Shannon Stack, Author at Prague Morning

Prague is now the fourth richest region in the European Union by GDP per capita, ahead of cities like Brussels, Paris, and Berlin.

“Prague holds the number four spot in the EU regional ranking for 2022, based on GDP per capita,” confirmed Petr Dufek, chief economist at Bank Creditas.

While two Irish regions and Luxembourg currently hold the top positions, Dufek highlighted the stark contrast between Prague’s prosperity and the rest of the Czech Republic, with the capital boasting more than double the national GDP per capita.

“Prague’s success stems in part from hosting the headquarters of many major companies,” explained Dufek.

However, a concerning disparity is emerging within the country. “Over the past nine years, GDP per capita has grown significantly faster in Prague than in other regions, widening the gap,” he noted.

For further perspective, Dufek compared Prague to its neighbor, Berlin. “In terms of purchasing power parity, Berlin’s GDP per capita is only 60% of Prague’s, while Germany as a whole remains 30% wealthier than the Czech Republic.”

Bratislava

“In 2013, Bratislava surpassed Prague,” Dufek revealed. “But the latest data paints a different picture, with Bratislava now trailing at 71% of Prague’s level. Its GDP per capita has witnessed a meager 2% increase over the past nine years, whereas Prague’s skyrocketed by 48% in the same period.”

“This aligns with a wider trend,” stated Dufek. “The Czech Republic is gradually distancing itself from Slovakia economically. While Slovakia enjoyed 92% of the Czech Republic’s GDP per capita in 2012, this figure had plummeted to just 80% by 2022.”

However, Dufek cautions against misinterpreting the GDP as a direct measure of living standards.

“The rise in GDP could reflect growth in corporate profitability rather than necessarily leading to an improved standard of living for residents,” he clarified. Nevertheless, the data unveils significant regional disparities within countries, potentially informing future economic policy directions.

Transport Prague testing holograms in the metro In Prague’s metro on Line A, new light effects have sparked discussions among passengers.

This innovation was not announced beforehand and was first noticed on the Line A.

It looks like that synchronized LED panels have been installed in the tunnel. They switch on when the train travels at a speed of at least 40 km/h.

Daniel Šabik, the official representative of the Transport Company of Prague, confirmed that the system has been adjusted and tested for the last few weeks.

However, he did not specify its intended purpose. He mentioned that the company will soon release a press statement with all the details.

Při jízdě metrem mi spadla brada. Na Bořislavce testují v tunelu hologramy. Budoucnost je tady! #prague #metro pic.twitter.com/fCT7xBJYee

— Pozdní Adam (@pozdni_adam) October 30, 2023

Social media users suggested that this could be a new form of underground advertising. However, there is no confirmation of this speculation.

Users on social media shared their opinions, with one user expressing excitement about the potential holograms, while others believe it’s a well-synchronized LED panel.

Some passengers found the flickering lights annoying, while others found it amusing. A press release is expected soon.

Consumer prices increased by 8.5% year-on-year and by 0.2% month-on-month in August, the Czech Statistical Office (CZSO) reported.

Czechia’s inflation remained the 9^th highest in Europe, and local analysts expect the easing of inflation to continue only at a slower pace, prompting the Czech National Bank to take no action in its dovish interest rates policy at its upcoming September board meeting.

August y-o-y inflation is 0.3 percentage points down on July, when inflation eased to 8.8% from 9.7% in June. CZSO highlighted that the m-o-m development came mainly due to higher prices in the transport section.

“Fuel prices had the most significant influence on the development of consumer prices in August. They have already grown for three consecutive months,” Pavla Sediva of CZSO commented.

Sediva added that “diesel was sold at petrol stations for around CZK37.40 per litre on average,” which is the highest value since January. Petrol Natural 95 price of CZK39.50 per litre is the highest since November of last year.

In m-o-m terms, fuel prices and lubricants from personal transport equipment grew by 7.7%. Food and non-alcoholic beverages decrease in prices by 6.7% also contributed significantly to the m-o-m development, with potatoes down by 13.3%, eggs by 6.6%, and semi-skimmed milk by 3.3%.

