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In 1977 Václav Havel wrote a lengthy report describing his arrest days after the publication of Charter 77 and subsequent, often intense experiences. The fascinating text was lost for decades but having been discovered is being released on Thursday under the title I Hid It Somewhere. I discussed it with Michael Žantovský, director of the Václav Havel Library, publisher of the new volume.

November 11 is a special day in the Czech calendar – on St. Martin's Day Czechs around the country sample the first young wine from the autumn harvest and sit down to the traditional St Martin’s Day feast of roast goose, dumplings and red and white cabbage. The Czech equivalent of the Beaujolais celebrations is a tradition that goes back to the Middle Ages and has become hugely popular in recent years.

Police have launched a criminal investigation into one of the country’s most prominent psychiatrists. Dr Jan Cimický – due to receive a state distinction for helping advance the field of psychiatry in the Czech Republic – stands accused of sexual assault by former patients, among others.

A nationwide Poetry Day festival is currently underway in dozens of Czech towns and cities. The annual event, celebrating the birth of the great Czech romantic poet Karel Hynek Mácha, started Monday and will continue until November 21. The main theme of this year’s festival is Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy.

Starting a new life in a foreign country can be a big challenge, especially if you don’t know the language. Some non-EU foreigners seeking a long-term residence permit in the Czech Republic are now obliged to undergo an integration and adaptation course, which should make this transition a bit easier.  The courses, which are also intended to prevent social isolation and security risk, are organised by the Ministry of Interior and provided by Centres for Support and Integration of Foreigners all across the Czech Republic. I paid a visit to the Integration Centre Prague, which runs the courses in the capital:

This year’s Czech Architecture Prize has been awarded to architects Miroslav Pospíšil and Martin Karlík for their reconstruction of one of the country’s largest castles - Helfštýn. The design makes not just the castle but also the surrounding countryside more explorable, according to the jury.

Natural sounds, and bird song in particular, play a key role in building and maintaining our connection with nature. A new international study, involving Czech scientists, reveals that bird choruses across Europe and North America are becoming quieter and less varied, due to widespread decline in bird populations.

Representatives of the SPOLU and PirStan election alliances, which successfully challenged Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’ ANO party in October’s general elections, on Monday signed a coalition agreement on forming a new government. The new five-party administration, to be headed by Civic Democrat leader Petr Fiala will face the challenging tasks of leading the country out of the coronavirus pandemic, fighting soaring inflation and a severe energy crisis that has already hit close to a million Czechs.

Industry 4.0 and the digitisation of production are the central themes of this year's International Engineering Fair in Brno, a premier exhibition of its kind in Central Europe. Over a thousand businesses from more than 30 countries are showcasing their latest achievements in technology and engineering in what is seen as an important networking event for Czech industry.

Five parties that together secured a majority in elections last month took a step closer to forming the next Czech government by inking a coalition agreement on Monday morning. But how will so many parties get along in practice? And what can we expect from Petr Fiala as PM? I discussed those questions with political scientist Petr Just.