Last week, fans from all over the world could vote for their favourite song in ESCZ, the Czech national final. The votes from the international and Czech audiences have been counted, and Vesna has won with “My Sister’s Crown”. The winning song was through 100% public voting consisting of 70% international and 30% Czech. The artists performed on January 30th in the first live televised national final in 15 years. Vesna is a band based in Prague, led by singer, composer and lyricist Patricie Fuxová. The permanent members of the band come from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Russia. Bulgarian rapper Tanita Yankova and Ukrainian musician Kateryna Vatchenko also feature on the song “My Sister’s Crown”. Their music includes elements of folklore combined with contemporary pop. The group has so far released two albums, and in 2019 they were nominated for an Anděl Award. They’ve also opened for Norwegian singer Aurora. Their Eurovision song highlights sisterhood and female power, explains Patricia Fuxová: “It was created for Eurovision. With the competition in mind, I didn’t want to write only about personal things, but about something that concerns us all. The inspiration was our band, in which six personalities with different abilities and...
Despite the fact that the majority of employees had planned to go back to the office for 2-3 days a week in both 2021 and 2022, actual occupancy rates in corporate offices currently stand at only 35%. People go into the office the most on Tuesdays and the least on Fridays. On that day average occupancy is only 17%. The eight-hour office workday is now a thing of the past. Employees most often spend 9–12 hours in the office in a single day. This finding comes from a study conducted by Colliers in collaboration with the workplace occupancy analytics platform Basking.io. According to this study, 44% of employees visit their corporate office once a week; 38% 2-3 times a week; and 18% 4–5 times a week. The study also showed that the eight-hour office workday is now a thing of the past. Just under half of respondents spend 9–12 hours per day in the office; one-third spend 6–8 hours; and one-quarter spend just 2–5 hours. “European countries lead in office occupancy. Meanwhile, in the US or South American countries, employees use corporate office even less,” says Jana Vlková from Colliers. She adds that the reasons for this can vary: from...
Prague-based company Radlická Mlékárna was the first in the world to produce fruit yogurt. Did you know the average consumption of yogurt per person is expected to be 12,7 kilograms in 2023? The demand for dairy products has been rising and is anticipated to rise even further in the coming years. With its many health benefits, it is a household staple for anyone seeking to eat a balanced diet. Yogurt also comes in many different delicious flavors, with well-known fruit yogurts being first produced here in Prague by Radlická Mlékárna. Although the exact history of yogurt’s invention is unconfirmed, it is certain that the product has been around for centuries; with researchers believing the history of yogurt goes back to Neolithic times when the first milk-producing animals were domesticated. It has been a universal household staple for many years with flavors being added since ancient Greek cuisine’s uprising. Flavors previously believed to be added include honey, cinnamon, and even mustard seeds. Fruit yogurts were not produced until 1933, when Czech company Radlická Mlékárna first added a layer of fruit jam on top of the yogurt. The layer of fruit jam originally had the purpose of preventing the growth of yogurt...
The 2024 Paris Olympics should not allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said after the International Olympic Committee said it is keen to include them as neutral contestants. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) caused uproar after it announced that it is considering the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes as neutrals. While the US and the UN have widely backed the announcement, Poland, Ukraine, Baltic states and now Czechia, have sharply criticised the IOC’s announcements. “I absolutely cannot imagine Russian and Belarusian athletes competing there,” Fiala said while acknowledging that the sports sector has its own autonomy. The same sentiment was echoed by the Czech Olympic Committee, which said it favoured maintaining the current sanctions that would prevent these athletes from competing. The Czech committee will not go as far as boycott the Games in case Russian and Belarusian athletes participate – a move Poland, Ukraine and Baltic states said they are considering. “Of course, we will respect the will of each athlete if any of them decide not to participate in the Games. We will not order them to do anything and we will not make decisions for them,” the Czech committee wrote in an official...
