My Czech Republic Blog

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

Prague Zoo Celebrates 80 Years

By Leave a Comment

The world-renowned Prague Zoo first opened its doors on September 28, 1931. This year therefore marks its 80th birthday. A lot of reconstruction has been necessary since the flood of 2002 and new pavilions and expositions are still under construction. One of the biggest projects the zoo has ever undertaken is the construction of a new elephant exposition and hippo pavilion, which is going on now and is expected to be finished in 2013.

We just revisited the zoo and are posting a few pictures below. As an amusing anecdote, the Prague Zoo now sells elephant dung, which is supposedly a great fertilizer. A 1.5 kg bucket will cost you 70 CZK. Yet another reason to make a trip to the zoo.

You can read more about the Prague Zoo in our other post (Prague Zoo Ranked as the 7th World’s Best Zoo) or visit the zoo website, which is partially available in English.

This is the main entrance to the Prague Zoo.
The popular penguins, cute and wobbly as they walk, sleek torpedoes as they swim.
The Indian gavial is a critically endangered type of crocodile.
You can watch this hippo and her calf from so up close that you can almost feel the texture of their skin. Amazing.
The elephants deserve a better setting. These two were looking for shade under the only tree they could find.
And here are the elegant giraffes. We're glad we hiked up the hill to see them.
It was a little depressing to watch the tigers pace back and forth in their cages, but they did have a large outdoor run available to them..

Czechs Celebrated Their Own Valentine’s Day

By Leave a Comment

As we’ve written in an older blog post and as we mention on our website, May 1st is the unofficial day of love in the Czech Republic. We went to the Petřín Park to enjoy the spring day. The park was busy with couples strolling, sitting on the grass and visiting the statue of Karel Hynek Mácha, the Czech patron of lovers. A nice man in a suit played the violin in front of the statue as couples stopped by to lay flowers and spend a few moments.

Strolling on May 1 at Petřín Park
May 1 on Petřín Hill
Kiss on May 1 at Karel Hynek Mácha Statue in Prague
Violinist on May 1 at Mácha Statue on Petřín Hill

Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Karlín

By Leave a Comment

I was in the Prague district of Karlín today and I stopped by the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius (Kostel sv. Cyrila a Metoděje) to take some pictures. The construction of the Neo-Romanesque basilica took place between 1854-1863. It was badly damaged in the flood of 2002 and had to be restored.






A Bit More on the Three Kings

By Leave a Comment

I wrote about the Day of Three Kings a few years ago, although my post wasn’t really about the Three Kings tradition per se. I witnessed the custom performed in a Moravian village this year. Three children about five to seven years old (all of them happened to be girls) came by, rang the doorbell, lined up and sang the Three Kings carol to us. They were dressed as Kašpar, Melichar and Baltazar, each initial printed on a paper crown on their heads. They gave us a packet of sugar and frankinsense. The girls were accompanied by a woman who carried a donation box. We made a donation and she proceeded to write the inscription K + M + B + 2011 on the doorframe with a chalk. The inscription supposedly means Christus mansionem benedicat (“May Christ bless this house”). The donations go to the Czech Republic Charity (Charita České republiky).

Three Kings Inscription
Three Kings Inscription

Here is a link to the Three Kings carol: