Radio Prague International - latest articles

Just like other large cities around the world, Prague has been continuously struggling with an overpopulation of pigeons. Councillors in the Žižkov district have now decided to take a novel approach to the problem. Instead of killing the birds, they want to install the country’s first urban pigeon loft.

The Veteran Mania exhibition now underway at Prague’s Výstaviště fairgrounds showcases icons of Czechoslovak motorcycle history - as well as rare French and German models. It is a must-see for anyone interested in the motorbikes that played an integral part in the development of transportation in Czechoslovakia throughout the 20th century.

Engineers at the Czech Technical University in Prague are customising a Boston Dynamics-built robot with which they hope to win an upcoming competition in the United States. The contest, organised by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) will take place inside a huge underground complex in Kentucky.

The 2021 Prague Pride festival of LGBT+ culture gets underway in the Czech capital on Monday. The week-long event will bring more than 130 events, including concerts, film screenings, debates and drag performances. However, the event’s main highlight, the city centre parade, had to be cancelled for a second consecutive year due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Jiří Prskavec won the first ever Czech Olympic gold medal in the kayak/canoe slalom on Friday. Just a few hours later, Lukáš Krpálek solidified his dominance in the heavyweight judo category, bringing the Czech Olympic Team’s gold medal tally up to three. Meanwhile, Czech women have reached the finals in both the singles and doubles tournament, guaranteeing at least two more silver medals.

The recently published Modern Prague Map brings together 50 of the most significant examples of 20th century architecture in the Czech capital. Featuring photos by Tomáš Souček, the coolly designed, bilingual map is the creation of Adam Štěch. I asked the architectural historian and writer how he’d made the selection.

A fifteen-minute drive north of Karlovy Vary, Jáchymov is the oldest radon spa in the world. First established as a silver mining settlement, the town became a popular spa destination at the beginning of the 20th century. But in the 1950s, local spa life all but ceased, as Jáchymov became the site of infamous forced labour camps for political prisoners. Today, the spa is up and running again, offering radiation-based treatments that you will not find anywhere else.

The Czech Defence Ministry has developed a programme to help Afghan translators and other support staff who served with Czech troops in Afghanistan. The latest version of the programme is set to be put forward to the government at a special meeting on Friday. However, some civic initiatives and opposition politicians have been critical of what they see as slow progress.

An area of the Jizera Mountains in North Bohemia known as Jizerskohorské bučiny (Jizera Mountain  Beechwood) has been placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is the first Czech natural site to have been recognized in this way.

For the first time in 85 years the Czech Olympic team in Tokyo includes an equestrian group. Four Czech riders qualified for the Olympics this year and will be showing off their skills in the next two weeks. Among them is a promising young horse and a billionaire’s daughter.