Radio Prague International’s Ferdinand Hauser receives Czech–German Journalism Award

In his half-hour audio report “Prost, ihr Säcke!” – Der Sauftourismus und die letzten Einwohner der Prager Altstadt (“Cheers, you bastards! – Booze Tourism and the Last Residents of Prague’s Old Town”), Hauser follows in the footsteps of tourists who come to Prague for so-called party tourism. As the author shows through his own experiments, this trend is increasingly reshaping life in Old Town and disturbing its residents.

With humour and perspective

“His report gives space to all sides of this troubling phenomenon. It is part of the broader issue of overtourism, which many European capitals struggle with. Despite the seriousness and the negative social impacts, Hauser’s piece is humorous and maintains a healthy sense of perspective,” said jury member Filip Nerad from the GLOBSEC think tank in his laudation.

In the program, Hauser speaks with people living in Prague’s city center who deal with noise and an unpleasant atmosphere, as well as with those who have chosen to move away because of it.

The report also includes views from a representative of the tourism sector, the founder of an initiative against short-term rentals, and well-known YouTuber Janek Rubeš. Hauser recorded sounds of loud visitors directly from the window of his Old Town apartment, as well as during late-night walks through the center, where he interviewed tourists from Germany.

“One of my interviewees, who has since moved away from the center because of the noise, compared Prague’s Old Town to Disneyland. And I must say, the comparison fits quite well,” adds the author, who also tried to offer possible solutions in his award-winning piece.

Czech Radio’s other finalists

Three other Czech Radio contributions made it into the final selection:

In the Czech audio category, the piece We Didn’t Know Czech and Our Mother Told Us That If We Spoke, They Would Kill Us. Memories of Post-War Revenge by Lucie Korcová and Adam Drda, was broadcast by Czech Radio Plus.

Daniela Honigman from the German editorial team was recognised as one of only three finalists for the Milena Jesenská Special Award, with her piece Immer mehr Menschen erinnern an das Massaker von Postoloprty 1945 (“More and More People Commemorate the Postoloprty Massacre of 1945”).