Drop in the Czech Economy to be Lower Than Expected

According to the European Commission, the Czech economy is expected to drop by 6.9 percent this year due to the coronavirus crisis, which is an improvement compared to previous estimates. In its macroeconomic forecast, on the other hand, the EC worsened the prospects for the recovery of the Czech economy next year, when gross domestic product is expected to increase by only 3.1 percent. This is 1.4 percentage points less than in its summer forecast. The slower economic recovery is related to the second wave of the pandemic due to which the Czech Government, as in the spring, had to enact measures that led to a significant reduction in economic activity, the EC reasoned. “The European Commission’s forecast seems slightly more optimistic than current market estimates. This is probably because it is based on data up to October 22 and does not take into account the further tightening of economic restrictions announced last week,“ said economist Jakub Seidler. According to the current EC estimate, this year’s decline will be nine-tenths of a point lower than what the Commission predicted in the summer, mainly due to economic activity in the third quarter. For this period, the commission estimates 5 percent GDP...

Prague Airport Trials Six Sniffer Dogs as Covid-19 Detectors

Dogs specially trained to detect Covid-19 will start sniffing passengers as part of a trial at Prague Airport.

Official: New Footbridge Linking Holešovice and Karlín to be Ready in 2022

The construction of a footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists, which will connect Holešovice and Karlín across the island of Štvanice, will begin next year. The footbridge is 285 meters long and the construction will be completed at the end of 2022. “Prague will soon have a new bridge and it will be… HolKa! We will build a new footbridge between Holešovice and Karlín with a ramp to Štvanice island. Today, during the city council, we approved the building regulations contracts,” said Prague Deputy Mayor Adam Scheinherr. “After the recent opening of the Troja footbridge, we succeeded in another important project. Pedestrians will have the opportunity to get from Karlín to the front gates of Holešovice Market in a few minutes and visit the Štvanice island, which is waiting for a complete transformation, as well. HolKa will connect cycle paths leading along the river on both banks,” added Scheinherr. Designed by Marek Blanek and Petr Teje architects, the bridge pushes building technology to the limit; the use of freeze-resistant and fiber-reinforced ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) helped reduce the structural shell thickness. The new bridge would relieve traffic on some of the existing bridges, which have been overburdened and are in need...

The Average Czech Has Drank 300 Beers a Year Since the 70’s

In 1948, the annual consumption of beer in the Czech Republic was about 70 liters per year. This statistic rose continuously, and in the 70’s it reached 300 large beers a year. Since then, it has remained roughly at the same level, although in 2005 there was a record 327 beers a year. In 2019, the Czech Association of Breweries and Malt (ČSPS) reported that consumption peaked with a total of 142 litres, or 284 pints, drank per capita. The production also rose by 1.6% in the same year, with Czech breweries alone producing a total of 21.6 million hectoliters of hops. However, since 2009, the amount of beer sold in pubs, bars, restaurants, and other food establishments has seen a gradual annual decrease. Other habits have changed over the years. While ten years ago draft beer, the classic ten (or Desítka), was the most sold on the market, lagers have recently dominated, reaching about 60 per cent of the total sales. The rising popularity of 11- and 12-degree beer continued in 2019, along with the consumption of speciality beer such as wheat, IPA, unpasteurized, and semi-dark beer. Seasonal limited editions were also seen to be proving popular, such as...

New Rules for Entering the Czech Republic Now in Force

New rules for entering the Czech Republic come into effect from today, November 9

Czech Republic Records Lowest Number of New Covid-19 Cases in Four Weeks

The Czech Republic reported 3,608 new coronavirus cases for November 8, the lowest daily tally in the country in four weeks.

