Section Archive Panorama
A Czech shoe classic gets a makeover
In 2007, Prague graphic design students Jan Kloss and Jakub Korouš updated
the 1966 model of the classic Czech Botas sneaker for a school assignment.
Little did they know that their chic version of the retro sneaker would be
a huge hit. I recently met with the two young designers at their Žižkov
studio.
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Historian discusses key moments in 200-year existence of Prague Conservatory
The Prague Conservatory – teaching music and acting – is one of the
oldest and most remarkable secondary schools of its type in Central Europe.
Dating back roughly 200 years, the school has currently begun celebrating
the upcoming anniversary of its founding with a series of exhibitions,
publications and events to take place over the next 24 months or so.
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Successful Czech-Japanese entrepreneur Tomio Okamura on how the Velvet Revolution changed his life
Czech-Japanese entrepreneur Tomio Okamura is a household name in the Czech
Republic, both for running a successful tourist business to representing
one of the country’s largest tourist associations. As an expert in his
field, Tomio makes numerous appearances on TV and radio and is also
jury member on a well-known business reality programme. His success, in a
way he says, is linked to one thing: the Velvet Revolution. Ahead of the
upcoming 20th anniversary, Tomio agreed to come in to the studio to
discuss
how the fall off Communism changed his life. He began by recalling the
atmosphere of 20 years ago. More
Shopping transformed since 1989 though Czechs still lagging behind West in some respects, says ex-Elle editor
Over the last 20 years Czechs have embraced consumer culture in a big way,
with a great number of shopping centres, both city centre and out-of-town,
now dotted around the country. To discuss how the experience of shopping
has been transformed – and how range and price now compare to other
countries – I met up with former Elle editor Jana Cíglerová at
Prague’s Palladium shopping centre, a short walk from Wenceslas Square.
More
Large open-air exhibition in Prague looks at 20th-century Czech history through stories of bravery
Descending the historic Old Castle Stairs on the way from Prague Castle to
the left bank of the Vltava River, an unusual structure will catch your eye
in the middle of a small park between the river and a busy road. The
five-and-a-half-metre tall wooden watchtower looks strangely out of place
among the 19th-century urban architecture. It is an exact replica of a
watchtower from a communist-era labour camp near the town of Příbram
southwest of Prague. As a symbol of the oppression of the communist regime,
the watchtower is part of an extensive outdoor exhibition titled “We Did
Not Give It Up/Stories of the 20th Century” which has just opened in
Prague to mark the twentieth anniversary of the fall of communism.
More
Autumn Book Fair in Havlíčkův Brod
One of the biggest book events in the Czech Republic was held in the town
of Havlíčkův Brod, in eastern Bohemia, at the weekend. The 19th Autumn
Book Fair brought together more than 150 publishers from across the
country, and attracted some 15,000 visitors. In spite of the economic
crisis and competition from other media, Czechs seem to stick to books, no
matter what.
More
Shaolin monks perform in Prague
The Shaolin Monastery in the Chinese province of Henan, has long been
famous for its connection to Buddhist training and martial arts – finding
a niche even in Western popular culture, in everything from 1970s cult TV
series to the most recent martial arts films. But why settle for Hollywood,
when you can see the real thing? Over the last ten years monks from various
schools in Shaolin have regularly performed abroad, displaying their skills
and traditions across four continents. On Thursday, they take the stage
here, at the Congress Centre in the Czech capital. It will be the first of
four shows in the Czech Republic which will also include stops in
Pardubice, Ostrava, and Zlín.
More
Prague’s Railroad Kingdom planning railway model of Czech Republic
Located under a shopping centre in the Smíchov district of Prague, the
Království železnic, or Railroad Kingdom, today features a number of
model railway layouts on an area of 115 square metres. When it is
completed, however, it will measure over 1000 square metres and be home to
a kind of railway model of the Czech Republic.
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Should the famous baroque plague column be returned to Prague’s Old Town Square?
Prague’s Old Town Square may be famous for its grandeur and architectural
beauty, but it is, in fact, a shadow of its former self. A great chunk of
the Old Town Hall building was decimated by the Nazis at the end of the
war, and has never been rebuilt. To this day, a rather bare park stands
where most of the building once did. And across from the famous Jan Hus
sculpture used to be a towering Marian column, built in 1650 and felled in
1918, by Czechs who felt it symbolized the country’s Habsburg past.
More
Great WWII pilot Karel Kuttelwascher remembered by his home town
On September 1, the world remembered the outbreak of the worst conflict in
history. For Czechs, however, the war started earlier than September 1939.
By the time Nazi troops stormed Poland and France and the UK declared war
on Germany, thousands of Czechs had already left their country, ready to
join the fight against the Nazis. One of them was Karel Kuttelwascher, who
became a famous night fighter with the RAF, and the most successful Czech
fighter pilot of the war. Recently his daughters came from England and
together with the people of his native town marked the 50th anniversary of
Karel Kuttlewascher’s death.
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