Earth Day 2021: This year’s theme focuses on natural processes, emerging green technologies, and innovative thinking that can restore the world’s ecosystems. Today (April 22) is Earth Day, an international event celebrated around the world to pledge support for environmental protection. The year 2021 marks the 51st anniversary of the annual celebrations. This year’s theme for Earth Day is ‘Restore Our Earth’. In 2009, the United Nations designated April 22 as ‘International Mother Earth Day’. “Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is a chance to set the world on a cleaner, greener, more sustainable path,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in a statement. “Mother Earth is clearly urging a call to action. Let’s remind more than ever on this International Mother Earth Day that we need a shift to a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet”. The importance of Earth Day Earth Day was first observed in 1970 when 20 million took to the streets to protest against environmental degradation. The event was triggered by the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, as well as other issues such as smog and polluted rivers. For over the next half-century, Earth Day continued to play an important role in environmental activism....
Article by Vita Cafnik, teacher at Cherry Tree, an English-speaking preschool in the heart of Vinohrady. There are many perks to raising a multilingual child. It’s pretty obvious that multilingualism in itself is an advantage. Being able to speak more than one language in an ever so global world is a valuable asset. However, there is more to multilingualism than what meets the eye. Many studies have revealed some amazing benefits that come from speaking multiple languages, and starting this marvelous journey from an early age, can restructure the brain for the better. So what are the advantages of raising a multilingual child? Children who speak more than one language develop higher cognitive skills: Speaking more than one language provides exercise for the brain, which works as a muscle – the more you work out, the more it “grows”. Bilingualism improves brain’s executive function, which is “the management system in the brain” responsible for directing the attention processes used for planning, solving problems, and performing a variety of mentally demanding tasks. Studies have shown that differences in brain activity related to bilingualism can be spotted as early as 11 months of age. Bilingual kids have higher memory retention Bilingual children tend...
The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union (EU) for a period of one calendar year during which it organizes a series of cultural events with a strong pan-European dimension. “When I look at the previous cities that won the competition, it had a very positive impact on everyone and I am convinced that it will also help Budějovice. The project could have a huge impact on tourism and the local economy,” explains Juraj Thoma, Deputy Mayor of České Budějovice. “From the experience of other cities that won the title in the past, it is a good idea to start preparations about ten years in advance and create a separate team fully dedicated to preparing for the candidacy,” he adds. Other towns expected to submit bids for 2028 include Ostrava, Zlín, Liberec. Prague received the title of European Capital of Culture in 2000, and Plzeň 15 years later, defeating Hradec Králové and Ostrava. Cities that have received the title in the past not only saw a high number of visitors in the year of celebration itself, but a steady increase in the number of tourists. The title leads to both increases in local business revenue and...
Viewers can see the Mayor’s Residence, New Town Hall, and Škoda Palace. On 20 April, the municipality of Prague announced the launch of a new video programme called “Prague Stops” (Pražská zastavení). This programme has been designed with the idea of showing both citizens and tourists some of the best-known yet inaccessible places in the city. Currently, there are 5 short episodes of this new series on the City’s Youtube channel. The Prague Stops programme allows people to see the Mayor’s Residence, New Town Hall, and Škoda Palace from inside. What is more, they can also learn about the history of these places as the short episodes feature speakers who comment on the buildings and their use throughout the years. Entertainment and recreation The director of the Media and Marketing Department of the Prague City Hall Jana Berková explained the idea behind the video series: “Last year we were all affected by the coronavirus pandemic and people lost many opportunities for entertainment and recreation, including the open days of municipal buildings. Traditionally, we once allowed the public to see the Mayor’s Residence, the New Town Hall, or the Škoda Lounges in the Škoda Palace. With these videos, we want to at least partially compensate the public...
Held every five years, expos see hundreds of countries using pavilions to show off the latest in architecture and technology. A number of Expo 2020 pavilions in Dubai have already been completed while work on the others is underway. All the country pavilions are expected to be finished well ahead of the mega event’s highly anticipated kick-off on October 1. The organizers estimate that the EXPO 2020 will have more than 200 participants, as well as multinational companies, educational institutions and non-governmental organizations. The Czech Pavilion Consisting of four volumes using a steel frame system, forming the framework of the object, the Czech pavilion draws the attention of the visitors with its “organic cloud structure that grows out from the garden at the place of the cultivated desert”. Solar-powered technology that can suck water vapour from the air and turn barren deserts into fertile lands will be exhibited. It has tremendous benefits for sunshine-rich nations facing food security issues due to a lack of arable land on which to raise crops. The restaurant, attached to the central space, can also be linked to the garden or to a multimedia conference hall. In fact, all premises may be combined in a single...
Prague can now take pride in yet another creative project. Mapamátky, a brainchild of students Marie Zákostelecká and Ivana Čuříková, is a website with several thematic routes around Prague. Initially a part of the university work at the Prague University of Economics and Business, Mapamátky’s goal is to inspire as many people as possible to explore the splendor of Prague architecture and offer alternative entertainment in times of the pandemic. “The Mapamátky project aims to popularize architecture and present it to people so that they enjoy it and learn something new at the same time. Just choose a route and go for a walk”, the website says. Marie Zákostelecká, a great lover of architecture, came up with the idea of Mapamátky as a part of a university project. “There were ten of us in our team, and I thought that if I could get everyone excited for this project and for architecture at the same time, it would make sense,” Zákostelecká explained to Blesk.cz. Classmates shared her excitement, and the project emerged. Although the university work was successfully completed, members of the team decided to continue the work in their spare time. At the moment, those interested can choose from...
