faUSt, also better known as Faust, was ahead of its time as a West German rock group (in the early to mid-1970s. They released only four albums, each experimental and distinct from the other, but their last release “Faust IV” is considered for alternative or indie rock musicians and fans their masterpiece. The 80s-90s alt-rock, psych-rock and post-punk groups that are influenced by Faust, and were proud to say so include Sonic Youth, Pavement, and Nirvana to name a few. Matching only early experimental Velvet Underground for dissonance and melody, juggled with verve, fragility, and accidental brilliance is one way to describe “Faust IV” released in 1973 on Virgin Records, meaning it was recorded only two years into the Faust experiment. Song lyrics are spoken not sung, and mostly in English with selective German or French songs adding intrigue and helpful for their overall international appeal. In a wider context, the German music scene in the early 1970s was prophetic in ways beyond the most obvious example, Kraftwerk, which formed in 1969 and is now a more influential group in pop music than the Beatles. Faust was part of a movement known as “Krautrock” with groups from West Germany,...
November 11 is known as Saint Martin’s Day. What customs are observed by Czech people and what can you hear about St. Martin? There is a famous Czech proverb related to the Feast of St. Martin: Martin přijíždí na bílém koni. (English: Martin is coming on a white horse.) The reason is simple – the first half of November is the time when the first snow comes to the Czech Republic. “According to the folk saying, if St. Martin does not arrive on a white horse, but on a dark gray one, we will have constantly changing winter weather ahead of us,” said Dagmar Honsová of the Meteopress weather company. However, for many Czechs, St. Martin’s Day is primarily about good food and drinks. Traditionally, the feast consists of baked goose and St. Martin’s wine, as well as cakes made specifically for this occasion. Even though the holiday is popular across the Czech Republic, a survey conducted by Ipsos shows that St. Martin’s Day is most often celebrated by people in the South Moravian region and the Highlands region as well as by people from larger cities and university graduates. Who was St. Martin? Supposedly, Saint Martin was a kind man with...
The jury of the architectural competition for the new philharmonic orchestra on Prague’s Vltavská selected 15 studios that will prepare competition proposals. Five studios previously addressed the city directly, so in total, the jury will select the winner from 20 proposals next April. Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) added that the municipality intends to negotiate with the new Minister of Culture on the previously promised co-financing of the construction by the state. The building should stand by 2032. According to previous estimates, the whole build will total 6 billion CZK. Jury chairman and Brno’s main architect, Michal Sedláček said 115 candidates entered the competition, making it difficult to choose 15. He added 12 countries are represented in the 20 studios that will prepare designs. Five of them originate from the Czech Republic or involve Czech architects. “I think 20 studies are really a guarantee that we will get not only a few but many very high-quality proposals,” he said. The result of the competition should be published in May next year, after which it will be voted on by city councilors. According to Hřib, in addition to the building, the solution of the public space around the building was also essential...
Architecture is part of our everyday life and the organization Open House Praha invites people to explore it in an unconventional way. In November three walking tours are prepared for English-speaking Prague residents which allow them to experience architecture of different styles and visit some usually inaccessible places. Let’s go back in time and learn more about Czech history – its important historical figures, famous houses and amazing stories during a walking tour called Czech History Mirrored by Prague’s Lesser Town held on November 14, at 4 p.m. Lesser Town is one of the oldest parts of Prague where you can find many churches, palaces, monuments and gardens. The guided walk will present the most important moments in the quarter’s history – from its foundation in the 13th century to the Enlightenment changes. More information can be found here. On November 21 at 2 p.m. you are invited to a walk through the villa district in Bubeneč which will introduce the residences of one of the richest families in pre-war Europe. The Petschek family members owned more than a dozen houses in Bubeneč, some of them designed by architect Max Spielmann. You will learn how the individual members of the...
