Going on Assignment in Prague

Learning how to be a foreign correspondent

  • As Czechia revives electronic sales reporting, café workers offer differing views

    By Hannah Matson PRAGUE — Zuzana Pocová doesn’t think much about tax policy while she’s behind the counter at Café 11 in Prague. But when asked about a new law working its way through Czech parliament, she had a fairly specific concern. “For a lot of people who are older… I think this would be… Read more

  • Beat the Heat: Prague Attempts to Adapt to the Changing Climate

    By Gracie Owens United States tourist Brantley Taylor was doing her best to stay cool on the cobblestone streets of Prague during a visit in late June as the city struggles with a lack of air conditioning and other cooling infrastructure in the face of some of the highest temperatures ever recorded.  “My mom and… Read more

  • The Reality of Being Queer in Czechia

    By Olivia Kennard On a crowded tram heading toward Wenceslas Square, 28-year-old Pavel kept his eyes on the floor as he felt other eyes on him. Moments earlier, Pavel had kissed his partner goodbye before they split off for work. The mood in the tram had shifted dramatically. Out of the corner of his eye,… Read more

  • Establishing a life outside the regime, an attempt for Czech citizenship

    By REAGAN MURPHY PRAGUE, Czech Republic.- Uliana Rosenbaum left Russia 16 years ago to pursue a higher education in the Czech Republic, and would later have her baby in Spain. The baby was supposed to receive birthright citizenship inside the Russian Federation. Instead, the Embassy refused to acknowledge her daughter’s birth, and insisted that her… Read more

  • Ukrainians find home between two countries

    By Giselle Lubeck PRAGUE, Czech Republic.- As Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, refugees are redefining what home means as they rebuild their lives in Prague. After over a decade in Prague, 40-year-old Volodymyr Burtnyk’s memories of home in Ukraine now exist alongside the life he’s built in the Czech Republic. “I think… Read more

  • Inside Czechia’s Contested Answer to the Housing Crisis

    Buying an apartment in Prague now costs 15 years of average salary. A handful of MPs pushed through a bill gutting environmental and public-interest protections to speed up construction, betting it will bring that down. Those closest to the system say the evidence suggests otherwise. by FANI APOSPORI PRAGUE, Czech Republic — Ondřej, a 31-year-old… Read more

  • Time and Technology Disrupt Czech Jazz’s Generational Harmony

    By: AUBREE PELHAM PRAGUE, Czech Republic – This year, Bohemia Jazz Festival commenced on a rainy day in Prague with many locals, including two friends Peter O, 66, and Peter T, 69, hiding under the trees of the castle gardens. This duo is amongst many that have been attending the jazz festival since its beginning… Read more

  • Beat the heat: Are Prague’s Climate Adaptations Actually Working? (Don’t ask a question in a headline – mtm)

    By Gracie Owens (Dateline – mtm) Standing under the shade of trees and making detours to scattered misting stations, tourists and Praguers (?-mtm)alike appear desperate for a few minutes of relief from the scorching sun. Umbrellas and hand-held fans have become as popular a sight as cameras in Prague’s historic center. But while visitors look… Read more

  • Aging in the Heat: Why the Czech Republic’s Senior Care System Isn’t Ready

    By: Gracie Dykes PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC – At 92, long-time resident Jaroslav Beneš feels Prague’s heatwaves in ways most people never notice. When temperatures hit 35°C at the end of June, his small apartment became an oven.  “The windows in both the bedroom and the kitchen face the same direction, so we can’t cross‑ventilate,” he… Read more

  • The Czech Senate at 30

    PRAGUE (TOL Education) – In its 30th year, the Senate remains a stable yet ambivalent legislative body in the Czech Republic. With an asymmetrical parliament, the upper chamber of the central European state has few significant powers and the public holds little knowledge about the entity. However, the Senate finds a new purpose as it… Read more