The Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space was established in 1967 to bring the best of design for performance, scenography, and theatre architecture.
Opening of the main exhibitions of the Prague Quadrennial will take place on Wednesday, 7 June at 6 p.m. in the Holešovice Market Hall – the main venue of this 15th edition.
Numerous parts will also be hosted in the National Gallery and The Academy of Performing Arts.
PQ does not operate merely as a festival, gradually it has evolved into a platform, which explores progressive approaches, new media, virtual spaces and interdisciplinary relations.
The main two exhibitions – the Exhibition of Countries and Regions and the Student Exhibition – are competitive and the artistic teams of individual countries and regions are appointed by the local curator representatives.
During the eleven days, the visitors of PQ will have the opportunity to experience around 150 exhibitory projects and installations, 50 performances mainly in the public space, a live exhibition of 35 concepts of performance spaces, 60 of the most inspired publications about scenography issued in the past five years or 40 blocks of expert lectures.
Each programme section examines scenography/performance design from a different point of view, making the Prague Quadrennial one of the most diverse cultural events in the world.
“RARE”
The theme of PQ 2023 is “RARE” – in a sense of unique, one-and-only, raw, or bizarre. This choice reflects the ground-breaking changes in all areas of human activity and creativity, which were accelerated by the pandemic during the last two years.
Our conception of the physical was significantly altered – the space, encounters and sharing.
The physical became a rare and unique opportunity. The theme aims to invite scenographers and performance designers to share their notions of the post-pandemic world and their visions of the future influenced by the events of the near past.
Anywhere – with the Festival Pass
All the programme sections of Prague Quadrennial 2023 will be accessible only to the Festival Pass holders. From 18 January, you can purchase the 11-day Festival Pass for an early-bird price of 2400 CZK and 1400 CZK for students via the GoOut.net portal.
The Festival Pass also grants access to the time-limited Digital Archive of PQ. From Spring 2023, PQ will offer 3-day and 1-day Festival Passes as well. Later in 2023, the ticket sale will start, for those interested in visiting just the main exhibition spaces in the Holešovice Market and the Trade Fair Palace of the National Gallery Prague.
- All-female band Vesna have made it as one of the 26 artists who will be competing in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday in Liverpool. The girl group, representing Czechia in the contest, are among the top 10 performers from Tuesday night’s semi-final, along with Sweden, Norway, and Israel.
- Former Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas twice gave false testimony in court in favour of his wife Jana Necasova, the appeals court stated today, definitively upholding Necas’s year-long suspended sentence for perjury and a fine of CZK 100,000. Necas is thus the first ever Czech prime minister to be definitively convicted of a crime.
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- Prague is planning to introduce a charge for non-residents travelling by car in the historic city centre and to limit visitor parking there. The aim is to discourage unnecessary journeys through the centre in order to decrease traffic. The measure could come into effect at the beginning of next year.
- The German state of Saxony has requested the temporary introduction of border controls with the Czech Republic and Poland. German Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed at a meeting with regional government leaders on Wednesday that Germany could introduce border controls with its neighbours depending on the migration situation.
- The Czech ice hockey player David Pastrňák, who plays for Boston Bruins, is among the candidates for the Ted Lindsay Award. It is given to “the most outstanding player in the NHL” as voted by fellow members of the NHL Players’ Association.
In and around Prague, you can find vending machines that sell fresh eggs, while in Brno, you can stumble upon vending machines for fruits and vegetables. In the northern regions, they sell locally sourced meat.
Ten years ago, Josef Dvořák traveled across Europe to learn about chicken farming practices abroad. During his travels, he found a vending machine where people could easily purchase eggs at any time, day or night.
Inspired by this, he decided to introduce a similar concept in the Czech Republic. Today, after nine years, he operates sixteen vending machines in the country, offering fresh eggs directly from his hens.
Dvořák has no plans to expand further. He initially wanted to place the vejcomat (eggcomat) in areas where fresh eggs are scarce, such as the center of Prague, but the conditions weren’t suitable at the moment.
