Czechia in 30 minutes

In this Weekend Edition of Czechia in 30 Minutes, we visit Zlín, the birthplace of the Baťa shoe company and one of Czechia's most distinctive modernist cities. Inside a former factory hall, the exhibition The Baťa Principle shows how a local workshop expanded into a global brand. Join us to hear excerpts from the museum and learn how one Moravian company shaped Czech and world history.

Today on Czechia in 30 Minutes: 100 years of Čechie–Böhmerland: the world's longest motorcycles on display in Prague; scientists in Czechia uncover how the liver regenerates in “one of the most significant discoveries”; and later we meet British writer Jim Potts who recalls his years in Prague.

The Aussie & Kiwi Film Fest kicks off in Prague tomorrow. A look inside the Brno company that manufactures plaques for Michelin-starred restaurants. A new exhibition in Prague's Planetarium, and a new digital archive of Czech folk songs - Písňovna.

On today's show: Czech cavers' discovery confirmed as the world's largest spider web; Jamie Cullum performs in Prague; and later we meet well-known journalist Lukáš Dolanský, who has captured his experiences as Czech Television's correspondent in the UK in a new book. Enjoy!

Ukrainian flags in Czechia – what is the ongoing debate?, Vintage cars in Nová Bystřice trace roots to America, Petra Kupská, the Entrepreneur Teaching the World How to to Cook Like Czechs

On today's show: Over 80 institutions join Freedom Week; Prague's annual Poetry Day Festival kicks off; why Svatomartinské wines hit Czech tables early in 2025;  and, for our feature, on what it's like to live on a houseboat on the Vltava River. Enjoy!

Some Czechs have a lifelong fascination with America — and Zdeněk Jurásek is one of them. The president of the Czech Route 66 Association first cycled the legendary road from Chicago to Santa Monica in 1998 and has since done it dozens of times, even if mostly by car. In this episode of Czechia in 30 Minutes, he talks about why Route 66 became his American dream — and how it still inspires Czechs today.

Czech scientists develop nano-patch that helps heal without scarring, Rare Czech cubism collection exhibited at Prague's Kampa Museum, “Top Czech influencer” Kovy on politics, marriage equality – and life beyond social media

On today's show: Controversial figure Tomio Okamura, the leader of the Freedom and Direct Democracy party, has been elected Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies; Czech-Slovak relations under Andrej Babiš and Robert Fico; Pardubice will host the Canicross World Championships for dog racing for the first time; and lastly, we cover former president of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko's perspective on the War in Ukraine and what the future may hold. Enjoy!

On today's show: Celebrating Roma Language Day; Albrecht Dürer's first edition of Rhinoceros discovered in Czech Academy library; and with the announcement that Prague D's Olbrachtova metro stop has been constructed, although of course far from opened, we thought to bring you our interview on why Prague needs a fourth metro line.

Lidice Art Collection receives record donation from Turkish-British curator Hüma Kabakcı; Movember inspires men to think about health; musician Gareth Davis on contemporary classical music in Prague

In Czechia in 30 Minutes with Jan Bumba, the longtime Czech Radio journalist talks about leaving the newsroom for academia. Now the spokesperson of Charles University, he explains why the institution is not just Prague's oldest symbol but a living, forward-looking place of learning. The conversation reveals how tradition and innovation meet at one of Europe's oldest universities.

Today on Czechia in 30 Minutes: Charles Games' Playing Prague wins top mobile game award; rediscovering slow fashion with Humanoddity; Czech philosopher Tomáš Koblížek on fake news and hate speech.

Today on Czechia in 30 Minutes: St. Wenceslaus reclaims his lance in Vienna; Czechia leads EU in electricity prices; The Braník Rocks: Where Prague's prehistoric past meets today's city life. Enjoy!

The Prague Indian Film Festival kicks off highlighting Bollywood's diversity. A new book chronicles the fates of people executed for political reasons in Communist Czechoslovakia. And an interview with prominent human rights lawyer Oleksandra Matviichuk, who aims to bring the human dimension of the war in Ukraine back to Czech audiences.  

Metropolitan Plan for Prague's development , Harley Davidson Museum in Moravia, traveller Jan "Eskimo" Welzl

Czechia in 30 Minutes examines why Andrej Babiš is back in the political spotlight. Daniel Kaiser, journalist and keen observer of Czech politics, shares his insights into coalition talks and public sentiment. Host Vit Pohanka asks what this comeback means for the country's future direction.

On today's show: Future Czech government divided over inclusion in schools as debate echoes global culture wars; new U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic highlights defence cooperation; goldsmith and jewellery designer Zdenek Vacek discusses his current retrospective in Prague – including an object containing one of his parent's ashes.

On today's Czechia in 30 Minutes show: Ji.hlava Festival kicks off; Czechia to ban hen cages by 2027; essential tips on learning Czech from linguist Danny Bate and his new book, Why Q Needs U. Enjoy!

