In the Czech Republic, around 9,000 households were without electricity on Thursday after heavy snow in regions bordering Germany and Austria. Over half a meter of snow had fallen in Jablonec, streets, and pavements are blocked. Central and Eastern Europe were hit by dramatic snowfall after cold air arrived from Scandinavia and western Russia. Germany and Poland are especially at risk of heavy snowfall today. At the time of the announcement, two meters of snow had already fallen on the northern slopes of the European Alps since the start of the year. For skiers, this snow will turn out to be a blessing, but for travelers and residents throughout Austria, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, and the Low Countries, road conditions have been poor and mountain passes have been closed. Author: red
Throughout the year, several public holidays are specific to the Czech Republic so we thought it might be interesting to give you a detailed list of them! Ten public holidays during 2019 fall on weekdays. This year, there are two four-day weekends: late March – early April (March 30 to April 2), and then in July (July 5 to 8). This means that over the course of the year there will be just 251 working days. Holidays on July 6 (Jan Hus), September 28 (Czech Statehood), and November 17 (Struggle for Freedom Day) are, unfortunately, all on weekends. 1 January, Tuesday: New Year’s Day 19 April, Friday: Good Friday 22 April, Monday: Easter Monday 1 May, Wednesday: May Day 8 May: Wednesday: Liberation Day 5 July, Friday: St Cyril and St Methodius Day 6 July, Saturday: Jan Hus Day 28 September, Saturday: Statehood Day 28 October: Monday: Independence Day 17 November: Sunday: Freedom and Democracy Day 24 December: Tuesday: Christmas Eve 25 December: Wednesday: Christmas Day 26 December: Thursday: 2nd Day of Christmas Author: red
The Czech Republic is the largest exporter of toys in the European Union, exporting over two billion euros worth a year. The country outpaces even Germany, according to a new study published by UniCredit. Lego accounts for two-thirds of total production, with the Danish firm now employing more than 2,000 people at its factory in Kladno (pictured above), which was significantly extended in 2016. “Even without Lego, the Czechs would still be the second-biggest toy exporters in the EU”, said UniCredit Bank analyst Lubomír Koršňák. The Czech Republic, along with Slovakia, has been the fastest-growing toy exporter in the EU since 2004. The value of toy exports has increased more than 10 times in both countries compared to 2005. “The Czech Republic overtook Germany in 2012,” added Mr Koršňák. “In addition to Slovakia and the Czech Republic, significant increases in toy exports have also during the same period been recorded in Estonia, Greece and Poland.” Author: red
Thirteen miners died and another 10 suffered injuries after a methane explosion at the ČSM hard coal mine in the north-east of the Czech Republic on Thursday. Eleven of the dead were Polish nationals. The Czech public television said three of the injured were still hospitalized in the city of Ostrava, with one of them in critical condition. The explosion occurred about 800 meters underground. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Czech counterpart Andrej Babis have offered their condolences to the families of the victims. The two leaders were expected to arrive at the mine on Friday. OKD managing director Boleslav Kowalczyk confirmed that the search of the scene had to be called off. “Unfortunately, we have reached a point where it was impossible to move forward, because there was a fire raging and zero visibility,” he said. Mr. Babis tweeted: “The blast at the CSM mine is a huge tragedy.” Author: red
For the 11th year in a row, Prague is hosting a ‘free sports week’ from December 25th until December 31st. The purpose of this event is to offer everyone a chance to try out a new sport or explore new sports venues. It will be possible to make reservations to certain locations from December 23rd. During the last week of 2018, residents and visitors of the Czech capital will have the opportunity to try out new sports and disciplines as badminton, squash, beach volley, floorball, martial arts and bowling. To visit some facilities, it is recommended a pre-registration by phone or on the official website. Author: red
Stores larger than 200 square meters will close at noon on December 24 and remain closed for two days after that. The law which came into effect last year, aims to make the Christmas period less about commerce and more about the holiday spirit, allowing people to slow down and spend time with their families. Not all stores are affected by the bill, of course. Pharmacies, gas stations, airport shops do not come under the legislation. Hamley’s toy store on Na Příkopě will be closed all day December 24. Furniture stores IKEA and Kika will also be closed that day. Electronics e-shop Alza.cz will open its main Prague shop in Holešovice December 26 for pickups and returns of items. The store maintains that since the sales take place online that opening the store for pickups does not violate the law. The law also includes New Year’s Day, Easter Monday, Liberation Day, the day of Czech Statehood Day on Sept. 28 and Independent Czechoslovak State Day on October 28. As for those, who open their doors in violation of the law? Fines can go up to one million crowns, while repeat offenders risk paying five times that amount. Author: red
A baby hippo was born last Wednesday in the Dvur Kralove zoo, the first one born in the zoo since 1989. Another one is expected in the coming weeks, said zoo spokeswoman Andrea Jirousova on Tuesday. The mother hippo is a seven-year-old Hula who came to the zoo in spring 2016 from Belgium together with another female hippo Mona. After their arrival, the zoo resumes hippo breeding after 14 years. The father hippo is Mike who came to the Dvur Kralove zoo in autumn 2017 from the Stuttgart zoo. Mike replaced two-year-old Karl Wilhelm, who also came from Germany and died in the zoo in August 2017. Zoo director Premysl Rabas said the birth of the baby hippo after almost 30 years is one of the most beautiful gifts the Dvur Kralove safari park has received for the Christmas this year. The baby hippo weights between 25 and 30 kilograms, its gender is not yet known. According to zoologist Jiri Hruby, hippos are usually born in the water where they also spend most of their time. However, the delivery in the Dvur Kralove zoo was carried out on dry land and at night when females tend to be out of...
