News from the Czech Republic

Senate and municipal elections 2026

On October 9 and 10 the Czech Republic will hold municipal elections as well as elections for one-third of the members of the Senate.

STAN and ODS win Czech Senate elections, ANO fails to gain a seat

STAN and ODS win Czech Senate elections, ANO fails to gain a seat

Anniversary of the Week

Martina Navratilova at 70: from defection to 59 Grand Slam titles
32:57

Music

Bluegrass band Druhá tráva to mark 35 years with major concert
41:37

Czechast

Václav Havel behind the scenes: Alexandr Vondra remembers

News

Václav Havel remembered

Czech democracy leader Václav Havel was born 90 years ago this October. We speak to several people who were close to the dissident playwright-turned-president.

Foreign policy

53:22

Czech Palestinians reflect on Gaza, identity and Czech attitudes towards the war

In Czechast, two Palestinians with deep ties to Czechia discuss identity, the Gaza war and their disappointment with Czech attitudes towards Palestinians.

Society

Anniversary of the Week

October 2006: Czech WWII hero František Fajtl dies

Lieutenant General František Fajtl, a WWII hero who commanded an RAF squadron and later got hard labour in communist Czechoslovakia, died on October 4, 2006.

Culture

Franz Kafka | Photo: Atelier Jacobi, Wikimedia Commons, public domain

In Kafka's Footsteps

Franz Kafka was born in Prague, but where specifically did the world-famous writer grow up? Where did he draw inspiration, or even go on holiday?

Nature

Science and technology

03:48

Young Brno scientist wins international award for early detection of heart failure

The human heart can show signs of trouble long before heart failure develops. A scientist in Brno researches how routine ECG tests could help doctors detect these signs.

Picture of the week

Judoka Krpálek back among the world’s elite, takes bronze in Baku

Two-time Olympic champion Lukáš Krpálek won a bronze medal at the World Judo Championships in Baku.

Photogallery

QSL 2026

Source: Kristýna Marková, Radio Prague International
Source: Kristýna Marková, Radio Prague International
Source: Kristýna Marková, Radio Prague International
Source: Kristýna Marková, Radio Prague International
Source: Kristýna Marková, Radio Prague International
Source: Kristýna Marková, Radio Prague International
Source: Kristýna Marková, Radio Prague International
Source: Kristýna Marková, Radio Prague International
Source: Kristýna Marková, Radio Prague International
Source: Kristýna Marková, Radio Prague International

Video

Video of Signal Festival 2026: laser nad Vltavou, Laterna magika i Václav Havel

Lit up: Signal Festival in Prague

Petra Hůlová | Photo: Karolína Němcová, Czech Radio

Petra Hůlová on The Long Version: “It’s about my own experience of being used”

Written from the perspective of a female author in her 50s, Petra Hůlová’s The Long Version explores themes of gender, potential abuse and intergenerational tensions.

The Landscape of the Vysočina Region | Photo: Daniel Zach, Czech Radio

Czech local elections highlight the country’s thousands of small municipalities

This special episode of Czechast explores why a country of fewer than 11 million people has over 6,200 munipalities and elects nearly 62,000 local councillors.

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QSL 2026

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English Service Staff