The Vršovice district, with its Krymská street, is a cultural hub of local Praguers. However, the cultural area would not be complete without a local cinema.
Thanks to the Kino Pilotů that opened six years ago, the cultural district has everything it needs.
The Program of Cinema
Kino Pilotů opened a few years ago its third screening room, so the diversity is becoming wider. Initially, two screening rooms had a capacity of about 150 people. The third one is really a small-scale place for 15-20 people, and it looks like it is becoming the most popular one.
We really like the diversity of movies. You can find here new movies in distribution, but also the popular art movies that you won’t find in cinemas anymore.
There is plenty of choices. Just check the actual program of Kino Pilotu. Occasionally, you can join debates with the authors and artists of particular movies.
Every good cinema should have a good café/bar for its visitors. Kino Pilotů has a nice offer of quality coffee, fresh drinks, and small snacks. What I appreciate is the atmosphere during the hot summer nights when you sit outside and enjoy the vibes of the district.
The Story of Kino Pilotu
It is always great to hear about the opening of a new cinema or cultural center, especially when it has its tradition that is renewed. Originally, the cinema was built in the 1930s by the Union of Czechoslovak pilots.
The Union operated three cinemas around Prague – Kino Pilotů, Kino Aero in Žižkov district, and Kino Vzlet which is currently under reconstruction.
The cinema operated until the 1990s when this space became a bar, so the location lost its original purpose. Fortunately, the Czech movie producer Jan Macola together with his wife Alžběta decided to open cinema and were looking for the proper space.
They noticed a barely visible rusting sign Kino Pilotů and asked the owners about the possibility to reopen the cinema. After significant reconstruction, they managed to open it to the public in March 2016.
J. T. Boe, Mikaela Shiffrin and Jessica Fox; that’s just a small taste of the famous names you can look forward to seeing in Czech sports fields this year.
Everyone will find something to their liking, be it skiing, athletics or water sports, as well as top motor races or top European baseball matches.
At the end of January, the prestigious FIS Women’s Alpine Ski World Cup is returning to Špindlerův Mlýn after four years. You can look forward to seeing the Olympic winners Petra Vlhová and Mikaela Shiffrin.
The winter sports offer will continue in March with the BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon in Nové Město na Moravě. The event, regularly attended by the best global biathlon athletes led by J. T. Boe from Norway and French J. Simon is a test for the world cup that will take place next year.
On May 7, you can join the Prague International Marathon, which has been awarded with the prestigious World Athletic Elite Label Road Race quality label. The preparations are already in full swing and the organizing team has already prepared one gift for the competitors – all registered runners will be able to train with the Olympian Eva Vrabcova Nývltová for the 42-kilometer long course every week!
“If you want to run the Prague International Marathon on May 7, which is one of the most amazing races, you need to start with the training. And that’s next week at the latest. If you train according to the plans we have been preparing, I truly believe that you will not only survive the marathon but also enjoy it,” a participant in the Olympic marathon in Rio 2016 Eva Vrabcová Nývltová says.
The training opens on 17th January at 6 pm with an introductory workshop held by Martin Vrabec, the husband and coach of the famous athlete.
June is traditionally quite busy when it comes to sports and you can look forward to the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup. Besides sports, enjoy a stroll through the romantic streets of the Old Town in Prague just like phenomenal Jessica Fox from Australia.
Speedway fans from all over the world come to the FIM Speedway Grand Prix of the Czech Republic. Bartosz Zmarzlik from Poland, the last winner, or the current world champion Leon Madsen from Denmark will definitely celebrate the 100th anniversary of the race with top performances.
Anderson Peters, currently the best javelin thrower, will be the main guest at the Golden Spike in Ostrava. Golf fans can look forward to the Ladies European Tour that will take place at the Royal Beroun Golf Club.
The baseball European championship in October will be a feast for the eyes. The Czech hosts who shocked the world in 2022 by making it to the most prestigious tournament in the world – the World Baseball Classic – are looking forward to meeting their European competitors.
