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This Saturday marks exactly 100 years since the destruction of one of Prague’s then best-known landmarks, a Marian column on Old Town Square. The monumental Baroque structure was built in 1650 in gratitude for the end of the Thirty Year’s War. But more than 250 years later, it was torn down by an angry mob, which saw it as a symbol of the Habsburg takeover of the Czech lands.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš says he will suggest to government that the Czech Republic doesn’t sign the UN’s Global Compact for Migration, citing ambiguities in its interpretation. The decision mirrors those concluded by the Czech Republic’s central European neighbours Austria and Hungary who have already announced they will not sign the agreement.

In a bid to help smaller Czech brewers of traditional-style lagers gain a foothold in the United Kingdom – a discerning beer-loving nation if there ever was one – state agency CzechTrade has teamed up with major British distributors on a pilot project introducing a new category: ‘Bohemian Real Lager’.

Politicians, MPs, experts on security and defence and foreign guests assembled at a conference on security at Prague Castle on Thursday. The conference addressed not only present-day security threats but the links between security and democracy, or the state of the economy.

Prague is the second most sustainable city in Central and Eastern Europe after Vienna, suggests the Sustainable Cities Index, put together by international consultancy company Arcadis. In comparison with major cities around the world, it has placed 23rd. The index, which is put together every two years, describes the Czech capital as a “balanced innovator.” I asked Jan Jurčíček, head of marketing at Arcadis, to explain what that means in more detail:

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has confirmed that the government may put off a decision on how to fund new nuclear reactors for the power utility ČEZ by extending the lifespan of the Dukovany power plant by ten years. The news has brought a cautious response from ČEZ and criticism from the opposition benches.

One of the many successful exhibitions marking the 100th anniversary of Czechoslovakia is Mini Wonders, which explores the evolution of Czech toy design over the past century. The iconic Czech toys, including the inflatable animal-shaped seats produced by the company Fatra, have already been shown at Czech centres in Tokyo, Jerusalem, London and Prague, and will now travel to Moscow, Warsaw and Bratislava.

The fourth Food Film Festival brought documentaries from around the world to Prague’s National Technical Library over the weekend. Morgan Childs visited the one-day event to find out what it had to offer.

The Czech Republic capped of celebrations of the 100th anniversary of Czechoslovakia’s founding on Sunday with display of fireworks – and firepower – after a weekend packed full of parades, memorial acts and speeches, and concerts, as well as a dazzling video mapping on the façade of the newly re-opened National Museum atop Prague’s iconic Wenceslas Square.

Sunday’s celebrations of 100 years of Czechoslovak independence will also bear witness to the traditional state decorations ceremony at Prague Castle, which President Miloš Zeman will bestow on selected members of the public. This year’s recipients include universally respected personalities such as the two-time Olympic gold medallist, Ester Ledecká, retired tennis player Radek Štěpánek, or head of the anti-Nazi resistance movement, Josef Bílý, but also controversial figures including businessman Pavol Krúpa and singer Michal David.