The 58th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival gets underway on Friday in the west Bohemian spa town. Among the biggest stars to attend this year’s edition of the region’s biggest film event will be Hollywood actors Viggo Mortensen and Clive Owen, as well as Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh.

If you’ve ever visited the UNESCO-listed castle in the picturesque South Bohemian town of Český Krumlov, you can’t have failed to notice the brown bears living in the former moat of the castle complex. These ursine dwellers won’t be on display for too much longer however – after years of campaigning by animal welfare organisations, the National Heritage Institute has decided to end the centuries-long tradition by 2030. Český Krumlov is planning to seek an exemption.

Sculptor Petr Váňa has left his mark around Czechia. He made the replica of the 1650 Marian Column on Prague’s Old Town Square and has created dozens of sculptures for Czech churches, village squares and hilltops. He even has a statue underwater, at the bottom of the Slapy dam. Now he is working on a sculpture for Nelson Island in Antarctica.

After more than a century, the Apollo butterfly, one of Europe’s most threatened butterfly species, has returned to the Krkonoše Mountains, where it once used to thrive. Earlier this month, conservationists reintroduced the first 55 males of the rare species to several locations in the national park.

On June 25, Canadian embassy officials, dignitaries, and friends met at the Kaiserstein Palace in Prague to preemptively celebrate Canada Day, which is on July 1. Guests at the event highlighted the strong bonds between the two countries and the special need for transatlantic unity as Russia’s war on Ukraine continues.

A new exhibition in Prague explores Czechoslovak perspectives on the work of UK writer George Orwell, particularly his novel 1984. That dystopian classic, published 75 years ago this year, found a particular resonance among the country’s anti-Communist opposition.

Archaeologists from the Museum in Roudnice nad Labem have announced a rare discovery. While surveying a site in the small town of Budyně nad Ohří they came across a number of bronze artefacts, including pieces of jewellery, dating back over 3500 years.

Czechia’s footballers are preparing for a do-or-die clash with Turkey at the European Championship on Wednesday. Coach Ivan Hašek insists his team will do their utmost to win their final group game, but recent history suggests getting past the Turks may not be easy.

On Friday afternoon the Czech lower house finally approved a bill that has been years in the making – the introduction of postal voting for citizens living abroad. Czech expatriates have been waiting decades for this change to happen.

Members of Sokol, a Czech physical fitness organisation with branches the world over, are descending on Prague for the 17th All Sokol Slet, or jamboree, due to start on Sunday. Among the 20,000 enthusiasts due to attend is Joan Sedlacek, a dedicated chronicler of Sokol activities in the United States.