Y-o-y price growth was registered in most sections. In the food and non-alcoholic beverages section, meat prices increased by 2.7% (+3.2% in July), yoghurts by 5.7% (+7.4%), cheese and curd by 2.4% (+5.6%), eggs by 16.9% (+28.2%), and vegetables by 24.5% (28.9%).

The most significant influence on the y-o-y growth came from the section housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels. There, prices of actual rentals increased by 7.6%, water supply by 16.3%, sewage collection by 26.9%, electricity by 23.1%, natural gas by 34.5%, solid fuels by 22.4% and heat and hot water by 37.3%.

Head analyst at Cyrrus Consulting, Vit Hradil, told Czech Television (CT) that given the August figures, he does not expect the CNB to lower the 7% interest rates, where these have remained since the appointment of the current governor, Ales Michl, last summer.

“Unless there will be a stark surprise, the first lowering can be expected in November,” Hradil was quoted as saying by CT.

Petr Zahradnik, economist at Ceska sporitelna, Erste’s Czech branch, and a member of the government NERV advisory body, expects an easing of inflation pressure on household consumption and a revival of the stagnating economy only in 2024.

There is no exaggeration that Prague has the only one café in the world built in the cubist style.

Cubism used to be a popular style of painting at the beginning of the 20th Century, but in Prague, it finds its popularity also in architecture.

Once you enter the cubistic House of the Black Madonna, see the stairs in the shape of the light bulb and enter the unique Grand Café Orient on the first floor.

What is unique about this place is the interior. Grand Café Orient is the only café designed in cubism. You might find numerous cafés in similar styles such as Art Deco and Art Nouveau, but the cubist style café is the only one.

In 1912, young architect Josef Gočár designed the whole building together with light bulb stairs and café on the first floor. Because of the small sculpture in the corner, it is well known as the House of the Black Madonna.

Unfortunately, the café was open only for several years and then closed because the cubism was not modern anymore.

The café reopened in 2005 after extensive renovations according to the original photographs of interiors, so the cubist style is still visible from the door handle, furniture, and lightning to the hangers on the wall.

It is not a coincidence that Grand Café Orient was selected among seven the most beautiful cafés of Europe by magazine Focus.

Grand Cafe Orient

The Menu of Grand Café Orient

Cubism and the spirit of history are not visible only in design but also in the menu itself. One of the most famous desserts in the Czech Republic is called “věneček” and has a round shape. However, in a proper cubist café it gained a square form.

Choice of cakes is just tempting, especially if you know that all of them are produced as homemade. You can choose from a variety of typical Czech cakes such as honey cake (medový dort) or fruitcakes to Viennese Sacher cake, apple strudel and many more.

The local specialties are Grand Café Orient cake with chocolate and mint or chocolate fondant in marzipan, served with dry prunes marinated in Port vine.

If you are not up to the desserts, there is also an excellent choice of sweet and salty dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Grand Cafe Orient

Unique Cubist House

Take an opportunity being in the only cubist house in the world and visit the Cubist museum. You will find a permanent exhibition of Czech cubism as well as temporary exhibitions spread around four different floors.

Enjoy the spirit of the one hundred years old history, because you won’t find a similar one anywhere else in the world.

Grand Cafe Orient

Grand Cafe Orient stairs

This week the Czech Republic’s government declared a state of emergency following the invasion of Ukraine.

The Foreign Office has said that the state of emergency is a “technical move to allow the release of extra funds and prioritize refugee processing” and will not impact citizens or visitors.

Alongside the rest of Europe, the Czech Republic is working hard to accommodate refugees with an estimated 5,000 arriving daily.

Katarina Hobbs, CzechTourism’s UK and Ireland Director said: “The heart of Europe, the Czech Republic, has recently declared a state of emergency in order to access additional budgets to support incoming refugees from Ukraine. We would like to reassure travelers that tourism is continuing as usual and, as always, we invite everyone to experience our beautiful country”.

