Prague’s beloved short trams are set to become a rarity as the city embarks on a major tram fleet upgrade.

The recent order of 40 Škoda ForCity Plus 52T trams, with an option for 160 more, marks a significant step towards a complete generational renewal.

While these modern trams boast improved comfort and accessibility, they also spell the end of the era of classic solo cars like the Škoda 14T and the iconic T3 design.

Jan Šurovský, Prague’s transport company’s technical director for surface transport, explains that the new trams won’t come in a shorter version due to various reasons.

Instead, the need for shorter trams on less busy lines will be addressed by modernizing the existing T3 trams for night operation.

This modernization project involves purchasing 65 more facelifted cars for the existing fleet, with each tram costing around CZK 10 million.

The new Škoda ForCity Plus trams also address the long-standing issue of track wear and tear caused by older tram designs.

Unlike the 14T trams with their unique wheel design and higher axle load, the 52T features conventional swivel bogies at the edges and non-rotating bogies in the middle, offering a more sustainable solution for Prague’s track infrastructure.

One notable feature missing from the new trams is air conditioning, which was initially planned for the first series of Škoda 15T trams delivered in the last decade.

However, due to unresolved contractual issues and the lack of a clear cost-benefit analysis, adding air conditioning to these trams remains uncertain.

The first Škoda ForCity Plus 52T trams are expected to arrive in Prague within a year for testing and homologation purposes. If all goes well, passengers can expect to see them rolling on the city’s streets soon after.

This generational shift in Prague’s tram fleet means not only an upgrade in technology and passenger comfort but also a farewell to a part of the city’s identity.

While the classic trams may be fading away, they leave behind a legacy of charm and nostalgia that will continue to hold a special place in the hearts of Praguers and visitors alike.

On Wednesday 7 February 2024, a regular test of the sirens’ functionality took place throughout the Czech Republic.

On the first Wednesday of each month, at 12:00, sirens sound, emitting an uninterrupted tone test for 140 seconds.

History of the Warning System

The emergency warning system was put in place, not just in Prague, but all of Czechoslovakia (when it was still Czechoslovakia) during World War II. The sirens aim to protect citizens by ensuring that they will be notified of imminent or incurred danger.

At the time and during the Cold War, it was meant to warn citizens of activities that could endanger the lives of locals. Just little things like bombs, air raids, enemy gunfire on the streets, Nazi occupation, Russian invasions… you know the things that happen in a country when war is outside your door and not on TV.

This is the text in Czech and English:

Zkouška sirén, zkouška sirén, zkouška sirén. Za několik minut proběhne zkouška sirén. Zkouška sirén, zkouška sirén, zkouška sirén.“

„Test of sirens, test of sirens, test of sirens. Test of sirens will continue within several minutes. Test of sirens, test of sirens, test of sirens.“

Prague’s Emergency Sirens in Daily Life

Though seemingly archaic, the Czech Republic still uses these emergency sirens. The sirens go off in the event of a major disaster like an earthquake, a chemical plant accident, or other life-threatening incidents like war.

What does it sound like and when will you hear it?

The warning signal is a 140-second wailing tone. The sirens are emitted from hundreds of speakers that are scattered throughout the city.

What if you hear them at other times?

The emergency sirens can also be used to call firefighters. But in those cases, the tone will be interrupted at 25-second intervals or will last for only a minute. In rare cases like these, the signal is not meant to warn citizens at all, but to mobilize the firefighters in the area.

On February 1, 2024, the first flight of a new charter route from Prague to Abu Dhabi took off at 10:20 from Václav Havel Airport.

Operated by Smartwings with a Boeing 737 MAX, the route is for Der Touristik group, encompassing travel agencies Fischer and Exim Tours. The weekly flights to the United Arab Emirates capital will run until early May.

The UAE is a popular destination for Czech travelers, with over 100,000 passengers using the connection last year.

Der Touristik considers Abu Dhabi, known for its safety and attractions like the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and entertainment parks, a valuable addition to Prague’s airport offerings.

“The United Arab Emirates has long been very popular with Czech passengers: last year more than 100,000 people used the air service between the UAE and Prague. The new connection with the country’s capital will expand the offer to another interesting destination from our airport,” said Jaroslav Filip, spokesman for Prague Air Harbour.

The flight duration will be about 7 hours.

It is not possible to buy tickets for the flight. They are available only as part of FISCHER or Exim Tours packages.

It should be noted that today direct scheduled flights between Prague and the UAE are operated by Emirates, Smartwings and flydubai.

All of them fly to Dubai. In turn, FISCHER Tours also offers charter flights to the emirate of Ras al-Khaimah. Now Abu Dhabi has been added to these destinations.

Researchers have revealed where and where not to visit if safety and peace are your top priorities, with this year’s publication of the Global Peace Index (GPI).

This 17th edition of the index reveals, depressingly, that overall world peacefulness has declined by just under half a percent, which may not seem much but fits in with a 15-year downward trend.

How is it measured?

The Institute for Economics and Peace uses both qualitative and quantitative criteria in the GPI, a whole 23 of them, and looks at 163 independent states and territories comprising 99.7 per cent of the world’s population.

Three main areas are taken into consideration: how safe and secure society is; ongoing domestic and international conflict levels; and to what extent the country in question is militarising.

