Starlink, the satellite-based ISP model owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has reportedly launched commercial services in the Czech Republic, according to online portal ISP.page.
The service, which promises broadband internet access in remote and rural areas, is tipped to have a significant impact on internet connectivity in a country where over 300,000 households currently lack access to high speed internet services.
The ISP claims to provide customers with download speeds of up to 150Mbps and uploads of a maximum 30Mbps with low latency and good reliability, while satellite news agency TS2 notes that the cost of the equipment and access charges – current pricing for the Starlink kit, which includes a satellite dish and modem, is USD499, with a monthly subscription fee of USD99 – could limit its initial take-up.
Starlink the newcomer began developing the platform back in 2021, claiming it would deliver reliable ‘5G’ connectivity in remote locations with poor ground cable infrastructure.
The link is provided from a network of more than 1,500 satellites brought into space by SpaceX, and provides an alternative to fibre-optics/cables in the ground or mobile broadband from wireless operators.
Until now, however, the service has been very much limited to select testing at the pre-commercial level.
SpaceX has now launched more than 4,500 Starlink satellites, more than 4,100 of which are currently active.
But many more will go up in the coming weeks and months. The company already has permission to send 12,000 Starlink satellites to orbit, and it has applied for approval to launch another 30,000 on top of that.
The historic boutique hotel The Mozart Prague has always been a place where art and music were born.
Whether it was in the past, when the hotel was still the Pachta Palace and the culture of Mozart’s time was supported by the Pachta family, to the present, when the Ott family, the current owners of the hotel and great lovers of art in every form, continue this centuries-old tradition.
The magnificent 400-year-old courtyards inside the hotel offer magical seating areas where the general public, not only hotel guests, can enjoy delicious food, wine or just a cup of coffee, but also again art and music. And all this in the best location in the city centre, just a few minutes walk from the Charles Bridge.
Throughout the summer, the courtyards will host a cultural programme full of concerts, from classical music to jazz or swing. You name it.
The main star of the Music And Art Courtyard Festival will be the well known contemporary artist David Strauss, who will surprise with very unexpected artistic achievements in different locations of the hotel.
His first modern fresco has already been painted on one of the walls of the first courtyard and another will soon be added to the walls of the hotel Café.
FESTIVAL CONCERT PROGRAMME
24. 6. – Jazz night
BUY TICKETS HERE
24.6.
Classical music concert (Quartet + 2 soloists)
15.7
String trio playing musical melodies (Trio + 1 soloist)
29.7.
Classical music concert (Quartet + 2 soloists)
12.8
String quartet playing film melodies
A girl was raped at Letenské sady, Prague 7, on Friday night.
Police officers are investigating the case and searching for the perpetrator, but they have not provided further details to avoid jeopardizing the outcome of the search. They are asking any witnesses to call 158.
Matěj Paprčiak, a well-known model and participant in Survivor 2022, who is also the partner of Eva Holubová’s daughter, drew attention to the case on his social networks.
“Girls, beware! A girl was brutally raped on Letná on Friday night. I’m sharing this because she was a close friend, and it deeply affected us,” he wrote on Instagram.
“If anyone saw a person acting suspiciously after midnight in the area of the Letná steps or on Letná or somewhere around the Štefánikov Bridge or the Čechov Bridge, please contact the police,” he added. According to his information, the man was very tall (close to two meters), with short dreadlocks and wearing white trousers.
According to a statement by police spokesman Richard Hrdina, Prague detectives are intensively investigating and searching for the perpetrator. However, he did not disclose any further details.
“We cannot provide more specific information at the moment to ensure the success of this search. We hope to have good news soon regarding the capture of the perpetrator. Witnesses to the incident can call 158,” he said.
The case has also sparked a debate about the safety of Letenské sady. “The stairs and the path through the park have very poor or no lighting, guards, or at least cameras. It’s absurd to have such a situation in the park, but it’s even more absurd that the problem still hasn’t been addressed,” commented Tereza K. on Facebook.
The safety of the park will be discussed at a regular meeting next week by the leadership of Prague 7, along with police officers, constables, and firefighters. “We do not underestimate anything. We will thoroughly discuss everything at the meeting,” stated Prague 7 Mayor Jan Čižinský (Praha Sobě).
The Prague Rocks Festival, now in its fourth year, is one of the most important music events in the Czech Republic, with the biggest stars of the guitar scene taking to the stage.
On Wednesday, June 21, the second part of this year’s one-day festival Prague Rocks will take place at Letňany Airport.
Maroon 5, one of the most famous bands today, which has become famous for its many hits, boasts the unmistakable lead singer Adam Levine.
Another major headliner is the author of hits like Hollaback Girl and Rich Girl, Gwen Stefani, with her only performance in Europe.
British singer Rag&Bone Man returns to Prague after last year’s cancelled tour. He will once again perform hits from his most famous album Human.
James Bay, who already knows Letňany Airport from 2018, when he performed as a guest at Ed Sheeran’s concert, will come with his latest album Leap.
The Australian star Delta Goodrem, who is known not only for her singing career but also as a judge on The Voice, will present herself to the Czech audience for the first time.
Vojtěch Dyk will present his latest project D.Y.K., which is unconventionally focused on soul, funk and jazz.
And the festival will be opened by Lake Malawi, who are among the best we can hear on the local alternative pop scene.
- The Czech minister of the environment, Petr Hladík, will propose a lower VAT rate on products made from recycled material at a meeting of the EU’s Environment Council in Luxembourg on Tuesday. Mr. Hladík said he would push for the change in response to an EU directive barring individual member states from cutting VAT on recycled goods.
- A Prague street called after Red Army commander Ivan Konev is to be renamed, following a City Hall vote on Monday. The proposal had come from the Prague 3 district, which said it wanted to rename the present Koněvova St. as Hartigova, after Karel Hartig, the first mayor of the local Žižkov district.
- The Czech Confederation of Trade Unions is planning four protest actions against the government’s austerity programme by the start of July. The head of the unions umbrella body, Josef Středula, told reporters on Monday that if their demands were not met his members would hold more demonstrations in September.
- The multinational online retailer Amazon opened a new distribution centre in the small town of Kojetín in the Olomouc Region on Monday. The 50,000 square-metre centre should employ up to 2,000 people, the company said.
- Czech Republic plans to reduce VAT on tap water to 12%! The government has proposed a reduced VAT rate for tap water to consolidate public finances, provided it is not flavored with juice, syrup, or added fruit. Mineral and baby waters and coffee with milk or cream will continue to be taxed at the standard rate of 21%.
On Monday, city councillors approved the renaming, and starting from October, the street will be known as Hartigova Street, in honor of the first mayor of Žižkov.
The proposal to rename Koněvova Street was endorsed by Prague 3 councillors last year and received a recommendation from the municipality’s local history commission.
The renaming of the street will necessitate document updates for local residents, and businesses will also incur additional costs.
The complexity of administrative procedures was one of the primary reasons why the majority of locals, who expressed their opinions in a poll last year, rejected the renaming.
However, the replacement of identification cards will be offered free of charge, and individuals will have a six-month period to complete the process. Approximately 5,000 people will be affected by this change.
“We are aware that the process of exchanging identification cards may be seen as a complication or an additional task by the residents of the current Koněvova Street. Therefore, the City Hall has made every effort to ensure that this task is as simple as possible, without any waiting times or fees. Additionally, we will employ all available means to provide timely and comprehensive information on all essential aspects,” stated Michal Vronský, the Mayor of Prague 3.
Prague 3 has established a dedicated website where residents can access information about the street renaming and obtain specific details regarding the document change process.
Marshal Konev served as the commander of the 1st Ukrainian Front during World War II and played a crucial role in the liberation of Prague in May 1945.
However, he was also involved in the violent suppression of the 1956 uprising in Hungary and played a part in the so-called Second Berlin Crisis, which led to the construction of the Berlin Wall and the division of the city.
Karel Hartig (1833-1905) was the mayor of Královské Vinohrady and subsequently became the first mayor of Žižkov following its division.
In the past, the street was known as Poděbradova or Brněnská. It has borne the name Koněvova since 1947.
Prague 1 and the City Hall have collaborated on a plan to reduce traffic congestion in the city center.
Their latest proposal involves the implementation of measures to regulate traffic passing through specific streets near the Vltava River, including the introduction of a daily fee of 200 CZK for non-residents and transit traffic.
The initial phase of the plan focuses on implementing a toll system for entering certain streets around the Vltava River.
According to Vojtěch Ryvola, Prague 1 councilor for transportation (ANO), they have chosen to begin with a small area: Divadelní and Smetanovo nábřeží on the right side of the river, and Karmelitská Street on the left side.
Ryvola highlights the importance of thoroughly testing the entire system before expanding the toll area, and mentions that there are several exemption requests to be considered. Starting with a limited approach allows them to address any concerns and resolve any issues before proceeding.
Residents with parking permits, permit holders, the integrated emergency system, visitors, and patients of the Hospital under Petřín will be granted exemptions.
The fee for others is set at 200 CZK for a 24-hour period, while drivers using the roads along the Vltava River will be required to pay 2,000 CZK per month.
Quarterly and annual fees are also available, amounting to 5,700 CZK and 21,600 CZK respectively, which represents the highest possible amount that the municipality can decide upon. The proposal is currently being discussed.
To ensure compliance with the rules and prevent drivers from taking shortcuts through Nerudova Street, cameras will be installed for monitoring purposes.
The measures are expected to be implemented in early 2024.
The Czech Philharmonic’s regular open-air Concert will take place on June 21 at the end of this year’s season.
The event will take place once again at Hradčanské náměstí, opposite Prague Castle.
Keith Lockhart, a well-known American conductor, will lead the musicians. The orchestra will perform compositions by Mozart, Alan Silvestri (Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, Outcast, and Contact), and other composers.
The concert will start at 20:15.
Admission to the open air concert is free. However, limited seating is available, and no reservations are possible. Most of the audience is standing.
The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra is the best known and most respected symphonic orchestra in the Czech Republic. It was founded 127 years ago in Prague.
In 2008 it was listed among the 20 best orchestras in the world by English magazine Gramophone.
The Czech Philharmonic has won many awards, ten Grand Prix du Disque de l’Académie Charles Cros, five Grand Prix du disque de l’Académie française and several Cannes Classical Awards.
It was nominated for Grammy Awards in 2005, and also two Wiener Flötenuhr awards, with Pavel Štěpán, Zdeněk Mácal and Václav Neumann (1971 and 1982) (Supraphonline).
Further information can be found here.
- Unemployment in Czechia fell by one percentage point month-on-month to 3.5 percent in May, according to data released by the national Office of Labour on Thursday. At the end of last month almost 254,000 people in the country were out of work. The number of vacant positions rose slightly, reaching over 285,000.
- The toll on Czech motorways could increase by 10 to 15 percent from next March, Transport Minister Martin Kupka said in an interview for Czech Television on Sunday, adding that the increase is needed to cover the investments in transport infrastructure.
- The production of passenger cars in Czechia increased by 23.7% in the first five months of 2023, amounting to 595,580 vehicles. 12% were electric cars, with 52,668 electric vehicles and 20,128 plug-in hybrids produced by car manufacturers. Škoda Auto, increased production by 34.4% to 375,981 cars, of which 11% were battery-powered.
- Czechia still does not fully implement most of the recommendations on how preventing corruption among MPs, judges and prosecutors, and lacks a law on lobbying, a code of ethics for MPs, or enforceable rules on accepting gifts and other benefits, according to a report presented today by the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption group GRECO.
- President Petr Pavel and his wife Eva will move into the Lumbe villa, located near Prague Castle, in the summer. They plan to live there during the work week, the president said in an interview for CNN Prima News on Sunday. Mr. Pavel is currently commuting to Prague from his permanent home in the village of Černouček in central Bohemia.
Presented across continents, the idea and concept of Dinner in the Sky event is to offer unforgettable fine dining experience in the sky – together with exclusive atmosphere, breathtaking view to city and cuisine from the top chefs.
An aerial restaurant experience that hoists patrons above cities across the world, Dinner in the Sky has proven a popular attraction in Rome, Los Angeles, Athens, Ljubljana, and Cape Town.
The event will be held in the center of Prague from September 7 until September 17. The table with 22 guests will be suspended at a height of 50 meters; a team of professionals, with a guest chef and waiting team, will serve from the center of the table.
The attraction is set on Náplavka na Dvořákově nábřeží, which offers a spectacular view of Prague Castle.
The guest chef of this year
Ondřej Koráb is one of the most experienced chefs of the younger generation. He was in charge of the kitchen at The Grand Mark Hotel in Prague for four years.
Then he worked for a year in a Michelin-starred restaurant in London, and now he has been in charge of the kitchen at the Grandhotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary for three years.
“It’s a great honor and a great challenge for me because I’m afraid of heights, and working fifty meters above the ground on an open platform won’t be easy. But I am already working with this fear, and this summer I jumped with a parachute,” says Ondřej.
And what will he cook? “There is still plenty of time to prepare the menu, but I would definitely like to prepare something with a spa wafer and then serve some variation of our famous Pupp cake for dessert,” he reveals.
Prague in the Sky packages includes a 4-course dinner menu for 4190 CZK per person, less expensive options for lunch (2690 CZK), or late dinner at sunset for 5850 CZK.
More information and booking options can be found via dinnerinthesky.cz
Prague is the best region to live in the Czech Republic again this year, followed by the Hradec Kralove Region and the Vysocina Region, according to the Place to Live survey carried out by the Databank agency. Karlovy Vary Region was the worst region.
The thirteenth edition of the comparative survey, known as Place to Live (Místo pro život), revealed these rankings. The survey was conducted by the analytical agency Datank and sponsored by the company Communa, which awarded the winning regions.
Various social and environmental parameters, as well as resident satisfaction, were assessed in this research. The survey encompassed areas such as ecology and the environment, childcare, education, and safety.
Prague was commended for its exceptional health and social care, which can be attributed to its high number of doctors and dentists, low average morbidity rate, and lengthy life expectancy. Additionally, Prague boasts highly regarded universities and outstanding performance by students in state matriculation exams for Czech and mathematics.
Infrastructure and the job market also received high marks, with the city offering the highest average wages.
However, the survey revealed that the capital city faces challenges in terms of ecology and safety. The city exhibits the lowest proportion of green space within its built-up areas and has the lowest rate of waste recycling in the country. Additionally, Prague has the highest crime rate and the lowest rate of crime clearance.
Prague City Councillor Michal Hroza (TOP 09), expressed some disagreement regarding the safety concerns. He argued that Prague residents’ sense of safety is evident in the survey, attributing it to their exposure to other European cities and recognizing Prague as one of the safest major cities in the world.
In the Hradec Králové Region, the organizers particularly praised the quality of healthcare and social services, as well as the availability of leisure activities and tourism. The region also demonstrated favorable performance in municipal waste management and crime rates.
The survey identified the need for the region to address the unemployment rate and ensure proper connection to the sewage system. Moreover, the region experiences a concerning number of road fatalities.
Vysočina garnered balanced results across all surveyed categories. It excelled in terms of green space within built-up areas and demonstrated a high level of waste recycling. However, the survey suggested room for improvement in the region’s police force numbers and fire incidents. Municipal waste production should also be reduced.
The Karlovy Vary Region ranked as the least desirable according to the survey, followed by the Ústí nad Labem region in the second-to-last position. The Moravian-Silesian Region and the Olomouc Region, ranked twelfth and eleventh, respectively.
Results of 2023 survey: the best region to live in the Czech Republic
Thanks to Google’s new maps feature, you can take a closer look at Prague Castle. Immersive View brings digital models of cities, including virtual visits to landmarks and other iconic places.
Developers at Google have billions of Street View and aerial images with which to compose their maps. This year, they introduced a new feature that’s largely thanks to advances in artificial intelligence. They have been able to create a realistic digital model of the world from available data.
They have now expanded it to include four new cities as well as 500 landmarks around the world. With your phone, you can see what the Acropolis in Athens, the Colosseum in Rome, and Prague Castle look like from every angle.
Maybe you’re planning a trip to Paris and want to go to the Sacré-Cœur Basilica. With Google Maps, you can both virtually “hover” over the building and see where the main entrance is. Using the timeline, you can then explore how the site changes at different times of the day and what the weather forecast looks like.
In addition, if the necessary data is available, you can also take a look inside the surrounding restaurants and cafés – and make a reservation right away. All you have to do is select the landmark you want to explore and click on its name directly on the map.
A video will then pop up in the image section to give you a better, all-round view of the monument. The service, called Immersive View, has been available in London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Tokyo since the beginning of the year, and is being rolled out gradually this month in Amsterdam, Dublin, Florence, and Venice.
In addition, it will feature over 500 landmarks and iconic sites from all corners of the world. You can also take an in-depth look at Florence’s Pitti Palace, Venice’s Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, and the Royal Palace in Amsterdam. The Czech Republic is also included in the expansion, as the maps will now include a digital model of Prague Castle.
Immersive View will also allow you to explore Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, the National Museum, the Petrin Lookout Tower, and other monuments and sites in the capital.
To create detailed digital models, Google uses so-called neural radiation fields (NeRF), an advanced artificial intelligence technology that converts classic images into three-dimensional form.
Using NeRF technology, an exact replica of a place can be created in the digital space, including its lighting, the texture of the materials, and what’s in the background.