The last time he was in Bohemia was when he was nineteen Now he's ninety-nine and wants to go back At least one American war veteran - Harry Humason - will arrive at the Pilsen Freedom Festival this year after a three-year hiatus who tracked down the old man on the Internet and is involved in organizing his trip to the Czech Republic "He had never been to Europe after the end of the Second World War He did not know about the Pilsen Freedom Festival at all it was a pleasant shock for him," Klůc told Novosti The American veteran will arrive in Prague on 1 May and the Pilsen Freedom Festival will take place from Friday 2 to Tuesday 6 May see period camps and visit battlefields in southwest Bohemia Visitors to the celebrations will definitely see him in a convoy on one of the jeeps," Klůc stated he will join the commemorative events in Prague and then move on to Frankfurt Harry Humason served in General Patton's 2nd Infantry Regiment "He participated with his unit in the liberation of southern Bohemia specifically Volary in the Prachatice region A unit of the 2nd Infantry Regiment also participated in the famous clash between American and German troops at the Soumarský Bridge over the Teplá Vltava River," Klůc recalled Humason was discovered on a web portal dedicated to veterans And I managed to contact him," the historian added: “He lives on the west coast of the United States American and Belgian veterans have regularly attended Pilsen celebrations in the past The last five braves from the “old guard” arrived in 2022 Those were some of the best days of their lives "None of them knew about the Freedom Festival until now But it's hard to say whether any of them will actually arrive the oldest is one hundred and one years old," the historian concluded Spravuje SITMP This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. © BoysPlayNiceEven though the projects of the Open-Air Cinema (Mimosa Architects) and Štěpánka’s Park were separated both in time and between studios, their finalization happened at the same time, in the first half of 2023. Prachatice thus obtained a very cultivated public space near the town square with an area not only for film screenings but also for more cultural events in the town with a direct connection to its center You'll now receive updates based on what you follow Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors If you have done all of this and still can't find the email /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – Arthur Serrieres from France and Sandra Mairhofer from Italy captured the XTERRA European Championship in conjunction with the 18th annual XTERRA Czech off-road triathlon with winning times of 2:30:16 and 2:57:39 then put their speed and skill on full display for the whole world to watch in the televised XTERRA Short Track races Watch Replay here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdzOgz0mjys Saturday’s win marks a second successful XTERRA EU title defense after winning the 2019 race in Czech and the 2021 title in Zittau It’s his 19th career XTERRA World Tour victory unprecedented third XTERRA European Championship race win in-a-row and second victory in a week after taking home the XTERRA Nouvelle-Aquitaine title last Saturday it’s her second XTERRA EU Championship in-a-row In the men’s elite race Sam Osborne (NZL) posted the fastest swim time to lead a train of racers featuring Michele Bonacina (ITA) and Keller Norland (USA) into the swim-to-bike transition Lukas Kocar (CZE) was seven seconds off the lead in fifth place Serrieres was in ninth position 15-seconds back Felix Forissier (FRA) was 1:14 behind in 15th and wait for the run to win,” said Serrieres the home country hero (Kocar) charged his way to the front and started pulling away from most of the field he had 60 seconds on a pack of four that included Bonacina Behind that group Ruzafa and Felix Forissier were reeling in riders one-by-one “I was pleased to have a good performance after not racing so well at Nouvelle Aquitaine last week,” said Forissier but rode strong and made it to the front just before the end of the bike – with the small group we could ride the technical sections quickly I felt amazing and could push really hard all the way I made a little gap to Ruben and thought that was it but he came back and pushed me all the way to the end.” who was just 24-years-old when he won his first of three XTERRA World Championships back in 2008 proved he’s still the best mountain biker in XTERRA with the fastest split of the day (1:25:02) “ I knew that the front of the race would ride the mountain bikes super fast so I pushed really hard and I rode up into 4th position by the big climb And then I really surprised myself with the run but I think he was surprised that I was running so fast and I was determined to show that ‘Old Man Ruben’ is not done yet and that I will fight everyone for a win at any race.” Felix Forissier had the second-best bike (1:25:30) and by the bike-to-run transition he and Ruzafa had caught up to Serrieres and the three of them came into T2 together about 90-seconds behind Kocar As he has proven time-and-time again over the last two seasons and as expected he posted the fastest 10K time (40:52) to pull away from Ruzafa and Felix Forissier and then blitzed past Kocar to take the tape with 1:38 to spare “It is my third XTERRA European title and it is so nice to do it again here in Czech,” said Serrieres “My first big breakthrough victory was also here in Prachatice so it’s special to come back and win where it all started it’s proof that my altitude camp I did to prepare for this worked well so I will repeat it to be even stronger before the next big target at the World Champs in Trentino.” Felix Forissier held off a hard-charging Ruzafa on the run to finish second Ruzafa came in third just four-seconds later Pesavento was impressive all day and finished four seconds ahead of Maxim Chane (FRA) in fifth position In the women’s elite race Maria Calleja (ESP) and Amanda Felder (USA) had the fastest swims (24:45) with Loanne Duvoisin (SUI) about 30 seconds back in third and Marta Menditto (ITA) were one-minute off the swim leaders and Mairhofer was almost two minutes behind in ninth position Mairhofer made all that time back and more on the bike with the days’ best split (1:38:28) to take a one-minute lead into the run the 2022 World Triathlon Cross Champion was up front all by herself through the finish chute with Paties finishing nearly two minutes later in second and Duvoisin in third place “I know that I am one of the best but I’m not unbeatable so I had to have a perfect race today,” said Mairhofer but fortunately I can rely on my biking and running Today I had to go really hard to catch the front group on the bike but training has gone really well and I knew that I have really good legs that can make the difference on the really hard course here in Czech.” who was in the lead until about halfway through the bike was thrilled with her runner-up performance so I am pleased with my performance,” she said “I had a good swim near the front and by 10km on the bike I was in the front and controlling the race Once Sandra came past at 20km(ish) I tried to follow but I decided to stick to my pace and concentrate on my own race as I know how fast she can go and also to