2023 will offer Czech citizens several “long weekends” with public holidays falling on a Friday or Monday. 1) The first ‘long weekend’ traditionally awaits us in spring: Good Friday and Easter Monday provide four consecutive weekends from 7 to 10 April. 2) The second weekend won’t last long. Labor Day falls on a Monday, and we will have three days off in a row, from April 29 to May 1. 3) The third ‘long weekend’ is Victory Day, which also falls on Monday. We will have three consecutive days off, from May 6 to 8. 4) The Fight for Freedom and Democracy Day falls on Friday, which means that we will again have a three-day holiday in a row, from November 17 to 19. 5) Christmas holidays: December 25 falls on Monday, meaning that there will be a four-day holiday, from December 23 to 26. *January 1, 2024, falling on a Monday, could be considered the sixth “long holiday. At the beginning of new year, we will holidays from December 30 to January 1. **In addition, the coming year 2023 will give us a chance to organize a five-day weekend in July. The holidays Cyril and Methodius Day and Jan...
Czech President Milos Zeman has called for further support for Ukraine, including military assistance, and expressed confidence that Russia would eventually have to pull from Ukraine. The president announced this in his traditional televised Christmas address, Ukrinform reports. “I am convinced that sooner or later the pressure of free countries will force Russia to leave the territory of Ukraine,” said the head of state in a greeting that was broadcast on Czech TV channels. “The president called the Russian aggression against Ukraine “the most significant event of the passing year.” Zeman admitted that he personally has always been a supporter of “correct” economic relations with the Russian Federation, especially through the supply of relatively cheap energy. “But there are situations where economic interests have to give way to security interests. And this aggression threatens global security, and thus the security of the Czech Republic. Therefore, I fully support the assistance of the Czech Republic to Ukraine, which is fighting, and I believe that sooner or later the pressure of free countries will force Russia to leave the territory of Ukraine,” Zeman said. He mentioned among the challenges energy crisis and inflation, which are also a result of Russian aggression. This...
Despite a drop in temperatures across Czechia last week, gas reserves in the country remained at the second-highest level since 2014, the country’s Minister of Industry and Trade Jozef Síkela announced on Twitter on Tuesday. The Czech government is trying to reduce gas consumption due to supply problems linked to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine; it is aiming to save 15 percent of gas this winter, equivalent to 800 million cubic meters. So far, more than 180 million cubic meters have been saved. As of Tuesday, domestic reservoirs across the country are holding 2.9 billion cubic meters of gas and are at 84 percent total capacity. “According to our data, last week was the second coldest in the last four years,” Síkela said. Gas consumption was thus about 7 percent higher than in previous years. “However, it corresponded to weeks when the average temperature was approximately five degrees higher,” the minister noted. Czechia was covered in snow last week, with temperatures falling well below zero, especially in the second half of the week. “The fact that we passed the first difficult test is also reflected in the price of gas, which fell below €110 per megawatt hour (MWh),” the minister...
On Wednesday, the Gift for Putin initiative, raised money for a Hummer H1 to serve as a military ambulance on the front line. A total of CZK 6.5 million was raised with CZK 1 million sent by a Czech woman working in public healthcare. “Our chin really dropped over this donation,” the organizers commented. The Dárek pro Putina (Gift for Putin) project works in cooperation with Team4Ukraine1. “We are working with the medical division, where there are doctors who save lives on the front line. The guys have their own ambulances, which they use to get wounded soldiers from the front line away to front-line hospitals,” said Martin Ondracek, co-author of the initiative, adding that the ambulance would be named Hope. “I spoke to the guys from Team4Ukraine1 who said it was one of the most moving conversations. I know that the lady works in the health sector,” Ondracek told iDNES.cz on Thursday. Team4Ukraine1 revealed on Twitter that the donor’s name is Jana Rejlova. “Yesterday (Wednesday, ed.) she was on the phone when part of the team had just crossed the border back to the EU from Ukraine. It was touching,” said the doctors, who also stressed that the woman...