CzechTourism partners with Jet2 for the spring campaign

Throughout March and April, Jet2 will be running a marketing campaign promoting city break holidays to Prague and the surrounding regions. The campaign will be focused on passengers who have previously booked city break getaways via Jet2holidays but have yet to visit Prague.

Throughout the year, CzechTourism will be inviting journalists to experience the country’s unique offering, from the opening of spa season in spring and outdoor active adventures in summer to Christmas markets in the winter and much more in between.

Czech Travel Trade Day returns for 2022

After a two-year break, the Czech Republic Travel Trade Day is back, taking place on the 23rd and 24th of May in Karlovy Vary.

The event is a platform for business negotiations between Czech entrepreneurs, regions and other entities active in the field of tourism with international buyers. There will be a large B2B workshop with Czech partners and a pre-workshop FAM trip.

Get a taste of the Czech Republic at the National Geographic Traveller Food Festival

CzechTourism will be exhibiting at the NGT Food Festival on the 16th and 17th of July. The festival will take place at the Business Design Centre in London and visitors will be able to taste delicious, traditional Czech cuisine. Get ready to discover travel inspiration through culinary delights.

Brno to host Traverse 2022 Conference – The largest influencer event in Europe

Preparations are well underway for Brno to host the 9th edition of the Traverse Conference. The Traverse Conference is an educational platform for the online community.

Dozens of seminars and presentations on online marketing and content creation will take place over the conference. Each year, the Traverse Conference attracts hundreds of digital content creators from around the world. Traverse 22, will take place from the 13th – 18th September 2022.

On Saturday, February 22nd in 1998 all people from the Czech republic were watching an early morning gold medal game – the final Czech republic against team Russia.

Czech TV speaker Robert Zaruba was opening the golden gate and screamed on air: ” We are Olympic champions! Rewrite the history – the Czech republic won the Olympic Games.”

The 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano were the first games that the NHL allowed their players to participate in. The result featured the best hockey talent that the world had to offer at the time.

The Czech Republic had a number of those players, including the legendary Jaromír Jágr, Hall of Fame goaltender Dominik Hašek, Martin Ručinský, and defenseman Petr Svoboda, the first Czech to play 1000 games in the NHL.

And while the USA and Canada – who had previously faced off in the 1996 World Cup – were the heavy favorites to win, the Czech team stunned the world by beating both of them and then topping Russia in the gold medal final to become only the 7th country ever to win a gold medal in ice hockey, just five years after the nation had been founded

An incredible performance by goalkeeper Dominik Hašek coupled with Petr Svoboda’s lone goal midway through the third period (in his first appearance with the national team at a senior level) handed the Czechs a historic victory.

The following day, a victorious parade with the team drew hundreds of thousands of people in the streets of Prague to celebrate the victory. In the minds of many older Czechs, the memory of Czechoslovakia’s victory against the Soviet Union at the 1969 World Championship, less than a year after the crushing of the Prague Spring, was not too far away.

The story of Czech team’s dramatic win at Nagano is recounted in The Nagano Tapes, produced by Frank Marshall and directed by Czech filmmaker Ondřej Hudeček.

Most people remember where they were at the time of Nagano,” Hudeček said. “We are better able to recall moments that were highly emotional for us. I was ten and was at my grandparents on the Sunday morning. I woke up a bit late for the match and missed a few minutes. I was annoyed.

Last November, the capital city’s long battle over Pražská tržnice’s ownership proved the municipality victorious, meaning the future of the behemoth market and its accompanying grounds now lay in the hands of the city. What the metropolis decided to do with the industrial-compound-turned-marketplace will determine its future place and function in the city.

The market complex, a former slaughterhouse, is nestled between the Vltava river and Holešovice, a young and hip neighborhood marked with museums and artistic spaces. This advantageous location provides Pražská tržnice with an enormous amount of untapped potential. Currently overgrown with weeds and passed over by most, the market grounds could serve as a bridge between the new and old Prague, inhabiting the space of both an evolving marketplace and creative cultural center.

