Most shops across Czechia will close on December 25 under national retail regulations. The law affects all large stores and many online services, leaving only a limited number of places where people can still buy food, essentials, or last-minute items. While the law targets large retail chains, several exceptions remain in place. Smaller shops are allowed to open without restrictions, and the decision is left to individual owners. In practice, many convenience stores stay open, while others choose to close for the holiday. Retail outlets located at transport hubs are also exempt. Shops at railway stations and airports can operate, although those inside metro stations are not covered by the exception. Gas stations are permitted to stay open as well, including those selling food and groceries. Some major chains operate under these exemptions Selected Tesco stores at petrol stations will open on December 25, typically between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., according to company representatives. At Prague’s main railway station, Albert will close completely for both December 25 and 26, while Billa will remain open until 5 p.m. The same applies to Billa at Brno’s main station. At Václav Havel Airport in Prague, Billa will operate until 9 p.m. Pharmacies...
Plans for new football stadiums are gathering pace across the Czech Republic, with several clubs either preparing full rebuilds or outlining long-term construction projects. Brno One of the most ambitious projects is taking shape in Brno. After years of uncertainty, Zbrojovka Brno’s prospects changed following the arrival of new owner Vojtěch Kačina. The club is now openly working toward a new stadium with a capacity of roughly 25,000 to 30,000 seats. The preferred location is the area behind Lužánky, where the club played its home matches until 2001. In November, Brno city councillors approved the basic terms for a concession process linked to the stadium’s construction. Under the proposed model, a private investor would purchase the required land, finance the build, and operate the venue. The city plans to launch the concession procedure in August 2026, a timeline that has drawn criticism from civic groups advocating a faster return to the historic site. Ostrava In Ostrava, attention has turned to the planned New Bazaly stadium. Early designs were unveiled in November, sparking interest among supporters who have long relied on the municipal stadium in Vítkovice. The proposed arena would hold around 20,000 spectators and is expected to cost...
The calendar for 2026 is shaping up to be unusually kind to workers in Czechia. With several public holidays falling on Mondays and Fridays, the year offers repeated chances to enjoy long weekends without using much vacation time. Easter, May, late summer, and the year-end holidays all align in ways that make planning time off easier than usual. The year opens with a public holiday on Thursday, January 1, which marks both New Year’s Day and the Day of the Restoration of the Independent Czech State. Easter once again brings an extended break. In 2026, Good Friday falls on April 3 and Easter Monday on April 6, creating a four-day weekend from Friday to Monday. As in recent years, Easter remains one of the most reliable opportunities for a longer spring break without taking extra leave. May is particularly generous. Both Labor Day on May 1 and Victory Day on May 8 fall on Fridays, resulting in two separate three-day weekends in a single month. For many employees, May will be the most convenient period of the year for short trips or rest without touching their annual leave balance. The summer holidays are less evenly spread. The Day of Saints...
As Christmas approaches, charitable organisations in Prague are once again preparing special events for people living on the streets. Several organisations are stepping in to offer food, shelter, and a sense of shared celebration. One of the organisations involved is Naděje, which plans to distribute meals at selected locations on December 24. According to the organisation’s director, Aleš Strnad, Christmas is often marked by loneliness for people experiencing homelessness. “For most people, these days mean meeting with family. That is usually not the case for homeless people,” he says. Naděje aims to ease that burden by creating a modest Christmas atmosphere through shared meals and contact with staff and volunteers. The organisation also prepares a traditional Christmas Eve dinner for its clients. The menu includes soup, potato salad, and schnitzel, followed by Christmas cookies. Some of the sweets are donated, while others are baked by clients themselves within Naděje’s residential services. For Strnad, the gesture is simple but important: helping people feel that the holidays have not passed them by entirely. Another major Christmas event is organised by the Archdiocese of Prague, which hosts around 200 people facing difficult life situations on Christmas Eve each year. Guests are served duck...
