Castle Praha, perfect fit for Czech center

The new Czech Info Center is probably the most unique European cultural center in Korea and perhaps even in East Asia.

Situated in the Castle Praha restaurant in Hongdae, the info center physically looks like a castle with a replica of the astronomical clock found on the side of the Old Town Hall Tower in Prague`s Old Town Square.

Czech Republic Ambassador Jaroslav Olsa Jr. explained that the center will be open five days a week to showcase various exhibitions every six to eight weeks.

"There will be exhibitions of art, illustrations, historical aspects, photographs and also the current Czech crystal exhibition," he said.

A very important part of Czech culture is its films which will make regular runs in the center`s screening room.



"Old and new Czech films, which are usually only seen at special film festivals like in Busan or Bucheon, or have never been seen before in Korea, will be shown here," he said.

The center will also utilize the help of Czech and Slovak language students from the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies to present basic information about the country.

One highlight of the center is its library.

"There is no other place probably in Korea and maybe in the Far East where people can find so many books not in Czech, not in Korean but in English, which will give more scope and chance for people to read," Olsa said.

The center, however, does not stop with just culture.

Nadia Vlnasova, the head of the economic and commercial department at the embassy said, "This cultural info center will play a significant role in strengthening business and economic ties between both countries."



When the crystal exhibition is over, she plans to host a permanent exhibition of business opportunities.

From wooden toys, to porcelain and machine tools to crystal decorative glasses, Vlnasova plans to use the center as a hub for Czech and Korean business seminars and meetings.

Furthermore, the screening room will also double as a presentation hall for Czech products.

Another important aspect of the relationship both countries share is in the tourism sector which, on the Czech side, saw almost 80,000 Korean tourists last year.

"When walking on the Charles Bridge you will hear the Korean language very frequently," said Vlnasova with a smile.

But Prague is not the only attraction the Czech Republic has to offer.

Every month, the center will introduce information on that country`s spa tourism, castles and, beer and wine excursions.

"We have got plenty of old and beautiful castles with rich collections," she said.

The first exhibition currently running at the center is one of the Czech Republic`s most famous products, Bohemian crystal.

Czech crystal is of excellent quality and much of it is hand made.

To truly appreciate its intrinsic artistic worth, one needs to put it up against a source of light to admire its myriad of colors. But it does not stop there, just lightly tap the glass and the sounds of bells will ring in smiles of appreciation.

Currently there are four European cultural centers in Seoul (British, French, German and Italian), but this center is by far the most representative of a country famous for literature, art and of course, beer.

Olsa said, "We are the sixth biggest country Korean companies invest in when going to Europe and now we are the fifth biggest on the cultural side."

(yoav@heraldm.com)

By Yoav Cerralbo