Inflatech, owned by a Russian businessman who lives in the Czech Republic, produces inflatable fake tanks and rocket launchers.
These decoys are extremely useful for Ukrainian forces exposed to their adversary’s bombardments.
Two seamstresses are busy at their sewing machine joining together shapeless grey-green nylon strips. It’s hard to imagine that, once sewn together, these pieces of fabric will form the frame of a fake but very realistic SA-8, a Russian anti-aircraft vehicle.
Able to be inflated in just a few minutes, this full-size copy can be used as a target for training Western forces, but also as a decoy to fool enemy artillery. It’s a vital device for the Ukrainian army in the face of Russian bombardment.
Production takes place in the Czech Republic, in a small factory belonging to the company Inflatech, located in Decin, a town on the German border in the northwest of the Central European country.
While the factory manager, Victor Talanov, refused to confirm that he works for the Ukrainian army, he admitted with a touch of black humor, “Putin has done good marketing for us, we doubled our sales in 2022.”
‘Highly skilled seamstresses’
With its brand-new production unit set up behind the tinted windows of a former supermarket, the company, which employs around 25 people, including several Ukrainians, is taking full advantage of the boom in the highly unusual market for military decoys.
It offers around 30 inflatable models, such as imitations of the SA-8 and the T-72 tank, that are designed on a computer and then printed in separate parts and sewn by a “team of highly skilled seamstresses capable of reading plans in diagram form,” explained Talanov.
While this technology was thought to have belonged to the Second World War and the famous Operation Fortitude carried out by the Allies in the UK to mislead the Nazis about the location of landings, Talanov maintains that his products are more relevant than ever.
“They cost around €25,000, which is a lot less than a real tank or even an anti-tank missile, so you win either way,” he said. In his opinion, “decoys are the best way to improve the survival time of vehicles on the front line.”
“One of the use cases” suggested by his company is summarized as follows: “You receive an alert about the presence of an enemy artillery system. Within five minutes, you can hide your tanks and replace them with our decoys that will be bombarded.”
Packaged in two large black packages weighing around 40 kilos each, the decoy and inflator – electrically or thermally powered, depending on the model – “can be unfolded and folded by one or two people,” the company assured.
Inflatech has even included an air heating and reflector system to fool night-time thermal imaging cameras and radar.
The construction of the tram track in the upper section of Wenceslas Square is likely to be postponed until the beginning of next year.
The delay is a result of the bidding process for the construction company being extended. Previously, both the city representatives and DPP had announced plans to initiate the construction within the current year, with an estimated cost of approximately 1.25 billion CZK excluding VAT.
The tender for the project was announced in September 2022, and the deadline for submitting bids has been extended until July 7 due to information requests from potential participants.
“Given the time required for evaluation, it is highly probable that we won’t start the construction this year since it wouldn’t make sense for the winter season,” said Daniel Šabík, the Head of Communication at the Prague Public Transit Company (DPP).
Trams used to operate in the upper part of Wenceslas Square until 1980.
In comparison to the original layout, the new tram tracks will be positioned on the sides of the square, while a pedestrian promenade will be created in the center.
The project includes the repair of sidewalks and roadways, the addition of greenery, the renovation of the Muzeum metro station, and the construction of an underground rainwater retention tank. The city’s previous plans also involved reducing car traffic on the square, with some vehicles sharing the tram tracks.
Prague has additional plans for the construction of a tram track that will run from the National Museum, passing by the main train station, all the way to Bolzanova Street.
This project is part of an ongoing architectural competition jointly organized by the city and the Railway Administration to determine the design for the reconstruction of the new terminal hall and the surrounding area of the main train station.
Wenceslas Square, originally known as Koňský trh (Horse Market), is 682 meters long and has an approximate width of 60 meters. It was renamed over time, first to Svatováclavské náměstí (Saint Wenceslas Square) and later to Václavské náměstí (Wenceslas Square).
The reconstruction of the lower section of the square began in 2020 and was mostly completed by the autumn of the following year.
Lo and behold, there is a newly-opened bakery in Vršovice!
Owned by expats Peter and Liudmila, Joy Bakery focuses on artisanal, hand-crafted bread and pastry, all baked and sold
daily by Liudmila.
