The Czech government has approved a plan to adopt a tax on internet giants like Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple. Joining France and some other countries, the measure would impose a 7% annual tax on companies’ digital business revenues in the Czech Republic. It would apply to companies with global sales worth more than 750 million euros and Czech revenue exceeding 100 million Czech crowns. The proposed tax covers revenue gained from targeted advertising, providing digital market places, and user data sales. The finance ministry has estimated the tax could bring in some 5 billion crowns ($216 million) a year, starting in 2020. “Internet giants do not pay taxes in our country to an extent that would match their profits, which is unfair to other companies in the Czech Republic that pay taxes,” said Finance Minister Alena Schillerová. “We have long supported the search for a common international solution, but unfortunately negotiations at EU and OECD levels will take some time. And because we can no longer wait and see the unequal competition of global giants with other entrepreneurs, we come up with our own temporary digital tax adjustment until an international compromise will be found.” The Czech Republic is following the...
By Christoper Sebastian – Anglo American University Don’t be fooled by the name. Despite being called 10,000 Russians, this band has zero Russians, and there are only three in the group. Dubious advertising notwithstanding, 10,000 Russos is an innovative psychedelic rock band, and this Portuguese trio will play in Prague on Tuesday, November 19th. The group is led by João Pimenta, with his machine-like percussion and a cyborg-like vocal drawl. On guitars, Pedro Pestana’s penetrating experimental loops are equal parts orchestral and industrial, which sounds like it shouldn’t work, but somehow does. And the sound is rounded out by driving, motor-like basslines drawn forth from the most depraved corners of the bassist’s André Couto’s mind. Calling themselves a “psyche” band, they are influenced by classic rock groups of the 60s, including Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, and the Doors. But their neo-psychedelia has a more intense electrification, disjointed arrangements, and extreme reverb beyond the 60s and 70s sounds. They draw from this rich tradition of psychedelic rock, but they are also influenced by post-punk The Cure, Joy Division, and early Sonic Youth. João’s vocals are reminiscent of the English punk group, The Fall’s Mark E. Smith, who bleakly narrated...
The wall on Kampa, by the Vltava River, has been redesigned by the internationally renowned artist and illustrator Petr Sís, whose works adorn public space in New York, Lisbon, Cape Town or at Václav Havel Airport in Prague. The “Velvet Bridge” commemorates the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution and visually discusses the history of Czechoslovakia between 1918 and 1989. The work will be completed next spring. The most recent artistic achievement of Sís is this replica of the Charles Bridge. The author will place 12 paintings in the arches of the bridge, which symbolically describe the history of Czechoslovakia between 1918 and 1989. On the Kampa wall, two paintings in a cartoon design by Petr Sis have been introduced, one representing Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and the other representing Václav Havel. The finished work will be installed next spring after the necessary reconstruction of the wall. The work was initiated by a philanthropist of Irish origin, Bill Shipsey, founder of the Art for Amnesty initiative. Shipsey is engaging prominent artists around the world in promoting issues related to human rights and the development of democracy. He has collaborated on projects around the world with personalities such as Nelson Mandela, Joan Baez,...
The Iron Curtain was more than just a figure of speech: Communist regimes set up thousands of miles of heavily-guarded, electrified barbed wire fencing to completely isolate Eastern Europe from the West. That still didn’t stop many from desperately attempting to flee the totalitarian East. Some succeeded, but many lost their lives. Among the latter, in what was then Czechoslovakia, was a priest in the brutally-persecuted Catholic Church named Josef Skop. Hoping to reach East Germany before the Berlin Wall sealed off its connection with the West, he decided to cross the River Elbe undetected by walking underwater in a home-made diving suit complete with rubber boots. He used a rubber garden hose as a breathing tube – a fatal mistake as it proved too long and too narrow to ensure a sufficient air supply. Nearly 300 people are known to have died, many killed by border guards with orders to shoot on sight, while attempting to escape from Czechoslovakia to the West. Skop’s diving suit is on display in “Technology in Dictatorships,” a new exhibition at the National Technical Museum in Prague. The display marks the 30th anniversary of the 1989 anti-communist Velvet Revolution by looking back at the...
