Compact archive August 2007

The Hunters of Mammots only till Sunday

Friday 31 August 2007 16:23

The Hunters of Mammoths exhibition Visitors who would like to see one of the most visited exhibition of the National Museum, the Hunters of Mammoths, have the last change to visit it. The exhibition showing the life of people and animals in prehistorical time will be open until the end of this week.

“One of the most valuable items of the exhibition, the statue of Venus of Dolni Vestonice, will return back to the safe of the Moravian Museum in Brno. It will be transported in vehicles with smoked glass windows and armed men.

The exhibition was visited by more than half a million visitors. It is accompanied with audiovisual effects, such as roars of mammoths or the smell of untanned animal skin. The museum will try to beat its own record by a new exhibition starting in this November for which several exhibits were borrowed from NASA.

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Kolbaba's exhibition at Prague Airport prolonged

Friday 31 August 2007 15:06

The large exhibition of large-format photographs from various corners of the world has been shown for already 4 months in the halls of Prague Airport Ruzyne. The author of the photographs is famous Czech traveller and photographer Jiri Kolbaba. Due to big success the exhibition has been prolonged until 31st October 2007.

The photographs are placed almost on every step there. You can find them in departure and arrival halls, corridors and transit areas of terminals Sever 1 and Sever 2.

Kolbaba’s exhibition will be accompanied with an itinerant exhibition of photographs made by reporters and corespondents of Koktejl magazine. This exhibition will be shown in the departure hall of Terminal Sever 2 from 1st September until 13th October 2007.

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Footballer Petr Cech awarded as the best European goal keeper

Friday 31 August 2007 13:20

Czech goal keeper Petr Cech and his award [photo www.petr-cech.cz] Successful Czech footballer playing for football club Chelsea was awarded as the best football goal keeper in Europe. He received this trophy from the hands of former Soviet goal keeper Rinat Dasajev in Monaco last night. 16 coaches from the best European clubs decided about this award.

In the interview for MF DNES Petr Cech says that it has been a big honour for him and also a big responsibility for future performance as a goal keeper. He thinks that he was awarded thanks to his successful comeback after his serious injury last year.

Petr Cech’s ambitions climb even more. He would like to get more awards which would mean that he is not stagnating. In January he and his wife Martina are expecting their first child.

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Road tax stickers will be more expensive

Friday 31 August 2007 11:39

Road tax sticker for 1 month Drivers in the Czech Republic will have to pay more for using Czech highways. Road tax stickers that must be stuck on the front window, will be more expensive next year again.

New tax road stickers for 2008 valid from December 2007 will rise in price for each vehicle group. The tax road sticker for one year will cost 1,000 CZK (instead of present 900 CZK) for cars under 3.5 tons and 8,000 CZK (instead of present 7,000 CZK) for small vans under 12 tons. Small goods van will use stickers for the last year in 2008. From 1st January 2009 they should pay electronic road-toll like trucks and buses nowadays.

More expensive will be also stickers with shorter validity. Stickers for 7 days will cost 220 CZK (from 200 CZK) and for 1 month 330 CZK (from 300 CZK). According to the Ministry of Transportation, the revenues from the road tax should reach 2.3 billion CZK. The money will be used for building new highways or new cycle-ways.

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Alpe Adria Cup 2007 in Prague

Friday 31 August 2007 09:59

Alpe Adria Cup 2008

Alpe Adria Cup The Czech Republic will host for the first time in history the Championship of Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria and the Czech Republic in water scooter riding.

The prestigious race called Alpe Adria Cup 2007 starts today in the afternoon on the Vltava river near O2 Zlute Lazne in Prague-Podoli. The main race, which will crown the 3rd race series, will be held on Sunday 2nd September 2007.

The visitors can look forward to hydrocross (slalom on a circle track) as well as acrobatic performances in freestyle. The entrance is free. For more information about the races click here.

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Average salary in Prague has risen to 26,429 CZK

Thursday 30 August 2007 15:32

The average salary in the Czech capital in the second quarter of this year has risen to more than 26 thousand Czech crowns. The average salary in Prague is now 26,429 CZK (brutto), which is by 1,541 CZK more than last year. Current exchange rate is approximately 27 CZK per 1 EUR.

The average salary in the whole Czech Republic now is 21,462 CZK. Besides Prague’s inhabitants more than an average salary is given in the central Bohemia, other regions of the Czech republic have salaries below the average.

Besides the highest average salary Prague has also, together with Prague-West and Prague-East, the lowest unemployment rate. In July this year it was 2.5%.

The National Museum will show Czech icons of the 1980's

Thursday 30 August 2007 13:47

Popular in the 1980's - Cecka The National Museum in Prague prepares an exhibition showing one of the icons of the 1980’s in the former Czechoslovakia – cecka, which were small plastic letters, most commonly in the shape of letter C. Cecka were very difficult to obtain and collecting them became a great passion at that time.

The idea to show cecka in the National Museum came with the question: What influenced children in the 1980’s? Cecka were used as a exchange article, they were suitable for many games and children used to boast how many of them they had.

The museum is trying to obtain other things that have almost no material value but tell a lot about the time, society and the life style. Besides cecka visitors will see also Rubik’s Cube or Soviet electronic game with a wolf collection eggs. The exhbition should be open by the end of this year.

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Adopt your cinema seat in Prague

Thursday 30 August 2007 13:06

Prague’s cinema Svetozor, that shows mainly art movies, is going to be reconstructed. Even though a big part of the cost should be covered by the State Fund of the Czech Republic for the support of cinematography, the keepers want to get some money from private sponsors and donors.

They have prepared a new action where everybody can be involved. For 5,000 CZK you can adopt a seat in the cinema for five years. The new seat will bear your name. What’s more, you’ll become a member of Foster Parents Club. This includes also 10 visits of the cinema shows for free.

The reconstruction Svetozor cinema will probably start at the beginning of December. The popular cinema will be closed for several weeks after then. The architect of the reconstruction, Marcela Steinbachova, designed the new interior in honour of several film hits, such as Twin Peaks or Dogville.

Slavia Praha for the first time in Champions League

Thursday 30 August 2007 11:39

Stanislav Vlcek from Slavia Praha [photo www.slavia.cz] It was their sixth trial, but finally successful. Slavia Praha, one of the Prague’s football teams, managed to enter the prestigious Champions League when Slavia won yesterday’s match over Ajax Amsterdam in Prague’s stadium Strahov.

The match ended with the result 2-1 for Slavian players. Two goals were scored by Stanislav Vlcek from Slavia Praha, one by Luis Suarez from Ajax Amsterdam. The victory was also caused by excellent performance of Czech goal keeper Martin Vaniak.

So far it was only Sparta Prague who had some success in Champion League. The groups of the Champions League will be drawn in Monaco today.

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Chess exhibition in Kampa

Thursday 30 August 2007 10:02

British chess player Nigel Short will challenge Czech best Czech male player David Navara for an exhibition match in Kampa island in Prague today. Besides them the best Czech female player Jana Jackova will play against the Dutch legend Jan Timman.

The players will play rapid chess on Thursday and Friday, on Saturday they will have a chance to pit their wits against each other in Fisher’s chess. On Sunday Nigel Short will play a simultaneous game against 30 VIP players.

The exhibition match is played within the CEZ CHESS TROPHY 2007 festival and it will take place inside the hotel Best Western Kampa in Vsehrdova street. Tickets for 40 CZK can be obtained at the reception of the hotel, in HSH Computers in shopping centre Kotva or reserved at prazska.sachova@gmail.com.

Festival of indie rock music in Prague

Wednesday 29 August 2007 18:01

Indie Summer Fest 2007 Festival of Czech indie rock bands will take place in the Parukarka park in Prague on 1 st September. You can spend the whole afternoon there – the bands will play from 1 pm to 10 pm and the admission is free.

Parukarka park is situated in Prague 3, Zizkov district. The closest metro station is Flora, the closest tram stop is “Olsanske namesti” (trams 5, 9, 26).

Line-up:
13:00 – 13:40 STP
14:00 – 14:40 Loves Of A Blonde
15:00 – 15:40 The Roads
16:00 – 16:40 LakesideX
17:00 – 17:40 No Heroes
18:00 – 18:40 Road Side Mary
19:00 – 19:40 Living Room
20:00 – 20.40 Sweeper
21:00 – 21:40 The Slots

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No smoking in Czech trains since December

Wednesday 29 August 2007 16:04

Smoking will be absolutely forbidden in Czech trains since December 2007. Last smokers´ compartments, which are still in some express trains, will be abolished. Czech Railways (Ceske drahy, CD) wish to follow the European trend of restricting smoking in public spaces.

The fine for smoking in trains will be 100,- CZK. The ban will apply also for the international trains, running from Hungary or Poland, where smoking is still permitted. The passengers will be allowed to smoke only till they arrive to the Czech borders.

A similar ban on smoking in trains will be in Germany and Austria since 1st September.

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Main Runway of Prague Ruzyne Airport is open again

Wednesday 29 August 2007 14:03

Prague Ruzyne Airport Planes can use the main runway on the Prague Ruzyne Airport again. It was closed for necessary modifications since the 7 th August and the planes had to use the side runway. That´s why they flew over Prague districts Repy and Bila Hora and disturbed the inhabitants with noise.

The side runway is also used in cases of a strong crosswind, for example 8% of flights used it last year. Another runway is planned to be built for the Ruzyne Airport in 2013, which should solve the problems with noise once for all.

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Theaters in Prague are threatened with bankruptcy

Wednesday 29 August 2007 11:57

Some theaters in Prague may have serious problems at the end of the year. The city council stopped providing grants to them, because of the prosecution for reportedly discriminating system of grants. This situation may cause, that some theaters in Prague won´t be able to function.

The prosecution was brought to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg by Petr Kratochvil, co-owner of the Ta Fantastika Theater in Prague. Because of the threat of arbitration, the city council doesn´t continue in providing grants as it did so far.

Some theaters in Prague have therefore only grants to the end of the year. It is the case of, for example, Archa Theater, Semafor Theater or Divadlo Bez zabradli.

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Precious painting returns to the Prague Castle after centuries

Wednesday 29 August 2007 09:59

The valuable painting The Allegory of Turkish Wars, made by Bartholomeus Spranger in 1610, has returned to the Prague Castle Picture Gallery after 360 years. Visitors can see it in the permanent exhibition there.

