Prague was recently voted the most beautiful city in the world. With its castles, gorgeous architecture and cobblestone streets, the Czech Republic capital is viewed as one of the most picturesque corners of Europe where tourists entering in floods every year. However, many are ignorant to the fact the Czech Republic is not merely immersed in attractive and charming buildings. Much of its architecture, and where many residents live, is still froze in the times of the communist era, in the form of Panelák housing. Referred to frequently as an ‘architects’ nightmare,’ the bleak, towering and frankly ugly apartments are a stark contrast to the beauty of the traditional, well-loved, construction of the beauty spots of Prague. The Panelák apartments were a quick solution in the communist era- they solved a need for quick, affordable, and modern housing in large quantities when the country was known as Czechoslovakia. Under total government control, soviet-style cities, and the housing developments within, generally featured tower blocks in park-like settings. This explains the enormity of some paneláks, which can be more than 100 meters long, and 20 stories high. Standardized and mass-produced, urban planning in the Soviet-run countries during the Cold War era was...
Back in 2008, a circle of giant stones was built in an idyllic landscape in the South Bohemian village of Holašovice. At first glance, some may confuse this for the famous prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England, called Stonehenge. But they would be wrong. The Czech Republic in fact has its very own, unique, version. It is called the Holašovice Stonehenge, and it was created upon the expert advice of a well-known psychotronics engineer called Pavel Kozák. The stone circle is said to have the strongest energy of all domestic man-made megaliths. The term megalith refers to a large stone that forms a prehistoric monument. Many people who visit the stones speak of their power- saying that they can take away negative energy from the body and draw back positive energy. Those who visit seem to go to experience the special energy which is found in the centre of the stones. Visitors who choose to delve to the middle must stay silent while the energy is at work, and respect others who are operating inside. There are rumours of a presence of high astral spiritual beings in the area, and for this reason, people have experienced various reactions to being...
According to data from statisticians, prices rose by 4.9 percent year on year in September, surprising economists. They did not anticipate such inflation until the end of the year, and the increase is impacting nearly every facet of life: “Year-on-year price growth was recorded in most of the monitored items,” said Pavla Šedivá from the Czech Statistical Office. Here is a run-down of what items are more costly these days. Fuel and car The average price of petrol rose to 35.11 CZK per liter, while the price of diesel reached 33.56 CZK. The last time it was more expensive was in November 2018. Trinity Bank chief economist Lukáš Kovanda now expects that the price of diesel will rise with high demand in the coming winter. Heating oil is used more frequently during this season, mainly in industry sectors. “In winter, an increase in gasoline prices in the Czech Republic of up to 40 crowns per liter cannot be ruled out,” Kovanda repeated. Simultaneously, fuel is already 20 percent more expensive than the year before. Car prices are rising by six percent compared to last year. There are not enough new or used ones on the market because manufacturers are lacking...
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 Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s ANO is readying to go into opposition, senior party member Jaroslav Faltýnek said on Tuesday. “We can count to 108 of the lower house’s 200 seats,” said Faltynek, a key official in ANO. “So we expect we will end up in opposition.” The Prague 1 District Court has handed suspended prison sentences of nine to 18 months to seven persons in a case of promotion of neo-Nazism that concerns the National Resistance (NO) movement and that courts have been dealing since 2010. The case of the last suspect, Patrik Vondrak, will be dealt with separately. A number of people have claimed compensation from the Czech state over unwanted side effects from being vaccinated against Covid-19, the news website SeznamZpravy reported on Wednesday. Three of the people have demanded CZK 1 million. WORLD The Greek island of Crete has been hit a 6.4-magnitude earthquake, says the US Geological Survey (USGS), with the epicentre near the eastern tip. Some buildings were damaged, and thousands of people were seen leaving their homes in...
Delta Air Lines, American air carrier, is going to resume its direct flights from Prague to New York, JFK Airport, effective 26 May 2022. Throughout the summer flight schedule, the airline plans to operate the route up to seven times a week using Boeing 767-300 aircraft. “Before the current crisis, more than 70,000 passengers flew between Prague and New York every year, which represents a strong potential, able to support up to a year-round direct connection with Prague,” Jiří Pos, Chairman of the Prague Airport Board of Directors, said, adding: “The re-launch of the route is, among other things, the result of negotiations carried out by Prague Airport representatives at the World Routes Development Forum, currently underway in Milan, Italy.” “The resumption of a direct air connection with the USA is absolutely crucial from the inbound tourism point of view. This will allow us to build on the steady increase in the number of tourists from the US, which we, as the destination, enjoyed before the COVID-19 crisis. Longer stays and visits to places outside the capital are typical for American tourists,” Jan Herget, CzechTourism Managing Director, commented. The resumption of direct long-haul flights at Prague Airport is governed by...
The Czech Republic finds itself after Saturday’s election in the unusual position of having a combined opposition majority and a prime minister who has yet to give up attempts at forming a new cabinet. And President Milos Zeman is in intensive care due to complications caused by an undisclosed chronic illness, unable to oversee talks to form a new government. Here’s what could happen next. FIRST STEPS By convention, the president should talk to all parties and ask one of them to negotiate with partners and propose a government. But with Zeman in hospital, the parties plan to talk among themselves. The first parliamentary session will be held within a month of the election and must elect the new parliamentary speaker, a crucial test of control in the chamber. After that, the outgoing government resigns and the president appoints a new prime minister and cabinet, but there is no deadline for this process. ZEMAN APPOINTS BABIS Zeman could give his ally, Prime Minister Andrej Babis, the first chance to form a government on the basis that Babis’s centrist ANO party won the biggest single share of seats. Zeman had in the past said the biggest party would have the first...
