Spotlight | All stories

Welcome to Spotlight. I'm . This week I take you to one of the jewels of southern Bohemia, the town of Cesky Krumlov, which boasts one of the finest Baroque theatres in all of Europe. The theatre is almost something of a secret at the town's famous castle complex, although it can be seen as part of Cesky Krumlov Castle tours in the spring and summer. For lovers of the Baroque I cannot recommend it more highly: as you will hear shortly the theatre offers one of the most splendid visions of the Baroque period one could hope to see: a wide candle-lit stage, made dreamy by the low light and wondrous hazy backdrops, inviting you to enter hidden playful worlds. Join me now as I talk to Dr Pavel Slavko, who is the head of Cesky Krumlov Castle administration, and is a man who certainly loves his theatre.

In this week's Spotlight Radio Prague's visits the northern Bohemian town of Teplice. Situated 90 km from Prague, between the Kruné hory mountain range and the foothills of the Bohemia Central Highlands it houses the oldest spa in Central Europe. Radio Prague visited the Teplice spa, famous for its hot springs, the Regional Museum, now housed in the Teplice castle and the Teplice theatre.

This week, goes on a beer odyssey to the West Bohemian city of Plzen, birthplace of the modern brewing tradition and home of the country's highly popular Pilsner Urquell and Gambrinus beers. How small is the smallest barrel in the world? What's the Pope favourite brew? And what on earth is "beer money"? Click here to find out more...

This week, takes a stroll through the city of Vienna, the former hub of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The city has lost little of its imperial charm, and is still famous for its opera, cafes and Wienerschnitzel. But what many people don't know is that Vienna has over the centuries attracted large numbers of Czechs: a quick glance at the Vienna telephone directory reveals thousands of Czech names.

In this week's edition of Spotlight, takes you to Dr. Stuart's Botanicus, an organic garden complex and historic working village of Bohemian arts and crafts in Ostra by Lysa nad Labem, Central Bohemia.

The Broumov region is a rugged, mountainous pocket of land which juts out from the Czech Republic's north-east border into neighbouring Poland. A good two and half hours from Prague on winding minor roads, the region is well off the tourist trail for both Czech and foreign tourists and receives little in the way of investment or attention from the media. But a group of local inhabitants are determined to put the Broumov region - home to a collection of unique 18th century churches and a wild, poetic landscape - back on the map.

To listen to this report in Real Audio, click here:

In this edition of Spotlight we join for a boat trip down the Czech Republic's only navigable man-made waterway, the - and on the way we hear about a project to turn water into slivovitz!

This week, takes a look at the city of Prague.

This week, meets ticket touts and tour guides in the first of this two part Spotlight on the capital, Prague...