The heart of vinyl record making on Earth isn’t found in Tokyo or Los Angeles, but rather belongs to a small Czech village. From the small town of Loděnice, population 2,008, GZ Media, or “Gramofonové Závody,” produces 60% of the world’s vinyl records, and has continually operated since 1951 despite challenges from communism, the breakup of Czechoslovakia, the inventions of the CD and digital streaming, and COVID-19. President Zdenek Pelc has remarked that it was like the Wild West at times, having joined up with the company after it had become privatized in 1983 to steer it through his country’s division with Slovakia, and the industry-killing invention of the CD in the same decade. Yet as DW reports, the vinyl continued to be pressed in meager numbers for punk and metal bands seeking cheap production and tiny batches. During the 1990s, just 1 million records were sold across the entire United States. “It’s the only example I know of a product all but dying only to return,” said Pelc. “The world has too much digital information filling it up. Some people like to hold a nice package in their hand. It’s the same reason that books still exist.” True to...
Czechs want to protect the climate but are worried about the economy as slightly more than half of them (52%) believe the EU Green Deal will harm it, according to a survey presented by the STEM agency on Tuesday (20 September). But Czech citizens also have limited knowledge of the Green Deal, as just 12% of those surveyed knew its targets. Among everyone surveyed, a third said they wanted a strengthened Green Deal, while a third said they wanted it completely abolished or at least limited. Another third said they had no opinion. The survey also pointed to half the respondents associating the Green Deal with air and landscape quality improvements. “But they do not associate it with an improvement in their economic situation. And that, especially today, is a serious deficiency,” the survey’s authors said. Czech citizens also want the state to invest more in sustainable measures, such as renewable energy sources, according to the study called “Czech (non)transformation 2022”. Meanwhile, Environment Minister Anna Hubáčková said that all social groups, including low-income households, must have access to financial support for renewables or energy-saving measures. She added that few possibilities exist for low-income households to improve their heating or electricity...
The Czech Republic will never agree to recognize the results of referendums held at liberated territories of Ukraine, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský wrote on Twitter. “The referendums were an obvious attempt to annex more Ukrainian territory as happened in the case of Crimea. They constituted a flagrant violation of international law for which Moscow must be held accountable,” added Lipavský. Kyiv’s Western allies were swift to condemn the announced referendums. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called them “sham” votes, while French President Emmanuel Macron described them as a “travesty”. The United States said they were “an affront to the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity” and that Washington would never recognize Russian claims to annexed Ukrainian territory. The planned annexation referendums have been prepared for months and come as Ukrainian forces have made notable gains in the northeastern Kharkiv region and in the east. The votes follow the model of the 2014 referendum by which Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula in southern Ukraine, which Kyiv and the West refused to recognize. Putin calls up reservists President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial military mobilization and vowed on Wednesday to use “all available means” to protect Russian territory, after Moscow-held regions of...
There are many things the Czech Republic is very well known for, one of them being Czech Glass. To be more specific, Bohemian Crystal. The production of Bohemian Crystal, from the Bohemia and Silesia regions, is a rich centuries-old tradition that is still thriving today. If you have ever walked through Prague’s city center, you might have noticed the high volumes of glass on the shelves of souvenir shops. Maybe you’ve even bought a vase made of Czech glass. Well, what if we told you that there is an exciting story behind Czech glass. And no, they are not trying to be a competitor to IKEA. The Celtic roots of Bohemian crystal The story of that piece of glass you bought starts in the ancient times of the Roman Empire. During those times, the Celtic tribes of Markomania (what they called the Czechia back then) figured out how to utilize materials they found underground. Back then, the Celts made tiny beads from the glass they manufactured, which they shipped to markets across the Roman Empire. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Celts were pushed out by nomadic Slavs, who settled in what is modern-day Czechia. It looks pretty bad for your glass,...
The minimum heating temperature in Czech school premises outside the classrooms could be lowered, as proposed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. For example, in the gymnasiums, it could be 17 degrees Celsius instead of the current 18 and in the showers 21 instead of 24. In the classrooms, it should remain at 20 degrees Celsius, states the draft amendment to the Decree on Sanitary Requirements for School Spaces prepared by the Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Industry and Trade also proposed a special decree in August due to the energy crisis, according to which the heating temperature of public spaces would be lowered in the event of a gas supply failure. In the school classrooms, according to the proposal, it should then drop from 20 to 19 degrees. The school should remain closed if the temperature in classrooms drops below 18 degrees Celsius on three consecutive days, or below 16 degrees in one day. The proposed limits do not endanger the health of children and pupils, according to the Ministry. For example, in the UK, classrooms are heated to at least 18 degrees Celsius and in Germany to 20 degrees, in Austria, the recommended temperature in the...
If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to our new morning fix. Goodyear, a US tire manufacturer, must pay Czech inventor František Hrabal USD 65 million (CZK 1.6 billion). On Monday, a court in the US state of Ohio ruled on the matter. According to the court, the company appropriated the Czech inventor’s self-inflating tires. Public health insurance will cost CZK 471.7 billion crowns in the Czech Republic next year, according to the latest estimates from the Ministry of Health. The ministry expects that CZK 464.6 billion will be received in health insurance payments in 2023, leaving a deficit of CZK 7.1 billion to be covered from the reserve funds of the health insurance companies. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský will meet with ministers from the Visegrad Group countries, the Bucharest Nine, and the Foreign Affairs Council on the sidelines of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly currently taking place at the UN Headquarters in New York. The member states of the European Union formally approved a loan of five billion euros for Ukraine on Tuesday, the Czech News Agency reports....