Cable theft on a key rail section in Prague caused widespread disruption to train services across the Czech Republic on Sunday, delaying dozens of connections and forcing some regional routes to be canceled. Long-distance and international trains departing the capital were among the hardest hit, with delays exceeding three hours by early afternoon. The incident occurred on the busy stretch between Prague-Vršovice and Prague Main Station, one of the most important rail corridors in the country. Traffic on the line was reduced to a single track, significantly limiting capacity. According to the national carrier České dráhy, the disruption began at around 5:20 a.m. and was expected to last until approximately 3 p.m., when repairs were scheduled to be completed. By midday, delays at Prague Main Station had reached more than 200 minutes on routes heading east and southeast, including services via Pardubice to Brno and Břeclav, as well as connections continuing to Olomouc and Ostrava. Both local commuter trains and express services were affected, with some regional connections canceled altogether. ‼️ Praha ‼️ Kvůli krádeži kabelů zabezpečovacího zařízení je aktuálně výrazně omezen provoz vlaků v úseku Praha-Vršovice a Praha hl. n. Vlaky projíždějící zmíněným úsekem mohou navýšit svá zpoždění až...
Václav Havel was born in Prague on October 5, 1936. He became one of the country’s leading intellectuals and a respected playwright. From an early age, he developed a deep interest in European literature and drama, which he pursued within the so-called “Class of ’36,” a literary circle of young writers opposed to what Havel described as the Soviet regime’s “cemetery peace.” After the Prague Spring of 1968 and its violent suppression by Soviet troops, Havel emerged as a committed political activist and was soon branded an enemy of the state by the authorities in Prague, then a satellite of Moscow. He was banned from working in the theatre and spent several years in prison. Throughout this period, he remained under constant surveillance by the Czechoslovak communist regime. Havel became a central figure of the Velvet Revolution, a sustained, nonviolent uprising that brought down the communist regime through mass demonstrations over five weeks. On December 29, 1989, he was elected president of Czechoslovakia. In June 1990, the country held its first free elections since the fall of communist rule. During his presidency, Czechoslovakia peacefully split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993, a development Havel never fully accepted. In...
Anyone hoping for a white Christmas in Czechia may need to temper their expectations. According to the latest outlook from the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ), snowfall in the days leading up to Christmas is unlikely, not only in lowland areas but also in much of the country’s mountain regions. Meteorologists say the weather pattern dominating Central Europe is expected to remain largely unchanged until just before Christmas. High pressure is keeping fronts away from the region, limiting both cloud formation and precipitation. As a result, the coming days are forecast to be dry, with temperature inversions continuing to shape local conditions. In some areas, this could even mean clearer skies and periods of sunshine, though overall weather trends will closely resemble those of the past week. A potential shift in atmospheric conditions is currently being monitored around the Christmas period itself. Forecast models increasingly suggest the development of a blocking high-pressure system over northwestern Europe. If this scenario materialises, it could redirect airflow over Czechia from the east or northeast, opening the door to colder continental air. Such a change would raise the chance of an Arctic air mass reaching the country after Christmas. However, meteorologists stress that this remains...
From January 2026, patients in Czechia with severe depression or other serious mental health conditions may be able to receive psilocybin therapy, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, under strict medical supervision. The Ministry of Health has finalized a decree specifying how the treatment can be used, following a Senate-approved amendment to legalize medical psilocybin earlier this year. The therapy is intended for patients whose symptoms have not responded to conventional treatments such as antidepressants. Outgoing Health Minister Vlastimil Válek confirmed it will also be available for cancer-related depression and sudden worsening of other serious neuropsychiatric conditions, provided its use is backed by scientific evidence. The decree limits prescribing and dosing: only psychiatrists can administer psilocybin, treatments must be supervised by specialists, and patients can receive a maximum of three doses per month, with no more than 75 grams in total. A single dose cannot exceed 35 mg or 0.4 mg per kilogram of body weight. Authorities say psilocybin is low in toxicity, non-addictive, and generally safe under medical supervision, though unsupervised use can be dangerous. Dr. Rita Kočárová, a psychologist and researcher in psychedelic care, emphasizes that legal approval alone is not enough. “Treatment with psychedelics requires expertise, a...
