The Daily Dozen: 12 things to know about Czechia today

Old president, new president|The lowering of the presidential standard and the closure of the Gate of Giants at Prague Castle symbolically ended President Miloš Zeman's 10-year tenure at midnight last night. Zeman's successor Petr Pavel is sworn in today. Have a look at some iconic moments from Zeman's presidency in our article. You can also read what pundits have to say about the coming era.

First Lady|The new First Lady at Prague Castle plans to be involved in charity work, according to Czech Radio. President-elect Petr Pavel's wife Eva Pavlová has publicly announced that the causes she will support are “educating children to be responsible, communication in the family, reducing the number of divorces, strengthening the position of women in society, and care for the elderly.”

Czech design|The design for the Czech pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka has been selected. A seven-member jury chose a glass helix by Apropos Architects from 38 competing projects. A69 Architects and Mjolk finished second and third. The winning pavilion will have its front wall made of glass, which was a priority for Apropos Architects, in light of Czechia's tradition of glass manufacture and craft.

Innovative technology|The National Theater in Prague has recently installed new heat recovery technology that uses the body heat emitted by audience members and reuses it to control the temperature of the building, Czech Radio reports. The technology is based on air passing through heat exchangers, which captures some of the pre-heated air and sends it back to the audience.

Faces of Prague|Meet Paz Sepulveda Vilo, an artist and midwife from Santiago, Chile, and the first person we featured in a new article series called Faces of Prague, which shares kindred stories of ordinary and extraordinary people of Prague, highlighting how they contribute to making the city a better place with arts, storytelling, and healing communities. 

Taste of spring|Wild garlic is a staple of Czech cuisine this time of the year, but do you know where t find it and how to prepare it? If the answer is no, and if you want to boost your cooking skills, read our latest column that shares wild garlic secrets from the Czech Kitchen.

Athletic diplomacy|The Czech Senate said that the Czech Olympic Committee (ČOV) should not allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the upcoming 2024 Olympics in Paris. The Senate voted yesterday 67 to 63 that the ČOV should not support Russian and Belarusian athletes competing as neutral athletes in the summer event.

English-friendly films|One drawback film fans face in Prague is that many Czech and other European films lack English subtitles. But there are several Prague cinemas that regularly show films with them, and there are also festivals that show international films. A few projects also show classic Czech films with English subtitles. Read more in our article.

Prague-centric fiction|Fans of mystery novels, as well as all things Czech, will welcome a thrilling new detective series set in Prague. The Honza series, by British-born author Andrew Pratt, is the first modern-day crime series written in English set among the cobbles and spires of the atmospheric Czech capital. Read more in our article.