Expats Seize Opportunities in Prague
A lot of Americans in Prague are”doing very interesting things,” according to Johnathan Kandell, writing in the August issue of Smithsonian. He’s not talking about young folks with backpacks although there are plenty of them as well.
Expatriates of various ages are making films and television dramas here in the capital of the Czech Republic, which has been a center for movie-making almost since the birth of cinema. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
was produced here on gigantic sets, and frequently the city itself is the setting for filming. With its picturesque palaces and streets, Prague easily passes for 17th century Paris, 18th century London or early 20th century Vienna.
Speaking of palaces, one of the expats interviewed in the article is a former real estate broker who moved here to claim properties - castles and palaces, actually - that had been taken from his family during the Communist regime. He succeeded in getting backing four properties and uses them to generate income by hosting conferences and social receptions.
Another expat, Karen Feldman had been a collector of fine glass and now creates designs executed by local artisans. In her work, she draws from the long Czech tradition of glass making. She’s also the author of a unique guide that’s been getting superlative reviews, Prague: Artel Style.
Tonya Graves is another of the expats interviewed. In Prague she found success in a singing career, not in the classical music that Prague is known for but with a band called Monkey Business.
A man who had always wanted to run a bank had a chance to do so here and ended up making changes that triggered major reforms in the Czech Republic’s banking system. Naturally, it helped that he’d had considerable experience in banking. Of all the expats interviewed, he is the only one planning to return to the U.S. The others have settled in Prague permanently, in some instances with a Czech spouse.