http://radio.cz/en Latest articles on 'Travel' - information about travelling in the Czech Republic and the country's sights and attractions en Sat, 23 Feb 2013 02:01:00 +0100 Sat, 23 Feb 2013 02:01:00 +0100 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Radio Prague CMS   http://radio.cz      http://radio.cz/assets/imgs/radiopraha-rss.png   200   200 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Radio Broadcasting cr@radio.cz (Cesky Rozhlas) webmaster@radio.cz (CRo Webmaster) http://radio.cz/en/article/154810 In this new Radio Prague series, notable Prague residents take us to some places in the city to which they have a particular connection. Our first guide is Radim Špaček, who is perhaps best known as the director of the multi-award winning film Pouta, or Walking Too Fast. A former child actor, Radim also makes documentaries and co-organizes Prague’s Bollywood Film Festival. He was actually born on the other side of the country, in Ostrava, but came to the capital as a child. Sat, 23 Feb 2013 02:01:00 +0100 urn:uuid:c267a92f-f4a8-580a-aea5-b72e10bbfe22 http://radio.cz/en/article/154587 Traditional carnival celebrations preceding the beginning of Lent are taking place all over the Czech capital, with many neighborhoods organizing their own celebrations. Prague’s Žižkov district holds the claim to the longest running post-communist tradition of Masopust festivities, as they are called in Czech. This year, Žižkov celebrates the twentieth Masopust in the neighborhood. Tue, 12 Feb 2013 16:41:30 +0100 urn:uuid:cb2df28e-b9cd-5246-ae4a-e616f631a8f3 http://radio.cz/en/article/154305 The Czech Republic is struggling to maintain its position on the global tourist market. With some 8.7 million visitors in 2011, the country ranks below other destinations in central and Eastern Europe, such as Austria, Poland and Hungary. What’s more, most tourists rarely venture outside Prague during their relatively short stays. The government says this is partly because the country’s travel industry lacks a clear structure when it comes to marketing and promotion. To address the issue, it has come up with a new bill on tourism. Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:28:14 +0100 urn:uuid:345c1f5b-68c3-51b8-a046-31823a16c82b http://radio.cz/en/article/154003 Lake Baikal –the oldest and deepest freshwater lake in the world is located in the south of Siberia, between Irkutsk to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast. A region of breathtaking beauty and harsh climate it attracts thousands of visitors from around the world –from those who want a guided tour in relative comfort organized by a travel agency to those who take a backpack and set out on an unforgettable adventure. Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:52:37 +0100 urn:uuid:704677ed-52a1-573c-b22b-c5d51a45d8e9 http://radio.cz/en/article/153695 How have Czechs and Slovaks got used to the border between their two countries twenty years after the split of Czechoslovakia? A British journalist decided to find out by travelling the length of the border last summer by bicycle and producing a book on his experiences. In Czech Books, David Vaughan finds out more. Sat, 05 Jan 2013 02:01:00 +0100 urn:uuid:28ac2dc9-3492-5f09-a3bf-9086d75589ed http://radio.cz/en/article/153678 It’s the Czech answer to Aspen or St. Moritz – the Czech ski resort frequented by local celebrities, tourists and well-off Czechs. Špindleruv Mlýn or Špindl –as it is commony called –offers more than good skiing and excellent services, it offers the chance to party and socialize in cosmopolitan surroundings. Thu, 03 Jan 2013 16:31:33 +0100 urn:uuid:7729e5e2-4652-596e-9312-ec0c09591f64 http://radio.cz/en/article/153063 Sacral tourism is fast gaining ground in the Czech Republic. Although it is perceived as one of Europe’s most atheist countries the Czech Republic has an impressive network of cathedrals, basilicas, chapels and, even a church museum. Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:49:11 +0100 urn:uuid:266e64bd-2fd4-5ad7-b4f0-afd279068995 http://radio.cz/en/article/152820 Spotlight this week comes from Uherské Hradiště, a charming picturesque town in south-east Moravia. Like so many places in this part of the world, Uherské Hradiště has a rich and complex history. As tour guide Lenka Kornelová explains, the town was established nearly eight centuries ago in reaction to the turbulent events of that time and the city actually gets its name - meaning "Hungarian Fortress" - from this period. Tue, 27 Nov 2012 15:48:05 +0100 urn:uuid:f1558d2e-ebac-5212-be13-9b12973a0a46 http://radio.cz/en/article/152742 The International Festival of Outdoor Films has been bringing quality documentary, travel and extreme sport films to the Czech Republic and Slovakia over the last decade. In its 10th year, this year’s inception, which kicked off in Ostrava in October before travelling from town to town and city and city, is more than halfway through. In early December it will wrap up in Prague with the winning films announced. Fri, 23 Nov 2012 16:43:24 +0100 urn:uuid:d58f4bc3-3bae-57f5-9e05-a1bc79c58770 http://radio.cz/en/article/152704 It’s a far cry from the country’s traditional tourist sites. The imposing Vítkovice ironworks, dubbed the steel heart of the country, served the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the First Republic, the Wehrmacht and later communist Czechoslovakia. In 1998 part of this huge industrial complex with its blast furnaces and coke oven batteries was closed down and rather than getting dismantled it was declared a national cultural monument that is gradually being transformed into an interactive museum and a multipurpose cultural facility. Thu, 22 Nov 2012 16:22:01 +0100 urn:uuid:c5122b5e-96e2-5f2b-9d90-f3aa6de91af8 http://radio.cz/en/article/152652 With its sloping cobbled streets, beautiful baroque churches and an abundance of historical architecture, Olomouc is easily one of the most appealing cities in the Czech Republic outside of Prague. Typically, this bustling university town in North Moravia owes much of its architectural splendour to its long and somewhat chequered past. Some claim that this ancient city dates back as far as Roman times, when it was reputed to have been founded by Julius Caesar himself. Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:50:00 +0100 urn:uuid:04326380-187a-55cd-9199-457153e32cd5 http://radio.cz/en/article/152566 This past weekend, many people around the Czech Republic celebrated the feast of Saint Martin’s day. Some baked a goose and shared it with family, some waited to see if Saint Martin will really come on a white horse and others just enjoyed the copious amounts of young Saint Martin’s wine overflowing in wine shops and street fairs all over the country. Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:17:55 +0100 urn:uuid:415cff5b-2199-572c-82bc-1da980a008c6 http://radio.cz/en/article/152474 I had never really been inside or had a proper look around, but I was sure the small church of St Martin in the Wall would have an interesting story, if for no other reason than its ancient appearance and peculiar name. Just off the central Národní třída is a classic Prague alleyway that’s tucked away from the shopping boulevard, neatly dividing the centuries from one another, and there you’ll find it. One of the oldest churches in the city, St Martin in the Wall is one of those relatively few landmarks whose story can transport you all the way back through the ages to the beginnings of the Czech metropolis. Tue, 13 Nov 2012 17:04:48 +0100 urn:uuid:5dba54cd-3630-5b00-b5a3-76bbffddaed8 http://radio.cz/en/article/152106 Prague’s wealth of traditional coffeehouses is a legacy from the era of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. But even in today’s hectic time, grabbing a quick cup on the run is fortunately not the only option for coffee lovers in the Czech capital. Probably the best-known café in the golden city is Kavárna Slavia, or Café Slavia. We recently visited this traditional coffeehouse. Tue, 30 Oct 2012 16:56:21 +0100 urn:uuid:dc702072-d155-504b-87bf-2c43dedaeb41 http://radio.cz/en/article/151925 Standing atop of a small hill, with a tramline swooping around it, punctuated by a baroque Roman Catholic church on one side and a modernist Hussite church on the other, Rangherka, or the small Vršovice château, contains within its own story the history of the surrounding district as well. The original building was put up just as the then village of Vršovice began to grow and develop rapidly. Now, unlike the surrounding neighbourhood, it is a sad sight. The prominent neo-renaissance building is in ruins, with reconstruction having dragged on for more than six years, although the past year has seen the work finally intensify. Tue, 23 Oct 2012 16:39:21 +0200 urn:uuid:a6355ce6-d9ba-5395-a336-12fbd97d3204 http://radio.cz/en/article/151741 Nestled between busy Wenceslas Square and Prague’s number one tourist destination, Old Town Square, the House of the Black Madonna houses a small museum of Cubism as well as the only surviving Cubist café in the world – the Grand Café Orient, which was renovated between 2002 and 2005. Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:34:03 +0200 urn:uuid:5970ad3f-62b9-5491-88f8-86c3909b28cf http://radio.cz/en/article/151709 Anyone who has been to Prague is extremely likely to have seen some of the work of artist Jiří Votruba. Posters, postcards and t-shirts bearing his distinctive brightly-coloured images of Franz Kafka, the Golem, and Prague landmarks are on sale throughout the city. Indeed, they themselves help form the image of the Czech capital for many visitors. Mon, 15 Oct 2012 16:10:08 +0200 urn:uuid:50fa304c-f180-5084-9243-fcd8800384ee http://radio.cz/en/article/151577 The Basilica of St. Procopius in Třebíč is one of only 12 places in the Czech Republic inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. In this edition of Spotlight we’ll give you a taste of some of what makes the 12th century structure such a marvel. Tue, 09 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0200 urn:uuid:de37de30-a025-5375-9bfe-35aace97f75e http://radio.cz/en/article/151210 Pankrác is a byword in the Czech Republic for the large prison that stands a little way outside the centre of Prague. The prison has been the focus for much of the worst and some of the best that has happened over the last 120 years. Appropriately, some mementos have been stored for posterity. Tue, 25 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0200 urn:uuid:706d9ec2-13d4-5f31-9656-1d59931a593a http://radio.cz/en/article/150922 The Mongol Rally is an adventure/ charity event that starts in Europe and ends in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Among this year’s 300 participants was Ota Ulč jr., the son of Czech exile writer Ota Ulč, Nick Jarret, both from New York and Prague local Karel Vančura. The team covered the 10,000 miles from the Czech Republic to Mongolia in a Renault Kangoo, helping to raise money for UNICEF and the Lotus Children's Centre Charitable Trust. Radio Prague called Ota in New York to talk about the Mongol Rally experience. Thu, 13 Sep 2012 16:09:58 +0200 urn:uuid:2a3e458b-7197-5f96-8e6c-b5717629ef92