Spranger worked at the court of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II. in Prague. Emperor himself ordered the painting, so it was made especially for the collections of Rudolph II. at the Prague Castle.

During the Thirty Years´ Wars, Swedish troops have taken many works of art from Prague as a war booty, including this one. The picture was then lost for several centuries. It was finally discovered in Europe in the 20 th century. Now it belongs to a private collection and it was lent to the Prague Castle Picture Gallery for two years. It has an incalculable value at the present time.

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Privatization of major Czech state companies

Tuesday 28 August 2007 18:05

Czech government plans to privatize important companies such as Budvar, Prague Airport, Czech Airlines (CSA) and a part of the Czech Post. Also privatization of CEZ, the big power company, is considered.

7% of CEZ shares will be sold already this year, to gain 31 milliards CZK for building motorways and repairing roads. Privatization of the other companies is now prepared by the Ministry of Finance.

In case of Budvar company, producing the famous beer, there will be some special conditions, such as using the traditional technology. In privatization of the Prague Airport Ruzyne, there will be probably a minimum price set by the government.

Poor information system of Prague public transport

Tuesday 28 August 2007 16:10

Prague trams Compared to public transport in London or Paris, passengers in Prague don´t get enough information about the public transport system. There are no leaflets with maps of metro, for instance, or with tariff rates. Prague Public Transit plans to improve this.

The leaflets should be available in the information centres and at the metro stations. They will be probably in Czech, English, German and Russian language.

Another improvement will be the information boards, providing information on the arrival of trams and buses. This information will be also sent to mobile phones in the future: a passenger will send a question to the dispatching centre and he will receive an automatic reply.

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Large golf course will be built in Prague - Vinor

Tuesday 28 August 2007 14:08

Golf course The largest golf course in Prague will be built in the Vinor district (Prague 9) in two years. It will be 100 ha large and there will be 27 holes. The existing four golf courses in Prague have all just 9 holes.

The golf area in Vinor will be planted with trees and there will be artificial lakes. Other attractions are the near castles Ctenice, Vinor and Jenstejn. Vinor district is situated on the north-east outskirt of Prague.

Golf is becoming more and more popular in the Czech Republic. At the present time, you can play golf for example in Hodkovicky district, Kosire, Kbely or on the Rohansky Island under the Libensky bridge in Prague.

Imperial Hotel Prague opens again

Tuesday 28 August 2007 11:53

Imperial Hotel interior Imperial Hotel in the centre of Prague (Na Porici Street), a valuable Art Deco building, has been reconstructed. The hotel, built between 1913 and 1914, was closed to the public for tens of years, now it will open again together with the famous café.

There are Art Nouveau mosaics with Cubist features inside the hotel, especially the café has a splendid decoration. These features were not affected by the reconstruction.

Several old hotels from the beginning of the 20 th century were reconstructed and opened again in Prague in recent years. For example, it is the Alcron Hotel or Adria Hotel. Some reconstructions, however, afflicted the historical value of the buildings – that´s the case of, for example, Palace Hotel or Savoy Hotel. Both these reconstructions were planned during Communism years.

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Prague maps for blind people

Tuesday 28 August 2007 10:02

It will soon be easier for blind people to orientate themselves in Prague. The city council has made special plastic maps with miniatures of important buildings and places. There are also names of streets, parks and metro stations in Braille on the maps.

The whole project should be finished at the end of the year 2007. There will be a map of the whole city, a map of the historical city reserve in Prague and maps of some parts of the reserve. 60 maps will be made altogether and they will be available to the public in the information centres, schools and libraries.

The written commentary will be in English too, so the maps will be useful also for blind tourists. They can also use the book The Royal Route, released in June 2007, which gives information on 19 important buildings in Prague in Braille.

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Lighter penalty for raising marijuana?

Monday 27 August 2007 18:02

A new proposal of the criminal code in the Czech Republic brings a new attitude to soft drugs: it intends to reduce the penalty for those, who raise marijuana or other plants containing psychoactive substances.

At the present time, the Czech criminal code doesn´t make a difference between soft and hard drugs. The new proposal aims to differ between them according to their dangerousness.

Raising hemp in “smaller than large amount” might be even non-punishable. The concrete amount would be stated by a government decree then.

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Stummfest - festival of silent movies in Prague

Monday 27 August 2007 16:04

Erotikon Stummfest is not an ordinary film festival: it presents exclusively black-and-white silent movies, some of them rarely screened, accompanied by music. You can see not just Czech, but also German films from the beginning of cinematography there. It is an open-air festival, taking place in the courtyard of the Klub v Jeleni in Prague.

The theme of this year´s Stummfest is “love and crime”. During 3 days, you can see 12 movies there, for example the oldest film shots of Prague by Jan Krizenecky from 1898 – 1908, one of the oldest German puppet films Die grosse Liebe einer kleinen Tänzerin from 1924, or the classic Czech movie Erotikon from 1929.

Stummfest is a noncommercial event, there is no entrance fee. But you can contribute some money, which will go to the charity Pomozte detem! (“Help the children!”). It helps all the children in the Czech Republic, which are in danger or in a bad situation.

Stummfest lasts from 30 th August to 1 st September. The programme starts at 6 pm. Klub v Jeleni is situated close to the Prague Castle, in Jeleni Street 196 / 15, Prague 1.

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Public transport in Prague after the summer holidays

Monday 27 August 2007 13:43

Prague metro The summer holidays will end soon and that means, that Prague´s trams, buses and metro will run more often. But not just that, they will be also more crowded: there will be more people on their way to work or school. The situation is complicated by the continuing tram service disruption at the Palackeho Square.

The service disruption will end in October, but another one will follow: the crossing at the Charles Square will be repaired, so the trams won´t run there till the 21st December. Because of that, it is expected, that the B line of metro will be overcrowded in peak hours. Passengers are therefore advised to rather use trams in the area.

On the other hand, the long-term service disruption of the busy D1 motorway should be finished next week.

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Gipsy.cz will perform on Prague´s beach tomorrow

Monday 27 August 2007 12:03

Gipsy.cz Catchy rhythms will sound from the “First Prague´s Beach” in Smichov tomorrow. There will be a concert of Gipsy.cz, the popular Czech band, combining hip hop with Romany music and pop. The band will also introduce its new video there.

Gipsy.cz are successful both in the Czech Republic and abroad: it is the first Czech band, which has ever played on the famous Glastonbury festival in the UK.

The show by the river Vltava will start at 6 pm, the admission is 150,- CZK. The First Prague´s Beach (1. Prazska plaz) is situated on the left bank of the Vltava river, between Palackeho bridge and Zeleznicni (Railway) bridge, next to the botel Admiral.

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Classical music festival Young Prague has started

Monday 27 August 2007 09:53

Waldstein Garden Lovers of classical music can visit the international festival of young musicians, called “Young Prague” (Mlada Praha), which has started yesterday.

The festival takes place at various attractive venues in Prague: in the Waldstein Palace and Waldstein Garden, in the Villa Bertramka, in the Dvorak Hall in Rudolfinum and other places. The musicians are mostly from the Czech Republic, Japan or Russia.

You can hear for example compositions by W. A. Mozart or Antonin Dvorak at the festival Young Prague. It lasts from 26 th August to 11 th September. Tickets are available at Ticketpro, BTI, Via Musica and at the venues, 1 hour before a concert starts. Information centre of the festival is in the Hungarian cultural center, Rytirska Street 25, Prague 1.

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Moscow City Ballet will perform in Prague

Friday 24 August 2007 17:59

Moscow City Ballet Moscow City Ballet, one of the best ballet ensembles in the world, will perform in Prague in October. Visitors can look forward to Romeo and Juliet and Don Quijote shows.

Moscow City Ballet performs outside Russia since 1989 and it has toured many countries since then. It has achieved such success, that nowadays it is the most frequently performing ballet ensemble in the world. It will perform in the Czech Republic for the first time.

The two performances will take place in the Congress Centre (Kongresove centrum, tr. 5. kvetna 65, Prague 4) on 22 nd (Don Quijote) and 23 rd October (Romeo and Juliet). They start at 8 pm and a ticket costs 770 – 1490,- CZK. To buy tickets online, click here.

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Violinist Sporcl on tour with Dvorak´s music

Friday 24 August 2007 15:59

Pavel Sporcl The most important young Czech violinist Pavel Sporcl will release a new album and then tour various towns across the Czech Republic. He is regarded as an exceptional talent and he is even included in Henry Roth´s book Violin Virtuosos: From Paganini to the 21 st century.

The new album by Pavel Sporcl will include Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi and it will be released in the beginning of November.

Pavel Sporcl will also tour a number of Czech towns with Antonin Dvorak´s music. You can hear him for example in Kutna Hora, Vimperk, Sychrov or Trebon. The tour is called “Sporcl hraje Dvoraka” (Sporcl plays Dvorak) and it will last from 2 nd September to 4 th November.

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Prague may be deleted from the UNESCO´s World Heritage List

Friday 24 August 2007 13:56

Prague panorama UNESCO warns Prague: if the new skyscrapers, which are planned to be built in Pankrac and Holesovice quarters, affect negatively Prague´s panorama, the city might be deleted from the UNESCO´s World Heritage List.

Commissioners of UNESCO are heading to Prague to consider, how will the view over historical houses be changed by the skyscrapers. They will especially examine, if they won´t be taller than, for example, the St. Vitus Cathedral. They will arrive to Prague in February 2008.

Prague is on the UNESCO´s World Heritage List since 1992 and one of the main reasons is the panorama over the historical part of the city. Prague city council now prepares a document, which will state, how tall buildings can be built in particular quarters of Prague.

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Woodrow Wilson statue will stand in Prague again

Friday 24 August 2007 11:45

Many statues of important personalities, that used to stand in the streets of Prague, have disappeared during the eventful history: some of them were destroyed after the break up of the Habsburg monarchy, some of them were removed by Nazis and some by the Communists. However, since 1989, the statues return slowly to their previous places. One of them is the statue of American president Woodrow Wilson, that will stand in front of Prague Main Railway Station again.

The Main Railway Station in Prague is also called Wilson Station. The statue, that used to stand there, was destroyed by the Nazis in 1939. It is planned to place it there again in 2009, when the current reconstruction of the railway station will be finished.

