A British expat in Prague has taken to cleaning hundreds of Holocaust memorial stones dotted around the city because dirt and grime meant the people they commemorate “were disappearing for a second time”. Trevor Sage, 61, a retired engineer born in Finchley, emigrated in 2006 after his wife died, and first happened across the Stolpersteine or “stumbling stones” by German artist Gunter Demnig while on a tour of his adopted city. “My knowledge of the Holocaust was limited to what I knew from watching films and TV documentaries but leapt when I took a tour of Theresienstadt with a guide (Pavel Stránský) who had survived Terezin and Auschwitz. Years later I was walking around Prague with a Czech friend who pointed out some hand-made memorial plaques set into the pavement,” said Trevor. He explained they were called Stolpersteine. Czechs call them the “stones of the disappeared”. They commemorate the Nazis’ victims, including Jews, LGBT, Roma, Sinti, resistance fighters, political prisoners and the disabled. The first Stolperstein was installed in Berlin in 1996. Today there are over 70,000 in 2,000 towns and cities across 24 European countries. Sweden and Denmark will be added later this year. It is the world’s largest...
The central star of this year’s Startup World Cup & Summit, which will take place on October 5 and 6 in Prague, will be Apple co-founder and computer engineering legend Steve Wozniak. However, it will be complemented by other no less important personalities including Janeček Karel, candidate to Czech presidency, and Kyle Corbitt, president of one of the world’s largest startup incubators. The Startup World Cup & Summit (SWCSummit) is one of the most important startup events in Europe, which takes place every year in Prague. The event sees startups, investors, and corporate representatives from all over Europe meet to boost global innovation, connect the startup ecosystem, open the door to talented entrepreneurs and find the best startups in the world. Those interested can watch the whole event live directly at the venue in the Azyl78 tent in Prague’s Stromovka, or online. Tickets can be purchased at swcsummit.com. The summit will see guest speakers talk about their success in their own fields- take Kyle Corbitt, who else can understand the needs of startup founders better than someone who founded his own startup, Emberall. The software engineer worked for Google and is now the director of Y Combinator – one of...
Gardens with massive landings, awnings or plastic or plexiglass walls should soon be disappearing from Prague. The municipality has expanded its Manual for Cultivated Prague, which aims to combat visual smog in public spaces. The changes could be seen as early as next season after a manual on how to get rid of visual smog in the streets was introduced last year. The manual has now been supplemented with new rules for the appearance of front gardens, in monument reserves and monument zones. “Restaurant gardens are to complement and enhance public space, not to create obstacles,” said Adam Scheinherr, Prague’s Councilor for Transport, who recently took over the responsibility for monument care. “They must also be made sensitively and with taste.” He pointed out, for example, that in Malé náměstí there is a fountain from the 16th century, which is currently drowned between umbrellas and landings of gardens occupying almost the entire square in the heart of the metropolis. The rules say the gardens should not look like separate restaurants, and equipment in them should be kept at a minimum. The rules will also apply to the actual placement of gardens in the space with the minimum area that must...
For the next several days, the Czech Republic can expect an onslaught of less than ideal weather conditions, thanks to a cold front moving through the territory on Tuesday. In front of it, the afternoon highs will reach 24 degrees Celsius, and on Wednesday, it will be 10 degrees less, according to meteorologist Dagmar Honsová. Cloudy to overcast weather replaced Monday’s generally clear or partly cloudy sky in some places in the west, with afternoon temperatures that ranged from 19 to 23 degrees Celsius. On Tuesday, it will be partly cloudy, with clouds gathering in the west again, along with showers and even occasional thunderstorms. The morning lows will range from 14 to 10 degrees, sometimes accompanied by fog or low clouds. The afternoon highs will reach 20 to 24 degrees, but in the west, it will only make it to around 16 degrees Celsius. Winds will pick up on Tuesday. “In the east, the territory will intensify significantly — on the peaks of the Jeseníky Mountains up to the speed of the storm, i.e. 110 kilometers per hour, in the Beskydy and Krkonoše Mountains to 90 kilometers per hour. Meteorologists have issued a warning against strong winds, applying to...
