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The Czech Philharmonic commemorated its 120 anniversary on Monday by recreating its famous first concert of January 4, 1896, featuring the music of the great Czech composer Antonín Dvořák. Then, Dvořák himself conducted; 120 years later it was the acclaimed Jiří Bělohlávek.

With the onset of winter conditions for migrants have severely worsened. Greece was the fifth country to activate the EU Civil Protection Mechanism asking EU member states for humanitarian aid to help deal with the influx of refugees to its shores. Among the countries to respond to the request is the Czech Republic which is sending relief aid to the tune of 4.2 million crowns.

The Czech economy was one of the fastest growing in Europe last year and, while it might catch a breath in 2016, wealth creation should still be strong. One of the major questions for both exporters and those targeting the domestic market is whether the central bank’s low crown policy will be cut short or prolonged.

On January 1st, the Brdy military training area, a vast more than 35,000 hectare stretch of land between Prague and Plzeň, is to formally become a nature reserve after spending decades as an off-limits military training area. I spoke with Vojtěch Kotecký of the Glopolis think tank, and began by asking him to explain the story behind this transformation:

The tributes have flowed in from across the European footballing world after the shock news that former Czech and Newcastle goalkeeper Pavel Srníček died on Tuesday at the age of 47. Srníček was capped for his country 49 times from the mid 1990s to 2002 but was best known for his role between the posts for his beloved Newcastle United.

A new law due to come in force next year will enable car owners to order personalized license plates for the price of 10,000 crowns. Custom license plate numbers will be issued on a first come, first served basis and there will be a number of restrictions.

The Czech government’s Human Rights Council is to ask legislators to pass new laws preventing children younger than seven from ending up in institutionalized care. Instead, at risk or unwanted children will be placed in family or foster homes, with institutionalization only occurring as a last resort.

Czech president Miloš Zeman has used his annual Christmas message to reiterate his strong opposition to Europe’s migration policies. Echoing sentiments previously expressed during the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution on November 17, the Czech president warned of a Trojan horse-like organised invasion of Europe, and accused migrants of running after welfare benefits instead of fighting against Islamic State.

Tanks of live carp are currently to be seen on streets around the Czech Republic, with some Czechs taking the traditional Christmas food home alive and others having them butchered on the spot. Not everybody approves of the custom and animal rights activists have been staging dramatic protests against a practice they regard as extremely cruel.

Recently a Czech hotel owner published a call on his Facebook page in a bid to highlight the true meaning of Christmas – offering free stays at his mountain hotel over the festive period to those who couldn’t afford it otherwise. The reaction triggered by the novel gesture has been enormous.