The Estonian startup Bolt, which is known mainly for operating an alternative taxi service, will launch a new service in the Czech Republic. Bolt Market will start delivering food and hygiene products within fifteen minutes of ordering. “We are going to launch it in the coming months not only in the Czech Republic but also in other Central European countries,” said Jakub Dvořák, the company’s country manager. “We will have several warehouses located in the city and we will use the current courier network to be able to deliver it within 15 minutes from the moment you click the order button. We see that there is a great demand for this service not only in the Czech Republic but in the world,” he adds. Delivery will be provided by existing couriers and drivers using Bolt applications. This could be a problem for the new service, as the entire segment has been experiencing a shortage of drivers in recent months, leading to higher prices due to growing demand for the release of pandemic measures. In recent months, Bolt has been attracting new drivers to a 25,000 entry bonus. Bolt Market will focus mainly on groceries and basic hygiene needs, “but we do not...
On Tuesday, July 13, the lower house of the Czech parliament approved legislation requiring foreigners with long-term residence in the country to be insured with the state-owned insurer VZP, despite criticism that such a requirement amounts to unacceptable monopolization. One of the key changes will require all foreigners with commercial insurance to use Pojišťovna VZP for the first five years, according to reports in various Czech media outlets. Only after this time would they be able to switch to other insurance companies. The Senate version finally received 71 votes from the 158 present, opposed by legislators from SPD, the Communist Party, and many from ANO. The Lower House proposal received 108 votes out of 160 present, and was duly passed. “Hospitals that provide assistance to foreigners with policies from non-medical insurance companies today cannot be sure that they will receive the money spent on treatment back,” said Miloslav Yanulik, a deputy from the ANO party. The first time MPs approved the amendment in early June, but a month later the Senate rejected the document, believing that it would lead to a monopolization of the market. Senators returned the bill for reconsideration to the lower house, proposing their own solution to...
Modern Prague Map is a finely crafted guide that celebrates 20th-century buildings across the city. Written by Prague-based architectural historian and writer Adam Štěch, and beautifully shot by photographer Tomáš Souček, this modernist architecture map is a visual feast – as well as a useful tool – about exploring the beautiful European city of Prague. Published by Blue Crow Media, Modern Prague Map, released this month, celebrates 20th-century architecture in the Czech Republic capital. The travel guide is a two-sided and bilingual print that includes a map of the city, as well as an introductory essay and information on fifty notable buildings – all of which are marked on the map. The rich selection of buildings spans the 20th century, including work by architects such as Vlastislav Hofman, Adolf Loos, Věra Machoninová and her husband Vladimír Machonín – and many more. The featured buildings offer a wide range of typologies and scales, from large-scale works, such as multi-family housing to department stores, to more boutique designs, such as homes or urban furniture. Highlights include Emil Králíček’s Cubist lamp post, the Modernist Baba Housing Estate, Martin Rainer’s apartment building and the New Stage of the National Theatre by Prager, the artist S. Libenský and the sculptor J. Brychtová. ‘Important historical events...
If you’re old enough to remember playing games at the local video arcade, then you know there’s nothing like crowding around a machine and pounding those buttons with all your might. You probably spent your childhood dreaming of having one of those arcade game machines in your home, and now that you’re an adult, you can make it a reality. In fact, Gamecity recently entered the Czech market, opening a new location in the center of Prague in Hamleys (Na Příkopě street) And dreaming about opening an even bigger version, Gamestate, in the future! From retro Pac-man and air-hockey to dance dance revolution, Gamestate\Gamecity is the place to entertain all the family with a healthy dose of competition. On an area of 350 m2, Gamecity offers you more than 20 arcade games – from Mario Kart, through Jurassic Park, Airhockey, Moto GP, Nerf, and many more! “We are really excited to bring our futuristic arcade & concept to Prague and give the people here a whole new experience,” says Leroy Dijkstra, marketing director, and manager of operations of Gamestate and Gamecity. ‘Winners only’ is the credo of this arcade chain and there are tons of redeemable tickets that you can...
