Just off Národní třída, on Prague’s Jungmannova Street, a new restaurant draws attention — but it’s the smell of smoked meat that really pulls you in. Isaac’s BBQ is the latest venture from the man who helped introduce authentic American barbecue to Prague’s street food scene. Isaac Starobin is no stranger to the grill. For the past decade, his Dirty Dog BBQ stand has served American flavors at Manifesto Market. He honed his craft while working in New York and Berlin. But Isaac’s BBQ, which opened on January 21, 2025, and seats around 50 guests, is his first brick-and-mortar restaurant — a dream realized after years of building customer loyalty at Manifesto. The first evenings were fully booked, with many familiar faces from Dirty Dog showing up to support Isaac’s new chapter. He believes Prague’s food scene still has room to grow — and his goal is to surprise and strive for perfection. The story behind the location is almost poetic. Isaac visited the space six years ago and immediately thought: this is where I want to open a restaurant. After more than a year of searching, it finally became available. The space had previously housed a minimalist Asian eatery...
Prague is now home to the most modern animal hospital in Europe, a state-of-the-art wildlife rescue center capable of treating up to 10,000 injured or stray animals each year. The new facility, located in Jinonice, cost more than 400 million CZK and offers comprehensive veterinary care for a wide range of wild species. But it’s not just a hospital — it also doubles as a space for public education and school programs. Common patients include swans, owls, otters, squirrels, and even larger species such as roe deer, mouflons, fallow deer, and beavers. After recovery, most animals are released back into their natural habitat. The hospital’s Jinonice location features a surgical suite, intensive care unit, veterinary clinic, treatment aviaries, feed preparation room, isolation units, and recovery enclosures. It also includes a lecture room designed for educational programs aimed at school groups and the general public. The rescue station employs 24 specialists who care for around 1,000 animals at any given time. Currently, about 150 wild creatures, mostly birds and hedgehogs, are preparing for release. The head of the rescue station, Veronika Kraslová, says the success rate is impressive: over 60% of adult animals and nearly 90% of young ones survive thanks...
Moravská Třebová has won the title of Historic City of the Year 2024, a reward for using money from the Ministry of Culture’s programme for the restoration of monuments. The award, which comes with a one-million-crown cheque, honors those towns and cities that have excelled in preserving and renewing their cultural and architectural heritage. The “Historic Town of the Year” competition is organized annually by the Association of Historic Settlements in Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia along with the Ministry of Regional Development. Moravska Trebova, in the Svitavy district, is a town of almost 10,000 inhabitants. The town has made its Renaissance town hall accessible and created a new information system. At the same time, it acquired the Renaissance church from the local parish, which it is trying to repair and make accessible. The Ministry for Regional Development’s award, which carries a prize of CZK 100,000, went to Nove Mesto nad Metuji in the Hradec Kralove Region and Prague 1 for its outstanding implementation of the programme for the rehabilitation of heritage reserves. A special award was given to Horni Slavkov in the Karlovy Vary Region for the restoration of St. George’s Church, and the town of Lipnik nad Becvou in...
The American fast-food chain Popeyes is accelerating its expansion in the Czech Republic, announcing plans to open ten new locations across the country in 2025. While continuing to strengthen its presence in Prague, the brand will move into new territories, with branches confirmed for Brno, Pardubice, and Pilsen. “In most cases, these will be restaurants located in shopping centers. This year, we may also launch a drive-thru and a highway stop,” said Jiří Petrovič, Chief Development Officer for Popeyes in Czechia, Poland, and Romania. “I won’t disclose more details yet, as some sites are still under construction. But I believe we’ll make a lot of Louisiana chicken fans happy this year.” According to Petrovič, at least six additional branches will launch by the end of the year or in early 2026. In Prague, Popeyes currently operates three outlets. Outside the capital, fans can visit the location in Stehelčeves, near the D7 highway, and, since April 1, the chain’s latest branch in České Budějovice. Popeyes entered the Czech market in 2023 with its debut restaurant on Wenceslas Square, where it sold over 100,000 portions in its first year. That opening drew massive crowds, with some eager customers waiting up to 26...
