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Two Ukrainian soldiers injured in the war with Russia have arrived in Czechia for treatment. The patients are receiving follow-up treatment and undergoing rehabilitation in the town of Karviná in north Moravia, where they will spend at least a month.
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From 20 to 22 September, Brno will host the Urban Mobility Days 2022 event. This biennial conference, jointly organised in 2022 by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE), and the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU, is a major event in the European urban mobility calendar.
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Six individuals and four legal entities have been charged of fraud and the legalisation of criminal proceeds in connection to a suspect tender commissioned by the Football Association of the Czech Republic in 2020 for the disinfection of stadiums.
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Czech police arrested a person on Wednesday for flying a drone above the Russian Embassy in Prague. Attached to the machine was a device capable of dropping objects. A helicopter and several patrols were sent to the location after local police officers noticed the drone, news site Novinky.cz reports.
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The reconstruction of the iconic Spiral Theatre at the Prague Exhibition Grounds has progressed to the next phase. Originally a panoramic circular cinema, rebuilt into a theatre, it will be transformed into a multifunctional space Nová Spirála (the New Spiral), which will offer not only the circular hall with a unique revolving stage and seating for more than 750 spectators.
The English Proficiency Index (EPI), conducted by the international education organization English First, aims to rank countries and regions around the world by English proficiency, based on the largest sample size of test results in the world.
The Netherlands has emerged as the nation with the highest English language proficiency, with a score of 72. It is ahead of five other northern European nations at the top of the chart.
The Czech Republic ranks 27th in the world out of 112 countries included, and is rated as a ‘high proficiency’ country, achieving a score of 563 out of a maximum of 663.
In the global standings, the country deteriorated from the previous year, dropping from 19th to 27th place, the biggest drop of any European country.
At the European level, the Czech Republic ranks 23rd of 35 selected countries, 100 points behind the first-placed Netherlands and 112 points ahead of the last-placed Azerbaijan.
Compared to last year’s data, the country’s English language score has deteriorated by 17 percentage points.
Examining the professions of test takers, the authors found that test takers working in consulting, information technology and engineering had the highest average scores. The gap between different industries has narrowed by 20 per cent between 2012 and 2021, EF said.
“This supports the theory that English is increasingly a universal job requirement. Equalizing English skills across the economy is a positive trend, as it allows for more flexibility on both an individual and a structural level,” the authors said.
Among Czechs who do not speak any foreign language, most are over 50 years old and have at most obtained a secondary education without a high school leaving certificate. About 45% of the population can communicate at some level of English: 14% at a basic level, 10% at a sufficient level, 15% at an intermediate level, and 7% very advanced, according to data from the Czech Statistical Office.
The EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) attempts to rank countries by the equity of English language skills amongst those adults who took the EF test.
It is the product of EF Education First, an international education company, and draws its conclusions from data collected via English tests available for free over the internet. The index is an online survey first published in 2011 based on test data from 1.7 million test takers.
Where is the purest English spoken?
For years, the people of Inverness have reveled in the proud boast that they speak the best English on the planet. Their clear and melodious pronunciation of the language has been applauded by linguistic experts and dialect experts across the globe.
The Czech Republic has received its first batch of wounded Ukrainian soldiers as the country works to alleviate the massively overburdened Ukrainian medical system.
The first two patients will complete their injury treatment and rehabilitation at the Darkov spa in the Karviná region, with both expected to spend at least a month at the facility, according to the commercial director of the spa, Lenka Krótká, who announced the news on Monday.
According to her, the spa will eventually treat more wounded Ukrainian soldiers.
The transport and treatment of wounded Ukrainian soldiers is sponsored and organized by the Czech foundation Regi Base, which has 11 years of experience treating and rehabilitating wounded soldiers.
The non-profit organization focuses on helping war veterans, police officers, and firefighters. In the past, it referred some patients to doctors in Darkov.
“We have already treated soldiers from Georgia in the past. And in 2018, Ukrainian soldiers from Donbas injured during the first attack on Ukraine by Russia were also here,” said Krótká.
On Monday, two soldiers of the Ukrainian army arrived at the spa after suffering complex and difficult-to-treat injuries in a battle with the Russians. One lost part of an arm and has a shattered ankle, but he can walk. The other had three toes amputated.
“Doctors and spa specialists at Darkov have already studied their medical reports so their treatment plan is as effective as possible and they can get back into shape as soldiers,” said facility spokesperson Miroslav Slaný.
The spa director said that the spa has the capacity to provide treatment to more wounded soldiers.
