Tens of thousands of Czechs rallied in Prague on Saturday calling for Prime Minister Andrej Babiš to resign as the country marked the 29th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution that toppled the communist regime. Babiš has been charged with misusing European Union subsidies for a farm he transferred to family members, including his son, Andrej Babis Jr. The Czech leader denies wrongdoing. His son told Czech news portal Seznam Zpravy this week he was kept in Crimea against his will so he couldn’t be questioned in the case. Babiš has said his son, who lives in Switzerland, is mentally ill and in Crimea voluntarily. “It is inadmissible that someone under investigation and a StB collaborator is prime minister,” said Mikulas Minar, head of a group that organised a protest by around 20,000 people in the city centre. The Czech premier vowed Friday he would “never resign, never” before leaving to meet his son in Switzerland. Author: red
Czech Pirate Party candidate Zdeněk Hřib was elected on Thursday as Prague mayor by the city assembly. A total of 39 members of the 65-seat city assembly supported his candidacy. Hřib was jointly nominated by the Pirate Party and the movements of United Forces for Prague and Prague for Itself, which formed a ruling coalition following the October municipal election in the capital. “I promise that I will treat my duties with due humility and responsibility. [Such an approach] is also needed to address the long-standing problems and challenges that Prague is facing. I believe that I will manage to create a new style of relations with the opposition and local residents,” Hřib said after the election, as broadcast by the local television. Hřib, 37, was born in the town of Slavicin, located near the border with Slovakia. He has been living in Prague since 1999. Hřib studied medicine at the Charles University in Prague, afterward he worked in several medical companies. Since 2013, he has been a member of the Pirate Party, which is the third largest political force in the national parliament’s lower house. Author: red
It’s time to share the limelight. The popular, electric-green bike sharing company, Lime (formerly known as LimeBike), rolled out its electric scooters, dubbed Lime-S, in Prague at the end of September. People can be seen zooming around the capital city on these, but a new service from them could be spotted on the streets soon. The company just announced its newest plan: car sharing. While the cars will not hit Europe for a while, this next level of transportation, called LimePod, is being launched in Seattle. It’s no coincidence Seattle was picked for the launch. It is the largest city in the Pacific Northwest and the bike-sharing aspect of the businesses was also tested in this city. Lime plans to deploy 1,500 shared cars by the beginning of 2019 in Seattle. This would make Lime the largest car sharing provider in one American city ever Bloomberg reported. Unlike the electric scooters, LimePods will not be electric and will have insurance built into the price like Car2Go or Czech Revolt. It will work like the LimeBikes and Lime-S. The user will use the app to find a free car, unlock it for $1 (25 CZK) and then pay 40 cents per minute...
A recent survey conducted by CVVM agency has revealed that the consumption of beer among Czech men is among the lowest registered in 14 years and the weekly consumption has dropped to 7.6 half-liters. Consumption of beer among Czech women has increased to 2.7 half-liters a week. While in 2004 the average daily consumption was over 400 half-liters per year, last year that figure was less than 300 half liters. Findings noted that people tend to go to the pub less – one researcher cited family obligations and a tendency among Czechs to drink at home alone – but individual stats reflect an overarching theme of loyalty toward one’s local. The drop in beer consumption follows a seven-year period of relative stagnation. Several factors had played a role when it came to fewer Czechs going out to pubs or restaurants: the introduction of electronic cash registers which saw some venues fold and others raise their prices and the introduction of anti-smoking legislation. Author: red
From the 14th to the 28th of November, you will find French culture on every corner of the city – on Jiřího z Poděbrad square, in cinemas and even in the Convent of Saint Agnes. From today you can truly appreciate the “Savoir vivre” and join in with the festivities of France Week 2018. Brittany – a land of promised art Kino 35 – November 14, 2018 There are plenty of reasons to fall in love with Brittany, the historic province in the most western part of France. On Wednesday, November 14th, Kino 35 will host a lecture by the director of Musée Départemental, Breton Philip Le Stuma, and Curator Margareth Le Guellec-Dabrowski. The lecture will focus on the important role played by Brittany in the cultural history of Europe. Beaujolais Nouveau and St. Martin’s Kaiserštejnský palác – 15. 11. 2018 The opening ceremony of the fifth year of France Week will take place in the Kaiserštejn Palace. On this occasion, you can celebrate the arrival of this year’s young wines – Beaujolais Nouveau and St. Martin’s. Beaujolais Nouveau is a fresh, young, red wine that comes from the Beaujolais wine region in France. Sign up for the event here ...
You may have noticed giant pits in areas of the city centre. One separated by a fence with peep-holes on the upper part of Wenceslas Square, the other which can be seen from the viewing platform at Masaryk Station. In these areas, the Penta Group are preparing the Central Business District project, designed by famous architect Zaha Hadid. This building project on the corner of Wenceslas Square and Opletalova Street has evoked passion from architects and investors alike, often with contradictory opinions. Finally, the investor, company Flow East, prevailed and in about two years will have headquarters at the so-called “Flower House”, and on the ground level the first shops will open. Banks and Shared Offices The combination of office buildings and shops is the most common model in the city centre, whether it’s a new building or a reconstruction of older buildings. This is also true of the DRN project, which the domestic real estate company Sebre completed this year in the lot on the corner of Mikulandská and Národní. It is a blend of the modern new building and the restored Schökirch Palace. Not far from this area, on the corner of the streets 28 října and Perlová,...
