Czech culture this week: A rare Gothic chapel opens and a Nobel Prize winner speaks

A new exhibit at the House of Photography Divination from a Night Sky Partially Obscured by Clouds examines the role of photography in the age of social media through Sept. 18. Also opening, paintings by Klára Korbelová called U Jeden tabulky (At One Table) at the New Town Hall (Novoměstská radnice) from June 9 to June 19. Read more here.

Panel exhibitions on famous Czech Austrians and Austria’s UNESCO sites will be in the garden of Portheimka in Prague 5 until June 16 as part of a celebration of Austrian culture. A copy of the famous Peutinger Table, a rare map of Roman roads, is at the Smíchov public library. Read more here and here.

The annual Book World festival runs June 9–12 at Výstaviště, This year’s theme is Literature as a Voice of Freedom, and speakers include Nobel Prize winner Svetlana Alexievich from Belarus, Russian opposition voice Lyudmila Ulitskaya, and human rights activist Nathan Law from Hong Kong. Read more here.  

The popular summertime musical Grease is at Kasárna Karlín on June 9. John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John star as Danny and Sandy, whose romance fuels the action and songs. Read more here.

Thirty types of Riesling wine, plus rock music, and food await you at the open-air party Riesling Rocks, on June 9 at Senovážné náměstí. The headline band is the ever cheerful Pohřební kapela, with Balkan Beat Box and Boban Marković lending support. Read more here.  

Spanish director and actress Angélica Liddell will be at the New Stage of the National Theatre on June 9 and 10 with Liebestod, a new work based on the final aria of Richard Wagner's opera Tristan and Isolde, with references to the Spanish bullfighting tradition. The play is presented in Spanish with English and Czech surtitles. Read more here and here.

Don't wait to buy tickets for the new musical dance adaptation of Jungle Book, a joint project of the Forman Brothers Theater, Dekkadancers, and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra at the Azyl78 tent in Výstaviště. It runs June 6–30, but most shows are sold out. The show does not have a language barrier. Read more here.

American singer-songwriter Beth Hart comes to O2 universum on June 7, as part of the ongoing International Blue Night series. Tickets for previous dates remain valid. Hart has won multiple awards as a blues performer. Her most recent albums are 2019’s “War in My Mind,” which earned much critical praise for its intimacy, and 2022’s “A Tribute to Led Zeppelin,” a collection of covers. Read more here and here.  

Synth pop duo Pet Shop Boys come to Forum Karlín on June 8, with a Dreamworld tour of greatest hits. They’ve been playing over two dozen songs in most shows with, as expected, all their chart toppers. Read more here and here.

Spanish pop sensation Enrique Iglesias comes to 02 Arena on June 8, making his first appearance here since 2016. He recently said his last album, “Final (Vol. 1)” might actually be his last, but he later clarified that he is not retiring anytime soon. Read more here. 

The United Islands of Europe festival this year celebrates freedom, with a focus on 40 bands from across Europe on five stages on June 10 and 11. The main stage is on Střelecký ostrov, and the other events spill out between Kampa and Smíchov. The non-musical part of the festival includes discussions about democracy. Entry is free. Read more here and here.  

Churches and other places of worship open up for tours on Night of Churches (Noci kostelů). You can look into often-closed spaces in crypts and towers. Some also have side programs with concerts, lectures, and activities. This year the Gothic Chapel of the Virgin Mary in the Old Town Hall, one of the rarest architectural monuments in Bohemia, will be open for tours. It was built by Petr Parléř in the 14th century. Read more here and here.