Pavel, Prague has much more to offer than Charles Bridge.
“It sure does. Prague is my absolute favourite city. I was born directly in the city centre and didn’t realise before how great my home city is. But once you start giving tips to visitors, the list goes on and on. Everyone has to see Prague Castle, the National Museum and the Astronomical Clock, for example.”
But you don’t need to have seen more than Prague in Czechia, do you?
“Prague is the most beautiful place for me, but there is so much more to Czechia. I can recommend the Krkonoše Mountains, for example. They have the highest peak between the Alps and Scandinavia. The peak of the Schneekoppe, the highest mountain in the range, is at an altitude of more than 1,600 metres. I have a small hut in the region and spend a lot of time there with my family in summer.”
Czechia has the best beer in the world.
“I’m actually the wrong person to talk to because I’m not a beer drinker. (laughs) But all Czechs are very proud of it and the beer is known worldwide. It’s not without reason that so many tourists come to our homeland to try it. Even if I don’t like it, it’s definitely the best beer in the world.”
Punctuality is really valued in Czechia.
“I would’ve agreed with that before I moved to Germany, but since then I’d have to say no. We Czechs are certainly punctual, but it’s significantly more relaxed and not comparable to Germany. It’s a completely different ball game. No other country in the world can compete with that.” (laughs)
Ice hockey is the No. 1 national sport.
“Oh, it’s a close call. I would say that football and ice hockey share the crown. Whatever sport is more successful comes out on top. It can change every year. Almost every child has played both ice hockey and football at some point. And our two greatest athletes also come from those sports: Pavel Nedvěd and Jaromír Jágr are national heroes in Czechia.”
Karel Gott is the most popular Czech.
“Absolutely! Karel is a national hero; if he had stood in a presidential election, he would’ve won. I’m sure of that. Karel Gott was the most famous person in the whole of Czechia and everyone loved him. There is hardly a child who doesn’t know Maya the Bee. I don’t think there will be anyone like him again. The whole country was in mourning when he passed away approximately four years ago.”
Everyone speaks a few words of German.
“That’s particularly the case on the border and in the big cities. German is the third-most widely used language here after Czech and English. But Germany and Czechia are closely linked to each other. Children can also choose German as their language at school.”
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