Christmas as a holiday of consumerism: the Goethe-Institut wants to convince the Czech and international public that it doesn’t have to be this way. On Saturday 9 December, the institute will offer a series of creative workshops for children and adults with a Christmas and ecological theme. Entrance is free. “We have a pile of old wallpaper, wrapping paper, unwanted posters, newspapers, magazines, branches from our beautiful Christmas tree and dozens of other items that would be easy to throw away. We want to save it all and transform it into original Christmas gifts, notebooks or stationery,” comments Veronika Svítil from the Goethe-Institut. All this is free of course,” adds Svítil. The event, called Christmas Without Waste, will offer five workshops and other activities that are suitable for individuals and families with children. For example, under the guidance of Eva Rosíková from Kreaivatelier, it will be possible to make small gifts or interior Christmas decorations from recycled materials. Illustrator and graphic designer Zuzana Mašková will help with the production of notebooks and pencils, even for children (over six years old). The secrets of the bookbinding craft will be revealed by colleagues from Reformat, a second-hand stationery shop and sheltered workshop....
Thousands flocked to Santon Hill for the annual reenactment of the Battle of Austerlitz. Commemorated every year, this year’s edition is the largest since 2015, using 1200 history enthusiasts from 15 different countries. Over 10,000 spectators braved the cold and snow near the village of Tvarožná in the Brno region to watch the annual reenactment of the historic battle of Austerlitz. Also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, the nine-hour fight saw Napoleon’s army of 60,000 famously defeat the much stronger armies of Tsar Alexander I of Russia and Emperor Francis of Austria in 1805. For the locals, the recreation of one of Napoleon’s most famous and successful battles is not meant to celebrate the controversial figure – it is meant to commemorate and promote knowledge of a common European history, particularly in light of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. An annual tradition coinciding with a controversial film This reenactment attracted many more spectators than usual, in part due to the release of the latest Ridley Scott film centered around the infamous Napoleon Bonaparte. The movie has been met with waves of negative reviews from French historians and film critics and some local Czech historians have joined them in expressing their reservations...
The main star of next year's Colours of Ostrava will be American singer Lenny Kravitz.
Cirque Du Soleil’s ‘Corteo’ is returning to Europe, and will be presented to audiences in Prague for the first time. Since its inception, the show has attracted more than 10 million viewers in 20 countries on four continents. Cirque du Soleil will thus once again present itself to the audience in Prague on September 25-29, 2024, where this year it managed to hold eight OVO performances, attracting tens of thousands of spectators. Corteo, the Italian for ‘cortege’, is a merry and festive procession in the imagination of a clown. The performance combines the passion of an actor with the grace and strength of an acrobat to immerse the audience in a theatrical world of fun, comedy and spontaneity, located in the mysterious space between heaven and earth. The clown imagines his own funeral, taking place in a carnival atmosphere and watched over by peacefully caring angels. Juxtaposing the big with the small, the ridiculous with the tragic, and the magic of perfection with the grace of imperfection, the performance highlights the clown’s strength and fragility, as well as his wisdom and kindness, to illustrate the part of humanity that is in each of us. In Cirque du Soleil’s first performance,...
Thanks to the “Some Like It Czech” project, you can meet the Czech angel and the Czech devil aka “čert” the movie way. This quirky and enchanting fairy tale, full of biblical puns and picturesque scenes, is screened with English subtitles, a fun introduction, and the first part of the movie series at Cinema Aero on December 8th. Buy your tickets here. When director Jiří Strach was creating a sequel to the beloved fairytale Angel of the Lord (2005), he had no idea that the follow-up Angel of the Lord 2 (2016, watch the trailer) would become one of the top three most visited Czech movies in local cinemas. Drawing from Czech cultural heritage, folklore and biblical stories, both movies promise to offer a perfect, entertaining lesson in Czech Christmas traditions and laughter that transcends age. Although both movies feature the misadventures of the eccentric angel Petronel and the sly devil Uriah, they both work as stand-alones. In the first part, Petronel is sent to the Earth to fix one single sinner. He is guided by the mischievous Uriah, who has a great time at his expense. In the following story, our quirky duo is sent to Earth once again...
The Czech town of Žatec received the certificate of inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List on Saturday, two months after the organisation’s committee decided to inaugurate the town and its surrounding hop-growing landscape. Interest in the hop-growing landscape increased this year, with more tourists visiting the information center and the nearby Steknik Castle, located in the middle of the hop-growing area. Žatec and its surrounding landscape represent a centuries-old tradition of hop growing. The new UNESCO site consists of two parts. The first is the landscape, with its hop farms and the villages of Trnovany and Steknik, including the castle. The second part is the historic center of Zatec and its 19th-century industrial quarter, which has the highest concentration of buildings connected with hop processing and trade. The two parts are connected by the Ohre River. It is the first hop-growing landscape in the world to be awarded UNESCO status. “For us, this is a confirmation of the exceptional quality of the hops we grow here,” Michal Kovarik, secretary of the Czech Hop Growers Association, told CTK. The Žatec district is where most of the hops in the country are grown, comprising 3,744 hectares, or 77% of the total...
The Czech Republic has been elected to the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in Paris, and will serve from 2023 to 2027. “The Czech Republic has just been elected to the UNESCO Executive Board,” the Foreign Ministry said on the social network X. Adding that one of the topics the Czech Republic will focus on, during its mandate, will be the transformation of education, and the protection of cultural and natural heritage. The Executive Board, together with the General Conference, is UNESCO’s governing body and is made up of 58 member countries, elected by the Conference according to their respective electoral groups. The last time the Czech Republic was a member of the Executive Board, within the Central and Eastern European Group, was between 2012 and 2015. UNESCO was founded shortly after World War II to develop cooperation in education, science, and culture. In the latter area, it is best known for its World Heritage List, in which the organization includes the world’s most important sites. As for the Czech Republic, its first additions to the UNESCO World Heritage List were the Historic Centre of Prague, the Historic Centre of Český Krumlov, and...
