A devastating fire that broke out during New Year’s Eve celebrations at a bar in Switzerland has left more than 40 people dead and over a hundred others injured. The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Saturday that a national of the Czech Republic was hurt in the blaze. While officials have not yet released details about the person’s age or the extent of their injuries, they confirmed that the individual is among those receiving medical care following the incident. The scale of the disaster has pushed Swiss authorities to seek international assistance. Switzerland has formally asked European Union member states to help treat patients suffering from severe burns and inhalation injuries. Czech Health Minister Adam Vojtěch said the Czech Republic responded without delay, offering hospital capacity for patients requiring specialized treatment. Some of the injured are now being considered for transfer abroad, including to the burn unit at Královské Vinohrady University Hospital in Prague, one of the most advanced facilities of its kind in Central Europe. Many of those hospitalized are reported to be in critical condition, with serious airway damage caused by smoke and extreme heat. Near the destroyed Le Constellation bar, mourners have created an improvised...
Road Deaths Reach Historic Low Road safety figures brought more positive news. A total of 428 people were killed in traffic accidents last year, marking the second consecutive year with the lowest number of fatalities since 1961, when nationwide statistics were first recorded. Hundreds Released After Child Support Law Change A legal change at the start of the year has led to the release of 302 people previously imprisoned for failing to pay child support. Under the revised law, non-payment is now considered a criminal offence only if it places a child in extreme material hardship. As the year begins, the combination of political disputes, diplomatic reactions and domestic reforms suggests that developments in Czechia will continue to attract attention both at home and abroad. Analysts say GDP trends point to 2.5% growth in 2025 Analysts say developments in gross domestic product confirm that the Czech economy is heading towards growth of around 2.5% in 2025, up from about 1% the year before. According to revised data from the Czech Statistical Office, GDP rose by 2.8% year on year and 0.8% quarter on quarter in the third quarter. Ukrainian Ambassador Rejects Okamura’s Remarks Ukraine’s ambassador to the Czech Republic, Vasyl...
When Prime Minister Andrej Babiš used his New Year’s address to suggest the creation of a Czech Flag Day, he likely expected a symbolic gesture of national unity. Instead, the proposal has revived an old and unresolved dispute rooted in the breakup of Czechoslovakia more than three decades ago. Babiš has said he wants March 30 to be marked as Czech Flag Day, recalling the moment in 1920 when the flag was formally adopted. Yet that date refers not to a Czech national symbol, but to the flag of Czechoslovakia — a state that ceased to exist in 1993. The distinction matters, particularly in Slovakia, where the legacy of the shared federation remains sensitive. When Czechoslovakia dissolved peacefully at the end of 1992, the federal parliament adopted a constitutional law governing the separation. The law was clear: neither successor state was permitted to use the former federation’s state symbols. This included the flag, which until that point represented both nations equally. Despite this, when the Czech Republic formally came into existence on January 1, 1993, it adopted a national flag identical in design to the former Czechoslovak banner. Slovakia objected at the time, arguing that the move violated the agreed...
Despite a nationwide ban on certain fireworks, celebrations continued across the Czech Republic on New Year’s Eve. A man in České Budějovice suffered severe injuries after handling high-powered F4-class pyrotechnics. According to South Bohemian police spokesperson Jiří Mazner, the fireworks exploded in his hands, resulting in the amputation of both wrists. Police have launched an investigation under illegal weaponry regulations. Specialized stores note that professional F4 fireworks can only be purchased by individuals with a proper license, certifying competence with P2, T2, or F4 pyrotechnic products. These include large ball bombs and other high-powered devices, which are unsuitable for untrained users. While the majority of New Year celebrations in the Czech Republic passed without major incidents, authorities reported several injuries and fires caused by fireworks. Emergency services assisted victims in Prague, the Zlín Region, and other locations. The police received 501 reports related to pyrotechnics nationwide, with the highest numbers in Prague (106) and the Central Bohemian Region (74). In some areas, recreational fireworks triggered small fires at various sites. New Fireworks Regulations Still Challenged An amendment to the Czech fireworks law, effective from December, has tightened restrictions in many cities. The law prohibits the use of fireworks near schools,...
