Znojmo is not a big city but it’s one that’s home to a set of unique tours, on which visitors will discover an intriguing underground tunnel system. The Znojmo Catacombs are a fantastic labyrinth of underground passageways. However, they are not actually catacombs and no people are actually buried there. The Znojmo Catacombs were developed for defensive purposes to defend the city from attack. They date back to the 1300s and were expanded over the centuries by connecting various cellars beneath buildings with each other. The end result was houses and palaces in the city connected with an elaborate labyrinth. Some of the tunnels lead under old fortifications and even out of the city – so that inhabitants would have an escape in case the city would have fallen or to get out of the city and forage for food in times of siege. The caverns were well constructed and they have plenty of airshafts. The cellars had fireplaces that were connected to chimneys of houses on the surface. The smoke from the tunnels would rise through the chimneys of the houses and hide the tunnels beneath. Inside the tunnels, water wells were built so that the inhabitants could survive for a...
On February 7, 2000, the United Nations (UN) officially designated November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. As in previous years, the day will be commemorated through 16 days of activism starting today and ending on December 10, International Human Rights Day. This will include a series of events, digital initiatives as well as ‘making orange’ some iconic buildings and landmarks as a reminder of the mission to end violence against women. A new UN Women report, due to be published today, gathered data from 13 countries* which revealed that COVID-19 has eroded women’s feelings of safety, both at home and in public spaces, with significant negative impacts on their mental and emotional well-being. As countries went into lockdown to stop the spread of the virus, violence against women intensified, especially domestic violence, and the challenges of reporting it grew. In the Czech Republic, the organisation Rosa, which provides counselling for victims of domestic violence and gender-based violence, has reported that the number of calls received has doubled during the pandemic, and the length of calls has increased threefold. Safety Line has seen an increase of 25% in contacts by online chat, many of which...
The Czech Republic reported 25,864 new coronavirus cases for Tuesday, the highest daily tally recorded in the country since the pandemic started, Health Ministry data showed on Wednesday. The Covid incidence rate, the number of new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, also reaches record values. As of Tuesday, there are 1,061 confirmed cases of infection for every 100,000 inhabitants. Compared to other countries in the world, the Czech Republic is in third place. Only other European countries have higher incidence rate: Slovakia, Austria, and Slovenia. The number of people who are currently in the hospital also continues to grow. According to recent data, there are 5,652 hospitalized, about 100 less than on Monday. According to the Ministry of Health, 799 covid patients are in a critical condition, the highest figure since April 21 this year. On November 21, 2021, the Czech Republic reported approximately two million confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19). According to the Ministry of Health, more than 12.9 million PCR tests were performed.
Having a roof over your head during the cold winter days and feeling safe should not be something one must prove to be worthy of. Everyone deserves to have a home, and everyone has the right to feel secure. Despite this, the UN-Habitat has found that a shocking 1.6 billion people live in inadequate housing conditions. What is worse, homelessness is becoming more and more prevalent as time goes on. Understanding how grave this is, cities and governments all over the globe are working on finding ways to help those who do not have access to housing. However, only a handful of them are succeeding in bringing about meaningful change. Ever since the outbreak of the pandemic, Prague has increased its efforts to help homeless individuals. Last year, it built an integrated system of emergency housing solutions using EU funds. With this system, citizens who found themselves at risk of – or already in – a housing emergency could access support at one of the Contact Points for Housing in the city’s districts. There, depending on one’s situation, they could either obtain counselling, legal aid, or temporary housing. Also in 2020, Prague unveiled a crisis accommodation program, providing homeless citizens with...
Czech scientist Peter Šeba from the Academic of Science has launched an online petition for mandatory vaccination. After a few days, it gained around 2,500 signatures and sparked a debate about this sensitive issue. So far, the Czech government has refused to opt for mandatory vaccination. “We, below signed citizens, ask for mandatory vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 virus for all people aged over 12 years. The only exception should be granted to those, who cannot be vaccinated due to health reasons,” petition claims. “Our society’s perverse understanding of freedom and democracy is causing deaths,” the author of the petition, microbiologist Peter Šeba, argues. On Sunday, the incidence number rose to a new record. More than 1,000 people per 100,000 inhabitants were newly infected. According to the Czech Health Ministry’s statistics, since the coronavirus pandemic began, two million Czech citizens have contracted the virus. As the situation deteriorates severely, Czechia on Monday introduces tougher restrictions. Negative tests are no longer accepted as a “COVID pass”. Therefore, unvaccinated people are not allowed to use services such as restaurants, hairdressers or cinemas. Unvaccinated people can still work at their workplaces, however, companies were ordered to reintroduce testing of these employees at least once a...
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. President Miloš Zeman has offered Poland assistance in dealing with the migrant crisis on the country’s border with Belarus. Poland has massed troops along the border, to keep migrants camped there from crossing into the country. The Czech Republic may make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for people over the age of 60 as well as for some professions including health and social care workers, under plans now being drawn up. Veterinary workers have started culling birds at a commercial poultry farm in South Bohemia, where the bird flu was detected last week. Close to 5,000 birds may have to be put down. Police Chief Jan Švejdar warned on Tuesday against introducing mandatory vaccinations for selected professions. He said that the police could lose 10,000 people who have refused vaccination so far. Czech scientist Peter Šeba from the Academic of Science has launched an online petition for mandatory vaccination. After a few days, it gained around 2,500 signatures and sparked a debate about this sensitive issue.