St. Martin’s Day, which Czechs celebrate on November 11, is a holiday of good food and drink. Autumn slowly alternates with winter, and it begins to snow. In the past, the economic year was ending at this time, and the landowners were preparing a feast for their people as a form of thanks, when they were also paid out their wages. And what about today? Today, the feast of St. Martin is a great opportunity to bring a little joy to life! Traditionally, fattened geese are roasted on 11 November, and the first bottles of young wine open at exactly 11:11 am. St. Martin wines are fresh and young, as they only have a few weeks to mature. They are very clear and have a lower alcohol content. For a wine to bear the St. Martin brand, it must be made in the Czech Republic from grapes of the varieties Müller Thurgau, early Roter Veltliner, Moravian Muscat, Blauer Portugieser, Svatovavřinecké (St. Laurent) and Zweigeltrebe and undergo an evaluation by an independent committee. It blind tastes the properties of the wine, such as appearance, aroma, taste, and overall impression of the wine. So if you buy wine with the St. Martin...
On Sunday, 24 October, the Eye was officially opened in Nebušice. The original viewpoint was designed and built by students of the Seho–Poláček studio. The Eye is a viewing platform and an unconventional swing. The new viewpoint is located at the site of a historic crossroads northwest of the centre of Nebušice. The town council has restored the old dirt roads here and the new landmark on the route from Šarka to the Central Bohemian Region promises to take cyclists away from the busy town centre. “We restored the paths several years ago and they are really used a lot by cyclists, tourists and especially families with children walking around Nebušice. That is why we are very happy that we have managed to enrich this beautiful place with a view of Nebušice and Prague with an exceptional work,” says the mayor of the municipal district Viktor Komárek and believes that the viewpoint will become an attractive place for all those passing by and passing through. The task of the semester design-build project in the Seho–Poláček studio was originally a lookout tower. “But why build a tower when the view from the site is beautiful even without it? So we built a “rocking...
From November 4 to 6, we are bringing the power of the EU Space Programme down to Earth! A colourful experience invites you to discover the latest applications and services enabled by Galileo, EGNOS, Copernicus, and GOVSATCOM. Under a new name and with a broadened scope of activities, EUSPA decided to move its signature event, ‘’Open Days’’ outside to comply with the current hygiene rules. ‘’EUSPA Open Space” is a walkthrough, open-air exhibition that will introduce visitors to the newly established EU Space Programme as well the agency’s new mission. With just a month away from the launch of the newest Galileo satellites from the European Spaceport, EUSPA Open Space will offer you the possibility to brush up on space knowledge. Wander around the exhibition, learn more about the upcoming services of Galileo and EGNOS before immersing yourself in a colourful Earth Observation collection with Copernicus images from around Europe. With Europe set to become climate-neural by 2050, space data and services play a crucial role in the EU Green Deal. From helping curb CO2 emissions to fighting illegal logging, Galileo, EGNOS and Copernicus contribute to the fight against climate change. EUSPA Open Space also highlights the link between the...
The Mezipatra queer film festival has returned to Prague to showcase Czech and foreign feature and short films and documentaries centered around LGBTQ+ issues. The films will be about the lives of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people (LGBTQ+) and will remain in the capital until 11 November, before moving to Brno. “This year’s Mezipatra represents a return to the big screen for us,” said festival director Pavel Bicek. “Together with our audience, we want to celebrate the film, queer stories and, most importantly, the opportunity to be together.” Visited by about 12,000 people each year, the films in the festival are apprised by a professional jury as a part of a prestigious international competition. The festival is organized by non-profit organizations Mezipatra and STUD Brno and returns with much anticipation to cinemas after two years as last year it was held online. Their mission is to provide the people of the Czech Republic with space for discovering the variety of sexual and gender issues. They aim to not only broaden horizons but also offer a space for meetings and self-expression. Mezipatra helps people to understand their own identity and the meanings related to the word “queer”. The word ‘queer’...
