Related articles
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 AffairsLanguage exams for permanent residence applicants to begin next year
Under a new system presented on Thursday, foreigners who apply for either
permanent residence or Czech citizenship will, from next January, have to
first pass a compulsory exam in the Czech language. But why is the Czech
Republic introducing this requirement? And will applicants from other
Slavic countries find the tests relatively easy? More
One on OneNicholas Kirke - the British entrepreneur who came to Prague in search of his father and founded a property empire
Our guest for One on One this week is Nicholas Kirke, a British-born
property developer who has been operating in the Czech Republic since the
early 1990s and whose La Salle property development company now own
thousands of square metres of prime real estate in Prague, including the
historical Melantrich building on Wenceslas Square.
More
