Hammering home the city of Ostrava’s transformation from an industrial coal and metal mining center in the 20th century to the modern metropolis it is today, CHYBIK + KRISTOF has revealed plans for the Czech Republic’s tallest building: Ostrava Tower. Subtly shaped like an X, the 56-story, the 235-meters-tall tower is the latest piece of urban infill for Ostrava, as industrial lots have given way to new residential and cultural buildings such as Steven Holl’s 2019 concert hall. Flaring at the base and pinnacle and cinched at the waist with a 90-degree turn between the top and bottom, each of the three points contains public spaces; a barrier-free ground floor to allow for a seamless transition for pedestrians from the plaza at base level and the local bus terminal, and a public bar, cafe, and restaurant with panoramic views of the city at the very top. In between those two terminuses will sit residential units, offices, a hotel, retail, and a “congress centre”. “Rethinking the typology of the skyscraper,” said architect Michal Kristof, co-founder of CHK, in the project’s announcement, “and its function to serve the public and activate the urban environment, one of our core missions was to create a positive social impact in the heart of...
If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to our new morning fix. State pensions will be increased in June in view of the high rate of inflation, the Czech government announced on Wednesday. Old-age and widows and widowers pensions, as well as benefits for the handicapped will go up by 8.2 percent. According to Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS), today’s government approved compensation for entrepreneurs. It will give up to CZK 5 billion from the budget. Four support programs will be available. The average mortgage rate in the Czech Republic climbed to 3.43 percent in January from 2.99 percent the previous month, the single biggest one-month jump since 2003. The mortgage rate could reach around 5.5 percent in the second half of 2022. The Czech Republic has registered over 3.4 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 since the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020 and the latest 100,000 new confirmed cases occurred over five days. The CEO of Czech Railways (ČD), Mr. Ivan Bednárik, has announced he will resign on February 28. He would not comment on his resignation, except to say that...
The 19th century, among many other innovations, saw the rise of the bicycle. Early models were not exactly ideal; the cycle had no pedals, and the cyclist had to push it with his feet while seated (women did not cycle in those days). 1858 was the year that pedals were added to the machine, creating an effective, if rough, ride for enthusiasts of the “velocipede”. In 1869 the iron wheels on velocipedes were replaced with wheels of solid rubber, and the term “bicycle” was used for the first time. On November 16, 1880, the Czech Velocipedists’ Association was established in a brewery in Smíchov. The young men who founded it were particularly fond of the bicycle known as the “penny farthing”, on which the front wheel is enormous, while the rear wheel is much smaller. This bicycle, also known as an “ordinary” or a “high wheeler”, gets its name from the penny and farthing coins in the United Kingdom; a side view of this cycle looks vaguely like a penny pulling a farthing behind it. The Czech Velocipedists’ Association was only the second such organization in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the first in Bohemia. The first outing of the...
Nostalgia for Czechs returns in the making of the new movie “Children of Nagano / Děti Nagana” which takes place when the Czech Republic won the historic gold medal against Russia in the 1998 Winter Olympics with their national ice-hockey team. Dan Pánek, filmmaker and director is creating a film which tells a tale of a young ice-hockey dreamer during this monumental time, which will bring back nostalgic memories to viewers. 1998 saw the Czech Republic win the gold medal against Russia in the ice-hockey Winter Olympics. The Czechs completed an astonishing run through the tournament with a thrilling 1-0 victory over Russia. Jubilant crowds turned central Prague into a massive street party on the day of victory as they hailed the national team’s historic Olympic gold medal. Dan explains how he remembers this historic win and how proud the Czech people were at this time. He explains “It was a crazy time. There was a sense of unity and proudness in the air. Everyone was proud to be Czech and wanted to celebrate this amazing win.” Since this triumph, people are disconnected from ice hockey and there is a lack of passion and unity for the sport. Dan wants...
If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to our new morning fix. Preventive PCR tests for COVID probably will stop being covered by the public health insurance system in Czechia as of March, unless a doctor or public health officer asked for it, Deputy Health Minister Josef Pavlovic (Pirates) told CTK today. Konsent and Amnesty International (AI) NGOs promoting human and women’s rights held a protest rally near the Czech Chamber of Deputies yesterday to call for a change in the legal definition of rape, arguing that sexual intercourse without consent should be considered as rape, too. The Czech Republic should see above-average temperatures in the coming weeks, expected to reach up to 15 degrees Celsius. The average day temperature should be above 8 degrees Celsius. Kofola group’s sales rose 7.5 percent yearly to CZK 6.636 billion last year. According to the preliminary results, EBITDA (operating profit before depreciation and amortization) rose 9.2 percent to CZK 1.125 billion, returning to the level before the coronavirus pandemic. Some 11.4 million tourists stayed in accommodation facilities in the Czech Republic in 2021, which represents a...
The first part of the American convoy, which will pass through the Czech Republic as part of the alliance exercise, will arrive in Rozvadov on Tuesday evening. In total, this week will see a total of six convoys carrying around 1,500 troops and 700 pieces of equipment pass through Czech territory. The forces are expected to return from Slovakia to Germany in the second half of March. The convoy will be divided into six parts and each of them will be subsequently divided into five smaller groups, which will travel along Czech motorways with a time gap for the sake of traffic flow. The first part is scheduled to arrive at the Rozvadov border crossing on Tuesday at 19:00, but in the past the soldiers have often faced delays. The vehicles are scheduled to take a technical break in Ostrov near Stříbro. In the morning they will arrive in Rančířov in the Jihlava region, where the Czech army has prepared a tent camp for them. After a rest, they will start their journey again in the evening. They will leave the Czech Republic at the Břeclav border crossing. Each part of the convoy will spend a maximum of 48 hours...
