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For the second year now the city of Brno has hosted a week-long festival commemorating its rich multicultural past. The Moravian capital, once home to large German and Jewish communities was deprived of its minorities during and in the aftermath of the Second World War. Under the umbrella title “Meeting Brno” the festival’s multiple events try to shed light onto some of the glorious as well as painful moments in the city’s history and discuss the issues of guilt, revenge, justice, forgiveness and reconciliation.

Did you know that some of the best marmalades are produced in the Czech Republic? At least according to a prestigious British competition called World’s Original Marmalade Awards 2017, which recently took place in Britain’s Cumbria. Marmalades produced by Jozefína Růžičková from South Bohemia won nine medals in competition with over 2,000 marmalade makers from around the world. What’s more, her products are now being sold by Fortnum & Mason, one of the most luxurious department stores in London. I spoke to Jozefína Růžičková during her visit to

Psychiatric care in Central and Eastern Europe, including the Czech Republic, is ineffective and heavily underfinanced, suggests an international study, which has just been published in the prestigious US journal The Lancet Psychiatry. In most of the post-Communist countries, mental health care still relies on large psychiatric hospitals and there is a huge stigma connected to mental health problems. I spoke to Doctor Petr Winkler from the National Institute of Mental Health, who headed the international team of experts, and I first asked him to

Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša was recently appointed one of the two principal guest conductors at London's Philharmonia Orchestra. Simultaneously, Jakub Hrůša is the Chief Conductor of Bamberg Symphony, Permanent Guest Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic and Principal Guest Conductor of Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. I contacted him by phone in Paris, where he is currently on tour and first asked him when he became involved with music:

The London-based Studio deFORM, run by two young Czech designers Václav Mlynář and Jakub Pollág, has been voted the overall winner of this year’s Czech Grand Design award. The studio, which designs interiors and commercial spaces and is also active in the advertising sphere, has been awarded for its interactive game for children called Koski, and for the Zig-Zag shelf made for the Swedish studio Hem. I spoke to one of the company’s founders, Václav Mlynář, and I first asked him why they decided to study in London and eventually move there:

On the first day of spring, a new space dedicated to the use of medicinal plants opened its doors to the public in Prague’s Žižkov district. The Haenke Botanical Lab named after a famous Czech botanist and explorer, was established by French pharmacist Julien Antih. His aim is to spark a broad debate about the use of medicinal plants in science, arts and urban design. Apart from herbs and plants, the space will offer a variety of workshops, public debates as well as concerts and art installations. Ruth Fraňková went to have a look:

Petra Dočekalová is a graduate of the Typography Studio at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. Her calligraphy thesis, in which she developed her own handwritten scripts, has recently won two prestigious international awards, including the certificate of Typographic Excellence 2017 from the Type Directors Club. I met with Petra Dočekalová in her studio, hidden in a backyard just a few steps from Prague’s Old Town Square, and I first asked her why she chose calligraphy as the topic of her thesis:

Eco-friendly hotels, bike-rentals, vegan and raw restaurants or local design boutiques, all that and much more can found in a new guide to Prague, called the Green City Guide. Written by two young eco-conscious women, the guide offers sustainable alternatives to travellers visiting the Czech capital. When I met with the authors of Prague Green City Guide, Aneta Hebrová and Jennifer Day, I first asked them to introduce it in more detail:

Mardi Gras celebrations have been taking place around the country ahead of Ash Wednesday. The Czech Republic may be one of the most secular countries in Europe but Czechs love to observe traditions and while few people are likely to fast during the 40 day Lent period they celebrate Mardi Gras (or Masopust as it is called in Czech) with a vengeance.

At the age of just 23, Ondřej Kania has already established a successful agency that sends Czechs students to prestigious boarding schools in the United States and Canada and opened a private high-school in Prague. The young entrepreneur, who himself studied in the United States because he was dissatisfied with the Czech education system, has other plans in the works. In September, he is set to open the very first American high-school in central Europe. When I met with Ondřej Kania, I asked him how he came to set up a school at an age when most