AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Czech Republic Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Saturday he had proposed restoring writer Milan Kundera’s Czech nationality, stripped from him by the country’s former communist regime nearly four decades ago. Kundera, whose novel “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” was turned into a 1987 film starring Daniel Day-Lewis, became a naturalized French citizen after emigrating when he was prevented from publishing in his native country. “He really deserves to have his citizenship again,” Babis told Czech CTK agency in Paris where he was attending a commemoration of the 1918 armistice to end WWI. Kundera, now 89, and his wife Vera, were stripped of their nationality in 1979 by the communist regime of then Soviet-era Czechoslovakia. They emigrated to France in 1975. The author’s “The Book of Laughter and Forgetting” published in 1979 explored how citizens lived under the regime. His own life had been under surveillance by the StB secret police. His first novel “The Joke” — his take on the one-party state — led to a ban on his publishing at home. Kundera, born in 1929 in Brno, maintained a complex relationship with his homeland even after the Velvet Revolution in 1989 ended one-party rule in Prague....
November 11 is known as the Saint Martin’s Day. What customs are observed by Czech people and what can you hear about St. Martin? It is a day in which people not only remember and honor St. Martin of Tours, but is also a day traditionally associated with the fall harvest. In the Czech Republic, it is time for the traditional Czech Goose Dinner. The holiday has its roots in the Eastern Byzantine Church, where the fast before Christmas, the quadragesima Sancti Martini, still measures up to 40 days. And begins the day after the feast of St. Martin. St. Martin’s festivities begin with the uncorking of fresh wine at 11:00 in the morning on November 11 in cellars and other wine merchants across the country. The traditional St. Martin’s dish is a roast goose with red cabbage and dumplings. This is, of course, accompanied by a glass of young wine. Older Bohemian recipes also include stuffing the goose with apples. Finally, Martinmas also heralds the arrival of winter, is seen in the Czech saying: “Martin přijíždí na bílém koni” “Martin is arriving on a white horse.” The arrival of Martin on a white horse will be the highpoint of many of celebrations...
The October share of unemployed people declined to a new all-time low of 2.8%. This should be this year’s low, but some space for a decline next year might be possible due to structural changes in the labour market Previous figures from the Czech Labour Office reported an unemployment rate of 3% for September and 3.1% for August. The lack of labour market capacities in terms of job vacancies remained substantial, but it increased just slightly from 316,000 to less than 317,000. The lack of employees motivates companies to look for an alternative solution, which is reflected in a higher offer of part-time jobs. According to the Czech Statistical Office, the number of employees working part-time has increased by 20,000 year-on-year in the second quarter of this year. They are usually pension-age workers around 65, or younger in the 25-29 age group. The lowest unemployment rate in October – 1.8 percent – was recorded in the Pardubice Region. The South Bohemian and Plzeň regions had jobless levels of 1.9 percent while in Prague it was 2.0 percent. At the other end of the scale, 4.4 percent of the workforce in the Moravian Silesian Region and 4.3 percent in the Ústí nad Labem...
In Prague city centre, a new ultra-realistic sex doll brothel has started operating, the first of its kind in the Czech Republic. It will be open every day and give clients the choice between two erotic companions. Prague is anticipating a sexual revolution. While here it is considered a novelty, elsewhere, even in other European countries, this trend is widespread. In Barcelona, Amsterdam, and even in neighbouring cities in Germany, for some clients, these ultra-realistic silicone dolls have become more attractive to them than real women. Can these sex dolls save your marriage? Naughty Harbor is to become a haven for lonely souls, shy partners, or a solution to suppressed fantasies. For some couples, this may be seen as an acceptable form of infidelity and a way to save a failing marriage. The brothel is located in the city centre at Nekázanka 10, Prague 1. It will be open every day from 10 am to 10 pm. Naughty Harbor has two erotic companions, or “virgins” as the company likes to call them, for clients to choose from. Each companion has its own name, and they have different heights, hair colours, and body proportions. The client can choose between petite red-head...
All trams on Prague’s public transport network will be equipped with card payment terminals within the next six months. The transportation company (DPP) signed a four-year contract with Bankovní informační technologie, who will fit the devices into each tram. DPP will pay the company a commission of 1.99 percent of the ticket price. Bankovní informační technologie is owned by Czech bank ČSOB. Cards can already be used on line 18 and line 22. The pilot project for the purchase of tickets through a single contactless payment was launched in April 2016, when they fitted contactless self-service devices on the first two trams on line 22. A few months later, the project was extended to include line 18 as well. Based on the positive evaluation of the pilot project, it was decided that the card payment service would be expanded to the entire tram network. The device works in such a way that once the passenger has boarded and put the card on the device, the machine will call up the same type of ticket the passenger had previously purchased. Last year, about 5000 passengers a month used this method. The DPP plan to put the contactless payment devices in the...
