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Current AffairsTeam of experts to decide on new National Library building
The ongoing controversy over a planned new National Library building in
Prague has come to something of a head; the conflicting sides have agreed
that an expert team should determine whether the futuristic building should
be built on the location that was originally chosen, and if so, whether the
design should be modified to fit the historic environment. Within some two
or three months, the 'Team National Library' consisting of architects,
preservationists and lawyers, is expected to come up with a final proposal
for the location of 'the Blob'.
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Letter from PragueTo blob or not to blob
Citizens of Prague, and probably of the entire Czech Republic as well, are
enjoying a rare moment of what pioneers of civil society came to call the
public debate. In spite of the fact that in its recent history the country
has had to consider some crucial decisions - joining NATO, becoming part of
the EU, sending troops to Iraq, and more recently the possible positioning
of American anti-missile radar base and Czech candidacy to host the Olympic
Games - none of these truly serious topics seemed to have captured the
public imagination as much as the design and the location of a planned new
National Library building, also known as 'the blob'.
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Current Affairs"Octopus" skewered on political harpoon as Kaplicky, Bem square up for TV clash
What started as a revolutionary architectural design has now become a
full-blown political dispute...or should that be farce? Jan Kaplicky's
design for a new National Library building a few hundred metres from
Prague
Castle was controversial from the beginning, but the issue no longer has
people divided so much as at each other's throats. More
Current AffairsPlans to build modern "blob" building on Letna Plain meet resistance from Prague politicians
One of the most controversial construction projects in the modern history
of the Czech Republic has evidently come undone. The National Library had
planned to build a large green-and-violet building, nicknamed the Blob, on
Letna Plain, not far from Prague Castle. But city politicians are
reportedly ready to scupper that idea, and it now seems that plans will
have to be toned down - or the project moved out of the centre of the city
completely. More
Current AffairsCeremony marks the closing of historic Czech Radio building for refurbishment
The Czech Radio building has stood on Vinohradska Street for the last 75
years, and witnessed the rise and fall of the First Republic, the Nazi
occupation, and then communism. The building itself has featured heavily in
recent Czech history, with vicious battles being fought in its vicinity at
the end of World War II, and Russian tanks and civilians clashing there
again in 1968. But in all of these 75 eventful years of operation, the
building has not been renovated once, and now it is in need of a 500
million CZK facelift. On Friday, the building was officially closed for the
refit. Rosie Johnston was amongst the crowds of Czechs who turned out for
the ceremony:
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SpotlightHradec Kralove - a beautiful historical town which also embodies the hopes and dreams of the First Republic
Hradec Kralove lies on the spectacular confluence of the Elbe and Orlice
Rivers, about 100 km east of Prague. This extraordinarily pretty town
boasts a rich architectural heritage, especially in its historical quarter
where handsome renaissance buildings testify to the wealth and status the
town enjoyed thanks to the trade that used to pass through en route to
Silesia. More
PanoramaVast renovations come to a close at Schwarzenberg Palace
The National Gallery has just announced that 260 million crown renovation
work, started at Prague's Schwarzenberg Palace in 2002, has come to an
end. The palace, which stands on Hradcany square opposite Prague Castle,
is one of the most beautiful Renaissance structures in the city.
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SpotlightProstejov
The picturesque town of Prostejov lies in Moravia's Hana region, near the
town of Olomouc. Sitting on a key trade route connecting Europe's south
with Europe's north, Prostejov has become an important centre of culture,
trade, and industry. In a past edition of Spotlight, we took a tour of the
town's National Theatre House; today, we find out more about Prostejov's
history and take a brief look at some of the other places that are worth a
visit.
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Current AffairsRow continues over Kaplicky's "Octopus" design for National Library
The row continues over plans to build a new home for Prague's National
Library. The priceless collection of books and manuscripts is set to move
from the baroque Klementinum building by Charles Bridge to a new location
on Prague's Letna plain. But the winning design - by Czech-born architect
Jan Kaplicky - is attracting no small measure of controversy.
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