Rebuilding of some other statues is considered at the present: for example the Marian Column at the Old Town Square, which was destroyed in 1918, or the statue of General Radetzky at the Lesser Town Square, also removed in 1918.

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Vaclav Havel´s new play in Divadlo Na Zabradli?

Friday 24 August 2007 09:32

The long-awaited new play Leaving (Odchazeni) by Vaclav Havel, the ex-president of the Czech Republic, might be staged in Divadlo Na Zabradli (Theater on the Balustrade). It was planned to stage it in the National Theater in Prague, but reportedly there are disagreements about the cast of the play: according to Pravo newspaper, the National Theater was unwilling to cast Dagmar Havlova (Havel´s wife) in the play.

Another reason might be Havel´s fondness for Divadlo Na Zabradli, which has staged most of his plays in the past. Also Vinohrady Theater may be chosen for the new play, there are still negotiations about that.

The new play of Vaclav Havel, world-wide appreciated playwright, will be directed by David Radok and its premiere is expected in May 2008.

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Roisin Murphy in Roxy club

Thursday 23 August 2007 16:22

Roisin Murphy will perform in Prague's Roxy Roisin Murphy known especially as a singer from music band Moloko will come to Prague. Her concert in Roxy club (Dlouha 33 street) will present songs from her latest album Overpowered.

Her European tour will start at the end of August and will include such cities as St Petersburg, Zagreb, Paris, Warsaw, Rome or Copenhagen. Prague audience can look forward to her on 2nd November 2007.

Together with Mark Brydon they issued under the name Moloko four successful albums. In summer 2005 she issued together with Matthew Herbert her first solo album Ruby Blue.

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Zimbambwian sculptor in action in Prague

Thursday 23 August 2007 14:41

Zimbabwian sculptor Lovemora Bonjisi in Prague Prague hosts one of the most talented artists from Zimbabwe who is called, at his age of 22, the Michalangelo of Africa. Lovemore Bonjisi came to Prague to present his statues and to create one statue in front of the visitors of Botanical Garden in Prague-Troja.

Anybody who comes to Botanical Gardens from Wednesday 22nd to Sunday 26th August (12:00 – 18:00) and from Wednesday 29th August to 2nd September can see him working on his new statue.

Czech Radio Leonardo has prepare a special multimedia internet broadcast showing how the stone changes its shape into art. You can watch it at www.rozhlas.cz/socha. Lovemore Bonjisi statues are part of the exhibition The Statue of Zimbabwe that shows about 150 statues in the outdoor exhibition area of the Botanical Garden. The exhibition will take until 16th September (daily 9:00 – 19:00).

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The oldest rental house in Prague will get new flats

Thursday 23 August 2007 13:07

The oldest rental house in Prague, Palac Platyz, will be reconstructed. This house from the times of the reign of Charles IV is situated between Narodni trida street and Uhelny trh. The house should help bring residents back to the city centre.

The city of Prague will invest 54 million CZK to reconstruct the house. It’s of great historical value, however, there are several insensitive extensions from the 1980’s there. One of the most valuable part of the house are original ceiling paintings in Renaissance styles.

There will be 10 new modern flats created in the house with the average size of 100 square meters. The price of the flats will be set in a competition. All passages through the house will be open during the whole reconstruction that should take a year.

International folklore festival in Prague

Thursday 23 August 2007 11:28

The 4th international folklore festival Prazsky Jarmark 2007 will host artists from the whole Europe, Ecuador and China. More than 1,200 people from 25 groups from the world will show their traditional clothes, dances, music or handcrafts in the centre of Prague from 28th August to 2nd September 2007.

Prague’s audience can also see traditional Chinese dragons in the centre of Prague, as there will be a march of people in folk costumes through the city that will start in the Old Town Square on 29th August at 14:00.

The daily programme will be divided into two blocks. The first one is devoted to children (14:00 – 15:45), the second one will offer the main programme (16:00 – 22:00).

Those who want to take part in this festival in a more active way can try one of the handicrafts themselves at one of the workshops in Ovocny trh (near Celetna street).

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Prague Castle in Photographs 1939 - 1989

Thursday 23 August 2007 09:22

Prague Castle in Photographs /www.kulturanahrade.cz Already the third (and so far the last) part of photography exhibition connected with Prague Castle is displayed from today in the Terezian Wing of Old Royal Palace at Prague Castle. This time the photographs concentrate on period between 1939 and 1989.

Documentary photographs are shown besides art photographs by several Czech authors, such as Josef Sudek, Karel Hajek, Karel Pricka or Alexandr Paul. Several photographs were not allowed to be shown in the communist regime, that’s why several photographs are presented to Czech audience for the first time.

The last part of the collection of photographs presents the time of World War II and the communist regime at Prague Castle. The exhibition will be open until 6th January 2008.

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Stefanikuv bridge is open again

Wednesday 22 August 2007 16:53

The city of Prague finished the reconstruction of Stefanikuv bridge over the river Vltava and finally opened it to the large public. First cars could be seen there yesterday, first trams crossed the bridge today.

Stefanikuv bridge was in a very bad condition. In 2002 it was damaged by floods and it wasn’t so safe any more. The bridge and nearby riverside Edvarda Benese was closed from the beginning of February.

The reconstruction cost 380 million CZK, more than it had been planned. There is no line for cyclist on the bridge and the pavement is not suitable for people on wheelchair as the pavement end with steps near the Letensky tunnel.

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Strings of Autumn music festival 2007

Wednesday 22 August 2007 15:13

Strings of Autumn music festival in Prague

A month before the start of Strings of Autumn, international music festival in Prague, the organizers announced that two concerts have been added due to a large demand from Czech and foreign audience.

This year’s festival will present for the first time Portuguese fadist Ana Moura or American jazz violin Regina Carter. Famous pianist Brad Mehldau will come back to Rudolfinum’s stage.

The festival will take place in many significant buildings in Prague from 23th September to 18th November 2007. The festival opening concert is already sold out, tickets to other concerts can be bought at the Festival Information and Sale Centre at the box office of the National Theatre in Prague. More information about the festival can be found here.

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Richard Gere at the Prague's premiere of his new film

Wednesday 22 August 2007 13:21

Richard Gere Petra Wagnerova from distribution company Bioscop has confirmed that Richard Gere, famous Hollywood actor known mainly from Pretty Woman, will visit the premiere of his new film Hoax in Prague.

The premiere will take place in Multiplex cinemas Slovansky Dum at the centre of the city on 13th September 2007. The tickets for the premiere, however, won’t be on sale. As the actor will come by his own helicopter, it is not clear whether he will be accompanied with somebody.

Richard Gere will probably stay in Pariz hotel nearby Namesti Republiky. He will arrive on 12th September and during his 2-day visit he would like to meet ex-president Vaclav Havel, Prague Mayer Pavel Bem and Miss World Tatana Kucharova.

Updated: Richard Gere has changed his mind. He will not come to Prague. The reason is unknown.

The reform bill was approved

Wednesday 22 August 2007 11:41

The Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic approved yesterday by 101 votes out of 200 votes a new financial reform bill that was introduced by the coalition of the Civic Democrats, the Green Party and the Christian Democrats.

The bill changes dramatically the tax system, introduces fees for medical care and abolishes some social benefits. It should lower the deficit of state budget but the opposition criticize the bill strongly. The opposition also claim that they will cancel the reforms as soon as they return to the government.

The approval of the reform bill is a big success for the Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek who was prepared for new governmental elections if the reform didn’t succeed. The reform bill will have to be approved by the Senate and the President now. If it is approved it will be valid at the beginning of 2008.

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Precious coins in the National Museum in Prague

Wednesday 22 August 2007 09:46

The National Museum in Prague is proud to show a unique silver coin from the 14th century which the rulers of northeast Iran used to make on special occasions (births, weddings, coronations etc.). The coin is together with two other precious Islamic coins displayed in the exhibition called The Treasures of the National Museum.

All the coins come from the 13th or 14th century. There are only a few more examples of these coins left in the world. The museum got them from private collectors. You can see the precious coins on the second floor of the main building situated in the Wenceslas Square until 11th November 2007.

The National Museum also displays an exhibition that presents life on Madagascar island. The exhibition is called ‘Madagascar – The Lab of Gods’ and it’s open until 16th September 2007.

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Refugee Camp Exhibit in Prague

Tuesday 21 August 2007 16:41

Refugee camp If you want to imagine how it is to be a refugee living in a refugee camp, visit namesti Miru (metro line A) in Prague between 4th and 9th September 2007. You may see a refugee camp just in the centre of the city.

The outdoor educational exhibit A Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City is organized by the independent organization Doctors Without Borders. The tour in the ‘camp’ will take about one hour and it will be guided by aid workers experienced from foreign missions. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

Visitors can see there what’s important to secure to be able to survive. They can also take part in it – to try on a wristband measuring malnutrition, to measure the day portion of food or to carry a bucket of water on their head.

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Actor Pierre Richard will shoot in Prague

Tuesday 21 August 2007 14:58

Pierre Richard will be in Prague Prague will be presented as Paris. At least in a new film by Christophe Barratier who made his Edith Piaf also in Prague. One of the main characters will be played by famous French actor Pierre Richard. Besides Prague’s interiors the film will show several places in Prague, such as Lucerna Palac or Prague’s Opera.

The shooting will start at the end of August and it should take here 3 months. The movie called Faubourg 36 tells a story about three employees of a music-hall in France that has bankrupted. The employees decide to show their own performance to be able to buy the music-hall.

Christophe Barratier is known for his film Les Choristes. Some of the actors of that film will appear in this new one, such as Clovis Cornillac, Nora Arnezeder and Gérard Jugnot.

'Intelligent stops' will improve transportation in Prague

Tuesday 21 August 2007 13:19

Information board on Malostranska stop Prague Public Transport Company plans to equip many tram and bus stops with electronic information boards giving information about up-to-date connections. Travellers will know when exactly their tram or bus comes and therefore they can plan their time better, for example they will know they have time to buy a newspaper. Such information boards are already in Barrandov and in Malostranska stop.

All trams and buses in Prague are equipped with GPS navigation and the control system knows about current tram service disruption and situation on Prague’s roads. Travellers waiting at stops without the information board can send an SMS to ask about the best connection. They will get a message back immediately with the answer.

