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This week I had the opportunity to visit a French brasserie here in the Czech capital, the site for the launch of a new Czech book about famous French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo. Written by Jiří Žák, the new book examines Belmondo’s life and career. Mr Žák, an actor himself, explains that Belmondo’s films, from Pierrot Le Fou to The Man from Rio have always been held in high regard by many Czechs, part of a broader fascination with French culture which has a long tradition here.

‘Kde domov můj’ or ‘Where is my home’ is a song familiar to every Czech, whether he lives at home or abroad. It is the Czech national anthem. However, this particular arrangement is not what Czechs are used to hearing when the flag is raised during official events. The well-known Czech conductor and composer Varhan Orchestrovič Bauer, whose work has featured in a number of films, decided to revamp the anthem and liven it up a little.

“I’m standing outside “Tančicí Dům” or “Dancing House” which is on the waterfront of the Vltava river pretty much in the centre of Prague. This is quite an unusual building for the centre of Prague because it is a modern building – it was designed by the Californian architect Frank O. Gehry. The spot on which it is built was bombed during WWII by Allied troops by mistake – they thought they were bombing Dresden. The location then remained an empty spot until after the Velvet Revolution. The building is actually located right next to the former flat

In this edition of the Arts, we look at this year’s Fresh Film Festival, the Czech Republic’s annual international showcase of movies made by students and debut directors, which was held in Karlovy Vary last week.

Prague is the city of hundred spires and countless historic sights, but what does it look like when you close your eyes? A new project called Favourite Sounds of Prague attempts to draw attention to the “soundscape” of the Czech capital, exploring how local people perceive the sounds that surround them. One of the fruits of the project will be an archive of sounds, something like an acoustic portrait of the city. The man behind the idea is British artist Peter Cusack, who has carried out similar projects in several cities across the world. The

Do you want to learn something about Czech history but have only an hour to spare? Well, it’s not impossible. A group of young actors from Prague have put together a theatrical show called History of Czechs in 68 Minutes. They have been staging the play at the Disk theatre, right in the city centre, luring the viewers among the crowds of tourists heading towards the Charles Bridge.

A walk down the High Street in Scotland’s capital Edinburgh might normally present you with scenic views and the chance to buy some whiskey and woolens. But not so during the month of August, when the thoroughfare is transformed by the city’s fringe festival and, more specifically, the hundreds of performers clambering to sell tickets to their shows. Now in its 61st year, the Edinburgh fringe is said to be the biggest arts festival on the planet, attracting performers and visitors from all over the globe. This year, more Czechs are on the bill

Vít Hořejš established the Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre in 1990 after coming into possession of old puppets that had been gathering dust for decades in the attic of an old Czech church. The group’s performances – often based on classic Czech tales – feature both puppets and live actors. When I visited its studio in Brooklyn, Vít, a Czech who’s been living in New York for decades, told me all about the origins and activities of the Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre.

Recently on Radio Prague we reported on the Czechs as a nation of dog-lovers: Ruth Fraňková reported about many peoples’ affection for our four-legged friends. Well, this week, in the Czech capital, many dog fans came into their own, with the return of Czech Pes Photo (Czech Dog Photo), which opened at Prague’s Josef Sudek Chamber Gallery on Tuesday. The show, now in its fourth year, parodies the prestigious Czech press photography competition known as Czech Press Photo. Traditionally it is put together by respected dog photographer Antonín Malý,

Petra Valentová is a Czech conceptual artist who’s been living in New York for some years. Her biggest project to date features an unusual combination of elements. Having developed an interest in the little-known Sami people from the far north of Europe, Petra – who was single – began looking on the internet for a Sami to date. That said, she didn’t expect to really find one – her search for a Sami was more symbolic than real. She got the guys she went out with to provide her with a recipe, which she later made with her friends, taking photographs