Originally from Russia, Liudmila came to the Czech Republic sixteen years ago. In Prague, she met Peter, originally from Denmark.
The pair moved to Denmark, where Liudmila started her professional baking journey, studying the craft of baking for over three years.
She then worked in France, honing her skills by baking for a Michelin 3-Star restaurant “Le Petit Nice Passedat.”
“I learned a lot from my experience working in that restaurant. I learned to stay calm and patient and always give it my best, even when I couldn’t stand it anymore,” remembers Liudmila. “But I also realized that I am definitely more of a person for sourdough, bread, and pastry, not for cakes and that bigger stuff.”
Peter and Liudmila returned to Prague some five years ago, and Liudmila first worked as a baker in several different businesses that opened small, but soon switched to factory production and lost the quality of the product.
“Yeah, they stopped caring about what they were doing because they only wanted the money. I didn’t like it, because, even if you get the best ingredients and the greatest professionals, the product will not taste good if you don’t really love what you do,” she explains.
Liudmila then decided to open her own bakery – a place where the goal is to serve the customer with products of the highest quality, tasty, hand-crafted, and made with joy. And thus, Joy Bakery was born. And while it only opened in April 2023, it has been making a name for itself among the locals.
“People keep coming back! They are really happy that we have a lot of choices. And they can feel the passion. For me, it’s important that people who come here are happy with the product,” she says. To that, Peter adds that nothing they serve is subquality.
Indeed, their products are made from the locally-sourced ingredients. Joy Bakery gets its flour from a mill just outside of Prague. And it is Liudmila’s passion that turns those ingredients into a variety of products: classic bread and baguettes, croissants and cookies, special bread with seeds and cumin, etc.
She frequently experiments with new products, such as different “cakes of the week” and adds Danish and French influences into her baking. She also plans on adjusting her menu according to each season.
Peter explains the difference between Liudmila’s products and the products available in the supermarket chains: “Liudmila only uses four ingredients, while the supermarket products use up to sixteen. They need to because their bread will dry out in a day, so they have to use all kinds of crap to make it last longer.” Contrarily, Liudmila’s bread stays fresh for days.
Joy Bakery also serves quality coffee. As for the vegan options, there are some, while gluten- free options are not available.
“Unfortunately, I can’t do anything gluten-free because I use flour in everything. You need a special space to make gluten-free products because there can’t be any cross-contamination of ingredients. We don’t have space for that. A lot of bakeries say they do gluten-free when they actually don’t and this is not right,” explains Liudmila.
Peter adds that they would much rather say that they cannot do gluten-free than lie to people and say they can.
Joy Bakery has also become the main bread supplier for a local restaurant. And while there are currently no plans for expanding the business into a bakery chain, Liudmila and Peter are not opposed to the idea in the future, as long as they find the right people.
“If we can find passionate bakers who really enjoy their craft, then we could think about expanding. For now, I don’t really envision anything other than the joy of having this place,” explains Peter. “We want the people to be able to enjoy high-quality products for prices they can afford.”
“I’m just happy that people keep coming back and buying stuff. Thank you very much! Don’t go anywhere,” laughs Liudmila.
You can find Joy Bakery in Petrohradska 1478/41, Prague 10. Their opening hours are 8:00-18-00, from Monday to Friday.
For more information, you can visit their website. You can also find Joy Bakery on Wolt.
Rea Garvey returns to small clubs with the “Roots Tour” and announces his new album Ära.
In November 2023, Rea Garvey returns to the stages to present his “Roots Tour”, which takes him back to small clubs that are very special to him.
The tour will herald the release of his new album and take fans on an unforgettable musical journey.
After years of performing in large arenas and festivals, Rea Garvey has now decided to return to his musical roots and once again perform in the intimacy that small clubs bring.
The announcement of tour dates coincides with the release of his new single “Free like the Ocean”, which he will introduce to his fan community as the first single from his new album.
“Free like the Ocean” gets under your skin and is the first spark of an album full of magic.
The “Roots Tour” is the setting for unique concerts where Rea Garvey takes his passion and deep understanding of music to a new level. His fans can look forward to an emotional and moving tour.
Secure your tickets now and immerse yourself in the world of Rea Garvey on the “Roots Tour”.
