Only 29 percent of people aged 25 to 64 in Czechia have completed higher education, according to the latest data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The figures highlight a persistent difference in the country’s education profile compared with other developed economies. While university-level education remains less common in Czechia, upper secondary education is far more widespread. Around two-thirds of Czech adults have completed upper secondary education, compared with an OECD average of 39 percent. Vocational secondary education remains particularly common, although its share is gradually declining, as younger generations attain higher levels of education. The change is most visible when comparing age groups. Vocational secondary education is the highest level of education for around 70 percent of Czech residents aged 55 to 64. Among people aged 25 to 34, the figure has fallen to 52 percent. Across the OECD, the proportion of younger adults completing higher education has continued to increase. Czechia, however, is also facing a less positive trend at the lower end of the education scale. Among 25- to 34-year-olds, the share of people who have not completed upper secondary education increased from 6 percent in 2015 to 7 percent in 2025. The trend is...
A growing number of Czech parents are unable to cover the cost of school lunches for their children. The non-profit initiative Lunches for Children (Obědy pro děti), run by Women for Women, cites divorce, job loss, or serious illness as the primary causes driving families to apply for help. Even state food subsidies are proving insufficient. At the start of this school year, demand for support is especially steep. Between January and September, the program aided nearly 16,000 pupils through cooperation with more than 1,150 schools and cafeterias nationwide. Participation rose by about 15 percent compared with the same period last year, with sharp increases in Prague and the Ústí nad Labem region. A typical lunch costs 30–50 crowns, but for older students, monthly totals can exceed 1,000 crowns. Under Women for Women’s rules, schools help identify children in need. Class teachers, principals, and canteen managers evaluate applications based on factors such as low income, single-parent status, or sudden financial crisis. Schools apply on behalf of families; funding is granted under donation agreements and routed directly to the schools (not to parents). The heaviest wave of applications arrives each September, when the new school year begins. In more strained regions,...
The Prague Post has launched a digital archive marking 35 years since the publication of its first issue. October 1, 2026, marks the 35th anniversary of the newspaper’s debut. Founded in 1991, The Prague Post was Czechoslovakia’s longest-running English-language weekly newspaper. The newly launched archive begins with that very first issue, which is available to read in full, browse online and search by text. A new issue will be added each week, corresponding to the same week 35 years earlier. The project will allow readers to follow the political, social and cultural changes of the early 1990s through the newspaper’s coverage, much as readers did at the time. The Prague Post Archive is also active on Facebook and Instagram, where updates about newly digitized issues and the project will be shared. The archive is administered by Modrá sova z.s., a nonprofit English-language library and learning center in Loužnice, where The Prague Post’s physical archives are housed. Issues published between 1991 and 1994 have already been scanned and processed. Around two decades of additional issues remain to be digitized, making the project a long-term and costly undertaking. Modrá sova has independently funded the digitization work since the project began and is...
Václav Havel was one of the defining figures of modern Czech history. Playwright, writer, dissident, political prisoner and, ultimately, the last president of Czechoslovakia and the first president of the Czech Republic, his life reflected some of the country’s most dramatic changes of the 20th century. Born into a prominent Prague family, Havel experienced both privilege and political persecution. He became one of the leading voices of the opposition to communist rule and played a central role in the Velvet Revolution of 1989. On October 5th, 2026, Havel would have turned 90. Here is a look at his life, political career and some of the places in Prague and beyond connected to him. From a privileged Prague family to a banned writer Havel was born in Prague on October 5, 1936, into a wealthy and well-connected family. His uncle, Miloš Havel, founded Barrandov Studios, while his grandfather was involved in construction and real estate. His family’s position changed dramatically after the Communist Party took power in Czechoslovakia in 1948. Their property was confiscated, and Havel faced restrictions on his education and career because of his family background. During the political liberalisation of the 1960s, Havel became increasingly involved in Prague’s...
A Czech experiment in which homeless people received CZK 100,000 with no conditions attached suggests that early financial support can reduce some of the costs associated with homelessness. The project, known as New Leaf, was carried out by the Czech organization Neposeda in cooperation with researchers from Charles University. The findings indicate that the state spends an average of about CZK 200,000 a year on each person experiencing homelessness, with healthcare, social services and police work accounting for a significant share of the total. The researchers concluded that leaving people without support can ultimately be more expensive for public finances than providing targeted assistance. How the New Leaf experiment worked The project ran from summer 2024 until the end of 2025 and was inspired by a similar initiative in Canada. Researchers focused on people who had been living on the streets for no more than two and a half years. The aim was to examine whether intervention at an earlier stage of homelessness could prevent longer-term problems. Participants were divided into several groups. Forty people received CZK 100,000 without restrictions on how the money could be used. Another 20 were offered the support of a personal social worker instead, while...
Home baking is gaining momentum in the Czech Republic, with online supermarket Rohlik.cz reporting a sharp increase in demand for baking ingredients this year. Flour has been at the center of the trend. Sales of organic flour have risen by almost 72 percent compared with the previous year, while conventional flour sales increased by around 23 percent. The change has also affected the balance of sales. Organic flour previously accounted for about 19 percent of flour purchases at Rohlik.cz. That figure has now climbed to almost 25 percent. The figures suggest that customers are not simply buying more flour but are also paying greater attention to the type and quality of the ingredients they use. Rohlik.cz CEO Miroslava Vopatová says baking continues to play a role in family life, particularly as an activity shared across generations. The supermarket has responded by offering products at different price points, from private-label options to organic and farm-produced ingredients. Yeast sales tell a different story The increase in demand for flour has not been mirrored by yeast. Sales of yeast have been gradually falling since the surge in home baking during the coronavirus pandemic. One shift remains noticeable, however: shoppers are increasingly choosing fresh...