Prague City has tightened its rules for outdoor advertising as of 1st October which will restrict it not only in the immediate center of the city but in all other protected areas. Parts of Vinohrady, Smíchov, Letná and Dejvice will now also have stricter rules which means putting up posters or even handing out leaflets outside certain places there could now be against the rules. “I am glad that we are gradually cultivating advertising in Prague,” praised the Deputy Mayor of Prague and Councillor for Transport, Adam Scheinherr. “It is not possible for a giant tarpaulin to hang across the entire façade of the historic house opposite the Trade Fair Palace.” The regulation of advertising in the city has existed since 2006, but before it only concerned the most strictly protected places. “This is another important step in regulating advertising smog in the city and setting clear rules,” said Petr Hlaváček, responsible for regional development and planning. “We have set an excessively long time before the regulation enters into force, so that operators can prepare for the new rules in time.” Advertising is most strictly approached on the territory of the Prague Monument Reserve, in the very centre. The second zone will include monument zones, where...
Employers plan to increase salaries by an average of 8% in 2022, according to a survey by the HR agency Předvýběr.CZ. 71% of the respondents confirmed the increase in wages, while another 18% have not yet made a decision on wage policy for next year. Less than a third (29%) of companies will not increase wages for all, but only for selected professions, mostly technical and business. In addition to wage increases, companies are also counting on further support for recruiting new employees and increasing the attractiveness for current ones. In total, 62% will strengthen employee benefits, 31% will offer more part-time jobs and 7% will increase recruitment allowances. The Worldwide Wage Report has analyzed variations in the minimum wage in comparison to the cost of living in all countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) since 2010. The Czech Republic ranks fifth for the largest growth in the minimum hourly wage in the period studied. The minimum hourly wage in the Czech Republic has risen by 54% in the past ten years, from $4.10 to $6.30 (CZK 139). The top of the list was Lithuania, where the minimum hourly wage has more than doubled, followed by...
Support for the ruling ANO party dropped ahead of an election on Oct. 8-9 but the main opposition groups were still short of a majority in parliament, a final survey ahead of the vote showed on Monday. The poll by the Median agency for Mlada Fronta Dnes newspaper conducted between Sept. 23-29 showed Prime Minister Andrej Babis’s ANO at 25.2%, down from 27.0% in August. Median was the third agency that recorded a drop in support for ANO in the past weeks. It however also showed the two main opposition blocs that have pledged to work together to oust ANO from power — the centre-right SPOLU (Together) and the liberal Pirates/Mayors — polling 40.3% between them, or 0.6% less than ANO when it is combined with two other parties that would win seats. The Monday survey would put ANO in pole position to form a new cabinet but would it make it difficult to find a majority in parliament without breaking the mainstream opposition parties’ pledge not to work with Babis, or turning to anti-European and anti-NATO parties for support. Babis has ruled since 2018 with the Social Democrats (CSSD) in a minority government that has been supported in parliament...
The embankment on Rašínovo nábřeží — better known as Náplavka and for its farmers’ markets — is a popular spot for Praguers during the warmer months. People come here on weekends for walks, to feed ducks and swans, and to bike. This embankment, however, was not always a place of leisure. Previously, Náplavka was a hub for rowing, sand mining, and the timber trade. As such, many of the residents of the now-defunct Podskalí settlement relied on the Vltava River for their livelihood. Today, only one building from that settlement survives — the former Podskalská customs house on Výton. Part of the embankment was once used to dismantle and anchor rafts from the Šumava forests to Prague found floating on the river. After a devastating flood, the city decided to build up the embankment walls to protect it from further flood damage. Completed in 1910, these walls stand at 1320 meters long and reach a height of more than 10 meters in some places. This created a floodplain between the walls and the river, which is regularly fortified to this day.
