Luxury Real Estate articles
Fountain of Youth Prague
What does it mean for you to return to the Prague National Theatre
stage as a principal in Swan Lake?
A lot of happines, but at same time a great deal of responsibility.
I’m very happy that I was invited to perform at the National Theatre.
I’ve known the house since I was a child. I held my graduation performance there and also danced two gala performances on its stage. With my return, I hope not to disappoint the audience and myself.
Twenty years ago, the country then known as Czechoslovakia began the process of fundamental change. While talking about upheaval and changes, one must not forget that throughout the last century, the nations living in this region had already experienced no less than four comparable shifts.
Revolutions represent an opportunity for a re-evaluation of social, cultural and moral priorities. That is the biggest opportunity that comes along with a major social turning-point. The United States did not have such situations in the last century, with the possible exception of the Vietnam era and fall of Richard Nixon; large European nations encountered such a chance on a lesser number of occasions. Seismic shifts such as those from 1989 often produce seismic results, both positive and negative. Read more >>
The Grammy winning chanteuse debuts “Quiet Nights” at Prague Congress Centre, November 26
Some music is intended to paint a romantic scene — a candlelit dinner, a walk along a moonlit beach. Quiet Nights — Diana Krall’s twelfth album — ain’t about that. Using Brazil as a musical point of reference, the award-winning pianist and singer is not suggesting a night out; she means to stay in.
“It’s not coy. It’s not ‘peel me a grape,’ little girl stuff. I feel this album’s very womanly — like you’re lying next to your lover in bed whispering this in their ear.”
The warmth and tan was easy, since it has been supplied by our choice of postings (never too far away from the equator). All this has been contrary to my upbringing by parents who, despite their own careers, warned against a life of foreign service. I was born in war-time London where they worked for the Norwegian government in exile. We moved a lot — to Belgium and Spain where I developed a penchant for Tintin and Real Madrid. I completed my law studies at Oslo University in 1969 and started out as a banker and a judge. My very first diplomatic post was Hong Kong in 1975, which I liked very much, especially the off time. Read more >>
A Choice Voice: Interview with Taťjána Medvecká, the great stage actress enlivened a recent literary reading, proving her status as national treasure is very much intact.
A young Taťjana Medvecká aspired to dance ballet but hung up her Pointe shoes for Shakespeare after a candid instructor suggested that her physical stature wasn’t up to the task. This simple twist of fate led to a storied theatrical career beginning in 1975 with studies at Prague’s Theatrical Academy of Performing Arts (DAMU) — upon graduation she joined the Národní Divadlo (National Theatre) repertory where she has since featured in 80 plays — and culminating in professional accolades and the admiration of her peers and the public, who regard her as one of the leading actresses of Czech stage and screen.
Despite Medvecká’s numerous film and television appearances —
she recently logged a part in the 2008 tale of royal bloodletting, Bathory — live theater is her true métier. Her diverse roles have graced Prague’s other prestigious stages as well, among them the Rokoko Theater, Kolowrat Theater, and Divadlo na Zábradlí, earning the actress much acclaim. In 2000 and 2002 Medvecká received the Thálie Award, bestowed annually for best dramatic performance, for her portrayal of Elizabeth in Schiller’s Mary Stuart (2000) and Antonie Nikolajevna in Nilin’s Married for the First Time (2002). She has also collected countless awards for her voice-over and broadcast radio work.
At first meeting, Ing. Eva Krepčíková may impress upon you the nature of a spring flower, demure and soft spoken, decidedly petite. One would hardly associate her with the bustle and bulk of building pursuits when, in fact, she is intimately related to the architectural process from the ground up, carving out an enviable career in a predominantly male field. Krepčíková specializes in restoration, first thoroughly studying the history of the building then using traditional materials, methods and techniques to achieve its former glory.
Krepčíková graduated from the Technical University in Brno as a civil engineer and later added to her credentials postgraduate studies in art history with a special focus on building and historical research, and fluency in Italian and English. She has headed restoration projects all over the Czech Republic, notably in the UNESO-listed towns of Český Krumlov and Telč, making her one of the most respected professionals in the field. Past posts include ICKM Real Estate as Technical Department Director, Aukett Praha and SÚRPMO as Chief Project Engineer. The Italian GESIM Group is her current assignation.
We recently explored Prague’s Josefov quarter with Krepčíková as our capable guide.
The 46-year-old took the reigns of the city in 1999 though if he hadn’t you might find him in akitchen somewhere, plating up gourmet meals, as cooking is one of his passions. Kittner even shares some of his best-loved recipes on his personal website, as well as cooking competitions in the crowds and good community relations.