World-renowned Heineken brewery is spearheading a new concept for franchised pubs. Branded pubs have started to flood the Czech Republic in the past few years, becoming quite popular with brands such as Plzeňský Prazdroj and Budějovický Budvar. This year, Heineken is opening its own restaurant concept for the Zlatý Bažant beer brand. The first Bažantovna has already been opened at the beginning of January in Prague’s Chodov district, with others to follow in Brno, Chomutov and Jihlava. In total, the brewery plans to open nine locations across the Czech Republic in 2023 and 2024. Romana Domanická, a young designer, is credited with creating the Bažantovna (Pheasant House) design, which is a restaurant concept modelled for the Zlatý Bažant (Golden Pheasant) beer brand. The design’s colour palette is simplistic yet elegant, with gold and black colours complementing the glass designs decorating the back-lit bar. Moving beyond just aesthetics, this design also ensures a comfortable experience for patrons. “The space is divided in such a way that everyone can find their place here. For a quieter and more comfortable sitting, we have stylish leather seats, higher tables are there for guests who want to have fun, and a separate, quieter area is...
The Czech Republic is one of the most liberal countries in Europe, if not the world, when it comes to cannabis legislation. And while this has been the case for over a decade, the Central European nation continues to spearhead liberal marijuana policies in the region. The legislation is not only liberal for marijuana use as they have also legalized other cannabis-derived products such as Delta-8 gummies, pre-rolls, and flowers This article lists seven things about marijuana use in the Czech Republic. 1. Recreational Use Of Cannabis Is Illegal In The Czech Republic “While you won’t get into serious trouble from consuming marijuana in the Czech Republic, recreational use is still technically illegal. The country decriminalized marijuana possession in 2010, joining other European countries, such as Italy, Germany, and Spain, as nations that don’t prosecute small amounts of marijuana possession,” says the owner of Kannastar, a shop in Prague that sells HHC and other THC alternative products which are similar effects to Delta 9. The Czech law considers a “small amount” as 15 grams of cannabis and five grams of hashish. Possession of marijuana over 15 grams is, technically, a crime unless you’re using it for medical purposes. It’s unknown whether...
The “Gift for Putin” project, founded by Czech businessman Dalibor Dědek, announced the transfer to Ukraine of two armored vehicles that will be used to evacuate Ukrainian soldiers wounded in battles with Russian aggressors. It is noted that as a result of the “Gift for Putin” project, almost CZK 383 million (15.8 million euros) have already been collected from the citizens of the Czech Republic via e-shop zbraneproukrajinu.cz and a number of necessary types of weapons have been purchased. Among the “Gifts for Putin” were, for example, 15 Czech-made Viktor mobile air defense systems, as well as a modernized T-72 tank. The T-72 Avenger is a modernized version of the Soviet-era tank that first entered production in 1969. It has been fitted with a new device to create a smoke screen in combat and has an upgraded front cannon. Armored cars that the bank previously owned were still used to transport money. The charitable organization Team 4 Ukraine converted the equipment into large sanitary vehicles capable of transporting wounded soldiers on the front line. The Ukraine embassy said that by late September, Czechs had donated £46m to its weapons-purchase fundraising efforts coordinated with the Czech defence ministry. The newly elected Czech president Petr Pavel...
Plzeňský Prazdroj’s new brewery warehouse launched an automated rail system capable of storing more beer and loading it onto trucks much more efficiently Last week, the beer warehouse of Plzeňský Prazdroj, announced they have installed a new fully automated trolley system. The system has also reduced the CO2 emissions of the warehouse and is part of the firm’s bid to become a sustainability benchmark in the brewing industry. According to the company, the automated system has been able to increase storage space, lower emissions and increase offloading speeds significantly. Additionally, it’s the biggest investment in its production line since 2006 with around 780 million Czech crowns. The warehouse also has three water reservoirs capable of capturing more than 800 cubic metres of rain for recycling. Additionally, according to a statement, the facility will get an upgrade with a solar roof, dropping energy consumption even further. Fully automated sustainable beer storage The automated trolley system in Plzeňský Prazdroj’s factory represented the largest investment since 2006 at around 780 million crowns, roughly equivalent to 32 million euros. The system consists of 28 trolleys that can transport bottles and cans from the bottling to storage along tracks with a total length of over half a kilometre. The trolleys move...