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 Prime Minister Andrej Babis denied any wrongdoing on Sunday in connection with an international investigative report that listed him among current and former world politicians and businessmen that it says have used offshore financial structures. The UN Committee On the Rights Of the Child (OHCHR) expressed concern about Czechia’s rising number of children misused for prostitution and pornography, and an excessive placing of children in institutional care. The recommendations relate to the countries’ fulfillment of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. September saw 12,890 new COVID cases, which is a significant increase as against summer months when the figures ranged from 5,000 to 6,000 cases per month, the Health Ministry’s data showed. WORLD British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday he would not return to “uncontrolled immigration” to solve fuel, gas and Christmas food crises, suggesting such strains were part of a period of post-Brexit adjustment. Israel on Sunday piled pressure on its vaccinated citizens to get a booster shot by making only those who received their third dose of...
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has used offshore firms to finance his purchase of a £13m mansion in the south of France, suggest the so-called Pandora Papers, leaked documents that have been shared by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists with media around the world on Sunday. The five-bedroom Chateau Bigaud, with its 9.4 acres, is nestled between medieval ruins and lush forests. It is a hidden gem of Mougins, the hilltop village where Picasso spent the last 12 years of his life. As of January, public records showed that the chateau belonged to a subsidiary of one of the Czech companies indirectly owned by Babis. At the time Babiš acquired the property, the Czech press was beginning to report that his giant conglomerate was the secret owner of a luxury resort south of Prague that may have improperly obtained millions of dollars in European Union subsidies intended for small businesses. EU authorities would later find “irregularities” in the way Babis’ company had obtained the funds. Babiš’ ownership of the French chateau and the offshore transactions that obscured his involvement haven’t been disclosed previously. There is no evidence that the chateau’s purchase is linked to the subsidy. But the purchase of Chateau...
The European finale will traditionally be held in Prague at the SWCSummit on October 5 and 6. Startups from the V4 region will compete first, and then the event culminates in the pan-European final. The winning startup will achieve the title “Champion of Europe”. It will compete in California’s Silicon Valley Global Finale and get the potential investment of $ 500,000 from the organizing companies Air Ventures and UP21. The application form is free of charge & available at www.swcsummit.com. Due to the international environment, everything from registration to presentation before the jury takes place in English. “Year after year, we perceive a considerable shift in the Czech startup environment. Last year’s V4 Regional Round was dominated by the Slovak project Glycanostics and the Czech startup 24 Vision Systems, to which the jury awarded a wild card. The second made it to the bronze medal in the European final, “says Tomáš Cironis, director of SWCSummit. Break into the “Champions League” The winners of all the previous regional rounds are joined by the winners of several other startup competitions, such as the Czech Startup Challenge, Creative Business Cup or PowerMOTION. “By covering other events, we have moved the prestige of the...
The price of electricity, which stood at 53 euros (about 1,340 CZK) per MWh at the start of the year, has now exceeded 130 euros (about 3365 CZK) per MWh on the Prague Energy Exchange. According to analysts, the rocketing growth of wholesale gas prices, together with high prices of emission allowances, is the main reason for the record stock exchange prices of electricity. The wholesale price of gas with supply next year is 3.5 times higher than the beginning of this year and amounts to 57.7 euros / MWh. Experts say the wholesale price of gas could be reduced by the planned commissioning of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. However, gas supplies through the pipeline have yet to be approved by the German regulator and it can take up to four months for gas to start flowing along a new route that bypasses Ukraine. Michal Macenauer, Director of Strategy at the Energy Consulting Company EGÚ Brno, said last week that the reason for the current rise in gas prices is, among other things, the low utilization of pipeline capacity, especially across Ukraine. The Ukrainian agency Unian stated today, that Gazprom has stopped transporting natural gas to Hungary through...
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