“There is no maximum limit from our side. The final number depends mainly on the foundation that provides everything.
The whole process is quite complicated, above all, on the administrative side,” said Slaný. He added that the foundation is already negotiating the transport of five more injured soldiers.
If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to our new morning fix.
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Two Ukrainian soldiers injured in the war with Russia have arrived in Czechia for treatment. The patients are receiving follow-up treatment and undergoing rehabilitation in the town of Karviná in north Moravia, where they will spend at least a month.
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Price rises in various sectors of the Czech economy continued to accelerate in July, according to data released by the Czech Statistics Office on Tuesday. Prices in the agriculture sector rose by 39.8 percent year-on-year and in the industry sector prices rose by 26.8 percent.
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Czech parents have already submitted more than 200,000 applications for a CZK 5,000 contribution in child allowance since Monday, when the system was launched. The one-off payment applies to any children still under the age of 18 on 1 August and is intended to help mitigate the effects of rising prices on families.
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Vlastimil Válek (TOP 09), the head of the Ministry of Health, wants to introduce one free antigen test per month from September. People could take the test even without a doctor’s request.
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The Czech minister of health, Vlastimil Válek, says the government is ready for a fresh wave of Covid-19 in the autumn but will not introduce any draconian measures to curb the spread of the virus. Mr. Válek made the comment on Monday at a presentation of the latest Czech vaccination strategy, which bears the slogan Let’s vaccinate for a life without fear.
From September 2-4, Prague’s Harley Days—the premier motorcycle festival in the Czech capital—will return, celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Featuring music, American food, Czech beer, stand-up comedy, along with all the traditional attractions of Harley Days—bikes, parades, competitions and workshops—there is surely something to be found for anyone. Even people totally unfamiliar with biker culture can engage with the events and learn something about the traditionally American subculture that has, as of late, been flourishing across Europe.
For those unadorned with the appropriate leather jacket, too, there will be plenty of pop-up shops offering jackets and chaps, along with t-shirts and hats at a range of price points.
In order to celebrate its 10th anniversary, Harley Days has decided to look back: reprising the best, most exciting, highlights from each of the past 10 years.
“If someone had asked me 10 years ago where I see myself in 2022, I probably would have had easy time answering, at the 10th annual Prague Harley Days. 10 years have passed, and we and Prague Harley Days are still here, we have fun, and have planned and figured out how to make the event even better for this year” Said Jaroslav Vavřina, the organizer of Harley Days. “The past ten years have been marked by big downs and bigger ups, disappointments and enthusiasm. And now? We can’t wait for the 10th year.”
This enthusiasm has been echoed throughout the Central and Eastern European biker communities, who have, over the past 10 years, come to rely on Prague for such an event.
Vavřina emphasizes the welcoming nature of Harley Days, too: “We really invite everyone, riders of all brands, families with children, adrenaline lovers and appreciators of moto style, but also random passers-by. All of them belong to Prague Harley Days and we believe that they will enjoy themselves properly. It will be a ride, but it will be worth it.”
For bikers, Harley Days is a veritable cornucopia of community and fun. It’s not just limited to Prague, though: Harley Days has several sightseeing routes it suggests bikers take in order to fully experience the Central Bohemian Region. A motorcycle, on the open road, with the wind in your hair: difficult to imagine a better way to see Czechia.
The festival is taking place at Vystavištê in Prague 7 and will run all through Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at several different sites in and surrounding the convention grounds.
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The Central Bohemia Region has the youngest population of the regions in Czechia with 41.5 years, according to data released by the Czech Statistical Office (CSU). It is followed by Prague with 42.3 years. By contrast, the Zlin, Hradec Kralove and Karlovy Vary regions have the oldest populations, with the average of 43.6 years in all of them.
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Drones have found again six places with increased temperature in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park, recently devastated by a huge wildfire, regional fire corps spokeswoman Lukas Marvan told journalists on Monday. The places are situated near the Pravcicka brana narrow rock formation.
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ŠkodaAuto has announced a fall in profits of over 30% in the first six months of 2022, with operations strongly affected by the post-pandemic economic disruption and the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which is the company’s second-largest market.
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Filharmonie Brno will kick off the 23rd Špilberk International Music Festival this week. There will be four large concerts in the castle courtyard over the next 10 days.
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The Czech minister of health, Vlastimil Válek, says the government is ready for a fresh wave of Covid-19 in the autumn but will not introduce any draconian measures to curb the spread of the virus. Mr. Válek made the comment on Monday at a presentation of the latest Czech vaccination strategy, which bears the slogan Let’s vaccinate for a life without fear.