The first child born in the Czech Republic in 2026 arrived just minutes into the new year. A boy named Matyáš was born at 12:07 a.m. on January 1 at Pilsen University Hospital, according to hospital officials. Hospital spokesperson Gabriela Levorová confirmed that both the newborn and his mother are in good health. Matyáš weighed 3,510 grams at birth. His family, including his three-year-old brother and father, are expected to welcome him home soon. Births continued across Pilsen in the early hours of New Year’s Day. At Mulač Hospital, two more children were born later that morning. The first was Denis, who entered the world at 5:41 a.m., also weighing 3,510 grams. He was followed by Amálie, born at 8:30 a.m., with a birth weight of 3,180 grams. Interestingly, the timing of the first birth mirrors last year’s pattern. On January 1, 2025, the first baby born in the region was also a boy, delivered at exactly seven minutes after midnight. His name was Benjamin. In Prague, the first baby of the new year was born at Thomayer Hospital shortly after midnight. A boy named Oliver arrived at 12:31 a.m. Across the Czech Republic, the arrival of the year’s first...
Energy Prices Could Ease Food Costs in 2026 Economists anticipate that falling energy costs may translate into lower prices for bread and dairy products in the coming year. The new government has approved measures intended to reduce household expenses. While some experts project potential price drops of up to 20% for certain goods, manufacturers are more cautious, noting that reductions in energy costs may be offset by rising wages, packaging fees, and increasing raw material costs. For many, prices may simply stabilize rather than decrease significantly. Czech Residents Report Improved Financial Year Recent surveys indicate that about 35% of Czech residents view the outgoing year as financially successful—the highest in recent years. The proportion of people forced to limit their spending dropped to 22%, while roughly 13% reported not only financial stability but also the ability to save or invest surplus funds. Drink Spiking Could Become a Criminal Offense The Czech government is moving to criminalize the act of mixing drugs into beverages, commonly known as drink spiking. The initiative comes from Minister of Sport and Health Boris Šťastný, who announced plans to introduce penalties for such behavior in the Criminal Code. The proposal was motivated by a survey conducted...
A stolen city bus crashed on a road near Pilsen on Monday after its driver, a 35-year-old man, lost control of the vehicle while driving under the influence of alcohol and narcotics, Czech police said. The accident happened on the route between Pilsen and the nearby town of Záluží shortly after midday. Emergency services, including police officers, firefighters and paramedics, were dispatched to the scene after the bus left the roadway and crashed. According to authorities, the man was unable to get out of the vehicle on his own following the crash. Firefighters had to cut him free before handing him over to medical teams. He sustained injuries to his head and upper limbs and was transported to hospital for further treatment. Police later confirmed that the driver tested positive for both alcohol and drugs. “We received a report of a traffic accident involving a bus that had veered off the road. The driver was under the influence of alcohol and narcotics,” police spokeswoman Dagmar Mifková said. Investigators are now working to establish how the man gained access to the bus and where he was heading at the time of the crash. Criminal police are also examining the circumstances leading...
— Starting today, Prague Zoo animals will begin receiving unsold Christmas trees, which will serve as both food and entertainment. The pine needles and trees will be donated to elephants, giraffes, polar bears, gorillas, and other zoo inhabitants. Demonstration feedings with the trees will take place today, tomorrow, and the day after. As a reminder, the zoo offers a significant discount on admission until January 4—it costs only 100 crowns, and this applies to both local residents and tourists. — Last year, the Czech Republic set a historic record for automobile production. A total of almost 1.5 million passenger cars rolled off the assembly lines. Experts note that production has essentially reached its limit at current capacity, and further growth is likely to be minimal. — The Lidl supermarket chain is again changing the location of its outlet store, this time in Ostrava. The new outlet will open in the spring of 2026 in the Outlet Arena Moravia complex; the retailer promised to announce the exact date later. The outlet will sell unsold and seasonal merchandise at discounts of up to 70%, and the assortment will include clothing, home goods, tools, and toys. Previously, the outlet operated in Prague and...
Households in the Czech Republic are expected to earn more in real terms in 2026, as wages adjusted for inflation are forecast to grow at one of the fastest rates in Europe. New economic projections point to a year of recovery after several difficult years marked by high inflation and falling living standards. According to forecasts published by Euronews, the Czech Republic is set to rank second among European Union countries for real wage growth. Real wages, which reflect income adjusted for price changes, are projected to increase by 2.7 percent. The same rate is expected in Bulgaria and Poland, placing the three countries just behind Hungary, which is forecast to lead the EU with growth of 3.5 percent. Elsewhere in Central Europe, wage growth is expected to be more modest. In Slovakia, for example, real wages are predicted to rise by around 1.9 percent. The European Commission’s outlook broadly supports these expectations. While nominal wages in the Czech Republic are forecast to rise by roughly five percent in 2026, the key figure for households is the real increase after accounting for price pressures. Economists see this as a sign that incomes will finally start to catch up with the...
A little bit of language first. The full name is obložený chlebíček (singular) or obložené chlebíčky (plural) which literally means “small garnished bread(s)”. However, if you say just chlebíček or chlebíčky, everybody in the Czech Republic will know what you mean. What type of sandwiches are these? The most important feature is that there is only one slice of bread. Besides this basically, anything goes. In general we could say that a chlebíček has three main parts: bread, spread and garnish. The bread is usually plain white baguette called veka. The spread can be anything from butter through typical Czech sandwich spreads like vlašský salát (vlašák). As for the garnish, there are traditional garnishes like cheese, ham, egg and gherkins but there are also luxurious varieties with caviar and smoked salmon. As for the size, the original chlebíčky sandwiches were rather small, nowadays, they come in different sizes. Brief history of chlebíčky The creator of chlebíčky was a Czech charcuterie shop owner, Jan Paukert, who founded his shop in 1916 and invented the open sandwich not long after. It was the painter Jan Skramlík who came to his friend Paukert and said that he didn’t like the canapés called jednohubky because they were too small. He suggested that the ideal party food should be for two to...
TasteAtlas has released its annual list of the 100 best dishes in the world, drawing on thousands of ratings submitted by readers and food enthusiasts worldwide. The highest-ranked dish comes from South America. Vori-vori, a traditional Paraguayan soup, claimed first place overall. The dish consists of small balls made from cornmeal and cheese, simmered in a rich broth. It is commonly eaten across Paraguay, from rural households to city kitchens, and is considered one of the country’s most familiar comfort foods. Second place went to Neapolitan pizza. Prepared according to strict regional traditions, it relies on a simple combination of tomato sauce, mozzarella, fresh basil and oregano. Despite its global popularity, the dish continues to rank highly among TasteAtlas voters. Italy’s influence is especially visible near the top of the list. Third place was awarded to tajarin al tartufo bianco d’Alba, a Piedmont specialty made with thin egg pasta tossed in butter and topped with freshly grated white truffles. Another Italian dish appears in tenth place, pappardelle al cinghiale, wide pasta served with a slow-cooked wild boar ragù. Between these Italian entries, the ranking reflects a broad mix of global cuisines. Fourth place went to sate kambing, a grilled goat...
Prague is heading into a year that will shape its political leadership, transport network and cultural calendar. From municipal elections and long-awaited infrastructure projects to global sporting events and major urban development, the Czech capital faces a series of milestones that will affect daily life across the city. Political decisions Residents of Prague will return to the polls next year to elect new municipal and district representatives, marking the end of the current four-year term. At the national level, voters across Czechia will also take part in Senate elections. These votes come at a time when the city is preparing to approve key strategic documents that will guide development for decades. Dvorecký Bridge Nears Completion One of Prague’s most closely watched construction projects is nearing completion. The Dvorecký Bridge, connecting Prague 4 and Prague 5, is expected to open in the first months of the year after repeated delays. Construction began in 2022 and was originally scheduled to finish earlier. The bridge, which cost around CZK 1.5 billion, is designed exclusively for public transport, cyclists and pedestrians. Private cars will not be allowed. Another delayed project from the same period is the reconstruction of the Industrial Palace at the Výstaviště...
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