If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to our new morning fix. For the time being, Czech Airlines (ČSA) will not discontinue its flights from Prague to Kyiv. The carrier intends to continue monitoring the security situation in Ukraine and will react if it deteriorates. Some foreign carriers have canceled flights from European cities to Ukraine due to fears of a Russian invasion and the associated risk. The Czech Embassy in Kyiv and the Consulate in Lvov will continue to operate, the Czech Foreign Ministry announced on Monday after a crisis staff meeting where the current situation regarding the tensions on the Ukrainian-Russian border was discussed. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky has tested positive for Covid. He is in isolation and is working from home, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Lenka Do has said. He is currently replaced by his deputy, Mr. Martin Dvorak. The Czech Republic has registered over 3.4 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 since the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020 and the latest 100,000 new confirmed cases occurred over five days. Some 11.4 million tourists stayed in accommodation facilities in...
If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to our new morning fix. The obligation to wear respirators in public could be gradually lifted as of mid-March in the Czech Republic, epidemiologist Rastislav Maďar said in a debate program on Czech Television on Sunday. The construction of the new multifunctional hall at the Brno Exhibition Centre will begin in 2022. It will hold as many as 13,300 people, and 1,300 new parking spaces will also be built at the site. After the rise in the price of beer at the beginning of this year, beer consumers must prepare for further price increases. They may, however, be lower than for some other food products, which can increase by more than ten percent. Beer prices will rise gradually throughout the year. The last family members of the diplomats at the Czech Embassy in Kiev left the town on Sunday afternoon and evening. The embassy will continue to operate with 29 people remaining there. Some 11.4 million tourists stayed in accommodation facilities in the Czech Republic in 2021, which represents a year-on-year increase by 5.2 percent.
Starting February 19, the isolation period for people who test positive for Covid-19 will be extended to seven days from the current five. No quarantine will be mandatory after a risky contact. According to Health Ministry spokesperson Ondřej Jakob, this is another step in the easing of coronavirus restrictions. “In our opinion, quarantines no longer make sense after a risky contact,” Jakob said. The ministry anticipates that covid-19 “will gradually become just a common cold”. “Of course, if the situation worsens, we are ready to react quickly and take appropriate measures,” he added. The reason for the extension of isolation from five to seven days, he said, is the end of testing in companies and schools. “That is why we consider seven days more appropriate, which is on average the time that patients with common similar diseases tend to have at home.” The isolation period for people without symptoms will end automatically after seven days. Latest statistics The daily number of new Covid-19 cases continues to decline. Laboratories registered 22,118 new cases of Covid-19 on Friday, around 6,600 fewer than on the same day a week ago. There were over 4,000 re-infections, according to Ministry of Health data. There are...
Exactly 30 years ago, on February 13th, 1992, the Czech Technical University in Prague hosted a momentous event. At a meeting with university computer science experts and representatives from the University of Linz, the RIPE network coordination centre, and the US National Science Foundation, Czechoslovakia was officially connected to the internet. In the Czech Republic, according to the Statistical Office, 83 percent of households are connected to the internet, and over six million people use the mobile internet. The .cz register of national domains, managed by CZ.NIC, contains approximately 1.4 million items. Former Czechoslovakia became the 39th connected country in February 1992. The first connection had a speed of 19.2 kilobits per second and led to the EARN node network at the University of Linz in Austria. The first connected device was an IBM 4341 mainframe computer, which weighed several tons and took up practically a whole room at the Regional Computing Centre of universities in Prague. For one year only people in Prague and on the premises of the Czech Technical University were able to connect. After that, it was built a CESNET network in 1992 or 1993 that connected universities only. The connection of ordinary people started with...
The government wants to save around CZK 100 million in public health spending this year with more than 100 jobs to be axed despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Czech healthcare unions who issued a strike alert in response to the planned budget cuts, said. “We have been trying for a long time to increase the payments and to get to the EU level in terms of the money that goes into the health care system. We need to have a good quality healthcare system, well-functioning hospitals, primary care and a healthcare system that is developing,” said the head of the Health and Social Care Trade Union Dagmar Žitníková for Seznam Zprávy. “This was going well and suddenly we found out that the health care system and the whole system that managed the COVID-19 should pay the most for it.” “We were surprised. We have been living under stress for two years, working Saturdays, Sundays, overtime. We did not expect a pay raise, but taking jobs away from us – we are really frustrated,” said Alena Wilhemlová, a worker at the Ústí Regional Hygienic Station, who is also vice-president of the regional union. Health Minister Vlastimil Válek (TOP 09, EPP) respects the...
The Czech Republic is the ninth most advanced economy in the European Union. Sweden ranks first, followed by Germany and Denmark. This is according to the first pillar of the new Prosperity Index focused on the economy, compiled by analysts at Česká spořitelna and Europe in Data. The Czech Republic can achieve a better ranking by investing in changing the structure of the economy, innovation, and education. David Navrátil, the chief economist at Česká spořitelna, added that the Czech Republic’s strongest points include economic complexity (ranked 2nd) or the investment-to-GDP ratio (ranked 3rd). On the other hand, weaker results are in terms of the share of national income in domestic product or the level of value-added of the economy. A higher level of investment does not automatically mean a higher rate of modernisation of the economy, especially in comparison with other countries. This can be seen, for example, in the robotization of the Czech economy. The number of robots per worker in the Czech Republic is growing, but not enough. This is why the Czech Republic has fallen out of the top 20 most robotized economies in the world. Currently, Germany is the European leader in robotization with 371 robots...
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