From September 9 to 15, the international art festival PRAGUE ART WEEK 22 will be taking place in Prague for the first time ever.
Following the example of other large cities around the world, the festival aims to connect the Prague art scene and, through a joint initiative, make the Czech capital stand out on the world art map on the occasion of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The festival of visual art invites visitors from the Czech Republic and abroad to more than fifty galleries, museums, art collections, and other art institutions all over Prague, which will present a diverse program focused on the visual art of Central and Eastern Europe.
The opening of the festival will take place on Friday, September 9, at 5 p.m. in the piazzetta of the New Stage of the National Theatre, where the festival center, the so-called Superstudio, will be located for the entire week.
The opening will be followed by the festival weekend, during which major art institutions have prepared either free or discounted admission for festival visitors.
From Monday, September 12, to Thursday, September 15, the organizers encourage guests to visit the smaller, private galleries that are densely represented in selected city districts during the individual days of the festival.
Visitors can end their day’s itinerary in the early evening in the city center at the Superstudio, where there will be an accompanying program of lectures and debates with domestic and international guests from the art world. Invited guests include photographer Marie Tomanová, Ukrainian gallerist Maryna Shcherbenko, and renowned Czech artist Kryštof Kintera.
The opening ceremony will also include the announcement and awarding of ten artists from the Artefin Gallery’s open call for the best digital artwork (NFT), which aims to support the work of progressive artists and the creation of original digital artworks.
Large institutions will be worth a visit during the festival weekend
One big attraction of the festival weekend is the opportunity to visit Prague’s newest institution dedicated to the visual arts, Kunsthalle Praha, which on the weekend of September 10–11 will be offering visitors of PAW free admission to the exhibition Midnight of Art, which presents the private collection and extensive cultural activities of Karel Babíček. During the week of September 9–15, Kunsthalle Praha will also host an accompanying program, including an online talk with Nancy Davidson and Marisa Ravalli-Příhodová on September 14.
Similarly, the Prague City Museum, which is currently renovating its main building, will offer a free program at its Norbertov Study and Documentation Centre and will also invite visitors on a walk to see Prague’s architecture.
On Saturday at 3 p.m. the New Stage will host a free workshop with photographer David Gaberle, which will consist of a one-hour lecture followed by a photo session with Fujifilm cameras on the streets of Prague.
On Saturday, September 10, all the buildings of the Prague City Gallery (GHMP) will be open for the symbolic price of one crown. The Biennale Matter of Art, which is organized by GHMP and tranzit.cz, will be taking place during the entire week of the festival. The biennale’s free exhibitions and accompanying program address the relationships between gender, race, class, sexuality, and geopolitics in an almost therapeutic way. National Gallery Prague is offering a 50 % discount on admission to all of its venues on Sunday, September 11, and it also invites visitors to several events that accompany the exhibitions MOVE: Intimacy as Resistance, Coming Soon, and ZENGA.
Galerie Rudolfinum is organizing a free workshop for children on September 11 to accompany the exhibition Fragilités.
The DOX Centre for Contemporary Art is holding a family workshop on September 10 and a guided tour of the exhibition Power(less) on September 11, both with free admission for visitors of PAW 22.
The Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague will make its accompanying programs available free of charge, including tickets to exhibitions where the programs are held, and it also invites those interested to take a walk through Josef Sudek’s Prague.
Friday to Sunday will also be the last chance to visit MeetFactory for the exhibition Let Me Hear Your Footprints and draw inspiration from the experiential symposium Discovering Other Knowledge, both of which focus on new tendencies in art and society.
On Sunday, festivalgoers can visit a quiet courtyard in the city center at Campus Hybernská, where Barbora Valášková’s exhibition Blau will open at HYB4 Gallery D and where there will be a music lounge, street food, and an afterparty with DJs from the group Sady Kolektiv.
The unforgettable atmosphere of travelling by a steam train and unique views of the capital are worth trying!
From the Smíchov railway station, the train goes to the Prokop Valley. The canyon in it reaches depths of up to 70 meters and it was created by erosion during the last million years.
Up to the station of Rudná u Prahy, we go on the track nicknamed “Humpbacked”. From Hostivice to Smíchov, the train runs along the route of the former Buštěhrad line which exceeds an altitude difference of 150 meters.
Thanks to its profile, the surrounding natural scenery, and two historical viaducts, the track has earned the name “Prague Semmering”.
The name Semmering is derived from the very first mountain railway in Europe – built in the Austrian Alps in the 19th century.