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, Prague’s Petřín Tower – which was modeled after, and strongly resembles, the Eiffel Tower – will lit up in blue, white, and red. November 17th is a very important day for Czechs for two reasons. 1939 The original event that 17 November commemorated was the resistance of student demonstrators in 1939 to the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. Initially, a student named Jan Opletal was shot in a protest and died on 11 November. His funeral, attended by thousands of students, turned into another anti-Nazi demonstration. One witness to those events said that the Gestapo and German soldiers had swept into student dorms in Prague, Brno, and Příbram, and dragged students off to Ruzyně prison. Nine student leaders were murdered by the Nazis and more than 1,000 sent to concentration camps. As a result of these tragedies, in 1941, the 17th of November was marked as International Students’ Day. 1989 Fifty years after such oppression, in 1989, Czech students organized a demonstration to commemorate the student martyr Jan Opletal and the International Students Day. It started off as an officially-sanctioned march but turned quickly into demonstration demanding the resignation of the country’s...
The 30-year anniversary of the Velvet Revolution culminates today, November 17. Concerts, processions and debates, will be taking place in cities across the Czech Republic. November 17 On November 17, 1989, student protesters filled the streets of Prague. It was eight days after the fall of the Berlin Wall. November 18 Striking actors in Prague opened theater stages only for public discussions, and university and performing arts students went on strike. Homemade posters and proclamations were posted in public spaces, and actors read a proclamation by the students and artists to audiences, calling for a general strike on 27 November. November 19 In Prague, the Civic Forum (OF), which called for a change of the regime, was created. It was led by Václav Havel and other dissidents from Charter 77. November 20 The students were joined in the coming days by Czechoslovak citizens of all ages. By Nov. 20, a half-million Czechs and Slovaks filled Prague’s streets and took over Wenceslas Square. The Communists were forced out. Secretary General of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, Miloš Jakeš, invited the so-called People’s Militia to Prague. They received weapons and ammunition. November 21 Havel met with VPN representative...
Orel and friends is a space dedicated to Czech craft, located in the historical area of Malá strana in Prague, in the Nerudova street. This space is somewhere between a souvenir shop, an art gallery and a concept store. You will find there a unique selection coming from around 30 local artists: ceramics, wooden toys, jewelry, leather books, photos, notebooks, posters, handbags. Some of the goods were specially designed for us in close cooperation with the artists. Behind Orel and friends there’s Stéphane Corbet, a French living in Prague for 17 years. He personally selected the work of around 30 artists. Why Orel and friends? Orel means eagle in Czech language. The shop is located in the house of the red eagle. “In Prague there are only four houses with such a name. Hazard? Destiny? Call it as you want but I had no other choice than to associate the eagle to my project which I did through the name Orel and friends as well as in the logo,” said Stéphane. “The most personal part of the project is that I am as well proposing my photos of Czech hiking trail markers as well as some goods imagined and designed with...
A study done by Cushman and Wakefield, and advisory firm, shows that Prague’s Na Prikope street is the world’s 18th most expensive in terms of real estate rents. Rent on the mainly pedestrian road, known as the tourist shopping main street, can reach 2820 euro per square meter. Table: Country chart by the most expensive retail streets Rank 2019 Rank 2018 Location City Market Rent Q2 2019 €/sq m/year 1 1 Causeway Bay (main street shops) Hong Kong Hong Kong, China 25,965 2 2 Upper 5th Avenue (49th – 60th Sts) New York USA 21,295 3 3 New Bond Street London United Kingdom 16,222 4 4 Avenue des Champs Elysees Paris France 13,992 5 5 Via Montenapoleone Milan Italy 13,700 6 6 Ginza Tokyo Japan 11,838 7 7 Pitt Street Mall Sydney Australia 10,185 8 9 Bahnhofstrasse Zurich Switzerland 8,195 9 8 Myeongdong Seoul South Korea 8,163 10 10 Kohlmarkt Vienna Austria 4,860 11 11 Wangfujing Beijing Mainland China 4,453 12 12 Kaufinger/Neuhauser Munich Germany 4,440 13 13 Grafton Street Dublin Ireland 3,794 14 15 Ermou Athens Greece 3,420 14 14 Portal de L’Angel Barcelona Spain 3,420 16 17 Orchard Road Singapore Singapore 2,957 17 16 Kalverstraat Amsterdam Netherlands 2,850...