The Prague Philharmonic Orchestra presents for the New Year’s Eve sparkling classical masterpieces in the Smetana Hall of the Prague Obecní dum. German conductor Friedemann Riehle will conduct The Moldau, the last movement of the New World Symphony and will end up with favorite waltzes by Tchaikovsky (Swan Lake) and Johann Strauss (Blue Danube) – not to forget some energetic polkas as well as the popular Entry of the Gladiators by Fučik. To wish everybody a more optimistic New Year, the concert needs to end with Johann Strauss seniors matchless march, which he dedicated to Czech-born Field Marshal Count Joseph Radetky from Radetz – simply called: Radetzky-March. Romanian star soprano Anda-Louise Bogza will join the Prague Philharmonic for three arias by Mozart, Puccini and Verdi. The concert starts at 16:00 and will last 75 minutes. Tickets are available at the Obecni dum, Ticketportal and Ticketmaster. Prague Philharmonic Orchestra The Prague Philharmonic Orchestra developed in the 1990s into the most requested recording orchestra in Europe. The Prague Philharmonic Orchestra records more than 100 sessions per year, which include film music for producers from around the globe; classical music for Decca, EMI, Sony BMG, and other labels; as well as music for commercials....
Protesters marched through Prague on Monday to decry the government’s restrictions on unvaccinated people as new infections soared in the last weeks. The protesters, who numbered in the hundreds, demanded “Freedom!” for the unvaccinated and rejected the government´s push for people to get their vaccine shots. They carried posters with pictures of politicians – including Prime Minister Andrej Babis, Health Minister Adam Vojtech and leading epidemiologists – calling them traitors. Unlike recent rallies in the Netherlands and Brussels, this protest was peaceful. The crowd was significantly smaller than a similar demonstration last week. New restrictions to tackle the Czech Republic’s infection surge became effective Monday and target the unvaccinated. Unvaccinated people are no longer allowed to show negative coronavirus tests to attend public events, go to bars and restaurants, visit hairdressers and museums or use hotels. People who are vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 can visit all those sites. The measures were approved in an effort to increase the country’s vaccination rate of 58.1%, which is below the EU average of 65.5%. Coronavirus infections in the Czech Republic have been on a steep rise, hitting a new record twice last week. The infection rate surpassed 1,000 new cases per...
MINT Market returns to Pražská tržnice this weekend November 27 and 28 where you will find 121 local and independent brands. Expect original fashion, jewelry, accessories, and all kinds of designer items. Avoid busy shopping centres and get your Christmas gifts early this year directly from their authors from 9 AM to 5 PM on both Saturday and Sunday. The event is free and children-friendly, dogs are also welcome. By shopping at MINT Market, you can also support selected charities and non-profit organisations. When hungry, take a break to get a snack, coffee, lunch or a drink from one of our food vendors, while Dj Otis and Dj Marty will take care of the music. There will be also a fun interactive installation in Holešovice s market called Imaginárium so bring your kids along, they will love it. MINT Markets are held in cities and towns all over the country and they have a history going back more than ten years. Visitors enjoy them for their fun and relaxed atmosphere, as well as the opportunity to support independent brands, meet the people behind them in person and be participate in current trends such as fair-trade, eco-friendly, bio, zero waste, or...
The government will not declare a state of emergency for the time being due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus. Health Minister Adam Vojtěch (ANO) sought to declare a state of emergency, while Interior Minister Jan Hamáček of the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) considers it a premature option. “We will ask the regional governors for a clear opinion on whether they require the declaration of a state of emergency,” Babiš explained, adding that the governing council for health risks will meet with the heads of the regions on Tuesday morning. “If we have this request from the governors, the government will immediately meet, discuss the proposal, and possibly declare a state of emergency,” he added. According to the chief hygienist Pavla Svrčinová, the state of emergency would help, especially in overloaded hospitals, where more and more people are hospitalized with COVID. Medical students could help out there in an emergency. Several politicians opposed the state of emergency during the day, including the head of the crisis staff, Hamáček. “On behalf of the interior ministry, we see no reason to declare a state of emergency at this stage without holding meetings of the crisis staff in the regions and for these staff to consider whether this...
Worried citizens in certain localities in Prague have come together to share their concern over the number of drug users in their once-peaceful areas. Inhabitants, especially in Prague 5, claim that large groups of drug users gather around contact centres, and they have now demanded change. The citizens’ petition, and the joint declaration of several city districts, has been created to insist that these services are instead spread throughout Prague. The council has now complied with the concerned locals and approved a resolution according to which the municipality should start working on the decentralization of these services and increase the budget for cleaning and guarding critical areas. The most affected areas include the vicinity of Anděl, near the U Zvonu tram stop in Prague 5 and around Mahenova Street, where locals have even documented cases where drug addicts stab themselves in the middle of the street. A petition “For a safe and clean Prague 5” has been created, which has been signed by hundreds of concerned locals. “I sign because I do not like this situation, I have a daughter of 10 years old and she has found a syringe several times, people have shouted at her several times and...
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. Interior Minister Jan Hamáček said on Monday that legal requirements have not yet been met to declare a nationwide state of emergency due to sharply rising numbers of Covid-19 cases. Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki has asked for a meeting of the Visegrad Four (V4; Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) group’s leaders over the migration crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border, Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller told Polish TV Polsat today. Energie CS will merge with Amper Market. Both belong to Jiří Písařík’s Bohemia Energy group, which ceased operations in mid-October. The merger of the two companies is in line with Bohemia Energy’s strategy to wind down its operations gradually, spokeswoman Hana Novotná said on Monday. Protesters marched through the Czech capital of Prague on Monday to decry the government´s restrictions on unvaccinated people as new infections soared in the European Union nation. The festive lighting of the Christmas tree on the Old Town Square, scheduled for 27 November, will NOT take place due to the deteriorating epidemiological situation.
Don’t have an account? Register
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