stay ahead of the chase group of strong women behind.” who posted the best run split of the day (50:53) to pull away from Billouin (who placed fourth) the result is impressive considering she was balancing training with her intense physiotherapy studies in Lausanne at the same time “All year I’ve been balancing my studies with my training so I am not in the shape I need to be in order to win but that will come,” said the 2021 World Triathlon Cross Champion “I swam in the lead group until the last lap of the swim where I dropped back a bit then onto the bike I followed the wheel of Alizee before Sandra caught us and the group exploded Once onto the run it was so tough with some really tired legs but I just hoped everyone was hurting as much as I was I’m looking forward to the short track tomorrow I’ve practiced a lot on the course and am looking to make up for my crash last year with a good performance!” who had a big win at XTERRA France last month See videos, images and more at: https://www.instagram.com/xterraeurope The XTERRA European Championship was the first of four big events in seven days awarding €50,000 in prize money to the sport’s top elite athletes who have flocked to central Europe for the contests All-time XTERRA European Championship Race Winners Italy – Nicolas Lebrun/Renata Bucher Italy – Olivier Marceau/Eszter Erdelyi Italy – Olivier Marceau/Sibylle Matter Austria – Franky Batelier/Renata Bucher Italy – Franky Batelier/Melanie McQuaid Germany – Olivier Marceau/Marion Lorblanchet England – Ruben Ruzafa/Lesley Paterson Germany – Ruben Ruzafa/Michelle Flipo Denmark – Bradley Weiss/Brigitta Poor Germany – Bradley Weiss/Brigitta Poor Czech Republic – Arthur Serrieres/Morgane Riou Germany – Arthur Serrieres/Sandra Mairhofer Czech Republic – Arthur Serrieres/Sandra Mairhofer 2002 – Olivier Marceau / Candy Angle 2003 – Nicolas Lebrun / Jamie Whitmore 2004 – Nicolas Lebrun / Jamie Whitmore 2005 – Olivier Marceau / Renata Bucher 2006 – Nicolas Lebrun / Renata Bucher 2008 – Nicolas Lebrun / Carina Wasle 2009 – Franky Batelier / Carina Wasle 2010 – Franky Batelier / Renata Bucher 2011 – Ronny Dietz / Marion Lorblanchet 2012 – Nicolas Lebrun / Helena Erbenova 2013 – Felix Schumann / Helena Erbenova 2014 – Ruben Ruzafa / Kathrin Mueller 2018 – Ruben Ruzafa / Helena Erbenova 2019 – Arthur Serrieres / Morgane Riou 2020 – Arthur Serrieres / Laura Philipp 2021 – Arthur Serrieres / Loanne Duvoisin 2022 – Arthur Serrieres / Sandra Mairhofer Sandra Mairhofer (ITA) and Lukas Kocar (CZE) won the second round of the XTERRA Short Track off-road triathlon series with winning times of 40:43 and 34:31 It’s the first XTERRA Short Track win for Mairhofer who captured the full-distance XTERRA European Championship race yesterday and the second for Kocar – who won his first in Germany last year 7.6K mountain bike course and a tough two-loop In the women’s race a young wild card entry from Italy with Amanda Felder (USA) and Maria Calleja (ESP) about 15 seconds back By the second of four laps on the bike the leaderboard changed completely with Mairhofer in front followed by Alizee Paties (FRA) and Jindriska Zemanova (CZE) – which would end up being the top five into transition and the finish line in that same order Mairhofer posted the fastest bike split and looked dominant all morning long and I felt fine swimming in the group at my own pace I just tried to survive and stay above the water and I was feeling really confident on the technical parts Complete Women’s Results In the men’s race Michele Bonacina (ITA) made quick work of the swim in 5:54 but was chased by a massive group of 20 men just a few seconds behind things changed quickly with Federico Spinazze (ITA) up front on the first lap and Lukas Kocar taking the lead early in the second lap to the delight of the home crowd Maxim Chane (FRA) and Ruben Ruzafa (ESP) were putting on a great show for the crowd by speeding over the rock gardens and flying over the jumps while Jens Emil Sloth Nielsen (DEN) rode his way through the field with the fastest bike split of the day Kocar took a big lead into the run and never looked back Chane was second out of T2 and held that spot through the finish with Sloth Nielsen working his way to third yesterday’s XTERRA European Championship full-distance race winner had the best run of the day to work his way into fourth position with Ruzafa rounding out the top five and tried not to make any mistakes and wow this is absolutely the best feeling to win here in Prachatice in front of the home crowd Complete Men’s Results Fastest bike: Jens Emil Sloth Nielsen (18:06) Everything you need to know about Short Track XTERRA World Rankings XTERRA Europe Facebook Page XTERRA Europe Instagram Date (Location) Men’s Winner/Women’s Winner Czech Republic) Arthur Forissier/Loanne Duvoisin Czech Republic) Arthur Serrieres/Laura Philipp Czech Republic) Arthur Forissier/Marta Menditto France) Panagiotis Bitados/Loanne Duvoisin Czech Republic) Lukas Kocar/Sandra Mairhofer 2022 XTERRA ELITE SERIES RESULTS & UPCOMING RACES View all Releases by Submit Press Release Address: 4010 Sorrento Valley Blvd #400, San Diego, CA 92121   Phone: (858) 876-4705 (c) 2025 Address: 4010 Sorrento Valley Blvd #400, San Diego, CA 92121   Phone: (858) 876-4705 Metrics details Aedes japonicus is a mosquito species native to North-East Asia that was first found established outside its original geographic distribution range in 1998 and has since spread massively through North America and Europe Aedes invasive mosquitoes (AIM) are routinely surveyed in the Czech Republic by ovitrapping at potential entry ports This surveillance is supported by appeals to the population to report uncommon mosquitoes japonicus specimen by a citizen in 2021 was followed by local search for aquatic mosquito stages in the submitter’s garden and short-term adult monitoring with encephalitis virus surveillance (EVS) traps in its surroundings japonicus specimens were subjected to nad4 haplotype and microsatellite analyses Aedes japonicus was detected for the first time in the Czech Republic in 2021 Aquatic stages and adults were collected in Prachatice Morphological identification was confirmed by molecular taxonomy Genetic analysis of specimens and comparison of genetic data with those of other European populations showed the Prachatice specimens to be most closely related to a German population The Mikulov specimens were more distantly related to those Aedes japonicus is already widely distributed in Germany and Austria two countries neighbouring the Czech Republic and continues to spread rapidly in Central Europe It must therefore be assumed that the species is already present at more than the two described localities in the Czech Republic and will further spread in this country These findings highlight the need for more comprehensive AIM surveillance in the Czech Republic Establishment and further dispersal in the new geographical regions are possible when climatic and environmental conditions are adequate koreicus find similar (moderate) climatic conditions as in their original Asian distribution range albopictus increasingly adapts to moderate temperatures and takes advantage of climate warming We here describe the first encounters with Ae japonicus mosquitoes in the Czech Republic independently in two