The sculptor Václav Lemon has been working on Olomouc’s central square to recreate a famous Baroque depiction of the Holy Trinity, only this time not out of sandstone, but out of sand!

They are veterans from the 1970’s and because of their characteristic front windows resembling glasses, they were nicknamed “Brejlovec”. They may be old-fashioned, but these diesel engines are not ready to retire. Czech Railways has announced it is giving them a new lease on life.

On June 3rd, Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský awarded the Medal for Merit in Diplomacy to sixteen people and institutions who have made a significant contribution to Czech diplomacy and foreign relations. Danny Bate was present at the ceremony, and spoke to two of the honourees.

A month before its opening, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival organizers have unveiled the official line-up for this year’s 59th edition. Two Czech films—Broken Voices and Better to Go Mad in the Wilderness—will compete in the festival’s main competition. Another Czech title, On the Other Side of Summer, will appear in the Proxima section.

On Tuesday, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and his wife, Máxima, arrive in Prague. One of the highlights of the first-ever state visit of a Dutch monarch to Czechia will be the christening of a unique bell cast in the Netherlands for the Church of the Most Holy Salvator. Remarkably, the bell was made using metal from Russian munitions used in the war against Ukraine.

Under fire over a bitcoin scandal that has shaken the Czech government in its foundations, Prime Minister Petr Fiala on Tuesday announced that he was calling a meeting of the National Security Council and wanted the country’s intelligence services to investigate whether the state could have been abused by the criminal underworld for money-laundering.

Czech President Petr Pavel and Prime Minister Petr Fiala extended congratulatory wishes to Karol Nawrocki on his victory in Poland’s presidential election. Pavel expressed optimism that Poland would uphold democratic principles and maintain its pro-Western orientation under Nawrocki’s leadership.

Comedian Mark Watson, a household name in the UK, was a star act at this year’s edition of the Prague Fringe. Having previously appeared on British shows like Taskmaster and Would I Lie to You? , his three performances at Malá Strana’s Metro Comedy Club brought Mark and his distinct style of stand-up to Czechia for the first time. Ahead of the second night on May 30th, Danny Bate met up with Mark to hear his impressions of Prague and to discuss what it’s like to perform comedy in another country.

A bitcoin donation worth nearly one billion Czech crowns from a convicted criminal has thrown the Czech political scene into turmoil. Opposition parties are calling for the government's resignation, accusing the Ministry of Justice of aiding in money laundering. Political analyst Jiří Pehe warns the scandal could leave deep scars on the ruling coalition ahead of the fall elections.

This Sunday marks exactly twenty years since the opening of the first baby box in Czechia — a place where mothers can anonymously leave their babies to be cared for and adopted. Today, there are 88 baby boxes across the country, and so far, 277 children have been safely placed in them.