- Ticket price 790,- czk
- Tickets on sale in Ticketmaster, Ticketportal and Goout from 5.6.2023 at 10:00
- Public trust in the Czech president has risen significantly since Petr Pavel took office in March, according to a CVVM poll conducted between March and May.Before Zeman left office, less than 40% of Czechs trusted the president, but since Pavel assumed the post, the share of those who trust the president has risen to almost 60%.
- Czech Post will extend the delivery time for standard mail to three days from the present two, as of July 1. According to the company, this is linked to cost cuts and the steady decline in interest in this service. Express mail will still be delivered within 24 hours.
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- Czech climber Adam Ondra won silver at the Bouldering World Cup in Prague on Saturday, June 3. Like gold winner Korean I To-hjon, Ondra climbed all four routes in the final, but needed more attempts to do so. The season which will culminate with the World Championships in Bern in August.
- Prague has ranked 5th among the most sought-after places for congresses, surpassing Madrid, Berlin, Brussels, and London. Last year, almost 4,000 events were held in the capital, with over 600,000 delegates attending. Although these numbers still do not match pre-COVID years, Prague returned to about 2014 levels in terms of the number of delegates and events.
- British heavy metal band Judas Priest will return to the Czech Republic with their “Metal Masters 2024” tour, following the recently cancelled Ozzy Osbourne guest concert. The band will perform in Prague at the O2 Arena on 29 March 2024, with support from Saxon and Uriah Heep.
Over 80 exhibiting companies, 130 speakers from all over the world, including one of the most famous figures of the bitcoin world, Michael J. Saylor, three days of lectures, workshops and 10 thousand visitors.
On June 8-10, Prague will host the first edition of BTC Prague, the largest and most important event in Europe focused solely on the most popular cryptocurrency bitcoin.
Michael J. Saylor is among the most influential Bitcoin maximalists and key figures in the crypto world. American Michael J. Saylor founded the company MicroStrategy, which regularly buys Bitcoins as part of its corporate assets and with 132,000 Bitcoins, the richest cryptocurrency company in the world, and will now speak in Europe for the first time.
The conference will take place at the PVA Letňany exhibition center.
In addition to Saylor, a number of other influential personalities in the Bitcoin world, including Blockstream CEO Dr. Adam Back, SatoshiLabs co-founder Marek Palatinus, and Robert Breedlove, author of the popular “What is Money?” podcast, have accepted invitations to Europe’s largest exclusively Bitcoin-focused conference.
The bi-lingual Czech-English program promises to offer a wealth of stimulating ideas for entrepreneurs, researchers, influencers, philosophers, developers, and advocates of freedom g throughout the course of the three-day event.
Running parallel to the program on stage, the expo will also take place, showcasing over 100 companies focused on building Bitcoin infrastructure. These include providers of hardware and software wallets, mining tools, exchanges, or even beer taps connected to the Lightning Network.
Among the exhibitors there will be one exclusive guest – El Salvador. The Central American country, which made history two years ago as the first in the world to make Bitcoin the official national currency, is sending a government delegation to Prague to share their experience and review the implications of their groundbreaking decision at the crypto event of the year.
The BTC Prague organizers aim to appeal not only to seasoned Bitcoin enthusiasts but also to those who have some knowledge of Bitcoin yet are not fully immersed in it. Their ambition is to guide these individuals through the entire Bitcoin journey.
“In the current complex economic situation, when we all feel the effects of inflation, uncertainties surrounding the stability of banks or high interest rates, Bitcoin is proving to be a kind of lifeboat. It is certainly riskier today not to have it than to have it. Therefore, we want to focus heavily on newcomers, to make it easier for them to enter the Bitcoin world and practically show them how to do it,” says Martin Kuchař. Martin, a significant figure in the domestic Bitcoin scene, along with his brother Matyas, has been instrumental in organizing four successful annual Bitcoin events known as ChainCamp.
Maybe you’ve seen them bubbling up on your Instagram feed, those beer glasses full of milky white foam. Perhaps you’ve asked yourself, “But, where’s the beer?” Or, “What on earth is a ‘milktube?’”
Here’s everything you need to know about the mlíko pour, and why it should be the first thing you order when you can find it.
