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issue 6, year XV, 2008 |
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ALEXANDR VONDRA, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER FOR EUROPEAN AFFAIRS OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC,
Specially for "Europe 2001" magazine
Page 4
H. E. MR. MARTIN KLEPETKO: "ALL THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN THE COUNTRIES OF THE EU MUST FALL"
Interview by Valentin Kostov
Page 6
THE CZECH REPUBLIC: A VISITING CARD
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RELATIONSHIPS WITH TRADITIONS AND FUTURE POTENTIAL
By Petar Zlatev
Page 9
Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic, Czechia - these are the many names of one country, that in Bulgaria is well known and referred to with affection. The two countries have had much experience together, but the most important is the contribution of the Czech Republic to the establishment and development of Bulgaria at the end of XIX and the beginning of XX century. Then Bulgaria had just achieved its freedom from an empire and the Czech Republic was still within the boundaries of another empire.
THE ECONOMY OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC
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At the beginning of the last century the territory of today’s Czech Republic was one of the best developed in whole Europe being the most industrialized part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After having been established as an independent country Czechoslovakia of that time was among the 20 most developed countries in the world. Today the Czech Republic still arouses the interest of investors from all over the world.
THE CZECH CULTURAL CENTRE
By materials of the Czech centre, Sofia
Page 14
The Czech cultural centre in Sofia was established in 1949. It is not only the oldest Czech institution abroad, but the oldest foreign cultural organization in Bulgaria, too.
The Czech centre in Sofia is part of the network of Czech centres, which are budgetary organizations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. Today there are 24 centres of this kind in 19 countries, not only in Europe, but also in USA, Russia, Japan and Argentina. They are managed by Head office "Czech centres" in Prague. The main mission of the Czech centers is to popularize the Czech Republic in the scopes of culture, tourism and economics. They present the Czech Republic as a country with rich cultural traditions and high creative potential.
THE CZECH RADIO: 85 YEARS IN SERVICE OF SOCIETY
By Stefan Radovanov
Page 17
Nobody could realize on 28 May 1923 how important the first Czech radio transmission was. The country was then Czechoslovakia and the transmissions began from a soldier’s tent. Actually, Czechoslovakia was among the first European countries, which started transmissions, and among the world pioneers, who experimented with the potential of the radio at the very beginning of its invention.
BOHEMISTICS: A SCIENCE ABOUT THE CZECH
By Margarita Mladenova
Page 19
For those, who are not directly related to the Czech Republic or to the Bulgarian academic circles, the term "Bohemistics" may sound a little confusing. One tends to skip this information because time is never enough and a lot of other information must be read and assimilated. Actually, the term comes from the ancient name of the Czech region - Boio Haemum. So, Bohemistics turns out to be a science about the Czech.
ALEXANDER CHOBANOV: LET US TRULY COMMUNICATE
Interview by Ognyan Stamboliev
Page 20
Alexander Chobanov is among the few Bulgarians, who have succeeded in Paris. The fact that he is the only foreigner in the French Producer’s Guild speaks for itself. Alexander had a good career as a choreographer and producer in Bulgaria and it helped him to succeed abroad. After he had studied and had been on specialization assignments in Rome, Moscow and London, he settled down in Paris. But he did not forget about Bulgaria. In 2008 he made his dream come true - he organized a festival in his home town in Bulgaria - Russe. The festival is called "Babel Europe - 2008". It united Bulgarian, Romanian and French artists. It took place in Russe and Gyurgevo at the same time. It was linked with the European year of the intercultural dialogue 2008, established by the EU. The idea of this initiative is to encourage Europeans to explore the benefits of the rich cultural heritage and opportunities to learn from different cultural traditions.
"A GIFT, WHICH IS GREATER AND MORE EXPENSIVE THAN GOLD"
By Goran Blagoev, BNT
Page 21
In the ninth century Great Moravia, or Moravia Magna (the vast country of the west Slavs), was established between the upper course of the river Danube and the middle courses of the rivers Elba and Odra. However, no matter how vast and famous it was, it would have been forgotten, unless its fate was connected with people, who changed the spiritual life of Europe.
THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN THE CZECH LANDS AND SLOVAKIA
By Archbishop Hristofor,
head of the Orthodox Church in the Czech lands and Slovakia
Page 24
The Orthodox church in the Czech lands was founded by the saints Cyril and Methodius and their followers. In 1992 it was named Orthodox Church in the Czech lands and Slovakia and since then its territory coincides with the territories of the both countries - the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The religious activity of the Church interweaves with missionary and charity activity.
THE CZECH REPUBLIC: A PREFERRED DESTINATION
By materials of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Sofia
Page 26
Tourism of all kinds is one of the best developed branches of the Czech economy. It includes cultural, mountain, historical, congress and bicycle tourism. 12 of the Czech sites are included in the UNESCO List of world heritage.
"BLUE, NOT GREEN PLANET", A BOOK BY VACLAV KLAUS
By Petar Zlatev
Page 28
EUROPEAN CITY OF CULTURE
By the Czech centre, Sofia
Page 29
Since 9th century Prague has been the capital of Czech lands, the seat of royal princes and since 1918
70 - the seat of the president of the republic. The historical centre of the city still preserves samples of all architectural styles - Romanesque rotundas and basilicas, Gothic churches, Renaissance castles, a huge collection of Prague Baroque, Neo-renaissance and Artnouveau buildings. The centre of Prague, the fortress of Prague and Charles Bridge (Karlov Most), have been included in the UNESCO World heritage list.
Because of the innumerable museums and galleries with their rich collections, dozens of theatres and concert halls with world-famous stars being guest artists Prague has been given the prestigious name "European city of culture".
PARDUBICE: THE CITY OF PERNIKI
By Martin Klepetko
Page 33
Pardubice is one of the fourteen administrative centers of the Czech Republic. The city is located at the spot where the two rivers Elba and Hrudimka join, 100 km east from the capital Prague. It is famous with the typical Czech sweeties that are produced there - "perniki".
THE CZECH MUSIC
By Martin Klepetko
Page 39
The term Czech music does not need any explanation. Far before the development of trade and industry, music was one of the most important export products for the Czech Republic. The Czech musicians and music became so popular in the XVIII and XIX centuries, that the Czech lands were called "the school of music of Europe".
DESIGN: ART AND PART OF EVERYDAY LIFE
By materials of the Czech centre, Sofia
Page 44
Since the 90s there has been considerable development in all spheres of the applied art in the Czech Republic. This refers to fashion as well as to industrial design. For the last couple of years graphical and advertising design has developed a lot not only in terms of their trade purpose, but also as plain art - for example, it is widely used for the design of book covers.
THE NEW CZECH CINEMA
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The Czech Republic has a generation of young, energetic script-writers, producers and actors who present their works in front of public all over the world. Their works have been awarded many international prizes, including the most prestigious one - Oscar.
CHRISTMAS OF SWEETIES, CAROLS AND FAIRYTALES
By Tamara Valcheva
Page 48
Many of the old good traditions of Christmas have been preserved until today in spite of the Socialism and the religious bans (Christmas was celebrated in the Czech Republic during the period of Communism). Nowadays traditions overcome globalization and standardization of the holidays.
CHRISTMAS SWEETIES FROM THE CZECH REPUBLIC
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FESTIVALS OF SPIRIT
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When it comes to Czech or Moravian folklore, we speak about folk literature, traditions, theatre, songs, music, dances, games and last but not least - folklore for children. All these traditions have handed down through the generations. Today you can get to know them at the folk festivals that take place all over the country throughout the year.
FAMOUS PERSONALITIES FROM THE CZECH REPUBLIC
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PHOTOATELIER PRESENTS
MICHAEL POSPISIL
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CONTEMPORARY CZECH LITERATURE
By materials of the Czech Centre, Sofia
Page 61
In the 90s much space was given to old and new texts of authors, who had been forbidden during the previous two decades. Many new styles of writing sprang up as well - the vanishing limit between reality and fiction, the role of darkness and evil around us, short genres and the so called "female" writing.
MIROSLAV HOLUB
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VATYO RAKOVSKI
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ATELIER PRESENTS
VASKA MONEVA: A BORN ARTIST
By Ognyan Stamboliev
Page 66
SVETLA KOSEVA: CAPRICE OF LIGHT AND AIR
By Krassi Aleksieva
Page 68
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Translated by
Maria Angelova |
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