The New Year has brought real winter weather, complete with snow and sub-zero temperatures. That’s not good news for everyone, but if you like snow, now is your chance to go and have some winter fun. Prague has many winter stadiums (Štvanice on Střelecký ostrov, Nikolajka in Smíchov, Výstaviště in Holešovice or Ice Arena in Letňany) with ice rinks open to the public and offering skate rentals. There is even one outdoor ice-rink Na Františku downtown Prague, where you can skate everyday for CZK 50.
It’s a bit worse when it comes to skiing. Although Prague has many hills, only some of them are suitable for skiing. The mountains of Krkonoše, Krušné hory or Šumava would definitely be a better choice. You can try the 4-km sledge slide in Špindlerův Mlýn, Krkonoše.
With more snow, you can also explore Prague on cross-country skis. The city has many areas suitable for Nordic skiing (Stromovka park, Vítkov hill in Žižkov, Hvězda park on Vypich and Bílá Hora). But only World Cup racers can afford the luxury of skiing in the city when there is hardly any snow.
If you prefer to be some place warm rather than outside in the snow, why not go see some art? The National Gallery in Prague (Palác Kinských) is hosting an exhibition on the history of photography and early stylistic approaches. The Fotografis collection, featuring more than 250 originals from the likes of Man Ray, Paul Strnad, Diane Arbus, André Kertész, Moholy-Nagy, Felix Nadar and Czech photographers František Drtikol and Jaromír Funke, is certainly a unique collection in Europe and an event not to be missed. You have until 8 February.
Another photo exhibition is on display at
A provocative exhibition is open until Sunday at NOD Gallery Roxy. Under the name Podvratné mýty [subversive myths], artists Milan Kozelka and Andrea Lexová present a series of political collage works targeting topics such as racism, communism and literature in Czech society.
On Tuesday the same venue hosts a Czech contemporary dance show called Shooting Dance. At the Matrix club, meanwhile, Therapy Session, Drum & bass party Mass Destruction with Czech and foreign DJs will take place on Friday. At the Lucerna Music Bar, the futuristic Czech rock band Lili Marlene will 8 January. Scenes from the concert will be used in the new film of director Juraj Herz, Tma [Darkness].
You can, in fact, be an actor twice this week. The Prague Playhouse is organising auditions for the three winning plays of the Prague Playwriting Contest. Auditions for the unpaid acting positions will be held at the Prague Film School 11 January from 2pm till 5pm and 14 January from 6:30pm till 9:30pm. Prepare a two minute monologue if you want to give it a try. Click here for more information about the roles and times.
Museum Kampa is hosting a series of lectures in English on European and American modernism. In January Washington-based art historian Benjamin Benus will lecture on internationally renowned artists such as Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, El Lissitzky or Gerd Arntz in connection with topics such as music, geometry, modern ideologies, politics of the body and even pictograms. If interested, make a reservation for one of the following days: 13, 20 and 27 January, 7pm.
Pass the Popcorn
Diario de una ninfómana is a Spanish drama, which arrives in Czech theatres this week. Christian Molina’s movie is a chronicle of the life of a middle-class French girl’s sexual adventures, her subsequent fall to prostitution and her eventual redemption. (Cinema City Flora, Palace Cinemas Letňany and Nový Smíchov)
Clint Eastwood’s film Changeling stars Angelina Jolie as a mother whose son goes missing and when the police find him months later, she realises the boy is not hers and does anything to find out the truth. The film is inspired by actual events that happened in Los Angeles in the 1920s.
Fly Me to the Moon is a new 3-D movie arriving this week at IMAX in Prague. The animated film directed by Ben Stassen depicts the first landing on the Moon from a fly’s point of view.
And finally, The Best 12 Ones 2009 festival at Světozor offers screenings of 12 Czech documentaries that have been nominated for the Best Documentary category of the Czech Lion Awards in the last 15 years. (8-14 January)