“Mlíko means ‘milk’ in Czech,” says Pilsner Urquell senior trade brewmaster Kamil Růžek. “It’s named because it’s a glass filled with wet beer foam, with a very small bit of beer at the bottom, so it really does look just like a glass of creamy milk.”
Růžek calls the mlíko “certainly the most extreme” of three classic Czech beer pours, which include the hladinka and the šnyt. The hladinka is about 75 percent beer, 25 percent foam; the šnyt is a little more foam than beer.
“For the perfect mlíko, the tap is opened only slightly, creating a beer foam to fill the glass with,” says Růžek. A small amount of the foam settles to become beer but otherwise, it’s a nice, creamy, dense pour.”
This also requires reversing what many see as the proper pouring order, explains Jen Blair, an advanced cicerone, National BCJP beer judge, and founder of Under the Jenfluence.
“In beer cultures such as the United States and England, the beer is poured first and then the foam is allowed to form on the top of the beer,” Blair says. “In Czech beer service utilizing a side pour faucet, however, the foam is poured first and then the beer is poured underneath the cap of foam.”
Růžek says the mlíko has been a tradition since 1842, originating as a dessert serve or “an elegant drink for women who weren’t big beer drinkers in … Czech pubs in the 19th and 20th centuries.”
How did the mlíko fall from its status of a traditional Pilsner Urquell pour to being largely forgotten by Czech drinkers as the 20th century carried on? “The Nazi occupation of Bohemia and Moravia definitely put a damper on the nature of Czech beer culture,” says Stein. Perhaps such a novelty began to feel superfluous.
Any small return the mlíkos made in the Czech Republic could be credited to Tomáš Karpíšek. The restaurant group founder opened a mini-chain of pubs around Prague called Lokal, and started serving mlíkos.
The Czech Republic is introducing a single ticket for rail travel from Prague to several Ukrainian cities such as Kharkiv, Poltava, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro.
As reported by VisitUkraine.today, a Ukrainian information portal for help, the move has been taken in cooperation with the Czech railway company RegioJet and the Ukrainian railway company Ukrzaliznytsia.
Such a decision intends to enable travellers from Ukraine to travel from Prague to these cities with a single ticket, regardless of connections and transfers.
A train night will also be available for passengers travelling from Prague to Przemysl. In addition, it is necessary that these passengers pass on Ukrzaliznytsia trains to their destination in Ukraine.
As for the price of a one-way ticket to the farthest point, which is Zaporizhzhia, it starts from €70.9. Meanwhile, tickets to Kharkiv range from €69.2, from Prague to Dnipro – €68, and from Prague to Poltava – €65.
In March last year, an additional free evacuation flight was organized by Ukrzaliznytsia and Czech Railways that allowed people to leave the Czech Republic and return to the Lviv region. Whereas, during June 2022, RegioJet launched a daily night train service from Prague to Przemysl, with a subsequent transfer to UZ trains in Lviv, Ternopil, Khmelnytsky, Vinnytsia and Kyiv.
Moreover, since the first year of operation of the Prague-Premierzl line, the company’s trains transported a total of 110,000 passengers.
In this regard, the director of rail transport at RegioJet, Jakub Svodoba, emphasised that this line would be able to offer an alternative to cars and buses on long routes.
According to him, the Directions included large cities located in the central and eastern parts of Ukraine. He also emphasised that for passengers, the possibility to use sleeping cars during the journey will be greatly appreciated, as this will provide them with the necessary comfort.
The train departing from Prague to Ukraine stops at the following stations:
- Prague
- Pardubice
- Olomouc
- Pig Island
- Islands
- Bogum
Last month, “Ukrzaliznytsia” successfully tested a flight from Lublin to Rava-Rusk on Eurorail and expects to expand the European track to Lviv in the future.
The same during March 2023 added another car on the popular route “Kyiv – Warsaw” and in the return direction. Besides, the Ukrzaliznytsia railway line also offered a convenient route to the Romanian city of Iasi, where the low-cost base of Wizz Air is located and is adapted for the Kiev – Chisinau flight.
Prague residents will have the unique opportunity to dine at a gigantic heart-shaped table surrounding the St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle on the evening of Monday, June 12.
The free event will run from 5:30 PM to 10:00 PM.