These information boards should also appear at the entrance to Prague underground. They will also help blind people as they will say aloud which tram will arrive and to which direction. Prague Public Transport Company wants to change the orientation system in Prague metro as well.

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Storms hit Prague

Tuesday 21 August 2007 11:45

Heavy rain that started on Sunday evening in Prague caused a lot of problems. Water got into metro stations Chodov (line C) and Ceskomoravka, that’s why metro trains didn’t stop there from 21:30 to about midnight.

Firefighters had to help tens of people with flooded cellars. Several streets and park Folimanka were under water. Water got even to the department of emergency in the Vinohrady hospital. The worst situation in Prague was in Vinohrady area, Zizkov, Nusle, Chodov, Libna and Hostivar.

Storms might appear today and tomorrow as well, from Thursday the situation should be better. Meteorologists warn against heavy rains these days.

Tram service disruption between stops Malostranska - Ujezd

Tuesday 21 August 2007 09:58

Due to the tram service disruption in Letenska street, several trams in Prague will be rerouted. It refers to lines no. 12, 20, 22, 23 and 57. The disruption will last from the morning 22nd August until the morning 2nd September 2007.

Line no. 12 from the direction of Sidliste Barrandov will be rerouted from stop Andel via stops Bertramka and Klamovka to loop Kotlarka where it will be finished.

Line no. 20 from the direction of Divoka Sarka will be rerouted from stop Malostranska via stops Strossmayerovo namesti, Nadrazi Holesovice and Maniny to loop Palmovka where it will be finished.

Lines no, 22, 23 and 57 in the section Malostranska – Narodni divadlo (National Theatre) rerouted via stop Staromestska. There will be an additional bus X-23 from stop Ujezd to stop Malostranske namesti.

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What does the Lost Property Office in Prague hold?

Monday 20 August 2007 15:58

Leaving things on the tram or metro can happen to anybody of us. But some of the items founded in Prague are really unusual – artificial teeth, Scottish kilt, erotic clothes, an army telephone, a wheelchair, a box of cigars etc.

The most common items that are now kept in Prague’s Lost Property Office in Karlony Svetle street are wallets, keys, glasses or diaries. They mostly come from the airport, Czech railways, Prague public transports or hotels.

The workers of the Lost Property office also remember one extraordinary item in their collection. A British man left a bag containing 100,000 CZK on a bus to Prague. Luckily for him he got the money back. A year ago an absent-minded breeder left a young anaconda in metro station Muzeum.

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The building of the Old Town Hall will be finished at last

Monday 20 August 2007 14:06

Prague municipal authorities want to finish the Old Town Hall in the Old Town Square soon. The Old Town Hall with the famous Astronomical clock was damaged during the World War II and it hasn’t been completely reconstructed yet.

The Mayor of Prague Pavel Bem said that there will be an international architectonic competition for the reconstruction of the Old Town Hall next year. The municipal authorities are now evaluating previous competitions that all failed and they try to learn from any mistakes.

The Old Town Hall became the seat of municipal authorities of the Old Town in 1338. On 7th and 8th May 1945 the Nazis fired at the building and then burned it. 30 years after the liberalization a part of the Old Town Hall was reconstructed.

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Joanna Newsom heads to Prague

Monday 20 August 2007 12:22

Joanna Newsom in Prague on 14th September Joanna Newsom is a very talented young musician from the USA, one of the representative of freak-folk style. Her unique combination of jazz music, playing harp and singing has gained her an international fame.

Joanna is on her world tour that will peak in London’s concert in Royal Albert Hall (already sold out). During her concerts she will present songs from her albums The Milk-Eyed Mender (2004) and Ys (2006).

Her Prague’s concert will be held on 14th September 2007 in Archa Theatre (Na Porici 26). Tickets from 490 to 690 CZK are on sale via Ticketpro network and at the box office of Archa Theatre.

Longer opening hours in travel ticket offices

Monday 20 August 2007 10:40

Ticket vending machines offer tickets valid for maximum 24 hours. If you want to buy a ticket for more days or months, you have to visit one of the ticket offices at metro stations.

Prague Public Transport Company have announced that the ticket offices will have longer opening hours at the turn of August and September. The company want to prevent long queues that appear in front of the ticket offices at the beginning of the school year.

From 27th August to 6th September the opening hours will be changed at all 31 ticket offices. The sale will start at 6:30 and finish at 20:00 during the weekdays, the sale at the weekends will be from 7:30 to 12:00.

Information about season tickets are provided on www.dpp.cz, on telephone number +420 296 191 817 or in travel information centres.

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Charles Bridge is finally under reconstruction

Monday 20 August 2007 09:06

The reconstruction works on Charles Bridge that had been planned for so long already started today. Charles Bridge will be reconstructed in two phases: the first phase should finish in 2010, the other one in ten years. The repair works are necessary due to a bad condition of the bridge.

The reconstruction is run under the supervision of an archaeologist. Any interesting discoveries will be placed in the Museum of Charles Bridge situated in the Knight of the Cross Square.

The bridge will be open to the public. People can even see the inside parts of the bridge as the barriers will be transparent. The works starts near the Lesser Town Bridge Tower and they are mostly financed from the city budget and donations.

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Tattersalls St. Leger horse race in Prague-Velka Chuchle

Friday 17 August 2007 16:41

Horse races in Velka Chuchle After the summer break the second half of horse-races in Prague-Chuchle will start on Sunday 26th August with the longest classical horse-race of the year Tattersalls St. Leger (2,800m) with the donation of 600.000 CZK. After that there will be 10 other horse-races until the end of the year.

Race-ground Velka Chuchle offers 4,000 seats for sitting and 10,000 places for stading. There is a restaurant and Derby club there. Children can enjoy a horse ride and many other fun attractions at the area of the race-ground.

You can get to Velka Chuchle from metro station Smichovske nadrazi by bus no. 172 which will take you straight in front of the tribune. The races start at 14:00, one day ticket costs 100 CZK (50 CZK for Prague transport season ticket holders) and it includes 20 CZK betting voucher. There is also free entry for visitors under 18 years old. Click here for more information.

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Modern architecture in Prague's festival

Friday 17 August 2007 15:08

Schwarzenberg Palace in Prague In September 2007 Prague will host the international festival of contemporary architecture called Architecture Week 2007. The organizers of this festival want to present the current architecture and living environment to the large public through many attractive activities and presentations. Its other aim is to support further urban development in Prague and to promote Czech architecture.

The headquarters of this festival will be in Schwarzenberg Palace near Prague Castle. Many presentations, workshops and exhibition will be placed there. What more, visitors will get there a map on which small flags will indicate which architecturally interesting buildings is good to visit in Prague.

The festival will be held from 17th to 23rd September 2007. If you want to learn more about the festival, click here.

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Large flood exercise in Prague in three weeks

Friday 17 August 2007 13:30

Flood barriers along the Vltava river To make sure that Prague is prepared to face a new torrent and that various teams of rescuers are capable to cooperate effectively in case of danger there will be a flood exercise in about three weeks.

The three-day exercise will take place in 6 district of the Czech Republic and the capital city along the rivers Vltava and Labe. The flood exercise shouldn’t affect the daily life of Prague citizens and visitors.

The largest flood exercise so far was held a year ago, on 22nd July 2006. 600 rescuers managed to build barriers around Kampa and Lesser Town in 11 hours.

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Open-air marathon of the third season of Lost in Prague

Friday 17 August 2007 11:41

Marathon of Lost in Prague Fans of popular TV seriers Lost may look forward to an extraordinary experience in Prague. A marathon of the third season of Lost will be shown on a large screen in the open-air area of Cisarska Louka in Prague. It’s provided by AXN channel for free.

The marathon will be held at the weekend on 25th-26th August 2007 in the area of the sport centre in Cisarska Louka (trams 12, 14 and 37 from Smichovske nadrazi, stop Lihovar). The show will start at 17:20 until 5:00 in the morning, the second part will start on Sunday again at 17:20.

Our sources do not mention in which language the show will be broadcast, but prepare it might be only in Czech. Also take a blanket with you as you’ll be sitting on grass.

Czech audience has therefore a chance to see Lost, Season 3 in advance, as Czech TV Nova will start the third season on 2nd September 2007.

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The closure of Stefanikuv bridge will be over soon

Friday 17 August 2007 09:55

The maintenance works that have closed Stefanikuv bridge and the crossroads near Letensky tunnel and caused many tram service disruptions are over. Trams will cross Stefanikuv bridge again on Wednesday 22nd August 2007.

From Wednesday the tram will go again via Namesti Republiky, Revolucni street, Stefanikuv bridge, riverbank Edvarda Benese and riverbank Kapitana Jarose. It also means the end of buses no. 133 and 207 running via stops Bila Labut, Namesti Republiky and Dlouha trida.

On the same day due to maintenance works in Letenska street will be tram service disruption between Malostranska and Ujezd stops. The disruption will last until 2nd September. There will be an additional bus transport – line X-23.
Update: the bridge will be probably open already on Tuesday 21st August.

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Summer Shakespeare Festival will finish with Othello

Thursday 16 August 2007 16:26

Othello at The Summer Shakespeare Festival in Prague The second most popular play by William Shakespeare Othello will finish the Summer Shakespeare Festival that is held annually at the courtyard of the Supreme Burgrave’s House in the area of Prague Castle and newly in the Lichtenstein Palace in Lesser Town.

Othello will be played from 17th August until the end of the festival on 14th September 2007. Othello (together with other performances) was very successful last year thanks to great actors’ performances and a special atmosphere enhanced by the historical buildings around.

Visitors can still see the play The Tempest in the Lichtenstein Palace. Tickets can be bought via Ticketpro network or at the venue just before the performance. Read more about the festival here.

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Gallery in the train comes to an end

Thursday 16 August 2007 14:51

Gallery in the train /www.lgp.cz Leica Gallery will have to stop its very popular project Gallery in the Train that has been travelling to many towns in the Czech Republic. The reason is simple: money as the main sponsor didn’t give the promised contribution and the gallery is not able to finance such an expensive project itself.

Instead of going to Germany the train will come back to four towns in the Czech Republic (Prague included) so that visitors will have a last chance to see two exhibitions in the train – The Million Dollar Baby and Buena Vista Social Club.