The Easter markets have returned to Prague, filling the city’s main squares with food stalls, live music, and clusters of tourists snapping photos under blooming trees. While the markets remain a seasonal tradition for locals, many are finding them harder to enjoy — not because of the crowds, but because of the prices. What used to be an affordable afternoon out now feels more like a splurge, with even simple snacks reaching restaurant-level costs. At Old Town Square, the offerings are familiar: roasted ham, trdelník, and langoš. But the price tags have shifted. A small portion of Prague ham costs 129 CZK per 100 grams, and vendors rarely serve less than 300 grams. A basic langoš goes for 180 CZK. A trdelník costs 100 CZK plain, with versions filled with ice cream or Nutella selling for up to 160 CZK. More international fare is also on offer this year, including grilled octopus at 289 CZK per 100 grams and yuzu lemonade at 120 CZK a glass. Stalls along Wenceslas Square and Republic Square offer similarly steep prices, with burgers priced at 250 CZK, hot dogs at 200 CZK, and fries at 150 CZK. Green beer, a seasonal specialty, is poured...
At first glance, it sounds like progress paused. This year’s Equal Pay Day in the Czech Republic fell on March 25, marking the 65th day into the year — a symbolic reminder of how much longer women must work to earn what men made in 2024 alone. That figure translates into an 18% gender pay gap, one of the widest in the European Union. The issue took center stage last month at the Equal Pay Day 2025 Conference in Prague, hosted by Business & Professional Women CR (BPWCR), an organization that has long been at the forefront of gender equality advocacy. The event gathered corporate leaders, policymakers, and researchers to confront a familiar but stubborn reality: Czech women continue to earn less — even when qualifications and roles are the same. The next event will be on 26. and 27. March, 2026. Here is the link to buy tickets. A Reversal in Progress The pay gap had narrowed in previous years, dipping to 15% in 2021, thanks in part to government interventions like minimum wage hikes and targeted raises in female-dominated fields such as education and healthcare. But those improvements, experts warn, were short-lived — temporary fixes rather than structural...
Since last year, Prague City has been working on a new system to regulate shared transport. The new regulations aim to address concerns related to bikes and e-bikes in the city, ensuring that these vehicles are parked in designated spots. Importantly, e-scooters will be excluded from the system and will no longer be allowed to park in public spaces. “Anyone who does not have a contract with us cannot operate and park scooters. If they do, we will remove them,” said Petr Hájek, director of the Technical Administration of Roads. According to Deputy Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates), while operators might theoretically establish parking stations on private property, this would be complex, and the city does not anticipate such arrangements.By the end of May, the city council is expected to approve the administration’s proposal, granting the authority to issue contracts with individual bike operators.Under the new rules, operators will be required to pay 25 CZK per month for each bike or e-bike parked in designated areas. Operators who fail to comply with parking regulations will face a fine of 100 CZK, with the fine rising to 1,000 CZK if not rectified in time. If operators persist with improper disposal, the administration will...
The Czech Republic is set to experience multiple waves of Saharan dust, which will remain suspended in the atmosphere until Easter. Meteorologists warn that this dust intrusion could worsen air quality, trigger respiratory problems, and slightly reduce the expected warm temperatures across the country. The dust, carried from the Sahara Desert, can cause a visible haze, reduce sky clarity, and lead to so-called “blood rain” — a phenomenon where rainfall carries dust particles, leaving dirty stains on cars, windows, and other surfaces. At higher concentrations, these fine particles may settle on the ground and, when combined with pollen, significantly worsen symptoms for people with asthma or allergies. According to meteorologists at Geosphere Austria, the first major dust wave is expected to hit on Tuesday, followed by another on Thursday. The deteriorated air conditions are likely to continue throughout the Easter holidays. In addition to the health concerns, sunlight will be partly blocked, potentially reducing maximum daytime temperatures by a few degrees. This atmospheric event is part of a recurring natural phenomenon that occurs during storms or low-pressure systems over North Africa. Every year, the NASA Earth Observatory reports that winds blow up to 200 million tons of dust from the...
