Section Archive Czech Life
Love Across Cultures: Relationships between Czechs and Foreigners
In the past 20 years, Prague has attracted a number of foreign
professionals, and many of them settle here permanently. With the Czech
capital growing more international, relationships between locals and
foreigners have also become more common. In this edition of Czech Life, we
speak to some of those intercultural couples about their experiences and
their everyday relationship life. More
The Little Clown Project – a new generation of Czech volunteers at work
In the Czech Republic, where the state controlled everything under
Communism, volunteering does not enjoy a long tradition. But some 20 years
after the demise of the former regime, more and more young volunteers are
actively changing the face of their country. One of them is Petra
Milsimerová, who runs a project called Little Clown. More
Luciela Taschen - a new leather bag brand with a brand-new showroom
It was some six years ago that Lucia Jamrichová started making crochet net
bags – they became a huge success and soon, her brand Luciela Taschen was
featured in magazines and newspapers. Now, Lucia has decided to take her
passion for designing hand bags one step further. Her new designs are made
from quality leather – and can be touched, smelled and purchased at her
showroom on Letná’s Veverkova street. That is where I recently met her
to talk about bags, her love for crafts and fashion and what it feels like
to be sitting in front of one’s newly opened showroom. More
Milliner Jolana Kotábová on hat design in the Czech Republic
In this week’s Czech Life my guest is Czech milliner Jolana Kotábová,
an expert hat designer who – after many years of experience in the field
– opened her own studio in Prague in 2011. Located in a beautiful stone
house with vaulted ceilings in Prague’s Nerudova Street, her studio
focuses on original women’s hats combining both traditional elements and
modern. Anyone interested in felt, straw or braided-straw designs with
flair should take the time to visit. More
The black experience in the Czech Republic
In the past 20 years, the number of foreigners living in the Czech Republic
has increased dramatically as a consequence of the opening of the Iron
Curtain. Still, the country is far from being as diverse as most other
European nations, for example France or Germany, and the vast majority of
the Czech population remains Caucasian. During communism, the few black
people who lived here stuck out like a sore thumb. Nowadays, their number
has of course increased, but the size of the black community is still quite
small. More
An Englishwoman who has lived in Prague for over six decades – ‘war bride’ Ivy Kovandová – Part II
In the previous episode of Czech Life, we brought you the first part of the
life story of Ivy Kovandová – one of the so-called war brides, English
women who got married to Czech soldiers or pilots during World War II and
then followed their husbands back to their native Czechoslovakia. Today, it
is time for the second part of Ivy’s story – which starts with her
arrival in her husband Oldřich Kovanda’s home country. More
An Englishwoman who has lived in Prague for over six decades – ‘war bride’ Ivy Kovandová
Ivy Kovandová is one of the few remaining so-called war brides in the
Czech Republic. ‘War brides’ are Englishwomen who married Czechoslovak
pilots or soldiers stationed in the UK during WWII – an estimated 10,000
soldiers and about 2,500 pilots from Czechoslovakia fought alongside the
allies, and many of them married local women. Some of those women
accompanied their husbands back to their native land after the war. But
most left Czechoslovakia due to the strain that the arrival of the
communist regime placed on their lives, or simply because they felt lost
and homesick. Ivy Kovandová, however, still lives in her cozy apartment in
Prague’s Vršovice neighborhood and says she has never even considered
leaving. Just a few weeks ago, she celebrated her 90th birthday. I recently
visited Ivy at her home, where she told me all about her adventurous life
over cake and coffee. More
Vlaada Chvátil – Designer of Through the Ages and Mage Knight
When it comes to game designers you would be hard-pressed to find one more
successful in recent years than the Czech Republic’s Vlaada Chvátil. Six
years ago, the Brno-based designer made his mark with a civ-building board
game called Through the Ages and since he has produced a slew of successes
including titles like Space Alert (where players have to cooperate aboard a
space vessel in trouble) and his newest game (released by the US company
Wizkids) called Mage Knight. It’s a niche hobby but within it the
designer has earned international recognition and success.
More
The success story of Petr Kosiner, the dumpling king of Prague
Tram and car traffic is heavy on Prague’s Dukelských Hrdinů St. – not
a very inviting location to open a business in the middle of the financial
crisis. Yet the 45-year-old cook gone entrepreneur Petr Kosiner has set up
his store Lázníčkový knedlík here. It is the only brick-and-mortar
shop in Prague to sell homemade dumplings. Since it opened seven months
ago, the store and the humble goods it sells have turned out to be so
popular that already its owner has a hard time keeping up with the huge
demand. Both restaurant professionals and regular people shop here, he
says. More
Love Across Cultures: Relationships between Czechs and Foreigners
In the past 20 years, Prague has attracted a number of foreign
professionals, and many of them settle here permanently. With the Czech
capital growing more international, relationships between locals and
foreigners have also become more common. In this edition of Czech Life, we
speak to some of those intercultural couples about their experiences and
their everyday relationship life. More
+1
