Retired general Petr Pavel, who was sworn in as the Czech Republic’s new president on Thursday, is a war hero with a pro-Western drive and a passion for motorcycles. Pavel won the January presidential election by defeating billionaire former prime minister Andrej Babis in the run-off. “In a victory of values, there are no winners and no losers. We are one community and we have to stick together,” Pavel said after winning. “I can’t ignore the fact that people here increasingly feel chaos, disorder and uncertainty,” Pavel said on his campaign website. “We need to change this. We need to play by the rules, which will be valid for everyone alike.” In the run-up to the inauguration, Pavel proved to be an active president-elect. He attended a security conference in Munich in February and travelled to Czech regions where he had lost to Babis, meeting voters including the poverty-stricken Roma minority. He also repeatedly voiced support for Ukraine and to Taiwan. Though he rarely smiles in public, Pavel described himself as a “very merry person” in a recent interview with AFP. “I just don’t show that during official events. But everyone who knows me will tell you that good jokes...
The Prague Rocks festival, organized by Live Nation, is back this year with a promising line-up to kick off your musical summer! Prague Rocks vol. 1 on June 2nd will feature headliners Motley Crüe & Def Leppard, supported by the biggest Czech rock band Kabát. Prague Rocks vol. 2 starts on June 21st with headliners Gwen Stefani & Maroon 5. Ticket prices start at CZK 1490. The festival starts off by welcoming globally known artists Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard, who will participate in the festival as part of their world tour on July 2nd. The two iconic bands are collaborating with their co-headline The World Tour. “After finally getting back on the road and having a monumental summer tour in the US & Canada this year, we’re beyond thrilled to be bringing this massive stadium tour to major cities all over the world, and kicking off Europe in Sheffield where it all started for us 45 years ago. We’re looking forward to seeing you out there, somewhere soon!” said Joe Elliott of Def Leppard. The Prague Rocks Festival continues on June 21st with more well-known artists from music mainstream. Gwen Stefani and Maroon 5 will be joined by Rag’n’Bone...
“Some like it Czech” project is thrilled to finally introduce to the international audience the iconic movie The Firemen’s Ball, directed by a genius of cinema – Miloš Forman. “We decided to open Forman’s archive with a comical satire which will reveal a lot about the nature of Czech people. So, on the 15th of March, we will show you everything you wanted to know about Czechs but were afraid to ask,” add the founders of the project. Made in 1967, The Firemen’s Ball is the third feature film by Miloš Forman, one of the leading representatives of the so-called New Wave of Czechoslovak cinema. He is also known for his work on other notable films such as “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” with Jack Nicholson and “Amadeus.” The film was made in a Czechoslovak-Italian co-production with the participation of the famous Italian producer Carlo Ponti. Yes, the same one who worked with stars like Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni on some of the most Italian classics. So any fellow Italians who wish to attend… Sì? The plot of The Firemen’s Ball (watch the trailer) revolves around a group of volunteer firefighters. The film takes place at the annual...
As someone who has been keeping an eye on the real estate market in the Czech Republic, I wasn’t as surprised as some to see a significant drop in apartment prices last year. This trend was particularly noticeable in older buildings, while the number of sales only decreased slightly for new constructions. However, the latest data from Valuo.cz, which analyses sales prices based on the land registry and advertisements, revealed that even high-priced areas around Prague’s metro stations are also experiencing price reductions, which to me wasn’t something I necessarily expected. When looking at properties around metro stations, Valuo compares renovated apartments in personal ownership with an area of eighty square meters located within a radius of one kilometre from the station, except for Letňany, where the radius is extended to 1.5 kilometres given the relative lower amount of properties close to the metro. Based on Valuo’s current analysis, it appears apartments near metro stations have become cheaper for the first time in the last six years. The average price has dropped for almost all stations compared to last year. The most significant decreases were seen at Bořislavka on line A (by 24%) and Národní trýda on line B (by 20%)....
