My Czech Republic Blog

Blog written by two Prague residents about life in the Czech Republic.

Ravens at the End of October

By 1 Comment

It is October 31, the fall colors are fading and November is upon us. The Daylight Saving Time ended today in the Czech Republic and we are now officially on our way to winter. They say it is going to be a harsh one, judging by the early arrival of ravens and, as some Czech press playfully writes, by the fact that the meteorologists in Brno-Žabovřesky are adding insulation to their building (let’s remember that the Czech government’s Green Savings Programme is in full swing and styrofoam-clad buildings can be spotted quite easily these days).

We like to bring you pictures and here are a few taken recently by Jeff.

Happy Halloween!

Ravens at the Pardubice Train Station
Ravens at the Pardubice Train Station

Fall in the Havlíčkovy sady park in Prague
Fall in the Havlíčkovy sady park in Prague

Two dogs with their people walking in Havlíčkovy sady
Two dogs with their people walking in Havlíčkovy sady

A country road in Moravia
A country road in Moravia

Fall view with a stream in Moravia
Fall view with a stream in Moravia

Kawasaki’s Rose is Czech Republic’s Submission for Oscar

By Leave a Comment

Earlier this week, the Czech Film and Television Academy announced that the film Kawasaki’s Rose (Kawasakiho růže) would be the Czech submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. The Oscar nominations will be announced on January 25, 2011. The movie is written by Petr Jarchovský and directed by Jan Hřebejk, which is the same team behind the 2001 Oscar nominated film Divided We Fall (Musíme si pomáhat).

According to the movie distributor, it is “a drama about family and politics, the role of memory in relationships, and that of jealousy, arrogance, love, loyalty and betrayal”. The tagline is “Behind every lie hides a truth, and behind that an even deeper truth.”

Menemsha Films – North American Distributor and World Sales Agent

The U.S. trailer for the film is below.



Czech Brewer Wins Latest Budweiser Court Battle

By Leave a Comment

The European Court of Justice ruled against Anheuser-Busch InBev in a trademark dispute with the Czech brewer Budějovický Budvar. A-B Inbev will not be allowed an EU-wide trademark on the name “Budweiser”. The result is a win for the Czech brewer in a case that started almost 15 years ago. There are still legal disputes ongoing in other countries, so the trademark battle will continue.

For further reading:
A-B InBev loses Budweiser trademark battle in E.U. court
This Bud’s Not for EU
The Budweisers Should Make Up – And Cheers!

Smoking or Non-smoking?

By 1 Comment

Tomorrow, an amendment to the current smoking regulations goes into effect that requires bars and restaurants to place a sticker at the entrance to show whether the establishment allows smoking or not. The bar or restaurant can be completely non-smoking or it can have a non-smoking area in a completely separated room.

Smoking Allowed
SMOKING ALLOWED – Smoking seriously harms you and those around you

Non-smoking advocates were hoping for bigger changes, but according to the news reports, it is likely to take a while before the Czech Republic follows other European countries, such as Ireland and Italy and bans smoking in bars and restaurants entirely.

I have linked to some news articles below.

Czech restaurants to show whether they are smoke-free
A New Label for Prague’s Smoking Spots
New anti-smoking legislation planned