areas more than 190 km apart One finding locality was localised close to the border with Germany and the second on the border with Austria a citizen of the town of Prachatice in South Bohemia caught a strangely coloured adult female mosquito in his house He sent five pictures of this mosquito to our laboratory for preliminary identification Since it was not possible on these to distinguish between Ae the pictures were followed by the physical specimen for accurate identification two additional adult mosquitoes of the same appearance (one male one female) were captured by the citizen at the same location the garden of the reporting resident and its surroundings were checked for AIMs by dipping water containers for aquatic mosquito stages and trapping adult mosquitoes by encephalitis virus surveillance (EVS) traps equipped with dry ice as an attractant Sampling of aquatic mosquito stages was done repeatedly on 11 and 12 August from three dark green plastic rainwater collection barrels that stood immediately against the house wall each holding approximately 300–400 L of water and having a water surface area of about 0.8 m2 eight EVS traps were operated within 100 m and another seven traps within 1.5 km from the submitter’s house Two EVS traps were placed even further away (about 3.5 km) The traps were located at shady places near the gardens of family houses in an allotment area and on the edge of a forest Three of the traps in the 100 m diameter were placed about 20 m from the rainwater barrels another two about 50 m and three about 80 m One of the three traps within 20 m distance was equipped with sweaty socks as an additional attractant one trap was kept working all day next to the rainwater barrels From the evening of 12 August to the morning of 13 August a total of 14 EVS traps were operated in close vicinity (100 m) of the rainwater barrels in the submitter’s garden Oviposition supports with eggs from ovitraps were brought to the laboratory where the eggs were flooded in jars with stale tap water for the larvae to hatch Hatched larvae were fed ground fish food (Tetra GmbH Larvae from the rainwater barrels were transferred to jars together with original barrel water the organic compounds of which served as larval food during further development Jars were covered with nets until emergence of adults which were collected with a battery-powered aspirator (Hausherr’s Machine Works USA) and killed by freezing at −20 °C for at least 24 h Adults were morphologically identified using the determination key provided in Becker et al. [35] Morphological determination was confirmed genetically on one specimen from Prachatice and two specimens from Mikulov (adults) one leg per mosquito specimen was individually homogenised in 150 μl sterile demineralised water with sterile 5 mm steel beads at 30 Hz for 60 s in a TissueLyser II (Qiagen Genomic DNA was extracted from 100 μl of the homogenates using the QIAamp DNA Mini Kit (Qiagen) according to the manufacturer’s protocol The DNA was eluted in 80 µl elution buffer and stored at −20 °C until further processing based on Nei’s genetic distance and pairwise FST values a principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) was performed japonicus mosquito detected in the Czech Republic b Five stripes of golden scales on the scutum c Hind leg with no white rings on tarsal segments IV and V (as opposed to Ae Adults developed from several dozen larvae and pupae collected from the three rainwater barrels (out of hundreds present) were also morphologically identified as Ae Other mosquito species detected in the barrels belonged to the Culex pipiens and Anopheles maculipennis complexes japonicus was collected in the EVS traps during the first night of trapping in Prachatice japonicus female was captured during the second night with the EVS trap equipped with sweaty socks All other EVS traps remained negative for Ae pipiens complex females and some Aedes vexans specimens were collected by the EVS traps within the 100 m radius plumbeus were collected from EVS traps placed on the forest edge One EVS trap placed in a garden colony contained an An Thirty-six morphologically identified adult Ae 11 males) emerged between 28 and 30 August 2021 from ovitrap egg collections carried out from 10 to 18 August 2021 at ‘Mikulov 2’ japonicus individuals were identical (GenBank accession nos OM307665 for cox1 and OM307667 for nad4) and shared 99.58% nucleotide homology with a cox1 sequence from an isolate from Germany (GenBank accession number KF211505) and 99.14% nucleotide homology with a nad4 sequence from an isolate from the USA (GenBank accession number AF305879) Nad4 haplotype analysis was performed on 54 specimens from Prachatice, Mikulov and Grafenau (south-eastern Germany). The alignment indicated 21 variable nucleotide positions, leading to four different nad4 haplotypes: H1, H3, H9 and H21 (Table 2) Six individuals were characterised by heteroplasmy the presence of different mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variants in one organism as indicated by peaks for two different nucleotides at the same position in the sequencing electropherogram Results of microsatellite multilocus genotyping for k = 2 (∆ = 160.08) with each bar representing a single individual and the different colours representing the probability of that individual belonging to the corresponding genetic cluster The results of the PCoA, based on FST values and Nei’s genetic distance of the microsatellite locus data, show a close genetic relatedness of the Prachatice and Grafenau populations. The other included populations are much more distantly related (Fig. 4). Principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) plot of pairwise population FST values for the investigated Ae. japonicus populations from the Czech Republic, Germany and Croatia. The colours of the dots (blue and red) represent the principal microsatellite genotype according to Fig. 1 Larval sampling in Prachatice and the area west of it is planned for 2022 to check for further Ae about 10 km from the Czech border and far from an international traffic route the haplotype analysis is not informative enough to deduce relatedness of the tested populations and displacement/migration routes The Mikulov population seems to be genetically more different from the other populations tested A new introduction from a European population not included in the analysis or even from overseas could be the reason According to microsatellite and PCoA analyses the Prachatice population was most likely introduced to the Czech Republic from Germany while the Mikulov population is at least admixed with genetic material from one (or several) other population(s) of unknown origin Data supporting the conclusions of this article are included within the article Representative DNA sequences have been deposited in the GenBank database under the accession numbers OM307664–OM307667 A review of the invasive mosquitoes in Europe: ecology Diapause characterisation and seasonality of Aedes japonicus japonicus (Diptera A revision of the adult and larval mosquitoes of Japan (including the Ryukyu Archipelago and the Ogasawara Islands) and Korea (Diptera: Culicidae) First record of Ochlerotatus (Finlaya) japonicus japonicus (Theobald Introduction and establishment of the