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SpotlightSt. Martin in the Wall
I had never really been inside or had a proper look around, but I was sure
the small church of St Martin in the Wall would have an interesting story,
if for no other reason than its ancient appearance and peculiar name. Just
off the central Národní třída is a classic Prague alleyway that’s
tucked away from the shopping boulevard, neatly dividing the centuries from
one another, and there you’ll find it. One of the oldest churches in the
city, St Martin in the Wall is one of those relatively few landmarks whose
story can transport you all the way back through the ages to the beginnings
of the Czech metropolis. More
PanoramaNews from the regions
In this week’s Panorama: a dispute over a Carpathian wooden church ends
in a surprising manner, home-made folk music instruments and an almond
orchard in Moravia. More
PanoramaCzech baristas compete in the art of coffee-making
When Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and her husband Prince Claus visited
the Czech Republic in 1993 the head of protocol at Prague Castle went into
overdrive. It was the first visit by a foreign royal since the fall of
communism and everything had to be perfect. There was just one tiny hitch
that made headlines – when the queen visited the North Bohemian brown
coal mining region and accepted an invitation for a cup of coffee she was
presented with a murky brown mixture - a Turkish-style cup of coffee that
has nothing to do with real Turkish coffee. Czech style Turkish coffee –a
remnant from the communist days - was made by pouring boiling water over
ground coffee and waiting for it to settle before drinking it and using
your teeth to filter the dregs. The queen was charm itself – but much to
the locals’ surprise she left her coffee untouched. More
SpotlightThe home of Jumping Virgin Mary
Many Czechs are familiar with the old expression Panenko Skákavá, which
literally means Jumping Virgin Mary, but few know about the origin of the
phrase. Jumping Virgin Mary, or more precisely, the Virgin Mary of Skoky,
is the patron of what used to be one of Bohemia’s most famous Roman
Catholic pilgrimage sites. In this edition of Spotlight, we visit Skoky,
now an extinct village with a run-down Baroque church that once attracted
large crowds of believers. More
SpotlightAll tastes catered for in Prague coffee museum
In today’s Spotlight we take a trip to a hidden gem of a museum in a
Prague suburb which traces the often surprising history of coffee. The
private Coffee Museum Alchymista takes you through coffee’s history,
cultivation, production and industry covering the many different strains
and its progress from a devilish concoction to everyday drink. More
SpotlightPrague’s church of Saints Cyril and Methodius: place of worship and memorial to victims of Nazi terror
A short walk from the Vltava in Prague’s New Town is the church that
witnessed some of the most dramatic moments during the Nazi occupation of
the country. The crypt beneath the church was the last hiding place for
seven Czechoslovak commandoes, including Jan Kubiš and Jozef Gabčík who
assassinated the Reinhardt Heydrich in 1942. The site now houses an
exhibition dedicated to their heroic actions. But the church also remains a
place of worship for the small Czech Orthodox community. More
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