Compact archive February 19, 2007

Lawrence Ferlinghetti is an American poet and translator. The City of Prague Gallery wants to present him also in the way which is maybe not so typical for him – through his paintings and drawings.

“Some of Ferlinghetti’s works of art are displayed for the first time here, it’s their world’s premiere,” said the director of the gallery, Karel Srp. Ferlinghetti started to create his paintings as well his poems about 50 years ago. His paintings focuses mainly on the themes of love and sex, woman’s body, war, ecology, and political and social themes.

The exhibition is held in the House at the Golden Ring (Dum U Zlateho prstenu) in Tynska street in Prague. It’s open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00 until 13th May.

Tony Banks, Phil Collins a Mike Rutherford from former music band Genesis will perform in Prague during their tour via twelve European countries. They will perform in Strahov stadium in Prague on 20th June 2007.

The Genesis started in 1967. It’s been 15 years since their last concert together. Their present tour Turn It On Again starts in Helsinki on 11th June and finishes in Rome on 14th July.

Tickets are on sale from today. You can buy them via Ticketpro from 995 CZK. The concert will take place in the football stadium in Prague-Strahov.

Today at 2 o’clock in the morning the police cancelled the higher security measures at Prague’s international airport Ruzyne from last Wednesday. A woman informed them about a possible terrorist attack at the airport. The police reported that the woman called herself a psychic.

The information was regarded as serious because the woman told them her full name and address. Also a plane flying to one of the risk countries was about to take off at that time.

The woman won’t be probably accused of hoax, even though many police officers with automatics were sent after her had called. There are standard security measures at the airport at the moment.

The Supreme Court adjudged that St Vitus Cathedral, one of the dominance of Prague Castle, will be returned to the state. St Vitus Cathedral was given to the Church on September last year and the Church started to collect the entrance fee of 100 CZK.

The litigation between the state and the Church has already taken for 13 years. The state is suppose to be in control of the cathedral as soon as possible.

The decree is good news for tourists. The Prague Castle Administration announced that as soon as they get the cathedral back, they will abolish the entrance fee to the cathedral. So that everybody can pray and admire the interior of the cathedral for free again.

The only parts that will accessible only after paying the entrance fee, will be the parts attractive for tourists: the main altar and the royal tomb.

One the most frequent tracks in Prague was blocked for nine hours last weekend by a derailed train. The train EuroCity 107 went to Poland and derailed between the Prague’s Main Station and Liben. Nobody was injured.

The accident was caused by a broken switch. The railway inspection now investigates whether the driver did not drive too fast as well. The locomotive of the train and two railway carriages left the track on Saturday before 10:30.

The accident happened on the main track that leads to Ostrava, Brno, Decin, Mlada Boleslav or Hradec Kralove. Other trains on that route were delayed or did not leave the stations.