“I’m referring to the issue of rents, which vary. It’s more about financial constraints. Selling eggs is not the same as selling Red Bulls,” says Dvořák, mentioning that he hasn’t reached an agreement with the shopping center in Chodov.
The farm supplies the egg machines approximately every two days. Although a single machine can hold six hundred eggs, Dvořák assures that they are truly fresh.
While egg machines have been on the market since 2014, it was only last year that Farmářský dům Vrchlabí opened a meat machine.
“We used to sell meat in the yard in person, but since the whole family is busy working on the farm, people often had to wait for us and some of us had to quit our jobs and go sell meat,” says Kateřina Basařová from the family-run Farm Basařova.
“It also happened that sometimes none of us were at home and the customer left without meat. So the meat vending machine is a great way to satisfy the customer at any time while being able to do other work on the farm,” she adds.
With the vending machine, customers can come in for meat at any hour of the day, every day of the week. One vending machine is located directly on the farm in the village of Prosečná, while another is located in the vending shop in Vrchlabí, where there are also vending machines used to dispense goods from the e-shop.
The family farm is the owner and operator of the machines, and for the most part its products are also sold there. The main products are beef and venison.
In terms of replenishment, the meat machines are usually filled once a day, and even twice on Fridays and Saturdays.
Fruits and vegetables
At the beginning of this year, a fruit and vegetable vending machine also opened in Brno-Kohoutovice, owned by the farmer Petr Grunwald.
You can buy fresh apples, onions, garlic or potatoes. The vending machine is replenished daily and thanks to special equipment, the operator even knows what the current capacity is.
Czech inflation slowed further in April to a headline rate of 12.7%, its lowest since March 2022, data showed on Thursday, possibly taking pressure off a central bank that has been weighing another interest rate hike.
On a month-on-month basis, overall consumer prices fell 0.2%.
The figures come after the Czech National Bank last week nearly renewed an interest rate hiking cycle that has been on hold since the middle of 2022.
It voted 4-3 for stability, while those backing tighter policy had concerns over wage developments and loose fiscal policy.
With the state budget deficit rising at a record pace so far in 2023, the government is set to detail a budget consolidation plan to cut the 2024 deficit by around 70 billion crowns ($3.30 billion) later on Thursday.
Markets are pricing in little chance the central bank will raise interest rates again, after its 2021-22 tightening cycle lifted the base rate by 675 basis points to 7.00%.
Analysts said April inflation data backed a view of no more rate hikes.
“Inflation could fall even faster as cost conditions are improving,” Banka Creditas economist Petr Dufek said, citing easing gas prices and weakened demand as examples.
Food prices rose 17.3% in April and electricity prices – which had been a big driver behind last year’s surge in inflation – also slowed their growth on a year-on-year basis.
Headline inflation had hit a three-decade peak of 18% in September last year, and the central bank forecasts it at single-digit rates in the second half of the year.
Forward rate agreements expect around 50 basis points in interest rate cuts by the end of the year.
Interest rates around central Europe have been put on hold at elevated levels. Hungary’s central bank, battling inflation over 20%, cut the top of its interest rate corridor last month, paving the way for eventual rate cuts.
Poland’s central bank left its main interest rate on hold at 6.75% on Wednesday, maintaining a view that slowing growth will help curb inflation.
On May 17th, Some Like It Czech is hosting a screening event for the uplifting drama Dark Blue World, a heartfelt tribute to the heroic Czechoslovak pilots who served in the British Royal Air Force during World War II.
Directed by the acclaimed Oscar-winning filmmaker Jan Svěrák, this movie has been hailed as the main source of inspiration for the Hollywood blockbuster Pearl Harbor.
To add an extra layer of context and insight, this screening will be accompanied by an introduction by a RAF historian Daniel Švec.
“The heroes of the air battles over Europe, who won us respect among the peoples of all countries of the world, are gloriously returning to Prague, from where they once fled like outlaws. They were greeted at Ruzyně airport by general Svoboda and numerous officials.” With these words, the Czechoslovak Film Weekly reported on the return of the Czechoslovak pilots who served in RAF in August 1945. And these heroes are coming back once again… on a silver screen with the movie Dark Blue World (2001, watch the trailer) directed by an Academy winner Jan Svěrák.
