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The Czech pop-rock group Chinaski formed way back in the late 1980s and though they didn’t find a broad audience until the mid-2000s, they have consistently been one of the country’s most popular groups ever since. This autumn they will set off on a tour around the Czech Republic that will take them to a number of cities and towns where they either haven’t previously appeared or haven’t played in a long time.

After a pause of 16 years, one of the most popular Czech bands, Lucie, is releasing a new album. The band, which enjoyed the biggest popularity in the 1990s, is also embarking on a tour around Czech and Slovak cities.

What were some of the biggest hits and key songs of 1968, the year Czechoslovakia’s dreams of a freer society were crushed?

Ninety years ago to this day, on the 12th of August, 1928, Leoš Janáček, one of the most significant Czech composers, died in a hospital in Ostrava. He was brought there from his native Hukvaldy in North Moravia, where he was spending his holidays. The native region was a major inspiration for Janáček. He was interested not only in folk songs, but he also heard musical motives in the melody of the local dialect.

Summer is here with a vengeance, temperatures are hitting 37 degrees Celsius in the Czech Republic and holiday makers are heading for the country’s lakes and rivers or high up in the mountains to cool down. This week’s Sunday Music show presents some of the best-loved summer pop music hits reflecting the lazy, relaxed atmosphere of long summer days in the countryside.

Tramping is a phenomenon that influenced the lives of tens of thousands of Czechs. Young people who dreamed of the freedom of the Wild West, spent time outdoors, engaging in sporting activities, building log cabins and settlements. The birth of tramping is in fact linked to the tramp settlement Lost Hope near Svatojánské proudy (one of the most picturesque stretches of the Vltava River) in 1918.

Renowned Czech musician Iva Bittová turns 60 on July 22nd. An excellent singer, violinist and composer, Bittová has never focused on one particular genre. She plays and sings folk music, jazz, rock as well as opera. She has also starred in several Czech films and appeared on stage at home and abroad.

Traveling music festival Hrady CZ gets underway at the castle of Točník.

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on Friday paid tribute to the work of the late Czech film director Miloš Forman. Forman had a knack for making great movies, be it on a generous Hollywood budget or a skimpy one in communist Czechoslovakia, with censors on his back. And music was an indelible part of the film magic he weaved.

Czech Radio’s Hit of the Century poll has reached the final. Since January listeners in the Czech Republic and elsewhere have been choosing from among the best songs released in the Czech lands from 1918 to the present day. Why does the “Czech century” begin in that year? It’s very simple. On 28 October 1918 Czechoslovakia declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. While Czechoslovakia as the common state of Czechs and Slovaks has ceased to exist, Czechs regard 1918 as the start of their modern statehood. Symbolically, a number