GALLERY: This week's headlines for Czechia in 10 photos

A controversial production of "The Bartered Bride" returns to the National Theatre stage, Friday, Aug. 26, after a summer break. The modern adaptation of the beloved opera by Bedřich Smetana, which explores life in a picturesque Czech village, has been reimagined by acclaimed film and stage director Alice Nellis to mixed results.

Drones continue to monitor Czech Switzerland National Park. The fire department reported difficulties early Friday morning due to fog but did not find further fire activity. Firefighters and National Park rangers are carrying out inspection missions in their assigned locations in the aftermath of Czechia's largest-ever forest fire. There are currently 84 volunteers and 45 professional firefighters on site.

The executive committee of the Czech Ice Hockey Association ruled on Thursday, Aug. 26, that hockey players who signed or will sign a contract with the Russian Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) clubs after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine will not be called up to the Czech National Team. Four players who were members of the Czech national team will play in the KHL in the upcoming season.

A giant sculpture of a hand giving a two-finger “salute” appeared outside the Russian embassy in Prague on Aug. 24, Ukraine’s Independence Day. The sculpture was installed by the Prague chapter of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune, which said the work “reinterprets former Czech president Vaclav Havel’s ‘V’ peace sign.” The group told Expats.cz: "We have since reached out to the Russian Embassy and their Ministry of Silly Walks and they welcome us leaving it there."

A ship from Hamburg, carrying a nearly 10-ton bell cast by Austrian bellfounders, arrived in Prague on Wednesday, Aug. 24. The bell is a symbolic replacement for the many church bells that were melted down by the Nazis during World War II. The arrival of the ship took place exactly 80 years after the last confiscated bell transport left the then Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia heading for Hamburg.

The annual "Crystal Valley" glass festival was held this week in Liberec. The week-long festival's rich program offers a number of colorful glass installations, exhibitions, concerts, fashion shows, and live glass production. The aim of the event is to introduce individual glassmakers and artists as well as to celebrate the art of glass. Pictured here is a 24-meter-long glass ladder that leads over two floors of an observation tower.

A newly renovated, parked T3 tram by the restored Dlabačov tram loop in Prague 6 has opened as a food stand and café with fixed tables and tram seating. Craft beer and a small menu are available at the stand, called Bistro Točna. Read our full story here.

Reconstruction of a unique train station in Havířov neared completion this week. Built in the so-called Brussels style the space has undergone significant changes. In addition to a new check-in hall for passengers, the original hall has undergone renovations to make it a new social and cultural hub.

A record 255 contestants will compete in this year’s Grand Prix of Architects for the National Prize for Architecture, nominees for which have been announced. Among some of the more fascinating projects are a reconstructed monastery, a house with a hill, and a wooden apiary called "Včelín" (Bee), which is located at Galerie Golf Hostivař. 

The Financial Administration announced an unusual auction this week. The two-day event auctioned off erotic toys worth almost half a million crowns. The exhaustive list contains hundreds of confiscated items, including vibrators and other erotic aids. The starting price for the whole collection is CZK 144,630, while its market price is estimated at CZK 433,890.