The train will arrive to Prague on 20th September and will leave it again on 19th October 2007. You can find it at Prague’s main railway station. Then it will move to Brno where it will be finished at the fair Invex-Digitex.

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Fata Morgana greenhouse will be closed for 12 days

Thursday 16 August 2007 13:14

Popular greenhouse Fata Morgana in Prague’s Botanical Garden in Troja will be closed for 12 days due to the large maintenance of plants and the technical equipment.

The closure is planned from 20th August to 31st August 2007. The greenhouse will be open on 1st September at 9:00 again. A new exhibition of carnivorous plants in the Fata Morgana greenhouse will launch on 4th September 2007 (displayed until 16th September 2007).

Until 19th August included you can still visit the exhibition showing large-format photographs of botanical gardens in the world.

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New connection Prague-Dublin with Ryanair

Thursday 16 August 2007 11:49

Ryanair company plans to fly from Dublin to Prague Low-budget air carrier Ryanair fly only to Brno’s airport now. Yesterday the representatives of Ryanair confirmed that Ryanair will connect also Prague with Irish capital Dublin from 7th November 2007.

The one-way ticket should start at the price of 300 CZK. However, Ryanair is one the low-budget air carriers that charge the checked luggage extra. Ryanair expect about 100,000 customers in the first year on this line. If the line Prague-Dublin attracts many customers, the company will consider other connections.

About one fourth of travellers checked in Prague’s airport use the services of low-budget air carriers that means a rise by 29% in the last 6 months.

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New railing on the 'Suicide Bridge' can't be climbed over

Thursday 16 August 2007 10:08

Long bridge in Prague-Nusle is known as the Bridge of Suicides. In the first 6 months of this year 41 people wanted to commit a suicide by jumping from the bridge into the valley under the bridge, 3 people really jumped and died.

Therefore, Prague decided for a new railing that would be very hard to climb over. It was installed there a few days ago and a hired climber had to prove that people can’t get over the railing. After 10 trials the climber gave up trying with the words that it’s not possible to climb it over.

The railing won’t deter people who have plan to commit a suicide for a long time and who have prepare for the action, but it should deter people from short-crack behavior. The railing is 1,160 meters long and it’s made of a very expensive and resistant material.

Czech and Swiss tennis stars to play in Prague

Wednesday 15 August 2007 16:29

Davis Cup in Prague From today (online sale from tomorrow) you can buy tickets for the tennis game of Davis Cup World Group played in Prague on 21st September – 23rd September. The Czech Republic will play against Switzerland in Sazka Arena (metro station Ceskomoravska).

Right now it’s clear that the Czech team will be represented by Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek, who played Davis Cup for the last time in 2004. They will play the crucial World Cup play-off tie against Swiss team headed by the best tennis player in the world Roger Federer.

There are about 12,000 tickets on sale. They can buy bought via Sazka Ticket or at any collection points of Sazka (including post offices, newspaper shops etc.). The price of the tickets varies according to the category and the number of days.

Festival of Spanish culture Iberica also in Prague

Wednesday 15 August 2007 14:43

4th International festival of Spanish culture IBERICA 2007 will offer many attractive concerts and temperamental performances of professional dancers of salsa, flamenco or modern dances.

The main stars of this year’s festival will be tallented 17-year-old Patricia Guerrero and outstanding Flamenco dancer Luis de Luis. Both artists will be accompanied with Spanish musicians led by David Carmona. Prague’s stage will also welcome the performance of the Dancing Theatre MAXIMVS.

The festival will be held in four places, in Boskovice, Prague, Brno and Boskovice castle. Prague’s programme is planned on Wednesday 22nd August 2007 in Archa Theatre (Na Porici 26 street). Tickets can be bought via Ticketpro and Ticketportal network and at the box office of Archa Theatre. The entrance fee is 380 CZK for sitting and 250 CZK for standing.

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New metro line D probably entrusted to private investors

Wednesday 15 August 2007 13:08

The construction of the new metro line D will be probably entrusted to private investors as Prague does not have enough money to build both a new metro line D and to prolong line A from Dejvicka to Ruzyne airport Prague. The municipal authorities will probably approve this plan within two weeks.

The metro line D will connect Main Station (Hlavni nadrazi) with Pisnice in the south of Prague. It will measure 11 km and have ten stations. The chancing stations will be Namesti Miru and Pankrac. The construction should start in 2010 the latest and should cost 44 billion CZK.

The city council plans to build there so called light metro. Light metro is not so deep in the ground, which also save passengers’ time, it can be easier turned in tigher curves and it can climb steeper grades. The metro should be also fully automatic.

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Nouvelle Vague to perform in Prague

Wednesday 15 August 2007 11:26

The regular concerts EuroConnections will continue in Palac Akropolis in Prague with the concert of French music band Nouvelle Vague. They will perform together with Miou Miou on 27th September 2007.

The “New Wave” was put together by Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux. They focus on covers of hits from 1970’s and 1980’s reinterpreted in a bossa nova style. They have covered songs by Joy Division, Depeche Mode, Dead Kennedys, The Cure, Killing Joke and many others. During their carrier they have released two albums Nouvelle Vague I a Bande a Part.

Their concert will take place in the large hall of Palac Akropolis (Kubelikova 1548/27 street). You can get there from metro station Jiriho z Podebrad (line A) via Fibichova street. Palac Akropolis will also present Guitar, David Sylvian and Laurent Garnier in September and October this year.

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Look animals in the eyes - exhibition in Prague

Wednesday 15 August 2007 09:55

Do you think you can recognize animals just by their eyes? Until 31st October you have a special chance to try it in the shopping centre Atrium in Charles Square in Prague.

Large-format photographs made by Michael Fokt show provoking eyes of animals. Some photographs are three-dimensional and put on conical objects, some are shown on computer screens. The exhibition is crowned with six large canvases creating a virtual ‘second floor’ of the exhibition.

The author of this exhibition, that has been very successful last year, Michael Fokt studied zoology at Charles University and now he devotes his time to photographing and writing books about various animals.

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5 years from the worst floods in Prague

Tuesday 14 August 2007 15:10

Floods in Prague [08/200] Today at about 15:00 it’s been exactly 5 years since the river Vltava got to its peak in Prague during the catastrophic floods. The flow of the river, which is normally about 150 cubic liters per second was 5, 250 cubic litres per second. 48 thousand people had to be evacuated.

Five years later 95% of Prague is protected from high water. Prague has already invested 2 billion CZK into anti-flood measures, still 1,5 billion will be invested in Prague-Troja, -Zbraslav and -Radotin. 600 million CZK will go from the state budget.

The metropolis has 18-kilometer-long barriers against the big water, 5 kilometer of which are mobile. In case of emergency the anti-flood system can be fully activated within 24 hours.

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Tomorrow's football match attracts hooligans to Prague

Tuesday 14 August 2007 14:10

Prague police are preparing for the tomorrow’s football match of Prague’s club Sparta and British club Arsenal. The police have information that radical football fans from England are coming to Prague these days.

Prague police together with the border police control the airport and railway stations and check the preparedness of the football stadium Letna where the match will take place. Prague police will be strengthen by police officers from London.

For security reasons the street U Sparty will be closed (if necessary also Milady Horakove street). Tram services will be provided during the whole day. Car drivers who plan to go to the match are advised to park their car near Strahov and continue by tram to Letna due to the reconstruction of a new tunnel in Letna plain.

Prague Carnival 2007 in park Portheimka

Tuesday 14 August 2007 12:37

Prague Carnival information here

Inspired by the world famous carnivals the fifth Prague district will be full of coloured masks, dancing people and allegorical vehicles. The two-day Prague Carnival is planned on 31st August and 1st September 2007.

The programme will start on Friday 31st August in park Portheimka by handing over the key of the city to the king/queen of the carnival, followed by shows of dancers dressed in coloured costumes made of feathers and music performances.

Allegorical vehicles with people wearing masks will walk from nam. 14 rijna via Ujezd and Andel to park Portheimka, 1st Prague beach (in Smichov) and local bars and restaurants on Saturday 1st September.

One of the events within the carnival will be an international meeting of practitioners of Capoeira, Brazilian martial art created by enslaved Africans during the 19th century.

Festival of German-language films in Prague

Tuesday 14 August 2007 10:52

Goethe-Institut Prag together with art cinemas Aero and Svetozor, Austrian Cultural Forum in Prague and Switz Embassy in Prague organize the 2nd Festival of German-language films Der Film.

The festival will take place in Prague’s cinemas Aero and Svetozor and Brno’s cinema Art on 4h – 12th October 2007. The theme of this year’s festival is euthanasia, immigrants and multicultural society.

Films that will be presented at the festival were chosen for their success in festivals and German, Austrian and Switz cinemas. Visitors will see 11 feature films, 7 documents, 1 short film Fair Trade and the film Asphalt from 1929 accompanied with live music. There will be also a show of Wim Wanders’s films.

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Matonni Night Grand Prix 2007

Tuesday 14 August 2007 09:06

For the first time in history of runs in the centre of Prague, runners will compete at night when the street of historical Prague will be illuminated just by street lamps.

Mattoni Night Grand Prix 2007 start at 20:00 and 21:00 on 8th September from the Old Town Square. The disciplines are the adidas Women’s Race 5km and the Metro Men’s Race 10km. Runners can also compete in teams.

Mattoni Night Grand Prix will also offer Hilton Barmen Race where people from various bars in Prague will compete in non-traditional disciplines. 2nd Embassy Race will give a chance to workers from foreign embassies and Czech ministries to beat the strong team of US marines that was very successful last year. For more info click here.

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Richard Gere may visit Prague soon

Monday 13 August 2007 15:20

Richard Gere According to Nedelni Blesk, Hollywood star Richard Gere is allegedly going to visit Prague this September. He should be present at the Prague’s premiere of his newest film Hoax.

As Nedelni Blesk informs, during Gere’s visit of Prague, probably on 12th and 13th September, he’s is going to have a dinner with Miss World Katerina Kucharova. Richard Gere would like to eat in a restaurant with typical Czech meals and with a nice view of Prague.

Besides Katerina Kucharova, Richard Gere wish to meet ex-president Vaclav Havel and the Mayer of Prague Pavel Bem.

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The future of the government in new reforms

Monday 13 August 2007 13:21

Tomorrow the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament start to discuss the reform package that was proposed by the governing coalition of three political parties – Civic Democrats, Green party and Christian Democrats.

The Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek has linked the future of his government with the reform package. If the package is not supported, Topolanek is prepared to face new governmental elections.

Today is the meeting of the members of the government to fine-tune the reform package. The reforms were made mainly to tackle the deficit in public finances. More than a half of Czech citizens (55%) support the reforms.

'The Roof of Africa' in Prague's New Town Hall

Monday 13 August 2007 11:39

‘The Roof of Africa’ (Strecha Afriky) is a new exhibition held in the New Town Hall in Charles Square in Prague. It exhibits photographs made during the expedition called ‘Africa on-line’ to the highest mountain of the continent – Kilimanjaro.

The large photographs shows Kilimanjaro from its border with tropical rain forest to its peak covered by glaciers. The exhibition also shows places in Tanzania, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and others.

The exhibition is open every day (except Mondays) from 10:00 to 18:00 until 30th September 2007. You can get there easily by metro (yellow line B, station Karlovo namesti).

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The cook of Hollywood stars to open a restaurant in Prague

Monday 13 August 2007 09:28

Czech cook Roman Hadrbolec What do Paul Newman, Cher, Nicole Kidman or Nancy Reagan have in common? Love for good meals made by Czech cook Roman Hadrbolec. Roman Hadrbolec is going to open a restaurant in Prague.

During his studies, Roman Hadrbolec cooked in one of the ten best hotels in Austria. Then he moved to Los Angeles where he became a private cook for film tycoon John Davis, the owners of Wrigley or Herbalife, Tom Cruise, the bishop of British queen Elizabeth II and others.

He likes to remember Paul Newman going into the kitchen and helping him prepare the meal. If you plan to visit Prague in the future, Roman Hadrbolec is the name you should remember.

Celebrations of Indian independence in Prague

Monday 13 August 2007 08:56

On 15th August India will celebrate the 60th anniversary of being independent. On that occasion, Prague’s Festival of Bollywood Film together with the Embassy of the Republic of India invite everybody who wants to commemorate the historical event to Strelecky Island in Prague.

The celebration will start at 20:00 by a show of traditional Indian dances. Then it will continue in the open-air cinema in Strelecky Island by showing the movie Lagaan and by selling typical Indian food. The dance shows as well as film are for free.

The 5th Festival of Bolywood Film will be held from 11th to 147th October 2007 in Svetozor Cinema in the Wenceslas Square in Prague. For more information about the festival click here.

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Americans to make a movie about Princess Libuse

Friday 10 August 2007 16:24

American film makers want to make a movie inspirated by famous Czech legend about Princess Libuse. Princess Libuse lived in Vysehrad and is mostly known for foretelling the glory of Prague.

The director and producer will be Constantin Werner, the author of several music videos and the film Dead Leaves. The main character will be impersonated by American actress with Czech roots Winter Ave Zoli.

The filming of this historical drama will start in September. The film will be shot mainly in the Czech Republic and several Czech actors will also take part in it.

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Prague airport was evaluated the best in Central and Eastern Europe

Friday 10 August 2007 14:22

Prague airport Ruzyne Prague International Airport Ruzyne is according to the international survey World Airport Awards the best airport in Central and Eastern Europe. The results have been published by the British company Skytrax that organizes the survey.

The best airport in the world in 2007 is Hong Kong international airport, the seconds and third position is shared by South Korean airport in Incheon and Singapour Changi airport.

About 8 million passengers of 95 nations voted for the best airport. The airports were evaluated in 40 categories, such as accessibility, friendliness of the airport stuff or cleanliness of washroom facilities. The best airports in Europe are in Munchen, Zurich and Amsterdam. Click here for more detailed information.

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Treasures of Celtic Women exhibition in Prague

Friday 10 August 2007 12:42

Lobkowicz Palace in the area of Prague Castle holds an international exhibition presenting the latest knowledge about women and their social status in the times of the Iron Age in Europe. The National Theatre, the co-organizer of the exhibition, cooperated with Musée de Bibracte in France a Archäologiepark Wederath-Belginum in Germany.

Archaeologic artifacts are displayed together with written sources and the results of anthropological studies. The exhibits doesn’t show artifacts only from the territory of the Czech Republic, but also from Austria, Switzerland, Slovakia and Hungary.

The exhibition called Treasures Of Celtic Women – Touches Of Our Past is open in Lobkowicz Palace until 14th October 2007. You can visit it every day except Mondays from 10:30 to 18:00.

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One metro station in Prague was partly flooded

Friday 10 August 2007 11:10

Due to heavy rains yesterday the vestibule of one of the metro stations, Hloubetin (line B), was flooded. The water didn’t get from the vestibule to the platforms or the tracks, however it closed the station for three hours, trains were just passing this station without stopping.

The outside drainage system didn’t manage to accept such an amount of water and the water poured down into the vestibule, the water level there was about one meter high. After 18:00 the station was open again.

Hloubetin metro station was not the only station that had problems with water. In metro station Hradcanska (line A) was a large puddle of water. Firefighters had to pump water out of many cellars. Rain is expected in the coming days as well.

Have fun at Letni Letna festival in Prague

Friday 10 August 2007 09:14

If you visit Letenske sady in Prague-Letna from 20th August till 2nd September you may see photographs flutter in the treetops, juggles and clowns on the pathways and many theatre performances on the grass. Letenske sady will host Letni Letna summer festival.

The biggest star of the festival will be one of the best known circus from France Cirque ici. They will perform ten times with their latest show Secret. Tickets for their shows are still available via Ticketpro network.

For those who would like to learn juggling can attend juggle course for free which will be held twice during the festival. Web pages of the festival (here) bring more information for those who are interested.

Police World Championship in Football in Prague

Thursday 09 August 2007 15:50

From Sunday Prague will host eight football teams from the world on occasion of the 1st Police World Championship in Football. The organization of this championship was entrusted to the Czech Republic by the International Union of Police Sports (UISP) gathering 61 National Police Sports Organizations from all continents.

The matches will start on Monday 13th August, the last match will be played on Saturday 18th August. All matches will start at 9:00 in the area of Sparta Praha training centre in Prague-Strahov. The entrance to all matches is free.

The ceremonial opening of the championship will take place in Pyramida hotel on Sunday 12th August at 20:00. For more information about the championship click here.

Czech mentality and geography

Thursday 09 August 2007 14:19

Today we bring you an interesting article focusing on the relation between Czech mentality and geographical position. What’s your view?

A lack of access to the sea is an important factor in the development of Czech thinking patterns. Being landlocked inside a crater-shaped basin has laid the foundations of the Czech mentality. […]

Czechs don’t have megalomaniacal ambitions and projects, with the possible exceptions of the Zizkov TV tower and Vladimir Remek, the first non-American/non-Soviet cosmonaut.

Living in an enclosed space, threatened by potential attackers on all sides, makes you concentrate on taking care of what you have. (read the whole article)

Musical plays in the Museum of Antonin Dvorak

Thursday 09 August 2007 13:02

Performance in the Museum of Antonin Dvorak Prominent solo opera singers from the National Theatre and State Opera in Prague together with outstanding violin virtuosos perform in a musical play about famous Czech music composer Antonin Dvorak.

The musical play with many famous compositions by Dvorak takes us to the saloon of Prague bohemians about 100 years ago when Antonin Dvorak was at the peak of his creative power.

The performance called Kouzelny Dvorak takes place in the Museum of Antonin Dvorak (Ke Karlovu 20) every Tuesday and Friday at 20:00 until the end of October. Tickets can be arranged on telephone number 235 518 045 or 281 932 662, or via email at ohdp@volny.cz or booking@centrum.cz.

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Theatres in Prague with English subtitles

Thursday 09 August 2007 11:04

Would you like to go to the theatre in Prague and but don’t master Czech language? Read on, as two Prague theatres offer their repertory with English subtitles.

One of them is Svandovo divadlo (Svanda’s theatre) in namesti Kinskych. You can get there by trams no 6, 9, 12 and 20 (stop Svandovo divadlo) from metro station Andel or by no. 6 or 9 from metro station Narodni trida. Svandovo divadlo is focused mainly on drama. All shows in the Main Hall are with subtitls. The theatre has a barrier-free access and it’s air-conditioned. For the programme of the theatre click here.

Hybernia theatre in Namesti Republiky (metro station Namesti Republiky) offers musical plays. The recent musical Golem narrates the famous Prague legend. In autumn the theatre will also present the play Witches from Eastwick. For the programme of the theatre click here.

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Skinny Puppy in Roxy tonight

Thursday 09 August 2007 09:37

Canadian music band Skinny Puppy are coming back to Prague after two years to perform tonight in the music club Roxy (Dlouha 33). Duo Nivek Ogre (born Kevin Oglivie) and cEvin Key will present to Prague audience their latest album Mythmaker.

The band was founded in 1983 in Vancouver, Canada. They have influenced the industrial music and have been a model for many electronic music bands. Their music is an original combination of noises and melodies.

The start of the concert is at 19:30. Tickets can be bought in advance via Ticketpro, Ticketstream, Ticketportal or Roxy network for 640 CZK or at the venue before the concert for 790 CZK. The support of the concert is Otto Von Schirach.

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The villa in Stromovka will open to the large public

Wednesday 08 August 2007 16:19

The villa in the ‘tree park’ Stromovka in Prague has been used as the seat for the department of newspapers and journals since 1946. The National Museum which administer the villa wants to open the villa to the large public, for the first time.

The villa is decorated with inner windows from the times of Jagiellonian Gothic. Such windows can be found nowadays only in the Vladislav Hall at Prague Castle. Unfortunately, the interiors of the villa are closed to the public.

It’s not clear what purposes the villa will serve. There might be a museum of Czech theatre or a museum presenting the development of journalism in Czech lands. The department of newspapers and journals will be moved into the present building of the Radio Free Europe in the Wenceslas Square. But everything might take several years.

Large photographs of gardens of the world in Prague

Wednesday 08 August 2007 14:41

Large-format photography exhibition in Prague Until 19th August 2008 you can visit a unique exhibition of 11 large-format photographs of various botanical gardens in several places in the world. It’s situated in the greenhouse Fata Morgana in Prague’s Botanical Garden in Troja.

The exhibition of Lena Jasmina Hybkova called ‘A Garden in the Garden’ is a part of the international project ‘Gardens behind the city walls’ that started in Zurich last year and travelled to many metropolises in the world.

