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Czechs have a plethora of Easter traditions that take place every year including the whipping of women with willow branches, painting eggs, or baking sweetbreads that look like a lamb. Some of these are based on the Christian celebration itself, others are thought to stretch back further into pagan times.

Two Masters students from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the Czech Technical University in Prague have designed a robot called RHPv2. Made out of Lego pieces, it can play Ludwig van Beethoven’s famous Für Elise piano composition. I spoke to one of the authors, Matěj Štětka, who told me that the entire idea started after the famous American pay television network HBO commissioned the university to come up with a robot that would play the tune to the next season of television show Westworlds.

So-called coronavirus “vaccination tourism” is spreading rapidly in the Czech Republic. People who face long waits for an appointment at a nearby site to get the jab are registering elsewhere. Some regions are now officially recommending this supply-and-demand solution.

The films Alois Nebel (2011) and Dcera (The Daughter, 2019) are two of the most successful Czech animated films of the last decade. Both were made using innovative animation techniques, and their plots centre around characters that have to deal with difficult pasts. Dcera is a short film directed by Daria Kascheeva, a student at Prague’s film school. It touches on the universal theme of a troubled family relationship. Alois Nebel, on the other hand, is a feature film that deals with the more specific topic of Czech post-war history.

Few Czechoslovak products have been as internationally successful as the Jawa motorcycle. For a period of more than a decade the company’s models dominated their respective international markets, while at the same time helping Czechoslovak racers win several competitions. Despite a fall from grace in the last decades of the twentieth century, Jawa continues to exist as a brand and its machines are still produced at home and abroad.

Some special events planned to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of the writer last year were muted due to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. But a literary museum dedicated the memory of the “mother of Czech literature” in Česká Skalice, where she attended grammar school, plans an extraordinary spring season to celebrate another milestone.

Czechs are heading for a second Easter marked by coronavirus restrictions. Although people will have more time to dwell on the spiritual aspects of the holiday, there are concerns that for many the loss of loved ones and fears of what the future will bring will make the loneliness of the present days that much harder to bear.

On Monday, the State Security Council formally agreed on tasking the security services with conducting a detailed risk assessment of four potential bidders to expand the country’s Dukovany nuclear power plant. The government announced previously that it would not invite Chinese firms to participate. But the Russian firm Rosatom was not excluded, despite warnings that suppliers from both countries pose security risks.

The death of Petr Kellner, a reclusive Czech billionaire and the head of PPF group, came as a big shock in the Czech Republic on Monday morning. As further details of his death in a helicopter crash in Alaska emerge, Czechs are looking back at the billionaire’s legacy and what his death means for the future of PPF Group.

An innovative new project is helping Prague theatres hit hard by the Covid situation, bringing productions by top companies via “take-away” virtual reality headsets delivered to people’s homes by courier. I discussed Brejlando – which is supported by the City of Prague – with Robin Pultera of creators Brainz Studios.