The Czech capital has succeeded in the global competition and occupied the seventh place in the ranking of the most popular congress destinations that the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) compiles every year. Prague has moved four positions up since 2016 and ranked among the world’s TOP 10 meeting destinations such as Barcelona, Paris, Vienna, London and Singapore. The Prague Convention Bureau statistics, based on data collected from its member entities, show that Prague, in the long run, has had a stable ratio of international (49.2%) and local events (50.8%). According to aggregated data from the Prague Convention Bureau (PCB) and the Czech Statistical Office (CZSO), a total of 1,220 events were held in Prague in 2021, which is 2.9% less than in 2020. Compared to the record year of 2019, this was even a drop by 79.5%. The pandemic has had a significant impact on the number of delegates who attended the events. Year-on-year, their number decreased from almost 182,000 to 146,000 in 2021, which is 19.5% less. Foreign delegates in 2021 came to Prague most often from the US, Britain, Germany, Switzerland and France. Prague belongs among destinations very popular with pharmaceutical, industrial or business meetings. Small corporate meetings with the participation of between 10 and 149 delegates predominate over large association...
The international film festival in the Czech spa town of Karlovy Vary kicked off Friday amid controversy following a protest by Ukraine over the screening of a Russian film alongside Ukrainian-made movies. Prior to the start of the 56th edition of the festival, several leading Ukrainian filmmakers along with Ukraine’s ambassador to Prague protested the scheduled screening of Captain Volkonogov Escaped. Ukrainian Ambassador Yevhen Perebyinis said in an open letter that it would be “inhuman” to screen Ukrainian films alongside a Russian movie made with support from Russia’s Culture Ministry at a time when Russian troops had “committed atrocities” during their invasion of his country. Organizers said they consider the Russian movie – whose world premiere was at last year’s Venice Film Festival – as being indirectly critical of the current Russian leadership. Four Ukrainian films and eight other nearly-completed movies produced or co-produced by Ukraine will also be screened at the festival. After being canceled in 2020 and delayed in 2021 due to the pandemic, this year’s festival will culminate in a ceremony to honor Australian Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush for his contribution to world cinema. Rush won an Academy Award for actor in a leading role in Shine...
Brno-based RegioJet has switched its Prague-Croatia train service to daily operation. The train route runs through Brno and Bratislava to the Croatian cities of Ogulin, Split, and Rijeka. There you can transfer to buses to other resorts in the country. Comfortable and affordable – a berth in a sleeping car the whole distance of more than 1,000km is only CZK 590 for a seat and from CZK 790 for a seat in a sleeping car.– the RegioJet route will run until the end of September. The service will be daily in the high season, in July and August. It stops en route in Bratislava but not in Budapest. The train in signature yellow colours will pull out of Prague just after 4.30 pm, arriving in Zagreb just after 5 am then, dividing in Ogulin, will go on to Rijeka at 10.15 am and Split at 1.45 pm. In terms of capacity, the head of Regiojet’s international projects said that the capacity this year is more than 600 passengers per train, meaning that it is, once again, 15 wagons. Wagons with seating as well as sleeping cars will also be available. “Perhaps the only change is that we’ve increased the number of...
It’s not always easy to find new things to do in Prague. Hiding in plain sight, though, just a few steps from the Charles Bridge on a charming little alleyway, is Ping Pong Point—the only establishment bringing casual table tennis to the masses in Prague. It’s an unassuming storefront, but inside is a lovely, casual hang-out spot for locals and tourists alike, offering a professional standard pin pong table and everything needed to get started. Petr and his business partner Stan grew up playing ping pong. But when they came to Prague for business, they found a severe lack of available tables. They’d searched for places to play, but not wanting to play in a gym, they came up totally empty. Foosball dominated the bars, and even then, game tables were slowly being replaced by seating areas to accommodate more crowds. What used to be a European bar staple had totally disappeared. During COVID, though, Petr saw an opportunity when a storefront became available next door to him. He knew that he could use the space to create a novel space for the community to gather. Ping Pong Point is perfectly positioned next to a restaurant, and Petr encourages people...