The Czech cyber security watchdog warned on Wednesday against using TikTok, joining a growing number of Western agencies alleging the Chinese-owned social media app poses a security risk. The NUKIB agency recommended that TikTok should not be installed on phones whose users access critical and other significant infrastructure. “The Agency is concerned about potential security threat stemming from the use of TikTok primarily due to the amount of user data that is collected by the app as well as the way the data is handled.” NUKIB said. “Such large-scale data collection is concerning due to the legal and political environment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), given that ByteDance, the developer and administrator of TikTok, falls under the legal jurisdiction of the PRC.” NUKIB also recommended politicians and officials to avoid using TikTok, and said the wider public should consider whether to use the app as well, especially for sharing content. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ByteDance has said previously that concerns about the app are fuelled by misinformation, and has denied using it for spying. Beijing has also repeatedly denied having any intention to use the app for espionage. Several countries have taken...
The average mortgage rate in Czechia fell to 6.27 percent in March from 6.37 percent in February, according to market tracker Fincentre Hypoindex. Experts say the reduction in rates is the result of competition between banks as a new building season approaches. A planned movie about Prague writer Franz Kafka has received the most in an annual allocation of state funding by the Czech Film Fund. Franz by Oscar-winning Polish director Agniezska Holland is getting CZK 22 million of the total of almost CZK 61 million to be distributed, a spokesperson said on Wednesday. Unemployment in Czechia remained at 3.9 percent in February, according to data released by the Czech Labour Office on Wednesday. The country’s labour offices registered over 282,500 job seekers last month, some 550 fewer than in the previous month The Czech National Cyber and Information Security Agency (NUKIB) today issued a warning over the installation and use of the Chinese application TikTok. The agency described the app as a security threat and said the public should think twice before using it due to its data collection. A horse, which reportedly belongs to the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, has been stolen from a...
Since the end of last year, visitors to the Švandovo Theatre have had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of traditional and modern pantomime again after a long time, as Radim Vizváry’s award-winning production Solo has returned. The work, for which this leading representative of non-verbal theatre won the Thalia Award a few years ago, has lost none of its appeal, as the first sold-out performances indicate. He performs on the Smíchov stage approximately once a month, with the next performances on 18 March and 25 May. The production with the simple title Solo is not only a showcase of Radim Vizváry’s interpretive mastery. It also introduces the audience to various forms of pantomime from the beginnings of the genre to the present day. “I created Solo as a walk from romantic pantomime to today, as a kind of encyclopedia of styles, but not with the intention of instructing the audience. I’m trying to show them the richness of pantomime and convey my own love of it. Hopefully, thanks to this production, they can get an idea of what pantomime can encompass today and offer, how far it has moved on from the old picture of a mime...
The site formerly occupied by the Smíchov Distillery will soon be undergoing an extensive transformation. By 2026, a revitalization project inspired by London’s Kings Cross will be completed on the site of the former Smíchov distillery, situated between Nádražní and Strakonická streets, which has remained vacant since 2001. The investor, the Trigema group, has introduced a three-stage plan for their development, including the construction of residential buildings, school facilities, and a food and entertainment district. The project’s aesthetics plan to integrate the area’s industrial past, displaying the previous architecture – brick facades and original chimneys – alongside modern design. Currently, both buildings are under monument protection. Work by David Černý, the famous Czech artist, will be displayed in a gallery located in the former brewery, alongside a cafe and terrace. Artefacts from the area’s industrial past will be displayed throughout the area, Petra Martínková, spokesperson for Trigema explained. “The complete reconstruction required not only repairs to the interior of the building, including new plastering, ceilings, and staircases, but also the rehabilitation of the load-bearing structures.” The architecture for the development was primarily inspired by London’s King Cross station. “We really enjoy industrial London, and it was part of the project...