If it closes, hundreds of prostitutes are likely to move to the centre. Prague’s most extensive erotic club survival is still unsure. Deputy Mayor Pavel Vyhnánek has been trying to move the Showpark from Holešovice Market Hall for a long time, and negotiations with the city covering actions have been on deadlock due to a lawsuit. The future of the Holešovice Showpark is expected to be finally decided by a lawsuit that Prague has been running for several years against Delta Center (current tenant of the market), which also includes Hall 18 with the Showpark. It still has a long-term lease, but Prague considers it invalid. The dispute is now pending before the Court of Appeal on 19 November 2019. Every year, 160000 customers “pass-through” it in continuous services from 600 women. The Showpark was established in the mid-1990s, after an agreement to withdrew prostitutes from the streets of the metropolis. Now hundreds of “performers”, as they call themselves, are in a situation where they might figuratively find themselves on the streets. “This is not a normal movement. The establishment of spare areas for operating with basic safety and security requirements imply two years of work in the Showpark. Less...
Kinský Gardens are an area of 22 hectares located in Prague 5, on the southeastern slope of Petřin Hill and separated from the other Petřin gardens by the Hunger Wall, built by Charles IV. The best idea is to use the entrance gate on the top of Petřín Hill, between the Rose Garden and the Strahov Dormitory. In the garden, you will find a wooden church and the Kinský Summer Palace with a National Museum ethnographic exhibition. Woods originally occupied the area and then were replaced by vineyards. Prince Rudolf Kinský bought several vineyards on the hillside of Petřín intending to build an extensive garden and a summer residence. The Kinský Folly, located between Lesser Town and Smíchov, is now called the Kinský Summerhouse. Was built between 1827–1831 by the architect Heinrich Koch and since 1901, this unique summerhouse is an ethnographical museum. In 1922, the museum became part of the National Museum. It documents the traditional folk culture of the Czech lands, Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia, presenting everyday rural life in the 19th and 20th centuries. The ethnographic exhibition is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm for only 70 CZK. After visiting the museum,...
This weekend Czechs celebrate 30 years from the Velvet Revolution and so it is packed with various events, festivals, video mapping and celebrations. Find below summarized overview of what’s on in Prague November 11 – November 17 Week of science and technology in Prague Where: various places November 15 The Velvet party at Manifesto market Great food and DJ. When: 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. Where: Manifesto market Florenc November 16 St. Martin’s at Letná Goose and young wine tasting When: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m Where: National agriculture museum November 16 Civil shelter Folimanka – public tour When: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Where: Pod Karlovem, Prague 2 November 16 Vinárna Bokovka – a celebration of 4th birthday Wine tasting, live music, pop-up restaurant. When: starting at 4 p.m. till midnight Where: Dlouhá 37, Prague 1 November 16 The Theatre night in Prague You can experience backstage tours, performances, workshops and meet-and-greet with actors. Some theatres have a program without language barriers, so you can enjoy the Theatre Night even if you do not speak Czech. The entry is mainly free of charge or for a reduced price. Where: various places November 16 Czech Academy of Sciences When: starting at...
Burger King is now becoming the largest chain of restaurants in Europe. It has been in operation for almost 70 years, but it has probably never experienced such a novelty until now. The American fast food chain has always specialized in burgers of all kinds, especially one kind – the taste of meat prepared on an open fire. However, these guarantees no longer apply. Burger King is starting to replace beef with its most popular Whopper vegetable alternative. “In almost 70 years of history, Burger King has been one of the largest product launches on the market. We are introducing a 100% Whopper with 0 percent meat that has gained tremendous interest in the United States and is now coming to Europe,” reported by Daniel Ryška, Head of Burger King in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, today at the recently opened Burger King branch in Prague on I.P. Pavlova. The new burger is called Rebel Whopper and, according to Ryška, it is exactly the Whopper that everyone knows and loves, but no longer contains meat. Rebel Whopper also comes to 24 other European countries, including Poland, Germany, and Italy, being enjoyed in over 2,500 restaurants. Although the food chain back in...
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