This year’s Open House Prague Festival, an annual celebration of Prague architecture, takes place May 15–21, 2023. The 9th edition of the festival is going to open more than 100 buildings and spaces around Prague on the weekend for free. Starting May 15, there is also going to be an accompanying program with walking tours, lectures, and discussions. Several buildings in the program also offer tours in English. Anniversary Triplet: Prager – Machoninová – Barvitius With this year’s program, the organizers are commemorating Karel Prager, one of the eminent Czech architects of the 2nd half of the 20th century, born 100 years ago this summer.For the first time during the festival, visitors can enter the former branch of Komerční banka in Smíchov, explore the university campus in Jinonice from the 1990s, or see the backstage of the New Stage of the National Theater, opened 40 years ago. Another important architect of the 20th century is Věra Machoninová, who celebrates a milestone birthday this September. Her work in the style of brutalism is represented in the program by the administration building of Teplotechna Praha and DBK Shopping Center, which is considered one of the peak works of post-war architecture in the...
The Respect Festival is an annual two-day and evening musical and multicultural event, and this year kicks off with a ceremonial and meditative tone. Rangamatir Baul, led by Rina Das, from West Bengal, India, begins the outdoor gathering on Saturday afternoon, June 17 th . Rina Das is considered the “Queen” of Baul music and Baul music is called the “soul of Bengal” meaning it is needed to have a good society – it is not a religious music, but a spiritual music taught to the musicians by their gurus, and at its heart, the music is a celebration of humanity; it is said to be about “self-discovery,” so knowing yourself is the essence of Baul music. With or without the yoga mats, this could become a transcendental meditation experience for all. Headlining Saturday is Adedeji, delivering a healthy dose of Afrobeat, the trademark sound of Nigeria, in the tradition of the late Fela Kuti, though “he” lives on via his sons Femi and Seun. Afrobeat is a get-up-and-dance music bringing together West African traditional music and its rhythms with influences of jazz and soul, especially James Brown, plus a strong political punch. Another notable group on Saturday is Al Bilali Soudan from Timbuktu, Mali. This is...
Prague will once again host its annual architectural festival Open House 2023, from Monday, May 15 to Friday, May 19. The festival of open buildings has become a traditional architectural holiday that gives people access to the city’s hidden architectural gems. Open House will also include lectures, discussions, and walking tours. More than 100 venues, both historical and modern, will take part in the event. A complete list will be available on the project’s official website shortly. The festival will show interiors of commonly inaccessible buildings and spaces, from industrial monuments to historic palaces, modernly designed offices, eco-friendly buildings, sport, cultural and educational facilities or residential development, all from 15th up to 21st centuries. For demanding and curious visitors there are also railway stations, abandoned buildings and mysterious cemeteries to see. The festival wants to make the city accessible for everyone, that is why organisers also prepare special tours for hearing impaired and visually impaired people. Open House is organised by a non-profit organization Open House Praha and its first edition was held in 2015. Over the years it became one of the most important cultural events in Prague supported by the Mayor of Prague and Mayors of the individual city districts.
It’s Prague in 1986. Levi’s button fly 501 jeans are all the rage and a must-have, even in Communist Prague. But there was no Levis store or really any Western retailers for that matter. Of course, there’s no Amazon, Alza or other internet retailers. In fact, possession of foreign currency in Czechoslovakia was officially illegal. In fact, every citizen who had any foreign currency had 15 days to surrender the Czechoslovak State Bank in exchange for crown. So, how would you get your acid-washed button fly jeans? That’s where Tuzex came in. Started in 1957, state-run Tuzex began as a network of retailers across Czechoslovakia offering groceries, but they expanded quickly to a wider market from there. With Tuzex, you had to use foreign currency (or gold) to buy “Tuzex vouchers” (known as “Bony”), which were in Czechoslovakian crowns denominations. Vouchers could be redeemed in Tuzex stores for retail items. By 1988, at the peak of Tuzex, there were 170 stores across Czechoslovakia, offering up items ranging from clothing to cosmetics and food to cars and other long-service products (especially electronics). In addition to the predominantly opened up it up to black-market sales Western goods from non-socialist countries consisted of...