The EU Council approved the plan to provide Ukraine with additional 5 billion euro in the form of macro-financial assistance (MFA). EU finance minister approved the move at the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) Council meeting earlier this month in Prague, the Council reminded in a statement on Tuesday. The body pointed out that the latest MFA package “complements other EU support to Ukraine in the humanitarian, development customs and defence fields.” Zbyněk Stanjura, Czech Minister of Finance, noted that the EU supports Ukraine. “We deliver on our promises and help ensure that the Ukrainian state and its key infrastructure can continue to function despite Russia’s war of aggression,” he added and announced “at the next ECOFIN meetings, I will push for a swift agreement on the provision of the remaining 3 billion euro.” The Council stressed that the latest MFA aid will be provided “in the form of highly concessional long-term loans…. it constitutes the second stage in the implementation of the planned full Union’s exceptional macro-financial assistance to Ukraine for up to 9 billion euro, announced by the European Commission in its communication of 18 May.” Risk absorption included The body pointed out that its latest decision provides the...
A new opinion poll suggests that the populist ANO party of former prime minister Andrej Babiš is most popular among voters just a week ahead of municipal and senate elections. Conducted by the STEM agency for CNN Prime News, the poll which was published on Sunday found that Babiš’ enjoys 30% of voter confidence, followed by the anti-EU Freedom and Democracy Party (ID) with 14.3%. “The Freedom and Democracy Party is gaining ground at a time of heated moods and uncertain prospects thanks to its long-standing anti-establishment basis,” the STEM agency commented. Both parties are very critical of the EU, particularly amid the current energy crisis. They favour nationalistic and populistic solutions while promising lower living costs to their potential voters. The ruling party of Civic Democrats (ECR) got only 14.2%. Their coalition partners, Pirates (Greens/EFA), reached 9.4%, but other parties of the five-party coalition government would barely reach the 5% threshold to enter the Czech Parliament. On the other hand, the ANO movement is preferred among Czech voters over 60 and those with a lower education rate. ANO is also very popular in small towns, while the governing parties are more successful in big cities and among people with...
The Prague City Council yesterday approved the purchase of up to 200 new trams. The Prague Public Transit Company (DPP) has been conducting market consultations in the past months. This is the first tender for the supply of new trams in Prague in 17 years. DPP is calling for 30-meter-long, air-conditioned, low-floor trams “adapted to Prague’s specific conditions”. Price, power consumption, warranty period, and life cycle costs will all play a role in the tender. Prague will order 40 vehicles to be delivered by the end of 2026 at an estimated CZK 2.42 billion. Up to 160 additional vehicles are to be purchased under a framework contract. The growing tram network and the need to replace old T3 trams have caused the need for new vehicles, according to the city administration. Prague’s tram network is currently undergoing unprecedented development. DPP has started three new construction projects this year. The Sidliste Barrandov – Holyne line was completed in spring and a tender for the continuation of the line has been announced. Other projects are in preparation. The Prague tramway network consists of 142.4 km of track, 882 tram vehicles (one of the largest fleets in the world) and 26 daytime routes, 2 historical...
Despite a high number of tourists deciding to visit the capital city of the Czech Republic, Prague, data show that heritage sites, as well as tourist attractions, have still not reached the levels registered during the pre-pandemic period. Of all the tourist attractions that the country has, it has been revealed that only two of them have reached the 2019 figures. The Old Town hall was visited by around 40 per cent fewer people so far this year compared to the same period in 2019. Prague Castel, the Petřín Tower and the Powder Tower also registered a lower number of visitors. The number of visitors that visited Prague Castle in July was around 50 per cent less than the number of visitors in July 2019. The spokesperson of Prague City Tourism, Klára Malá, said that the tourist attractions have not been registering a high number of visitors as there is a lack of arrivals from Southeast Asia and Russia. The spokesperson explained that Asians are not visiting Czechia due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions in their home countries. As for Russians, she said that they are not visiting Czechia due to the war in Ukraine and the restrictions that have...
If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to our new morning fix. The first ship carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) for Czechia has arrived at the Dutch port of Eemshaven and is getting ready to lay anchor, ČEZ spokesman Roman Gazdík told the Czech News Agency on Monday. The ship arrived from the United States and carries 100 million cubic metres of gas, The Council of Prague City Hall on Monday approved a plan to purchase up to 200 new trams and asked the Prague Public Transit Company (DPP) to commission the relevant tender, website Zdopravy.cz reports. The government plans to raise pensions by CZK 825 in January to an average monthly total of CZK 19,500, Czech Radio reported on Monday citing the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. The increase should see the average pension be equivalent to 49.5 percent of the average wage in the country, the ministry states. In a televised address yesterday, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala called on Czechs to use gas and electric power prudently to save their own money and help lower state expenditures, while also helping...
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala called on Czechs to handle gas and electricity in a rational manner to save their own money and help lower state expenditures, while also helping the Czech economy. He added that the state would set a positive example by economising on the use of energy. The Czech government’s recently decided to cap the prices of energy for households, small and medium-sized enterprises and public institutions. “Over CZK 100 billion is involved, which we have to get from somewhere. We don’t want to borrow money once again, as previous cabinets did repeatedly,” Fiala said. The government is also discussing options to compensate large high-net-worth Czech companies and industrial enterprises for lost profits due to rising energy costs. Besides using the planned windfall tax, targeting extraordinary profits among energy companies, the state should finance the electricity and gas price caps from increased dividends from state-controlled companies, including the CEZ energy provider, Fiala said. The soaring price of energy in late August is a direct consequence of Russia’s economic war against the West, said Fiala. “Its goal is to threaten the social certainties of people in European countries, paralyse our economies, undermine citizens’ trust in the state and democracy itself, and...
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
