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Around 30,000 people from Czechia and abroad attended this year’s national pilgrimage in Velehrad, eastern Moravia, on July 5. The event coincides with the Czech national holiday honouring Saints Cyril and Methodius. A mass held in front of the basilica was the spiritual highlight of the two-day celebration. According to organisers, about 20,000 people had already arrived for the Friday programme known as the Days of People of Good Will. The event also included concerts, charity presentations, and a symbolic hand-copying of the Bible. The 26th edition commemorated the upcoming Holy Year 2025 and the anti-communist pilgrimage of 1985.
A total of 1,626 municipalities across five Czech regions displayed the Moravian flag on Friday to mark the holiday of Saints Cyril and Methodius. The initiative, led by the Moravian National Community, has grown steadily since 2010, when just 75 towns took part. This year’s effort was deliberately modest, with only a few new invitations sent out. Still, communities from Vysočina, Slovácko, and Třebíč regions joined in. The flag, featuring a red-and-white checkered eagle, symbolizes Moravian identity and heritage. The mayor of Mikulov, Jitka Sobotková (ANO Party), said the act helps preserve local traditions and a sense of belonging to Moravia.
A record 1,449 Wallachians and Wallachian women in traditional costume gathered on Saturday on Masaryk Square in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm as part of the international Rožnov Folklore Festival. The event, now officially registered in the Czech Book of Records, was also marked by an unexpected visit from President Petr Pavel. He joined the colorful parade heading to the Wallachian Open Air Museum, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The festival features over 40 ensembles from the region and abroad, including guests from Belgium, Hungary, Romania, and Croatia. A special program recreates the spirit of the original 1925 ethnographic celebration.
Michael Douglas paid tribute to Miloš Forman and accepted new version of his KVIFF award Hollywood legend Michael Douglas returned to the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival after 27 years to honor Miloš Forman and present a restored version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Welcomed with a standing ovation in the packed Grand Hall, Douglas was joined by producer Paul Zaentz and Forman’s children. Before the screening, he received an updated version of the festival’s lifetime achievement award, originally given to him in 1998. Douglas recalled how Forman came to direct the Oscar-winning classic, praising his insight and humanity. The screening was part of the festival’s Reflections of Time section.
Luxembourgish actress Vicky Krieps, recipient of this year’s Karlovy Vary IFF President’s Award, personally introduced the drama Love Me Tender at the festival. The film, directed by Anna Cazenave Cambet and based on a book by Constance Debré, tells the story of Clémence, a former lawyer fighting for custody of her son after coming out as a lesbian. Recently screened in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section, Krieps described it as “a modern fairy tale about breaking free from society’s chains.” She gained international acclaim for Phantom Thread and won multiple awards for her role as Empress Sisi in Corsage. Later this year, she stars alongside Cate Blanchett and Adam Driver in Jim Jarmusch’s Father, Mother, Sister, Brother.
Jakub Menšík’s Wimbledon run ended in the third round after a straight-sets defeat to Italy’s Flavio Cobolli, 2:6, 4:6, 2:6. The 19-year-old Czech, seeded 15th, struggled in the rain-interrupted match, converting none of his single break point chances, while Cobolli broke his serve five times. Despite the loss, it marked Menšík’s best Grand Slam performance to date. Earlier, he had defeated Marcos Giron and Hugo Gaston.
Barbora Krejčíková also exited in the third round, losing 6:2, 3:6, 4:6 to American Emma Navarro. The 29-year-old defending champion, seeded 17th, played through visible physical discomfort and required a medical timeout in the deciding set. She broke down in tears near the end of the match. The loss ended her nine-match winning streak at Wimbledon. Linda Nosková is now the only Czech player left in the singles draw.
Belgian sprinter Jasper Philipsen claimed victory in the first stage of the Tour de France in Lille and took the yellow jersey for the first time in his career. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider, a past winner of the green points jersey, earned his tenth Tour stage win. Strong crosswinds split the peloton 17 km from the finish, leaving several contenders—including Czech rider Pavel Bittner—trailing. Bittner crossed the line in 43rd place, 39 seconds behind the lead group. Main favorites Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard finished safely at the front. Sunday’s second stage stretches 209.1 km to Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Skies will be partly cloudy to overcast today. In the afternoon and evening, expect increasing cloud cover with scattered showers or thunderstorms, some of them potentially severe. The northwestern half of the country will see only isolated rain and likely no storms. Daytime highs will reach between 28 and 32 °C.
Jan Hus, Czech theologian and early church reformer, was burned at the stake on July 6, 1415, at the Council of Konstanz. Today, a modest but very nice museum in the German city preserves his memory—despite lingering doubts about whether he actually stayed there. The story of Hus remains deeply symbolic, and the museum explores the enduring power of that symbolism, especially for Czech visitors.
July 5th is a public holiday in the Czech Republic dedicated to honoring the legacy of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the two Byzantine brothers who arrived in Great Moravia in 863 with the mission to spread Christianity and bring literacy to the Slavic peoples.
Plný, which means ‘full’ in Czech, is an ordinary word, but with ancient origins. We can easily trace its family tree back to the prehistoric source of the Indo-European languages. Via another branch of that tree, plný is related to the Latin word for ‘full’, plēnus. The Latin has in turn given English words to do with fullness, like plenty and replenish.
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