Prague College becomes Prague City University!
Prague College becomes Prague City University! Seventeen years ago, Prague College opened its doors to a handful of students inPrague’s Vinohrady district. The college offered a British-style education in the heartof Europe with an unusual interdisciplinary approach that explored theinterconnected nature of business, IT and design. In a relatively short space of time Prague College built a solid reputation as a leadinguniversity in Central Europe, teaching a range of degree programmes in English, andwith over 500 students from 90 different countries. Such growth was made possible by a global faculty delivering creative and innovativeprogrammes that fulfilled both student and contemporary businesses’ needs acrossthree schools: the School of Art & Design, School of Business and School of Media & IT. InContinue Reading
As Tourists Return, Prague Workers Struggle
By: Sofie Kodner, Martina Kroa, Mihail Petrov, and Tereza Anna Štegmannová Independent workers who rely on the tourism industry in Prague, like driver Valey, are struggling to recoup economic losses suffered during the pandemic, even as travellers slowly return to the city. The father of two chauffeurs visitors around Prague’s Old Town Square in a vintage luxury car. For him, the lack of tourists has had a devastating financial impact on his family. “I didn’t have a job for a year,” Valey said. Prague was the fourth most visited city in Europe in 2019, according to Euromonitor International, with tourism activities generating more than half of the city’s income. The travel restrictions established last year because of the coronavirus slashedContinue Reading
Prague Fights Climate Change With Reused Goods
By: Sofie Kodner, Martina Kroa, Mihail Petrov, and Tereza Anna Štegmannová A new recycling project that makes it easier for residents to pass on household items such as furniture and dishware launched in Prague, highlighting the city’s focus on waste reduction as part of its climate change strategy. Reuse initiatives are a growing trend across Europe and the globe as countries emphasize climate change as a policy priority. The Czech Republic is already one of the lowest generators of waste in the European Union, according to the European Environment Agency. Officials hope the Prague project, called Re-Use points and funded by the city, will further strengthen the country’s position among low-waste producing states. “This is one way to change people’sContinue Reading
Chaplin square reconstruction
The Chaplin square is an homage to the famous silent film actor, composer and director. It is located in Prague 5, Barrandov, near where the biggest Czech film studios are located. Unfortunately, the square no longer radiates as much respect as it once did. Thus, the district hall of Prague 5 plans a massive reconstruction, including a new irrigation system designed to use rainwater to its full potential. The plan will also include the full replacement of all public night lights and the addition of drinking fountains. Furthermore, the statues commemorating the famous American are to be fully cleaned to once again pay respect to his name. The original piece was made in the 80s, as well as the panelContinue Reading
Czech National Theatre fire
On August 12th, the Czech National Theatre sadly burned down. The fire engulfed the roof of the Theatre at 5 o’clock, after workers finishing its construction a month after its opening accidentally started it. The fire proceeded downwards and completely destroyed the stage and auditorium of the theatre, as it burned throughout the night. These news were the story of the day exactly 140 years ago in 1881. Two years later, thanks to Czechs selling their valuables to donate to the rebuilding of the monument, it reopened and it entertains the Czech people to this day. To commemorate the fire, the Prague fire department organized a showcase for the public. They arrived to the theatre exactly at 17:00, and actedContinue Reading
Rare repairs on Cathedral of St. Vitus
A rare sight has presented itself in the heart of the Prague castle on Tuesday, as builders replaced one of the gargoyles on The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saints Vitus, Wenceslaus and Adalbert. This building built between 1344 and 1929 has not had many renovations, and those which were done were only performed by the best of the best in the Czech Republic, as the architectural masterpiece holds a place in almost every Czech heart, as well as in the hearts of most tourists who have visited the Prague Castle. Tuesday’s repair was small but still important as one of the ornamental gargoyles, a structure designed to direct water from the roof far from the building’s exposed walls during the rain,Continue Reading
Less tourist traps
After covid-19 ridding Prague of almost all tourists for a number of months within the last 15 months, many businesses have disappeared. While many of them were run by good people trying to make a living legally, some of them were balancing on a blade between the legal and the illegal, often targeting tourists who were less likely to realise that they got robbed or less likely to take the shady business to Czech court. One of the biggest scams ran on tourists in pre-Covid Prague was unfairly overpriced money exchange in certain exchange offices, or even the exchange of foreign money for board game money by certain individuals in the streets. The number of the formerly mentioned stores hasContinue Reading
Praha žije Hudbou festival
Prague, July 13 – This Friday and Saturday, the multi-genre festival Praha žije hudbou will overtake streets, squares, parks and other public spots of the Czech capital. The lineup will offer around 200 artists of various genres from pop through rock, jazz, rap, beatbox and electronic music to classical music, but also a number of theater performances or slam poetry. On the two-day festival held under the motto “Art belongs to the streets”, streets of Prague will witness live performances by world-famous jazz trumpeter Laco Déczi with his Celula New York ensemble, singer Ondřej Ruml, genre-spanning band minus123minut, folk-pop singer Voxel, multi-instrumentalist balancing between folk and electronic music Bára Zmeková or beatbox masters Endra and Tiny Beat. Some will returnContinue Reading