A young London practice – along with two local firms – has won an international master planning competition to regenerate the area of Florenc in Prague. Marko & Placemakers with Prague-based architect practices Unit Architekti and A69 – Architekti will design the 24ha regeneration area of Florenc, which is one the largest brownfield site close to the historic city centre. The practice said one of the most challenging tasks of the brief was to resolve the complex transport interchange hub including the bus station, metro station, nearby railway station and public transport links. Its vision called ‘Orchestrated complexity’ is intended to develop “the area’s unique character and identity through a compact and multifunctional urban framework”. Green infrastructure and the morphology of the buildings have been designed to maximise climate cooling, the Marko & Placemakers team added. The Florence 21 competition was launched by the City of Prague, Prague Institute of Planning and Development, Masaryk Station Development and ČSAD Praha Holding. It attracted 57 entries from all over the world.
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. Around 4,000 protestors have gathered on Wenceslas Square on Sunday to demonstrate against mandatory vaccination as well as what they see as infringements against personal liberties. The protest is organized by the initiative Chcípl pes. The incoming government led by Prime Minister designate Petr Fiala will fulfill the outgoing government’s pledge to raise the minimum wage by CZK 1,000 to CZK 16,200 in January 2022. January inflation rate will almost certainly exceed 7%, according to Czech National Bank (ČNB) board member Tomáš Holub, who believes this is only an optimistic estimate. Annual inflation rose to 6% in November from 5.8% in October. Marko & Placemakers with Prague-based architect practices Unit Architekti and A69 – Architekti will design the 24ha regeneration area of Florenc, which is the largest brownfield site close to Prague’s historic city centre. Škoda Transportation will deliver 14 emission-free Škoda E´City electric buses to DPP in Prague. The company could take delivery of the first vehicle by the end of 2021, with the remaining 13 to follow in February 2022.
Around 4,000 protestors have gathered on Wenceslas Square this Sunday. They are demonstrating against mandatory vaccination as well as alleged violations of personal freedoms and the Czech Constitution. The protest is organized by the initiative Chcípl pes, which opposes government Covid counter-measures. The demonstration under the statue of St. Wenceslas began with a song by Karel Kryl and a speech by the chairman of the initiative, Jakub Olbert. Demonstrators do not wear masks or keep enough space for social distancing. Protestors plan to march through the city center towards the Office of Government and Prague Castle. “We are only against compulsory vaccination, which the government is trying to introduce with the support of the Parliament of the Czech Republic,” the organizers said. At around 3 pm, the protesters marched from Wenceslas Square to the Straka Academy and from there to Hradčany. They plan to end the demonstration at the statue of the first Czechoslovak president Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk on Hradčanské náměstí. The outgoing Czech government has published a decree in the official Collection of Laws, requiring mandatory Covid-19 vaccination for all those over 60. The requirement would also apply to health workers, police officers, firefighters and the military. However, it...
Prague Pride has opened a new community center for LGBT + people at Železná 18, just a few steps from Old Town Square: the Rainbow House. The main goal is to create a safe and respectful environment in which “everyone can be themselves, regardless of their orientation and gender identity,” says Hana Třeštíková, Prague City Councillor for culture. The opening of the new community center took place symbolically on the eve of Human Rights Day, on December 10. With regard to the current situation, no public events will take place in the community center until the end of the year. “Since January, however, visitors can look forward to our open days, when it will be possible to visit the community center every Thursday between 3 pm and 9 pm. The main room features a library, PlayStation, board games and a jukebox. You can also just come and talk to friends or other visitors to the community space,” adds the director Tom Bílý. The Rainbow House, which has a capacity of up to 40 people, will host also lectures, discussions, screenings, support groups. In June 2019, according to a survey conducted between 4–14 May 2019 by CVVM, 48% of respondents said...
Czech President Milos Zeman said on Friday he had rejected the nomination of a foreign minister in the incoming cabinet over the candidate’s reservations toward Israel and toward cooperation with other members in a central European alliance. Zeman said in a statement he was ready to appoint the rest of the cabinet but the rejection sets the stage for a legal battle with the new prime minister, Petr Fiala, leader of the centre-right Civic Democrats. Fiala has backed the foreign minister nominee, Jan Lipavsky, from the liberal Pirate Party, which is part of Fiala’s coalition that won an election in October. Zeman, who is not the head of the executive under the constitution but has frequently exerted pressure on cabinets, said Lipavsky lacked qualifications. Zeman said he was rejecting Lipavsky’s “distanced” stance on Israel and on the central European Visegrad group, whose fellow members Poland and Hungary have been at loggerheads with European partners over the rule of law. The Czech Republic has had strong ties with Israel and Fiala’s coalition pledged to hold that line. Lipavsky signed a letter alongside more than 400 other lawmakers from Europe in February in protesting Israel’s expansion of settlements in the West Bank....
The company Technology for the Capital City Prague (THMP) has replaced the first few shelters at public transport stops operated by the French company JCDecaux. Passengers can already use the new shelters in Prague 13 at the Píškova and Velká Ohrada stops. The prototype of the transit stop has been tested in Palacký Square for almost two years. As mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) and THMP director Tomáš Jílek told journalists yesterday, their administration and the management of advertising spaces should be taken over by the transport company (DPP). From January 2022, THMP will receive 15 shelters every week. Each shelter costs about 350 thousand CZK. “Street furniture is an often overlooked but very important part of the city that we shouldn’t forget. In addition to providing user comfort, it should be attractive and easy to maintain. The new shelter has all of these attributes, so I’m pleased they will gradually start spreading throughout Prague,” said Mayor of Prague, Zdeněk Hřib. “We have rejected a proposal to extend this contract for seven years without competition. Prague deserves to have its own shelters and other elements of city furniture from benches to bicycle stands. The aim is for the city not to be...
