Panorama | All stories

Czechs do not eat a great deal of fish. However for some reason or other a great number of them are enthusiastic fish breeders. The Czech Republic belongs among the worlds’ three largest aquarium fish exporters. In fact, exports of aquarium fish have exceeded the country’s traditional exports of carp. According to data published by the Czech Statistical Office, Czechs exported around 240 tonnes of aquarium fish last year worth more than 400 million crowns (nearly 25 million US dollars) and experts say the figures are probably much higher. What

Since 1884, the Zátka Brothers’s plant in Boršov nad Vltavou, just south of České Budějovice in southern Bohemia, has been producing noodles, spaghetti, macaroni and other types of pasta. The small factory on the bank of the Vltava River, survived two world wars as well as totalitarianism, and is one of the few remaining witnesses to efforts by the first wave of Czech industrialists. In this edition of Panorama, we take a tour of the oldest Czech pasta plant.

Alcohol and drug-abuse and addiction continue to grow in the Czech Republic, especially among many young people, who, for various reasons turn to drugs and alcohol to escape. All too often, many end up hitting rock bottom, a bitter reality that Monika Plocová knows well. The 42-year-old therapist works with groups of alcoholics and drug addicts at the Bohnice psychiatric hospital, helping them try and beat their addiction. She has published several books on the subject and herself battled alcoholism before undergoing treatment nine years ago and

People come to the South Moravian town of Mikulov, located right on the border with Austria, for many things – historic monuments, folklore, and wine. But only few would expect that the town boasts a large collection of contemporary art, created during 15 years of summer art symposiums. The Mikulov Art Symposium “dílna” or workshop concluded its 15th year at the weekend with an exhibition of this year’s works at Mikulov chateau.

In this edition of Panorama we meet some of those teaching and studying Czech at two of New York’s most prestigious universities. Our first stop is Columbia University, where Professor Christopher Harwood teaches both the Czech language and Czech studies. How do enrolments compare for both classes?

Old red and white trams are just as much a part of the Czech capital as Prague Castle or Charles Bridge. The metro is definitely faster and more comfortable, but it doesn’t offer the same views as trams do. Besides, the metro stops at midnight while trams can carry you home at any time of the day and night, that is of course, if you live close enough to the railway tracks. So, when did trams first appear in the streets of Prague? And what is it like to be at the controls of a tram?

The first New York Sokol opened its doors in 1867, only five years after the Sokol youth and gymnastics organisation was founded in Prague as an important element in the Czech National Revival nationalist movement. Sokol New York’s homely sports and social hall is on East 71st St in Manhattan. But that wasn’t the group’s first location.

One thing you can hardly fail to notice if you visit Prague is the number of dogs in the streets. According to recent statistics, nearly 40 percent of people here in the Czech Republic own a dog, which is more than in France, Britain or Germany. More than 20 percent of those who don’t have a dog yet are actually thinking about getting one in the future, suggests research by the Median agency. So, why exactly are Czechs a nation of dog lovers? And what do they expect from their furry friends?

What should you do when the heat, the dust, and the stuffiness of the capital all gets too much? Well, for this week’s Panorama, I left Prague in a bid to make my own ice cream. But before you start thinking that I swapped Prague for Pisa, or Palermo or Perugia, well, stop. My journey took me much less far afield. To the outskirts of Brno, to be precise.

Many in the Czech Republic, which is home to the first pilsner, believe Czech beer is the best in the world. In the past, Czech brewers shared their expertise with the rest of world and breweries in countries as distant as Colombia, the United States, Turkey and Venezuela were built by Czech engineers. In this edition of Panorama, we look at the art of Czech brewing today.