Representatives of Prague 1 and the Prague City Gallery unveiled the renovated Václav Havel bench on Maltézské náměstí in Lesser Town. “The tree, around which the bench table is placed, has become thicker, so we had to give it more space,” described the director of the Prague City Gallery Magdalena Juříková. According to her, the modifications were made with the consent of the copyright holders. The bench has not been on the square for about a year. The Václav Havel bench on Maltézské náměstí was the first one in the Czech Republic. It was placed there on 1 May 2014, on the tenth anniversary of the Czech Republic’s accession to the EU. Each of the benches, which can be found, for example, in Washington, Dublin, Barcelona, Tel Aviv, but also in Pilsen, České Budějovice, and Hradec Králové, are a memorial place dedicated to Václav Havel, Juříková said. It consists of two chairs connected by a round table with a tree growing through the center. The construction of the Václav Havel benches is a worldwide project initiated by Petr Gandalovič, former Czech ambassador to the USA, together with architect and designer Bořek Šípek. The intention of this project is to create...
Thousands rallied in the Czech capital Wednesday to honor two Slovak gay men shot dead this month outside a bar in Slovakia, and demanded better protection of LGBTQ people and their families. The gathering in Prague´s central Wenceslas Square was held the same day the funerals of Matús Horváth and Juraj Vankulic were conducted in Slovakia. Police said they boosted their presence at the Prague rally after they detained a man who was threating to use a gun against the LGBTQ people at the square. “We want to live without fear,” one of the banners on display read. “A terrorist intentionally killed LGBTQ people,” said Czeslaw Walek, one of the organizers. “Only by accident did he not kill more.” Walek said some 17,000 people so far have signed a petition calling on the Czech government and Parliament to approve legislation that would give LGBTQ people the same protection that ethnic, racial and other minorities enjoy. The petition also demands that the country allows same-sex marriages. The two Slovaks were killed two weeks ago in front of a bar, which is a popular spot for the local LGBTQ community in the Slovak capital of Bratislava. The 19-year-old suspect was found dead....
The Illumination Park is an amazing winter attraction – a multimedia walk in a fairy-tale land created by light and sound. These types of attractions have been known in American botanical gardens for years. Now they are becoming more and more popular in Europe. Located near the Džbán swimming pool in Prague’s Šárecké údolí, you can visit a unique light attraction called Lumina Park. It is a 1.5-kilometer-long light trail full of illuminated and sound sculptures based on the motifs of Alice in Wonderland. Many light attractions await visitors, including a red bus, colorful balloons, bicycles, magic mushrooms, stars and birds, which are exciting scenery for unique shots. The trail consists of 18 stations, built of 20,000 light points and 20 km of electrical installations, for which 120 floodlights were used. “Lumina Park is built on energy-efficient LED technology and meets all energy standards. Its daily consumption is 45 kWh, which is comparable to about two pizza ovens. At the same time, it has an attraction that produces its own energy, said ” Karolína Steinerová from Baloo & Groot, the communications studio for Lumina Park. Standard ticket is CZK 220 on weekdays and CZK 250 on weekends. Lumina park also...
“Prague is built of stone and lime being the largest city considering trade, from the royal city came the Russians and Slavs with goods and from the Turkish countries the Muslims and Jews with their merchandise”. With these words written in the year 965, the traveler and Arab-Jewish merchant, Ibrahim Ibn Yaqub, offers us one of the first historical testimonies of the Jewish presence in Prague. However, this record does not answer an important question: for how long the People of Patriarchs have been living in this city? Our guide Berschowitz showed us in the Jewish cemetery in Žižkov, the tomb of the famous rabbi and philosopher Ezekiel Landau, who lived during 1713-1793, and we were told about the long and dramatic history of this community, one of the oldest in Europe. Going back in time and retracing the history of the Praguian Jews is a difficult task because the historical truth shortly blends with the oral tradition, inevitably crossing over the vague and uncertain territory of legends. According to one of the many various stories, the visionary queen Libuše prophesied the arrival of a foreign people in Bohemia as being a favorable event that would have brought good to...
