Felicity Long
Czechia, widely known as the Czech Republic, is charging into 2024 with an upbeat roster of travel news.
For the record, both monikers are correct, but the Czech Republic is more likely to be used in an official capacity, whereas Czechia is what you're likely to see in informal usage.
So what's new?
National Year of Czech Music
For one thing, 2024 has been dubbed the National Year of Czech Music.
The celebrations will focus on 200th anniversary of composer Bedrich Smetana's birth. While his is not a household name for most of us, Smetana is considered the father of Czech music, and his legacy has had an untold and steady influence on the country as it navigated many changes over the centuries.
Even international visitors not familiar with his work are likely to encounter the proliferation of events on tap -- including those by philharmonics, orchestras, theaters, festivals and cultural institutions -- throughout the country this year.
Unesco recognizes Czech handmade glass
Also new and noteworthy is Unesco's recent decision to add Czech handmade glass production to its World Intangible Cultural Heritage list. The classification, which in this case also includes France, Finland, Germany, Hungary and Spain, refers to wide-ranging traditions that go beyond the obvious, like bridges and monuments, in favor of ancestral knowledge and customs. Think recent Unesco nods to France's baguette, Turkiye's olive production and Poland's polonaise dance.
One way to encounter some of the country's finest handblown Czech glass is at the Museum of Glass and Jewelry in Jablonec and Nisou, which showcases seven centuries of Bohemian glass, along with what's billed as the world's largest collection of Czech glass Christmas ornaments, colorful jewelry and art.
Trivia fans might like to know that Tour de France trophies are fashioned from Czech glass, as was the glass garden featured in the 2022 hit film "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" starring Daniel Craig, which was created by artistic glassmaker Jiri Pacinek.
Glass and spa in Moser
Visit Czechia also encourages interested visitors to check out Moser in Karlovy Vary, where they can tour one of the country's best-known glassworks, watch artisans in their workshops or even take a turn at engraving glass under the watchful eye of a master instructor.
A visit to Moser is also a two-fer, because the spa town is itself listed as a Unesco Heritage Site.
Other cultural events in Czechia this year include the 58th annual Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in July, celebrations of Palava wine in September in South Moravia and the Pilsner Urquell beer festival in October.
New in hotels
In hotel news, the 166-room Zleep Hotel Prague opened on the west side of the city, about 20 minutes from Vaclav Havel Airport.
To brush up or deepen your knowledge of Czechia, travel advisors can learn from a series of 30- to 60-minute video webinars led by local experts or register to become Certified Central Europe Specialists for Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.