On the occasion of the Czech Pavilion at the Frankfurt Book Fair, Hermann, Sander and Suva (2026) accomplished an astonishing project and an anthology. In viewing Czechia, beyond the well-known city of Prague, 12 authors contribute short stories from a temporary resident’s perspective in a provincial town. “Minout Prahu” in Czech, “Jenseits von Prag” in German built and continues to build bridges between cultures of neighbors who often claim to know a lot about the other culture, and yet, a more thorough understanding remains a “Böhmisches Dorf”, a Bohemian village, but better translated as “is all Greek to them”. In a continuation of “Czechia: A country on the Coast” at the 2026 book fair in Frankfurt, we are no longer surprised to read (p.82) that in town Ostrava with a industrial and mining history, the European Championship of “Beach Volleyball” will take place with lots of spectators. There is a lot to discover in and about Czechia beyond the famous authors like Kafka and Kundera and the journey to seek for the beaches in Czechia.
