it is not necessary to have a revolution in the European Parliament, it is necessary to have forces who are aware of the fact that there is a war on Europe’s borders and that we need to be safe in Europe. Security is the key, and to come back to your question –what kind of leadership – I think that not the European Union itself, but member states are the key, because if member states are strong then also the European Union is strong. Because I do not trust in the concept of a European federation.”

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová

Photo: Jan Jindra

The Jungborn nudist sanatorium, the Paris metro, or the picturesque town of Stresa by Lago Magiorre – these are just some of the many places visited by Franz Kafka, the great Prague-born Jewish writer who died exactly 100 years ago. To mark the occasion, a new book, has just come out dedicated to Kafka’s travels. I spoke to its author, journalist and publicist Judita Matyášová:

“We decided to create this book as an inspiration for those who already know Kafka. We would like to inspire people who are perhaps a little bit intimidated by his writing, who think that he is maybe too depressing or pessimistic. So we would like to invite them to follow in his footsteps all around Europe.”

See the rest here.

Author: Ruth Fraňková

Photo: Philippe Stirnweiss, © European Union 2024 – EP

Věra Jourová is one of the best-known Czech names in Brussels’ circles. In 2019, the former Czech minister and commissioner, now Vice-President of the European Commission, made Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people on the planet. Ironically, she entered the EU-executive with a slight disadvantage, because she was put in charge of a portfolio she didn’t particularly want. In this edition of “Czechs in the EU” we look back at Věra Jourová’s work in Brussels with Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of the Europeum Institute and Czech Radio’s former Brussels correspondent.

When Věra Jourová became the first Czech to make Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people on the planet in 2019, she said she could not have been more surprised.

See the rest here.

Authors: Viktor Daněk, Daniela Lazarová

Photo: © European Communities

In the first episode of our five-part-series Czechs in the EU, which we are running in connection with the upcoming European Parliament elections, we will look at the legacy left by the country’s first post-communist president Václav Havel and how he was perceived in Brussels and Strasbourg. My guest in the studio is Viktor Daněk, Czech Radio’s former correspondent in Brussels, now Deputy Director of the EUROPEUM Institute.

Viktor, what is it that makes Václav Havel an inspiration to European politicians almost thirteen years after his death?

“Well, European Union connects states which were for decades divided by the Iron Curtain, and I think that Václav Havel became a symbol, alongside Lech Wałęsa, of this change and of European unity. It even became a matter of curtesy to mention him on important occasions when European politicians speak about history.

See the rest here.

Authors: Viktor Daněk, Daniela Lazarová

Illustration photo: Alexis Haulot, Europäisches Parlament/Europäische Union 2024

Czech voters will cast their ballots in European Parliament elections at the end of this week. A last minute poll suggests the SPOLU (Together) alliance are on the heels of opposition leaders ANO, while the Communists, no longer in the lower house, could take as many seats as the Pirates. I discussed the elections with political scientist Petr Just.

Have there been any issues dominating campaigning for the European elections?

“Before the campaign started most of the political actors thought that it would be migration.

“Although migration remained one of the top issues, in the end the major issue was the Green Deal, as one of the very discussed and also, from some perspectives, controversial policies of the European Union, currently being passed by the European Parliament.

See the rest here.

Author: Ian Willoughby

Photo: © European Union 2004 – EP

This year, Czechia is marking the 20th anniversary of its accession to the European Union. When it joined the club, some people in this country were concerned about whether the Czech voice would be heard in the competition of so many other countries, especially the ‘heavy-weights’. Twenty years on, one can say that in a number of cases, the Czechs have even been the driving force behind changes affecting the whole of Europe.

In this instalment of our five-part-series “Czechs in the EU”, we look back at some of the most notable changes that Czechs spearheaded in Europe . My guest is Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of the Europeum Institute for European Policy.

See the rest here.

Authors: Viktor Daněk, Daniela Lazarová

Photo: Vít Šimánek, ČTK

Czechs are paying tribute to the photographer Bohumil Dobrovolský, who died on Wednesday at the age of 89. He is best known for his photographs documenting the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968.

Bohumil Dobrovolský (1935-2024), who died on Wednesday at the age of 89, was born in Libčice nad Vltavou in what was then Czechoslovakia. He was a photographer interested in live reportage photography. Between 1960 and 2024, he held dozens of solo and group exhibitions.