The table will be adorned with white tablecloths and vases filled with wildflowers. Residents are encouraged to bring their own food and dishes. No reservations are necessary.
The initiative was promoted by Ondřej Kobza, a well-known Prague entrepreneur who has undertaken various projects, such as installing outdoor pianos and renovating the Lucerna rooftop.
“We are organizing this event as a symbol of Prague Castle reopening its doors to the public, and as a representation of unity. Everyone is welcome. While people may not always agree with one another, they can still sit together at a communal table – a heart-shaped table, encircling the heart of our nation,” said the organizers.
- No registration is required. Attendees can choose any unoccupied seat. Organisers hope that people will take turns throughout the evening.
- Participants will have to bring food and utensils themselves.
- It would be ideal to bring reusable dishes and glasses in a picnic basket, which can be taken home after the meal.
- Public toilets are available within Prague Castle, although they are not free of charge.
- The table will start welcoming guests around 5:30 PM, and the last visitors must leave the Prague Castle grounds by 10:00 PM.
Additional information about the event can be found here.
The Festival of Microbreweries at Prague Castle is an annually event taking place in the beautiful premises of the Royal Garden of Prague Castle, on Střelecka cesta below the Royal Summer Palace.
Microbreweries are the waters of life and a modern phenomenon of brewing skills. Twenty-five years ago there only existed one microbrewery in the Czech Republic, the brewery U Fleků; today there are approximately one hundred and seventy.
The organiser is the Czech-Moravian Association of Microbreweries, which aims to present to the public the production of microbreweries from all over the Czech Republic.
The participation of 51 Czech and Moravian breweries has already been confirmed, as well as the participation of guests, which this year are breweries from Hungary.
The festival is unique in that it is a tasting event, where the aim is not to sell and drink as much as possible, but to taste and get to know the Czech beer culture. Brewers and owners of individual breweries will be at the taps to present their beers and breweries.
Participating breweries include favorites like Clock, Purkmistr, U Medvídků, Hoppy Dog, Joe’s Garage, Faltus, Permon, Kocour, and countless others.
The number of visitors is limited due to the location and security of Prague Castle, so 1200 tickets are available each festival day – some will be sold on the spot as well.
The price includes a catalog of microbreweries, a tasting glass and unlimited tasting.
You can find out more information about the event and breweries on Facebook
- More than 1,700 Czech churches will be accessible to the public during this year’s Night of the Open Churches, scheduled for the weekend of June 3 and 4. In Prague alone, it will be possible to visit 155 churches, temples and chapels.
- The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found violations of the Convention on Human Rights in four cases of complaints against the Czech Republic last year, related to the use of force by police, compensation for expropriation, and the legality of extradition detention, according to a report discussed by the cabinet yesterday.
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- As of today, retired and disabled pensioners will receive higher pensions. The average increase is 755 CZK, thanks to extraordinary indexation caused by high inflation that has affected the Czech Republic over the last two years.
- Prague has ranked 5th among the most sought-after places for congresses, surpassing Madrid, Berlin, Brussels, and London. Last year, almost 4,000 events were held in the capital, with over 600,000 delegates attending. Although these numbers still do not match pre-COVID years, Prague returned to about 2014 levels in terms of the number of delegates and events.
- There is continued high demand for solar panel systems in Czechia, providers have told the Czech News Agency. Energy company ČEZ Prodej said it had installed over 2,000 by the end of this month, which represented a rise of 50 percent year-on-year. E.ON said it had recorded five-fold growth in sales of solar panel systems.
The Czech parliament’s upper house approved a bill on Wednesday that will set the state’s minimum defence spending at 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) from next year, matching its commitment to the NATO military alliance.
European countries have ramped up their defence expenditure since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which had turned up pressure on member states that had not been meeting spending commitments.
Czech defence spending is planned at 1.52% of GDP in 2023 but should rise to above 2% next year once the president signs the bill into law, expected in the coming weeks.
Last week Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s centre-right government approved a plan to buy 246 infantry fighting vehicles CV90 for the Czech army for 59.7 billion crowns ($2.81 billion), or an amount equal to 0.7% of GDP forecast for 2024.
Prague is also in talks with the United States on the possible purchase of F-35 fighter jets, while the defence ministry plans to buy around 70 Leopard 2A8 tanks from Germany.