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Sixteen years after the fall of communism, state-run psychiatric care in the Czech Republic still has not managed to completely shake off the stigma of being misused as well as neglected by the regime. Although much has been done in the last years, many critics still say mental hospitals - many of them built a century ago - are still worlds of their own, cut off from normal life. The Bohnice mental hospital in Prague has decided to show the public that despite a difficult financial situation, it offers more than a bed and medication to its

The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) has brought over 1,000 American experts in tourism to Prague this week. Their goal is to become specialists on the Czech Republic and other Central European countries with the help of sightseeing tours, seminars, and a trade fair at which Czech and Central European travel agencies are presenting their holiday packages.

On Tuesday, Prague city councillors officially approved plans for a new pavilion to be built just within Prague's Stromovka Park. An ultra-modern structure, the building has been planned for one reason: to house a famous series of paintings created by Czech art nouveau painter Alphonse Mucha, the Slav Epic. Completed in 1928, the series celebrates the mythical beginnings and legendary milestones in Slav history. Remarkably, until now the series has lacked a 'permanent' home. That will now change.

There has been a lot in the news in the last couple of years about proposed changes to the Czech criminal code. There were plans to lower the age of consent and criminal responsibility, the propagation of communism was going to become illegal, and even a suggestion that euthanasia might be allowed. But not now - after over a decade of preparation, the new criminal code has been thrown out the window, after meeting resistance from across the political spectrum.

Compared to ten years ago, the number of Czech men willing to pay for sex has rocketed. Night clubs in Prague attract many foreigners—including the numerous British stag party groups passing through the city—but Czech men now make up half of the clients in Prague's sex trade establishments. Since most men tend to believe that women practicing prostitution are willing participants, the Ministry of the Interior and the International Organization for Migration are planning to launch a joint awareness campaign beginning in May.

A traditional folk costume is something that can still be found in many a household, especially in those parts of the Czech Republic where folk traditions are still alive. But what do you do when your old costume is worn out or no longer fits? If you can't sew yourself, you can turn to professionals. A sewing shop in South Moravia which opened recently, says it can make virtually any costume from around the Czech Republic.

A reporter for the Czech daily Mlada Fronta Dnes, who was covering the presidential election in Belarus was attacked and beaten up on Sunday night just minutes after leaving a demonstration held in protest against what is widely viewed as a rigged presidential election.

Back in November Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda first suggested that the Czech Republic would invoke the EU's solidarity pact to pressure states like Canada to drop visa restrictions for the Czech Republic as an EU member. Now, the European Commission is reportedly weighing negotiations with individual states to eventually drop visa restrictions. But, Minister Svoboda has decided not to wait: on the domestic front at the weekend he again turned up the pressure, indicating that if the situation doesn't change, the Czech Republic would take

The Czech media made a grisly discovery last week - the exhumed remains of some four thousand German soldiers are being stored in a factory in North Bohemia. The remains were due to be reburied in a cemetery in Prague, but have been languishing in storage since the project ran out of money.

The war in Iraq has provoked much public reaction around the world since its outset in 2003, and Prague is no exception. In the years following the U.S. invasion, Czechs have demonstrated in the streets of Prague against what many see as a violation of international law. With Czech troops involved in the rebuilding process in Iraq, similar protests once again took place this year against the continued occupation.