To commemorate ten years since the death of President Václav Havel, an event “10 years without V.H.” will be organized in Prague on December 18th. Václav Havel’s public engagement began in the 1960s. During the Prague Spring of 1968, he argued that reforming the Communist Party and its style of government was not enough. Instead of mere democratization, he wanted true democracy. However, all such hopes were dashed by the Soviet-led invasion and subsequent occupation. Havel became a leading figure in the Czechoslovak dissident movement. One of the co-authors of the Charter 77 declaration, around which the most influential human rights organization formed. He was no longer spared a prison sentence – Havel was convicted in 1979 and not released from prison until 1983. He was arrested again and sentenced in 1989 but spent only a few months in prison. In that same seminal year, there would be a major change not just in his life but in Czechoslovak society. Communism is toppled in the Velvet Revolution, and Václav Havel becomes president of a newly democratic country. He will also go down in history as the last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic. Program The...
Sellers and operators of the canceled Christmas markets will receive higher compensation, said Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlíček (ANO) via Twitter. Compensation should range from 30 to almost 100 percent, the minister said on Czech Television. According to Havlíček, the agreement with representatives of the trade unions is scheduled for Sunday. The resigned government ordered the closure of Advent markets on Friday at 6 p.m. as a measure against the spread of coronavirus. “Operators of Christmas stalls and Advent markets will achieve higher compensation. We are already preparing their parameters with the representatives of the trade unions, we want to have a final agreement on Sunday evening, we will publish on Monday,” Havlíček wrote on Twitter. According to him, every limited or closed establishment will receive support. Compensation is likely to follow three levels of revenue shortfalls: 30 to 50 percent, 50 to 100 percent and complete closure, the minister said on Czech Television. “Of course, for those who have to close, the compensation will be maximum, that is, it will be close to one hundred percent,” he said. According to Havlíček, the final meeting with business representatives is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Sunday. The sale of...
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. Health Minister Adam Vojtěch (ANO) proposes that selected groups should be vaccinated against coronavirus from 1 March 2022. Compulsory vaccination should apply to people over 60 years of age, police officers, soldiers, and other armed forces, as well as firefighters and health and social care workers. On December 18th, Prague will host a day of activities dedicated to Václav Havel, including concerts, screenings, exhibitions, meetings and discussions that celebrate the 10th anniversary of Havel’s death. The Liberec hospital confirmed that the woman who caught coronavirus had the Omicron variant and is the first confirmed case of this variant in Czechia. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers Omicron alarming because it is potentially more transmissible than other variants. Sellers and operators of the canceled Christmas markets will receive higher compensation, said Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlíček (ANO) via Twitter. Compensation should range from 30 to almost 100 percent, the minister said on Czech Television. Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia should be considering making vaccination against COVID-19 obligatory as it seems to...
In the upper part of Wenceslas Square, Christmas markets continue despite the government ban. The Prague 1 office authorized them as a “cultural event”, said Petr Bidlo, a spokesman for the city district, adding that “according to the organizers, all necessary anti-epidemic measures were observed”. “The Office has approved the markets as a cultural event, and therefore they take place under that regime,” Bidlo said on Monday. According to the organizers, drinks and food are served only for take away and the staff warns visitors that they should not consume them on the spot. “I fully understand the seriousness of the situation, I myself comply with all anti-pandemic measures and I ask all citizens to do the same. However, I consider the ban on Christmas markets to be huge nonsense. Farmers’ markets, for example, can continue to operate,” Hejma wrote on Facebook Mayor Hřib said on Monday that the city can influence sales only through a special decree. It determines where and what can be sold in public places in Prague. According to that, only the lower part of Wenceslas square is explicitly mentioned as a place for Christmas markets. “Even in an emergency, the mayor does not have the...
If you can’t do it physically, at least do it virtually. People can now buy refreshments, toys, ceramics, decorations and other handicrafts online in the so-called virtual marketplace. The purchase will support artisans who were supposed to sell their goods at Zelný trh in Brno and had to close their stalls due to anti-coronavirus measures. The website features links to the market sellers’ offers, contact details and e-shops. Even though Christmas is just around the corner, the products can be bought all-year-round. A wide variety of traditional Czech products including jewelry, ceramics, bath salts, toys, bells, art and decorations can be found on the Brno Markets website. The Czech government declared a 30-day state of emergency on Thursday, closing Christmas markets as well as nightclubs in a bid to stem COVID-19 infections. Other new restrictions limit the number of spectators at cultural and sports events to 1,000 people who have been vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19, or only 100 visitors, down from 1,000. Outgoing Prime Minister Andrej Babis, whose ANO party moved into opposition after losing a general election in October, said mandatory vaccination was an option as only some 6.3 million Czechs are fully vaccinated. Czech e-shops offer support to...
Researchers from the Research Institute of Plant Production and other organizations, together with the Transport Company of the Capital City (DPP), are testing new grass mixtures which they hope will be resistant to extreme weather conditions. The main goal is to find a perfect mixture that will be less demanding on maintenance and water consumption. DPP costs irrigation of grassed lines, with an area of 111,000 square meters, about 1.5 million CZK a year, said DPP board member and technical director Jan Šurovský. “If the joint research project succeeded in testing and developing grass mixtures that are truly resistant to extreme conditions, especially drought, this would not only mean a significant reduction in water consumption and maintenance costs for us but would ultimately meet 100 percent all urban and environmental properties that are expected of them,” said Šurovský. According to project coordinator Vojtěch Holubec, grasses, clover and other plants used in green carpets in Bělohorská Street come from hardy plants that researchers have collected at extreme locations in the Czech Republic. At the Drinopol and U Kaštanu tram stops, scientists will test carpet variants for both sunny and shady habitats. According to Šurovský, there are about 16 kilometers of tram...
