Debate is still going on over whether to knock down Prague’s Vyšehrad Railway Bridge. Some interested parties say it may only remain in place if it is expanded from the current two tracks to three. However, the group Nebourat (Don’t Demolish) on Wednesday presented data on the bridge’s capacity that they say proves even that change is unneeded. I spoke to Nebourat’s Pavel Štorch, who is a Green Party politician.

A group of Czech specialists have teamed up with conservation workers at the Mkomazi National Park in Tanzania to track and study the movement of lions. The team placed trackable collars on selected lions this past October in order to collect data that will help conservation workers protect them. I spoke with Michal Šťastný from Dvůr Králové Safari Park about the initiative.

A team of enthusiasts from Oslavany near Brno are building a replica of a Viking boat from the 12th century. The eight-metre boat is called Gislinge, after the Danish village where the original was discovered, and should be launched in the spring of next year.

Vincenz Priessnitz, the founder of modern hydrotherapy, was born in the Olomouc Region. He founded a spa near the town of Jeseník that successfully applies his curative methods to this day.

Mapamátky is a Czech association dedicated to popularising Prague’s architecture. As part of their activity, they created a web app motivating people to go outside and explore the city. It originated during the Covid lockdown as a university assignment, and has since developed into a professional project, offering more than a dozen thematic walks through the Czech capital that can be downloaded for free. Mapamátky, which combines the Czech words for maps and sites, recently launched its English version. On the occasion, I discussed the project with one of its founders, Marie Zákostelecká:

Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský on Monday met for talks with his newly-appointed Slovak counterpart Juraj Blanár from the ruling SMER party, which has indicated a U-turn in the country’s support for Ukraine. The meeting was viewed as an indicator of how far the change-of-guard in Slovakia could cool relations between the neighbor states and the Visegrad Group.

Bring Them Home Now! is the title of a gathering set for Prague’s Wenceslas Square on Tuesday evening demanding the release of the over 200 hostages still being held by Hamas, exactly a month after its brutal attacks on Israel. Ahead of the rally I spoke to one of its organisers, Israeli student Goni Biran.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala left Prague on Friday for an eight-day trip to Africa, during which he is visiting the east and west African countries of Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. Although primarily a trade mission, the trip is also intended to deepen cooperation in other areas such as security and migration.

The week of the Czech Academy of Sciences started on Monday, commencing six days of programming that presents the latest and most important findings of modern scientific research in Czechia. Around 400 events are taking place in 22 locations around the country. Eliška Zvolánková from the press department of the Academy of Sciences told me more.

One of biggest construction projects in Prague at present is the renovation and extension of the city centre Savarin Palace. Behind the 1.7 hectare complex, which should house Alphonse Mucha’s Slav Epic, are developers Crestyl, who are also creating the capital’s new Hagibor housing complex. The firm’s COO and managing director for Czechia is Englishman Simon Johnson. For the lowdown on its projects – and his own background – I spoke to Johnson at Prague Crestyl’s HQ at the highly impressive Libeň Dock, which the company also built.