When the organisers of the prestigious Magnesia Litera prize announced the competition for the Book of the Century, the expert jury chose Jaroslav Hašek’s novel The Good Soldier Švejk but the public voted for Jirotka’s Saturnin. This bestseller is a humorous novel about a servant named Saturnin, who becomes the master of his master. It mixes Czech humour with an English style, as Jirotka was inspired by P. G. Wodehouse and Jerome K. Jerome. Thanks to the Some Like it Czech project, you can now czexperience a wonderful soirée radiating with the elegance of the First Republic and brimming over with Czech proverbs. The movie of the same name as the book – Saturnin – is going to be screened with English subtitles on the 12th of April at cinema Aero. “Jiří Věrčák’s film adaptation Saturnin (watch the trailer) holds a precious spot in Czech society, as it is a dear reminder of past times and humorous yet beautiful moments that are worth living for,” says the co-founder of Some like it Czech project Šárka Bekrová. The narrator (unnamed in the novel, named Jiří Oulický for the purposes of the film) is a thirty-year-old single man who, at first, is...
In The Czech Republic, Easter is a long holiday. Besides celebrating Easter classically as we know it on Sunday, many Czech people celebrate the entire week leading up to this cheerful holiday. Back when the communists first started their occupation of the Czech nation in the late 1940s, the originally religious holiday was banned. As a result, it became more of a welcome of spring and a hope for new beginnings. With the end of the Velvet Revolution and communism, some of Easter’s Christian roots were brought back. Many of the Czech customs, however, originated in pre-Christian times. Christianity very skillfully used these pre-Christian customs; there are records showing that the Church tried to ban various customs from those times, calling them Pagan. But most of them survived despite these bans, and the Church was unable to uproot them, so in many cases, it just took them on. Easter is one of the times when pre-Christian customs and ideas blend with the Christian ones. Saturday or Bílá sobota which translates directly to white Saturday is known as the “The Day of Light”. It symbolizes Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. The rattling boys will actually go up to homes now, and rattle...
by Kristina Kratochvilová Jim Jefferies is one of the most famous and respected comedians in the world. He jokes about gun control and climate change as easily as about fucking his wife and the death of his mother. He unfolds his whole life to his audience and his audience loves him for it. Jefferies is currently on a world tour called Give Em What They Want and he will perform in Prague on April 21 at Kongresové centrum. You started your stand-up comedy career quite a long time ago. What’s the most fucked up thing that ever happened during your shows? That’s a tricky question. I had fans trying to climb up the stage or yell at me, but that’s not very common. Most of the time the most fucked up things happened on the stage. Before I gave up drinking they were mostly my fault. So I would say being black-out drunk during a big arena show might have been the most fucked up thing I’ve experienced. Did you manage to go through the whole show even though you were so fucked up? I’ve been drunk during a lot of shows, but some shows were really bad, so...
Charles University was founded by Karel IV, King of Bohemia and King of the Romans, on April 7, 1348. It was the first university north of the Alps and east of Paris. Charles University is one of the oldest universities in Europe. Following the model of Paris University, Charles University was to consist of four faculties – the faculty of arts, theology and law and medicine faculty. The members of the Prague university community belonged to four different „nations“ – these were the Czech, Polish, Bavarian, and Saxon nations. The new university soon made a name in the whole of Europe, and that‘s why thousands of students from many countries came to study here. In its beginnings, the university had no building of its own, lectures were read in the monasteries and private dwellings of university masters. It was only in 1366 that Charles IV founded a college near the Church of St. Nicholas, but this was not big enough and it was necessary to find additional premises. Thus, 22 years later, the university moved into Rothley House, today’s Carolinum. In 1784 German was introduced as the teaching language instead of Latin and it was used exclusively till 1882 when the...