November 8, 1620: Battle of White Mountain

400 years ago, armies of the Czech estates and the emperor Ferdinand II encountered in the Battle of the White Mountain. It was the first battle of the Thirty Years’ War, which changed the entire fate of Europe as well as the history of the Kingdom of Bohemia. In the Bohemian Lands at the beginning of the 17th century, the Protestant religion predominated. This, most probably, was the biggest problem and the bone of contention leading to an uprising against the monarch. The Habsburgs, on the base of the Peace of Augsburg, brought into the country the Jesuits, who in addition to the effort to bring the people back to the Catholic Church also brought higher education. These, however, became a thorn in the Non-Catholics’ eye and there was more and more hatred towards them, which was nourished mainly with their pastoral success and also with their exceptional position. Nevertheless, the Protestants promised to be given religious freedom, first by Maximilian II in the form of so-called Confessio Bohemica (only orally not in a written form) and then by Rudolf II in the form of so-called Rudolf’s Imperial Charter (Czech: Rudolfův Majestát), which only sharpened the situation and thanks to...

If You’re Homeless in the Czech Republic, What Support is Out There?

The issue of homelessness can be a very serious one, and even a wealthy country like the Czech Republic has her fair share of homeless folks. Unfortunately, this is something that can happen to anyone, expats included. People who become homeless are often ordinary people, many of whom actually had it all at a certain point in their lives. While being homeless is something that can happen to anyone, not everyone has the means to solve the problem as quickly as possible. So if you find yourself homeless in the Czech Republic, what do you do? Where should you go for assistance? And what agencies are there to help? The non-profit association Místní místním organizes an online event on Facebook planned especially for the international people living in the Czech Republic but also for everyone interested in the topic of homelessness. “We feel that expats in this country might also want to get to know more and go deeper into the social issues regarding Prague or the Czech Republic, maybe about how to get involved or get to know some local initiatives,” says Ester Pacltová from Místní místním. Online stream program: – Speakers: Jitka Modlitbová (The Salvation Army) and Ester...

Here’s How Newspapers Around the World Announced the News of Biden’s Victory

Kamala Harris Is the First Woman of Color Elected Vice President

The first woman to be vice president. First Black person. First Asian American. Joe Biden has won the U.S. presidency after reaching and crossing the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch victory, the Associated Press has announced. Mr. Biden’s election is historic on multiple fronts. It makes Kamala Harris, the senator from California, the first woman to ever be elected vice president. Additionally, she was also the first Black woman and first of Indian descent to be nominated on a major party ticket. In 2017, Harris became the first Black person, and Black woman, to represent California in the U.S. Senate—as well as the 10th Black American, the second Black woman, and the first South Asian American to sit in the chamber. President Barack Obama has called her an “ideal partner” for Biden who is more than prepared for the job as “someone who knows what it’s like to overcome barriers.”   This election is about so much more than @JoeBiden or me. It’s about the soul of America and our willingness to fight for it. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Let’s get started.pic.twitter.com/Bb9JZpggLN — Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 7, 2020 We did it, @JoeBiden. pic.twitter.com/oCgeylsjB4 —...

Prague Mayor Congratulates Biden Before Official Victory

Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib has congratulated Joe Biden on his expected victory in the US presidential election.

LOT Polish Airlines Announces New Prague-Ostrava Route

LOT Polish Airlines has announced a launch of a new direct route between Prague and Ostrava, starting 11 November 2020.  The carrier plans to operate flights from Václav Havel Airport Prague to Ostrava up to six times a week. All flights will then continue to Warsaw, the Polish capital. Flights on the Prague – Ostrava route will be operated by Embraer 175 aircraft configured for 76 passengers. “Alongside the strengthening of LOT Polish Airlines presence at Prague Airport, which we believe to continue next year, the new air connection between Prague and Ostrava will mark the re-launch of domestic passenger air transport. The move will primarily benefit passengers, who thus gain another transport option for their journeys between the more distant regions of the Czech Republic,” Vaclav Rehor, Chairman of the Prague Airport Board of Directors, said. „We are pleased to strenghten our presence in the Czech Republic while offering for the first time a direct route between the two cities – Prague and Ostrava. Launched by the end of October this year, the direct service between Warsaw and Ostrava was another step towards LOT’s development in this region. As of now, we are able to provide passengers from the Czech Republic...