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The Czech crown jewels were returned to the Crown Chamber at Prague’s St. Vitus’ Cathedral in a ceremony involving seven key-holders on Tuesday. Members of the public were allowed to view the valuable artefacts from September 15 until Monday, with the first four days being reserved for schoolchildren.

Nearly 37,000 people saw the jewels at the Vladislav Hall of Prague Castle over the two-week period, a smaller number than last year.

Keys to the Crown Chamber, where the jewels have been kept for many years, are held by the president, the prime minister, the speakers of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, the archbishop of Prague, the mayor of Prague and the dean of the Metropolitan Chapter of St Vitus.

Prominent figures who have excelled in their fields or contributed to Czechia’s reputation abroad received silver commemorative medals from Senate President Miloš Vystrčil on Monday, as part of Czech Statehood Day celebrations. This year, Vystrčil honoured 17 people, selected from more than 100 nominations.

The recipients included economist Jan Švejnar, ice hockey players David Pastrňák and Jakub Voráček, emergency responder Petra Homolová, who founded the Ambulance of Fulfilled Dreams project, and human rights defender Elena Gorolová. The tradition of awarding the medals on St Wenceslas Day began in 2012.

The civic group Milion Chvilek (Million Moments for Democracy) held a rally in Prague’s Old Town Square on Monday, calling on people to take part in the upcoming elections. The group also urged voters to prevent the governing parties from gaining a majority in the Senate.

The rally, held on Czech Statehood Day, also commemorated former president Václav Havel ahead of the 90th anniversary of his birth. The first round of Senate elections and municipal elections will take place on October 9 and 10.

Milion Chvilek was founded in 2017 and became known for organising large demonstrations during the previous government of Andrej Babiš. It describes itself as a non-partisan civic initiative rather than a political party.

Martin Nečas of the Colorado Avalanche will be the highest-paid Czech hockey player in NHL history this season, earning 14 million US dollars. The 27-year-old forward will rank 12th among all NHL players by salary.

Nečas signed an eight-year, 92-million-dollar contract with Colorado last October. His salary this season includes a six-million-dollar base salary and an eight-million-dollar signing bonus.

Boston forward David Pastrňák was previously the highest-paid Czech player, with 13 million dollars in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. This season, Pastrňák ranks second among Czechs at 11.25 million, followed by Tomáš Hertl of Vegas at eight million.