Several Prague landmarks will celebrate the Oct. 28 holiday by offering free admission or having guided tours. Czech Senate The Senate offers a tour of its main building – the Valdstein Palace (Valdštejnské náměstí 17/4, Malá Strana) and the Kolovratský palác, (Nerudova 193/III, Malá Strana). Both sites will be open from 09:00 to 16:00. Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament (Poslanecká sněmovna) The Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament also opens its doors to visitors. During the hour-long guided tour, guests will be able to see the main meeting room, conference rooms of various committees and other areas. Tours will begin as groups are formed. Where: Malostranské náměstí č.19 When: 09:00 to 16:00 Lichtenštejnský palác Guests will be able to explore the rich interior of the Liechtenstein Palace on Kampa Island, now used for state events and accommodation of prominent political figures. Where: Lichtenštejnský palác, U Sovových mlýnů 506/4 , Prague 1 When: the guides will be waiting for guests from 09:00 till 17:00 (the last guided tour will start at 16:00). The tour will last about 40 minutes. Obecní dům This building is inextricably linked with the upcoming holiday. It was here that Czechoslovakia’s independence...
Charles Bridge Museum together with the City of Prague is holding St. Martin’s celebrations on Thursday 11th November. The celebration will start at 11.11 am. On this day, Czechs traditionally roast a goose and at exactly 11:11 they open the first bottles of young wine, which are called St. Martin’s (Svatomartinské víno). St. Martin was a Roman Catholic saint, the bishop of Tours, who lived in the years 316 – 397. The most-repeated story about his life says that while he was a soldier, he encountered a scantily dressed beggar at the gate of the city of Amiens. He cut his military woolen cloak in half and shared it with the freezing man. The following night he had a vision of Jesus Christ, surrounded by Angels, and arrayed in the half of the cloak. As a consequence of the experience, he received baptism, left the army and became a monk. People in the Czech republic associate the feast with the onset of winter and snow. There are a lot of proverbs in Czech, which feature predictions for the winter weather. According to the most popular saying, the first snowfall of the season can be expected on this day since Martin may...
LGBT+ organisations are set to hold a rally named “Together Against Violence” on Prague’s Wenceslas Square on Wednesday, October 26. The LGBT+ groups say they expect up to 10,000 people to attend the event, where speakers will include Roman Samotný, the owner of the Bratislava gay bar Tepláreň, outside which two young homosexual men were recently shot dead. Musicians such as David Koller, Emma Smetana and Jordan Haj will perform on the stage. What happened The shooting took place at the entrance of the gay bar Tepláreň in downtown Bratislava. In addition to the two persons shot dead, a third person was wounded in the attack. The suspect was identified as 19-year-old Juraj Krajčík, the son of a far-right politician. Before the shooting, Krajčík had posted anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-Semitic messages on Twitter. Following the tragedy, thousands took to the streets of Slovakia to protest against homophobia in the nation. President Zuzana Caputova shared her views at the march, stating: “Hate crimes are an attack on the whole society, of which the LGBTQI+ community is a valuable member.” From legal discrimination to institutionalized hate speech While the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, known collectively as the Visegrád Group, are all members of the European Union and have...
After 25 years, the prestigious Strings of Autumn Festival in Prague has renamed itself to Prague Sounds, yet in its newest form, it is still a festival without limits to genre. Only from now, it won’t be limited to only one season of the year. Prague Sounds The Festival in 2022 kicks off on October 23 with Snarky Puppy, a jubilant jazz-fusion big-band originally from Denton, Texas. They are a multicultural phenomenon also influenced by gospel and rhythm & blues; they’ve just won a Grammy (2021) for “Live at Royal Albert Hall” for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. On Sunday the 23rd, they’ll be at Lucerna Grand Ballroom. Other outstanding artist-musicians invited to Prague Sounds which runs till November 24th include Chris Thile, the Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble, the all-star Redman/Mehldau/McBride/Blade jazz quartet, Makaya McCraven, Laura Mvula, and Nils Frahm. Chris Thile is an American mandolin virtuoso from The Punch Brothers. He will be performing a solo recital of acoustic music from Bach to bluegrass and the blues at La Fabrika on Monday, Oct. 24th. The Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble from Berlin are an acoustic-classical trio or troupe of musicians recreating without electronics the deep house and minimalist techno music they...