The basic group matches will take place in Prague, Brno, Ostrava and Třebíč.
Major Sports Events To Look Forward in 2023:
28. Jan FIS Women’s Alpine Ski World Cup – Špindlerův Mlýn
09. Feb The Jizerská 50 ski race – Bedřichov
02. Mar BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon – Nové Město na Moravě
07. May Prague International Marathon – Prague
12. May MTB World Cup – Nové Město na Moravě
03. Jun FIM Speedway Grand Prix – Prague
09. Jun ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup – Prague
23. Jun Ladies European Tour – Beroun
27. Jun Golden Spike – Ostrava
28. Jul World Superbike – Most
18. Aug Barum Czech Rally – Zlín
24. Aug D+D REAL Czech Masters – Vysoký Újezd
25. Aug Czech Truck Prix – Most
24. Sep Zlatá přilba – Pardubice
24. Sep Eurobaseball 2023 – Prague, Brno, Ostrava, Třebíč
02. Oct J&T Banka Ostrava Open – Ostrava
08. Oct Velká pardubická – Pardubice
A prominent politician in Illinois in the early years of the 20th century, and right up to the end of the Prohibition era, came from Kladno.
Antonín Josef Čermák was born on May 9, 1873. He arrived in America at the age of two and first worked in the mines with his father, only moving to Chicago in 1890. There he started a business and traded in property.
After saving enough money to buy his own horse and cart, he went into business selling firewood, and he subsequently expanded his venture into a haulage business.
As he became more active politically, Cermak served in municipal government jobs including clerk in the city police court and bailiff for the Municipal Court of Chicago. As his political fortunes began to rise, Cermak was able to avail himself of other business opportunities, including interests in real estate, insurance, and banking.
He began his political career as a Democratic Party precinct captain, and in 1902 he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives. Seven years later, he became alderman of the 12th Ward (serving two terms, one from 1909 through 1912 and another from 1919 through 1922).
Čermák was elected President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners in 1922, chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party in 1928, and mayor of Chicago in 1931.
Čermák had his hands full in his new position. The stock market had crashed approximately a year and a half earlier, and for the time Cermak was in office, the economy nationwide worsened steadily.
Fortunately, Al Capone was finally imprisoned; not for any of his many murders, but for tax evasion. Organized crime, however, was still an everyday reality.
On February 15, 1933, Čermák was visiting Franklin Roosevelt in Miami, Florida, when Giuseppe Zangara pulled a gun and took aim at Roosevelt. Bystander Lillian Cross quickly assessed the situation and hit Zangara’s gun arm with her purse.
The bullet intended for Roosevelt penetrated Čermák’s lung instead. Four more bystanders were also shot, and one, a woman named Mabel Gill, later died. Zangara later explained to the police that he had nothing personal against Roosevelt; he simply hated the rich and powerful.
Reporter Walter Winchell first posited the theory that Cermak’s attempts to end organized crime in Chicago led to his death – he suggested that Cermak, not Roosevelt, had been Zangara’s target all along. Another theory is that Cermak had also been corrupt, and that he was murdered in revenge for his attempts to kill gangster Frank Nitti.
Čermák died in Miami on March 6, 1933. His physician later stated that his bullet injury was not in itself fatal. He claimed that ulcerative colitis was the primary cause of death, and that Cermak’s bullet wound had healed by the time he died.
A street in Prague 6 is named for Čermák, with a commemorative plaque giving information on his life and times.
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Support for EU membership has strengthened across the bloc, according to the results of a survey conducted by London University and cited by The Guardian. In Czechia, 70.8 percent of respondents expressed support for EU membership.
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The Czech National Bank is marking its 30th anniversary with a special edition of the 1,000 crown banknote, the bank’s vice governor, Eva Zamrazilová, told journalists on Monday.