Prague saw one of the warmest June since records began back in 1775, the Czech Hydro-Meteorological Institute reported on its website on Wednesday. The oldest Czech meteorological station at Prague’s Klementinum recorded an average temperature of 22.4 degrees Celsius. In the last 247 years, it was warmer only in 1811. Meteorologists measured the same monthly average as this year in June 2003. This year’s June in Prague was 3.6 degrees warmer than the average, based on data from 1981 to 2010. It means it places this month between the 3rd and 4th spot in a total of 247 measurements. The warmest day was Sunday, June 20, with an average daily temperature of 29.3 degrees Celsius. A week earlier, the daily average reached only 15.6 degrees. The warmest June since 1775 was recorded in 2019, when the monthly average reached 24.5 degrees Celsius. It was two degrees lower in 1811 and even 0.1 degrees colder was the same in 2003 and this year. This June was the third warmest in the Czech Republic since the start of monitoring in 1961. The average June temperature of 18.8 degrees Celsius was three degrees higher than the national average. In Moravia, which is traditionally...
According to half of Czechs, the state is ready for a possible new wave of coronavirus, about a tenth of people are sure of that. This follows from a survey by the Median agency for Czech Radio. By contrast, more than two-fifths of respondents are skeptical about the country’s readiness. According to Median director Přemysl Čech, women mistrust the state more (49 percent) than men (39 percent). On the other hand, government voters have confidence in the country’s readiness. “Voters of ANO movement lead by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš are convinced in 69 percent of cases that the state is ready,” he told the Czech Radio. According to him, the same opinion would be supported by 54 percent of those who would go to the polls. On the other hand, almost half of non-voters (47 percent) are convinced that the state will be unable to manage the pandemic this time around. Immunologist Václav Hořejší is rather optimistic. According to him, Czechia learned from previous mistakes. “I hope we have enough experience.” In addition, according to him, the epidemic would not have to intensify due to vaccination, as in previous months. “The next wave would certainly have a much different character...
There are several lavender fields in the Czech Republic. Sometimes a trip to the South of the country, across the plains and hills of Moravia, turns into a real discovery. In the season of lavender blooming, purple-emerald patches of fields surprise unprepared travelers. And the prepared ones come for photo sessions, for lavender flowers and a lot of products from the fragrant plant. In Starovičky in the Břeclav region, the purple color of lavender shines through the rape and cereal fields in the summer. Siblings Stanislav, Lucie and Tereza Bíz have had a lavender farm for eight years now. People can find a small piece of French Provence a few hundred meters outside the village, as they know it from the photos. The history of this farm began in 2014 when more than 40 thousand lavender bushes were planted. Residents gradually came to terms with the fact that instead of grapes, traditional for this region, their neighbor decided to grow lavender. But later, many people appreciated that it is both beautiful and profitable. The lavender fields quickly became a great tourist attraction. Many people get there when they come to the Lednice-Valtice region, an area of traditional winemaking and UNESCO...
This year, the Prague Exhibition Centre together with the Industrial Palace celebrates 130 years since its opening. When architect Bedřich Münzberg was tasked with building the Industrial Palace, he wanted to take the traditional bricks and plasterwork approach. But his plans were thwarted by the young architects who had just come back from Paris, brimming with ideas. In 1889 Paris hosted the World Fair, and there they had just seen the impressive Eiffel Tower for the first time. This was such an inspiration that they badgered Münzberg to implement a similar concept. And that’s how the building came to be a half-iron, half traditional construction. This was quite unprecedented at the time. Grand opening in 1891 The Prague Exhibition Centre construction itself was certainly not plain and simple. It had to contend with a tragic flood and workers’ strikes. Despite these obstacles, it finally opened its doors in 1891. This event was preceded by the Jubilee Territorial Exhibition, which was very much a success. More than 2 million people came to see it, with some celebrities of the time making sure they would be there, too – for example, Prince Jiří Lobkowicz and Archduke Karel Ludvík. The Jubilee Exhibition became a landmark moment on the...