exotic mosquito species Aedes japonicus japonicus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Belgium The invasive mosquito Aedes japonicus in Central Europe First record of the mosquitoes Aedes (Ochlerotatus) japonicus japonicus (Theobald 1901) in Autria and Slovenia in 2011 and for Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse First report of established population of Aedes japonicus japonicus (Theobald First establishment of Aedes japonicus japonicus (Theobald 1901) (Diptera: Culicidae) in France in 2013 and its impact on public health First record and spreading of the invasive mosquito Aedes japonicus japonicus (Theobald for Italy: an invasion from an established Austrian population Rapid spread and population genetics of Aedes japonicus japonicus (Diptera: Culicidae) in southeastern Europe (Croatia First detection of Aedes japonicus in Spain: an unexpected finding triggered by citizen science First evidence and distribution of the invasive alien mosquito Aedes japonicus (Theobald Emergence of the invasive Asian bush mosquito Occurrence and spread of the invasive Asian bush mosquito Aedes japonicus japonicus (Diptera: Culicidae) in West and North Germany since detection in 2012 and 2013 Surveillance of invasive Aedes mosquitoes along Swiss traffic axes reveals different dispersal modes for Aedes albopictus and Ae Oviposition of Aedes japonicus japonicus (Diptera: Culicidae) and associated native species in relation to season temperature and land use in western Germany habitat requirements and human biting behaviour of the invasive mosquito Aedes japonicus japonicus (Theobald Field evaluation of baited traps for surveillance of Aedes japonicus japonicus in Switzerland: mosquito trap comparison Establishment and abundance of a recently introduced mosquito species Ochlerotatus japonicus (Diptera: Culicidae) in the southern Appalachians Status of the invasive species Aedes japonicus japonicus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Southwest Germany in 2011 A literature review of host feeding patterns of invasive Aedes mosquitoes in Europe CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Update: West Nile virus activity—eastern United States 2000 Experimental transmission of eastern equine encephalitis virus by Ochlerotatus j Laboratory transmission of La Crosse virus by Ochlerotatus j Louis encephalitis virus by Ochlerotatus j Vector competence of Aedes japonicus for chikungunya and dengue viruses japonicus to transmit Rift Valley fever virus in the USA The invasive Asian bush mosquito Aedes japonicus found in the Netherlands can experimentally transmit Zika virus and Usutu virus Silaghi C, Beck R, Capelli G, Montarsi F, Mathis A. Development of Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens in Aedes japonicus and Aedes geniculatus. Parasit Vectors. 2017. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-017-2015-x An invasive mosquito species Aedes albopictus found in the Czech Republic The invasive Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Czech Republic: Repetitive introduction events highlight the need for extended entomological surveillance Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2020 DNA primers for amplification of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I from diverse metazoan invertebrates Biological identifications through DNA barcodes Unexpected patterns of admixture in German populations of Aedes japonicus japonicus (Diptera: Culicidae) underscore the importance of human intervention Genetic diversity and population structure of the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) in Vietnam: evidence for genetic differentiation by climate region Population genetics of the invasive Asian bush mosquito Aedes japonicus (Diptera Culicidae) in Germany—a re-evaluation in a time period of separate populations merging Inference of population structure using multilocus genotype data STRUCTURE HARVESTER: a website and program for visualizing STRUCTURE output and implementing the Evanno method Field evaluation of four widely used mosquito traps in Central Europe Recently discovered Aedes japonicus japonicus (Diptera: Culicidae) populations in The Netherlands and northern Germany resulted from a new introduction event and from a split from an existing population Newly discovered population of Aedes japonicus japonicus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Upper Bavaria is closely related to the Austrian/Slovenian bush mosquito population Population genetic structure of the Asian bush mosquito in Belgium suggests multiple introductions Aedes (Finlaya) japonicus (Diptera: Culicidae) a newly recognized mosquito in the United States: analyses of genetic variation in the United States and putative source populations Fine-scale spatial and temporal population genetics of Aedes japonicus Download references We are grateful to Roman Čerkl and his family for submitting the first specimens of Aedes japonicus and for their support during the investigation of the Prachatice study area Czech Republic) for sequence analysis and Freja Pfirschke (Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut Germany) for excellent technical assistance during the population genetic work Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL The study was financially supported by the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic (Reg The funding bodies had no role in the study design analysis or interpretation of the data or the preparation of the manuscript Federal Research Institute for Animal Health OŠ and SŠ participated in mosquito sampling and morphological determination JV carried out the basic molecular taxonomy NJ and HK performed the population genetic work and the corresponding data interpretation All authors read and approved the final manuscript version The authors declare that they have no competing interests Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations japonicus populations studied (0: not analysable) unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-022-05332-5 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article which was prepared and adapted for Prachatice by the Naive Theatre in Liberec presents the work of important scenographers such as Pavel Kalfus who have collaborated with the theatre for a long time or still do you can enjoy puppets and decorations from dozens of productions that have been successful in the Czech Republic and abroad – the most popular productions include Headless Knight and Alibaba and the Forty Robbers The current repertoire of the Naive Theatre Liberec is reminded by posters and a short film composed of excerpts from current productions The new exhibition concludes the three-year cycle Profiles of professional puppet theatres which builds on the existing exhibition at the Museum of Czech Puppets and Circus in Prachatice Rovanperä and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing on top after demanding Friday Kalle Rovanperä leads for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team after a strong performance in challenging conditions on the first full day of the inaugural Central European Rally crews headed back into the Czech Republic for the longest day of the rally with 121.8 competitive kilometres to be tackled across two loops of three