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The seven key holders to the crown jewels gathered at St.Wenceslas Chapel in St.Vitus Cathedral on Monday to open the doors of the Crown Chamber where the symbols of Czech statehood lie to have them prepared for an upcoming exhibition. The precious relics will be on display in St Vitus Cathedral from Tuesday, January 17 until January 21.
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Opposition ANO leader and ex-PM Andrej Babis clearly prevailed in the first round of the Czech presidential elections in towns with a higher incidence of poverty and debt collection, and with lower levels of education and socio-economic status, according to analysis from Daniel Prokop, a sociologist and PAQ Research head has tweeted.
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Producer prices in the Czech Republic rose last year. They increased by 31.8 percent year-on-year in agriculture, 24.3 percent in industry, 12.3 percent in construction work, and 5.8 percent in business marketing services.
The crown jewels of the Kingdom of Bohemia are to be displayed to the public from January 17 to 21, 2023.
(update: Due to the huge amount of public interest, Prague Castle has extended the exhibition until next Tuesday)
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Czech statehood, the Bohemian Crown Jewels will be displayed to the public.
The crown jewels will be on display in the transept of Saint Vitus Cathedral. The skull of Saint Wenceslas, the patron saint of the Czech nation, will be displayed in the Saint Wenceslas Chapel within the cathedral.
The value of the Bohemian Crown Jewels can in no way be expressed in terms of money. Apart from possessing priceless historic value, they have also become a rare symbol of Czech statehood.
Visitors will be allowed to take photos.
The last time they were shown to the public was in January 2018, the year that marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia.
The Crown Jewels chamber in St. Vitus Cathedral is under lock and key, and without exaggerating it is the place least accessible at Prague Castle.
The door, and likewise the iron safe, has seven locks and there are seven holders of the keys: the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, the Prague Archbishop, the Chairman of the House of Deputies, the Chairman of the Senate, the Dean of the Metropolitan Chapter of St. Vitus Cathedral and the Lord Mayor of Prague, who must all convene to facilitate opening of the impenetrable door and coffer.
The tradition of the seven keys was established in 1791 by King Leopold II when he agreed to comply with the wish of the Czech Estates to return the jewels to Prague from Vienna.
They were put safely into St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle, this time in the crown archives beyond the St. Wenceslas Chapel behind iron bars with five locks.
They were placed in a special chest with additional two locks, the two keys to which were given to two guards of the jewels. Even though the jewels were later moved to another location, the tradition of the seven keys has been maintained.
Opening hours:
- daily 9:00–17:00
- The tour cannot be booked
The majority of Czech castles and chateaus close their gates for the winter season. But there are some historical pearls that welcome visitors all year round, even without any prior booking.
They include palaces in city centres or chateaus and castles in small villages. We have some tips for the most interesting sights across the country.
Křivoklát Castle
Křivoklát Castle in Central Bohemia was one of the representative seats of Bohemian kings and it contains a lot of valuable late-gothic spaces. There is a library with over 52 thousand volumes, a torture chamber with instruments and a prison where the English alchemist Edward Kelley was forced to stay for two years. The castle is open on the weekend in winter.
Karlštejn Castle
Majestic Karlštejn Castle near Prague was built by Emperor Charles IV as a dignified seat for the placement of the Czech crown jewels, collections of holy relics and for receiving noble guests. In winter (from Friday to Sunday), you can visit the private and representative rooms of Emperor Charles IV.
Mníšek pod Brdy Chateau
The classicist chateau in Central Bohemian Mníšek pod Brdy was a mansion occupied until mid-20th century. And that is the period atmosphere that you can enjoy at the chateau. The tours will take you through the representative halls and private rooms of the last owners. When to visit? Weekends are the best but the reservation required for individuals and groups.
Dětenice Chateau
Northeast of Prague, in a region called Bohemian Paradise, you can visit the baroque chateau of Dětenice. It is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends and the chateau offers fairy-tale tours for children. Apart from the chateau, you can also visit the popular medieval tavern that will take you from the 21st century to the Middle Ages, and you can also spend a night in a medievally-styled hotel. The historical building of the brewery near the chateau has been reconstructed and beer is brewed there.
