Prague is not the only cradle of culture in the Czech Republic. Several festivals have a long tradition in many cities all over the country and jazz festivals are some of the most eagerly anticipated every year. Two quite exceptional ones await us soon this year, these being the AghaRTA Prague Jazz Festival and JazzFest Brno.
The jubilee 20th year of the AghaRTA Prague Jazz Festival, which is taking place from 23 February to 23 May, is marked by big names. The most notable person taking part is without a doubt Maceo Parker, the American singer and saxophonist, who will be performing on 15 March in Lucerna Music Bar. Another important personality who is closely linked with the festival is the musician and bassist Richard Bona. This jubilee year would not be the same without him. Fans will be able to enjoy his concert on 4 May in the intimate surroundings of the Hybernia Theatre. Apart from this, the festival for example offers performances by the Steve Lukhather Band and Soft Machine. More information available at http://www.agharta.cz/
JazzFest Brno is celebrating its no-less-important tenth year. The festival promises a wealth of concerts, jam sessions and workshops, which will be kicked off by none other than the legendary Bobby McFerrin with two concerts on 29 and 30 March due to the huge interest. The festival lasts until 21 April and the programme also includes concerts by the Dimitry Baevsky Quartet, the Carla Cook Quartet and the Mike Stern Band. More details available at http://www.jazzfestbrno.cz/.
But jazz days in the Czech Republic are far from over with these festivals. Fans can look forward to a whole summer packed with jazz. From the many festivals that await us, it is certainly worth mentioning Bohemia Jazz Fest, Jazz Without Borders and the multi-genre festival, Colours of Ostrava.
There is a good reason why the Czech Republic is nicknamed the “Golf Republic”: 87 golf courses can be found here, and new ones are continuing to emerge. Some of them date back to as far as the beginning of the 20th century. Many are situated near chateaux, castles or spa resorts. Enjoy your real relaxation and get to the greens in the heart of Europe!
Golf Fun at a Chateau
The golf atmosphere in the Czech Republic will bring you to a world of fairytales, as many courses are situated near chateau parks and castles. Golf Resort Karlštejn (www.karlstejn-golf.cz), situated near the medieval castle of the same name near Prague, for instance, offers wonderful views. Golf Resort Konopiště (www.gcko.cz), in the surroundings of the chateau of the same name, ranks as one of the most beautiful golf courses in the Czech Republic. An 18-hole course at Golf Club Kynžvart (www.golfkynzvart.cz) was certified last year. The classicistic chateau, surrounded by greens, was chosen as a summer residence of the Austrian state chancellor Metternich. A 27-hole course located near the magnificent chateau of Hluboká (www.golfhluboka.cz) is also definitely worth visiting. Golf connoisseurs should not miss the golf resort near the chateau of Slavkov (www.agrt.cz) either. In 1805 the Battle of Austerlitz took place here and French troops celebrated their victory under the command of Napoleon.
Golf Relaxation in a Spa
Spa services have been associated with golf in the Czech Republic since the beginning of the 20th century. A golf course was founded in the most famous Czech spa town of Karlovy Vary (www.golfresort.cz) as early as 1904. The second golf course in the Czech Republic was opened by the English King Edward VII in the town of Mariánské Lázně. In 2003 the British Queen granted the local club, the Royal Club Mariánské Lázně (www.golfml.cz), the right to use the royal title. More golf resorts can be found, for instance, near the spa town of Františkovy Lázně – an 18-hole Golf Resort Franzensbad (www.gr-fl.cz), or Bečov nad Teplou – Astoria Golf Resort Cihelny, which is also a Scottish-style 18-hole course (www.astoria-golf.cz).
What’s New this Season?
A number of new courses were created last year and many golf resorts underwent renovation, modernisation, or enlarged their facilities as well as the courses themselves. Similar progress is to take place in the upcoming season. Golf Resort Black Bridge (www.grcm.cz) in Prague welcomed the first golf lovers last November, and the brand new 18-hole course will be opened here in its entirety in mid-June. Golf Park Slapy svatý Jan (www.golfslapy.cz), situated near Slapy reservoir, will open the second part of its 18-hole course to its visitors in June. On the other hand, the Golf Club Čertovo břemeno (www.cebr.cz), located in South Bohemia, has prepared a new clubhouse for its players.