Bolt and U.S. electric vehicle maker Lucid Group have announced a partnership to develop autonomous mobility services in Europe, with plans to deploy more than 25,000 fully autonomous vehicles across European cities over the coming years. The vehicles will be based on Lucid’s upcoming Midsize platform and use NVIDIA Hyperion, a reference architecture and development platform for autonomous vehicles. The companies plan to develop the vehicles for SAE Level 4 autonomous driving, which allows vehicles to operate without human control within defined conditions. Bolt says the project is part of its wider ambition to have 100,000 autonomous vehicles operating on its platform by 2035. The companies will work together from the early stages of vehicle development. Bolt will contribute traffic and mobility data, operational experience and knowledge of European markets, while Lucid will provide its software-defined vehicle platform and automotive technology. Bolt will also define requirements covering the vehicle, software, safety and passenger experience. Its autonomous driving division will oversee the partnership and develop the infrastructure needed to operate the fleet. This will include vehicle dispatch, charging, maintenance, remote assistance and customer support. Bolt also plans to own and operate the autonomous vehicles itself. Rollout will depend on local regulations...
September 28 is a public holiday in the Czech Republic, marking Czech Statehood Day and the feast of St. Wenceslas. This year, the holiday falls on a Monday, giving many people a three-day weekend. For anyone planning to spend the day in Prague, however, there are two practical questions: which shops will be open, and what can you do around the city? Where you can shop on September 28 Under Czech legislation regulating retail opening hours, shops with a sales area of more than 200 square meters must close on September 28. The restriction applies throughout the day and covers large supermarkets, hypermarkets and home improvement stores. Smaller shops with sales areas of up to 200 square meters are exempt and can open at their owners’ discretion. Petrol stations and pharmacies can also operate. Other exceptions include shops located at airports, railway stations and bus terminals, as well as retail outlets inside healthcare facilities. Why September 28 is Czech Statehood Day The holiday commemorates Prince Wenceslas, a member of the Přemyslid dynasty who became one of the central figures in Czech history. Wenceslas was killed by his brother Boleslav I on September 28, 935, in Stará Boleslav. His death later...
Reaching the Client Centre for residence-related questions in Czechia requires patience. More than 2,000 calls are received every day, so some waiting time is unavoidable. However, you can significantly reduce your waiting time by calling during less busy hours, which are published through the authority’s official channels. It is also worth having your identification document number ready before calling. This can speed up the process, particularly if you are calling to book an appointment. Those who do not want to wait on the phone can use other ways to get in touch. Answers to many common questions are available in the Frequently Asked Questions section of the Information Portal for Foreigners (ipc.gov.cz). If your matter is not urgent or your question is more complicated, you can also contact the centre by email at [email protected]. The current status of your application can be checked online using the dedicated service on the same portal. When it comes to appointments, most bookings can be made through your personal account on the Information Portal for Foreigners. You only need to book by phone in three cases: to provide biometric data, to inspect your case file, or to collect a residence card as an...
A judge at Moscow’s Tverskoy District Court sentenced a Czech man to 13 days in jail on Tuesday for staging a protest on Red Square. Identified as Michal Plamenek, the man was arrested for holding up a sign in English next to Lenin’s Mausoleum on Sunday afternoon, the court’s press service said in a statement. No details were provided as to what was written on Plamenek’s sign, but the court press service said a judge ruled that the inscription was “aimed at discrediting the Russian Armed Forces.” Police officers arrested Plamenek because Red Square directly adjoins the Kremlin, where protests are banned. He allegedly refused to listen to a request by officers to accompany them to a police station and resisted arrest. A judge found Plamenek guilty on three separate administrative counts of discrediting the Russian military, violating protest rules and disobeying a police officer. He was also fined a total of 60,000 roubles, around CZK 15,000. The Czech Foreign Ministry said its embassy in Moscow has been providing the detained man with consular assistance from the outset. It declined to comment further because of the sensitivity of the case. Promote your business to thousands of expats in Prague Find...
District heating plants across the Czech Republic are beginning to supply heat as temperatures drop, with conditions for the start of the heating season now being met in much of the country. Some plants have already begun providing additional heat during the colder morning and evening hours. The first systems to respond were mainly in mountainous parts of northern and western Czechia and in the Vysočina region. Other heating plants are expected to gradually start operating in the coming days, depending on local temperatures and weather forecasts. Since 2010, district heating systems have generally started supplying heat after September 20, although the exact timing varies considerably from year to year. If temperatures rise again in late September or early October, heating can be suspended. Under the standard rules, heating is normally interrupted when the average outdoor temperature exceeds 13°C for two consecutive days and the forecast indicates that temperatures will continue to rise. Last winter was colder than average The previous heating season placed greater demands on heating systems than the years immediately before it. According to figures from the Czech District Heating Association, the season was 4.9 percent colder than the previous year. It was also 3.2 percent colder...
EU citizens living in Czechia can vote in the country’s municipal elections this October, but those who are not already registered will need to take action before election day. The elections will take place on October 9 and 10, with voters in Prague choosing representatives for both the Prague City Assembly and their local municipal district. EU citizens aged 18 or over who have permanent or registered temporary residence in Czechia can vote in municipal elections. However, they must be registered in the relevant electoral register. Registering to vote The deadline for registration is October 7, but the civic initiative Volby pro všechny recommends registering as soon as possible. Its EU Voter Registration Tool generates the necessary application form and explains how to submit it to the relevant municipal or district office. Registering early also means voters should receive their ballot papers at home before election day, giving them time to understand the unfamiliar Czech voting system. Those who register closer to the deadline will receive their ballots at the polling station. There is also an important option for those who miss the registration deadline. According to Volby pro všechny, EU citizens will have a special possibility this year to...
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