The film follows the story of two Czech pilots, who escape their homeland after the Nazi occupation and join the British Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II. These best friends and brothers in arms, are not only being tested by the severe fights, but also by the matter of love. Does the last sentence ring a bell?
Well, it just might, as rumours have it that the cinematic sensation Pearl Harbor drew significant inspiration from none other than Dark Blue World. After the success of Svěrák’s Oscar-winning picture Kolya (1996), the Miramax studio signed a contract with Svěrák that obliged the director to let the studio see the script of his next film first, which it did.
The director showed a script for the Dark Blue World, but Miramax studio eventually didn’t realise this project. However, a few years later Miramax produced the worldwide hit Pearl Harbor, which had a strikingly similar plot. Director Svěrák even said, “I’m sure the script was stolen.”
However, due to the complicated justice system in the US, no legal actions were taken. Just like Pearl Harbor, Dark Blue World features stunning aerial scenes and impressive cinematography, capturing the intensity and danger of aerial combat during the war.
Although the story of Dark Blue World is a fiction, the movie received critical acclaim for its authenticity in depicting the Czechoslovakian pilots’ experience in the RAF, whereas Pearl Harbor was criticised for its historical inaccuracies.
To provide additional context and insight into the time period and events depicted in the film, Some like it Czech will welcome a special guest Daniel Švec. The enthusiastic RAF historian knows all about the time when Nazis were occupating Czechoslovakia, and a couple of angry and experienced pilots decided that Hitler wasn’t going to get away with it.
These heroes escaped to Britain and joined the Royal Air Force. They eventually played a significant role in the Battle of Britain in 1940, where they provided crucial support in defending the UK from German air attacks. To put it very modestly indeed, their contribution to the Allied war effort was significant. But you will have to wait for the screening to find out more.
So, listen up, fellow history buffs and movie enthusiasts! Are you ready for a thrilling flight through Czechoslovak history? Then join Some like it Czech on May 17th at Cinema Aero for the screening of Dark Blue World, complemented with English subtitles. And don’t worry, it won’t be a snooze-fest like those boring school lectures.
Instead, get ready for an entertaining and enlightening experience that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Mark your calendars, buy your tickets and get ready to be blown away (figuratively speaking, of course) by the heroism of these Czechoslovak RAF pilots.
Prague, in cooperation with the Prague 1 district, plans to charge non-residents entry fees for driving through the city’s historical center.
The aim is to reduce excessive traffic passing through the center and to calm the traffic, as stated by the deputy mayor for transport, Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates), and the mayor of the first district, Terezie Radoměřská (TOP 09), during a debate on transport in Prague 1 on Wednesday.
The measure could be implemented at the beginning of next year, but the details are still under discussion. There are also plans to restrict visitor parking in the center.
According to Hřib, the current municipal management and Prague 1 have reached an agreement on charging fees instead of completely closing some areas to transit.
“It’s a softer measure, but it pursues the same goal,” he said. Radoměřská confirmed his words, saying, “The zone in the city center should have a fee.”
The city council will decide whether to introduce the measure. Hřib added that the congested city center is also a problem from the perspective of public transport, as cars slow down trams and cause delays throughout the network.
He said that charging for entry should not affect residents at all, as it will be monitored by cameras connected to the parking permit database.
The mayor wants uncompromising control. According to Hřib, the city’s Technical Road Administration (TSK) is currently working on traffic models. “There will be some impact on traffic, but we know it will not lead to a catastrophic apocalypse,” he stressed.
The specific areas affected by the measure and the cost of entering the center are still being determined. Radoměřská emphasized that enforceability is also crucial. “Thorough, careful, vigorous, and uncompromising control of what we introduce is necessary,” she stressed.
Prague 1 is also addressing parking problems, and its management is advocating, among other things, that only residents be allowed to park in the blue zones in the center.
In addition to charging for access to the center, the municipality will also discuss comprehensive changes to the system of paid parking zones, according to Hřib.
He stated that this should provide more parking spaces for local residents in the center. The parking changes are ideally expected to take effect early next year, he added.