Loučeň Chateau
You can visit the Central Bohemian baroque chateau of Loučeň all year round. The chateau is surrounded by a large landscaped park, a maze area and many more points of interest. The chateau is related to the noble family of Thurn-Taxis, famous for organising postal and personal transport. It was visited by many notable guests in the past – the Austrian emperor Francis I, American writer Mark Twain or Czech national composer Bedřich Smetana. Visit the chateau to find out why taxis are called taxis and how the most difficult obstacle in the Velká pardubická horserace got its name.
Zbiroh Chateau
The Zbiroh chateau hotel between Prague and Plzeň offers the Chateau Tour in winter except for January. The tour will take you through the chateau history, the Masonic lounge, or the hall where Alfons Mucha painted the famous Slav Epic. You will learn about the history of the Order of Knights Templars and see some truly unique exhibits. The tours are available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.
Loket Castle
The gothic castle of Loket in West Bohemia near Karlovy Vary is one of the most beautiful castles in the Czech Republic. It was built on a rocky point of land surrounded by the Ohře River on three sides. Emperor Charles IV used to stay there quite often. He was there for the first time at the age of 3, when he was imprisoned there. The castle exposition includes a vast porcelain collection and a collection of antique firearms. There is also a meteorite there; it fell on Loket in 1422. It is open daily until 4 p.m. in winter.
Hluboká nad Vltavou Chateau
The romantic South Bohemian chateau in Hluboká nad Vltavou is one of the most beautiful chateaus in the Czech Republic. The winter tours will take you through the private rooms of the last four generations of the Schwarzenberg family, including the hunter’s dining room, the servery or the flat of the last owner of the chateau, Dr. Adolf Schwarzenberg. There is a technical curiosity there: a personal and service lift. Hluboká is open daily in winter, except for Mondays.
Sychrov Chateau
The neo-gothic Sychrov Chateau near Liberec in North Bohemia used to be the residence of the French Rohan family. The chateau rooms are furnished with original furniture, paintings and other accessories; most rooms are notable for their rich wood-carving decoration. One of the best-known personalities who stayed at Sychrov was the famous Czech composer Antonín Dvořák. Many films have been made there. The chateau is open daily until 2 p.m. in winter.
The winner of the first round of the presidential election, General Petr Pavel, is expecting “allegations” and “lies” from his opponent, former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, before the second round.
Babiš congratulated Pavel on his victory, but immediately went on the attack against his opponent.
“I don’t understand why he’s running,” he said, stressing Pavel’s past as a soldier and a Communist Party member.
Babiš referred to him as a “communist intelligence agent”, which Pavel described as “whining”, adding that Babiš is “losing his head”.
“I congratulate him for making it all the way to the NATO military committee as a communist intelligence officer – trained in Russia – who welcomed the invasion of Russian troops. Hats off to him,” said Babiš, who was also a member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia and is on trial for registering as an StB agent.
Among other assertions, Babiš said that currently, the only president in Europe who had been a “Communist agent” was Russia’s Putin.
Pavel subsequently told the Czech Press Agency that if Babiš’s campaign before the second round looks like his press conference, then “a lot of lies can be expected”.
“I didn’t manage to watch the press conference of Babiš, but I heard that it was one big yawn,” he wrote.
Pavel is a former chairman of Nato’s military committee, the alliance’s highest military body.
He fully endorsed the country’s military and humanitarian support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia and sees the Czech Republic’s future linked to membership in the European Union and Nato.
Fiala, Fischer, Nerudová endorse Pavel for second round
The Czech PM, Petr Fiala, has called on the public to support ex-Czech Army chief of staff Petr Pavel in the second round of elections to the presidency.
