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.
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...
The second season of the reconstructed historic carousel started on Prague’s Letná on Thursday. The monument was bought in 2004 by the National Technical Museum because it is one of the oldest surviving floor carousels in Europe. At that time, however, the carousel was in a state of disrepair, despite having been declared a monument in 1991. The carousel was originally built in 1892 by carpenter Matěj Bílek and placed inside Royal Vinohrady which were not yet a part of the city of Prague. Two years later, in 1894, the carousel was moved into what was then the royal capital city of Prague and placed inside Letná park, where it still stands today. It is the oldest intact carousel of its kind in Europe. Last year, the season started on July 11 and ran until the end of October. “It was a test year. It proved that the reconstruction went well because it was fully operational and had no defects that needed to be removed,” Karel Ksandr, director-general of the National Technical Museum, said at a press conference. This year, the carousel will operate from Friday to Sunday and on public holidays until October, and both children and adults can ride...
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...
Time Out, the publisher of global city guides, polled 20,000 people in 50 cities to find out how they feel about their local mass transit systems. To help you escape being stuck in cities with hellish public transport, Time Out has found the top 19 cities around the world with the best public transport with a little help from the locals. The list was topped by the reliable, safe and comfortable public transport in Berlin. 97 percent of Berliners raved about their city’s transport network, with their metro U-Bahn offering travellers 175 stations across nine simple-to-navigate lines. The city also offers the S-Bahn, an urban-suburban rail system that links the suburbs to the heart of the city. Second place was earned by Prague, with 96 percent of locals saying their city was easy to get around by public transport. Tokyo was crowned third, and if you’ve seen any of the viral videos showing just how many locals use public transport in the city, you’ll probably agree that Japan’s capital deserves the nod. Not only is it brilliantly maintained and easy to navigate, but it has become increasingly easy to use for non-Japanese speakers, too. Stockholm, in seventh place, was one...
Václav Havel Airport Prague celebrates its 86th birthday with a special program for the public. Its rich history, which includes hundreds of thousands of landings, tens of millions of handled passengers, and historical twists and turns, will be reminisced through an interactive exhibition, special airport tours, and podcasts with period witnesses and the current chairman of the board, Jiří Pos. The first plane landed at the airport in Prague-Ruzyně on 5 April 1937. It was a domestic flight on the Piešťany – Zlín – Brno – Prague route. Since then, the airport, which has borne the name of former President Václav Havel since 2012, has experienced many ups and, more recently, downs: its great rise during the First Republic era, German occupation, the planned communist economy, the huge development after the Velvet Revolution, and the critical pandemic years of 2020 and 2021. Last year, a special www.letisteslavi85.cz website was launched. Visitors can find videos there with period witnesses talking about the history of the airport. They recall their strongest experiences and guide us with their stories through the entire history of the airport from the launch of its operations to the present day. These videos are complemented by a series of special...
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...
U Pinkasů is an excellent beer garden and pub in Prague to mix with locals while tasting Pilsner Urquell on the tap. This pub is highly recommended because of its authentic Czech food and the fair prices. Be sure to try pickled cheese, nakladany hermelin, and wash it down with Pilsner on the tap. How it All Began When Mr. Pinkas came back from a visit to Pilsen where he tasted a new type of beer, he wanted his friends in Prague to have a similar experience. Hops from Zatec and bottom fermentation made this beer stand out. This new beer was such a success that in 1843 Mr. Pinkas wanted all people in Prague to enjoy Pilsner Urquell and he decided to open a pub; U Pinkasů. Beer Garden or Restaurant? U Pinkasů is both a beer garden and a restaurant. In summer tables spill out on to an outdoor area. This attractive, hidden garden is overlooked by the Gothic Church of Our Lady of the Snow. Downstairs is a traditional-style Czech pub with wooden tables. As this is a popular pub, it is often crowded and sharing a table is very common. If you want a meal, you go upstairs...
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.
Tourism in Prague has been greatly affected in recent years by the coronavirus pandemic, and the war conflict in Ukraine has also played an important role. “Russians used to be in the top ten, but they’re no longer coming.” Last year, the decline was 90 percent, but we see that other countries are willing to come back. For example, Poland or the Baltics,” says Josef Říkovský, head of Prague City Tourism’s Quality of Services division. Domestic travel is also growing, and the popular Prague as Home campaign has drawn Czechs who, according to polls, return frequently. “We have statistics from last year, when domestic visitors made up 25% of the total. “Prague was the most visited destination in the country for the first time since 2010,” he added. Prague City Tourism also aims to attract more sophisticated and wealthy visitors, so it commissioned a study of the behavior and typology of visitors to the city. “They have somehow calibrated what individual people are sensitive to for us.” What they truly desire to see in Prague. So, for example, we know that Germans are more interested in Kafka, while Spanish tourists to food,” says Říkovský. “In recent years, Prague’s gastronomic scene...
Ovocný Světozor is more than just a confectionery. It was founded in 1992 but its tradition dates back to the 70’… Who among Prague’s residents would not know the Ovocný Světozor (Fruity Světozor) sweet shop chain with its offer of excellent cakes and other sweet delicacies and its renowned soft-serve strawberry-banana flavored ice-cream? Ovocný Světozor is renowned for its fruit cakes and ice-cream sundaes. Its offer also contains various whipped cream cakes and cheesecakes, pancakes, and waffles, but lovers of savory dishes need not fear, for they can choose from delicious open-faced sandwiches, wholegrain pastries, and more. At the Ovocný Světozor branches, you will of course also find a wide offer of warm and cold drinks including delicious milkshakes. All tortes, layer cakes, pastries, and tarts come directly from the bakery of the operator of the Ovocný Světozor sweet shops, the Hájek a Boušová Company founded in 1992, so you can be sure that you are savoring quality sweets. The quality of their products is also evident from the fact that the company supplies cakes and various kinds of ice cream to select hotels, restaurants, cafes, and sweet shops. Even when you feel a preference for savory delicacies you will...
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