The desecration of Jewish cemeteries under the communist regime of the former Czechoslovakia has been given official recognition with a new memorial fashioned from headstones that were carved up and used for paving stones in Prague.
The Return of the Stones monument, consisting of 7 tonnes of broken tombstones, was unveiled on Wednesday in Prague’s old Jewish cemetery, which itself was partly desecrated to make a public park before becoming the site of the city’s soaring television tower.
In the shadow of the 709ft (216-metre) tower, Karol Sidon, the Czech Republic’s chief rabbi, recited a Hebrew blessing for the new structure, which was commissioned by the local Jewish community after the cobblestones were dug up in Prague’s Wenceslas Square in May 2020 at the start of an extensive facelift.
The paving stones are thought to have been made from headstones taken from Jewish cemeteries in the northern Bohemia region during the communist period, which ended in 1989 when the Velvet Revolution ushered in a new era of democratic rule.
They were laid in Wenceslas Square in a pedestrianisation project carried out in preparation for a visit by the then Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, to Prague in 1987.
Prague city council handed them over to the Jewish community as part of a prior agreement drawn up amid widespread suspicions that they were made from headstones taken from graveyards. It has not been possible to identify any individuals commemorated by the headstones.
František Bányai, the chairman of Prague’s Jewish community, called the paving stones a “symbol of barbarism, rudeness and archaic ruthlessness” and compared the former communist regime’s treatment of cemeteries and religious sites to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The memorial, whose £28,000 cost was paid for by private donors and a public crowdfunding campaign, was the work of a Czech sculptor, Jaroslav Róna, and his wife, Lucie, an architect.
“The idea is that the memorial acts as a place of meditation and commemoration for those people who know that the cemeteries where their relatives lay were destroyed,” the sculptor said. “They can come here and spend some time.”
More headstones are expected to be discovered elsewhere in the square during future work. They will be used to extend the memorial.
The Czech branch of Colliers, a leading provider of diversified professional services for commercial real estate and investment management, published a survey of the Prague office market for the second quarter of 2022.
According to this survey, the vacancy rate did not change and remained at the same value as in the previous quarter. On the contrary, rents or service fees continue to rise. The volume of net take-up is nevertheless the highest since the end of 2019.
Last quarter’s completions accounted for 22,700 sqm, namely in the two completed projects Dock In Five and Košířská Brána. The new supply brought the total stock volume in Prague to roughly 3.75 million sqm. Gross take-up in the first quarter of 2022 was strong and the second quarter followed with a similar volume.
Rents and fees for services in Prague offices are increasing, but demand is still rising
The Q2 volume of net take-up represents 80 ,000 sqm, which is 65 % of the gross figure and the highest volume since Q4 2019. The share of renegotiations was only slightly above 30 %.
The vacancy remains the same
The vacancy rate, thanks to the limited new supply, didn’t change and remained at 8.4 %, representing approximately 313,400 sqm of immediately available space across the Prague market. The most space is available in the largest submarket of Prague 4, followed by Prague 5. „The most established and sought-after submarkets combined have a vacancy rate of 7 %, sometimes even less. This tells us that the locations with modern and sustainable buildings are considered and demanded more and more by the occupiers looking for new premises,” says Josef Stanko and adds, that the vacancy rate in the rest of the market can be affected in the future as tenants will vacate their ‘old’ space, which is, however, a great chance for redevelopment or general repurposing of the old, vacated stock.
Rent and fees for service continue to rise
Unprecedented increases and adjustments in prices on a monthly basis appear especially in new construction. Prime headline rents in city centre increased to €25.50, with further increases expected thanks to the new developments. Inner city and outer city prime headlines are starting to blend in – as prime office space within the inner city ring can be rented for up to €16.50 to €18.50 per sqm per month and outer city locations are somewhere between €14.00 to €16.00 per sqm per month.
We see the rental gap between old and new widening. With rising inflation, a question is usually raised regarding the service charges. According to our property managers and office agents, we can clearly see an increase of 25 % or more in current service charges during this year and more is yet to come when we need to start heating.
Outlook for the next months
Disrupted supply chains with construction materials were calmed down as suppliers and developers themselves were able find new sources. The increase in rents and service charges will probably continue. Many new city-led projects are being introduced, focusing on refurbishing main streets, creating boulevards, and strengthening the infrastructure and public transport.
Plans for areas around metro line D were presented too and the creation of new office locations is again a bit closer to reality. It seems that Prague 4, together with Prague 7’s Bubny-Zátory brownfield, could be the most developed office submarket in the second half of the 20 s.
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General Petr Pavel, former Czech chief-of-staff and NATO Military Committee head, officially confirmed his presidential bid and introduced his election slogan “Let Us Return Order and Quiet to the Czech Republic today”. Pavel named an active foreign policy, innovative economy with higher VAT, an independent energy sector, education and sound environment as his priorities.