Save your Money in the Czech Republic!
The Czech Republic supports golfers with a project called “1 Greenfee 2 Golfers” and the CzechTourism agency has taken part in its preparation. The bonus vouchers can be used at 39 Czech golf courses up until 31 December 2011. You can find a list of these courses as well as other information at www.1fee2golfers.eu.
The vouchers will also be distributed by the CzechTourism foreign agencies in the United Kingdom, Nordic countries, Poland and Slovakia. Golf players coming from other states can get these in the Prague central office (www.czechtourism.com).
Prestigious Tournaments
What’s more, the Czech Republic hosts several prestigious golf tournaments. These include, for instance, the Czech Open taking place in August at the Prosper Golf Resort Čeladná (www.prosper-golf.cz), located in North Moravia, which is a part of the European Tour, or the Casa Serena Open taking place in September in the Casa Serena Roztěž near Kutná Hora (www.casaserenaopen.com), belonging to the European Senior Tour series.The last of the TOP golf events of the year 2011 is the tournament of the Ladies European Tour - Prague Golf Masters series, organised in September at the Prague City Golf Club in Zbraslav (www.praguecitygolf.cz).
04/02/2011
Celebrations for its 215th anniversary are being commenced by the National Gallery, the second oldest European institution of its kind after the Louvre in Paris, by opening an exhibition showcasing the art of the ancient world in Kinský Palace on the Old Town Square. Take a stroll through Egypt and Nubia in the Nile Valley, ancient Greece and Rome, visit the Near East and set out for destinations as far afield as China, Tibet and Japan!
New presentation of the Ancient World
The art of the oldest cultures in the world, which has so far been lacking in the offer of permanent exhibitions in Prague, is presented starting from 4 February 2011 in a new permanent exhibition in Kinský Palace. Apart from the National Gallery in Prague, the National Museum and experts from the Charles University also participated in this prestigious cultural project.
You will meet the great global cultures of the Ancient World in the new exhibition, i.e. Europe, North Africa and Asia, which were already accessible to Europeans before discovery of the New World at the end of the 15th century. The extensive collection of unique works by classical artists, Egyptian coffins and cuneiform tablets, amphorae, ceramics, glass, bronze items and statuettes does however lead you much further into the past and introduces you to seven thousand years of development of the art of the ancient cultures.
We won’t only be staying in Europe …
…but also having a look further to the east. Thirteen rooms on the first floor are devoted to Asian art. The pride of place in the collections of the National Gallery in Prague is presented to you in the very first room - a collection of ancient Chinese art. You can for example view ritual disks and plaques from nephrite, bronze ceremonial vessels, daggers, mirrors and bells or a collection of Chinese grave art ranging from simple figures from unglazed clay, right through to large, glazed and decorated statues of animals, ghostlike beings and people.
In the other rooms, you will get to know the wealth of tradition of Chinese sculpture or Buddhist art of the Tibetan region. It is above all the exceptional collection of hanging pictures with Mandala themes that deserve your attention here. In the section with decorative art from Southeast Asia, it is above all the art of lacquer and metal, porcelain as well as Japanese and Chinese ceramics, which were imported to Europe from as far back as the 16th century, that are presented to you. The permanent exhibition of ancient art is complemented with an exhibition of Korean art containing items borrowed from the National Museum of Korea in Seoul.
Do you like interactive programmes?
Then a visit to Kinský Palace should not end for you with a mere viewing of the permanent exhibitions. You can head for the second floor, where visitors of all ages can enter the studio to create their own works of art. You will find varied art supplies here, exhibition catalogues for on-site reading and ORIENTational worksheets or templates. Have a go at creating some fragile paper origami, learn how to tie symmetric and asymmetric knots in oriental carpets or see just how laborious putting on a quite normal kimono is!
The studio also houses tactile exhibitions of Japanese sculptures and Korean ceramics. You will find a shop with publications about the history of art in the rear wing on the ground floor of Kinský Palace.