The exhibition presents the heritage of botanical gardens in the world and supports the relationship between art and nature. Fata Morgana greenhouse can be visited every day except Mondays from 9:00 to 19:00.

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Prague Food Festival 2007 in September

Wednesday 08 August 2007 13:08

Prague Food Festival Three days tasting the best specialities of Prague hotels that were evaluated at the TOP 100 in Mauer’s Grand Restaurant – that’s Prague Food Festival 2007. Every day you can taste delicious meals from twelve Prague restaurants.

Besides the specialities from Brazil, Czech, French, Japanese and Mediterranean cuisine, you can try drinks from Mattoni Coctail Bar, Pilsner Urquell Pub, Bohemia Sekt Bar, Davidoff Caffe Bar, and Bar U Zavoje. Gastronomic delights will be accompanied with various kinds of music.

The festival will be held in Museum Kampa in Prague (U Sovovych mlynu 2) from 7th to 9th September 2007 (12:00 – 22:00). The ticket costs 350 CZK and it consists of the entry and 10 GRAND vouchers. For these vouchers you can buy individual food items. For more information about the festival click here.

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12th International Organ Festival in Prague

Wednesday 08 August 2007 11:35

Every Thursday until 20th September you can visit one of the concerts held within the 12th International Organ Festival in Prague. Concerts take place in St James’s Church in the Prague Old Town (Mala Stupartska 6).

The forthcoming concert will present the works of Dupre, Mozart, Eben, Bach and Vierne performed by Gunther Rost from Austria. St Jame’s Church is considered one of the most beautiful churches in Prague and it’s surrounded with several interesting legends.

Tickets are available via Ticketportal (www.ticketportal.cz) and Via Musica (www.viamusica.cz) network or one hour before the concert in front of the church. Information can be obtained on the telephone number +420 604 208 490. For more information about the programme click here.

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Tickets for the 'Devil's Bible' exhibition must be reserved

Wednesday 08 August 2007 09:59

The devil from the Devil's Bible Prague’s Clementinum has been equipped with a very modern safe room for a new exhibition which will start on 20th September 2007 and will last only until January 2008. It will show the most valuable item of the Swedish National Library – Codex Gigas alias Devil’s Bible.

From the beginning of September Clementinum will launch a reservation system where those who are interested in seeing the bible can reserve tickets. The number of tickets and the opening times will be restricted. 10 visitors will be allowed to enter the room at a time for 10 minutes. The exhibition will be open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 19:00. The full ticket will cost 100 CZK, the reduced one 50 CZK.

The book will be open at the page showing the devil after which the book got its nickname. The rest of the book will be digitalized and available on three computers. There will be a special climate in the room appropriate for the manuscript and there will be high security measures in the room.

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Advertisement should disappear from Prague historical centre

Tuesday 07 August 2007 16:48

Prague municipal authorities have abolish (with effect from 1st September 2007) large advertisements placed on buildings. The only exception will be promotional sheets that cover the construction works or maintenance, such as the statue of Jan Hus in the Old Town Square at the present.

Prague municipal authorities have also banned handing out flyers informing about various cultural events. The ban has been extended to prints that were registered at the Ministry of Culture as regular promotional press. Still, many people hand out flyers in the streets of Prague – illegally.

People can also get fined for promotional banners, for constructions with advertisement on their cars or for fly-posting. The ban, on the other hand, doesn’t apply to charity events, political parties and movements or events held by the city of Prague.

EasyJet to charge passengers for checked luggage

Tuesday 07 August 2007 15:06

easyJet will charge checked luggage /photo planes.cz The second biggest low cost air carrier in Europe easyJet will launch extra charges for checked luggage. From 1st October 2007 travellers will have to pay £2 per item when the luggage is checked online and £5 when it is checked at the airport. The weight of the luggage item is still restricted to 20 kgs. Hand luggage up to 55×40×20 cm will be still transported for free.

Easy Jet is not the only low-budget air carrier which new charges will effect travellers flying from/to Prague. Extra charges for luggage are also asked from Ryanair and Aer Lingus. On the other hand, neither SkyEurope nor Smart Wings (Travel Service) are planning to introduce these charges.

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Prague public transport might be more expensive

Tuesday 07 August 2007 13:29

Prague inhabitants and visitors should expect higher prices for the public transport services. According to Prague councilman for transport Radovan Steiner, the rise in price is inevitable.

More expensive tickets could be sold from the beginning of the year 2008 or from the second half of 2008. The price of the tickets shouldn’t jump too much, it should be just increased by the inflation.

The profits of the tickets cover now about one third of the costs of the Prague public transport. The rest is subsidized by the city of Prague, which is according to auditors who examined the business and financial record of Prague Public Transport Co., very uneconomical.

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Prague Autumn 2007 festival

Tuesday 07 August 2007 11:51

One of the most famous festivals of classical music held in the historical city of Prague, Prague Autumn, starts in about one month. The series of classical concerts performed by outstanding musicians have been held in the impressing hall of Prague’s Rudolfinum since 1991.

The festival provides a space to present radio symphonic orchestras. This year’s festival will be launched by the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra with its conductor Bertrand de Billy. The festival will also present BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic or Czech Philharmonic Orchestra (for more information about the programme click here).

The festival is held under the auspices of the President of the Czech Republic Vaclav Klaus. The concert will take place in Dvorak’s Hall in Rudolfinum from 12th September to 1st October 2007. Tickets are already on sale in the main box office in Rudolfinum or via Ticketpro and Bohemia Ticket network.

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History of the Jewish Museum library on exhibition

Tuesday 07 August 2007 09:53

The library of the Jewish museum celebrated 100 years of its existence. On occasion of this event there will be a new exhibition presenting the history of this library.

The exhibition called “Hope is on the next page” (Nadeje je na dalsi strance) introduces through the stories and fate of libraries and other personalities connected with the library the history of this library as well as the Central Library of the Terezin Ghetto.

The exhibition will be open from 9th August until 21st October 2007 in the Gallery of Robert Guttman (U Stare skoly 3 street) in the Jewish quarter in Prague. The exhibition will be open every day (except Saturdays and Jewish holidays) from 9:00 to 18:00. For more information about the exhibition click here.

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Tram service disruption near Prague Castle tomorrow

Monday 06 August 2007 16:40

On Tuesday 7th August 2007 there will be a tram service disruption near Prague Castle. Trams no. 22 and 23 will be rerouted from tram stop Malovanka via stop Hradcanska and Vozovna Stresovice to Malostranska. The tram service disruption will take from 9:00 to 14:00.

If you want to get to Prague Castle by tram tomorrow morning, take tram no. 22 or 23 from Malostranska metro station and get off at tram stop Prasny most. Then continue up the street U Prasneho mostu. You’ll find yourself at the original stop to Prague Castle.

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'Open door day' in the seat of the Czech government

Monday 06 August 2007 15:06

Straka's Academy During this summer you have a good opportunity to visit the seat of the Czech government – Straka’s Academy, situated at the riverside in the Lesser Town (Nabrezi Edvarda Benese 4).

Straka’s academy, a neo-baroque building built in 1891-96, has been the seat of the government since 1993. Before that it served as a grammar school with accommodation for students, later on as an academy building. It was the first building in Prague that was equipped with the central heating.

During the excursion you can see the state rooms as well as the assembly hall. All you have to do for it is to book the excursion in advance on telephone number 224 002 111 or via email posta@vlada.cz.

Festival 'Dozinky' in the Czech Museum of Agriculture in Prague

Monday 06 August 2007 13:24

Pregnant Pictures (USA) together with the National Museum of Agriculture in Prague (Kostelni 44 street) organize a festival called “Dozinky”. It will start on 8th August 2007 at 19:00 in the National Museum of Agriculture.

The festival will introduce installations, sculptures, paintings and other works of art until 19th August 2007. Among authors whose works will be presented are Gabriel Blaine (USA), Kozue Hasegawa (Japan), Michaela Gorcova (CR), Tyler Dawkins (USA) and many others.

During the opening ceremony, there will be a musical performance by Birds Build Nests Underground (CR) and a theatre performance by Theatre de la liberte (CR) that starts at 20:00. The entrance to the festival is free.

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Jazz in Prague this summer

Monday 06 August 2007 11:49

Bill Clinton and Vaclav Havel in Music club Reduta Do you want to enjoy jazz music while you are staying in Prague? Summer in Prague offers many opportunities to listen to jazz in many places, either in the cellars of old houses or on a boat on the Vltava river.

One of the options where to go is Akord Club in V Celnici street. Besides jazz you can listen to blues, funky, rock and world music. You can also share your love to jazz with many local people.

Another place, mostly visited by tourists, is a music club U maleho Glena near Lesser Town Square. This August you can hear melodies performed by Ondrej Pivec, awarded by Golden Angel, Vertigo band or the trio of contrabass player Robert Balzar who played with Bill Clinton during Clinton’s visit of Prague in 1994.

Jazz is the programme every day in Reduta Club in Narodni street, U Stare pani in Michalska street, Agharta in Zelezna street or Ungelt. A floating boat with jazz musicians on board can be joined every day at 20:30 under the Cechuv Bridge.

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Extraordinary traffic light at auction

Monday 06 August 2007 10:05

Disabled person / www.aukro.cz Last April we informed you about the extraordinary traffic lights that had appeared on many crossroads mainly in the centre of Prague. Their author is Roman Tyc from Zhotoven, a group that is also responsible for the sabotage of Czech TV broadcast when they showed a fake nuclear mushroom in Czech scenery.

One of Tyc’s traffic light showing a disabled person with crutches is now being offered at internet auction (Aukro). The starting price of 500 CZK has already risen to 3,000. The auction sale finishes on 8th August at 21:46:36.

Roman Tyc is facing a possible legal proceedings between him and the city of Prague The damage was assessed at more than 100,000 CZK.

Roger Sanchez in Prague's club Mecca

Friday 03 August 2007 16:47

Roger Sanchez in Prague's Club Mecca On the occasion of the 9th anniversary, Prague’s club Mecca will welcome one of the best music DJs in the world Roger Sanchez. He will perform in Mecca club (U Pruhonu 3) on 20th September 2007.

Roger Sanchez is a successful house music icon known in the world for his CDs compilations, club nights and a radio show listened by over 1.2 million of people in Europe and the USA every week.