 

Global Peace Index 2023: The average level of global peacefulness deteriorated for the ninth consecutive year, with 84 countries recording an improvement and 79 a deterioration pic.twitter.com/ZfVmUIj1hU

— IEP Global Peace Index (@GlobPeaceIndex) November 22, 2023

 

The Czech Republic has been ranked 12th in the Global Peace Index 2023. Despite a slight drop of five places over the past twelve months, the country still maintains its position among the most peaceful nations.

The most peaceful countries in the world 2023

1. Iceland
2. Denmark
3. Ireland
4. New Zealand
5. Austria
6. Singapore
7. Portugal
8. Slovenia
9. Japan
10. Switzerland

The most dangerous countries in the world 2023

1. Afghanistan
2. Yemen
3. Syria
4. South Sudan
5. Democratic Republic of the Congo
6. Russia
7. Ukraine
8. Somalia
9. Sudan
10. Iraq

Step aside Big Ben, Grand Central Clock, and assorted Rolex products: there’s a new chronographic monarch in town. Actually, it’s a far older timepiece dating back to 1410 on the Town Hall in Prague.

This makes it the 600-year-old, undisputed title-holder of “Coolest Clock in the History of Ever.” “Elegant, sumptuous aesthetics meets timeless timekeeping mastery,” the ad might read.

Prague’s Astronomical Clock, more properly the “Orloj”, is a stunning engineering marvel. From the outside, it looks like a color-coded, multi-layered, brightly painted clock-face of golden whorls and arcane symbolism.

Inside, it’s a brain-bustlingly convoluted mechanism of endlessly churning weights, pulleys, ropes, and gears.

As a multifunctional medieval astrolabe, it tracks “Old Czech Time” (from when the sun sets) using ancient Gothic numerals, the Sun’s intersection with zodiacal signs using Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.), and “sidereal” hours using Roman numerals (our actual, uncorrected “day” of 23 hours, 56 minutes).

It also depicts the phases of the moon, when the sun reaches its zenith above the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, the entire calendar year, and much more.

Every hour from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (except for Mondays), tourists can gawk at a procession of moving wooden figures that parade through and without the Orloj.

We’ve got four allegorical entities, Vanity, Greed, Death, and Extravagance, and “The Walk of the Apostles,” featuring all 12. We’d totally crowdfund a wrist-based version if anyone’s up to the task.

A 600-year-old art-and-engineering project

The Orloj isn’t the world’s only astronomical clock, but it tends to get the most attention for its undeniable complexity, gorgeous artistry, and ornamental features like the moving figures of the 12 apostles.

Frankensaurus lists a whole bunch of astronomical clocks in cities through France, England, Sweden, Poland, and more. Many of them date back to Europe’s Late Medieval period starting roundabouts 1250-1300 CE.

To survive to the present, the Orloj had to endure quite a bit of punishment, tinkering, and upgrades. As Barcelo states, the original astrolabe dates back to 1410, the by-product of the team effort of Mikuláš of Kadaň, a clockmaker, and Jan Sindel, professor of Astronomy at Charles University in Prague. Century by century, the Orloj had components added to it.

It malfunctioned in 1552 and had to undergo maintenance, had some moving parts added in the 17th century, and the apostles added in 1865. Czech painter Josef Mánes (1820-1871) was responsible for adding the clock’s “twelve medallions,” such as its four lower figures: the philosopher, angel, astronomer, and chronicler.

In 1945, Prague’s Old Town was incinerated by spiteful, rampaging Nazis as soon as they realized they were going to lose World War II. Certain Orloj features, like its wooden figures, had to be completely remade. The current reconstructed clock was revealed in 1948. Since then, the Orloj, Prague’s Town Hall, and Prague itself have thankfully avoided any disasters or depredations.

An hourly show of saints, skeletons, and roosters

When the hour strikes, little doors on the top of the entire apparatus open up and show the twelve apostles shuffling in a procession, heads down.

At the same time, Death the skeleton rings a bell, while the mandolin-playing guy next to him, Extravagance, bobs his head to some unknown tune.

On the other side, Greed waggles his cane and money-bag around, while Vanity on the far left admires himself in a mirror. At the end, a golden rooster at the top (added around 1865) crows, which we assume is an allusion to the Biblical story of Peter denying Jesus. Then the tower’s actual bell gongs.

The bottom, less-dynamic face marks the individual days, as well as each saint’s feast day. It also depicts the passing of the four seasons, the 12 signs of the zodiac, and has the philosopher, angel, astronomer, and chronicler figures next to it.

 

Lawmakers in the lower house of the Czech Parliament agreed Thursday to lift former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš immunity from prosecution in a fraud case involving European Union subsidies.

The approval allows prosecutors to decide whether Babis should be indicted for his alleged involvement in the $2-million fraud. Czech police have repeatedly recommended Babiš’ indictment.

It wasn’t immediately clear when prosecutors would complete their review of the case. Babiš denies any wrongdoing and has said the allegations against him were politically motivated.

“Even though the charges are purpose-built, I’m not opposing the move when it comes to facts,” said Babiš.

The allegations involve a farm that received EU subsidies after its ownership was transferred from the Babiš-owned Agrofert conglomerate of around 250 companies to Babiš’ family members. Later, Agrofert again took ownership of the farm.

The subsidies were meant for medium- and small-sized businesses and Agrofert wouldn’t have been eligible for them.

Lawmakers twice before lifted Babiš’ immunity from prosecution in the case. The prosecutors had to ask them to do it again following October’s parliamentary election.