Article by Language Atelier, a language school in Prague. Whether you’ve just started to learn Czech or you have already an intermediate level, there might be some little pieces of information about this language that you don’t know. Although it’s a bit difficult, there are some aspects of the Czech language that are really fascinating. Czech used to have more pairs of letters to express sounds. During the Middle Ages, European peoples began to use their languages also in written communication, taking as a starting point the traditions of classical writing: Latin in Western Europe, Greek in the East. However, an alphabet, that is suitable for one language, will not necessarily be suitable for another. Each language has its peculiar sounds and this also applies to Czech. The Czech language tried various solutions to express its sounds, such as the use of the Glagolitic alphabet or pairs of letters, but the best choice was made by Jan Hus in the 15th century. In his task of rationalizing the Czech spelling system, he chose to insert special diacritical symbols. This system is now followed by four other Slavic languages (Slovak, Slovenian, Serbo-Croatian, and Sorbian) and by two Baltic languages (Latvian and...
Festivals and organizers work as hard as they can to provide this year’s edition. The reality is disappointing as more and more of the biggest festivals are canceled or postponed. This is a list of festivals that is more likely to take place in the Czech Republic. Let it Roll Let it Roll is undoubtedly recognized as the biggest and most influential drum and bass music festival in Europe. The festival’s lineup represents the most important artists, presenting over 300 DJs and producers across its 8 stages, all of which have their own unique theme and vibe. Drum and bass labels such as Hospitality, Shogun Audio, and Technique host their own showcases where you can track your new favourites and the next potential headliners, alongside workshops and discussions with the genre’s expert producers and industry professionals. As the organizers said: “Let it Roll is all about unparalleled, expansive visual and sound production (namely the must-see opening ceremony), ensuring that it retains the mantle of drum and bass’ finest event each and every year.” Where: Milovice Airfield, Milovice. When: 5-7 August 2021 Transmission Festival Transmission Festival is recognized as one of the top indoor dance events worldwide and attracts every year thousands of visitors to the O2...
As an antidote to pandemic-induced closures of museums and cultural institutions, the Lobkowicz Collections offers unique virtual experiences to engage with local and international audiences — including live virtual tours of the Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle. Join William Rudolf Lobkowicz as your personal guide to explore the Lobkowicz Collections, which feature world-famous paintings by Canaletto, Bruegel, and Velázquez, and hand-annotated manuscripts by many of the world’s greatest composers, including Mozart and Beethoven. Further discover the story of how one of the oldest and most prominent noble families in Bohemia returned to their native country to reclaim their confiscated possessions. The Lobkowiczes were forced to flee their homeland twice under both the Nazi and Communist regimes. With the passage of the Czech restitution laws in the early 1990s, the family returned to their native country and spent over 25 years recovering important cultural heritage objects in the form of castles and tens of thousands of moveable objects. By reclaiming and reassembling the Collections, the family has made these previously hidden treasures comprehensively available to the public, for the first time in history. Today, the Lobkowicz Collections are one of Europe’s oldest, finest, and most intact family collections, dating back over 1,000 years. This live 45-minute virtual tour is enhanced with audiovisual content, including...
Dozens of buildings, from historical sights to state-of-the art office spaces, open to the public on Saturday within the seventh edition of the Open House Prague festival. With the motto of the festival being “Architecture for everyone”, tours of the buildings are available for anyone from the general public, including people with visual and hearing disabilities. “Although we were optimistic at the beginning of the year, the current state of the pandemic has once again forced us to reevaluate all festival preparations. The concept of the festival is based on a direct architectural experience, and we do not want to deprive our visitors of that,” says Andrea Šenkyříková, festival director. “We have considered a few different dates and possibilities on our part as well as on the part of our important partners, and we would like the festival to take place in its standard form, observing all the government-imposed measures, of course, because the safety and health of everybody is our number one priority,” she adds. As the visuals for this year suggest, showing a drawing by the recognized illustrator Jan Šrámek, one of the biggest attractions of the 7th Open House Prague is ARA Palace. Located on Perlová Street...
During World War II, the Gestapo used Terezin, better known as Theresienstadt after its German name, as a ghetto for Jews who were mainly from Czechoslovakia, but also from Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Denmark. More than 150,000 Jews were sent there and although there were no extermination camps, around 33,000 died mainly due to terrible conditions that had prevailed in the ghetto. 88,000 ghetto residents were deported to Auschwitz and other extermination camps. At the end of the war, there were 17,247 survivors. As reported by BBC, the bulk of the buildings where Jews were once forced to live are now in ruins, despite their historical significance. The camp was used by Nazi propaganda, through the 1944 movie “Theresienstadt”, to portray it as a place where Jews lived happily; in truth, 35,000 Jews died of hunger and disease there, and many more were deported to be transferred to Auschwitz or Treblinka. The decay of the city is due to the fact that since 1790, when it was founded, it has always hosted numerous soldiers from the various armies that governed the territory, from the Austro-Hungarian to the Czechoslovakian, which left Terezin in the early 90s. Since the local economy...
Russians on Monday celebrate the 60th anniversary of the first manned flight to space carried out by cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin as the Soviet hero remains one of the most admired figures in the country. On April 12, 1961, Gagarin’s Vostok spacecraft took off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, then part of the Soviet Union, as the 27-year-old cosmonaut exclaimed his iconic catchphrase “Let’s go!”. His flight lasted just 108 minutes, the time it took to complete one loop around the Earth, before returning to home soil. Following his historic flight, Gagarin embarked on a world tour, and the very first city he visited, just two weeks after his return to the earth’s atmosphere, was Prague. Czechoslovak Radio asked him if he had a message for listeners: “Greetings to all the working people of Czechoslovakia. I wish you the best for the coming summer: in your work, in your private life, and in building socialism and peace in the whole world.”
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