This November will mark 60 years since the premiere of Closely Watched Trains, the Oscar-winning film by Jiří Menzel. The anniversary will be celebrated on 20 June in Loděnice, where a large part of the film was shot. Fans of the famous movie and the book it is based on can also explore the local Muzeum trati (Museum of the Railway Line), open from April till October.

The Regional Museum in Chrudim has opened an exhibition of works by the renowned Art Nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha. The collection of first edition posters, which captivated Paris in the late 1890s, is on show under the title Alphonse Mucha – Euphoria of Ornament.

Jakub Menšík's breakthrough season has reached another milestone. The Czech tennis star defeated Brazil's João Fonseca in straight sets to become the first Czech man in sixteen years to reach the semifinals at Roland Garros. Speaking after the match, Menšík highlighted the importance of his return game, mental strength and aggressive tactics as he prepares for a showdown with Alexander Zverev.

After over a decade of preparation, the Prague Council last week approved a new zoning plan for the city. What will it do to fix Prague’s shortage of new apartments? And does it factor in all the amenities that development will demand? I spoke to Deputy Mayor for Spatial Development Petr Hlaváček (Mayors party), who oversaw the conclusion of the entire project.

Czech energy giant ČEZ has won shareholder approval for a restructuring that many analysts see as the first step towards full nationalisation. By separating distribution and retail businesses from electricity generation, the company could raise billions of crowns for a future buyout of minority shareholders. The government says the move would help secure long-term investment in nuclear power and energy infrastructure.

The 12 contenders for the Crystal Globe at the 60th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival have just been revealed. They include one Czech picture as well as works from as far afield as Myanmar and Lebanon. Meanwhile the region’s biggest celebration of cinema will have more special screenings than ever. I discussed this year’s selection with artistic director Karel Och at a presentation on Tuesday.

A new survey commissioned by the organisation Konsent suggests that relationships between teachers and students may be more common than many people realise. The research also found broad agreement that such behaviour has no place in schools, although younger and older Czechs often describe it differently. I discussed the findings with Konsent’s director Johanna Nejedlová and began by asking her what surprised her most about the results.

Up to 70 percent of former prisoners in the Czech Republic end up returning to jail, often because they lack access to housing, work, addiction treatment or family support after release. A new online platform, launching this autumn, aims to change that by connecting former inmates with organizations that can help them rebuild their lives.

For most people, hearing the name Stalin evokes images of the late Soviet dictator and of immense restriction. But in the case of many people in the Czech capital the name has instead become associated with fairy lights, electronic music and views of the Prague skyline. The place where a statue of the dictator once stood is now one of the most popular cultural venues.

In the Madrid Río park, just a few steps from the Puente de Praga, the statue of František Suchý has been standing for a few days now. Suchý was the director of the Strašnice Crematorium, who secretly preserved the identities of more than two thousand people executed during the Nazi occupation. Among them were several Spaniards. Created by Czech sculptor Jakub Vlček, the monument weaves together Czech and Spanish history, acts of personal courage and international efforts to uncover forgotten stories.