Letter from Prague | All stories

Over a week ago, an international jury announced in Prague the winner of a tender for the project of the Czech National Library's new building. The jury decided unanimously that the project will be realised by the Czech-born, London-based architect Jan Kaplicky. The new library is expected to welcome the first readers in 2011 and the costs are estimated at over 2 billion crowns (93 million dollars).

There was something in the paper this week about how used clothing stores in the Czech Republic have had their day: there are so many bargains to be had elsewhere now that Czechs are turning away from once ubiquitous secondhand shops.

Czechs love crazy competitions. Don't ask me why, because I have never heard of any sensible explanation. Maybe they just like the challenge involved. They are prepared to stuff themselves sick with dumplings, speed-drink gallons of beer or walk backwards for miles just to get into the Czech book of records. February 14th was Valentine's Day - and of course the challenge presented was obvious - who could resist the temptation to break the existing world record in kissing?

The Czech Police proudly announced last year that a new initiative would see the force more multi-cultural. Members of the country's biggest minority group, the Roma, would be motivated to join the force. In some districts in Moravia a number of Romanies are acting as social workers to help inform their communities about their rights. The aim of the police project though is to fight xenophobia within the rest of society.

For many years, I've been observing a rather unusual phenomenon taking place in Prague. Very likely, there is no other city whose counsellors and citizens hold such different views regarding the erection of monuments dedicated to the nation's favourite sons and daughters.

Any foreigner who has lived in the Czech Republic can tell you stories of how difficult it is to truly assimilate with the local population. No matter how well you learn the language or how many dumplings you can eat or beers you can drink, you will never be what Czechs call "nasinec" or "one of us."

Ballroom dancing has a long and rich tradition in Bohemia that has flowered here for decades: during Czechoslovakia's first republic, between the wars, even under communism, it never lost in intensity and social importance. My grandmother, who will turn 96 this year, attended lessons when she was just sixteen - as did both of my parents, and most of their colleagues and friends when they were teens. Ballroom dancing in Bohemia even today remains a fairly strong tradition and in many circles it is still pretty unthinkable not to know how to

A temperature record after temperature record is being broken this week. Looking out of the window, one would hardly guess it is the middle of January, supposedly the severest month in this part of the world. The human memory is short and although we cannot deny that winters have been generally mild these last few years, warm winters are not an entirely new phenomenon.

Around a month ago I was sitting in a café on Manesova Street, near the centre of Prague, when in walked a small blonde woman of about 40 and sat down at the table beside me. One doesn't like to stare of course, but she appeared to have two black eyes covered with slender strips of plaster. Minutes later another woman, a brunette, walked in wearing big, dark sunglasses and with a bandage on her nose. They both spoke with broad Geordie accents and I couldn't help but wonder about them. Were they friends united in misery who had escaped violent partners

So, another year has gone by - and although Santa was generous to us Czechs as usual - one thing he forgot to bring is a stable government. Still, over the extended holidays nobody seemed to miss it. As usual Czechs wallowed in a series of fairy tales where good triumphs over evil and where it all ends with a big wedding and a young, wise and capable king on the throne. However, when the nation shook off its collective hang-over at the start of this week it was clear that one thing had not changed - the Czech Republic was still the biggest non-governmental