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To mark the 150th anniversary of the death of Karel Jaromír Erben, one of the greatest Czech poets of all time, the London-based publishing house Jantar has released a special illustrated version of Kytice or A Bouquet of Folk Legends, Erben’s famous collection of poems.

A new poll suggests Czechs are gaining weight because they are eating more and exercising less during the Covid-19 pandemic. A recent survey by the insurance company Mutumutu shows Czechs have gained an average of 6.5 kilos over the past seven months. It also suggests people under the age of 25 are the most affected group.

The nation’s galleries and museums have been obliged to close their doors to due to the coronavirus pandemic, but many continue to organise virtual exhibitions. Among the most ambitious is dedicated to one of the greatest painters of all time – Rembrandt – now at the National Gallery in Prague.

The headquarters of the Lasvit glass company in Nový Bor, combining historical timber-frame houses with a striking new building covered in translucent tiles, has won this year’s annual Czech Architecture Prize. The international jury praised the Prague-based architecture studio ov-a for combining traditional values with modern design.

Denisa Musilová is a successful performing artist and choreographer with experience from the world-famous Baryshnikov Arts Centre. After studying contemporary dance at the Duncan Centre Conservatory in Prague, she spent several years working and dancing in Israel and was then invited to New York. She now divides her time between a small Czech town and the Big Apple.

The Devil’s Workshop is a short novel written by the award-winning author Jáchym Topol. It focuses on some of the darkest chapters of Europe’s history. Set partly in the wartime ghetto of Terezín and partly in Belarus, it addresses two crucial questions: How do we live with the horrors of the past and how are we supposed to commemorate them? The book, which came out in 2009 under the Czech title Chladnou zemí, was published in English in 2013 by Portobello Books, in an excellent translation by Alex Zucker.

Kamila Moučková, the television presenter who informed the nation that Warsaw Pact troops had entered the country in August 1968 has died at the age of 92. Mrs Moučková, who was subsequently active in anti-invasion broadcasting and was also a Charter 77 signatory, became one of the symbols of the nation’s resistance to the Soviet occupation.

Marek Šindelka is one of the Czech Republic’s leading young authors. Known for acclaimed novels such as The Mistake and Material Fatigue, the 36-year-old has also won top domestic prizes for his poetry and short stories. His broad oeuvre also includes graphic novels, while movie scripts he has penned should reach the big screen in 2021.

Tourism has been one of the hardest-hit industries by the coronavirus crisis. In the Czech Republic, which is a popular tourist destination, the tourist sector employs a quarter of a million people and brings significant revenues to state coffers. In a video-conference on Tuesday the government agency CzechTourism presented its long-term strategy for reviving this all-important sector.

A Czech thriller about cyberbullying has won an international Emmy Award for best short-form series. The eight-part series #martyisdead was the first Czech production ever nominated for the prestigious American award, which honours excellence in TV programming produced and first aired outside the United States.