Walk into a fairytale at Blatná Castle. Located in a small town in Southern Bohemia, the castle is next to an artificial lake with plenty of nature that accents the bright red roofs and white structure. The first written record of the castle is from 1235, when it was most likely a wooden fortress. It’s built in the middle of a marsh, so it gets its name “blata” from the old Czech word for marshy place. Over a century later in 1391, the castle belonged to the house of Lvové (lions) of Rožmitál and the marshes transformed into water trenches and the castle was rebuilt in stone. This U-shaped castle is described as “a swan sitting in a lake” because it is white and surrounded by a moat.The first floor of the tower is the Green Chamber because the prevalent color of the medieval paintings on that floor are green. A large tower in the east at the main entrance dominates the castle. The Romanesque Chapel is the oldest part of the castle dating back to the 13th century. It is in the western part of the courtyard and has two distinct arches to mark the spot. Various other parts...
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s younger son claims he was forcibly detained in Crimea by his father’s associates at the time of the investigation of the Stork’s Nest affair. Babiš Senior has been intermittently under investigation since 2015 wherein the prime minister was accused of concealing his ownership of the Čapí Hnízdo (Storks Nest) farm and attached convention centre in order to illegally obtain €2 million in EU subsidies meant for small businesses. Čapí Hnízdo was owned by Agrofert, a Prague-based conglomerate holding company owned by Andrej Babiš, which would have been ineligible for the small business subsidies. In 2007 ownership of the property was transferred to a small anonymous company which was able to apply for the subsidies, but it was later revealed that the shareholders in the new company were Babiš Junior and his sister Adriana; Babiš Senior’s partner – now his wife – Monika; and Monika’s brother Martin Herodes. A brief interview with Seznam reports that Babis’s son, who is also named Andrej, was coerced into traveling to Crimea on a vacation that turned into an “abduction.” He said he had spent some time in a psychiatric institution in the past. Babiš Jr. also revealed that he...
As seen in Klíčov, Kačerov, and also in the city centre, some buses and trams have been spotted sporting handsome moustaches in recent days. “According to traffic information, there are fifteen buses and fifteen trams” says the Ropid transport organiser on Facebook. Since November 1st, the public transport company has been involved in the “Movember” project. In Prague, as well as twelve other cities in the Czech Republic, buses and trams have been decorated with moustaches in support of the cause. “We want to promote Movember and help raise awareness for men’s health. The aim is to be seen by as many people as possible in the city streets,” the press department representative of the transport company stated, adding that this is another joint project under the patronage of the Association of Transport Companies of the Czech Republic. The gentlemanly means of transport are very popular with the people of Prague. According to social media, some people have not hesitated to venture to the complete other side of the city simply to see the moustached trams and buses. Some people wish that the metros were taking part as well. “It is a shame that the front metro cars are not...
On November 17, Czechs commemorate student demonstrations under the Nazi occupation in 1939 and against the Communist regime in 1989. The later one led to the so-called Velvet Revolution which culminated in the appointment of the country’s first non-communist government in more than four decades and the election of Vaclav Havel, a playwright turned dissident, to the post of president. Several concerts, exhibitions, parades, discussions, author´s readings as well as lectures will be held in Prague, as well as other towns or villages in the Czech Republic. Events on the day are scheduled at a memorial on Narodní třída, as well as Albertov and on Prague’s Wenceslas Square which saw the number of demonstrators in the days of the Velvet Revolution swell to almost one million. On Národní St, a street feast called Korzo Národní will take place. It is organized by the initiative Thanks, that we can (Díky, že můžem, z. s). Its programme features concerts, theatre performances, exhibitions, lectures and a presentation of non-profit organizations. A satiric carnival parade called Sametové posvícení will set for a journey through Prague at Republiky Square; participants will parade through Prague 1 and end at Wenceslas Square. The parade is organized by the Iniciativa Fór_um, z. s. In the National Theatre, there...
Some hotel and restaurant owners have decided to prohibit the entrance of children under a certain age. In doing so, however, they are risking receiving heavy fines for “discrimination”. One Prague restaurant that decided to restrict entrance to everyone under the age of 18 is currently facing this very problem. The Stodola House restaurant in the south of Prague has a large sign on the board next to the door stating that children under the age of 18 are prohibited from entering. Because of this decision, the owner might be taken to court. According to the Czech Trade Inspection Authority (CTI), prohibiting the entrance of children violates the law as it is considered “age discrimination”. “This is unacceptable discriminatory behaviour, not only against persons under the age of 18, but also against persons over eighteen years of age, such as parents…” it said in the statement that the owner of Stodola House, David Salomon, received after the Czech Trade Inspection. They had received a complaint about children being forbidden from coming in. “We have run this restaurant for 27 years, so we know exactly what our customers want and don’t want, and they certainly do not want kids running around.”...
The first electric bus network in Ostrava has received an all-electric fast-charging system. Ostrava is dedicated to reducing the amount of harmful emissions in Czech Republic, switching to all-electric buses with the goal to put diesel-powered buses out of operation. The introduction of electric buses to the existing infrastructure demands a network of charging stations, and Ekova Electric, a supplier of intelligent solutions for public transport, has chosen Heliox to be the fast-charging partner. The Heliox OC 450 kW charger utilizes a pantograph and ensures maximum availability as the charging takes just a couple of minutes. The provided automated coupler device (ACD) system is an inverted pantograph solution where an infrared signal initiates the charge session. As this is the first deployment of electric buses in Ostrava, additional charging cabinets and charge masts may be added in the future. This type of flexibility creates a future-proof solution that is fully-scalable and expandable. To this day, Heliox has charged more than 430 electric buses globally to optimize the reduction of harmful emissions and lessen the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Author: red
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