Prague has crossed a symbolic threshold this year, surpassing 1.4 million residents for the first time. Fresh figures released by the Czech Statistical Office (CZSO) show that the capital added nearly 2,900 people during the first nine months of 2025, even as the rest of the country saw its population slip. The pace of growth reflects a clear pattern: more people are moving to Prague than leaving it, while the number of deaths continues to exceed births. According to the data, the city welcomed 45,403 newcomers between January and September. During the same period, 41,784 people moved out, resulting in a net migration gain of 3,619 residents. Natural population change, however, remained negative. The number of deaths — 8,955 — outpaced the 8,217 births recorded in the city. That gap pushed Prague’s natural decrease to 738 people, continuing a trend observed nationwide. Marriage and divorce figures added further insight into demographic shifts. Over the first three quarters of the year, 4,997 couples married in the capital, while 1,757 marriages ended in divorce. Across the country, the picture looks different. The Czech Republic’s total population fell by more than 12,300 people, slipping below 10.9 million. The decline was driven mainly by...
Czech gastronomy reached a milestone this week when Restaurant Papilio in Vysoké Újezd near Beroun became the first dining spot in the country to earn two Michelin stars. The recognition arrived as the Michelin Guide released its new Czech edition — the first to assess restaurants beyond Prague. The expansion of Michelin’s focus reshaped the national culinary map. Inspectors awarded 9 starred restaurants across the country, while another 18 venues received Bib Gourmand, the guide’s mark for quality food at reasonable prices. Four restaurants were also honored with Green Stars for sustainability, along with several individual awards for service and young talent. Until now, Michelin had concentrated on Prague, where La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise and Field have long held one star each — and both retained their status. The restaurants Entrée in Olomouc, Vila in Zlín, Essens in Hlohovec in the Břeclav region and the Prague restaurants Levitate, Štangl, Pole, and Casa De Carli each received one star. But the spotlight largely shifted outside the capital for the first time. The biggest attention fell on Papilio, now holding two stars, led by chef Jan Knedla, who previously worked in acclaimed Michelin kitchens worldwide, including the three-star Amber in Hong Kong. Inspectors...
As the Christmas season approaches, Prague has renewed its call for more respectful and humane treatment of carp, a long-standing Czech holiday tradition. The city is not trying to ban the purchase of carp, but rather to highlight the suffering many of these fish endure — from stressful transport to painful deaths in untrained home kitchens. The campaign, visible across Prague until December 23, reminds buyers to avoid placing live carp in chlorinated bathtubs, returning them to rivers or ponds, or killing them at home without proper equipment. Instead, the city encourages people to have the fish humanely slaughtered, gutted, and cut at the point of sale. By doing so, stress and suffering can be minimized, and the resulting meat handled safely. “I believe most people aim to treat animals without causing harm and with compassion. Education and ethics go together,” said the Deputy Mayor for Culture, Tourism and Animal Welfare, stressing that a growing share of the public now recognises the suffering carp undergo when killed unprofessionally. From several thousand carp stalls across the Czech Republic, about 200 are located in Prague. The city notes a gradual rise in the number of customers opting for professional slaughter at the...
Residents across Czechia will have an exceptional chance to watch one of the most reliable meteor showers of the year this Saturday night. One of the year’s most spectacular meteor showers, the Geminids, is set to peak this weekend, offering a dazzling celestial display. These fiery tails, often called “shooting stars,” occur when fast-moving space rocks enter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up. Skygazers could see up to 120 meteors per hour under dark skies during the peak Saturday night into Sunday’s predawn hours, according to NASA. Although the phenomenon occurs every December, this year’s viewing window stands out. According to astronomer Petr Gorálek from the Opava Physics Institute, the Moon will rise late enough that its light will not interfere with visibility during the most active hours. For skywatchers, that means a darker sky and a higher chance of spotting long, bright trails. The ideal period spans midnight to around 4 a.m., when the meteor stream crosses Earth’s orbit at its most intense point. While the Geminids begin appearing from December 4 and continue until roughly December 17, the brief peak offers the greatest density of visible meteors. Astronomers advise heading away from city lights and choosing a spot with a...
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