Health problems were preventing Czech President Milos Zeman from carrying out his duties, an official said. The speaker of the Czech Senate, Miloš Vystrčil (ODS), said that a letter he received from Prague’s military hospital where Zeman is being treated says the president is unable to work and the long-term prognosis is “very uncertain”. According to the letter signed by the hospital’s director, Miroslav Zavoral, Zeman is unable to perform “any working duties for health reasons”. It said Zeman’s return to his duties in the next several weeks is “very unlikely.” Vystrčil said the Senate would meet tomorrow (Tuesday, October 19) to debate activating Article 66 of the Czech Constitution which would transfer the president’s powers to other constitutional officials. Under Czech law, if the president isn’t able to act due to his illness or other reasons, the prime minister and the speakers of both houses of parliament will take over his presidential powers. Zeman was rushed to the Czech capital’s military hospital on October 10, a day after the election for the lower house of parliament. The hospital previously said Zeman was in an intensive care unit in stable condition, but further details about his health were unknown. As...
The freshly named Piskáčkových street is in the city’s Vysočany district. Libuše Eichlerová was six years old when her uncle, the resistance fighter Jaroslav Piskáček and his family were arrested in July 1942 by the Gestapo. “These are the death certificates of the Piskáček family. Uncles, aunts Tonička and Mirka. In Mauthausen, they were murdered by the Nazis,” Eichlerová explains. The last time she saw her aunt, uncle, and their then fifteen-year-old son was on holiday in Šumava. “They were very nice people, happy,” she adds. The family of Jan Piskáček were arrested in June 1942 after helping paratroopers Josef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš, who had carried out the daring assassination of Nazi governor Reinhard Heydrich in Operation Anthropoid. On 28 December 1941, Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš were, together with seven other paratroopers, dropped near Nehvizdy. Preparation for the attack took a long time – the scheduled date of the assassination was not until 27 May 1942. In the intervening time, Kubiš and Gabčik studied Heydrich’s movements, familiarizing themselves with his schedule, his habits, and the areas he frequented. Finally, everything was in place for the assassination to occur. The morning of May 27th 1942, Heydrich left his mansion...
On October 26 from 6 pm to 10 pm the Baroque Vrtbovská Garden will be festively lit for an illuminated view of Prague by night. The festive lighting of this garden takes place two times a year – in the spring and in the autumn. You will be surprised by the magic and beauty of this place. It offers an amazing view of Prague Castle and part of the historical center. Entry to the terraced Italian garden is through Vrtba Palace from Karmelitská street. The garden cuts into the Petřín slope and stretches from the courtyard of the palace to the southwest. The entrance fee is 65 CZK for adults and 45 for kids under 15 years. About the Vrtba Garden Vrtba Garden lies on Petřín Hill overlooking Lesser Town, offering a peaceful respite in the middle of the busy city. This Italian-style terraced garden is one of the most beautiful Baroque gardens in Central Europe and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here you will definitely find desired peace in the middle of the busy town. Vrtba Garden was built between 1715-1720 by František Maxmilián Kaňka with sculptor Matyáš Bernard Braun. You can admire staircases with ornamental banisters, statues...
Czech infrastructure manager SZ has announced a tender worth 4 billion CZK for a contractor to double track and electrify the 5km Kladno – Kladno-Ostrovec section of the 29km Prague – Kladno line, the first element of a project to upgrade the route. SZ has also revealed plans for the wider 50 billion CZK project which will include the first dedicated rail connection to Prague Havel Airport. Work on the Kladno – Kladno-Ostrovec upgrade is scheduled to start in 2022 and be completed in 2024. The chosen contractor for the tender will also revamp Kladno station. The entire project involves electrifying and track-doubling the existing Prague – Kladno line and building a new branch from Prague-Ruzyně to an underground station at the airport. Work on the branch line is expected to start in 2024 and continue until 2029 with a separate tender expected for the airport station, which will serve the airport’s two terminals. Construction will also begin in 2026 to extend this line to Kladno via Jeneč to complete a loop. SZ says it is currently preparing documentation to launch a tender worth 5 billion CZK next year to upgrade the Prague-Ruzyně – Kladno section, which will be completed...