The final section of the journey allows you to admire the legendary Vyšehrad rock and the plain of Pankrác with modern buildings.
From the railway bridge across the Vltava river, you will also be delighted with the city’s spectacular skyline crowned by the majestic Prague Castle.
History
In the years 1868 to 1872, the company Buštěhradská dráha had a section connecting the then-known Smíchov Common Railway Station and Hostivice built primarily for the needs of freight transport.
The period between 1870 and 1872 belonged to the construction of viaducts crossing the Prokop Valley. The operation for freight transport, especially the transport of timber from Lány’s forests and Kladno coal, started on July 3, 1872, and in September of the same year, passenger trains also started running on the line.
However, commuter train traffic proved so weak that it ended in 1879.
Nonetheless, this does not mean that the track was not successful, on the contrary. Under the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it had to oppose efforts to nationalize for its profitability.
After 1918, there was an unexpected turnaround, when traffic density almost tripled, and so at one time, the second runway was even considered. Before that happened, the density of traffic dropped so much that at one point there were even plans of canceling the track.
Unexpectedly, this prevented the floods of 2002, during which it served to transport freight and even replaced the Prague metro for a short period.
A driver captured the crazy moment a Formula 2 car was seen flying down a motorway heading into Germany from the Czech Republic.
Several videos went viral on social media as an F2 car was seen hurtling down a normal motorway road. The old Ferrari was filmed flying down the two-lane D4 motorway, between Příbram and Dobříš.
The car heavily resembled an F2 chassis – but it is illegal to drive such vehicles on the motorway in the Czech Republic. Police have investigated a similar incident that occurred in 2019 in the same area.
In 2019, the same car was spotted driving down the same section of motorway, which led to an inquiry. Officers managed to track down the owner of the Ferrari, but the suspect denied he was behind the wheel at the time.
Subsequently, police could not prove their case as the driver was wearing a racing helmet that concealed identity, so no charges were brought against the suspect. And fortunately so for whoever was behind the wheel, as they avoided a fine and a one-year ban from driving.
One account to post a video of the incident on Twitter was @F1_Images, who said: “Just a GP2 car in Ferrari colours cruising up a highway in the Czech Republic. Police have not been able to identify the illegal joyrider and are looking for him for questioning.”
Just a GP2 car in Ferrari colours cruising up a highway in the Czech Republic. 😳 Police have not been able to identify the illegal joyrider and are looking for him for questioning. #F1
pic.twitter.com/D5GZLzU32b— F1 Images (@F1_Images) August 14, 2022
The post prompted some favourable responses, with @Haaalo14 mocking the recent strategic errors that have derailed Charles Leclerc’s world title bid: “You would think they would go for hard tires (because longer stint)…..but Ferrari strategy always amazes me,” read the reply.
@Street1Racing added: “Guys out here living his best life.” Meanwhile, some F1 fans expressed envy, with @FrenkHU writing: “Ahww that sound, very rich people play big like this.
Back in F1, the Scuderia will hope to get their campaign back on track when the current break in the schedule finishes. Drivers and teams will return to action in Belgium on the weekend of August 26-28.
On Sunday the 14th of August 2022, a Hawker Hurricane (OO-HUR) belonging to the Aviation Museum in Tocna near Prague crashed during it’s display at the Aviation Days in Cheb, Karlovy Vary Region. Sadly it was confirmed that the pilot was tragically killed in the accident.
According to witnesses the plane suddenly lost altitude while turning and disappeared from sight. The plane has crashed into a family house but thankfully no one on the ground has been seriously injured.
Petr Paces was named as the pilot who lost his life, he was a very experienced ex-Mig-21 fighter pilot, a flight instructor as well as the captain of the Boeing 737 airliner.
Passionate about flying Petr Paces started flying gliders at the age of 14 before moving onto powered aircraft three years later. After school, he flew as a Mig-21 fighter pilot until 1992, leaving the army to join Air Traffic Control. Almost twenty years ago, he started flying the Boeing 737 airliners.
He has also often displayed historic aircraft sharing his love for flying with thousands of people each year.
Hurricane Mk. IV was one of the final variants of the Hawker-manufactured fighter, produced between 1942 and 1944. At that time, Hurricane was no longer a pure fighter aeroplane, performing mostly the ground-attack missions (and therefore often nicknamed as ´Hurribomber´).
The aircraft was manufactured sometime between end of 1942 and March 1943, the exact date and serial number are not known, as the aircraft was previously intended for storage and all manufacturer plates (and also the original engine) were lost somewhere between 1946 and 1983.