stages – which were separated by a tyre-fitting zone in Prachatice rather than mid-day service.As had been anticipated heavy rain added to the demands on the narrow but fast Czech roads Championship leader Rovanperä rose to this challenge well He capitalised on his road position at the front of the order taking the lead on SS4 and arriving in Prachatice at lunchtime with a lead of 29.2 seconds over team-mate and championship rival Elfyn Evans.Although the rain had eased for the afternoon loop was fastest in SS6 before Rovanperä set the pace in SS7 The Finn further increased his lead across the afternoon to 36.4s over second-placed Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) with Evans a further 10.8s back in third position.Sébastien Ogier suffered an early setback in SS3 with a damaged wheel with Takamoto Katsuta fifth in his TGR WRC Challenge Program-supported entry Quotes:Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal) “Today the drivers faced some very difficult conditions with changing surfaces and grip levels and on top of that they had mud and standing water When it’s like that you have to push more to the limits to find the grip This is where Kalle is very strong and it was amazing what he was able to do today But Elfyn also did a good job with consistent driving and no mistakes I think that’s very clever from him because he knows that if something were to happen to Kalle then he has his chance for the championship For us to have two cars in the top three is really good For Seb it became difficult once he knew his chance for the victory was probably gone but I think it was better for him in the afternoon and he’ll try to have a better day tomorrow It was also a good day for Taka in those tough conditions.”Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69) “The conditions today were super tough and especially in the first two stages this morning a lot of standing water and even though we were the first car there was already quite a bit of dirt on the road for us It was a big challenge but we still did some really good times the conditions were more equal in terms of the starting place We took the pace down a bit just to be safe but still created a bit more gap to the others on the middle stage Tomorrow we’re going to be the last Rally1 car on the road and if it’s wet again We just need to keep focused and avoid mistakes.”Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33) “There was quite a lot of rain overnight and into the morning so we faced some pretty difficult There was quite a lot of mud being dragged out too so it was not easy to judge the different grip levels The second pass this afternoon was tough as well with a lot of mud and quite changeable conditions It started to dry out a bit which almost made it more difficult with the tyres starting to move around and then a bit of drizzle again for the last stage Our position tonight is not what we really hoped for but Kalle has done an incredible job today and we definitely couldn’t match his speed anything can happen to anyone so we have to keep going.”Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 17) “It has not been the day that we wanted It all went wrong for us very quickly this morning I probably overreacted a bit and I’m sorry for blaming the tyre the problem was that the wheel rim was broken and this is why the air escaped from the tyre In a very narrow section in the mud it looks as though there was a rock that we could not see In these conditions you just have to follow the line and I could not do anything I think a lot of people damaged their wheels That was a tough thing to take to start the day After that we tried to keep it consistent and didn’t take maximum risk I have not been feeling 100 per cent with some illness and it was difficult anyway to do the best times with our road position We just tried to bring the car back in one piece and aim to do better tomorrow.” What's next? Saturday’s route takes the rally into Austria for the first time A pair of stages on that side of the border – including Mühltal the longest of the rally at 27.15 km – are followed by a third in Germany prior to mid-day service in Passau All three tests are then repeated in the afternoon LondonThe artists condemned as ‘degenerate’ by the Nazis really did revel in the perverse and depraved and their sex and violence-drenched paintings still shock death and decadenceThis article is more than 6 years oldTate Modern naked except for a translucent green slip that half covers her buttocks A rag hangs from his pocket like a masturbatory spurt I mean that precisely. In 1937, Grosz, like many of the artists in Tate Modern’s often astonishing display of early 20th-century German art, had his works held up for mockery and revilement by the Nazis in their Munich exhibition Entartete Kunst (Degenerate Art) This art was not abstract but fiercely carnal and it is still shocking today The artist relishes the contours of her corpse his brush lingering over bloodstained flesh This is not the only “lust murder” on show. An etching by Dix shows a crazed murderer surrounded by dismembered body parts. An eerie 1924 drawing by Rudolf Schlichter portrays the artist sitting and contemplating two dead women who hang from his ceiling What sickened the imaginations of these artists? A touching early work by Dix reminds us of the horror they had endured. He was a machine gunner on the western front when he painted a portrait of his commanding officer, Bruno Alexander Roscher The story goes that it won him some welcome leave Roscher’s face is like a piece of pink meat bulging out of his medal-bedecked uniform Dix returned from the war with a terrible sense of the fragile flesh we are He was to record what he saw in grisly prints featuring worm-infested skulls and bodies on barbed wire His images of sexual violence could be understood as post-traumatic nightmares Self-Portrait with Model in the Studio by George Grosz (1930-37) 2018Grosz makes the same confusion of war and civilian life A prostitute holds up a flower at a window as a young man lies dead in the street The city night is lit up in the red of sex and blood The jagged cubistic composition sends everything spinning off in fragments Reality has been blown apart and death has poisoned desire That mixing of Eros and Thanatos, sex and death, has shaped the image of decadence in art and literature, at least since Charles Baudelaire published his Les Fleurs du Mal poetry collection in 1857 The Weimar Republic – a fledgling German democracy established in 1919 only to be undermined by economic disaster and overrun by Hitler – has long been portrayed as decadent Magic Realism does nothing to overturn the cabaret image – it even has a section called Cabaret provocative art of Weimar’s jazz-filled nights is full of freedom and possibility as well as perversity and darkness The biggest discovery here is Jeanne Mammen Her images of Weimar women are liberated and hedonistic lounge while smoking and daydreaming in her 1929 watercolour Boring Dolls; prostitutes are portrayed as defiant working women in her 1930 piece Free Room At the Shooting Gallery by Jeanne Mammen (1929) Photograph: The George Economou Collection © DACS 2018The curators see her imagery as a riposte to the male artists in the show but gender