Czechia in 30 minutes

In this weekend edition of Czechia in 30 Minutes, we mark the anniversary of the founding of independent Czechoslovakia with President Petr Pavel's October 28 speech, presented in full in English translation. We then explore the question of Moravian identity: why do some people still identify strongly as Moravians, even though the historical border between Bohemia and Moravia has long since lost its administrative significance? Through conversations with ordinary people, a former Moravian political leader and a historian, we examine what it means to be Moravian in today's Czechia.

News, juvenile violence on the rise -schools strengthen crisis-response training, Kumar Vishwanathan on three decades of supporting Roma in Czechia

News, MP quits ANO but coalition retains solid majority, leading Czech palliative care NGO holds anniversary auction

Geraldine Manolas on preserving the legacy of Czechoslovak war veterans, Andreas Halskov on the genius of Miloš Forman

The Babiš government’s fast-tracking of legislation to end license fees and fund Czech Television and Czech Radio from the state budget sparked protests at the weekend. Ian Willoughby discussed the situation in Pundit series with political scientist Jiří Pehe and Vít Pohanka prepared a report from demonstrations in two of the country's biggest cities.

In the weekend edition of Czechia in 30 Minutes, we revisit two reports recorded during the COVID pandemic, exploring the distinctive character of two very different Czech cities. Singer-songwriter Jaromír Nohavica reflects on his hometown of Ostrava, its industrial heritage and transformation. In picturesque Český Krumlov, artist Jana Pešková and radio documentary maker Ivan Studený recall how mass tourism changed their town and its atmosphere.

Gratias Agit Awards 2026: from preserving veterans’ legacy to promoting Czech music, Unsound Siblings: 1970s Egon Bondy novel gets English translation, More than tricks: How Czech freeskiers built a community on and off the slopes

News, unprecedented El Niño to hit Czechs in the wallet, Ji.hlava at 30: Documentaries that changed the world, Kingdom Come: Deliverance star Luke Dale on becoming a Prague “innkeeper”

News, Czech galleries explore art’s potential to improve mental health, Czech crop invention heads to European farms through British partnership

News, historic Spitfire returns to Czechia after decades abroad, exhibition documents Sigmund Freud’s childhood in his hometown of Příbor, Moravia

ANO failed to take a single constituency in second round run-offs to one-third of the seats in the Senate, virtual reconstruction of the Rolava-Sauersack tin mine and the history and future of one of the most distinctive and unique features of Czech public life: 11 million inhabitants divided into more than 6,200 municipalities.

“She remembered every word”: Former ambassador recalls Queen Elizabeth II at book launch, The Přemyslids: A dynasty that shaped Europe revisited at National Museum, From London to Bohemia: Benjamin Souček on restoring stately homes and family roots

Public service media debate escalates: Employees in strike alert as Babiš meets Chudárek, Young Czech pianist Jan Schulmeister wins prestigious BBC music award, Dancing House exhibition marks 30 years of Prague landmark, A Czech Harry Potter collector: the Weasley twins are the quickest to send their autographs

Plzeň to celebrate liberation by US troops, 81 years later; Composers Summit draws film music authors to Prague; Mexican musician based in Prague Omar Rojas.

Amnesty’s Martina Nejedlá on Czechia’s human rights record, Karlovy Vary festival to pay tribute to Havel, Vášáryová, Mariánské Lázně, Rare aardwolf cubs born at Dvůr Králové Safari Park, Women in high places: meet two women who thrive in unlikely jobs

Clash over state plane reflects foreign policy switch; Czech-made video game takes BAFTA; smelly Czech cheese marks anniversary; US woman brings authentic bagels to Prague.

In the weekend edition of Czechia in 30 Minutes, we speak to Martin Sklenář of Globsec about how ready Czechia really is to respond to a crisis. His report ranks the country as a “mid-tier” performer—well-equipped, but slower in decision-making. What does that mean for NATO and European security?

NATO chief Mark Rutte in Prague for talks on defense spending, actor Jan Potměšil death, Dvorecký Bridge opens in Prague

William Kentridge exhibition at Kunsthalle, Elias Grandy on leading the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, interview with linguist Jan Bičovský on what dead languages sounded like

Concerns over public media independence in Czechia, as government unveils funding shake-up, Globsec report: Czechia strong in defence industry but lags in crisis decision-making, The National Library in the Clementinum

Prague City Tourism, Czech scientists develop new implants, Czech "Route 66" event, financing of public media

Hungary after Orbán: What to expect from Péter Magyar, Czech women seal dramatic comeback to reach Billie Jean King Cup finals, Moravian Karst caves may become next Czech UNESCO natural heritage site

In the weekend edition of Czechia in 30 Minutes, Petr Dudek, a current affairs editor at Czech Radio, looks back at the 1990s and their lasting impact on Czech society. He reflects on how Czech media and political communication have evolved over the past three decades. The interview also explores how today’s atmosphere compares to that earlier period.

Czech Radio radio play centered on Pussy Riot takes award in the UK; first Czech village gets AI mayor; end of mining in North Moravia after over two centuries.

Czech-Vatican treaty hits the rocks, Kateřina Šedá's book National Collection of Bad Habits, Imrich Bugar dies at 70, trip to Holešovická tržnice

Pavel and government at odds over NATO summit; WWII hero Peřina remembered; Mark Baker on 1990s Prague English-language media; Kačina Chateau's grand library.