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Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala received the Polish “Man of the Year” award for 2022 at the opening of the 31st Economic Forum in Karpacz late on Tuesday. “This is a great honour for me. I am aware of who received this award before — Lech Walesa, Vaclav Havel and John Paul II,” Fiala said in his acceptance speech.
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The Czech military will be able to deploy up to 1,200 soldiers at NATO’s eastern border to strengthen defence in the next two years under the plan of foreign missions until 2024 that the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Czech parliament, passed on Wednesday. In total, up to 1,362 soldiers could serve in foreign missions in 2023 and 2024. The Senate, the upper house, approved the plan in August already.
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Czechia’s National Anti-Drug Coordinator Jindřich Vobořil is preparing a law on the sale and purchasing of marihuana. The legislation should be prepared by the end of this year, he told the Czech News Agency, adding that he hopes it will be passed by January 2024.
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Czechia’s winter gas supplies have been secured and the country has enough energy to last it until April 30, 2023, Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura told members of the Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday.
Viktoria Plzen is in familiar waters as it prepares to play Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in the Champions League.
The Czech champion has faced European heavyweights before in the group stage but hopes the results will be different this time.
“We believe,” said assistant coach Pavel Horváth, the former Czech Republic playmaker who captained Plzen in some of its biggest battles in Europe´s most prestigious club competition. “We’re ready.”
Plzen will play Barcelona at Camp Nou on Wednesday.
Viktoria reached the group stage for the first time in 2011 and was immediately tested by Barcelona, which won 2-0 at Camp Nou and 4-0 at Plzen.
Two years later, Bayern routed the Czech club 5-0 in Munich, handing Plzen its biggest defeat in European competitions, and won 1-0 win at Plzen. Manchester City was another tough opponent and won both encounters.
Four years ago, Real Madrid won 5-0 at Plzen and 2-1 in Spain.
All three previous campaigns looked like mission impossible but Plzen each time managed to finish third, securing at least a spot in the second-tier Europa League. It claimed a valuable 2-1 victory over Roma in 2018 and a 2-2 draw with AC Milan in 2011.
But to emulate at least the partial success of the previous campaigns might be too hard to handle for Viktoria. With three multiple Champions League winners to play, their Group C is a true “group of death.”
Horváth, currently an assistant to coach Michal Bílek, believes his team is now ready to surprise the favorites.
In its first match at Camp Nou, defending will be key, he said.
“I think that the current Plzen team defends very well, and the way we do it might not be comfortable for Barcelona,” Horváth said.
In 2011, Barcelona’s lineup included Xavi Hernández, the current coach who is rebuilding the club with a goal to become as dominant as it was when he was on the pitch.
Horváth expects a similar game “with lots of short passes, and a pressure imposed on us when they lose the ball. Those are the key features, and, of course, also the individual skills of the players.”
“To face (Robert) Lewandowski, it´s always a threat and he´s not alone,” Horváth said. “Above all, Raphinha is a huge boost” for Barcelona.
“But I´m looking forward (to playing Barcelona) and believe our guys will be more successful than we were,” he said.
Plzen eliminated Helsinki, Tiraspol and Qarabag in the qualifying to reach the group stage of the Champions League for the fourth time.
RunCzech is back in full force! The pandemic hurdle has been dealt with and our calendar of running events for the coming year has been set.
As usual, the season starts with what many regards as one of the most beautiful races in the world—the Napoli City Half Marathon, which will take place on the 26th of February.
Soon after, the Czech Republic will follow with three of the most anticipated sporting events for all running enthusiasts – the Prague Half Marathon; the Prague International Marathon which includes the Battle of the Team and along with the dm family run; and the Birell Prague Grand Prix.
All of the aforementioned races will take place on their traditional dates, i.e. April 1st, May 7th, and September 2nd, 2023. The Mattoni Karlovy Vary, České Budějovice, Olomouc and Usti nad Labem Half Marathons are also part of the calendar, as well as other notable events, such as the Sorrento Positano Panoramica 27 km and Ultramarathon 54 km.
Stop Dreaming, Start Running
“We know from talking to runners all around the world that the races hosted by RunCzech are on millions’ of people’s “wish list,” according to race director Carlo Capalbo. “Now that we have beaten the pandemic, runners are making their dreams come true by traveling to races they have longed to run. And we are ready for them, with races good as new. And more fun than ever.”
A recovery that’s getting off to a running start
According to Zdeněk Hřib, Mayor of the City of Prague and a graduate of the Faculty of Medicine, “the RunCzech races not only promote a healthy lifestyle, they are also vital to the health of the cities in which they’re staged. And I strongly support both of those outcomes. I applaud the resilience of the Czech people. And I celebrate the restart of the races and the rebirth of our city.”