Skeletons of 12 men believed to have fought in the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805 have been discovered in Brno. Reconstruction work in the cellars of a house in the city of Brno, south-east Czech Republic, has revealed the skeletons of 12 men, thought to be soldiers who fought in the Napoleonic wars. The bodies were aged between 20 to 30 years old, and had been placed in a previously unknown mass grave. As the grave offered no clues about the individuals’ identities, or even when they were buried, a team of researchers examined the bodies to reconstruct their lives and deaths. “The analysis of the skeletons was very complex,” says Katerina Vymazalova, an assistant professor in the department of anatomy at Masaryk University, Brno, and one of the authors of the paper. “We were able to determine the sex and approximate age at the time of death of the individuals. Paleopathological analysis revealed war wounds, including amputation of part of the femur. Using the radiocarbon method, the skeletons were dated to the early 19th century.” One of the men had a fractured left arm, likely the result of a gunshot, while another had his left thigh amputated by a...
On November 5, there will be a celebration in Prague, one of its kind. Due to a special date, the International Romani Language Day is falling as well on the week in which souls are celebrated in many cultures. An opportunity to experience the good side of the encounter of different cultures in this country. Romani is an ancient Indian language that is falling out of common use due to various assimilationist policies across Europe. Traditionally, Romani vernacular has been oral, with tales told by all respected storytellers and songs composed and sung by musicians. A tradition that is worth celebrating. Organizers are proposing to combine these festivities along with the Mexican community living in Prague, which is small in number but has been very active to share their culture, such as the “Día de Muertos”. The celebration of souls for the Roma Roma have a strong respect for their ancestors. When a family member dies, the family takes him to the other world through a ritual called “warting”. The family sits with the dead member for three days (currently with his photography) and tells stories about him. There is also a strong belief in Romani culture in the spirits...
Michael Shannon will portray U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy, a venal politician so evil he spawned his own -ism, in the aptly named film “McCarthy.” The two-time Oscar nominee, known for off-beat performances in the likes of “Nocturnal Animals” and “Revolutionary Road,” will try to find the dark heart of the demagogue who used show-trials and red-baiting to rise to power on a wave of anti-communist hysteria. He will be aided in that effort by director Václav Marhoul and a cast that includes “Game of Thrones” star Emilia Clarke and “The Place Beyond the Pine’s” Dane DeHaan. Scoot McNairy (“C’mon C’mon,” “Argo”) rounds out the ensemble. “McCarthy” charts the rise and fall of notorious and powerful senator and his enablers, a group that includes his politically ambitious wife Jean Kerr (Clarke), his ruthless young lawyer Roy Cohn (DeHaan) and his trusted friend and colleague Ray Kiermas (McNairy). Long may they live in infamy. Marhoul won critical praise and was nominated for the 2019 Golden Lion for “The Painted Bird,” a black-and-white drama about a young boy living through World War II, that was acclaimed for its artistry but also is the textbook definition of a “tough sit.” HanWay Films has come on board to handle...
Google honours Czech chemist Otto Wichterle with a doodle on his 108th birthday. His innovations paved the way for state-of-the-art medical technologies such as “smart” biomaterials, used to restore bio-recognizable polymers and human connective tissues Making the day even more special, Google is celebrating it with a doodle wherein Wichterle can be seen holding a single piece of contact lens upon his fingertips. As he does so, the light is reflected from the Google logo in the background that represents eyesight. “Happy birthday, Otto Wichterle—thanks for helping the world see eye to eye!” Google wrote. Who is Otto Wichterle? Born on 27 October, 1913 in Prostĕjov, the Czech Republic (then, Austria-Hungary), Wichterle was a lover of science from his childhood days. Because of his interest and passion for the subject, Wichterle earned his doctorate in organic chemistry from the Prague Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) in the year 1936. During the 1950s, Wichterle taught as a professor at his alma mater and side by side, he developed an absorbent and transparent gel for eye implants. Later on, in 1961, Wichterle successfully formed the first soft contact lenses. Surprisingly, he produced the contact lenses with a Do It Yourself (DIY) apparatus that was made of a child’s...
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