In English, the name “Good Friday” is generally believed to be a corruption of “God’s Friday.” From very early times, the Holy Day has been observed by Christians everywhere as the most solemn feast of the year, a day of sadness, mourning, fasting and prayer, when the Passion and Death of our Lord is remembered in countless churches by services of sorrow and gratitude. Good Friday was always regarded by the Roman Catholic Church as the day of greatest grief in the Church. It’s the only day in the year when Mass is not held anywhere in the world. Also, organs are silent, all ornaments are cleared from the altar, and no lights are burned. The cross is shrouded in a black veil. Great Friday (Velký pátek) is the popular name for the day in the Czech Republic. Velký pátek is a day of fasting for Roman Catholics who will not eat meat until Saturday evening after the church bells start ringing on their legendary return from Rome. On Velký pátek, Czech and Moravian cooks prepare their holiday bread (coffee cake) which must not be cut or eaten until the priest says, “Christ is risen!” (Kristus vstal z mrtvých!) on...
Already the sixth edition of Metronome Prague, where a number of world stars will shine, takes place on 22-25 June 2023 and promises unforgettable music experiences. Thanks to its top-notch line-up, location in the centre of Prague and the fact that it is happening at the most beautiful time of the year, Metronome Prague is one of the most popular metropolitan festivals in Europe. This year’s programme features an impressive line-up of internationally renowned artists including JAMIROQUAI, M83, ZAZ, AURORA, MODERAT, TOVE LO, EDITORS, WHITE LIES, JANA KIRSCHNER and many more. Over 40 international and local music acts will perform on a total of 8 large stages during four days. In such a rich mix of musical genres, every visitor, regardless of age, will find what they like. “With Metronome Prague we have set ourselves two main goals. To invite visitors to Prague for a unique music experience that they will enjoy in high comfort. And we have certainly fulfilled both of them. This year’s event consists of over 80 international and domestic acts and the established venue in the city centre offers plenty of comfort and a whole range of other services. From a rich gastronomic offer to chillout...
Prague Music Performance brings the top of the crop in the avant-garde for one-night events; in recent times this has included last year’s guest, Roscoe Mitchell (last standing founder of the Art Ensemble of Chicago), and previously John Zorn for his bagatelles 5 hour-non-stop marathon. This year brings the “Music of Terry Riley & La Monte Young” as minimalist innovators of legendary status who both influenced developments in music from the earliest art rock of the Velvet Underground to No Wave, and inevitably more popular music from disco to electronica. There will be two compositions performed for this evening, each approximately an hour. Terry Riley’s “In C” is a series of 53 short musical figures played in sequence by any number of players and with any instruments depending on the whim of the moment. Two hits of the C-note plays over this on piano (or keyboard) and best result is an hypnotic even hallucinogenic journey. The careful attention to modal variations and repetition makes it an iconic step in modern music. “In C” was first performed in 1964, in San Francisco, and when it was released on album in 1968, the linear notes had the stamp of approval from San...
Galerie Lapidárium in Prague will host a multimedia exhibition entitled “Ukrainian Renaissance” from 4th to 18th April. The project will introduce visitors to iconic Ukrainian artists, unique images, metaphors and a deep philosophy in their work, which is based on the Ukrainian mentality and centuries-old spiritual heritage of Ukraine. The art project will feature works by famous Ukrainian artists such as Volodymyr Garbuz, Oksana Fursa, Serhiy Popov, Volodymyr Kamynin, Vitaliy Vlasenko and others. The exhibition includes paintings, sculpture, photography and other media. The project will take place with the informational assistance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. More info: Where: Galerie Lapidárium (Rámová 735/6, Praha 1) When: April 4 at 18:00 – vernissage April 5th-18th from 12:00 to 18:00 Price: 100 CZK (children up to 18 years – free of charge) Curators: Oksana Fursa – Ukrainian artist, rector of the Salvador Dali Art Institute, doctor of pedagogical sciences, professor, president of the Confederation of Designers and Stylists of Ukraine. Vadym Krechmar – Ukrainian artist, art historian.
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