Its long and interesting history can be followed since March 1943, when Hurricane Mk. IV became operational with the 6th Squadron, Royal Air Force.
In early 2021 the aircraft received a new livery and was bought by a group of Czech aviation enthusiasts from the Aviation Museum Tocna. As a tribute to the Czechoslovak airmen who served in the RAF during WW II, OO-HUR was painted in the colours of Hurricane Mk.IIc “BE150”.
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About 60,000 people joined the Prague Pride parade yesterday, crossing the city centre and reaching Letna Plain where the programme continued until the night, Prague police spokesman Jan Rybansky told CTK.
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A pilot died after his aircraft crashed into a house during an air show in the Western Bohemian town of Cheb on Sunday. The pilot died and one person was injured, the Czech News Agency reported.
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A Czech Film Week gets underway in Israel on Monday, presenting the best of Czech and Czechoslovak films in cinemas in Tel- Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa. The program will also mark the 90th anniversary of the birth of the Oscar-winning director Miloš Forman,
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Armenian national Norair Tsaturian, who shot at two men outside a shopping mall in Prague in 2016, was sentenced to seven years in prison on the basis of a plea bargain that the Prague Municipal Court approved today, court spokesman Adam Wenig has told CTK.
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The Czech Banking Association (ČBA) has improved its forecast for the growth of the Czech economy from May’s previous estimate of 1.8 percent to 2.4 percent. In an on-line conference, representatives of the ČBA said that this was due to the Czech economy developing better in the first half of the year than was previously expected.
Just a few steps from the Prašná Brána in the heart of Prague’s Old Town on a street traditionally filled with bakeries is Kolacherie, a new bakery offering classic kolache with a modern twist.
The owner, Oscar, never expected to open a bakery in Prague. But following pandemic-induced rent reductions on prime real estate in the center of the city—as well as an increasing movement towards centering authentically-Czech, aesthetically-conscious businesses in the historic district, Oscar saw an opportunity.
The bakery and café—small, but cozy with a muted green interior that seamlessly blends into the centuries-old building—draws in tourists and locals alike. More importantly, it draws them back over and over again, relishing the pastries that are handmade every morning from high-quality ingredients and slow-risen dough.
The kolache on offer is, broadly speaking, nothing new: it’s classic and employs the traditional recipe and methods that have been practiced by Czech grandmothers for generations. What is new is the savory kolache that Oscar has debuted after a trip to the United States. The smaller, square kolache sport ham and cheese, apple-brie, or a spicier jalapeño pastry. While savory kolache are seldom found in Prague these days, the concept has a long history in Czechia, dating back to the 1800s.
Savory kolache crossed the Atlantic with Czechs migrating to the New World, only to be rediscovered recently. Oscar feels as though he’s completing a cycle of sorts, bringing back this Czech tradition to Prague from an overseas enclave of traditional Czech culture in Dallas, Texas.
This underscores Kolacherie’s philosophy: one that fuses the old and the new, and seeks to bring Czech culture—a culture simultaneously nostalgic and forward-facing—to the forefront of Prague’s downtown.
This broader movement has been spearheaded by Elegantní Česko, a project that Oscar has been involved in which hopes to maintain and revive an appreciation for the culture of the First Czechoslovak Republic, which is considered by some to be Czechia’s golden era between the World Wars.
None of this would be possible, however, without landlords—alongside assistance from the public sector—willing to take risks on establishments that represent Czechia for what it could be, and what it once was. Prague’s historic center cannot be made classier without landlords with aesthetic concerns that transcend basic greed.
Kolacherie isn’t flashy: it lacks any garish, bright signage, and instead relies on word of mouth and high-quality products to bring customers in and keep them returning.
For Oscar, it’s never been about the money. The emotional gratification is what motivates him—and with kolache, a food that stirs up intense nostalgia among Czechs and members of the Czech diaspora, the emotional value of kolache is clear.
Sitting on a windowsill in the storefront—Oscar has been battling a bureaucracy that doesn’t allow for tables in the small space, but the improvised seating arrangements give the place an undeniable charm—he recalled one customer that broke down in tears after a bite of a poppy seed kolache.
Looking towards the future, Kolacherie plans to open a second, larger location close to I.P.Pavlova.
Vegan options will also soon be available, as well catering services and Wolt access as the tourist season winds down and attention is turned to a more local, professional customer base.
If you’re looking for delicious kolache and good coffee at hard-to-beat prices, skip the supermarkets and hit up Kolacherie.