Billa Czech Republic has announced that it will cease the sale of plastic bags at the end of 2018, replacing them with recycled paper bags and degradable polypropylene bags. The retailer, which is part of Rewe Group, added that in the spring of next year, it will also expand its assortment of jute and textile bags. Two heavy duty paper bag sizes will be available, with a load of 10kg (for CZK 3.90) and 15kg (CZK 6.90) respectively, while customers will also be able to purchase bags made of degradable polypropylene for 29.90 CZK. “This is the next landmark in our sustainability strategy,” commented Jaroslaw Szczypka, managing director for Billa CR. “We believe that customers will welcome this step towards even greater environmental protection and get used to new alternatives such as paper bags made of recycled paper and other more environmentally friendly options.” The group made the move as part of its long-term environmental strategy, it said, noting that plastic bags will remain on sale in its stores until the end of 2018 or when supplies run out. Author: red
For the first nine months of 2017, the population of the Czech Republic grew by nearly 28,000 to a total of 10,637,794, a 0,2% increase in total population from the beginning of the year. The main reason is the migration flow from Ukraine (8,900), Slovakia (3,900), Romania (1,500) and Bulgaria (1,400), according to the preliminary data of the Czech Statistical Institute. The number of births exceeds the number of deaths. Between January and September, 86,600 babies were born in the Czech Republic, almost 100 less than in the same period last year. Less than half of the parent couples of the newborns have a civil marriage – 48.9%. The number of deaths increased by 1300 to nearly 85,374. In the first five months of 2018, 33,149 people emigrated to the Czech Republic and 16,791 people left it. The data also show a rise in the number of marriages, up 1,400 compared to a year ago. Author: red
In the Czech Republic, there are about 2500 electric vehicles and only 800 of them are passenger cars. It is assumed that for electric cars in the Czech Republic will develop a whole system of discounts and bonuses. These include parking privileges (drivers will be able to park in the blue zones for a nominal fee, which will not exceed 100-200 CZK per year). The state is also going to pay up to 70% of the cost of a car that will be acquired by a legal entity. In addition, companies will be able to apply for financial support in the construction of private charging stations. ŠKODA Auto recently announced that it plans to produce a quarter of its cars with electric motors by 2025. The new electric car Škoda will be able to drive up to 700-800 km in one full charge. The first serial electric model of the ŠKODA brand will be release in 2019: the ŠKODA SUPERB will be the first model with a plug-in hybrid power plant. Later, in 2020, the production of a fully electric model will begin in Mlada Boleslav. Moreover, in addition to electric vehicles, components for plug-in hybrid power plants will be produced for various models of the Volkswagen Group. Students from the ŠKODA Vocational School have...
Passenger services began using the country’s longest railway tunnel on November 16, the day after the first revenue freight train. With a 4174 m long northern bore and 4150 m southern bore, the tunnel under the Chlum and Homolka hills near Ejpovice to the east of Plzeň is the main feature of a new 141 km double-track alignment between Rokycany (Ejpovice) and Plzeň-Doubravka. This is 61 km shorter than the 20 km route via Chrást, which will now be partly closed. Trains are initially only using the southern bore until December 7th and will run at a maximum speed of 50 km/h until the launch of the full service and 160 km/h running with the December 9 timetable change. This will reduce the journey time between Plzeň and Praha-Smíchov by 11 min. The slab track in the tunnel has been designed for a maximum of 200 km/h, and testing at this speed is planned for 2019. ETCS is due to be installed in 2021. Progress was delayed by more than a year because of unstable soil, excessive groundwater and archaeological surveys. The previous longest tunnel in the country was the 1758 m Březenský tunnel near Chomutov which opened in 2007. Author:...
A recent survey conducted by CVVM agency has revealed that the consumption of beer among Czech men is among the lowest registered in 14 years and the weekly consumption has dropped to 7.6 half-liters. Consumption of beer among Czech women has increased to 2.7 half-liters a week. While in 2004 the average daily consumption was over 400 half-liters per year, last year that figure was less than 300 half liters. Findings noted that people tend to go to the pub less – one researcher cited family obligations and a tendency among Czechs to drink at home alone – but individual stats reflect an overarching theme of loyalty toward one’s local. The drop in beer consumption follows a seven-year period of relative stagnation. Several factors had played a role when it came to fewer Czechs going out to pubs or restaurants: the introduction of electronic cash registers which saw some venues fold and others raise their prices and the introduction of anti-smoking legislation. Author: red
Don’t have an account? Register
[swpm_registration_form level=”6″]
Already have an account? Log In
How Would You Like to Promote Your Business? PR ArticleDisplay bannersVideo productionNewsletter adsJob ListingsInfluencer Marketing
Your Email
We will come back to you within 24 hours with our proporsal