New report reveals that poverty affects up to one fifth of Czechs, Medieval-style wooden chapel near Brno wins National Architecture Award, ‘Praying Wood', Krištof Kintera's new sculpture, unveiled on Štvanice Island, Concrete, rubble, and renewal: The curious story of Rohan Island 

Surge in hepatitus cases, horse-drawn carriages banned from city centre, Music on Request project

Dita Kraus: the "Librarian of Auschwitz", From peas to barley - Czechia adds 150 seed samples to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, From Banat to Brisbane: Czech schools abroad keep language and heritage alive, Brutal murders and prostitution: The dark side of early 20th century Prague

The weekend edition of Czechia in 30 Minutes revisits the story of the Jan Hus Educational Foundation, a British initiative that secretly supported Czech and Slovak thinkers during communism. Among its quiet heroes were Barbara Day and Nancy Durham, whose courage helped preserve independent education and free expression. The legacy of the Jan Hus Foundation is now honored in a new exhibition in Brno called Sparks of Freedom.

News, what do travellers need to know about the EES system, 3,000-year old bronze vessel to go on display, interview with actress Zuzana Stivinova

Future Czech government line-up on hold, as police investigate ministerial candidate for hate speech. Archaeologists discover three-thousand-year-old settlement in the Pardubice region. And through the work of Czech NGO Koridor UA, we take a look at what everyday life is like in parts of Ukraine and what it means to help on the ground.

Czechia to receive Guest of Honour title at the Frankfurt book fair; the sounds of Czech bells stolen by the Nazis; a stroll through Prague's oldest botanical garden

Signal Festival to light up Prague for the 13th time; New Brno exhibition tells the story of how Oxford philosophers supported Czech dissidents; The hope of Czech AI Matyáš Boháček talks about hopes and concerns for the future of AI 

A racism scandal is putting talks to form a new Czech government at risk. President Petr Pavel highlights the threat Russia poses to Europe during his speech at the Forum 2000 international conference. An interview with the translator, Susan Reynolds, of a new editon of Czech classic The Grandmother.

In this week's Czechia in 30 Minutes, we head back to Ostrava, once one of the industrial hearts of Czechoslovakia. The city is still losing young people, but its leaders hope that education, science and culture can reverse that trend. A visit to the University of Ostrava's new city campus shows how modern laboratories, art studios and sports facilities are helping to transform both the university and the city around it.

In this week's Czechia in 30 Minutes, we head back to Ostrava, once one of the industrial hearts of Czechoslovakia. The city is still losing young people, but its leaders hope that education, science and culture can reverse that trend. A visit to the University of Ostrava's new city campus shows how modern laboratories, art studios and sports facilities are helping to transform both the university and the city around it.

Brno's Moravian Autumn Festival to celebrate Sir Charles Mackerras, the great champion of Czech music, Falcons hunt bait carried by drones at Czech Falconry Festival, Richard Harry Fletcher: The English jockey who became a legend of the Great Pardubice

News, a new retrospective on photographer Dagmar Hochová, the student-run FOFR Film Festival, and a look at Folimanka Park, which inspired Dan Brown

Czech elections 2025: a record number of women elected to parliament, Prague's Designblok 2025 celebrates courage in design with guest of honour Mary McCartney,  Has the left failed in the Czech Republic?

News, ANO leader faces tough coalition talks, writer and dissident Ivan Klima dies at 94, Geocaching in Czechia 

In this weekend edition of Czechia in 30 Minutes, we revisit the milestones of Czech parliamentary elections since 1990. Political scientist and commentator Jiří Pehe reflects on the rise of Klaus and Zeman, the “opposition agreement,” and the dominance of new movements like ANO. As voters head to the polls again, Czechia in 30 Minutes puts the past 35 years of free elections into perspective.

On today's Czechia in 30 Minutes show: this year's Ostrava international puppetry festival, Spectaculo Interesse; day of Architecture festival spotlights Czech women architects past and present; and for our feature, Prague-based director Tereza Nvotová discusses her film Father, which is about a man who causes the death of his small daughter.

News, Moravian Karst caves make bid for place on UNESCO World Heritage List, NASA's Europa Clipper mission gets support from Czech scientists, Rekino projects gives old cinemas new lease on life 

President Pavel addressed the nation ahead of elections, bunkers for sale in Czechia, Lednice Chateau

Fake accounts on Tik Tok linked to elections, contaminated land sold to unsuspecting clients in Ostrava suburb, historian Jiří Kluc

Economists urge smarter taxes, Celtic treasure uncovered in western Bohemia and David Kratochvil breaks world record in men's 400m freestyle at the World Para Swimming Championships

Insights into this year's Czech wine and brandy production. An unusual exhibition of replicas of crowns worn by rulers on the Czech, Hungarian, and Austrian thrones on show in Turnov.  And, David Mareček, head of the Czech Philharmonic, on this edition Prague Talk.

“An exceptional award for exceptional people”: Joan Baez to receive Václav Havel Centre Lifetime Achievement Award, Quantum leap in Ostrava: Czechia's first public quantum computer VLQ officially starts working, From Prague to Sumatra: František Příbrský and the fight to save the Slow Loris