Spotlight | All stories

The days of autumn are upon us now here in the Czech Republic but today's Spotlight takes us back to the days of summer, specifically a mild day in late August. The location is southern Bohemia, the town of Strakonice, with a history and ancient castle that go back to the 2nd half of the 12th century. Outside the castle walls a medieval fair is taking place.

Rising like a futuristic space ship above the old working class quarter of Zizkov, is one of Prague's most interesting, if controversial, buildings - Zizkov TV tower. The TV tower is, at 216 metres, the tallest building in the city, and they say on a clear day it can be seen from a full 100 kilometres away. Often regarded as a relic of the communist era, Zizkov TV tower wasn't actually completed until ten years ago, in 1992.

Almost two months ago the Prague district of Karlin was seen on TV screens around the world, when the worst floods to hit the Czech Republic in hundreds of years put the district two or three metres under water. No other district of Prague suffered as much during the floods, and local people are still having to get by without shops, restaurants or public transport. Two houses in Karlin collapsed and others had to be demolished due to the structural damage caused by the floods. Some unfortunate residents are still awaiting a decision on the fate

If you were to hold a competition for the world's most musical mountain village, then I think the little community of Paseky nad Jizerou in north eastern Bohemia would be a pretty strong candidate. That's where we're travelling in today's show.

The picturesque town of Cesky Krumlov in south Bohemia is built on the Vltava river, which was an important trade route from the Early Middle Ages. After severe flooding over a hundred years ago, the residents of the town created flood defences, which - sadly - were not enough to withstand the rising Vltava, when, in the middle of August, the Czech Republic was hit by the worst floods in centuries.

In Spotlight this week, Ian Willoughby visits the enchanting Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague's Josefov district, which was a Jewish ghetto from the mid-13th century. The famous cemetery is one of the oldest in Europe, and is the resting place of among others Rabbi Leow, who legend has it created a Golem out of mud from the nearby Vltava river. See parts of the cemetery closed to tourists in a fascinating edition of Spotlight.

Five years ago, severe flooding hit North Moravia. The district of Hrusov - in the city of Ostrava - was particularly hard hit. Dozens of families - from both the majority Czech population and the Roma minority - were made homeless, and Hrusov's integrated community was destroyed. But as Rob Cameron reports in this week's edition of Spotlight, one man is trying to put that community back together again - in a brand new village called "Coexistence".

In this week's Spotlight, Peter Smith takes part in one of the oldest traditions here in the Czech Republic - wild boar hunting. The hunt begins with beer and goulash in the pub before getting more serious, as Peter and the other hunters (the oldest of whom is over 90) pit themselves against one of the most dangerous

Mala Strana's Kampa Island is one of the most popular places in Prague and is visited by millions of people every year. However, few of them can know as much about Kampa as our guide in this week's Spotlight, preservationist Martin Krise. Mr Krise shows us the ruins of the precursor to the Charles Bridge, the Judith Bridge, tells us where we can find a decently-priced beer, and discusses some of the issues which make Prague preservationists see red. And you may be surprised to learn who created Kampa park. That's all in Spotlight with Ian Willoughby.

In this week's Spotlight Jan Velinger attends a performance of Renaissance dance by the "Slojir" dance group, held in Prague's Little Quarter. The performance was part of an intensive experiential course - aimed at providing American students visiting the Czech Republic with a feel for the Czech Republic's history and culture.