Top-rated meals brought to your doorstep with top-rated service, all this with Prague-based company MyChef. In need of tasty and healthy meals at home? MyChef delivers five-course menus with a choice of calorie count varying from 1200 to 3000, and six different diets: Healthy Balance, Vege, Lactose-Free, Low Carb, Keto, Flexitarian. All meals are sugar-free and gluten-free, and 100% delicious. MyChef ensures fresh meals cooked daily from scratch, without preservatives and additives. Perfect for busy health enthusiasts, or just the conscious minds. Check out MyChef’s website for more information on their offers. A service to fulfill the need for healthy food made with a conscious mind. High-quality ingredients with eco-friendly packaging are important values for MyChef. “We are not a factory food producer nor a startup. We are a bunch of people who care about food with flavour, top-quality ingredients, our health, and great customer service and that’s exactly how our whole process works. We listen, we create and we deliver,“ explains MyChef’s spokesperson. Their packages are customizable to your preferences and can be delivered to inner & outer Prague. MyChef also has pick-up points accessible 24/7 in case delivery is not the best option for you. Besides its great...
The best place to live in Czechia is the Central Bohemian town of Říčany, followed by Prague according to this year’s Quality of Life Index put together by Deloitte for the Obce v Datech project. The annual list is created by using big data analysis to crunch a wide array of statistics ranging from community services, to work, education and health conditions. Deloitte claims to analyze data from the 206 largest Czech cities and uses the following criteria to evaluate cities’ quality of life: total population growth, crime rate, life expectancy, traffic accidents, number of working doctors, sustainability, clean environment, unemployment rate, median wage, number of companies and private entrepreneurs, number of schools and kindergartens, accessibility of leisure activities, number of restaurants, ATMs, pharmacies and other services. If you’re looking for the ideal place to settle down in Czechia then Říčany, a town with a population of around 16,000 which lies to the east of Prague, is probably your best bet. At least according to the annual Quality of Life Index, which has placed it at the top of its list for the past five years in a row. The ruins of the old Říčany castle, dating back to the...
After two five-year mandates, Czech President Miloš Zeman’s term in office ends at midnight on Wednesday, March 8. Zeman, who was first a member of the Social Democratic Party but later switched to the centre-left Party of Civic Rights, was one of the defining figures in Prague after the Velvet Revolution of 1989, along with his predecessors Václav Havel and Václav Klaus. But in the commentaries, there is not much mourning over his departure. He did more harm than good “His dark side far outweighed his light one. We joined Nato when Zeman was prime minister, but after that he never stopped torpedoing our Western alliances. Zeman conceived his entire presidency as representing the interests of China and Russia. … When our first post-revolutionary president died, parliament paid him tribute by saying: ‘Václav Havel did a great service to freedom and democracy.’ With regard to this outgoing president it should say: ‘Miloš Zeman endangered freedom and democracy’,” wrote Erik Tabery, editor-in-chief of Respekt. A striking but controversial personality Deník is also ambivalent about the outgoing president: “Miloš Zeman is a conspicuous personality of the post-revolutionary era. For many years he held the pen with which history was written. He did...
Do you know the six churches whose configuration forms a cross? Modern buildings have hidden some of the medieval monuments, but they are certainly worth exploring, just as the pulsing large squares and original houses of merchants. The New Town of Prague was built on the right bank of Vltava. Its border goes under Vyšehrad, from Jiráskovo Square, along the Masaryk Embankment and the Old Town to Holešovice. This city quarter includes large parts of Prague 1 and Prague 2 and a small part of Prague 8. The New Town offers architectural gems, such as the National Theatre or the National Museum, and includes the areas around Wenceslas Square, Charles Square, Náměstí Republiky Square, Jindřišská Street, Karlova, Albertova and Výtoň Streets, the Prague main train station and the Masaryk station. The first quarter with a plan Officially, the New Town of Prague was established on March 8, 1348. Prague was growing fast at that time. It was the seat of the Czech and Roman king Charles IV, higher education and valuable church relics, and the number of inhabitants, students and pilgrims from abroad kept growing. Charles IV announced his aim to increase the capacity of the capital soon after he succeeded...
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