Pražská tržnice’s stalls. Photo courtesy of Facebook.

Slowly, the grounds are tapping into this potential. In April 2019, seven months before the courts came to their conclusion in the case against the former renters of the market, Delta Center, the city of Prague, led by Deputy Mayor Pavel Vyhnánek, began implementing changes to the landscape of the former slaughterhouse and current mish-mosh of markets, retailers, and restaurants. The first things to go were the dilapidated DIY market stalls located between the permanent art-nouveau and neo-renaissance halls. Now, the stalls are all but a memory, with out-door furniture resting in their former places, a nod to the future of the market grounds as a meeting space.

The destruction of food and market stalls is but a small step to a major revitalization project taken on by the city. Currently, an extensive study on the famous market is underway, however, until this study has reached a conclusion the city hopes to host pop up “activities and events,” in hopes of keeping Prague’s residents interested in the revitalization of the grounds.

Deputy Mayor Pavel Vyhnánek hopes to maintain a “healthy mix” of sectors within Pražská tržnice, namely spaces representing retail, food, and culture.

While the study of the grounds underway, the future of the historic complex is still up for grabs. Seeking a change in pace, the people of Prague, including Mayor Zdeněk Hřib, seem to be looking abroad for inspiration for the market grounds’ future reformation. In a November 2019 Facebook post, Mayor Hřib expressed interest in having Pražská tržnice’s future follow in the steps of London’s Borough Market, while simultaneously slamming Prague market’s “visual smog.”

Littered amongst the comments below the Mayor’s post lay suggestions from interested residents, most of which express agreement with the politician’s idea to look beyond the Czech Republic’s borders in order to develop a new and interesting space. Overcome with excitement and hope, many residents earnestly endorse the Mayor’s proposal of turning the Holešovice market into a distant cousin of London’s age-old Borough market. Others point to similar reconstructions and notable markets, like the Netherlands’ modern Markthal in Rotterdam and Spain’s Mercado de la Boqueria, as inspiration for the current reformation project.

Markthal in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

By only looking to the West, Prague and its residents have turned a blind eye to the successful reformation and revitalization of Tallinn, Estonia’s Telliskivi Creative City. Previously factory grounds built in the 1800s that originally manufactured railway infrastructure and machinery, the complex fell into disarray after Soviet occupation and subsequent freedom in the 1990s.

After privatization, construction started on the dilapidated grounds in 2007, with the large complex’s first tenant moving in during 2009.

Telliskivi Creative City

Intense growth and cultural outreach has marked Tallinn’s creative city in the last ten years. Popular restaurants, film festivals, ice cream shops, art installations, flea markets, a skatepark, and even a preschool have all lived amongst the archaic industrial structures.

Local business reaps the benefits of the hip facelift worn by the grounds. The former railway factory now hosts 250 companies’ headquarters, 30 retail stores, and a dozen restaurants, all of which employ more than 1,500 people together.

Telliskivi’s blueprint, one which has proven successful in the last decade, can serve as an example to Prague that investing in creative pursuits, as well as a local business, promotes the livelihoods and wellbeing of locals, while simultaneously bringing the space acclaim.

Rejuvenation underlines Prague’s industrial ruins. One mustn’t look further than Florence’s Manifesto Market, Prague 9’s Pragovka art district, or Karlin’s recent transformation. However, physical spaces in Prague have yet to blur the spatial lines between creative sectors. Culinary pursuits remain in Manifesto Market, far from the art district of Pragovka. Karlin and Prague 7’s art galleries remain pure, unwilling to mix and mingle with other creative pursuits.

Pražská tržnice, taking a note from Tallin’s Telliskivi should artfully combine and weave these sectors together, placing them amongst one another in the old halls on the former slaughterhouse’s grounds.

With the study determining Pražská tržnice’s spatial and cultural future still underway, the citizens of Prague can only dream and suggest what they want for the withering grounds nestled a stone’s throw away from the city’s historic center.