fluidity abounds in a fantastic playground of sexual experiment She holds up a whip that seems aimed at the viewer of the image as much as any circus animal acrobats and musicians populate this fascinating “Magic realism” was coined by a Weimar critic to describe these rich and strange fusions of the real and fantastic It is a good term to revive because for too long art history has tended to crush this raw genre with cold This is the kind of display Tate Modern’s collections need – a truly revelatory voyage through art and history and the art here holds up a mad mirror to a mad world the Czech Republic will host this iconic event there will be two races under the L'Etape banner The hilly stage starting in Prague will take place on June 21 followed by the Mountain Stage in Prachatice on August 2 This year will also mark the first time that an overall winner of the Czech series will be crowned "We're thrilled that last year's debut with two events under the Tour de France banner was a success and L'Etape Czech Republic continues to grow The event has become a nationwide phenomenon with entire communities and families getting involved whether by participating in the race or cheering on cyclists along the route," says Tomáš Pravenec director of the organizing company Petr Čech Sport One of the key themes for 2025 will be uniting generations Organizers are working to bring two legends of the global peloton to serve as the main ambassadors for the hilly stage “Cycling transcends the boundaries of sport and is for everyone from children to seniors,” emphasizes Přemysl Novák head of the L'Etape Czech Republic by Tour de France project a former Czech professional and Tour de France stage winner praises the idea of uniting generations in cycling but it was during L'Etape that we got on our bikes together we were cruising at 35 or 40 kilometers an hour It was a real experience for me to be his domestique because he completed the race much faster than he ever thought he could," smiles the 38-year-old cyclist who has recently been honored with a state award He prepares conscientiously within his limits to enjoy the race's atmosphere on closed roads who has not missed a single event of the largest Czech race for amateur cyclists since the summer of 2022 organized in cooperation with Prague and the Central Bohemian Region has become an integral part of the calendar for most amateur cyclists and has grown into the largest domestic race The fifth edition will start on June 21 from the capital with three routes of varying lengths and difficulties leading west of Prague The three routes of the Křivoklát stage (139 km/1900 m elevation and 66 km/700 m) will feature a few minor changes but will again pass through some of the best areas from previous editions we are saying goodbye to Strahov and the Křivoklát area The route is designed as a tribute to all the places where L'Etape has been embraced with open arms becoming a unique event for the local communities who created unforgettable experiences for all cyclists," explains Přemysl Novák The start and finish will be in Prague at Strahov there will be major construction works here so we will be starting from a different location That’s why we decided to forgo the idea of having the race start from a different city and instead organize the fifth edition as a tribute to Strahov is an iconic place for Czech cycling," adds Přemysl Novák recalling the 1981 World Road Cycling Championships held at Větrná hůrka "The second reason for organizing the fifth edition of the Kopcovitá stage as a loop was the logistical complexity of transporting thousands of cyclists and we didn’t want to resort to a half-hearted solution that would tarnish the experience associated with L'Etape Czech Republic," explains Přemysl Novák providing a solid argument for why the organizers abandoned the idea of starting at the church of St Registration is available for the short route (66 km "The two shorter routes are much easier and more cyclist-friendly compared to previous years catering to cyclists of all ages and performance levels the long route is just as demanding as a classic-style stage race," notes the head of the L'Etape project The highlight of the challenge for all participants on the long route will be the mountainous "trident" where the peloton will gradually tackle the climb from Městečko to Velká Buková followed by the hill in Roztoky near Křivoklát including the cobbled sector "Štybar's Revenge" cyclists will face the climb over Sýkořice The mountainous stage includes three mountain prizes and one sprint segment "It’s a unique opportunity to experience the Křivoklátsko region on completely closed roads the Kopcovitá L'Etape Czech Republic will be held at a different location so no road cycling fan should miss the start," says Přemysl Novák inviting lovers of road cycling to take part "The route for 2026 will be completely different The start and finish of the Kopcovitá stage in 2026 will definitely be in Prague but on the other side of the Vltava," he adds mysteriously A significant change for Kopcovitá L'Etape 2025 is that the first category – the long route – will start at 12 p.m The capacity of the starting field is 1,000 cyclists for the long route The second event of the L'Etape Czech Republic by Tour de France series in 2025 will be hosted by Prachatice where the Mountain Stage made its debut this season The second instalment in history will take place on 2nd August created excellent facilities and an amazing atmosphere for the debut of such a prestigious event and Prachatice proved to be a worthy partner We aim to build on the successful start and improve many aspects Cyclists have ample opportunity to train properly so they can once again bravely tackle the Šumava hills in August after leaving the Renaissance backdrop of the Great Square at the sound of the starting gun," says Jan Bauer The Mountain L'Etape 2025 will be 110 kilometres long with an elevation gain of 2192 metres Forty percent of the route is different from the 2024 edition The passage through the main square of Český Krumlov a city listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site will undoubtedly be particularly attractive The itinerary still includes the climb to Kleť while the new feature will be the ascent to Libín Saddle The route includes a total of three mountain primes the organisers are also working hard to secure the participation of a star ambassador and the participation of this cyclist will provide extra motivation for those cyclists who are unsure about taking on the route starting in Prachatice," says Přemysl Novák about the event which is open to 1,000 cyclists and will start at 1 p.m Another exciting attraction will be the inaugural announcement of the overall series ranking for L'Etape Czech Republic by Tour de France which will be determined by the total times from both the Kopcovitá and Mountain stages Both events in the L'Etape Czech Republic by Tour de France series will offer a rich programme even in the week leading up to the race in 2025 "We’ll actually start on Tuesday," admits Přemysl Novák where cyclists on any type of bike can participate These rides will take place on a designated circuit that is completely closed to motor traffic with a profile suitable for families with children There