Visiting the Czech Republic around Christmas time? There are plenty of unusual things to see and experience. We take a look at five Czech traditions that might seem a little bit strange to everyone else. Pet a carp The traditional Czech Christmas meal consists of fried carp. Many families actually buy this fish alive and keep it in their bathtubs for days or weeks until it’s ready to be cooked. In recent years, a lot of families have changed the tradition to avoid animal cruelty – they still buy the carp but on Christmas Eve, they release it into a river rather than eating it. Potato salad and soups are also a big part of Christmas celebrations, which mainly happen on the night of the 24th. The TV is on all-day On December 24th, local channels show fairy tales all day long and it’s a tradition for families to wake up on that day, turn the TV on and just leave it on in the background for the entire day. In many homes, the TV even stays on during dinner. There is no Santa Claus On Christmas Day you won’t find kids searching for Santa and his reindeer to deliver presents. Instead, presents are delivered...
Czech inflation accelerated to a fresh 13-year high in November, and while the acceleration was less pronounced than in the past four months, the central bank seemed likely to continue with policy tightening. Inflation in central Europe’s economies is running hotter than many European peers with external factors like supply problems and rising energy costs mixing with domestic drivers such as tight labour markets and strong wage growth. Central banks around the region have reacted with sharp rate rises, with Czech policymakers among the most aggressive, having delivered 200 basis points in hikes since September. Czech inflation data on Friday showed the headline rate rose to 6.0%, the highest level since October 2008. However, the growth from the previous month’s reading – 0.2 percentage points – slowed down after four months of steady acceleration. Analysts see the central bank raising interest rates further, in line with its outlook, as they point to the government’s waiver on value-added tax on energy as a factor preventing inflation from rising much stronger in November. “Inflation is more than 1 percentage point above the central bank’s forecast. The crown’s reluctance to strengthen also speaks in favour of monetary policy tightening,” Komercni Banka analyst Michal...
Using minimal interventions, local practice U / U Studio has turned a neglected space into a new community asset. Underneath an elevated busy road at Vltavska, a neglected pedestrian underpass has been transformed into a colourful public space, supporting skateboarding, basketball, BMX, bouldering and other activities. While the space was previously avoided, it is now hoped that a range of residents and visitors, especially young people, will use it and feel welcome there. The transformation was led by local architecture practice U / U Studio, which is known for designing engaging skate parks across Prague and further afield. ‘As “skate architects”, we immediately knew that implementation of skateboarding and other leisure activities is the perfect way of healing this area,’ says Martin Hrouda from U / U Studio. ‘The skate community occupied this spot right after opening and is taking care of it. Putting new life and joy into the spot seems to be working and the place has become safe for everyone.’ The project team prioritised reuse, using minimal new materials in order to transform the space for better public use. Colourful paint – in red, pink and orange – has been used to enliven the concrete structure, including 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. The Czech Republic has considerably improved its position in the implementation of the measures against money laundering and financing of terrorism, the Council of Europe’s (CE) anti-money laundering body MONEYVAL writes in its report released today. Outgoing Prime Minister Andrej Babis hopes that the new government will follow the approach to the EU of his own cabinet, he said in the farewell letter to the ambassadors of EU countries in the Czech Republic, published on his webpage today. The Czech People in Need Humanitarian organisation has resumed its work in Afghanistan and foreign workers, including several Czechs, have been in its mission since November, the organisation has told CTK in its press release. The number of phishing attacks in the Czech Republic has increased significantly this year. Czechs encountered them 35% more often in 2021 than last year. This is according to an analysis by antivirus company Avast. Fraudulent messages sent via email are the most widespread (82%), followed by phishing websites (25%) and SMS messages (22%). Škoda Transportation will deliver 14...
The potential adoption of the euro would further increase the benefits resulting from Czech Republic’s trade links with the euro area countries, according to an analysis conducted by the Czech National Bank. On the other hand, Czech Republic’s adoption of the euro currency would bring risks arising from the loss of the Czech National Bank’s independent monetary policy and the stabilizing role of the koruna’s exchange rate. Czech’s central bank divided its assessment into three groups: low-risk, neutral and high-risk indicators for adopting the euro. The document points out that the economic level of the Czech Republic measured as GDP per capita in purchasing power parity approached the euro area average in 2020. However, the convergence of price and wage levels did not progress significantly. That is a factor against the early adoption of the euro. The Czech National Bank also pointed out to the role of the euro in Czech companies, which use the common currency more and more. Other low-risk indicators include the high level of economic activity of the Czech population and the low unemployment rate. The analysis considers, for example, the extent of financial intermediation, private sector indebtedness, and the structure of financial assets and liabilities of non-financial corporations...
Prague ranks 110th in the 2021 Inrix Global Traffic Scorecard with an average of 51 hours spent in congestion per year. This is 20% less than before the epidemic. Other Czech cities included in the scorecard include, Hradec Králové (53 hours on average spent in traffic jam per year), Pardubice (51), České Budějovice (38), Brno (36), Olomouc (31), Ústí nad Labem (24), and Ostrava (17). The study analyzed congestion in 1,064 cities in 38 countries. London is the world’s most congested city and. Drivers lost 148 hours in traffic jams last year, down just 1 percent from pre-COVID levels. In second place was Paris – a city where authorities have been far more proactive in putting emergency bike lanes in place and restricting motor traffic than the British capital has – on 140 hours, a 25 hour improvement. And in both cases, average last-mile motor vehicle speed actually improved by 10 per cent. To determine the cities that have the worst traffic, INRIX collects billions of anonymous data points daily from an array of sources, including connected vehicles, mobile devices, navigation units, fleet vehicles, road and garage infrastructure, and publicly available information on incidents. “For nearly every country across the...
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