Czech government introduces daily fuel price ceilings, economists remain sceptical, The most leaning tower in the world? Michalovice aspiring for place in Guinness World Records, From “dark mode” to real-life connection: How Pavlína Louženská reads the future

The Maidens' War -story of famous Czech legend, and village church cut off by water - Pasohlávky seeking to save St. Linhart’s

In Czechia in 30 minutes, journalist and veteran broadcaster Petr Brod looks back at the history of international broadcasting and its role during the Cold War. He also reflects on how global media have changed in the digital age. And he considers what future there may be for services like Radio Prague International.

Alice Masaryk's "Easter truce" - a legacy of peace and compassion, Josef Šíma painting rediscovered after nearly a century to go to auction in New York

Mental health, digital risks and family conflicts among top priorities for new Children’s Ombudsman, Czech Technical University launches Visual Computing and Game Design studies, “We could not rely on international law”: Matviichuk speaks to Czechs about justice in Ukraine

Euphoria in Prague: Czechs end 20-year World Cup wait with dramatic win, Demographers ringing alarm bells: Czech birth rate falls to lowest level since 1785, Prague’s National Museum to display Olympic gold medal of Olga Fikotová-Connolly, Library of the Archbishop’s Castle in Kroměříž, Following in Henry’s footsteps: KCD fans flock to real-life Bohemian locations

Czech-Slovak joint cabinet session, push to criminalize drink spiking, Czech scientists develop probiotic dental nanofloss, Pisek bridge

News. Editors vs. PM Babiš: Czech media push back over attacks on journalism, Czech experiment with cash and social help for homeless people challenges stereotypes, How Liberec Zoo became a global leader in bird of prey conservation

Czechia in 30 minutes (weekend edition) explores a cinema hidden inside a railway station in Olomouc. The Waiting Room offers films alongside creative ideas—from community screenings to unusual clubs. It’s a reminder that cinema can still surprise, even in the streaming era.

Efforts to curb kratom use among teenagers, Czechs beat Ireland in World Cup qualifier, history of Czech typography

Oscar-winning film director Svěrák turns 90, Figure- skating WC in Prague, end of coal mining in Ostrava-Karviná basin

Czech, US nationals among suspects charged in Pardubice terror arson case, Prague’s National Museum sends mobile 3D digitization lab to Ukraine to protect cultural heritage, Dozens detained in major match-fixing and corruption probe in Czech football, Lokšany Library: The oldest castle library in Bohemia

Czech coalition moves to scrap licence fees for some groups, sparking backlash, how to travel responsibly in Czechia: new guide encourages visitors to explore the country with respect, who owns Czech football?

Pardubice arms firm fire sparks debate over security, Českomoravská metro station reopens with bubble glass panels by Maxim Velčovský, Klánovice Forest: Prague’s largest woodland with a dark past and peaceful present

Joy Kadečková’s life was shaped by a promise she made during the Second World War to her Czech husband, an RAF pilot. After his death, she moved with their son to Czechoslovakia and built a life there through decades of political upheaval. In the weekend edition of Czechia in 30 Minutes, we bring you her extraordinary story from the Memory of Nations archive.

Dismissal without explanation: National Gallery Prague enters uncertain chapter, Giant E. coli lands in Brno for the Days of Electron Microscopy, Prague Castle research reveals hidden wilderness

Resilience: Czech documentary highlights efforts to save white-tailed eagles from illegal poisons, More than just music: 15 years of the Žižkovská noc festival bringing values to the stage, Czechia boasts the biggest organic lavender field in Europe

Helena Horská: “If you don’t feel safe, you won’t do business”, Kutná Hora chocolatiers travel to London to collect ‘chocolate Oscars’ medals, Strahov Library: Baroque gem ranked among the most beautiful in the world, Suitcase of journalist Milena Jesenská discovered after decades acquired by Prague museum

News, Making culture accessible to all: Prague’s Jewish Museum opens concerts to people with dementia, Czech swimmer Jakub Kačerovský first Czech to swim across Cook Strait solo, Voices of Dead Languages: Jan Bičovský on bringing ancient languages back to life

Czech Oscar joy: Co-produced documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin among winners, Makers “over the moon” as Caravan takes top prize at Czech Lions, New fuel price reporting rules take effect in Czechia amid oil market tensions, Czech Academy of Sciences launches a digital archive of 15,000 folk songs

More than three decades after the Velvet Revolution, debates about how Czech society deals with its communist past continue. In Czechia in 30 Minutes, Vít Pohanka speaks with Kamil Nedvědický, First Deputy Director of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes, about justice after 1989, the legacy of the 1948 communist coup, and why understanding life under the regime remains important for younger generations today.

Czech firms seek opportunities in Texas during Deputy PM Havlíček’s US trade mission, Czech experts help breed Philippine eagle chick for the first time in 13 years, New Czech Radio U.S. correspondent Jana Ciglerová on Czech-Americans and MAGA and trading Miami for Washington

Misha Glenny: Babiš will take notice of Orban defeat, “How and why we group together”: 12th edition of Bazaar Festival focuses on community, Journalist Petr Brod on Czech-German relations and the place of radio in society

If President Pavel isn't opposition leader, who is?; tourism inspired by video game Deliverance: Kingdom Come; scientist Veronika Verdonckt Smutná.