Mark Baker

Brutalist Icon Gets a Fresh Look | Mark Baker | Travel Writer in Prague

I finally got the chance to tour the newly re-opened Fairmont Golden Prague Hotel (aka the former Intercontinental) a couple weeks ago. I have some history with the hotel going back to the 1980s. I think they nailed it with the renovation. Here are my impressions: markbakerprague.com/brutalist-ic...

Thank you!

Ten Great Hotels in Prague | Mark Baker | Travel Writer in Prague

Being a travel writer in Prague comes with heavy responsibilities. Once a week or so, I’ll get an email from a friend or acquaintance telling me they’re coming to Prague and could I recommend a good hotel? It’s a fraught situation. Here’s a handy link to save: markbakerprague.com/ten-great-ho...

Part 1: Bucharest’s Bloody ‘Mineriada’ | Mark Baker | Travel Writer in Prague

Find the first part of the story below this one on my timeline, or click this link: markbakerprague.com/bucharests-b...

Part 2: Bucharest’s Bloody ‘Mineriada’ | Mark Baker | Travel Writer in Prague

I finished writing the second part of the story of how I ended up in Bucharest the same week -- 35 years ago -- that angry miners were ordered onto the street to bash in the heads of pro-democracy demonstrators, and how the episode still has relevance today: markbakerprague.com/part-2-bucha...

Bucharest’s Bloody ‘Mineriada’ | Mark Baker | Travel Writer in Prague

35 years ago this week miners were called out onto the streets of Bucharest to violently suppress pro-democracy protests. It was chaos. This disgraceful event still has relevance in our modern political moment, when democracy itself still feels endangered. markbakerprague.com/bucharests-b...

Travel Tips for Newcomers to Romania | Mark Baker | Travel Writer in Prague

I've been getting a few emails about Romania lately, so I figured it was a good time to publish this 'first time' guide to the country. With lots of popular spots in Western Europe increasingly 'overtouristed', Romania is still very happy to welcome tourists. markbakerprague.com/first-time-g...

Touring the Vila Volman | Mark Baker | Travel Writer in Prague

Last year, Kinfolk magazine asked me to write about the Vila Volman, a restored functionalist villa near Prague. The edition is now out. Here’s a link to my blog story: markbakerprague.com/touring-the-... Link directly to Kinfolk to for the published version: www.kinfolk.com/stories/home...

@coldwarpod.bsky.social it’s about time! 😄😄

A tease for a feature story on the Vila Volman, near Prague, for Kinfolk Magazine. The photographer, Marina Denisova, did an incredible job. The whole edition looks good. The magazine will be on newsstands in March or pre-order on Amazon: www.amazon.com/Kinfolk-55/d...

Thanks, Joe!

View of the old cafe. Hotel Evropa, Prague.

View of the old cafe. Hotel Evropa, Prague.

Front view of the Prague W Hotel, the former Hotel Evropa.

View of the old cafe. Hotel Evropa, Prague.

The biggest hotel news in Prague the past year has been the reopening of the Hotel Evropa on Wenceslas Square. The hotel had been closed for years. I loved the old Evropa and was a café regular in the ‘90s. I was dying to see the new place: markbakerprague.com/a-peek-insid... (Live link in bio)

The interior of the ‘Mucha Foundation’ museum.

The interior of the ‘Mucha Foundation’ museum.

The interior of the ‘Mucha Foundation’ museum.

The gift shop of the new ‘Mucha Foundation’ museum in Prague.

A sneak peek into what will become Prague's second Mucha museum in February. The setting is the restored baroque Savarin Palace. The interiors are beautiful and the collections thoughtfully curated, but the exhibition is relatively small. In 2028, the Slav Epic may find a permanent home here.

Best Places to Visit in Czechia | Mark Baker | Travel Writer in Prague

For my first blog post of 2025, I will pull the blog back into a travel-writing direction. This story was originally commissioned by Lonely Planet and is aimed at readers who are new to the Czech Republic and want to see the highlights or best-known spots. markbakerprague.com/best-places-...

The air is so clean and the light so clear tonight. Prague‘s Old Town twinkling in the darkness.

True

Finally got my hands on this latest edition of Lonely Planet guide to Romania & Bulgaria (they sent the copies to my Ohio address and not to Prague). This was a monster update. If you're planning a trip this year to either RO or BG (both highly recommended), this guide will help to see you through.

I agree. Blue Sky hasn’t taken off in a major way yet (for me) and I can’t spend more than 30 seconds on X before I get disgusted. Threads is only about engagement bait.

Čas proměn Vzpomínky Američana na jedinečný „čas proměn“ v Praze, …

As an author, I try not to read my reviews. And when I do succumb to the temptation, I read with a little trepidation. I was really happy to see this review of 'Čas proměn' on Goodreads from a reviewer named 'Kent'. Thank you.
www.goodreads.com/book/show/58...

This may someday become the standard for ‘good writing’.

@drichterova.bsky.social I was wondering as I was listening to your interviews if you'd gotten into the Charles Jordan disappearance/killing in your research? I'd like to write about it sometime for the blog.

Thanks! I have my own StB experiences -- as well as many strange nights in the Interconti from back in the day :)

Did you ever run one of your own articles through ChatGPT and ask it to edit it? The results are funny. The article is honed down to its essence, but the specific writing style is lost.

3) Here is the link to the actual book, published by Georgetown University press: press.georgetown.edu/Book/Watchin...

Watching the Jackals: Daniela Richterová on revolutionaries and terrorists in pre-‘89 Prague Watching the Jackals by historian Daniela Richterová draws on intelligence files to reveal how revolutionaries and terrorists spent time in Prague during the communist era.

2) Daniela also spoke to Ian Willoughby at Radio Prague International about the book here: english.radio.cz/watching-jac...

Cold War Conversations Podcast

1) My first post for 2025 will be a podcast/book recommendation. I really enjoyed the discussions with Daniela Richterová on Prague’s clandestine role during the Cold War as a haven for Middle Eastern and international terrorists. Find a link to Cold War Conversations here: coldwarconversations.com

@drichterova.bsky.social Well done! I really enjoyed your interviews with Ian Sanders and Ian Willoughby. Looking forward now to reading your book.

Sometimes you don’t know the real throughline until you’ve written the book.

Beethoven and Me | Mark Baker | Travel Writer in Prague

In September, I spent two weeks at a Czech medical spa - the ‘Beethoven’ in Teplice - to help recover from an muscle illness. It was fun and weird in equal measure. If you’ve thought about a spa stay or think this might someday be in your future, give this a read: markbakerprague.com/beethoven-an...

Very interesting!