will also be special rides exclusively for women in both Prague and Prachatice under the patronage of L'Etape Czech Republic ambassador Tereza Huříková a world champion in time trial and cross-country mountain biking One of the social rides in the week leading up to the race in both locations will feature legends of Czech cycling a three-time stage winner at the Tour de France winner of the European Games and European track cycling champion Registrations for both races of L'Etape Czech Republic by Tour de France 2025 can be made at www.letapeczech.cz those interested can use the code "dvacet2025" to receive a 20% discount until December 1st Created by Beneš & Michl ★★★★☆The impact of the First World War and its aftermath on German art is the subject of this fascinating show The phrase “magic realism” was first used in 1925 by the art critic Franz Roh to describe a contemporary artistic realism that nonetheless cast “a magical gaze opening onto a it was distinguished by an outward-looking outspoken view — on the chaotic politics and economic hardship of the era; on the scars of war that marked land body and mind; on the all-too visibly transfigured — and disfigured — reality that the country now faced Erwin Reijneveld travelled to the Czech Republic he sometimes felt as if he were in the Vosges I look around and immediately recognise the Vosges—stunning mountains adorned with trees and you might just find yourself pedalling in this direction I gaze at the colourful classical buildings even before they let me loose in this area and my mind starts drawing connections to well-known cycling regions it’s clear that I’m not in a typical cycling destination "I’m clearly not in a typical cycling destination." Cycling trip recommendations are both given and received But who ever talks about the Czech Republic enjoying a fresh coffee on Velké Náměstí square The reason for my visit is L’Étape Czech Republic a cyclosportive that takes place every summer in Prachatice I get to feel like part of the Tour de France peloton I spend two days cycling through the region with my host On the first day of my stay in the Czech Republic we rattle over the cobblestones and pass through the old city gate as we leave the centre behind linking together a series of colourful villages The ride is calm until we arrive at Holašovice—a true open-air museum twenty-three farms built in South Bohemian Folk Baroque style surround an impressive rectangular field They date back to the 18th and 19th centuries while the layout of the village itself originates from the Middle Ages. "The route undulates over peaceful roads linking together a series of colourful villages." I don’t need UNESCO’s stamp of approval to see that this place is special we take a moment to soak in this pure Czech experience the landscape unfolds before us—forests repeatedly concealing and revealing spectacular views Large hills and small mountains rise in the distance The human footprint here is surprisingly minimal and the occasional house are the only interruptions in the vast greenery we reach a ruin—an awe-inspiring church where the roof we scout the decisive climb of the upcoming L’Étape race Just one and a half kilometres at 10%—this is going to hurt on Saturday we return to Velké Náměstí and sit down for a traditional Czech meal—flavourful potatoes and a small beer (alcohol-free for those who prefer) I watch as a forklift bounces over the cobblestones positioning the first barriers and sponsor banners in the timeless square two kayakers play in the current of the Vltava River a stunning Renaissance town basks in the morning sun Many of the buildings date back to the 16th and 17th centuries yet it is the second most visited city in the country after Prague We follow the river upstream towards Šumava National Park (also known as the Bohemian Forest) The climbs and descents come in quick succession we load up on lunch and have a nice chat with the cashier one thing stands out—the exceptional friendliness of the locals a reservoir built in the 1950s to prevent the Vltava from flooding this lake transforms into a setting for ice sports with hockey matches being particularly popular my understanding of silence is being redefined Rarely has a landscape radiated such serenity This is the largest contiguous forest in Central Europe the river reflects a stunning panorama of spruces My comparison to Norway earns a smile from Martín—turns out we pass workers removing a barrier to ensure a safe race the next day the Tour de France atmosphere is no longer subtle—suddenly when the entire cycling world revolves around one thing a photogenic sign to confirm your participation I can feel the yellow blood coursing through my veins Unlike most amateur events that start brutally early this one kicks off at 1:00 pm—an absolute luxury Even a sudden thunderstorm has time to pass The Tour’s familiar sounds echo across the square The crowd rhythmically slaps promotional fans against the barriers Under police escort and following the event’s organiser (the Czech version of Christian Prudhomme) in a red car the roads are lined with spectators—every front garden occupied every village packed with fans banging pots and pans an elderly farmer sits on his truck’s bonnet a thermos in one hand and a phone recording in the other Do they realise this isn’t the actual Tour de France The 100-kilometre Mountain Stage includes 2,000 metres of climbing It’s never truly flat—either we’re climbing or descending I ride straight into a memory that will last a lifetime megaphones—the crowd spills onto the road as if this were a real Tour de France mountain stage megaphones—the crowd spills onto the road like in a real mountain stage." Cycling in South Bohemia is a truly unique experience An alternative to the usual high-mountain suffering—long in a quiet yet distinctly Bohemian setting of the overwhelming majority of participants in the Mountain L'Etape Czech Republic in August were the best reward for the organisers of the fanpoint in Chroboly which was one of the top two fanpoints along the route of the event in South Bohemia Despite cyclists having already completed nearly the entire distance and elevation of the challenging course the enthusiasm of the fans from Chroboly gave them the energy needed for the final climb at Rohanov and the subsequent finish in Prachatice "We hope to be on the route of the second edition of the Mountain Etape," says Deputy Mayor Martin Janoušek not hiding the fact that the event under the Tour de France banner has driven the entire village wild "I would wish for every village to be included in the L'Etape route and then experience the same euphoria as we did It showed that it's not just about a cycling race there wasn’t a single person who complained," reflects the Deputy Mayor of Chroboly about the passage of the peloton of the Mountain L'Etape Czech Republic by Tour de France which featured a thousand cyclists and the accompanying promotional caravan "The fanpoint we decided to organise really brought people together Even residents who don't usually engage much in local events took part Older people were even banging on barrels with sticks Others brought small barrels with mallets and cheered for the entire afternoon And I’m not even talking about the decorations we prepared and