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 Czech Republic has sent an additional police unit to help guard the external border of the Schengen Area on the Hungarian-Serbian border, with a a 40-member contingent. The Czech government will be approving a further easing of coronavirus restrictions this and next Wednesday, Interior Minister Vit Rakusan (STAN) told CTK after a meeting. However, in spite of the improvement in the pandemic situation, he called for cautiousness. The average monthly pension will increase by eight hundred to a thousand crowns from June, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Marian Jurečka told Czech Television. The exact amount will be decided by the pace of inflation. Next week, Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) will travel to Brussels for his first summit in office, a two-day meeting between the European Union and the African Union representatives. A new project aims to create a new 9,801-kilogramme bell for Prague – to commemorate thousands of Czech church and tower bells stolen and melted down by the Nazis in summer 1942. The project’s title is #9801.
There are now almost 1200 shared cars in the city. According to the operator of the world’s largest network of these cars, the market for car sharing in the Czech Republic is three times higher than what it used to be. Due to the pandemic, they have boosted their popularity. The Czech Republic’s biggest car-sharing company HoppyGo reported an 80 percent increase in the number of car rentals last year, while the number of registered users increased by 50 percent to over 100,000. “Part of our clients stopped using our services because they are working from home, but other clients started using the services to avoid overcrowded public transport,” said the technical director of HoppyGo. According to company estimates, the potential for car-sharing is up to three times higher than at present. Milan Beutl, director of the Czech representation of Anytime says: “Awareness of the service is expanding significantly, and carsharing in Prague is still growing and evolving.” He adds “there is still room for further development of carsharing in Prague and we expect that shared cars will experience further growth in interest in 2022.” According to experts, carsharing services, along with well-functioning public transport and taxis, can make part...
Targeted subsidies for the construction of the so-called sustainable transport infrastructure were approved by the Prague City Council and the funding given will be split amongst the ten city districts. Prague 11 will receive the most funding- almost CZK 60 million. The capital has set aside funding to support long-term sustainable mobility infrastructure projects, which are mostly hiking and biking trails. A total of eleven projects are ready for immediate construction, and two city districts have been awarded subsidies for the preparation of project documentation with expected implementation in the coming years. “Long-term support for bicycle and pedestrian transport has positive effects on the environment and local health, and Prague is trying to support it,” said the Deputy Mayor of Prague and the City of Prague for Transport Adam Scheinherr. “It is important to support city development when there are projects ready. This will fulfill what we promised to Prague residents when approving the Sustainable Mobility Plan of May 2019,” he adds. The key supported investment is the construction and reconstruction of two footbridges across Opatovská Street in Jižní Město The Otík footbridge will be completely reconstructed on the basis of a project prepared by the city district of Prague 11....
The Czech version of Mardis Gras, Masopust is celebrated in Prague each year with colourful costumes, food, drink and a fanciful parade. While Carnival is celebrated around the world from Brazil to Venice, Prague puts its own special twist on the event. Masopust, as it’s known in Czech, is a vibrant celebration that marks the end of winter and ushers in spring with a number of parties and parades full of colourful costumes throughout the city. Singing, dancing, eating and drinking are all key parts of Prague’s Masopust festivities. To take part, just put on a mask and join the fun. In 2022, Masopust Prague will take place between 25 February 2022 to Tuesday 01 March 2022. The biggest parties and celebrations take place the weekend prior to Ash Wednesday, with Shrove Tuesday being the biggest day of celebrating. The Letna Carnival Parade of Masks will be held winding its way through numerous cultural institutions, including the National Technical Museum, Letka Club, Museum of Agriculture, Letenska vodarna, Scarabeus Gallery, the Coffee Museum. Theater performances for the whole family will take place in the Letka Hall from 4:00 pm. There are also carnival exhibitions and magic performances held in the exhibition tower. The children’s choir will...
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. Prague Energy (PRE) will increase the price of electricity by a quarter on average from April. Gas prices will rise by 30% in May as well. Moneta Money Bank increased its net profit by 53 percent year on year to CZK 3.98 billion last year. The bank’s operating income fell about eight percent to CZK 11.17 billion but rose 4.6 percent after adjusting for one-off effects from 2020. The Czech Republic’s Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský is set to hand over 500 first aid packages worth a total of CZK 3.6 million, during his visit to Ukraine from Monday to Tuesday. Compulsory wide-ranging coronavirus testing at work and in schools will end on February 18, Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced on Wednesday. For schools, this effectively means that the last series of tests that pupils will take will be on February 14. A new project aims to create a new 9,801-kilogramme bell for Prague – to commemorate thousands of Czech church and tower bells stolen and melted down by the Nazis in summer 1942. The project’s...
The average cost of meals in Czech restaurants in January was 157 CZK. This is 2 crowns more than in December and 22 crowns more than year-on-year. The study was carried out by Sodexo. The region with the most expensive meals in restaurants was Prague with an average of 176 CZK, while the most accessible one was found in Karlovy Vary Region (CZK 142). The authors of the study note that lunch menus are the main source of income for most Czech restaurants. Business owners complain that the coronavirus epidemic has changed the habits of residents. Around 60% of Czechs in January bought on–the–go meals. The trend is leading to healthy fast foods being offered not just in local shops, but also by online retailers. Another problem is that many regular customers have stopped going to restaurants at all. Due to higher inflation, they prefer to cook at home. Moreover, alcohol consumption last year was the lowest since 1996, while consumption of rice and legumes was the highest since monitoring began in the country. Beer consumption fell by six liters per person year-on-year, to an average of 140 liters per person. Wine consumption fell by half a liter to nearly...