On the left bank of the Vltava River in Smichov, entirely off the tourist track, you‘ll find the Portheimka summer palace just adjacent to the Church of St. Vaclav. The side of the building facing busy Štefanikova Street appears rather plain but walk just a few feet, and from the other side, the lovely Baroque facade, a small courtyard with a fountain, and a park with mature chestnut trees come into view. The summer palace was built here in the mid-18th century by Prague native and one of the most renowned architects of his time Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer, whose name is associated with the Church of St. Nicholas on Old Town Square and the completion of the dome of the Church of St. Nicholas in the Lesser Town. The summer residence faces the garden. The richly decorated French doors open out onto the balcony, which is adorned on each side with busts depicting allegories of Day and Night. Ideologically, they refer to the antique gods Apollo and Venus and represent the Sun and Moon as well as the masculine and feminine principles. The placement of the busts on the balcony is not random – traditionally, the masculine aspect is attributed...
Budvar, the Czech brewer that has been in a long legal dispute with U.S. company Anheuser-Busch over use of the “Budweiser” brand, increased its net profit by almost 10% last year amid record output as the pandemic saw people drink less in bars and more at home. Budejovicky Budvar NP, a 125-year-old state-owned brewery, said Monday its net profit reached CZK 305 million ($14 million) in 2020. Its output rose 3.1% to a record of 1.73 million hectoliters last year. Demand for its beer in tanks and barrels declined last year as bars and restaurants were closed for a long time, but Budvar was able to meet rising demand for bottled beer. The brewer has been expanding in recent years to be able to produce more than 2 billion hectoliters (52.8 billion gallons) of beer a year. That investment made it possible to react to changes in the markets amid the coronavirus pandemic. Budvar sells its beer in around 80 countries and Germany, one of its key markets, grew particularly strongly in 2020. Revenues also hit a record last year, growing 0.4% to CZK 2.81 billion. Czech beer consumption in 2020 fell to its lowest level since the 1960s. In...
In June, the average Czech’s spending on lunch in a restaurant rose to CZK 137, nine crowns more than before the pandemic broke out, the news site iDNES.cz wrote on Tuesday. The average sum Czechs spent on lunch in 2019 was over CZK 120. Spending has risen in all regional cities except Prague and Brno over the past year. Spending in Plzeň is currently the highest, at CZK 143.90, according to data on meal voucher card payments from Edenred. Current spending on restaurant lunches is on average three percent higher than last June, when the first wave of the pandemic was unleashed. In three regional cities, the average spending exceeded CZK 140, as stated by data from payments made by more than 250,000 employees who use Edenred’s meal voucher card. “The three percent year-on-year growth reflects the inflation trend in the Czech Republic. We expect lunch prices and spending levels to continue to rise,” says Edenred CEO Nicolas Eich. Catering businesses are facing higher prices for raw materials and staff shortages. Czechs are also dining out less than in the past. Edenred recorded 57 percent fewer lunch transactions this June than in the pre-pandemic period. In June 2020, that drop was only...
The Czech Republic will not take part in this year’s UN conference against racism taking place in September in New York. “I’ve taken this decision due to historic concerns regarding antisemitism and the misuse of the platform for attacks against Israel,” stated Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhánek, adding that the country will continue to fight against racism and discrimination. The so-called Durban conference will mark the 20th anniversary of the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance and the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. Austria and the Netherlands have already decided to boycott the event. Last week, the UK said it was joining the US, Canada and Australia in boycotting Durban IV this September, “following historic concerns regarding antisemitism.” France is also expected to pull out, a diplomatic source said last month, but it has not yet issued an official statement. A German Foreign Ministry official said Berlin had yet to decide on the matter. Kulhánek announced his decision on Monday in Brussels, where he met with his EU counterparts and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. According to Kulhánek, a large part of EU countries supported the idea of enhanced cooperation with Israel. The Czech minister...
Don’t have an account? Register
[swpm_registration_form level=”6″]
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