Mr. Fiala said the election run-off in two weeks’ time was a battle of values, between democracy, respect for the constitution and pro-Western orientation, referring to Mr. Pavel, and populism, lies and pro-Russian tendencies, a swipe at Mr. Babiš.
Senator Pavel Fischer, who came fourth in the first round of Czech presidential elections on under 7 percent, has called on people to support Petr Pavel in the second round run-off in two weeks’ time.
Danuše Nerudová said she would discuss how she would support Petr Pavel, who she referred to as a “democratic candidate”, on Monday. The two met shortly after the conclusion of Saturday’s first-round vote count.
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Former Czech Army Petr Pavel has won the most votes in the first round of elections to choose the next president of Czechia. Mr. Pavel (on 35.40 percent) finished just ahead of ANO leader and ex-prime minister Andrej Babiš (34.99 percent) and the two will now face one another in a second round run-off in two weeks’ time.
- ANO chief Andrej Babiš was successful in the first round of voting for the Czech presidency in the same electoral districts where outgoing head of state Miloš Zeman picked up support five years ago, according to analysis by the Czech News Agency. There was 94.5 percent concurrence between their results, it said.
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Rents and house prices in the EU continued to increase in the third quarter of 2022, by 2.1% and 7.4% respectively, compared with the third quarter of 2021, according to data published by Eurostat on 10 January.
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Luxembourg looks likely to become the first country in the EU to legalize cannabis, including recreationally. While cannabis is decriminalised or tolerated in the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the Czech Republic – and most EU countries currently allow some form of medical cannabis – Luxembourg is the first to pursue legalisation.
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One worker was killed at a mine in the Moravian Silesian Region on Thursday following a tremor. The accident occurred at the mine ČSM-Jih operated by the company OKD at Stonava in the Karviná area.
Billionaire former premier Andrej Babis and retired NATO general Petr Pavel topped the first round of the Czech presidential election on Saturday.
Babis scored 35 percent and Pavel 35.39, while economist Danuse Nerudova came third with 13.92 percent, according to results published by the Czech Statistical Office.
Babis and Pavel will face each other in a runoff in two weeks if the results hold, since no candidate achieved a majority of votes in the first round.
Turnout in the first round during the last presidential elections in 2018 was 62 percent.
A court in Prague acquitted Babis, 68, on Monday of fraud charges in a $2 million case involving European Union subsidies. The prosecution can still appeal. Babis had pleaded not guilty and repeatedly said the charges against him were politically motivated.
Despite a number of scandals, his popular support remains strong, particularly among older voters.
Zeman was the first president elected by popular vote. His second and final five-year term expires in March.
Lawmakers elected the previous two presidents, Vaclav Havel and Vaclav Klaus.
Voting in the Czech presidential election at the Czech Embassy in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, had to be interrupted for an hour because of a Russian missile attack earlier on Saturday, the Czech Foreign Ministry said.
Websites of two presidential candidates hacked
The websites of two presidential candidates were hacked on Friday morning, according to the National Institute for Cyber Security.
Hackers blocked the web pages of General Petr Pavel, and academic Tomáš Zima. According to the institute, the attacks came from IP addresses across Europe and traces lead to the Russian hackers group known as NoName057.
All Prague buses, electric buses, and trolleybuses will be equipped with contactless payment terminals in the coming days.
At the moment they are only available in trams and underground entrance halls. The announcement was made by Daniel Šabík, DPP’s spokesman.
Prague has purchased the terminals for its entire bus fleet of about 1,200 vehicles.
“In every bus, electric bus and trolleybus, the self-service terminals will be located near the second door. Passengers will be able to buy 30- or 90-minute tickets, as well as 24-hour tickets. The purchase is available with Europay, MasterCard, or Visa,” said Šabík.
The terminals will also allow payments through the Apple Pay and Google Pay apps.
There are also discounted fares for children and seniors for CZK 12, CZK 16, and CZK 55. After buying a ticket from the terminal, the printed ticket is already validated and therefore there is no need of its additional validation.