left along the road Even three or four weeks after the L'Etape passed through people from the area would stop me and say how beautifully decorated the village was," says Martin Janoušek When he and the mayor attended an informational meeting in Prachatice in January where cyclists would have their base before the start and after the finish of the stage in August they weren’t fully convinced about organising a fanpoint in Chroboly I was excited about the information we received the mayor and I agreed to set up a fanpoint We just didn’t know how people would take it We were worried about whether we would find enough volunteers to help with the preparations whether part of the village might oppose it," recalls Martin Janoušek the Deputy Mayor prepared a presentation based on the materials from the informational meeting "We invited the most active people from our village and surrounding areas to a restaurant and explained everything to them we left the presentation in the restaurant so that anyone could review it later and add their ideas," says Martin Janoušek "The timing worked out perfectly for us as well L'Etape fit perfectly between the cooking competition for cauldron stews and the Marian pilgrimage." the main organisers of the preparations gathered the giant banner made from bed sheets was painted by parents with two sons in their double garage on the ground Another lady sewed a banner from bed sheets above the road and measured out its width and height herself A local farmer provided us with bales of straw to build sculptures He came about a month after the presentation having heard about the L'Etape by Tour de France passing through the village and suggested we create decorations inspired by the real Tour He even brought a few photos for inspiration as well as the machinery to transport them More people joined in spontaneously after that," says Martin Janoušek Despite having nearly a hundred kilometres in their legs and two thousand metres of elevation We used Google Maps to get an aerial view and planned where to place seating for the beer drinkers where the banners and straw sculptures would go We wanted everything to be evenly distributed but also not to escape the cyclists' attention," explains Martin Janoušek two-metre-long blank posters were also available for children to decorate as they wished Since the date of the Mountain L'Etape fell during the second half of the summer holidays many families in Chroboly took the opportunity to create cycling-themed drawings to fill their free time This resulted in unique handmade decorations instead of a bike embedded in a bale of straw there was originally supposed to be a large wheel so we created an imagined scene of a cycling crash We gave the local young people paints to highlight everything on the straw They took the brushes and approached it very detail-oriented Us older ones thought the result was morbid but it definitely caught everyone’s attention and surely liked it the rule is: if you want to do something crazy it’s best to give young people free rein," says the Deputy Mayor of Chroboly with a smile The road through the village was lined with decorated old bicycles that were originally meant to be scrapped which locals had been collecting in the recycling yard since the decision was made in January to organise the fanpoint The surface of the road itself resembled a colourful colouring book "We bought a lot of paints and also chalks we used paint to create the messages we wanted to remain visible after the L'Etape passed basically anything our amateur artists could think of we couldn’t let the children draw with chalks in the morning before the race," recalls the Deputy Mayor of Chroboly about the final decorations for the passage of the Mountain L'Etape peloton Both the locals and the cyclists had a great time "The goal was for people to enjoy themselves during the L'Etape and experience the Tour de France event We approached the fun not only through the passage of the racing peloton but the entire preparation process as well We actually don’t know why even people who usually ignore local events got involved Maybe they wanted to experience something new Around eighty people took part in the preparations And I’m not even talking about the race day itself when almost the whole village cheered," says the Deputy Mayor still pleased even with some distance from the event "They managed to create a huge fan atmosphere in a short stretch if we end up on the L'Etape route again in the second edition we’ll have to figure out how to create an even better and livelier atmosphere But we’re not aiming for victory in the competition It’s about how many people came and how the event brought them together—from small children to grandmothers They’ll definitely come again and want to enjoy the L'Etape." Life-threathening hypothermia can occur when temperatures are between 32 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit But most warming centers and homeless shelters do not open until temperatures descend much colder they have no place to sleep that is fit for human habitation — hypothermia is a grave risk using fire or other warming methods poses other safety risks like outdoor encampments catching fire and burning those inside While the ultimate solution to these problems would be stable and permanent housing for those in need a Czech organization has invented an emergency shelter that could help people in the meantime This emergency shelter is indeed igloo-shaped an arch-like structure that is made with materials that help retain heat for unsheltered people to stay when the temperatures drop “It’s made of a special material that ensures the igloo is 18 degrees warmer than outside,” Hana Bauerová, from the organization Prevent Prachatice, told Radio Prague International The interior of the Iglou is made with a silver heat-trapping thermal material and the shelters are easy to set up with two people assembling the foldable frame they couldn’t catch anything on fire,” Bauerová added The city of Prachatice (which lies near the German and Austrian borders) has purchased some Iglou structures in collaboration with Prevent an organization that helps people facing addiction Structures will be lent out in coordination with social workers prioritizing individuals who are actively engaging with assistance programs in the city “We provide Iglous only to cities and charities with night shelters or with outreach workers who frequently visit people experiencing homelessness,” the Iglou website explains “These charities know the circumstances of people sleeping rough and can best decide who needs an Iglou.” more than 1,200 of these thermal shelters have been distributed in 10 locations in Europe and Canada more robust solutions are needed across the globe to combat rising levels of homelessness the inventors of Iglou are hopeful that their shelter can provide a small reprieve from the cold “Iglou is an emergency shelter and only used for that purpose,” Iglou wrote on Facebook “We believe all the ones who want should have a real home But we also know the reality and thousands are still sleeping rough during freezing nights Negativity is everywhere — but you can choose a different story The Goodnewspaper brings a monthly dose of hope Your first issue is free (just $1 shipping)