Panorama | All stories

In Prague’s Old Town, on the corner of Celetná Street and Ovocný trh, you will find the House of the Black Madonna, one of the most distinctive structures in a city known for its unparalleled mix of architectural styles. It was the first building in the rare Cubist style of architecture strongly associated with the city, and today houses a Cubist museum.

Hidden away on a narrow street in the Old Town, between Betlémské náměstí and the river, you will find a Prague institution. U Salvátora, a tiny kořenářství (spice shop), has been selling seasoning to the city’s residents for several decades. Indeed, entering the fragrant store feels very much like going back in time.

Dall Wilson is a member of the Moravian Brothers in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a city where they have a strong tradition. Mr Wilson is an expert on the church and is planning a documentary about their origins in what is now the Czech Republic. He offers a potted history of the Protestant denomination, starting with how they found shelter in the free town of Herrnhut in Saxony in the 18th century.

Prague’s Villa Bílek, an intriguing piece of modern architecture, has opened to the public after two years of renovation. Designed by the Czech Art Nouveau artist František Bílek as his studio and family home, it stands out as one of the more unusual architectural landmarks of the capital, reflecting Bílek’s vision of a “stronghold of a higher realm”.

A recently opened exhibition in Prague turns the spotlight on science fiction in Czechoslovakia between the late 1940s and the late 1970s, when countless magazines, books and films promised a bright, socialist future – in space.

Among the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Czech Republic enjoys the reputation of a safe haven for cannabis users, with more than half of the country’s adult population admitting to have used the drug. But it was only this past weekend that Prague hosted its first international hemp fair.

The charming and historic West Bohemian town of Bečov nad Teplou has just hosted its third international symposium showcasing the blacksmith’s craft. The two-day event gave the public the chance to get up close and feel the heat of the braziers as a series of top smiths showed that this is very much a craft making a comeback.

A 700-year old wedding is creating quite a stir in the Czech Republic. Exhibitions, lectures and a commemorative silver coin have all been lined up to mark the marriage which started a new dynasty of Bohemian kings. We look at the celebrations and the history behind them.

As the school year begins, an uncommon sort of festival for children kicks off on Prague’s ancient hill of Vyšehrad. “Vyšehrátky” as it’s called, a romp on the old high castle, offers no cotton candy, no tedious clowns and no mind-numbing kiddie rides. Instead it brings in schools and families for a more avant-garde approach to children’s entertainment organised by students of the Academy of Drama. In this week’s Panorama, Christian Falvey found that they know how to please a young audience.

Perhaps the most successful Czech documentary film studio, Febio, has produced over 1300 programmes since it was established in Prague in the early 1990s. At the height of its activity, its authors made over 100 film documentaries a year that were mostly screened by the country’s public broadcaster, Czech Television. But this week, Febio’s founder and director Fero Fenič announced the studio’s closure.