As France’s term of the rotating Presidency ends on 30 June, it is time for the second member of the trio to carry out the European agenda. On 1 July begins the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union (the institution that unites ministers from the Member States, responsible for different policies). As the holder of the rotational EU Presidency, the Czech Republic will determine the priorities and the agenda of the Council, preside over its meetings, ensure compromise between members and represent the Union abroad for the next six months. Also, one of the major tasks during this six-month-long term is the adoption of the EU budget for 2023. Under the motto “Europe as a task: Rethink, Rebuild, Repower” and as the primary agenda-setter of the EU, for the next semester, Czechia will focus on the following priorities, that highly revolve around the war in Ukraine, the climate crisis and cyber threats: Managing the refugee crisis and Ukraine’s post-war recovery – the Czech Republic regards the political and military support to Ukraine facing the Russian invasion as vital to protecting security in Europe. Hence, the country is in favour of using all EU instruments and programs to support...
Police in Prague are looking for a man who has been breaking into people’s homes at night and watching them as they sleep, committing petty theft at times. “Home security camera footage makes it clear the perpetrator does not mind the presence of people,” Prague police spokesperson Jan Rybanský said in a statement on Thursday. “On the contrary, we could say he literally seeks out such homes,” he added. Police have so far registered seven cases but said there could have been more. “In one case, the suspect was sitting on the bed next to the nine-year-old daughter of the house owner in her child’s room while she was asleep and had no idea,” Rybanský said. Some house owners also recorded the movement of the suspect around the house when they were awake. “To avoid being disturbed, he locked himself in the room or on the entire floor, searched it and then left the house,” reads the statement on the police website. The suspect aged between 55 and 60, who has a limp, has mostly broken into houses in Prague. He has burgled one house twice within a year. The man faces up to three years in prison if convicted,...
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. Today, July 1st, the Czech Republic takes over the Presidency of the EU Council. The six-month Czech Presidency follows France, and will be followed by Sweden from 1 January till 30 June 2023. . The economic mood of the Czechs in the first half of 2022 is considerably pessimistic, according to a survey conducted by the STEM agency. The household financial outlook index fell in May, to its lowest value in eight years. The index also recorded the biggest year-on-year drop since 1993. The public expects continued rising prices, which are most threatening to those with high borrowing. The Czech economy grew by 4.9 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2022, according to a revised estimate released by the Czech Statistics Office on Thursday. A previous estimate issued at the end of May put the expansion of GDP 4.8 percent. The CzechRepublic had the lowest rate of unemployment in the European Union in May: 2.5%. The general level of unemployment in the EU stood at 6.1% in May, remaining at April’s level....
Numerous Ryanair passengers were left stranded at Prague’s airport after their flight to Manchester left without them last week. Travelers for the 5.30 pm service on Friday 24 June claim to have arrived in good time, but said an unusual security system and huge queues at the airport meant they were still waiting in line by the time the plane was scheduled to depart. Passenger Hannah Molloy described the scene as “absolute chaos”, alleging that a large number of travellers were left scrambling to book onto a later easyJet flight, while others had to find a last-minute hotel in Prague. “There was no one from Ryanair,” she told Manchester Evening News. “We spoke to security and they said ‘it’s nothing to do with us’. “We were told they were ‘going to miss the flight slot’ but obviously the gate staff knew that there were a lot of people around – they could see us out of the window.” Ms. Molloy added that she and her partner “got there in plenty of time”. They were forced to pay £300 for an alternative easyJet flight in order to get home. Passengers reported that, unlike the normal airport procedure, they had to wait for their gate to be announced before...