Author: Jakub Ferencik, Source:Český rozhlas

Pavlina Prokesova the Founder and the General manager of ReallocateCZ continues with her exclusive charity events for a great purpose.

This week the “Femme Fatale” Event, took place in the historic  Betlemska Kaple – Prague Old Town, a venue that combines unique architecture with a rich cultural heritage.

The evening unfolded with a lineup of enchanting performances, a gourmet banquet, and exclusive networking opportunities with some very interesting figures from the Prague community.

We raise 320,000 CZK., that will provide significant support and relief to the families aided by the Rett Community z.s. that supports families with children has the Rett Syndrome.

The “Muzikanti – na tripu” entrains the guest.

Photo: Jan Bachorík, Czech Radio

3D printing has found a home in several industries, primarily the industrial and electrical sectors. But healthcare has also found many uses for the technology, including for creating medical devices, dental implants, patient-specific surgical models, and prostheses. One of the leading applications of 3D printing in healthcare is in orthopaedic surgery – which is precisely where it has started to be used in Ústí nad Labem’s Masaryk Hospital.

Many hospitals around the world have already adopted 3D printing technology over the last few years – and now another Czech hospital has joined them. The Faculty of Health Studies and the Regional Health Administration in Ústí nad Labem have set up a joint 3D laboratory to help surgeons better prepare for and plan their operations. Tomáš Novotný is head of the Masaryk Hospital’s orthopaedic clinic in Ústí nad Labem.

See the rest here.

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

On the occasion of the National Day, Armed Force Day of the Republic of Croatia and 15 years of membership in NATO the Ambassador of Croatia H.E. Mrs. Ljiljana Pancirov and the Defense Attache Col. Zdravko Barbaric host a reception and presentation of the Moravian Croats at the historic New Town Hall in Prague.

Watch the video with the speech of H.E. Mrs. Ljiljana Pancirov – Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia and the show of the Moravian Croats.

Happy Birthday Croatia

On the occasion of the Independence Day of the Republic of Azerbaijan, H.E Mr. Adish Mammadov and Mrs. Amanat Pashazade host a reception at the Bohemia Ballroom at the Prague Marriott Hotel.

Mr. Jaroslav Kurfürst – Director General for European Issues was the honored guest.

Watch the video with the speech of H.E Mr. Adish Mammadov – Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Mr. Jaroslav Kurfürst – Director General for European Issues.

Happy Birthday Azerbaijan

Visitors to the Prague Zoo can expect several extraordinary events during the first weekend of June.

On Saturday, June 1, all children under the age of 15 will be admitted to the Prague Zoo for a symbolic one crown. A special program for Children’s Day was prepared by the Prague Zoo in cooperation with the Municipal Police. Prague will offer live music, prize competitions, sports activities, and a bouncy castle.

On Sunday, June 2 at 11 a.m., the christening ceremony of the baby orangutan will take place at the Indonesian Jungle pavilion. The one-month-old male will be named jointly by Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský and British Ambassador Matt Field.

On both free days, in addition to the aforementioned events, there will also be a special themed, commented animal feeding. On Saturday, visitors can look forward to feeding the parrots as part of the World Parrot Day celebrations, while on Sunday, critically endangered mountain bongos will celebrate their day in the same spirit. You can find the full program below.

Standard guided animal feedings and encounters – including the popular sea lion training – will run daily from June 1 until the end of August. You can find their breakdown here: www.zoopraha.cz/navsteva/program/komentovana-krmeni-cviceni.

Program for Saturday, June 1

9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Children’s Day with the city police

• Music program: Swing Band of the city police – terrace of the Education Center
• Throw to the target and Semaphore – intersection near the sea lions
• Walking on stilts and Rotopedo – on the way to the exhibition of anthills
• Face painting – Veselovského louk
• Jumping castle – Veselovského louka
• Airbrush tattooing – Archa theater
• Photo corner – next to the Archa theater
• Kašpar and Klaudie – Children’s zoo and surroundings
• Bungee running – on the patch behind the ticket office of the children’s tram
• Children’s traffic school – at the Beasts and Reptiles Pavilion
• Issuing gifts – opposite the Education Center

10.00–16.00 World Parrot Day Celebrations

• 10.00 Handing over of enrichment to kea nestors – Rákos’ pavilion
• 12.00 Meeting with long-billed cogons – Rákos’ pavilion
• 13.30 Feeding the raven cockatoos – Darwin Crater
• 15.00 Feeding the lories – Lories