A significant increase in irregular migrants has been reported in the Czech Republic during the past year. Most of the migrants who tried to enter the country illegally in 2022 were Syrian citizens. According to InfoMigrants, last year, the number of irregular migrants entering the Czech Republic almost tripled to 29,235, while in 2021, the country had reported 11,170 irregular migrants. In addition, Interior Ministry figures reveal that in 2022, almost 21,000 of the arrivals were Syrians seeking to travel to Western Europe. Meanwhile, only 694 migrants, including 50 Syrians, applied for asylum in the Czech Republic itself. Last year, police also arrested 277 suspected human traffickers, which is more than four times the number od those arrested in 2021. At the end of last August, Czech authorities reported that a total of 3,651 people had crossed the border through Slovakia. Further data from the Ministry also show that the number of illegal border crossings was 1,300 more people than in 2021 and much higher than in 2020, when about 100 people entered this country illegally. Later in September, the Czech government decided to reintroduce internal border controls with Slovakia in an effort to prevent illegal migrants from using its territory to transit...
Criminal investigators charged Martina Bednářová, a teacher from an elementary school in Prague 6, because of her statements during a Czech language class last April. At the time, the teacher, who has now been dismissed, claimed to the eighth-grade pupils, among other things, that there was no war conflict in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and that Ukrainians were killing the Russian population in the now-occupied Donbass. “In this case, on January 13, the criminal prosecution of one natural person was initiated for actions that were qualified as the offense of denying, questioning, approving and justifying genocide. The investigation will continue in the matter,” Aleš Cimbala, spokesman for the Prague city prosecutors, told Práva yesterday. He added that the accused faces six months to three years in prison in the event of an indictment and subsequent trial. “ČT1 belongs to a group of media that are tied to the billionaire Soros. And we know exactly who it is payable to,” the teacher pointed out in the 18-minute audio recording. She also stated in the recording that since 2014 Ukrainians have been killing the Russian population in Donbass. “Those Russians were killed in that region of Donetsk and Luhansk, liquidated just because...
Víno Kadrnka from Březí near Mikulov was named best wine of the year by the Czech Wine Association (Svaz vinařů České republiky) on Thursday. The winery of Jindřich Kadrnka also won in the category of small wineries. In the category of medium winery succeeded Thaya while in the category of large winery Bohemia sekt. The small family winery of Jindřich Kadrnka is famous for its regionally characteristic Rieslings. They are particularly proud of their vineyards, which they consider being the most valuable and important element of wine production. It was the first time that the family business took part in the annual competition. Víno Kadrnka specialises in producing dry wines made from Rhine and Wallachian Riesling. “Joy, satisfaction, and huge surprise and thanks to my whole family, without whom I wouldn’t be here today, making wine. But most importantly, our winery would not have won three wonderful awards,” said a touched Jindřich Kadrnka, owner of the winning winery. The final evaluation was announced on the stage of the Brno Observatory and Planetarium under the direction of the moderator Marek Eben. The medium producer category was won by Thaya, a winery from Havraník near the city of Znojmo. In the large winery...
The Czech Republic could lose Michelin-starred restaurants, as individual countries must now pay Michelin a fee of CZK 10 million over three years. Michelin, which has been publishing the guide since 1900, plans to contract with state agencies to help finance it. In the Czech Republic, the agency is CzechTourism, but the final decision on whether the state will pay the amount rests with the Ministry of Regional Development. “It is in the interest of the organisations that the guide stays in the Czech Republic. Of course, we as an agency advocate to support gastronomy, but I cannot say anything else at this moment,” Jan Herget, director of CzechTourism. The Ministry of Regional Development is still evaluating the situation and will consult the fee with other ministries, added Petr Waleczko, deputy head of communications and PR manager of the cabinet of the Minister of Regional Development. Most countries, such as Hungary and Slovenia, have already signed the agreements, but the Czech Republic is still hesitating. The Czech Republic now has two restaurants with one Michelin star – Field and La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise. Michelin has not yet issued a recommendation for the Czech Republic for last year, as this year’s...
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