My Czech Republic Blog

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

St. Vitus Cathedral Changes Ownership

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The St. Vitus Cathedral at the Prague Castle was formally returned to the Catholic Church this week. The date of September 5, 2006, thus marks the end of 13 years of ownership disputes between the Church and the state.

The cathedral was founded in 1344 and its purpose from the beginning was to serve as a house of prayer. It was in the hands of the Catholic Church for more than 600 years until in 1954, the communist government of Czechoslovakia decided that its administration would be passed on to the state. A few years after the 1989 Velvet Revolution, the Church demanded the return of administration rights, and a court ruling to that effect was issued in October last year.

Admission to St. Vitus Cathedral was previously included in the ticket prices for Route A and Route B at the Prague Castle. It is no longer the case. The new cathedral administrator quickly made some changes to make it clear that the cathedral is primarily a religious object, not a tourist attraction. The space you can visit free of charge is now smaller and an entrance fee of 100 CZK (approx. 3.50 EUR/4.50 USD) per person must be paid to visit any of the areas “behind the rope”.

St. Vitus Cathedral Exterior          St. Vitus Cathedral Interior

Czech Roundup 08-Sep-06

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Building a new Czech football team – off to a good start in Euro 2008 qualifiers
Czechs put in great display to beat Slovaks in Euro 2008 qualifier

Sausage Kolache?
Czech pastries a specialty in Brazos Valley, Texas

A flower for the teacher
Czech children return to school

Czechs rank high in general education levels, lack in university degrees
CzechRep among European countries with highest education level

Czech stats
Average Czech wage is now 20,036 CZK
Unemployment rate in the Czech Republic remains unchanged at 7.9%
GDP growth was 6.2% in second quarter – down from first quarter

Phone Book Time!

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It’s that time of the year again here in Prague. The 2006 – 2007 phone books are here!

Walking around town, you’re bound to notice locals carrying bright yellow plastic bags with Zlaté stránky (Yellow Pages) written on them. In the Czech Republic, everyone has to pick up their own copy of the Yellow Pages when the time comes. How do you know when that is? Well, if you’re a Telefónica O2 (formerly Czech Telecom) customer, you’ll receive an odběrní lístek (pickup slip) with your monthly phone bill. This happens at different times of the year in different cities. In Prague, new phone books are distributed in the fall (September 4 – 15 this year). Your pickup slip is issued in your name and lists the dates and times during which you can collect your phone books, as well as a list of distribution points (these are located at major Prague subway stations). The distribution points are usually “manned” by perky young girls clad in bright yellow Zlaté stránky outfits. You present yourself, hand over your odběrní lístek, collect your yellow bag and off you go. Pretty easy, ain’t it?

Still, having your phone books dropped off at your doorstep with zero effort required on your part can’t be beat.
A remembrance of a life in a country where convenience is king  

Cumin and Others ‘Like’ It

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I just read a post on another blog (thanks for the duck recipe, Julia!) and was surprised by the following statement: “in Prague, the spice sold as ‘cumin’ is in fact fennel”.

I know that the Czech language is not very helpful in distinguishing between caraway seeds (kmín) and cumin (římský kmín), two types of spices that look almost identical but smell and taste completely different. I don’t see though why fennel (in Czech fenykl) should mess with either of them. True, it also looks similar, but that’s where any shared characteristics end. Who sells fenykl masquerading as římský kmín, and why?

Here’s some brief info on the three types of spices and their use in the Czech Republic:

kmín = caraway seeds
Caraway seeds are very popular in Czech cooking. They’re added to the water when boiling potatoes, they’re sprinkled on pork or duck before roasting, they’re used in sauerkraut, soups, mushroom dishes, and they’re an important ingredient in the traditional Czech kmínový chléb (rye bread with caraway seeds).

římský kmín = cumin
Cumin is popular in Indian, North African and Mexican cooking. It is a relatively new spice on the Czech market. Czechs are still learning how and when to use it.

fenykl = fennel
Fennel is commonly known in the Czech Republic but it is not a very typical ingredient in Czech cooking. Ground fennel seeds are traditionally used in some Christmas cookies or gingerbread.