Last week, customs officers discovered 63 kilograms of the edible khat drug at Václav Havel Airport in Prague. The drug was smuggled in the luggage of three foreigners aged 23, 24 and 27, who traveled on the regular route Tel Aviv – Prague – London. “The contraband was discovered on the basis of a risk analysis of the passengers on the flight,” said a spokeswoman of the Ruzyně customs officers, Šárka Miškovská. After the discovery of drugs was made, they were taken to the police with a proposal to initiate criminal proceedings on suspicion of committing the crime of illegal production and another handling of narcotic and psychotropic substances and poisons. Edible kata is a tree or shrub grown in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It contains substances that have stimulant effects like those of amphetamines. Long-term excessive use of kata can cause mental problems and other diseases.
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 European Commission will issue “in due time” a payment request calling on Poland to pay the penalties imposed by the EU’s top court in the dispute over the Turow lignite mine, a Commission spokesman said on Monday. Over 1.7 million people have contracted the novel coronavirus in the Czech Republic since the outbreak of the epidemic in March 2020 and while the spread of the virus soared from last September, in the autumn and in winter 2021, the epidemic weakened significantly this spring, data from the health ministry show. The Czech Film and Television Academy (CFTA) has selected Zatopek, a film biography of the legendary Czech runner directed by David Ondricek, as the Czech Republic’s candidate for the Oscar nominations in the category of the Best Foreign Language Film. WORLD Australia’s largest city, Sydney, has emerged from Covid lockdown after almost four months, with locals celebrating a range of new freedoms. Household visits and travel had been banned beyond a 5km zone. The World Health Organization on Monday recommended that immunocompromised people be...
Czech President Milos Zeman’s health condition is stable, a spokeswoman of the Central Military Hospital said on Monday, confirming an earlier report by CTK news agency. Zeman, 77, was taken to the hospital on Sunday and he was receiving treatment in an intensive care unit, fuelling uncertainty at a time when he is due to lead political talks on the formation of a new government following a parliamentary election. Director Miroslav Zavoral of the Central Military Hospital in Prague said Zeman, 77, was admitted due to complications related to an undisclosed chronic condition. “We know the diagnosis precisely, which allows us to target treatment,” Zavoral said, adding that he did not have the president’s approval to disclose details of the diagnosis. If Zeman is not 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. If that happens, the new speaker of the lower house selects the premier. The parliament has to meet within 30 days of the election to select the speaker and other officials. Mr. Zeman is a heavy smoker who has suffered from diabetes. He has trouble walking and has...
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) said he would definitely stay in the Parliament, even if his party ended up in opposition. Before the election, however, he claimed the stated opposite: “If I will not retain power after next weekend’s elections, I’m ready to quit politics”, said Babiš to radio station Frekvence 1. “I will not give up. I have bad news for you, I will stay in that Parliament. And if we end up in opposition, I’ll be there. And we will follow all those promises of Mr. Fiala. I devoted ten years of my life to my party, I did it for the sake of this country,” he said on Facebook on Sunday. Babiš now plans to address the ODS for negotiations. “We will see if they want to cooperate or not.” However, the Pirates and Mayors, together with the SPOLU coalition, agreed on a memorandum on Saturday in which they pledged to attempt to form a government and asked President Zeman to name SPOLU leader Petr Fiala prime minister. Spolu consists of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), KDU-ČSL, and TOP 09. FORMING GOVT MAY TAKE MONTHS Under the constitution, the president can appoint anyone as prime minister and instruct them to...
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 Czech President Milos Zeman’s conditions are stable, said the director at the Central Military Hospital in Prague. Hospitalization can last up to three weeks. However, according to spokesman Jiří Ovčáček, this will not endanger post-election negotiations. Czechs abroad voted overwhelmingly in support of opposition coalitions. The Pirates and Mayors received 49 percent of the total diaspora vote, followed by the SPOLU coalition made up of the Civic Democrats, the Christian Democrats and the TOP 09 party with 34.5 percent. The ANO party came in third with just under 6 percent of the vote. The number of fully vaccinated individuals exceeded 6 million in the Czech Republic (57.1%). A further 106,760 people have been partially vaccinated. Currently, there are 306 hospitalized patients infected with the coronavirus. WORLD Austria’s conservative Chancellor Sebastian Kurz resigned on Saturday to pull his coalition government back from the brink of collapse after the junior party demanded his head because he has been placed under investigation on suspicion of corruption. China’s President Xi Jinping has said that “reunification” with Taiwan “must...
Soup festival will take place at Smíchovská náplavka on October 23rd. “Polívkování” (the name comes from Polívka = a soup) offers a huge variety of soups from around the world. You can taste Czech soups such as potato cream, kulajda or tripe soup but mainly soups from all over the world such as Russian borscht, Mexican chipotle and menudo, Malaysian laksa, French bouillabaisse, Vietnamese pho, Japanese ramen. Veggie lovers can look forward to vegetable soups and other vegetarian recipes. There will be an option to buy some freshly baked pastry and something to drink like hot ciders, wines, and Czech beers. Crispy rolls, fresh homemade bread and other savory pastries will complement the soups. Warm cider, mulled wine and, of course, draft beer will be offered. If you would like to have some dessert after lunch, you can choose from a selection of delicious cakes and pies. The event will also feature the “best soup” competition both among professional chefs and amateurs. Free entry. More info here
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