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Prague Jewish Community has launched a crowdfunding campaign to finance a monument made of fragments of Jewish tombstones removed from the city’s pavements. The tombstones from derelict Jewish cemeteries were used under Communism to repair pedestrian zones at the base of Wenceslas Square, and they are now being returned to the Jewish community.

June 3 marks 100 days since Russia unleashed a war in Ukraine. We look back at what the Czech Republic has done to help the war-torn country.

Karel Čapek’s War with the Newts, a darkly humorous dystopia about a super-breed of amphibians trying to conquer the world, was published more than 80 years ago. This week, a new ‘surf-rock audio drama’, inspired by Čapek’s pioneering science fiction novel, premiered in the United States, featuring some well-known Broadway actors.

Earlier this week, part of Prague’s Švanda Theatre ensemble embarked on a two-week tour of the Unites States. In addition to two productions representing contemporary Czech drama, the Smíchov theatre group will also present a brand new theatrical text written by artificial intelligence.

The decision of Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib to close the capital’s centre for Ukrainian refugees in mid-June, due to overload, has elicited sharp criticism from regional governors. Many have pointed out that the closure of the country’s busiest refugee centre will only exacerbate the problem and create chaos since many Ukrainian refugees will still head to Prague.

Fans of history and jewellery may appreciate the exhibition “Czech crown jewels that you can reach” (České Korunovační klenoty na dosah), which is opening at Sychrov Castle in Northern Bohemia this Wednesday. The traveling exhibition features exquisite replicas of the Bohemian Crown Jewels made by some of the country’s leading jewellers, as well as several other ceremonial items that were in the possession of Bohemian rulers throughout the centuries.

The Czech Republic’s six-month presidency of the EU gets underway in exactly one month’s time. In parallel the country’s international network of Czech Centres will be running a whole host of events in the second half of 2022, with the motto Vision for Europe.

Prague Castle is not only the face of today’s picturesque Czech capital, but also an important archaeological site whose origins stretch back into prehistory. The castle hill and its surroundings still have much to unveil, archaeologists say. In fact, a recent reassessment found that the area of Prague Castle was very different than previously assumed when the Czech state was being formed more than a thousand years ago.

The Ministry of Culture is looking into a complaint regarding the 2018 reconstruction of Prague’s famous astronomical clock. Specifically the complaint targets the copy of the original calendar on the Old Town Clock by Josef Mánes. According to Milan Patka from the Club for Old Prague, some of the figures on the calendar have changed dramatically.

The Czech Republic was the last EU country to bring in a comprehensive smoking ban. A ban on smoking in public places such as restaurants, bars, cafes, pubs, and bus stops came into effect in the Czech Republic on May 31 2017 – happily coinciding with World No Tobacco Day. On the day of its five-year-anniversary, Anna Fodor takes a look at what effects the ban has had on public health, attitudes, and the economy.