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After being closed for nearly two decades, the historic carousel in Prague’s Letná park is now set to be restored and reopened, the Czech Technical Museum, which administers the building, has announced. Its director Karel Ksandr hopes that if all goes well the carousel will reopen sometime next spring.

Nestled in a shallow valley between the green hills of the Slavkov and Upper Palpatine Forests, Mariánské Lázně is the second-largest Bohemian spa town. Like Františkovy Lázně and Karlovy Vary, the town combines a laid-back spa atmosphere with unique history and architecture, which includes a singing fountain and the longest colonnade in the Czech Republic. A frequent visitor to the Bohemian Spa Triangle, the legendary writer Johan Wolfgang Goethe considered Mariánské Lázně to be the best Czech spa town.

Despite the sound of gunfire, explosions and ground army vehicles, the military ground of Libavá has become something of a sanctuary for rare species of birds. Since 2016, when the area partly reopened to the public, ornithologists have been closely monitoring the place and are now working on a special atlas dedicated to the local species.

Prague will host a two day multi-genre festival of music, theatre performances and slam poetry starting Friday titled "Art belongs to the streets". It will be the first such event after the long months of coronavirus lockdown.  I asked the festival’s director Jan Gregar what genres will be represented and what visitors to the capital can look forward to.

Foreigners with long-term residency will have to insure themselves exclusively with the state health insurance company VZP for a period of five years, according to a bill passed by the Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday, which will now be sent to the president for signature. Critics say that the change in legislation will provide VZP with an exclusive monopoly.

Patrick Van Damme, Belgian professor in tropical agronomy, has recently been appointed to head the Faculty of Tropical Agri-Sciences , becoming the first foreign dean in the history of the University of Life Sciences. I met with Mr van Damme to discuss the faculty’s projects and plans, but I first asked him about his links to the Prague institution.

Temperature swings, heavy storms and flash floods have become a regular feature of the Czech summer. In late June, the country moreover experienced an unseen event in human memory-a tornado that ripped through seven villages leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. Climatologists say it’s time to sit up and take notice- the once temperate Central European climate is a thing of the past.

The Czech Health Ministry is planning to end the availability of taking free preventative coronavirus tests from September 1, Health Minister Adam Vojtěch announced. From September, only indicative tests requested by a patient’s GP or hygiene stations are likely to be covered.

Freshwater fish are in danger of becoming addicted to methamphetamine, Czech scientists have warned in a study published in the prestigious Journal of Experimental Biology. Their research has shown that after spending time in meth contaminated waters, fish became less active and displayed withdrawal symptoms.

The ruins of Königsmühle or King’s Mill, a dilapidated settlement near the Czech-German border bears testimony of the tumultuous years of the 20th century. Life in the settlement which had only six houses, ended with the expulsion of Sudeten Germans from Czechoslovakia at the end of WWII. The place remained uninhabited for decades, and the houses went to ruin, but their haunting presence attracted Czech tramping enthusiasts and later various artists who are determined to bring it back to life.