Program for Sunday, June 2

11.00 Baptism of a Sumatran orangutan cub

• 11.00 revealing the name of the cub – the journey between the capital entrance and the Indonesian jungle
• 13.00, 14.00, 15.00 commented meetings with orangutans – Indonesian jungle

11.00-14.00 World Bong Day Celebrations

• 11:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. guided feeding of mountain bongs – enclosure near the Hippo Pavilion
• 10.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. commented meetings at the mountain bongs – enclosure at the Hippo Pavilion

Photo: Zdeněk Zajíček, Czech Radio

Have you ever wondered what a Baroque pharmacy looked like? The answer lies in a monastery called Zlatá Koruna, in southern Bohemia, which recently re-created such a pharmacy from authentic items dating back to the 18th century.

Have you ever wondered what a Baroque pharmacy looked like? The answer lies in a monastery called Zlatá Koruna, in southern Bohemia, which recently re-created such a pharmacy from authentic items dating back to the 18th century.

See the rest here.

Authors: Alžběta Horáková, Zdeněk Zajíček, Source: Český rozhlas

Photo: Barbora Navrátilová, Radio Prague International

The annual Ride of the Kings folk celebration – a centuries-old UNESCO listed tradition – took place in the village of Vlčnov in South Moravia on Sunday. The festive ride of young men, led by a nine-year-old boy in the role of king, signifies their transition to manhood.

Hundreds of people gathered in Vlčnov on Sunday to witness the annual Ride of the Kings, which has been taking place in the village since 1808. The tradition refers to the flight of Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus from Czech King George of Poděbrady in the 15th century and is only practised today in four villages in the Slovácko region.

See the rest here.

Authors: Ruth Fraňková,Barbora Navrátilová

Photo: Michal Kamaryt, ČTK

The Czech prime minister on Tuesday hosted a work dinner for a group of EU leaders and the prime minister of Ukraine aimed at coordinating and strengthening aid to the embattled country in the face of continuing Russian aggression. The meeting, attended by some of Ukraine’s most prominent allies, focused on the Czech shells-for-Ukraine initiative, Ukraine’s air defence and European cooperation in the defence industry.

“The situation on the battlefront is reaching a critical point. We must step up our efforts and find new ways to support Ukraine’s defense” — that was the main message from the Prague talks on Tuesday night.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová, Sources: Český rozhlas,Česká televize

Photo: Martina Kutková, Radio Prague International

A special concert performance of Bedřich Smetana’s opera Libuše will be performed at Prague’s Rudolfinum on Tuesday, marking the 200th anniversary of the great Czech composer’s birth. The event, featuring Czech opera stars Kateřina Kněžíková and Adam Plachetka, is part of the Prague Spring international music festival.

Bedřich Smetana’s opera Libuše about Bohemia’s mythical female ruler was first performed in 1881 at the opening of the National Theatre in Prague and then again at the reopening of the theatre after the first building was destroyed by fire.

See the rest here.

Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Tomáš Maleček

“The biggest obstacle is not the stairs, but the people,” says the thirtieth winner of the Olga Havel Award Doris Průšová

On May 27, 2024, Doris Průšová received the Olga Havlova Prize awarded by the Committee of Good Will – Olga Havlova Foundation (VDV) in the Fanta Hall of the Main Railway Station in Prague. The laureate received the award for her efforts to help create jobs in the mainstream labor market for people with health disabilities and break down barriers between healthy and disabled employees. The sculpture “Encouragement” by the sculptor Olbram Zoubek was presented by Markéta Pekarová Adamová, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Vojtěch Sedláček, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the VDV, and Bishop Václav Malý, a member of the Board of Directors of the VDV. Michaela Linková became the winner of the Public Prize.

The Olga Havlová Award was first announced by Olga Havlová in 1995 with the aim of honoring people with a health disadvantage who, despite their handicaps, selflessly help others and are thus an inspiration to overcome obstacles for others. “The thirty-year anniversary of the Olga Havlová Prize is a celebration of all its previous laureates, who follow Olga Havlová’s legacy and make the world a better place to live. It also celebrates the courage, solidarity, and change that this award represents,” said Monika Granja, director of VDV.