If the transaction is denied, the payment card is not working, or the payment terminal of the dispatching device is out of order, the passenger is not entitled to free transportation.
In such cases, the passenger is obliged to obtain a valid ticket in another way (e.g. by validating a ticket purchased in advance, by purchasing SMS ticket or a ticket from MA).
In some Czech cities, such as Ostrava, Karlovy Vary, and Liberec, contactless card payment devices on the public transport network are already up and running.
Prague has over 800 trams according to the DPP website, with the T3 model and its variants, introduced in 1960, still the most common and accounting for over half of the fleet.
The more modern 15T accounts for about one-quarter of the fleet.
The rail link between the capital and the country’s largest airport is on its way.
The construction will have a significant impact on Prague’s Holešovice district in the area of Bubny and Vltavská, which will be changed beyond recognition.
The new railway “arch” will be created between Holešovice – Dejvice – Veleslavín – Ruzyně and Kladno.
Project of the decade
Martin Kupka (ODS), Minister of Transport, spoke of the historic moment on the occasion of the launch of the modernization of the line in Holešovice. “It is the first construction step towards building a new district, a new heart of Holešovice,” the minister said, adding that “up to 25,000 new Prague residents will live in the Buny-Zatory area”.
“As soon as the high-speed rail is in operation, Prague will finally have a comfortable connection to the airport. After all, our capital and Dublin are the last capitals where people have to travel to the airport either by bus or taxi.”
“This is one of the environmentally friendly modes of transport, which is preferred from the point of view of the European Union,” said Veronika Ladmanová, Head of the Representation of the European Commission in the Czech Republic.
The construction works should cost a total of CZK 3 billion, with 85% of the costs covered by EU funds.
The Railway Administration will build not only a modern double-track line but also new railway stations. One of them will be closer to the Vltavská metro station, while second station will be built on the edge of Stromovka near Výstaviště.
Thanks to the Prague-Airport-Kladno high-speed rail, traffic in the capital will also be significantly relieved, as the current connection between the metropolis and the Kladno region is insufficient.
This is despite the fact that most people travel to Prague from this direction. It can therefore be assumed that the number of cars on the streets of the city will decrease.
Read in 10 years?
The modernization of the short section should take about two years. The construction of the branch line will be carried out in further stages in the following years.
The most optimistic forecasts say that the first trains could be running to the airport in 2030.
Petr Hlaváček (STAN), the outgoing deputy mayor for territorial development, is equally optimistic. “I am looking forward to tapping the foundation stone of the Vltava Philharmonic, and to the first trains bringing the first spectators directly from the airport within 10 years,” he said, referring to another major investment worth billions planned by the capital city in Holešovice.
A two-day Czech presidential election began on Friday, with one contender believing the vote has already been affected by a cyberattack.
Opinion polls suggest a tight race between billionaire and populist ex-prime minister Andrej Babis, former army general Petr Pavel and economics professor Danuse Nerudova. Pavel said his campaign websites were difficult to access.
“Russian hackers apparently don’t want voters to access my websites on this key day,” the 61-year-old former NATO general complained on Twitter.
The polling stations opened at 2 p.m. and close at the same time on Saturday for 8.3 million eligible voters.
If none of the eight candidates receive an absolute majority, as is expected, a run-off second round follows in two weeks.
The Czech president’s powers include appointing constitutional judges and having the right to send laws back to parliament once.
In a final televised debate on Thursday, the favorites exchanged blows. Babis, prime minister between 2017 and 2021, tried to portray Pavel and Nerudova as politically inexperienced.
He was meanwhile accused of presiding over “chaos” during the coronavirus crisis of 2020 and 2021.
The campaign was otherwise dominated by personality but issues such as high inflation and the Ukraine war were also top themes.
President Milos Zeman’s mandate ends at the beginning of March. The 78-year-old was not allowed to run again after two terms.
Turnout in the first round during the last presidential elections in 2018 was 62 percent.