Regarding parking, the deputy mayor also mentioned the difficulty of enforcing parking offenses, which often result in lengthy and largely unsuccessful administrative proceedings. Hřib intends to push for legislative changes on this issue. “If the rules are not enforced, they will be useless. And to enforce them, a change in the law is truly necessary; there is simply no other way to solve this,” he said.
Orlando Bloom, the Hollywood star who lived in Prague for years during the filming of Amazon’s Carnival Row, apparently became a big fan of Czech beer in that time.
Bloom has recently signed up to become the new brand ambassador for the Prague-based brewery, Staropramen.
He will be the face of the new Staropramen TV commercial and social media campaign throughout Europe, set to launch later this year.
“I’m happy to be representing such a quality product like Staropramen,” the actor states through a press release. “I think it’s important to partner with brands that practice what they preach. The team at Staropramen talk about quality and expertise a lot and, when it comes down to it, this is a great-tasting beer, brewed by some incredibly talented people.”
The announcement of Bloom as its new ambassador comes after the expansion of the brand worldwide, including markets in Europe and Asia. Staropramen has been catering to a discerning audience for well over a century, which speaks to the high quality of their beer.
The company also launched their zero-alcohol beer Staropramen 0.0 earlier this year in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and other European markets. Parent company Molson Coors is seeking further market penetration for the Czech brand with Bloom as its ambassador.
The new advert starring Bloom was filmed in Prague as part of Staropramen’s “Brewed by Experts, for Experts” campaign, which launched worldwide last year.
“Orlando is the perfect partner for Staropramen – he is a master of his trade, just like our brew masters, and has a special affinity with Prague having lived and worked there for several years.”
The new advert reportedly features Bloom in some of Prague’s most famous locations before he discovers the secrets of Staropramen at the brewery itself in the city’s Smíchov neighborhood.
The Czech Republic’s unemployment rate dropped slightly in April, in line with expectations, figures from the labor office showed Wednesday.
The unemployment rate was 3.6 percent in April, down from 3.7 percent in March.
In the same month last year, the jobless rate was 3.3 percent.
There were 261,700 unemployed people in April, compared to 273,500 a month ago.
The labor office reported that by the end of April, job offices had registered a total of 284,530 vacancies.
According to the latest Eurostat data, the Czech Republic still has the lowest unemployment rate in the entire European Union.
Youth unemployment
In March 2023, 2.763 million young persons (under 25) were unemployed in the EU, of whom 2.264 million were in the euro area.
In March 2023, the youth unemployment rate was 14.3% both in the EU and in the euro area, down from respectively 14.5% and 14.4% in the previous month. Compared with February 2023, youth unemployment decreased by 33 thousand in the EU and by 14 thousand in the euro area.
Compared with March 2022, youth unemployment increased by 105 thousand in the EU and by 91 thousand in the euro area.
Unemployment by sex
In March 2023, the unemployment rate for women was 6.3% in the EU, down from 6.4% in February 2023. The unemployment rate for men was 5.6% in March 2023, down from 5.7% in the previous month. In the euro area, the unemployment rate for women was 7.0%, down from 7.1% in February 2023.
The unemployment rate for men was 6.1%, stable compared with the previous month.
Czech President Petr Pavel has said he supports the creation of an international war crimes tribunal to hold Russia accountable for its atrocities in Ukraine, he said in a video address posted on Twitter on May 9.
“It is important to investigate these crimes, which is why I unequivocally support the creation of the tribunal,” Pavel said.
“It is a key step on the road to both peace and justice,” he went on to say.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke at an online summit of the Core Group international coalition of May 9 dedicated to the issue of establishing a special tribunal to investigate numerous Russian war crimes committed in Ukraine.
All 37 participants of the summit “confirmed their resolve to hold Russia’s top leadership accountable for the crime of aggression against Ukraine,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote later on Twitter.
The European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe have also voted to support the creation of a special international tribunal.
On Monday, May 8, Mr. Pavel and other leading state representatives honoured the victims of the Second World War at Prague’s Vítkov memorial on the occasion of the anniversary of the end of the war in Europe.
