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Current AffairsZlata Praha restaurant - a Czech (and Slovak) corner of New York
When Czechs began leaving the Upper East Side of Manhattan in the middle of
the last century, many of them crossed the East River to Queens, the
Astoria neighbourhood in particular. Today you will still find some
Czech-owned businesses in that part of New York, among them the Zlata
Praha
(Golden Prague) restaurant. That said, the couple who own it, the
Suchaneks, insist it’s a Czech and Slovak establishment. I spoke to
George Suchanek at Zlata Praha. More
One on OneMonika Koblerová – director of New York’s Czech Centre
One of my first ports of call on a recent visit to New York was the
city’s Czech Centre, which is at Madison Avenue and 83rd St in
Manhattan.
At least that’s where it’s located for the moment – later in the
year
it’s moving to the Bohemian National Hall, around 15 minutes walk away.
New York Czech Centre director Monika Koblerová talks about that move and
much more in this edition of One on One. More
ArtsBrooklyn shop showcases classic Czech 20th century furniture
Prague Kolektiv is a shop in New York which sells nothing but Czech
furniture, lighting and decorative objects from the pre-war avant-garde
and
mid-century social realism periods. The store, located in the DUMBO
district of Brooklyn, has been running for nearly three years and sells
mostly original restored pieces (at prices that might startle your average
Czech babička), as well as some replicas which it has made in the Czech
Republic. More
Current AffairsEconomic downturn could make Czech Republic more attractive to American visitors, says head of CzechTourism in US
With thousands of Americans visiting the Czech Republic every year, the
United States is one of the most important markets for CzechTourism. How
does the state tourist board go about attracting US tourists? And after
the
boom of the 1990s, can it persuade Americans to keep coming back? At her
New York office, I discussed those questions and more with Michaela
Pálková-Claudino, director of CzechTourism in the US. More
Current AffairsBohemian National Hall in New York to open soon
After many years of discussion and planning, extensive renovation work on
New York’s Česká Národní Budova (Bohemian National Hall) is finally
close to completion. Later this year, the imposing five-storey building on
Manhattan’s Upper East Side will open its doors – and become home to
many of the most important Czech institutions in the city. Ian Willoughby
has been to see the Bohemian National Hall – I spoke to him on the line
from New York and asked him first to tell us something about the history of
the building.
More
Current AffairsAuthor Petr Sís on growing up behind The Wall
The Czech literary world held its annual awards for the best literary works
of 2008, the Magnesia Litera, this weekend. The prize for Book of the Year
went to Petr Nikl’s Zahadky, but the reader’s prize went to the author
and children’s book illustrator Petr Sís, for his The Wall: Growing Up
Behind The Iron Curtain, a book of memoirs of life in communist
Czechoslovakia that’s rapidly winning acclaim throughout the world. Petr
Sís lives in New York, and before he left to pick up the award in Prague,
Ian Willoughby discussed the book with him at his studio in downtown
Manhattan.
More
One on OneMartin Palouš – Czech ambassador to the United Nations in New York
Martin Palouš was one of the first signatories of the Charter 77 protest
document. Since 1989 he has been a parliamentary deputy, an academic, and
Czech ambassador to Washington. Now, however, Mr Palouš represents the
Czech Republic at the United Nations in New York. When we spoke last week
at his office on Manhattan’s Madison Avenue, we began with the subject of
Charter 77 and his days as a dissident.
More
Current AffairsMini One World festival opens at New York’s Bohemian National Hall
The One World (Jeden Svět) festival of human rights documentaries has
established itself as one of the most interesting events on the Czech
Republic’s cultural calendar, and the biggest festival of its kind in
Europe. This year, to mark its 10th anniversary, One World (run by the NGO
People in Need) is organising mini festivals in 10 cities around the world
– including New York. At the opening at the city’s (under renovation)
Bohemian National Hall on Monday night, I spoke to organiser Tereza
Porybná.
More
Current AffairsA look back at the pre-election campaigns
Many pundits in the Czech Republic agree that this year's pre-election
campaigns were - at least as far as the country's two largest parties were
concerned - among the most aggressive in recent memory, the ruling Social
Democrats and their opposition rivals the Civic Democrats vying for Czech
votes. It is widely expected that one of these parties will form the
country's next government. The campaign season was of course not just
about those two - or their leaders Jiri Paroubek and Mirek Topolanek. But,
in a way it might as well have been. More
Talking PointPolitics and the Olympic Games in Beijing, 2008 - Czechs discuss the dangers and benefits
Contrary to the Olympic ideal, politics and economics always come into play
well before the games begin in the city that is chosen. With the Olympic
Games under way in Athens, the work of a Prague-based pressure-group
called Olympic Watch came to my attention. In response to the
International Olympic Committee's decision to hold the 2008 Summer Games
in Beijing, "Olympic Watch" was created by three former Czech
dissidents in 2001. Their mission is to monitor the human rights situation
in the People's Republic of China. With each Olympiad in the run-up to the
Beijing Games they have produced a report on the development of human
rights in China. In today's Talking Point we look at some of the issues in
the debate from a Czech angle. Petr Kutilek is the executive Secretary of
Olympic Watch. He points to parallels with Central and Eastern Europe at
the time when communism was collapsing here fifteen years ago. More