Restarting races means renewing hope
RunCzech races have traditionally been linked to charitable causes, and this year is no exception. Runners will be able to easily contribute to various programs during registration, such as the planting of trees along Marathon Alley, or donating to the Salvation Army or Light for the World.
For those wishing to combine the thrill of running with the joy of travel, the Prague Half Marathon in April is part of the new SuperHalfs, a European running circuit which includes Half Marathons in Prague, Lisbon, Copenhagen, Cardiff, and Valencia.
Access full 2023 calendar here
Some 6,000 pubs and restaurants across the Czech Republic take part in the ninth annual Czech Beer Days (Dny českého piva) from September 14 to September 30.
The motto of the festival is “the Czech pub is part of our culture — our national identity.”
St. Wenceslas Day, the 28th of September, is a national holiday, celebrating Václav I’s legacy of helping unify Bohemia. But he is also considered the patron saint of beer.
Dozens of breweries and microbreweries are participating nationwide in the festival.
The event celebrates not only beer but pub culture as a whole. And so participating pubs around the country are offering up not only special beers but also unique menus featuring dishes such as roast boar served with a rosehip sauce.
“Czech Beer Days is a festival for all lovers of beer, pubs and gastronomy. With the festival, we want to promote the consumption of draft beer and also remind people of the unique traditional Czech pub,” František Šámal, chairman of the ČSPS, said in a press release.
Meanwhile, breweries are opening up their doors to visitors who will be able to see just how the beloved amber drink is made
“We believe that Czech Beer Days will help encourage people to go out more often for their favorite beer. Czechs love Czech beer and the Czech beer tradition. We know that favorite pubs, especially for smaller towns and villages, are the center of social and cultural life,” František Šámal, chairman of the ČSPS, said in a press release.
The festival is held under the auspices of Czech President Miloš Zeman and Agriculture Minister Marian Jurečka. The opening, where barrels will be festively tapped, will be attended by local officials and prominent personalities from public life.
The idea for tours of breweries on the closing night was inspired by similar nights for museums and churches.
For more about Czech Beer Days, visit their website or also on Facebook.
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Prime Minister Petr Fiala says a national strategy to combat high energy prices is being prepared which will either supplement or replace any European solution. He said on Tuesday that it would depend what agreement was reached at European level.
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Year-on-year growth in industrial output in Czechia slowed to 0.8 percent in July from 2.7 percent in June, according to official data. Analysts believe this is evidence of an impending economic recession, the Czech News Agency reported.
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Petr Pavel has officially announced that he will stand in elections to the Czech presidency in January next year. Mr. Pavel is a former Czech Army general and was chairman of the NATO Military Committee for three years.
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The Czech EU Presidency is ready to start negotiations on the possible extension of temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees, Czech Interior Minister Vít Rakušan said on Monday. The protection mechanism allows Ukrainians fleeing the war to access work, housing or education in all the EU countries. The EU agreed to introduce it annually for the first time in its history in March 2022.
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Ministers from the Slovak centre-right Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party resigned on Monday, making good on the party’s threats to leave the government amid clashes with senior ruling partners. The resignations mean the NATO and European Union member country’s centre-right cabinet will lose its parliamentary majority.
Czech labour unions called on Monday for a mass demonstration against soaring energy and food prices while seeking sharp pay hikes to match, as pressure mounted on the centre-right government to do more to rein in a growing energy crisis.
Europe is facing a difficult winter as falling gas supplies from Russia have spiked the price of the commodity, which in turn is boosting electricity prices and causing utility bills to surge severalfold.
Food prices are also rising, and inflation is at a three-decade high and the fourth-highest in te European Union.
The Czech government, like others, is scrambling to help vulnerable households and firms, but is facing mounting pressure to act quicker.
On Saturday, around 70,000 attended a protest in Prague called by organisers from far-right or fringe political groups – a stark warning of how quickly political instability could rise.
Union groups announced their own demonstration for Oct. 8, the first major action in a decade.
“We are not happy with the current situation… We are not extremists, or anything like that; we are people that are afraid of the future for people,” Josef Stredula, head of the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions, said.
“Come and let’s show (them) together what we think,” added Stredula, who is also a candidate for presidential elections due early next year.
Czech real wages fell 9.8% year-on-year in the second quarter, the fastest drop in decades, as inflation cut sharply into people’s paychecks.
Anger is rising along with energy bills, and households are starting to cut back on spending. The economy is likely to fall into recession in the second half of this year as demand cools.