In his speech, the president compared the conflict to the ongoing war in Ukraine, highlighting that he was proud Czechia has been providing Ukraine with significant levels of support from the start.
He also pointed out that the Soviet soldiers who fought in the Second World War do not carry any responsibility for the contemporary Russian state, but warned that the tradition of commemorating the fallen should not be abused by those who spread Russian propaganda.
- All-female band Vesna have made it as one of the 26 artists who will be competing in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday in Liverpool. The girl group, representing Czechia in the contest, are among the top 10 performers from Tuesday night’s semi-final, along with Sweden, Norway, and Israel.
- The Czech government has introduced a clear definition of domestic violence, set to take effect next year. Almost 30% of women and 12% of men in Czechia have experienced domestic violence. The new definition identifies domestic violence as acts committed against a victim that affect their physical or mental integrity, freedom, dignity.
- Unemployment in Czechia fell slightly last month from 3.7 percent in March to 3.6 percent in April, according to data published on Wednesday by the Labour Office. There were 11,800 fewer people out of work than in the previous month, with 261,700 people unemployed overall.
- Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala received the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, with military honours on Wednesday afternoon at his official residence in Prague. Bilateral relations, the EU, energy cooperation and new technologies were some of the topics on the meeting agenda.
- The government has exceeded its aim of saving at least CZK 70 billion from the state budget, environment minister Petr Hladík said after Wednesday’s cabinet meeting. He refused to give further details, saying that the government will announce what specific measures are being taken on Thursday at noon.
In case you are a food lover or you would like to try out some different tastes, you will have a unique opportunity to do so this Sunday at Karlín food truck festival!
Let yourself be carried away by the aroma and taste of quality dishes and unusual ingredients.
A great selection of food and drink from the best gastronomic professionals awaits you. Mexicali Taco truck, Mac’s cart, Take Eat EZ, Nabu sandwich, WoW bar and MATE’S Pizza truck. This is just a small taste of what you can look forward to.
The whole day is going to be accompanied by Dobré Ráno Blues Band starting at 12:00pm and an exclusive live set by DJ Hlava.
As always, the organizers will have creative workshops and other accompanying programs for children.
- Venue: Karlín Market, Karlínské náměstí, Prague 8
- Date: 14 May 2023, 11:00 – 19:00
- Admission: FREE
Find all the updates on the official FB event
In March of this year, the price of sugar in the Czech Republic rose by 98% compared to 2022, making it the most expensive in the European Union.
Monthly data shows that this increase has been steady since August 2021, with inflation rates for February and March 2023 reaching 61%. This means that the average sugar prices in these two months were 61% higher than during the same months of the previous year.
Czechia, Estonia, Poland, Germany, and Latvia observed the highest annual inflation rates for sugar, with an increase of 98%, 97%, 82%, 72%, and 70% respectively, while substantial, though lesser, increases were also recorded in Luxembourg (19%), Belgium (35%), Bulgaria (36%), and Ireland (37%).
Hungary had the smallest increase in sugar prices by 17%. The rise in sugar prices is partly due to gas prices demanded by sugar mills during their production process.
According to Eurostat, the gas price in the Czech Republic was the highest in the EU during the latter half of the previous year, increasing by 231% YoY, while it was only by about 30% in Hungary.
A limitation on sugar prices imposed by the Hungarian government as part of its anti-inflation strategy earlier last year also played a role.
In October of last year, Czech sugar mills had to pay billions instead of millions of crowns for gas, as gas prices saw an unprecedented surge.
Czechia was less liberal than many other EU members in easing energy costs, especially for food processing companies. Besides, inflation in the Czech Republic has been significantly impacted by profit inflation.
According to UBS, the largest Swiss bank, profit inflation is an increase in company margins and profits at the expense of customers and consumers.
UBS analysts suggest that firms have been “using narratives to persuade consumers to pay more.” The narrative has been particularly compelling in the Czech Republic since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, allowing retail chains or food producers to justify price increases based on events in Ukraine, such as the spike in energy or food costs.
The Czech consumer has readily embraced this narrative in recent months, not only in the case of sugar or petrol. All eyes will be on the Federal Reserve this Wednesday.