Czechs will no longer need to prove their vaccination status in order to attend restaurants, cultural and sports events after February 9, the country’s prime minister announced on Wednesday. Czech’s Supreme Administrative Court (NSS), the top court in the land, abolished the condition that residents must prove vaccination or recent illness from coronavirus to attend social events on Wednesday, postponing its decision for seven days to provide the government with an opportunity to respond to the ruling, according to Czech news outlet Seznamzpravy. “The measure cannot aim to indirectly force citizens to be vaccinated. This would make voluntary vaccination mandatory through an emergency vaccination measure, as unvaccinated people would have no choice but to be vaccinated if they wanted to live normally,” said NSS Judge Petr Mikeš The government now has limited options to ensure rules can continue to apply. The ministers could either issue a new measure taking into account the court’s ruling, or declare a state of emergency. “Taking into account current developments, the government will abolish the obligation to prove with a certificate of vaccination or illness at the entrance to restaurants, services, cultural, sports and other similar events on February 9,” Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala...
Since autumn 2021, Prague restaurants have been able to use the city’s system of distribution and collection of food waste containers. Unlike bio-waste – the exclusively biodegradable waste of plant origin, food waste also includes residues of food of animal origin (meat, bones, pastries, etc.). It is even possible to dispose of food waste with packaging in the food container. The collected kitchen waste is then processed and used in a biogas plant, producing energy as the primary, and agricultural fertilizer as the secondary product. Consistent separating of food waste could potentially reduce the total volume of municipal waste by up to 20%. Following the pilot project of food waste collection, launched in Prague in December 2019, the capital city came up with the introduction of the kitchen waste collection from school canteens in autumn 2021. Since October 2021, private companies such as restaurants, canteens, bistros, etc. have also been able to join the city’s collection system. The Červený Jelen restaurant has been sorting and collecting food waste since its opening in October 2019. “Food waste collecting is the most expensive of all waste items, but it was still a clear choice for us. We consider food waste sorting to be necessary nowadays,” comments Jiří Bednář, the Červený Jelen (Red Stag) Restaurant...
In line with the data provided by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the Czech Republic’s authorities have announced that all European Union and Schengen Area countries, with the exception of the Vatican City State, will continue to remain part of the dark red list. According to the latest update published by the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic, all EU/Schengen Area travellers will be required to present a COVID-19 pre-entry test for another week. The pre-entry testing requirement applies to everyone, including fully vaccinated and recovered travellers. Nonetheless, the Ministry has explained that EU travellers reaching the Czech Republic from a dark-red listed country are not required to present a test result upon their entry if they have already received a booster dose. “Only foreigners vaccinated with a booster dose have an exception if they are vaccinated in a country whose certificate the Czech Republic recognises,” the statement of the Ministry of Health reads. Children under the age of 12 are also exempt from the pre-entry testing requirement regardless of their country of origin. In contrast, stricter rules apply to unvaccinated and unrecovered travellers from the EU/Schengen Area. Except for having to present a pre-entry test,...
Poland and the Czech Republic on Thursday tamped down their dispute over the environmental impact of a coal mine close to the Czech border. The Polish government agreed to pay the Czech government 45 million euros in exchange for withdrawing a lawsuit brought by Prague against Warsaw at the Court of Justice of the European Union. Under the deal, 35 milion euros will be used to analyse and monitor the effects of the mine while the state-owned Polish energy group (PGE) will pay 10 milion euros directly to the affected region. The settlement also involves the building and testing of an underground wall to protect Czech villages from the effects of the mine. But local civil society and green groups slammed Prague’s acceptance of the deal, saying there was a risk it would not address all of the groundwater supply problems around the mine, at Turów. “It’s a shame that the Czech government is unprepared to stand firm on its citizens’ rights,” said Zala Primc from the environmental campaign group Europe Beyond Coal. Underlying the sensitivity of the issues around Turów is Poland’s continued dependence on coal. The mine operator, PGE, says the power station supplied by the mine provides...
The National Theatre of Prague presents Turandot, an opera by Giacomo Puccini which is based on the eponymous commedia dell’arte play by Carlo Gozzi. The opera had its grand opening on January 23rd, 2020, and returns to the National Theatre historical building for another performance. Turandot is Giacomo Puccini’s final opera and is deemed to be the “last of the Mohicans” of the Golden Age of Italian Romantic opera. The story goes that Turandot, daughter of Emperor Altoum, has decreed that she will only marry if a suitor of noble blood can answer three riddles. If he cannot, the price shall be his head. Her most recent suitor, the Prince of Persia, is to be executed at the moon’s rising. Turandot is one of opera’s biggest blockbusters. It shows themes of passionate love and unrelenting hatred. The plot unfolds to music of extraordinary brilliance, including Nessun dorma, the most popular of all Italian tenor arias. The opera will be sung in Italian, but there will be Czech and English subtitles for the expat audience. There will be performances running throughout February, as well as a performance in March and in May. For tickets visit The National Theatre’s website for more...
PRE, the Czech Republic’s third-largest energy company with around 800,000 customers, has announced that they will be raising their electricity prices from April 1. The new prices will be 25 percent higher on average. In May, PRE will also increase the price of gas, by an average of 30 percent. The change in the price of electricity does not affect those customers who have contracts with price fixation. In these cases, PRE will comply with all the provisions of the contracts without exception, according to company spokesperson Karel Hanzelka. Almost three-quarters of PRE’s customers live in city flats and use a single tariff rate for electricity. According to the company, the price for this category of customers will increase in the total monthly payment from 50 to 250 crowns. For other customers using electricity, for example for water heating, the price will increase again depending on the type of product and the amount of consumption by 100 to 400 crowns per month, the company said. For gas, the average increase will be around 30 percent, but it may vary depending on the type of consumption. The vast majority of customers will then pay about 100 to 300 crowns more per...
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