The first shipment of trams to Kharkiv in the northeast of Ukraine is due to leave Prague on Thursday afternoon to help the city renew transport following the Russian onslaught. The trams will arrive in Ukraine in two days. In total, DPP will donate twenty trams and two buses to Ukraine, specifically to the city of Khmelnytskyy. “We were approached by several Ukrainian cities and we were able to meet the city representatives of Kharkiv, where similar types of trams are actually used and they know how to repair and modify them,” said Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Piráti). The convoy of trucks with trams will set off from Prague via Ostrava and Poland to Kharkiv. “The entire journey, including mandatory breaks for drivers, will take about two days. All four trucks will travel at the same time,” said DPP general director Petr Witowski. DPP is donating 5 T3SUCS trams, 15 T6A5 trams, which ceased operation in June last year, one Karosa B951 bus, and one Irisbus Citelis 18M articulated bus to Kharkiv City Transport Company. The trams will have to be modified. The wheel gauge needs to be changed because in Ukraine it is wider than in Prague. The donation of...
The first one-way ticket for the Paris metro began to be valid on July 19, 1900 at 13:00. It cost just 25 centimes in old money and gave the passenger a seat in first class. Now the iconic paper ticket costs 1.90 euros, or about 47 crowns. However, the city has decided to replace it entirely with smart cards or mobile phones as part of the modernisation from 2025. Gradual digitization The abolition of paper tickets in Prague is only in the distant horizon. At least according to Daniel Šabík, head of communications at the transport company. “We are not planning to stop selling paper tickets overnight. However, within the framework of distribution channels, we will go the way of further gradual digitalization," Šabík tells Metro daily, according to which, for example, contactless terminals are already being installed in city buses.” “The first of them should start working in November and by the end of this year all our buses will be equipped with them. By the end of this year, we plan to launch a pilot project in which coupons, including annual coupons, could be purchased cashlessly in ticket machines. And of course, we want to further strengthen purchases...
Día de Muertos is a holiday full of colour, skeletons, dancing, music and good cheer. This tradition is so culturally rich and exceptional that UNESCO included it in the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008. You can enjoy the Mexican Souls on 25 and 26 October at the Klementinum Gallery. There will be a traditional floral altar, guided tours and if you come themed, you can even take part in the Miss Catrina election. History of Day of the Dead The ancient indigenous people of Mexico have practiced rituals celebrating the lives of past ancestors for around 3,000 years. The celebration that is now known as Day of the Dead originally landed on the ninth month of the Aztec calendar and was observed for the entire month. In the 20th century, the month long festivities were condensed to 3 days called The Days of the Dead: Halloween on October 31, Day of the Innocents on November 1, and Day of the Dead on November 2. La Catrina is one of the most recognizable figures of Day of the Dead, a towering female skeleton with vibrant make up and a flamboyant feathery hat. The Lady of Death...
Korean cuisine is not well known in the Czech Republic, but it deserves to be explored. With three locations around Prague, Bab Ryze offers a great cross-section of Korean dishes that are worth trying. Bab Ryze Restaurant is totally authentic, staffed by Koreans who clearly have a positive relationship with food. Everything I tried was very tasty, and without compromising Czech flavors. I placed my order through Dáme jídlo and the courier arrived as planned. The food was packaged well, nothing leaked, and the trick with the portions wrapped in foil ensured that the dishes were really hot. But let’s get back to Korean gastronomy itself. You’ll find influences from other Asian countries, so there’s no shortage of fried dumplings for example on the appetizer menu. The Gun-mandu dumplings stuffed with mushrooms and leeks were pleasantly crispy, very well seasoned, and accompanied by a dipping sauce (6 pieces for 119 CZK). I wanted to taste as many dishes as possible, so I ordered 3 dishes from the main menu. In Korea, rice bowls topped with various vegetables, meat, and egg yolk are very popular. I opted for a slightly unconventional version without meat. Kimchi Al-bab (189 CZK) is a rice...
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