Potential strong wage demands are also in the sights of the central bank, which has raised interest rates by 675 basis points since June 2021 but left the base rate at 7.00% – its highest since 1999 – at its meeting in August. It was the first meeting under a new board led by Governor Ales Michl who had opposed policy tightening in the past year.
Michl said in a Twitter post on Monday that, to get inflation down, a wage inflation spiral had to be prevented.
From the new year, we will see some changes to facilitate smart working employees.
Mainly it is meant to be a reimbursement of costs incurred by working from home: expenses for heating, electricity and water mainly.
The minimum fee is CZK 2.80 per working hour. It is not part of the salary, so it is out of contribution payments. In addition, this amount will be decided year to year by the ministry by decree and is based on data provided by the Czech Statistical Office about the costs per adult in an average Czech family.
In addition, the text requires employer and employee to make an agreement about the details of remote work: location from which work is performed, scope, time conditions (hours and on-call), way of communications, task assignment, and cost refund.
Until the Covid-19 pandemic, smart working was seen as a company benefit; now it is guaranteed to workers in all EU countries by the Work-Life Balance (WLB) Directive.
This is for workers to make it easier to take care of their children and loved ones.
According to a recent survey conducted for Raiffeisenbank, about 29 percent of Czech employees have the option of working remotely, but only 18 percent of them take advantage of this.
Some employees prefer to be on the workplace, for example, due to lack of space at home or poor connection.
Experts say the energy crisis could lead some companies to reintroduce smart working for some workers.
For example, Czech universities have already announced that they are considering reintroducing distance remote teaching because of high energy costs.
Coffee festival on Karlínské square with the best roasteries and cafés.
The festival will present both classic coffee preparation and various alternative ways or even coffee rituals. There will also be the much-loved cold brew and much more.
You can look forward to a wide range of dishes that will satisfy even the most demanding gourmets.
The Brownies concert will be held at 13:30, and DJ Hlava will play for you all day long.
There will also be a rich accompanying program and thematic workshops for children and adults.
Find more information on Facebook
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala is blaming pro-Russian forces for mass demonstrations this weekend that saw tens of thousands of people protest against the government, the European Union and NATO amid soaring energy prices and inflation.
The “Czechia First” demonstration saw 70,000 people gather to protest the government in a development the Czech prime minister is blaming on elements influenced by Russian propaganda.
“It is clear that Russian propaganda and disinformation campaigns repeatedly appear on our territory and that someone is simply succumbing to them,” Fiala said.
Protesters, brought together by the Communist Party, the Freedom party, the Direct Democratic Party, and other groups labeled as “radical”–both far-left and far-right–called on the government to address soaring energy prices and the highest cost of living since the early 1990s for everything from housing to consumer goods.
Protesters called for a new deal with Russia for gas supplies, just a day after Moscow said natural gas flows through Nord Stream 1 to Europe that had been cut off for maintenance would not be restored on Saturday as scheduled, and would be delayed indefinitely.
Inflation has hit 17% and is marching towards 20% in the coming months, according to Fortune, citing the Czech central bank.
The mass protests also came a day after a no-confidence vote against the five-party coalition government failed.
While the prime minister blamed Russian influence, other coalition government officials warned against sidelining real economic issues facing the people.
News reports noted that some demonstrators donned T-shirts favoring Russian President Vladimir Putin and some carried anti-EU and anti-NATO posters.
Social unrest has been on the rise in Europe since Russia invaded Ukraine, with Western sanctions and soaring energy prices creating a toxic mix along with an influx of Ukrainian refugees. Tensions are rising ahead of a winter that is expected to see a worsening of the energy crisis.
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In the second quarter of 2022, the average gross monthly wage in the Czech Republic was CZK 40,086, an increase of 4.4% compared to the corresponding period of the previous year, according to data from the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ). However, due to inflation, this represents a drop of 9.8% in real terms, the biggest decrease in the nation’s history.
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US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin is due to arrive in Prague on Friday, September 9. The Pentagon chief will hold talks with Defence Minister Jana Černochová and Prime Minister Petr Fiala, focusing on aid to Ukraine and the current security situation.
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The Czech prime minister, Petr Fiala, has congratulated Liz Truss on her new role as UK PM and leader of the Conservative Party. Mr. Fiala, who heads the right-wing Civic Democrats, said on Monday that he believed the UK would remain a valued ally of Czechia and the European Union.
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Union leaders have called a demonstration for Prague’s Wenceslas Square on Saturday October 8. At a meeting in the capital on Monday the Czech Confederation of Trade Unions called on the government to implement measures to combat price rises and falling living standards.
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Ministers from the Slovak centre-right Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party resigned on Monday, making good on the party’s threats to leave the government amid clashes with senior ruling partners. The resignations mean the NATO and European Union member country’s centre-right cabinet will lose its parliamentary majority.