The historic town of Telč holds its annual veterans’ ride of penny farthing bikes, automobiles and even baby carriages. Scrapping is the name of the game in the Czech Republic and is the crisis making high school graduates beg in the streets? Find out more in Magazine with Daniela Lazarová.
Former Radio Free Europe headquarters
As you may have heard Radio Free Europe recently moved to new headquarters on the suburbs of Prague, leaving the glass and chrome building at the top of end of Wenceslas Square empty. The building, which formerly housed the Czechoslovak Federal Parliament, will now serve the National Museum – which is located just across the street and is in desperate need of new premises.
The museum’s director Michal Lukeš has just announced plans to open a big exhibition on the premises to mark the twentieth anniversary of the Velvet Revolution and the fall of communism in the former Czechoslovakia. The exhibition called Be Free will document life under the communist regime from the hardline 1950s to the late 1980s and a section of it will be devoted to the work of Radio Free Europe broadcasting to the countries behind the Iron Curtain– including a fully equipped studio and a hot-air balloon that was used by Radio Free Europe to distribute leaflets advertising its broadcasts on Czechoslovak territory. The exhibition is to open on November 17 – a national holiday marking the country’s return to democracy.
Photo: CTK
The historic town of Telč, often referred to as the pearl of Moravia, came to life last week with an annual veterans’ ride of penny farthing bikes, automobiles and even baby carriages –in other words anything on wheels that had been around for the last one hundred years or so. The local association of penny farthing (or high-wheeler) bike owners showed off their biking skills in period costume. And given the fact that the association was founded just two years ago – they were pretty good. Most of them discovered their penny farthings in dismal condition in the attic and spent hours restoring them to their former beauty. Not to mention the hours spent learning to ride a penny farthing. The veteran ride in Telč was actually just a warm-up because this weekend they are off on a three day veteran ride to the towns of Raab and Horn in neighbouring Austria – to visit local penny farthing associations.
Photo: archive of Radio Prague
The house lottery scheme launched in Austria several weeks ago has many Czechs sighing for something similar. Unfortunately for those who are dreaming of winning a house for the price of 100 euros the Czech authorities have made it clear that in the Czech Republic such a transaction would be illegal. Although the scheme is now said to have run into difficulties with some house owners having to return the cost of lottery tickets many Czechs have recently paid Austria a visit in view of trying their luck. Although no one has admitted to doing so openly, Austrians close to the border who have put their houses up for sale in this manner say they have sold plenty of tickets to Czechs. Well, as you see, cross-border cooperation is certainly thriving in every respect!
Scrapping has become an extremely popular expression in the Czech language, despite the fact that unlike other European nations Czechs are still waiting for Parliament to approve some serious scrap incentives, such as a scrap law pertaining to old cars. However small businesses are going wild with the possibilities the term affords – for instance some pubs have put out notices urging customers to come and scrap themselves at their place – with the help of a few free drinks. And since scrapping is the slogan of the day they are doing good business!
Photo: CTK
If you’ve been to Prague in the late spring, you may have been accosted on the street by a class of high-spirited teenagers dressed in party costumes who shamelessly begged money from passers-by. Whatever you may have thought, it is not the unemployment rate that’s pushing high school graduates into disreputable conduct. It’s actually an old tradition in this country for school graduates to dress up and ask strangers to donate a few crowns towards their graduation party.
Photo: CTK
This practice originated in small towns where the inhabitants all knew one another and were happy to oblige. Graduates would also have their photo taken for a tableau that was displayed in one of the local shop windows. Proud parents would then admire their offspring and kids from the neighbourhood. Amazingly, despite the arrival of Facebook this practice lives on – in the month of May shop windows in towns and villages fill up with graduation photos – though they have got more innovative with passing years. The boring group photos with the head teacher have been replaced by colorful collages of young people bungee jumping, parachuting or dressed up as a travesty show. In Prague and Brno where ad space is expensive and shop owners no longer welcome such tableaus, school graduates often collect money to get their graduation photo plastered on a tram or car making the rounds in their neighbourhood. Far from disappearing the tradition seems to be thriving and in some places has now been extended to kids who have finished kindergarten and those leaving primary school.
Photo: CTK
If you think electric saws are for foresters and horror films then think again. An electric saw can be used to create a beautiful work of art and twelve woodcarvers in the town of Trutnov are now pitting their skills carving huge sculptures within a set time limit using an electric saw. The festival is in its sixth year and over that time participants have produced some incredible statues which are then donated to towns around the country. Trutnov has the privilege of keeping the very best for itself.