This year, the jury of the Olga Havlova Award selected laureates from 19 personalities proposed by the public. Doris Průšová received the award for her efforts to contribute to the accessibility of workplaces for people with any handicap. Her personal experience with how difficult it is for a person with a handicap to find a job in the regular labor market led her to this activity. In the beginning, she encountered a lack of understanding from companies: “They thought that people with disabilities had a protected market where they could work or stay at home and receive a pension. No one has thought about the fact that work is a form of socialization and integration into society,” says Doris Průšová. The Troublegang team, which is part of the Employment Agency for people with disabilities O KROK and where Doris works, has so far managed to find employment for 80 people with disabilities.

For the eighth time, the VDV also awarded the Public Prize as part of the Olga Havlová Prize, which was won by Michaela Linková, who suffers from a rare and severe disease, systemic scleroderma. In addition, she has been fighting cancer for a long time. She works in the association Revma Liga Czech Republic, where for the past two years she has been intensively dedicated to a project that fundamentally changes the patient environment in our country. In addition, she founded the Scleroderma patient group, which provides valuable assistance to all patients with this diagnosis. He actively promotes awareness of this rare rheumatic disease.

The main media partner of the Olga Havlova Prize 2024 is Český rozhlas and Deník N. Other partners are: Správa železnik, Minet Elektro, ČSOB, Mountfield, Rückl, Copy General, Model Obaly and Radio 1.

You can find more about the Olga Havlova Prize here: www.cenaolgyhavlove .cz

Photo: Barbora Navrátilová, Radio Prague International

Danuše Nerudová is an economist and university professor and a former rector of Mendel University in Brno. She is running in the European elections for the Mayors and Independents Party.

Ms. Nerudová, a recent poll showed that the issues Czechs are most interested in, in these elections, are security, energy security and migration. Turning first to security. There is a war raging just 300km from the country’s eastern border. Czechia has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine from the start, providing both military and humanitarian aid. Now some parties are increasingly pushing for peace talks. What is your position on this and what is crucial for European security today?

“I think the crucial task for the EU is to provide continued strong support for Ukraine, because Ukraine is also fighting for us. I think that the European Union made a big mistake in 2014, when Putin invaded Crimea, that the response of the EU was very weak. And he took advantage of that to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. That should be a lesson to us and I honestly do not understand those voices [calling for peace talks] because we are not the ones who can talk about initiating peace talks. The only person who can do that is President Zelensky, because it is his people who are fighting.

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová

Photo: Barbora Navrátilová, Radio Prague International

19-year-old Daniel Matejča is perceived throughout Czechia as a bit of a wunderkind. Studying under the mentorship and guidance of famous Czech pedagogue Ivan Straus, Matejča has been playing the violin since he was four, has impressed audiences with his renditions of Bach classics, and has picked up winning titles such as the Eurovision Young Musicians contest in 2022. But underneath the mature and composed exterior is a young man who enjoys skateboarding, hip-hop, and travel. In our fifth episode of the Faces of Czech Music, we take you into Matejča’s world.

See the rest here.

Authors: Petr Dudek, Amelia Mola-Schmidt

Photo: Magdalena Kašubová, Radio Prague International

The Liberec Region boasts a picturesque, hilly landscape, dotted with many castles and chateaus and a sight you can’t miss – the iconic TV transmitter on Ještěd. Czech out its landmarks in our photo gallery.

See the rest here.

Photo: Klára Škodová, Czech Radio

The Liberec Region is known for its glassmaking tradition and its exquisite costume jewellery exported to many countries of the world. It offers great mountain hiking in both summer and winter, beautiful nature and picturesque towns. Test your knowledge of the Liberec Region in our quiz!

See the rest here.

Photo: Barbora Navrátilová, Radio Prague International

Marcel Kolaja is the leader of the Czech Pirate Party in the European elections. He is an IT specialist and internet freedom and digital rights activist and has served in the European Parliament since the 2019 elections.

Europe has seen some tough years – the Covid pandemic, the energy crisis, economic problems and now the war in Ukraine that people fear may spill over. That opens the door to a lot of populism. What will be your message to voters and what can you offer to counterbalance those “easy solutions”?

“The Pirate Party has always been a party that makes decisions based on data. We really like the data-based approach and we are realistic. Our approach is not populist, we do not tell people about how the future will be great. We are open in saying and admitting that there are challenges that we have to overcome, but we would like to turn those challenges into opportunities. So when it comes to climate change, which is currently one of the biggest challenges we face, we point out that all parts of the world are going through an economic transition that is linked to a reaction to climate change and warn that if Europe does not go through the same economic transition, then we will be falling behind. And that is not something we want to happen.”

See the rest here.

Author: Daniela Lazarová