Panorama | All stories

“Gothic and baroque architecture, winding cobbled streets, horse-drawn carriages– a city steeped in history and romance” - the Czech capital is not hard to sell as an attractive tourist destination. Now Czech Tourism is going further – it is presenting Prague and its surroundings as an ideal wedding destination.

The Czech branch of Doctors without Borders was established in 2006 and has grown rapidly in the five years of its existence. In 2011 it sent volunteers to 48 missions in twenty-one countries, not only doctors, but nurses and logistic staff both from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. I spoke to its director Pavel Gruber about its early beginnings and present challenges.

In the early morning hours of Tuesday a crowd gathered to watch the release of a hot air balloon over Prague’s Libuše meteorological observatory in honour of the 100th anniversary of the discovery of cosmic rays by the young Austrian physicist Victor Franz Hess. But, more than anywhere else the anniversary is being marked in the town of Ustí nad Labem where Hess’ successful balloon flight took place exactly a century ago.

A British study has shown that Romany children who were placed in Czech special schools have no problems following the mainstream curriculum when they attend regular schools in the UK. The research, carried out buy the UK-based NGO Equality, is grist to the mill of critics calling for a fundamental change to the unfair Czech schooling system.

With the summer Olympics fast approaching Czechs are gauging their chances and reliving past triumphs. One of the highlights of these past successes was the 1952 triumph at the Olympic games in Helsinki when 30-year-old runner Emil Zátopek and his wife Dana bagged four gold medals in quick succession. Sixty years on Dana, now just weeks short of 90, recalls their incredible life together and the hard-won successes that made them a household name.

On Tuesday this week Prague’s Národní třída metro station –one of the busiest in the city centre –closed its doors to the public for two long years. The closure is due to a large developer’s project in the close vicinity of the station where work has already started on a four-storey administrative and shopping centre.

Joan DeVee Dixon, pianist, organist, composer and Professor of Music at Frostburg State University in Maryland was one of the star performers at this year’ American Spring music festival organized by the International Dvorak Society. Joan, five-time recipient of the prestigious Individual Artist Award from the Maryland State Arts Council, is a prized musician who gives concert tours the world over, but despite a packed schedule, she has returned over and over to the Czech Republic. Earlier this week she came to the studio to talk about her music,

Deteriorating conditions in Czech prisons have elicited plenty of criticism in recent years and much has been said and written on the subject. However no one has addressed the issue more vocally or found a broader platform for his complaints than the former governor of central Bohemia, MP David Rath –the country’s most famous prisoner who is in custody awaiting trial on corruption charges.

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency ADRA is marking its 20th birthday in the Czech Republic. The Czech branch, set up in 1992, now provides aid both at home and abroad as well as organizing awareness-raising programs among primary school children. Dagmar Goldmannova, head of the Department for International Projects and Development Education, visited Radio Prague’s studio this week to talk about the agency’s achievements and plans for the future.

Over the past weekend, the Royal Gardens at Prague Castle remained closed to ordinary visitors as they hosted the annual Prague Food Festival – a celebration of good food and fine dining. In the course of three days around three dozen of the country’s best restaurants showcased their dishes, served at moderate prices to an appreciative public.