The biggest Baroque celebrations on the water at Charles Bridge in Prague following a three-hundred-year tradition. The NAVALIS Saint John’s Celebrations are a commemoration of the best-known Czech saint and Prague native, Saint John of Nepomuk, patron of all people of the water. A mass is held with a procession and a Baroque water concert on the Vltava River beside Charles Bridge on the evening before the holy day of Saint John of Nepomuk (so-called vigilia). Every year there are numerous special events, such as a folklore festival, a regatta of historical and dragon boats, markets, lectures and exhibitions. Venetian gondoliers regularly take part in the event and amaze visitors with their captivating songs. John of Nepomuk, the patron saint of Bohemia, is revered among the Catholic faithful as a protector from floods and drowning. Legend has it that King Wenceslas IV had him tortured, killed and thrown into the Vltava River because he refused to divulge the queen’s secrets, told to him in confession. Statues of John of Nepomuk, such as the one installed in 1683 on the north side of the Charles Bridge in Prague, were erected long before he became a saint, notes historian Jiří Louda. “At the beginning of the 18th...
With birth rates falling faster than expected and an ageing population on the rise, Czechia faces urgent decisions to secure the future of its economy and social welfare system. Czechia is experiencing a significant and sustained decline in its birth rate, raising concerns about long-term impacts on the country’s economy, social services, and population structure. After a modest increase in births during 2021, the following year saw a notable drop of around 12,000 births, pushing the total below the 100,000 mark. The average number of children per woman fell to 1.66, erasing several years of gradual improvement. As reported by Echo24, the trend continued into 2023, with fewer than 92,000 births recorded — a decline of 8 percent from the previous year. Preliminary data for 2024 suggests the fertility rate has fallen further to around 1.37 children per woman. These figures not only reflect a persistent decline but also surpass even the most cautious forecasts. Projections that anticipated such numbers for the 2030s have arrived much earlier than expected. If the pattern holds, the number of annual births could fall to approximately 76,000 by the end of the decade. This demographic shift is being experienced in multiple European nations, perhaps most...
Angela Merkel, Germany’s longest-serving chancellor, will visit Prague for a rare public appearance and her first-ever live interview in the Czech Republic. She will speak with Czech journalist Tomáš Lindner about her memoir Freedom and reflect on the state of democracy in Germany and Europe. For sixteen years, Merkel led Europe’s most powerful country through an extraordinary period marked by financial crashes, the refugee crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine. Her newly released autobiography offers a behind-the-scenes look at how key decisions were made during her time in office — decisions that helped define modern Europe. In the book, Merkel also examines her East German upbringing and how life under communism shaped her worldview. In the Respekt-hosted interview, she is expected to expand on these themes and provide new insights into the complex realities of political leadership. The discussion will continue the narrative laid out in Freedom, now available in Czech thanks to Práh Publishing, which is also partnering on the event. Since its release, the Czech edition of Merkel’s memoir has gone into its third printing, underlining the strong interest in her legacy. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the venue. Event...
Known for its handcrafted bread and pastries made with locally-sourced ingredients and no additives, Joy Bakery continues to grow while staying true to its philosophy of quality, authenticity… and joy. The original shop in Vršovice was described by the co-owner Liudmila as “a small baby” that grew into “a nice teenager saying, ‘I want to be free and go out.'” This growth prompted the search for a new location. Two real estate agents and six months of searching later, Liudmila found the perfect spot in Karlín (Urxova 436/10): a former bakery that felt right from the start. “We didn’t even advertise,” she recalls. “We just opened the doors and said, ‘Hello, we’re here!’ People came back and brought more people.” Her partner, Peter, originally from Denmark, explains that the decision to expand was driven by both demand and practicality: “Since we reached our production limit at our original location, we either needed to move production to get more space or stay where we were. Customers kept asking if we’d open in Karlín, so we decided to find a place where we could expand production and open a second store.” Despite expanding, Joy Bakery remains committed to using high-quality ingredients such...
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