On Oct. 18, 1896, Prague held its first-ever film screening at the Hotel U černého koně. Optician and mechanic Adolf Oppenheimer carried out the screening, screening only short films at the time. Dismas Šlambor, alias Viktor Ponrepo, established the first permanent Czech cinema a few years later in September of 1907. The theater opened in the house U Modré štiky located on Prague’s Karlova St. Ponrepo’s father was a glider, but rather than endeavor to take over the family business, Ponprepo worked as a traveling magician for a while. When interest in the magic business tanked at the turn of the 19th century, Ponprepo purchased both a phonograph and a cinematograph, kicking off his career in film. His Ponrepo cinema held 200 seats, somewhat resembling a family business. After the theater’s establishment, moving pictures became increasingly popular for the city residents. By 1911, there were nine cinemas located at Prague’s center and another 13 in the suburbs, making for an uptick of 22 cinemas over the course of four years alone. Another three years later, and there were 39 theaters constructed in the city, seeing around 12,000 visitors on weekdays and up to 80,000 on Sundays. Today, with its seemingly...
According to the Czech Tourism Union (ČUCR), tourism in Prague faces financial losses of billions of korunas, a figure which continues to grow. As Covid-19 measures are still in place, without a quick and effective solution to the current situation, a dramatic impact on the entire Czech Republic and its economy can soon be expected, the union said, calling on Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib of the Pirate Party to take action. According to an earlier statement by the Association of Hotels and Restaurants of the Czech Republic, Prague accounts for 60 percent of tourism in the Czech Republic. Before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019, 8.4 million guests visited the capital, according to ČUCR President Viliam Sivek. Of these, about 6.8 million were from abroad. “In the first half of this year, it was less than 1.9 million visitors. There were just over 286,000 foreigners. It is obvious that such a decline is driving down the whole of Czech tourism,” he noted. ČUCR also criticized political parties for putting tourism on the side of their agenda. According to Sivek, it is necessary to support inbound tourism, which, unlike other European Union countries, has remained in the Czech Republic...
The CEO of Czech energy giant CEZ, Daniel Beneš confirmed that the price of electricity will rise by around a third while gas prices will be half to two-thirds more expensive. During an interview with Hospodářské noviny, he said the company will announce the changes on November 1 with effect from January 1. “We estimate that the final bill received by households may result in an increase of 30 percent compared to this year,” said Beneš. He reminded that the wholesale energy prices in Europe had reached record levels this year. According to him, there are several reasons. “On one hand, it is an increase in the price of gas, with which the price of electricity is connected, and on the other hand, emission allowances have become more expensive and the economy has risen in time, so the demand for energy has risen, as well,” he said. The increase in gas prices will be even higher than for electricity. “It’s really dramatic. We are not the main supplier, there are other players on the market, but my estimate is that the final bill will increase in price by half to two-thirds”. In addition to the impact on consumers, the situation...
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. CZECH REPUBLIC The Health Ministry will propose that quarantine might be finished by a negative test after seven days for those in contact with coronavirus infected, Czech Health Minister Adam Vojtech told journalists today. At present, the people must be in quarantine for two weeks. The Czech Republic is the ninth least COVID-afflicted out of the 27 EU countries with 98 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the past 14 days now (roughly 72 a week ago when it was the fifth least-afflicted), the data released by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) show. A lack of computer chips means that the Czech Republic’s automakers will produce more than a quarter of a million cars fewer than planned, the Automotive Industry Association said on Sunday. The shortfall will mean a loss of CZK 200 billion for one of the country’s most important sectors. WORLD Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pledged on Sunday to outlaw prostitution in the country. Prostitution was decriminalised in Spain in 1995 and in 2016 the UN estimated the country’s sex...
NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, have revolutionized the digital art world. The unique signature keys associated with NFTs have created a new cryptocurrency marketplace. Crypto Portal, housed in a medieval basement in the heart of Old Town Square, features NFTs from a range of well-known local and international artists, including @jessicatichio, @solos.nft, @iamautomobilist, and @ivonatau. Prague’s NFT Gallery houses 40 screens in 12th-century basements of IAM Prague. For all visitors of IAM Prague, the entrance to the NFT gallery is going to be free of charge. Working hours are daily from 9.00 a.m. until 7.00 pm.m What is an NFT? Non-Fungible Tokens: NFTs are digital tokens. These unique tokens are packaged with digital art, collectibles, music, and even virtual land. Like cryptocurrencies, NFTs utilize blockchain technology, in this case, to establish verified, public proof of ownership of the digital collectible, along with a record of all transactions. The initial proliferation of NFTs happened on the Ethereum network, though NFTs are becoming more widely available on other blockchain networks. Why buy NFTs The sale of NFTs can empower artists and creators by enabling them to reach larger audiences, bypassing the need for physical sales or gallery involvement, and helping protect the uniqueness...
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said he wouldn’t accept an offer to try to create a new government after his centrist ANO political movement narrowly lost in the parliamentary election last week and was ready to end up in opposition. Babis announced his decision in an interview for the Frekvence 1 radio station on Friday. “We´ll hand it over to the new coalition and we´ll be in opposition,” the populist billionaire said. Babis´ decision opens the way for two coalitions of five parties that have won a majority in the vote to rule. A liberal-conservative, three-party coalition named Together captured 27.8% of the vote on Saturday, beating Babis´ ANO party, which won 27.1%. A center-left liberal coalition received 15.6% to finish third. The two coalitions have pledged to govern jointly. They´re closer to the European Union mainstream than Euroskeptic Babis. Together won 71 of the 200 seats in the lower house of parliament and the center-left alliance won 37 seats, which would give their government a comfortable, 108-seat majority. Babis´ ANO won 72 seats, six fewer than it did in the 2017 election. President Milos Zeman who is currently hospitalized previously said he would first give a mandate to the...
President Miloš Zeman is currently experiencing liver encephalopathy, Deník N said on Wednesday, referring to informed sources. Neither the castle nor the Central Military Hospital (ÚVN) is publishing details about the condition of the hospitalized president. Senators, who fear that Zeman is currently unable to hold office, are also being kept in the dark. Zeman’s spokesman Jiří Ovčáček claims that health problems do not prevent the president from exercising his constitutional powers at the Central Military Hospital in Prague-Střešovice. Sources from Deník N say the opposite. Apparently, Zeman’s health is worse off, supposedly preventing him from fully fulfilling the function of president. Referring to “very well-informed sources from around the president, government, and the medical community,” Zeman says he suffers from liver encephalopathy, a serious complication brought on by acute or chronic liver failure. It presents various mental and neurological symptoms and can be caused by cirrhosis of the liver. “This is manifested, for example, by the fact that he is disoriented and says unrelated things,” said one source, describing the president’s state. According to another source, the president is communicating, but with difficulty. At its mildest, hepatic encephalopathy causes confusion or sleep disorders. In severe cases, the patient can...
The Gallery of the Capital City of Prague has exhibitions for over two hundred photographers and their collections. From October 15, 2021, through January 16, 2022, Frida Kahlo will have a featured exhibition where viewers will see her extensive collection of over 6,000 items in the House at the Stone Bell. She was an influential and mysterious Mexican artist whose featured archive wasn’t discovered until 2003. The organizers of the event say that some of the photographs found were done by other famous photographers that befriended Frida including Man Ray and Edward Weston. These photographs are not only historically valued but artistically valued. This is a traveling exhibition and has been seen in various parts of the world with more than half a million spectators. She was born in Mexico City in 1907 and died in 1954, and throughout her life she endured many tragic events. When she was 18 years old she suffered from a severe case of polio and was injured in a bus accident. She underwent 35 different spine and pelvic surgeries which caused detrimental physical and mental problems. During her convalescence, she began to seriously focus on creating art. Mexican Ambassador Rosaura Leonara Rueda Gutiérrez told...
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