Tickets for the evening can be bought via Ticketpro network for 890 CZK. You can also buy a V.I.P ticket for 1,990 CZK. To Mecca club you can get from metro station Holesovice (red line C) by trams no. 5, 12 or 15.

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Do you want to be a nude model for Jan Saudek?

Friday 03 August 2007 15:06

Do you like photographs by Jan Saudek? Do you want to get to know other places than Prague? Are you willing to take off your clothes? If you answer positively to all these three questions, then you can become one of the models of Jan Saudek.

Already more than 250 hundred people have signed in for the largest group photo of nude people in the Czech Republic that will be taken in the fortress in Krelov near Olomouc on 5th August 2007. People of all ages and nationalities are welcome.

A commissioner will be present at the event to write down the record number of naked people in the Czech Book of record. Those interested can sign in here.

50-heller coins will be withdrawn from circulation in one year

Friday 03 August 2007 13:24

50-haller coin The Bank Board of the Czech National Bank has decided to withdraw 50-heller coins from money circulation by 31st August 2008. Shops will not accept them from 1st September 2007 onwards. After 1st September 2008 until 31th August 2009 people can exchange 50-heller coins in any Czech bank, until 2014 in the Czech National Bank.

“The main reason for this decision is that 50-heller coins are ceasing to fulfil their function as circulation currency. A total of 410 million such coins are currently in circulation, representing 41 per person including babies,” said Member of the CNB Bank Board Pavel Rezabek.

Another reason is that the 50-heller coins are made of aluminium, which wear easily away and makes the coin-counting machines dirty. Unlike other coins, the 50-heller coins have to be processed manually.

The prices in shops should stay the same, as the prices will be finally rounded at the cash desk.

Czech Airlines awarded

Friday 03 August 2007 11:39

CSA Czech Airlines Czech airlines (CSA) seated in Prague obtained a prestigious World Airline Award for the Best Air Carrier In The Central Europe. The award is given every year after a global and independent passenger survey of airline standards. CSA were also awarded the Best Cabin Staff in Central Europe.

CSA were also awarded the Best Airline Based in Central/Eastern Europe by the Official Airline Guide (OAI) in last four consecutive years. At the beginning of this year Czech Airlines were also evaluated The Best Air Company in the TTG Travel Awards 2007.

According to MF DNES newspaper, CSA are thinking of creating a discount airline that would attract lower-income passengers. It would help them be profitable and increase the usage of the large air fleet.

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British Embassy in Prague is one of the busiest

Friday 03 August 2007 09:53

British Embassy in Prague is the ninth busiest embassy in the world, says the press release of the British Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The busiest British Embassies are in Spain, the USA, Greece and France.

British tourists contact the Prague’s Embassy after loosing their passports or being arrested by the police. The latter one is mostly the case of young men who come to Prague to enjoy the wide nightlife. From April 2005 till March 2006 the Czech Republic was visited by 813,000 of British tourists, 845 of them sought the Embassy’s help.

According to Tomio Okamura from the Association of Czech travel agencies, more and more young British tourists head to Baltic areas where they can beer and local girls for lower costs.

O2 SazavaFest 2007

Thursday 02 August 2007 16:25

O2 SazavaFest 2007 is a multicultural open-air festival held every year since 2001. It offers concerts of Czech musicians as well as interesting musicians from abroad. This year it’s held from 2nd to 5th August 2007 in Kacov near Kutna Hora (about 60 km far from Prague).

One of the performers at the festival will be British singer Skye whose voice is known from the band Morcheeba. Visitors of SazavaFest can also enjoy Kosheen or Fernando Saunders (bass and vocal with Lou Reed). From Czech bands they can look forward to J.A.R, Monkey Business, Dan Barta and others.

Tickets can be bought via Ticketstream network or printed as a e-ticket at your computer. Tickets can be bought either for one day (590 CZK + service charge) or for the whole festival (820 CZK + service charge). For more info about the festival go to www.sazavafest.cz.

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Nearly five years from the terrible floods in Prague

Thursday 02 August 2007 14:52

Floods in Prague in 2002 It’s been almost five years since the catastrophic floods devastated the Czech Republic (August 2002). A critical situation was in southern, central and northern Bohemia, Prague included. Due to the terrible amount of water and probably a human flaw, the metro system in Prague was out of order for several months.

The metro system came into full operation in March 2003. The reconstruction works cost incredible seven billiard CZK. Thanks to this sad experience, the metro system is now protected against “big water” much better.

In most metro stations there are high barriers that could protect the metro from floods similar to the ones in 2002. A new anti-flood plan appoints the manager of the public transport to decide on what conditions the metro should be closed and what to do if the water level rises.

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'Ten Minutes' exhibition in Manes Gallery in Prague

Thursday 02 August 2007 13:16

Today at 18:00 you can be present at the ceremonial opening of a new exhibition in Manes Gallery near the Vltava river. Manes Gallery will present the works of the Slovak sculptor, painter, graphic designer, photographer and writer Vladimir Havrilla.

According to 64-year-old Havrilla, visitors can enjoy a work of art the most, when they look at it without any disturbances for exactly ten minutes. That’s why the exhibition got the name Ten Minutes.

The exhibition will be held in the Manes Gallery (Masarykovo nabrezi 250) from tomorrow until 30th August 2007. You can visit it every day (except Monday) from 10:00 to 18:00. The Ten Minutes exhibition is held under the auspices of the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Karel Schwarzenberg and the Ambassador of Slovak Republic in Prague Ladislav Ballek.

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Watermelon Festival in Prague

Thursday 02 August 2007 11:40

Melon Festival in Prague 3rd - 5th August For three day non-stop you can take part in the Watermelon Festival in Prague’s shopping centre Metropole Zlicin (metro line B, terminal station Zlicin).

The festival will be held inside the shopping centre as well as in front of the main entrance. The start is at 18:00 on Friday 3rd August, the end on Sunday 5th August. The shopping centre will be open non-stop for the first time.

The festival will offer many activities for both children and adults. Visitors can learn how to prepare delicious food and drinks from melons. Among many competitions held at the festival will be competitions in eating melons, cutting them in exact halves, guessing the weight of a melon, throwing a melon skin at a target, running slalom between melons and many others.

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Grobeho villa in Prague opens again

Thursday 02 August 2007 09:57

Gröbeho villa Gröbeho villa built in the style of Italian Renaissance in 1871-88 is open again after four years of reconstruction. The villa situated in Prague’s park called Havlickovy sady used to serve for many years as the House of Pioneers and Youth.

Nowadays Gröbeho villa will be used as a education centre of the Ceeli Institut which educates judges and lawyers from countries that have recently turned from totalitarian regime to democracy.

The villa will be also open to the public on special occasions. Visitors can admire the interior decorations and paintings on 22nd and 23rd September when the villa will become the venue of traditional vintage celebrations.

Prague Music Festival 2007

Wednesday 01 August 2007 16:44

Prague summer offer a wide range of music festivals, mostly held in famous Prague monuments and concert halls. One of them, held between 20th and 25th August, is Prague Music Festival.

For the fourth time it will present the works of world famous artists, such as Smetana, Dvorak, Bach, Janacek, Suk, Berlioz or Beethoven. The concerts will be held in the foyer of the Municipal House, in the Spanish Synagogue and in Dvorak’s Hall in the Rudolfinum.

Concerts in the foyer of the Municipal House are for free, the tickets for the concert in Spanish Synagogue cost 300 CZK and in Rudolfinum the price vary between 350 CZK and 600 CZK. For more information about the concert click here.

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Long-range weather forecast for Prague (August)

Wednesday 01 August 2007 14:58

Even though the maximum temperature record was almost broken this July, the weather forecast for August promises a lot of rain and no tropical temperatures in the Czech Republic.

From 1st to 10th August it will be clouded with rain showers or storm. The lowest morning temperatures will be between 9 and 4 ˚C (39 and 48 ˚F), the highest day temperatures between 19 and 25 ˚C (66 and 77 ˚F).

From 11th to 20th August the sky will be clouded. We can expect heavy rains and rain showers. At the end of this period it will rain only occasionally. The temperatures may rise up to 27 ˚C (80 ˚F).

From 21 and 31st August the weather will be sunny. At the end of the period expect more frequent shower rains. The lowest night temperatures will be between 14 and 8 ˚C (57 and 46 ˚F), the highest daily temperature will range between 20 and 26 ˚C (68 and 79 ˚F).

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Apocalyptica to perform in Prague's Congress Centre

Wednesday 01 August 2007 13:11

Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lotjonen, Perttu Kivilaakso and Mikko Siren – the members of instrumental metal band Apocalyptica – will perform in Prague and Plzen on 5th November 2007.

They started to be known thanks to covering heavy metal hits. Now they also play their own songs. Prague and Plzen’s audience can look forward to new songs from their latest studio album they are working on at the present.

The Prague’s concert will take place in Congress Centre (tr. 5. kvetna 65 street). Tickets for the concert can be bought via Ticketpro for 770 CZK (E-tickets are also available).

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Main runway in Ruzyne to be closed

Wednesday 01 August 2007 11:39

Ruzyne airport / Planes.cz Prague International Airport Ruzyne will close the main take-off and landing runway from 7th to 28th August 2007. All planes will have to land and take off from the side runway. That also means that the planes will land from the direction of the city.

It will be already the third closure of the main runway this year. In April a new anti-skid layer was laid on the runway, in June sudden problems occurred with the layer. This time workers will lay the second part of the anti-skid layer.

The airport assured that the closure of the runway will have no impact on the flight timetable. This should be also the last closure of the main runway this year.

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Fair taxi in Prague from 'Fair Place' taxi stands

Wednesday 01 August 2007 09:59

Fair Place taxi stand Prague municipal authorities want to guarantee that if you take a taxi on places marked with a sign “FAIR PLACE” and a dumb-up image you’ll get a fair price and the journey will be safe.

By the end of this week 49 out of 121 taxi stands will be marked with this sign. The municipal authorities will make sure that taxi services at these stand will be permanently good.

As a part of a new campaign, that should improve the situation with overpriced taxis in the capital, there are also 100,000 leaflets printed in 7 languages informing travellers about their rights regarding taxi services. The leaflets will be available in Prague’s hotels, railway stations and the airport.

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