Panorama | All stories

The National Gallery in Prague is undergoing a restructuring in view of showing its collections to the best possible advantage and meeting the standards of a leading European art institution. The man masterminding this transformation is chief-curator Adam Budak who previously worked at the Kunsthaus in Graz, Austria and the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington DC.

Chocolate is high in demand ahead of St. Valentine’s Day, and sweetshops have pulled out all the stops to attract customers. However the real gourmets will head for one of the select chocolate shops that produce their own selection of products. One such shop is tucked away in Prague’s Kbely district and attracts passers-by with the eloquent name Passion Chocolate. Over a cup of creamy dark chocolate I asked its owner – Melinda – how chocolate became one of her life’s passions.

Czech wildlife experts from the Dvůr Králové Zoo, which is spearheading efforts to save the northern white rhino from extinction, are ringing alarm bells. With the number of specimens now down to five and a single male left from the species the possibilities for natural breeding are practically non-existent. I asked Jan Stejskal, in situ project coordinator at Dvůr Kralové Zoo, about the options left.

Michaela Hořejší is a young Czech designer whose ambition it is to bring a breath of fresh air into people’s homes. Her design studio Natureza provides customized interior design solutions that combine quality, beauty and a simple elegance. But, talking about her work she says that sometimes it is an uphill struggle to make her clients accept an unconventional solution. When I met up with Michaela I started by asking about her love of design and Nature.

Glenn Spicker is a successful businessman who was drawn to the Czech capital through an avid interest in the history and politics of this region. Once the fall of the Iron Curtain opened up borders he came to Prague and found a new life here, making good use of the opportunities that opened up in a post-communist city ready for a taste of the West. He recently visited Radio Prague’s studio to talk about his early days in Prague and his thriving business.

Traditionally, the close of the Christmas holidays kicks off the largest and most successful fund-raiser in the country. The Three Kings Collection involves thousands of children taking to the streets in groups of three dressed as the Three Wise Men, singing carols and asking people to donate money to charity. The Three Kings Collection organized by Charita Czech Republic is the largest and most trusted charity event in the Czech Republic and one that reflects the true Christmas spirit. Jarmila Lomozová of Charita, Czech Republic came to the studio

Among the many Christmas events underway in Prague at this time of year is an exhibition of nativity scenes and bells at Bethlehem Chapel in the city centre. Hidden deep in the bowels of the chapel, the exhibition is light years away from the bright lights and bustling city life above. Everything on display is hand made –from wood carved nativity scenes to Christmas decorations made of lace – and it transports visitors to the Christmases of days-gone-by. My guide around the exhibition Hanka Drahošová says this is the place to come for the real Christmas

Czech animal rights activists have been ringing alarm bells over the horrific business of puppy farming within which dogs are bred in abominable conditions in Central and Eastern Europe and transported for sale wherever there is demand for them. A petition for the Czech authorities to clamp down on this illegal business has now been signed by 16,000 people and NGOs are pushing to raise awareness of the problem among the public. I spoke to Martina Načeradská, a Czech vet who is actively involved in the fight against puppy farms, about the

Diving into the freezing cold waters of the Vltava River is not most people’s idea of fun. But for members of the Association of Czech Hardy Men and Women and other Polar Bear clubs around the country it is a way of life. Cold showers, winter swimming outdoors and other Spartan ways of adapting to the cold are still practiced by hundreds of Czechs who swear it makes them happier, healthier and generally more resilient.

Europe’s large predators were hunted into extinction in the early 1900s, but due to changing conditions and better protection wolves, bears and lynxes are slowly returning to countries across the Old Continent. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature the number of wolves in Europe have quadrupled in the past three decades to an estimated 25,000 animals. To find out which of these predators have returned to the Czech Republic I spoke to Josefa Volfová of Friends of the Earth.