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A well-known 19th century student song sings about Putimska brana - one of the three historic gates in the town walls around Pisek. Only a remnant of the gate is preserved to this day and the town has long expanded beyond its medieval defensive walls.

It is mostly because of disagreements with the Czech Republic's fiercely anti-nuclear neighbour Austria that the South Bohemian nuclear power plant Temelin is so often mentioned in the Czech media, including Radio Prague. For this week's Spotlight, I travelled to Temelin to see the site for myself and to speak to Milan Musak, the plant's Communication Department Head.

If you want to see something else than just another historical sight crowded with tourists, visit the north Bohemian town of Ceska Lipa about two hours drive from Prague to get a more genuine taste of the Czech Republic. Ceska Lipa suffered a similar fate as many other towns in the border region and reflects very well the turbulent post-war development of the country. For those who prefer nature to history, there is also plenty to see.

Hradec Kralove lies on the spectacular confluence of the Elbe and Orlice Rivers, about 100 km east of Prague. This extraordinarily pretty town boasts a rich architectural heritage, especially in its historical quarter where handsome renaissance buildings testify to the wealth and status the town enjoyed thanks to the trade that used to pass through en route to Silesia.

The picturesque town of Prostejov lies in Moravia's Hana region, near the town of Olomouc. Sitting on a key trade route connecting Europe's south with Europe's north, Prostejov has become an important centre of culture, trade, and industry. In a past edition of Spotlight, we took a tour of the town's National Theatre House; today, we find out more about Prostejov's history and take a brief look at some of the other places that are worth a visit.

434.2186 is the number of a famous historic locomotive that has appeared in countless Czech films including "Pani Kluci" about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, a favourite among children and adults. Last Saturday visitors to Prague's Main Station were able to see the jet-black steam engine prepare for a rare but much anticipated journey along part of one of the most picturesque routes in the Czech Republic.

In this week's Spotlight we will travel to the small town of Stara Boleslav just northeast of Prague. According to legend, it was in this town that the Premyslid Prince Wenceslas, later St Wenceslas, was slain by his own brother Boleslav in the 10th century.

In Spotlight this week, we go to Vyskov, a town of 23,000 inhabitants, which lies about half an hour's drive from the Moravian capital of Brno. The first written reference to Vyskov dates back to 1141, where its name appears on an ecclesiastical document. By the thirteenth century, Vyskov was listed as part of the property of the Bishop of Olomouc and it was prosperous enough to be considered one of the bishopric's most important towns by the fourteenth century.

Welcome to Prague Airport located just east of the capital. All it takes is a thirty-minute metro and bus ride from the centre of Prague to get to a place which connects the Czech capital with the rest of the world. Where there were fields just a few decades ago, you get off the bus in the middle of a steel and glass airport city. It's hard to believe that the history of the Prague airport goes back seventy years.

Without question the town of Kutna Hora in central Bohemia is a must-see destination for anyone visiting the Czech Republic, a town with a long and fascinating history. In the 13th and 14th centuries the site became increasingly famous for silver deposits, which attracted miners and eventually accounted for as much as a third of all the silver production in Europe.