Section Archive ICE - special
Prague: Shopping malls are popping up all over
One change in the urban landscape in the Czech Republic in recent years has
been a massive increase in the number of shopping malls. Rare a decade ago,
large shopping centres are now part of the everyday lives of millions of
Czechs. And while the number of malls keeps on growing, some major
retailers are also making inroads into the corner shop market. Radio
Prague’s Ian Willoughby reports.
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Slovenia remembers its great architect - and his timeless appeal
To mark the 50th anniversary of the death of its greatest architect,
Slovenia has unleashed a flurry of exhibitions and symposiums abroad to try
to bring more recognition to Jože Plečnik. With shows currently running
in Belgium and Japan, Slovenian architects are also hoping to breathe new
life into the so-called Slovenian School of Architecture.
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Warsaw's communist past and capital present live in buildings and spaces
Warsaw is a city whose skyline is dominated by the Stalinist-era Palace of
Culture and where a heated debate is under way on how to turn the vast
space around it into a genuine human-scale city centre.
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Bratislava's building boom - do developers have too much freedom?
There's a building boom going on across much of Central Europe. In capitals
like Prague, Warsaw and Bratislava cranes dominate the skyline as builders
try to keep up with demand created by rapid economic growth. That growth is
creating jobs and wealth and new architectural gems. But it's also bringing
problems including traffic chaos and fears for the urban environment. Our
special program this week begins on a building site in Bratislava.
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Capitals and their states - a state of permanent conflict?
The concept of the capital - capital city that is - and its relationship to
the state, exercised the minds of Mayors at a recent meeting in Slovenia's
capital, Ljubljana. They tackled the problems that arise when capital city
administrations fall foul of their national government. And they called for
more capital city influence within the European Union.
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Costing half the average salary - is the Slovak state too expensive?
A group of economists in Slovakia have worked out that the cost of running
the state amounts to almost half the average pay packet of each and every
citizen. The economists looked at the cost of state institutions like
Parliament, local authorities, compulsory health and pension funds, the
army, police and so on. Their conclusion is that annually each Slovak pays
on average 3,910 euros to cover the cost of the state. Anca Dragu spoke to
one of the economists, Radovan Durana and asked him - is the Slovak state
too expensive?
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Vaclav Havel's new play deals with power - and leaving it
It was a standing ovation for the new play by former Czech President Vaclav
Havel in Prague last week. His first play in more then 20 years is about
the leader of a country who leaves politics after many years in power and
has to adjust to a new life. And if you think that sounds a little like
Havel himself - you would be right.
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Warsaw's beloved trams celebrate a century
It was 100 years ago that the first electric tram appeared on the streets
of the Polish capital Warsaw. To mark the occasion, a day of festivities
was held to celebrate this well known Warsaw sight. Mags Korczak of Polish
Radio's External Service has this report.
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Warsaw underground station wins international design award
The Polish capital Warsaw may have a lot going for it, but its underground
rail system is hardly a matter of pride. After two decades of work its one
and only line is still not completed. That said, at least one of its
stations does have something to shout about – the Wilson Square station
received top honours at the MetroRail 2008 Conference in Copenhagen. Polish
Radio’s Bogdan Zaryn went underground for this report.
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Romany Holocaust remembered at the Lety concentration camp in South Bohemia
The Czech Republic remembered victims of the Romany Holocaust on Tuesday...
on a site which is now used as a pig farm. Lety, a former concentration
camp where hundreds of Czech Roma perished, has in recent years become the
centre of international controversy, with the Czech government seemingly
unwilling to rehouse the pig farm built on the site. Radio Prague's Rosie
Johnston has the story:
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