Antonie, Bluestar, Ballerina or Laura. These are the name of domestic potato varieties. And it is with them that a new restaurant concept has been born. Brambory (Potatoes), yes this is the name (blunt and to the point, we like it), is being opened by the gastronomic group Together in Pankrác, Prague. And yes, potatoes will obviously play a major role in it. Chef Lukáš Soukup and his team want to show that these traditional vegetables don’t have to be just a boring side dish – or that they don’t have to be a side dish at all. The Together Group stands for companies such as the Vinohrady Parliament, Sia, Bruxx or Cukrář Skála, and since November you will also find it close to the Arkády shopping center in Pankrác. Brambory will serve dishes supplemented with potato varieties from around the world. Do you like potatoes like fries, patatas bravas, tortillas, in soup, with squid, or even ceviche? All this will be possible here. But of course, also in the classic potato salad, mash, or croquettes. “The more we became interested in the details about the potatoes, we found it interesting to show that the potato is not just a...
Petr Fiala, who was appointed Czech prime minister on Sunday, is a James Bond fan who entered politics after becoming the country’s first political science professor following the fall of communism. The bespectacled, bearded man who carefully guards his privacy is on the biggest mission of his life after leading the centre-right Together alliance to a narrow election win in October. “I am James Bond in fact,” he once went so far as to say in an interview. “Bond can shoot well and so can I. He also speaks many languages and is well-educated, and I hope I fulfill that too,” Fiala said. Together — Fiala’s right-wing Civic Democrats (ODS), the smaller centrist Christian Democrats and centre-right TOP 09 parties — defeated the populist ANO movement of outgoing billionaire prime minister Andrej Babis. “We have brought the Czech Republic a chance for a better future. This is a change, we are a change, you are a change,” Fiala told his supporters after the vote. Fiala, a 57-year-old literature fanatic and former amateur footballer, started out in politics as a science adviser to the prime minister in 2011 and then a year later became education minister. He only became a lawmaker...
Wine lovers rejoice! The LÁHVE store in Prague is expanding the geography of its assortment: Spain now joins France, Italy, Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic. The added location means customers have access to 36 brands of Spanish wines (11 white and 25 red). LÁHVE remained faithful to its concept – to offer customers high-quality wines from the middle price segment. An illustrative example: to select the 36 brands, the store formed a tasting committee which evaluated 120 samples from Spanish winemakers. Only 30% of the submissions were lucky enough to hit the shelves. The tasting committee consisted of five people — two professional sommeliers and three wine connoisseurs with many years of experience. All employees of the store also participated in the tasting in order to have a personal idea of the wines sold. – the tasting committee consisted of five people – two professional sommeliers and three wine connoisseurs with many years of experience. All employees of the store also participated in the tasting in order to have a personal idea of the wines sold; – wines were tested in ascending order of value; – at the first stage, the samples were evaluated according to three key parameters:...
Forget the capital city of Prague. Forget Brno. The best region to live in the Czech Republic lies somewhere in between. An annual survey by the website Místo pro život (Place for Life) has placed the Zlín region top as the best region to live. The study compares 54 criteria in eight categories to tabulate the result. The study takes into account for example the quality of education, healthcare, infrastructure and social services, and polling a representative panel of over 1.200 respondents all over the country. Zlín scores high in many of the areas one would expect. There is a very low crime and unemployment rate, excellent universities, a large number of dentists and doctors per citizen, a sufficient number of high-quality social institutions for the elderly, and excellent ecology. Vysocina took second place in the ranking. It boasts affordable housing (the lowest rents in the country, the best housing-to-wage ratio, a large number of social housing), good public transportation, low unemployment and high life expectancy. The third place went to the South Moravian Region. The region has high salaries, high-quality health care and social services, ample opportunities for leisure and recreation. The aim of the survey is to recognise...
The number of social network and internet users is further increasing in the Czech Republic, fresh CZSO data show. It seems the pandemic has changed the way people in the country interact and use their online presence in general. Here is a breakdown of some of the data facts. Social networks are now being used by 4.9 million people over the age of 16 in the Czech Republic, according to data from the Czech Statistical Office (CSO), which was published on Monday. This represents 56.3% of the population in this age group. Of those who have used the Internet in the last three months, 68% of people over the age of 16 use social networks. Compared to 2020, the number of social network users increased by 2.5 percentage points (in 2020 it was 53.8%). From the examined group 16+, most people in the age category of 16-24 use social networks. 95% of them are on at least one social network. With increasing age, the shares of social network users decrease. For example, in the group of 45-54 years, 60% of them use it and in the group of 65+ it is just 11%. Social networks are slightly more used by...
Thousands rallied in Prague on Sunday to protest the government’s restrictive measures to tackle a record surge of coronavirus infections. The protesters included members and supporters of a number of fringe political parties and groups that failed to win any parliamentary seats in October’s election. It was their third protest in the last two weeks. The participants didn’t wear face coverings or follow social distancing rules and drank beer despite a ban on drinking alcohol in public. At Letna park, the protesters chanted “Freedom!” and “We’ve had enough!” while displaying banners that discouraged getting vaccinated such as ones reading “My body my choice.” Police didn’t intervene. The Czech Republic has been setting repeated records in new daily infections, hitting a record high of almost 28,000 cases on Thursday. The infection rate was at 1,191 new cases per 100,000 residents over the past seven days. Overall, the Czech Republic has registered over 2.1 million cases with 32,837 COVID-related deaths. It has lower vaccination rates than many other EU nations. The government declared a 30-day state of emergency and imposed additional coronavirus restrictions Friday in its effort to tackle the surge. Among them, all Christmas markets across the country were banned and...
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