The season of festivals is in full swing!. Whether you are going to Ostrava for Colors, Vizovice for Masters of Rock or Brno for Pop Messe or Mendel Festival, fans of every genre will have plenty to choose from. Besides festivals, there are lots more concerts to attend, including KISS, Slipknot, Pearl Jam, Jack White and Jeff Beck with Johnny Depp who will all be stopping by Prague this summer. Kryštof kempy – 2. 7. – 27. 8. 2022 Twice Kryštof had to postpone the fourth year of his camps, but this year, they are finally happening. With each one-day festival, the band will explore films and music as they become real Hollywood stars. In addition to the organizers, other musicians will appear on the stage: the bands Sebastian and Slza, Olga Lounová and Michal Horák are all slated to perform. The camps will stop in a total of eight towns, and are sold out in Hukvaldy (July 9), Strážnice (July 16), Konopiště (August 6) and Loket nad Ohří (August 20). The last tickets remain for Náměště na Hané (July 2), Svojšice u Přelouče (July 23), Liberec (August 13) and Pilsen (August 27). Jack White – 5. 7. 2022, Forum...
A new, health-focused kindergarten has opened in Prague. It offers children a wholesome and modern environment with plenty of sunshine and fresh air. Beránek Kindergarten is located in Novodvorská Street in Prague 4 and solves one of today’s biggest problems: the presence of unhealthy substances in ordinary buildings. According to experts, very young children are especially sensitive to the environment in which they spend their time. Sufficient activity in sunny and ventilated interiors has a positive effect on their mental and physical health. Such a space is offered by the “healthy kindergarten” Beránek. Here, children breathe air that is free of carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, dust, or mold. “The kindergarten is equipped with a forced ventilation system with heat recovery, thanks to which there is fresh air in the kindergarten all day without harmful volatile substances, which are typically excreted from toys and furniture, and high concentrations of carbon dioxide. Thanks to the green roof and exterior blinds, the kindergarten does not overheat on hot summer days,” Petr Valeš from JRD Development describes. “The kindergarten is equipped with healthy full-spectrum lighting, which better mimics natural sunlight, and thanks to it, children can concentrate better. The kindergarten is built in...
Vanessa Van Cartier, the current reigning winner of DragRace Holland, will be in town performing at PM Club on the evening of Saturday, July 9th for a one-night-only engagement. The show and party, appropriately named Vanessa Van Cartier: One Night in Prague, will be organized by local queer event and show production company The Gay Agenda. DragRace Holland, one of the many international spin-offs of the USA-based original RuPaul’s DragRace, began in 2020 to showcase the talents and skills of the Dutch-speaking drag artists of the Netherlands and Belgium. Vanessa is the Belgian-born performer who managed to snatch the crown in 2021 and claim the title of Holland’s Next Drag Superstar. Her arrival in Prague marks the first time a winner of a European DragRace franchise will be performing in the Czech Republic. Although she’s now known internationally as the winner of the second season of the Dutch-iteration of DragRace, Vanessa Van Cartier’s work was known years prior before gracing tv screens in the Dutch-speaking world. In 2019 she won the Miss Continental pageant in the United States, which is the country’s largest and most influential female-illusion competition and pageant. In addition, in 2019 she also won the Miss Continental-Europe...
New to Prague’s culinary scene, Ansambl aims to provide affordable fine dining in a casual atmosphere. Located on Krymská street in Prague 10, the cosy modern European restaurant has quickly gained popularity since opening at the end of 2021. “We want to be approachable,” said Head Chef Martin Charvat speaking to Prague Morning, “at Ansambl everyone can try high-level food for friendly prices”. “We want our quality to always be 100 percent,” he said, “but we want the place to feel really casual”. “The concept of the restaurant is to create small plates for dinner, so the customers can try a little more.” Quality produce provides the basis for the restaurant’s offering and Charvat says the key is to allow the product to shine. His philosophy is to “start with perfect products and just don’t f*ck it up,” he said. Locally sourced produce is also essential for Ansambl. “We try to only work with Czech farmers,” he said, and “try to be as seasonal and sustainable as we can”. The dishes on offer range from variations of traditional French and Italian to Czech cuisine. “Produce always comes first”, he said, meaning that sourcing meat and vegetables from the country’s top...
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