Liberec’s energetic and approachable city mayor, Ing. Jiří Kittner, is alively character, arare thing these days. Upon graduating from university in 1986 with an economics degree, Kittner started his career in Liberec at local crystal giant Preciosa, and later moved to Komerční banka (KB) where he worked as a loan advisor. In 1994, Kittner joined building company SYNER, s. r. o. and worked his way up to the position of Financial Director.
An avid traveler, the mayor has explored most of the world’s continents and tries to cross Czech borders at least twice a year. Given the fact that Germany and Poland are just beyond his backyard it’s hardly a difficult task. Peru remains adream destination and France and Greece count among his favorite European destinations, especially for eating. Sampling spirits in Ireland and Scotland also rank among favorite Kittener adventures.
Despite his packed schedule, Mayor Kittner managed to set aside abit of time to chat with us about his beloved city, his culinary pastimes and what makes the city move. Read more >>
Vocal Talent
The next generation of world-class Czech operatic talent begins to make itself heard
Czech opera talent has held the world spellbound for well over a hundred years. From composers like Dvořák, Smetana, Janáček and Martinů, to opera stars like Ema Destinnová, the Czechs have been responsible for more than their fair share of extraordinary artists. Now new stars like Marie Fajtová are on the way to entering the Czech operatic firmament.
As Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata, Marie was lauded in 2007 for her “magically sounding Callas-like changeable timbre, her brilliant coloraturas, piercing accents and overall vocal control of this highly demanding part… Many people around the world will cry for this Violetta.” Combining such talent with good looks and flowing red locks, a place alongside the current crop of local world-class operatic performers like Eva Urbanová and Magdelena Kožená (all three have their own requisite website) can’t be far off.
Legendary tenor José Carreras on his compelling music, ‘singing from the
soul,’ and why he never just wished he were a bus driver…
Whether you openly weep every time Mimi dies in La Bohème,
or the closest you come to classical music is Bohemian Rhapsody
(the one by Queen), or you only sing opera in the shower, you’ll
be interested to know that one of the world’s greatest opera stars
actually performed in Bohemia in mid-December.
And he sings in the shower, too.
Looking at an official photograph of Her Excellency, Catherine von Heidenstam,
Who hasn’t day-dreamed of having a life in the diplomatic service? Sitting on the hotseat of international relations … jerking awake to the red telephone jangling in the middle of the night … jetting to conferences and conflicts anywhere in the world – not to mention the social intrigue at the fabulous dinner parties!
Three public servants give us a more realistic glimpse at what it’s really like to bear the responsibility for representing their country, and, at the same time, show us a picture of the Czech Republic from their unique perspectives. Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka of South Africa comes to us with all the fresh excitement of her whirlwind, first visit to Prague; the Greek Ambassador to the Czech Republic Vasilios Eikosipentarchos holds up a mirror to show us what he’s observed, before going to his new appointment in Warsaw; and the Ambassador of Peru, Alberto Salas Barahona, describes for us his continuing fascination with the Czech Republic, which is giving him more and more reasons for staying. Read more >>
Inventor, Hotelier, Entrepreneur Jan Horal started his career with the RAF - at 17
Eighty-five year-old Czech entrepreneur Jan Horal has lived a life that would make a Hollywood epic – except that no screenwriter could have invented the twists and turns his life has taken. An interview with him is punctuated by greetings from his staff, visits from friends, and lunch – along with his dachshund Rudy (“a professional beggar”) – in the restaurant of one of his three hotels.
Fluent in seven languages (Czech, English, German, Swedish, Russian, Hungarian, and French), he speaks slowly and clearly, with an astonishing memory of his life and his many adventures. Read more >>
For the past seven years, Jack Stack has been a familiar face in the business and social scene of the Czech Republic. Aside from turning Česká spořitelna in to a profitable and well managed bank – with more than 5 million accounts – Jack has been a champion of the talents and potential of Czech business people. Always open and good natured, Jack’s message is one of sincere optimism and belief in the country, as well as human nature. Today, Jack and his wife Patty have returned to their beloved New York, where Jack is contemplating the next chapter in an exceptional career. Read more >>
Throughout history, the czech lands, located in the center of central europe, have been a crossroads of diverse power interests as well as currents of thought. “events in our country were a test for all europe, a warning to the continent, and a challenge to redefine its basic values…,” then-President Václav Havel noted in his Address to forum 2000 ten years ago.