The Czech government has extended checks at the Slovak border by another 30 days. Back in September, Austria and the Czech Republic introduced border checks for a period of ten days, which has since been repeatedly extended. Both countries decided to introduce checks amid a significant increase in illegal migration through Slovakia. The Czech government has now announced a further extension of checks, which were to be scrapped as of December 26. The government, however, says that they will be less intensive, writes the ČTK newswire. “The number of caught illegal migrants is decreasing, and while the border situation is still not ideal, the measures have paid off,” said Czech Interior Minister Vít Rakušan. According to the Czech police, the border check teams uncovered 9,292 people illegally crossing along with 134 traffickers. Also, 3,484 people were returned to Slovakia. Migrants use Slovakia and the Czech Republic as a transition country between the start of their migration and their final destination. The path leads through Serbia and Hungary, too. Most come from Syria.
Many of the millions of Ukrainian refugees in central and eastern Europe plan to mark Christmas early this year in solidarity with their hosts, learning carols in new languages to generate holiday cheer despite fears for relatives back home. Ukrainians generally celebrate Christmas on January 7 in common with Russians, but the country’s Orthodox church has gradually shifted from Moscow’s orbit in recent years. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this year, the church has said congregations can now also celebrate on Dec. 25 — something many refugees said they would embrace. Vasil, 45, and Marina, 36, Khymyshynets who fled their village near Kyiv in March with their two children after a missile or artillery round exploded near their house, now live in a two-room flat in Prague. The family — who could not afford a tree because they were saving to send gifts to relatives in Ukraine — baked Christmas cookies and taped pine branches and Christmas lights on the wall while the children practiced singing carols in Czech. “We decided to just use some pine branches for the decoration so that it looks good and makes the children happy,” Khymyshynets, who was allowed to leave Ukraine after the military...
According to the State Veterinary Administration spokesman Petr Vorlíček, about 3000 points of sale have been registered in the Czech Republic. Compared to last year the number has slightly increased. There are approximately 210 points in Prague. The country’s largest fish farms in South Bohemia have raised prices for Christmas carp by an average of CZK 10-30. It is a forced measure associated with an increase in production costs amid high inflation. The industry leader, Rybářství Třeboň, has recommended its wholesale customers to set the retail price at CZK 140 per kilo (CZK 20 more than last year). The company published a list of addresses of certified retailers. You can find it here. For the first time, supermarket chain Lidl is not selling this year live carps in front of its stores for “humane reasons”. The tradition of eating carp for Christmas is particularly alive and well in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. But some families in Hungary, Austria, Germany and Croatia may also be fond of it and indulge in that delicacy at Christmas time. According to most, this tradition dates back to the Middle Ages. “Fish became popular for Christmas Eve dinner during the 13th century, because Catholics considered fish as...
Every European country has its own spin on the classic Christmas cookies, but in the Czech Republic, they’re a time-honored (and time-intensive) tradition. If you’ve ever been to a Czech home over the holidays, chances are you’ve been inundated with plate upon plate of fresh, homemade Czech Christmas cookies made from recipes dating back generations of grandmothers. But seasoned pros know you don’t just go diving in: delicious as each may be, not all Czech Christmas cookies are equal. 10. Vanilkové rohlíčky (Vanilla rolls) If you’ve ever come across a tray of Christmas cookies after it has been picked clean, chances are a bunch of these are still there. There’s a reason for that: while Vanilkové rohlíčky are easily the most common Czech Christmas cookies, they are also live up to their name: typically dry and somewhat bland (though good with a cup of coffee) they can pale next to some of their more interesting companions. 9. Máslové kokosky (Coconut Cookies) Traditional butter cookies usually made with a hearty helping of the namesake ingredient, these can move up higher on the list based on your fondness for coconut. Chocolate base not usually present. 8. Pracny Alongside Vanilkové rohlíčky, these seem...
