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Článek v ČEŠTINĚ dole (Klikněte na “Read the rest …”)
On February 23rd, a third year of the international festival against totalitarianism “Mene Tekel” has started. The cultural event accompanying the Czech presidency in the EU Council will last one week. During this time, people will revisit memories and hear testimonies of former political prisoners. The festival will also include artistic reflections of totalitarianism in films, books by living legends, verses of imprisoned men and woman, historians’ views, and much more.

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Článek v ČEŠTINĚ dole (Klikněte na “Read the rest …”)

It has been twenty years since the end of Communism in the former Czechoslovakia. Today, many adults of ages 40 and above still remember what it used to be like to live in a communist country. Some of them even attempted to escape the regime by illegal crossings through a border line with the western countries that was symbolically called the Iron Curtain. Many children today don’t know much about the tough times during the communist regime and even schools don’t teach them about this important part of the Czech and Slovak history. The change is emerging soon, however, since a new history curriculum is being tested at selected schools.  Possibly a new video for small children describing the end of the Iron Curtain by the Czech government will introduce a new way of teaching about the history of former Czechoslovakia after World War II.

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To mark its presidency over the EU, the Czech government wanted to create a sculpture of all countries, named Entropa, of the European Union. These pieces of art were supposed to be the work of artists from each country of the union. David Cerny, a Czech artist was selected as the leader of this project that would be displayed in Brussels, Belgium. When the final work was revealed, it not only shocked everybody due to the fact that the only author of this work was Cerny and his affiliates, but the sculpture itself humiliated several countries, such as Germany, Latvia, or Bulgaria. Many European artists wanted to react to Entropa and created caricatures of the Czech Republic through their eyes.

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Článek v ČEŠTINĚ dole (Klikněte na “Read the rest …”)

Would you like to learn about the Czech Republic, its history and paths that lead the country to the European Union that it is presiding over? You may like the following animation that describes just that in the Czech language with English subtitles. The movie is called From Forefather to Union (Od Praotce k Unii) and the author of this cartoon is Pavel Koutsky. Even though the movie is animated, people of all ages can enjoy its simplicity and brilliance that captures all important aspects of Czech history.

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Článek v ČEŠTINĚ dole (Klikněte na “Read the rest …”)

(www.icm.cz)

Two weeks ago we announced the official celebration of the Czech Republic assuming the EU presidency. We also provided you with the first video that described a summary of the initial activities associated with this rotation. Since some of you would like to keep up with the series, we have created a whole page that will be updated with each new sequence. You can, of course, find the videos at the Czech TV website in the section iVysilani. Unfortunately, the videos are mostly for Czech or Slovak native speakers since we are not able to provide periodic translations for all the videos. We will, however, keep you updated in our English/Czech articles in the future.

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Článek v ČEŠTINĚ dole (Klikněte na “Read the rest …”)

It has been twenty years since the fall of communism and when we look back, we are amazed how different we used to live. It may seem that the former Eastern Bloc countries have moved on towards independence and freedom, but is it really true? The recent affair with Russian natural gas showed us again how much these countries are still dependent on this powerful country. This was a tough time for Europe, but it showed that EU countries could overcome this burden by helping each other during tough times. What will they do to make sure this won’t happen again?

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K. Čapek

Karel Capek (1890 - 1938) was a Czech writer, political thinker, and philosopher that was known around the world. You have probably heard about him as an “inventor” of the word “Robot.” He was not only known for his resistance against the Nazis but also the Communists and always promoted a free and democratic Czechoslovakia. His work and pure democratic beliefs are just two of many reasons to read his great books that have been translated into many other languages. You may also find another reason to read his books - it has been 70 years since his death and anybody is able to freely publish his books, making them even more available to the world.

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(www.unscburma.org)

The former president of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Havel, was hospitalized and underwent throat surgery. After the surgery he suffered complications and was in serious conditions. His condition; however, just slightly improved compared to Wednesday morning. He is able to move and eat but he is very tired and needs a respiratory to breath. His wife, Dagmar Havlova, visits him on regular basis but even her visits are limited to give the former country leader a better opportunity for quicker recovery. 

Less than a year ago, Vaclav Havel ended up in the hospital. Last year he suffered from bronchitis and complained of a heart problem. His condition was not serious at that time but he needed intensive treatments. Havel used to be a heavy smoker and frequently experienced health problems. After his operation to remove lung cancer and other surgeries, he had breathing difficulties and needed extra care to treat other health problems caused by these invasive treatments.

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Manhattan New York

The Czech Republic is getting lots of attention during its EU Presidency. During its six month presidency rotation we can expect many activities organized by the Czech government. The theme for this presidency rotation is “Europe without Barriers.” To prove the barriers can be overcome, two concerts in London and New York were performed by musicians from different countries or by people that have never played together before. The outcome of both concerts was very positive - all musicians were able to communicate with each other without long practice and preparation and the audience was thrilled.

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Článek v ČEŠTINĚ dole (Klikněte na “Read the rest …”)

EU Flag (www.timeanddate.com)

Even though the Czech Republic assumed the EU presidency on January 1^st, the celebration with EU and Czech government officials was scheduled for the 7^th of January. The EU officials spent the whole day in Prague to experience the Czech cuisine and learn about our culture, and in the evening they had a chance to attend a celebration ceremony in the National Theatre in Prague. Many politicians, diplomats and other important figures attended this event; however, the Czech President Vaclav Klaus was absent.

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Prague Castle (www.15wheelsetcongress.com)

After our successful video post with the Czech Christmas fairy tales, wer are adding another video sequence about Prague and the Czech Republic. We have selected two slideshows and two videos. All of them have something special about our country including famous politicians, movie stars, models, writers, conductors and more. Beautiful pictures of countryside, castles and cities don’t need explanations at all. The videos will either bring you back home or introduce this beautiful country to you for the first time. Enjoy!

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Článek v ČEŠTINĚ dole (Klikněte na “Read the rest …”)

Euros (www.moneymatterstome.co.uk)

The year 2009 is not only very significant for the Czech Republic but also for Slovakia. The Czech government took over the EU presidency for the next six months, while Slovakia became the 16th member of the euro zone. Both of the countries separately joined the European Union in 2004. Slovaks are proud of the switch to the euro currency and see this change as a source of their pride and future economic growth. When will the Czechs switch to euro currency then?

The Czech leadership will be tested for the next six months as it assumes the European Union presidency. The country will face lots of important issues such as the worst economic meltdown in Europe, a dispute with Russia, and the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. Read the rest of this entry (Čtětě více ZDE) »