Batman, Alice in Wonderland, and the Nightmare Before Christmas. What do all these films have in common? They all belong to the world of renowned filmmaker Tim Burton, who entertained the imaginations of children and adults alike for decades. Luckily, Burton will bring his fantasy world to Prague next year! From the first of May until the end of September 2024, an exhibition will be displayed in Prague’s Municipal House at Namesti Republiky, as part of a world tour where Burton’s work has featured in places such as Germany, Japan, South Korea, and Mexico. If you’re a fan of Burton’s work, this is the place to be next year. “The exhibition features over 530 works, including storyboards, sketches, scene designs, puppets, and photographs from timeless film classics such as Beetlejuice, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Mars Attacks! and Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas to contemporary films like Dumbo and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” reads the website. Burton’s 50-year artistic career is nothing short of extraordinary, and attendees will be able to experience it for themselves, everything from the Corpse Bride to Willy Wonka. The exhibition in fact had already visited Prague in 2014, at...
On 21 December, Prague’s O2 Arena will host a Christmas concert featuring more than 130 artists from the Czech music scene. Seven well-known artists, including Thalia Award-winning actress Eva Burešová, Ondřej Ruml and Kateřina Maria Ticha, accompanied by 70 musicians from the Hradec Králové Philharmonic and the Permoník Karviná Choir, will put on stage a show featuring 27 songs from various genres, including classical music, pop and jazz, in new and innovative arrangements under the baton of Stanislav Vavřínek. “We are not preparing a classical Christmas concert, but a musical experience,” said arranger Jan Lstibůrek. “The audience will listen to Christmas melodies and themes they know from the radio, but for the first time ever in symphonic arrangements written specifically for particular composition performers, philharmonic and choir, and for the unique space of Prague’s O2 Arena.” Along with the sound, the evening will be illuminated by visual components of color and an extraordinary stage design. “At one moment, modest and intimate, the next moment, monumental, so that you feel like you are in a musical temple. All these elements together create a complete experience,” said Lstibůrek. The organizers say they hope for the concert to become the start of a...
The Prague Planetarium is undergoing an unprecedented renovation as it updates its outdated display system with cutting-edge LED Dome technology. This technology will include 45 million LEDs distributed across the entire dome, making the Prague Planetarium the biggest and most contemporary in the world. The new system is anticipated to last up to 25 years, with outstanding picture contrast and minimal upkeep expenses. The new projection system, according to Jakub Rozehnal, head of the Prague Planetarium, will enable for a degree of quality and contrast not possible with traditional systems. The expenditure includes new air conditioning for waste heat recovery, ductwork, and hall machinery, as well as an increased number of chairs. The proposed rebuilding and modernization, which has received a CZK 250 million subsidy, is scheduled to take place from mid-May this year until spring next year. During this time, visitors will have restricted access to certain areas of the dome. If work allows, the display in the foyer, the underground simulator, the gift store, and school workshops, including the one that operates the Planetum-1 satellite itself, will stay available. With this technology, the Prague Planetarium will become the world’s biggest planetarium, beating comparable technology located in Dubai and...
TAK CO?, the innovative musical ensemble known for pushing creative boundaries, proudly announces the release of their latest music video for the song “In the Belvedere Hotel.” The video, a stunning visual masterpiece created by the acclaimed director Petr Salaba utilizing artificial intelligence (AI), promises to captivate audiences with its unique blend of noirish aesthetics and cutting-edge technology. Band member David Hrbek shares insights into the band’s creative journey, stating, “After the success of our classically animated music video ‘Doctor Foltýn is Coming Here’ and the lyric video for ‘Autumn,’ we were eager to explore new artistic horizons. With ‘In the Belvedere Hotel,’ a song delving into themes of longing and emotional unfulfillment, we sought a fresh perspective. Enter Petr Salaba, who, with his expertise, embraced the challenge and brought our vision to life.” Director Petr Salaba sheds light on the creative process, saying, “I chose the noirish atmosphere of rain, shadows, and neon, not only because it complements the song but also because AI excels in handling such visual elements. The synthesis of general physical phenomena enhances the emotional depth of the video, providing a unique connection between technology and human sentiment.” Technologically, Salaba employed a combination of Stable...
An iconic Czech movie, banned for decades, unleashes its dark magic again, this time thanks to Some like it Czech project. Screened with English subtitles and an informative introduction on November 15 at cinema Aero. Buy your tickets here. Some like it Czech project invites you to a spine-tingling cinematic experience on November 15th as it resurrects the Czech cult classic, The Cremator (1968, watch the trailer). Meet Mr. Kopfrkingl, a man who deeply cares for his family and his job. He’s the crematorium manager and you would hardly find a man who burns for his occupation more than this quirky gentleman, brilliantly portrayed by one of the most acclaimed Czech actors Rudolf Hrušínský. Based on Ladislav Fuks’s novel and directed by the horror mastermind Juraj Herz, this poetic drama from the late 60s shows you the disturbing transformation of a loving human being into a monster, all under the influence of ideology. Because of the unsettling message the movie sends, it was banned and hidden away for two decades. However, in August 1990, the film re-emerged, capturing the hearts and minds of a new generation of cinephiles. In 2019, it underwent a digital restoration, preserving its timeless allure. One...
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