Radio Prague International - latest articles

Ninety years ago, a broadcast first went on air from Prague’s Strašnice district with a single mission: to make heard the voice of Czechoslovakia, a small country in the heart of Europe.  Radio Prague International was not created as a pastime, but as a strategic weapon against Nazi propaganda. Through the crackle of the airwaves, presidents, ordinary people and visionaries spoke to listeners abro...

The 139th edition of Wimbledon is making Czech tennis history. For the first time ever, it is already certain before the final that the Wimbledon title will go to a Czech player. Linda Nosková and Karolína Muchová will face each other in Saturday's championship match.

An old hospital coal plant might seem an unlikely place for contemporary art. But this summer, the Czech Street Art Festival (SAFE) has transformed a functionalist industrial landmark into a space where street art and psychotherapy collide.

Violent crime committed by children is on the rise in Czechia, with a growing number of attacks carried out simply for the thrill of it. The trend is prompting renewed debate over whether the age of criminal responsibility should be lowered.

Visitors to this year's Colours of Ostrava festival , due to open next week, will be able to explore a brand-new venue. Alongside the more laid-back Steel Stage, organizers are also introducing a new fan zone called Steel Town.

The oldest known beech tree in Czechia has been identified in the Beskydy Mountains near the country's border with Slovakia. Researchers have determined the tree to be 492 years old, meaning it must have taken root in the early 16th century. 

The Prague Archbishopric has abandoned plans to sell the historic Jindřišská Tower in the heart of Prague after spending several years searching for a buyer. It will now negotiate exclusively with the city of Prague, although it has not said whether the discussions will concern a sale, a lease, or some other form of cooperation.

The Czech government plans to redirect existing funding towards NATO's PURL (Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List) initiative, which finances US-made weapons for Ukraine. According to security analyst and former senior military officer František Mičánek, the move strengthens Czech credibility within the Alliance while reflecting a broader shift in Europe's security environment. 

Swiss actress and screenwriter Anna Schinz presented A Happy Family this weekend at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where the drama directed by her partner Jan-Eric Mack had its world premiere. The first Swiss film ever selected for the festival's main competition, A Happy Family follows Niki, a single mother struggling to make ends meet in one of Europe's wealthiest countries, as sh...

The row over who should represent the Czech Republic at the NATO summit in Ankara is over. Both the prime minister and president are attending the high-profile event. Attention has now turned to what is expected to be the main issue facing the Czech delegation - explaining why the country has failed to meet NATO's defense spending target.

Researchers in Brno have developed a portable device that does more than identify illegal drugs. It can also trace their origin and connect samples to previous cases, offering investigators valuable new intelligence. The technology has already attracted interest from police in both Czechia and the United States.

The Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra (SOČR) is at home not only in Studio 1, but also on the most prestigious Czech concert stages: in the Rudolfinum, the Municipal House, and the Bethlehem Chapel. At the same time, it performs just as naturally on international stages, where over decades it has built a reputation for exceptional vitality, tonal culture, and an ability to present Czech music in its...

  Neil Bermel is Professor of Czech Language and Linguistics at the University of Sheffield, where he has been teaching for nearly three decades. He was among the scholars who gathered in Prague for the Seventh World Congress of Bohemian Studies and, during the event, received the Josef Dobrovský Medal for outstanding contributions to Czech studies. I sat down with him to talk about what first dre...

More than six centuries after Jan Hus was burned at the stake in Constance, historians are taking a fresh look at one of Czech history's defining figures. Medievalist Eva Doležalová of the Institute of History of the Czech Academy of Sciences explains why modern research is moving beyond centuries of myth to rediscover the real Jan Hus.

Rising temperatures and declining oxygen levels are causing more frequent fish die-offs in Czech rivers, prompting new efforts to monitor and protect freshwater ecosystems. Scientists and water authorities are deploying advanced technologies to track water quality and better understand how climate change is reshaping aquatic life.

An exhibition now on display at Prague's Holešovice Market Hall explores what it means to grow up between two cultures. Little Hanoi: Next Generation combines large-scale portraits with personal stories to introduce the children of Vietnamese immigrants who settled in former Czechoslovakia decades ago. Ruth Fraňková went along to find out more.

Over the past weekend, Czechia experienced an extreme heatwave that broke all previous records, with the highest temperature ever measured on its territory reaching 41.9°C. But was this just an isolated weather event, or a glimpse of what summers in Central Europe will increasingly look like in the future? If the latter is true, how do we adapt to steadily rising temperatures, what does this mean...

The jubilee 60th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival gets under way in the West Bohemian spa town on Friday. 2026 also marks 80 years since the event’s foundation, an anniversary that the organisers say places Karlovy Vary in a most exclusive club.

Many people have been suffering from the heat here in the Czech Republic, with all-time record temperatures registered on consecutive days at the end of last week. One group particularly at risk in such extreme weather are the homeless community.