Discover the Fantasy World of Czech Carnival Feasts and Celebrations
07/01/2011
Dive into a world of fantasy, originality, allegory, mysteries and history: visit Prague during the Carnival season! You will discover a whole new world during the bohemian festival called “Carnevale Prague”. Moreover, folk celebrations with masquerade costumes will captivate you in the Czech, Moravian and Silesian regions, too…
A Long-standing Tradition and Celebrations in All Corners
Prague carnival is no new phenomenon. It draws upon spectacular historical allegorical feasts that took place regularly every year in Bohemia from the Middle Ages up until the recent past. The “Bohemian Carnevale” is a rebirth of this phenomenon, celebrating our fantasy and joy. This year the inhabitants of Prague and the carnival guests will celebrate from February 25 until March 9, 2011 practically everywhere. The carnival festivities will take place in the open air, in public spaces as well as in palaces, museums and restaurants and hotels.
Where to Get Your Mask and Where to Go?
In order to dive into the fantasy world most successfully, be sure to enjoy the events wearing a carnival costume. You can buy or borrow an original costume right in a bohemian costume hire shop called “Budoir” in Clam-Gallas Palace, situated in Husova street in the centre of Prague. This is also the place where the biggest event of Prague Carnival will take place on March 5: the “Crystal Ball”, a big baroque masked ball. Some of the carnival events will be accessible free for guests wearing masks, in Prague’s towers or Charles Bridge Museum, for instance. If you are an incurable romantic you should definitely not miss a masked carnival cruise on the River Vltava. Some of the Prague restaurants will be offering a Carnival Menu. You will find the latest information on tickets, costumes and events athttp://www.carnevale.cz/.
Carnival Listed by UNESCO
Czech traditional carnival festivities were acknowledged by UNESCO in November 2010: Shrovetide processions taking place in the villages in the Hlinecko area, the Pardubice region (www.hlinecko.cz), were inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. According to ethnographers these processions have been celebrated in the local villages of Vortová, Studnice, Hamry or Blatno for some 200 to 250 years. The costumes, masks and rituals have remained almost unchanged since the beginning. Pretty red masks and ugly black masks figure in these Shrovetide processions. This year the processions will take place on February 26, and you can look forward to admiring chimney sweeps, a bear handler with a bear, mares or Turks.
Sword Dance in the White Carpathians
You can celebrate an original carnival in the East Moravian town of Strání (www.strani.cz) in the White Carpathians. However, Shrovetide is called “fašank” here, and folk bands from the Czech Republic and abroad meet every year for this occasion. Local brigands used to dance the Shrovetide sword dance, according to old legends. Today the sword dance called “Pod šable” is danced in one circle by five men and one farmer with a wooden skewer. They always dance with decorated swords in a house they visit and the farmer stabs at bacon with his skewer and ties bottles of slivovitz and sausages on it. The dancers pass from door to door of local cottages on Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday, i.e. March 8.
Carnival Festivities in Domažlice Region
Folk festivities with masked processions accompanied by folk musicians playing on accordions and guitars will take place at the opposite end of the Czech Republic, in the region of Chodsko, located in Western Bohemia. The most famous and largest celebrations take place during the last four Shrovetide days in the town of Postřekov (www.idomazlice.cz), as well as in virtually all local villages in a more intimate atmosphere.
Shrovetide in an Open Air Museum and a Delight for your Taste Buds
The carnival celebrations are also organised by the Wallachian Open Air Museum in the town of Rožnov pod Radhoštěm (http://www.vmp.cz), the largest and oldest open air museum in Central Europe. Apart from a traditional masked procession and a rich folk procession you will also satisfy your taste buds: on the first Shrovetide Saturday (February 26) the fourteenth competition for the best Wallachian sausage and the fourth competition for the best Wallachian presswurst take place here.
Carnival in Czech Towns
The Shrovetide atmosphere will come alive in Czech towns as well, not only in the country. The second largest city in the Czech Republic, Brno, has even prepared a thematic exhibition called “Balls, Dances and Carnivals” for this occasion. You can attend it in the Moravian Museum located in the Institute of Ethnography (www.mzm.cz). The exhibition will be followed by a procession of Shrovetide allegorical floats on March 22. The performance inspired by the content and topic of the exhibition starts on March 22 at 2 p.m. on Náměstí Svobody (Freedom Square)in Brno.
The Shrovetide processions will definitely take place in UNESCO towns, as well: masked processions walk through the town of Český Krumlov (www.ckrumlov.info) and Telč (www.telc.eu) every year.
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