Mailbox
In Mailbox this week: Radio Prague’s QSL cards for 2009, Czech language broadcasts to North America, volcanoes in the Czech Republic, the Czech National Museum. Listeners quoted: Bob Boundy, Craig Havel, Ngozi Ekezue, Nashir Uddin.
The sky has been grey for many weeks here in Prague and we can expect freezing temperatures and overcast skies at least until the end of February. At times like this it is so nice to receive letters from warmer parts of the globe.
Our regular listener Bob Boundy says hi from “a very warm and sunny New Zealand”:
“I’m afraid I have been using the computer a lot and have not been listening to shortwave so much now. I’m very impressed with the new 2009 QSL cards especially them being trains. As I’ve said before we went on a train trip in the Czech Republic in 1995 … and we still have the tickets and lots of the info on the Czech steam engines. Both the locos were made at the Škoda works... By the way our Czech friends and there children had never been on a steam train so it was a great event for my wife and myself.”
Craig Havel writes from the United States:
“I'm trying to learn rudimentary Czech. I love your broadcasts, but the time schedule for various languages never seems to coordinate with what is on here in Eastern Standard Time (USA – six hours difference ahead). Minor complaint, but could it be I'm in the U.S.? I use GMT to line up the Czech broadcast, but it's almost always another tongue. Any thoughts?”
You probably do have our list of frequencies but just in case, the times and frequencies of Radio Prague’s Czech broadcasts to North America can be found here http://www.radio.cz/en/frequencies#cz. If none of the times suit you, you can try listening to the Czech programmes on the internet or use our podcast service. I have also forwarded your query to Czech Radio’s shortwave expert Olda Číp and he will get back to you with more information.
Our Nigerian listener Ngozi Ekezue would like to know:
“How many volcanoes are there in the Czech Republic?”
There is no active volcano in the Czech Republic and the ones we have have been extinct for millions of years. According to scientists, the country’s youngest volcano is Komorní hůrka not far from the west Bohemian spa town of Františkovy Lázně. Other mountains which are remnants of volcanic activity include Říp – closely connected with Czech mythology, Bezděz, Radobýl outside the town of Litoměřice, Milešovka, the tallest mountain of the České středohoří mountains and there many more less significant ones. Extinct volcanoes are mostly found in Central, West and East Bohemia and North Moravia, the best known one there being Uhlířský vrch outside the town of Bruntál. Most of the Czech Republic’s extinct volcanoes are believed to have emerged 20 to 40 million years ago.
“What is the name of the national museum of your country?”
As a matter of fact, it is called the National Museum, or Národní muzeum in Czech. It was first founded in 1818. Its main building, completed in 1890, is located very close to the Czech Radio premises at the top end of Prague’s Wenceslas Square. It is scheduled to undergo thorough renovation and modernization in the coming years.
Thank you very much for your comments and questions, and please, keep them coming. All that remains today is to repeat our monthly competition question.
In February we are looking for the name of the outstanding Austrian-American mathematician, logician and philosopher who was born in 1906 in the Moravian city of Brno and died in 1978 in Princeton, New Jersey.
Your answers should reach us by the end of February at [email protected] or Radio Prague, 12099 Prague, Czech Republic and there will be small gifts for four of you who answer correctly. Thanks for tuning in today and until next week, bye-bye.
