Culture life

Culture and art are an important part of human civilization. They enrich human life. They have long – standing, historical traditions. Cultural life in our country is very rich, there is a lot of ways of spending leisure time.
For example young people go to the cinema. In Prague are now, except old and famous cinemas like Blaník, Světozor, Jalta, Lucerna etc., new blocks of very modern cinemas with many halls for many people with various names like Ster century Černý moct, or Village cinemas in Slavonic house etc. But these cinemas are very expensive and the attendance isn’t as high as in old cinemas, which are more cheaper. Maybe it is also for the fact, people have less free time and are lazier to leave their homes. It is more comfortable to lend a video-cassette and watch the video or just the televison than going to the cinema.

Television reaches large audience. It has been calculated that some popular operas, such as Rusalka or Libuše, were seen by more people on TV in one evening than all theatre performances since these operas were composed. We have five channels of Czech program: one state televison: Czech television 1,2; and the other are commercional: Nova, Prima and TV3. Several times a day there are news broadcasts with both national and international news, documentary programmes about the informations of the economy and the arts and sciences, discussions of current affairs, interwievs with prominent people, live sports programmes. Children wait for their bedtime story in the evening and their fairy tale on Sunday morning. Often a successful serial or soap operas are discussed by the people over their lunch in the canteen or on their way to or from the work. There are laso various competitions in whoch people show their knowledge or show their talent and also can win sometimes very exclusive prices. Other channels we have to pay to can see them and they are usually specialized for some topis. It is for example MTV or VIVA = music channels, a channel for children = channel for children with fairy tales all over the day, EUROSPORT = channel only with the sport etc.

Our nation has also long theatrical traditions, both professional and amateur. Ten of amateur groups still play, beacuse thy love theatre. In several Czech and Moravian towns there are theatres with professional actors. There are more than 30 theatres in Prague. The best – known Prague theatres are The National Theatre, State Opera, Estates Theatre, Vinohrady Theatre, Musical Theatre in Karlín.

There is laso a lot of opportunities to visit some musical actions.  There are several concert halls in Prague, the most important are Smetana Hall in Municipal House and the hall in Rudolfinum. Concerts, especially of religious music, are in St. Vitus Cathedral, in the chcurch of St. James, Simon and Juda etc.

Prague is also known thanks to Prague Spring, an internationally renowned music festival of classical music. It was foundes in 1946 and it takes place every year in May and June. The traditional centre of popular music is Lucerna in Wenceslav Square. But when the worl - famous group come to the Prague, the concert is usually held in Strahov stadium. Hundreds or thousands could listen to The Pink Floaydm R.E.M. or Rolling Stones.
There are many museums and galleries in Czech and Moravian towns. The largest museum in the republic is The National Museum in Wenceslas Square. It has lots of departments with hundreds of thousands of exhibits for those who are interested in archeology, history, geology, mineralogy, zoology and other sciences.

Those who are more interested in Prague can visit The Municipal Museum. There also specialised museums: Bedřich Smetana Museum, Antonín Dvořák Musem, W.A. Mozart Museum in the Bertram Villa, Arts and Crafts Musem, Postal Museum, Natinal Technical Musem, Náprstek Ethnographical Musem of Asian, African and American Cultures. People often visit Jewish Museum with the largest and oldest Jewish cemetery in Europe and several synagogues.
The most important of Prague galleries is the National gallery, situated in several historical buildings. A new part of the Natinal Gallery is in the former Trade Fair Palace. Modern art is exhibited there. There are numerous other galleries in Prague, many of them private.

Another way how to spend leisure time is reading. It is a highly active hobby. When we read for a pleisure we usually pick up book such as novels: science fiction, westrens, travel books, thrillers, crime fiction, psychological or historical novels, adventure tales or love stories; short stories and tales or poetry. Some people read a book for its subject, others for the author or on personal recommendaion. We can buy books, or we can borrow them from frineds or from a library. If we need some information it is good tohave various dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases, textbooks, technical and scientific literature etc.