News; Mendel’s microscope now on display at London's Science Museum; Pardubice student fixes potholes with dazzling mosaics; Michael Tate, founder of UK-based Jantar Publishing, on Prague Talk.

Michael Tate runs Jantar Publishing, a UK-based firm that issues works in translation, frequently from Czechia. Among the small publishing house’s best-selling titles are a handsome edition of the classic Kytice by Karel Jaromír Erben and, more recently, Winterberg’s Last Journey by Jaroslav Rudiš. I spoke to Tate about Jantar’s development since he founded it in 2011, but also about his own Czech roots and years in Prague.

On today's Czechia in 30 Minutes show: Czechia defies trend: No recognition of Palestine, yet; Brno unveils Milan Kundera's final resting place; and, in our feature, we look back at Ruth Franková’s interview with Adam Plachetka, one of Czechia’s foremost opera singers, who this year celebrates ten years since his debut at New York’s Metropolitan Opera. Enjoy!

On today's Czechia in 30 Minutes show: World Esperanto Congress for 2025 meets in Brno; fireflies named insect of the year 2025, as their glow disappears from Czech summer nights; and, for our feature, we will explore another one of Czechia’s ZOOs, in our summer series "Stories from Czech ZOOs" - this week from Olomouc. Enjoy!

News; The US premiere of Smetana’s opera Dalibor is being staged at Bard College with all-American cast; Prague Pride is “more important than Christmas” for Czech transgender activist Lenka Králová; Simon Rawlence shares the story of his father-in-law Věněk Šilhán: from Communist Party secretary for a week, to a banished dissident and signatory of Charter 77.

News; Envelope with Masaryk’s last words to be opened in September; Velké Březno chateau holds possible oldest group photograph in the world; Prague as a 15-minute city? Interview with Zdeňka Havlová, a researcher at the Prague Institute of Planning and Development.

In the weekend edition of Czechia in 30 Minutes, journalist and podcaster Julie Urbišová talks about adapting to life in the U.S., raising bilingual children, and teaching school yoga. Born in the Hlučínsko region of Czechia, she now lives in New Orleans, where she helps children unwind in a world full of noise and pressure. Her story is one of resilience, cultural blending, and small daily acts of balance—told in her own voice in Czechia in 30 Minutes.

Writer-director Dužan Duong made a big splash at this month’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival with his debut Summer School, 2001. Dubbed the “first Czech-Viet” movie, it recreates aspects of the 34-year-old’s own childhood, much of which was spent around an outdoor market near the border with Germany. When we met recently the conversation took in the making of Duong’s breakout film, his own background and Czechia’s large and thriving Vietnamese community.

Today on our Czechia in 30 Minutes show: Holašovice Peasant Festival brings Czech traditions to life in South Bohemia; Japan to Canada, brewing own Czech-style beer is a global phenomenon; and, for our feature, another edition of our Prague Off the Beaten Track series, Where Prague feels like a village: exploring Kajetánka and its neighbors. Enjoy!