The Senate of the Czech Republic on Wednesday recognized the Holodomor as a genocide of the Ukrainian people. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has already responded to this decision, thanking the Czech deputies for restoring historical justice. “I welcome the decision of the Czech Senate to recognize the Holodomor as a genocide of Ukrainians. I am grateful to my Czech friends for affirming the truth and restoring historical justice,” Zelensky said on Twitter. According to him, the punishment of Russia for all the crimes of the past and present is “inevitable.” In November, the parliaments of Romania, Ireland, Moldova, and Germany recognized Holodomor as the genocide of Ukrainians. Ukraine has been fighting to get Holodomor recognized as an act of genocide internationally. So far, 20 countries have recognized Holodomor as such. Ukraine annually commemorates the Holodomor victims on the fourth Saturday of November. The famine, known as the Holodomor, took place in 1932-33 as Soviet leader Josef Stalin’s police forced peasants in Ukraine to join collective farms by requisitioning their grain and other foodstuffs. Historians say the failure to properly harvest crops in Ukraine in 1932 under Soviet mismanagement was the main cause of the famine. It is estimated that up to 9...
A 2022 survey by the Swiss international education company EF Education First, which measures the English proficiency of people in 112 non-English speaking countries and regions, found that over the last year Czech had improved their English, most notably those in their forties. The Czech Republic ranked 23rd with 575 points. The survey gathered and analyzed data from free tests taken online by a total of 2.1 million people worldwide for EF’s English Proficiency Index. By region, 35% of test takers were from Europe, 24% from Asia, 20% from Central and South America, 20% from Africa, and 12% from the Middle East. The median age was 25. After a significant drop from 19th place last year to 27th, Czechs have returned to the level they have been at since the first survey. This shows that they have been stagnating in English for at least the last eleven years. The level of proficiency is still generally high, so Czechs can present themselves in English at work, understand TV programs, or read newspapers without particular difficulty. However, all neighboring countries rank significantly higher than the Czech Republic, with Austria ranking third. Slovakia ranks 15th, – just one step away from moving into...
Prague is allocating 8.5 million euros in financial assistance and equipment for Ukraine to get through the cold period, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said. According to Ukrainian media reports, he said at the Standing with the Ukrainian People conference in Paris on Tuesday the Czech Republic was supplying generator systems and heaters to the Kharkov region, Dnepr, Kiev, schools and hospitals. He noted that this aid amounted to 5 million euros so that people would have electricity and heat during the blackout. The Czech Republic is also allocating 2.5 million euros for the indestructible centers and 1 million euros to back doctors, Fiala said. The country will also provide pontoon crossings and bridge technology. He also noted that the public and private potential in Ukraine has been used effectively, and Ukraine itself has shown great progress on its way to the European Union under these extraordinary conditions. The chief of staff of the Ukrainian president’s office, Andriy Yermak, said that “the speed of destruction exceeds the speed of repair”. Visibly concerned about one of the “harshest winters in the country’s modern history”, he said that “the risk of a total blackout is very high”. The EU has already provided 500...
The state prosecutor on Monday charged former TOP 09 MP Dominik Feri with two counts of rape and one of attempted rape. According to earlier information, Feri can face up to ten years in prison because he is also being prosecuted for the rape committed against 17-year-old girl. Police became interested in the now 26-year-old Feri last year after the Deník N and A2larm servers reported the testimony of several young women on whom the now-former MP was alleged to have committed sexual violence. “I welcome the fact that after a two-year wait I will be able to present evidence to the court proving my innocence. Until now, I have not been able to comment publicly on the ongoing proceedings in any substantive way, which has resulted in the media being reduced to one-sided statements. But that will soon finally change,” Feri told Seznam Zprávy. Prague police have launched an investigation into the allegations, which date back to 2015 when he was a student at the Faculty of Law at Charles University, and continue up to 2020. Mr. Feri resigned from his seat in the lower house in June last year after multiple accusations of sexual misconduct about him appeared...
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