As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Republic, Prague City Hall is releasing it’s Prague Histories application, created by VR_Musashi, Vítek Škop and Jan Drozda. Anyone who downloads the application can take different paths around the city centre as it interactively shows and describes the events associated with each site. There are currently six trails available on the application. “Each trail is based on the theme of the 100th anniversary of our Republic. The trails run across the city centre and extended parts of the city centre, including Letna,” says project editor Jan Drozda. The themes of the trails include World War II, Communism, and everyday joys and sorrows. “We wanted to present moments throughout history,” said Vítek Škop, concept and design manager. On each route there are several sites of interest. For iOS users, you can use the built-in compass, while for Android users, you receive a series of commands. When you reach a point of interest, you can jerk the phone and at that moment you will hear an audio recording or video, for example, or you will be shown historical photos from the specific location. “The images and other forms of media have a number of...
Next week the government will discuss the non-accession to the UN Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček (CSSD) told the press. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) said that the treaty blurs the distinction between legal and illegal migration, and Petříček also had reservations about the document. The United States withdrew from the treaty last year, and Austria and Hungary also refused to sign it. The government was debating the document today and instructed the Foreign Minister to prepare the materials for the final resolution next week. According to Petříček, it is clear that the cabinet will not support the pact. The Foreign Minister also told reporters that the government must submit its decision to the Chamber of Deputies by November 15. “We do not like, for example, the ambiguous distinction between illegal and legal migrants, the ambiguity of social rights, or the fact that the compact does not mention the forced return of illegal migrants,” Petříček said in a press statement. In his opinion, the Czech Republic should definitely retreat from the pact. “I believe that we can, and it will be up to the Czech government to duly defend our position so that...
Following the ban in Prague 2, Prague 1 are also calling on City Hall to enforce stricter rules on the electric scooters launched by US start-up Lime. The head of Prague 1 City Council also insisted that if the situation is not improved, the district would call for a ban on the scooters similar to that in Prague 2. Currently, scooters are banned from being left in the territory of the second district. Prague City Hall supports the concept of shared transportation and signed an agreement with the providers, under which the company ensured compliance with the legislation. It is stipulated in the terms of use that users must follow the local laws and not drive on the sidewalks or leave the scooters where they may cause an obstruction. These rules, however, have not been enforced and are generally ignored by the public. In response to criticisms, the company have said they would try to instruct clients on the rules of the road and how to drive safely. At the same time, however, the company have ignored the ban in Prague 2 and are still allowing scooters to operate in the district. Operating manager Ondřej Široký stated that the company...
In recent years, Prague has seen a huge surge in the number of people offering their rooms or apartments for rent. Over the past five years, Airbnb and other similar platforms are estimated to have increased their offer 20-fold. A quarter of the apartments in central Prague are listed on sites such as Airbnb, say city officials, who blame the services for helping fuel a 50 percent jump in property values since 2013. Residents have petitioned the local government to boost oversight of short-term rentals, and increased regulation of Airbnb Inc. was a central issue in October municipal elections. Candidates pledged to raise taxes, tighten rules, and limit the number of nights flats can be rented each year. Airbnb says it welcomes regulation and insists it’s helped reduce prices for visitors while offering a more personalized experience than staying in a hotel. Some economists caution that politicians should be careful in regulating the services. Airbnb and smaller rivals have helped fuel a tourist boom that pumps $5 billion a year into the Czech economy. That’s little consolation for Czechs who’ve seen the median cost of housing surge to 11 times the country’s average annual salary, the highest level in Europe, according to consulting...
The very first online beer bar, Peevo.cz, started up in Prague this autumn. It offers an express delivery service for freshly brewed beers from smaller Czech breweries. Peevo can then have these beers ordered and delivered directly to customers in Prague and surrounding areas. The online bar offers 6 to 8 different kinds of beers which change several times a week. Make an order simply by visiting the Peevo.cz website, selecting the quantity, and a glass or PET bottle. The beer is then poured with a special beaker which makes the fluid come into contact with the air so that the beer is fresh and will last in the bottle for up to a month. The beer is then delivered to the customer within 90 minutes of the order confirmation, or at any time selected. The courier brings the beer directly to your door, cooled to the ideal temperature and ready to serve. Peevo.cz was founded by Matúš Karaff and Marek Hotovčin, two childhood friends, originally from Košice, who have already collaborated on the Feedo.cz project, which has become the largest Czech e-shop for children’s goods. “Peevo is an online taproom which brings to you the best of smaller breweries....
Prague is the region with the highest number of problem drug users in the country, with around 16,200 estimated to be in the city. The nationwide estimate is 46,800. The trend of aging drug addicts persists, with the average age of clients in contact centres being around 35 to 36 years old. The number of drug users in the country has increased, but the number of Roma clients has decreased. The most common legal drugs are alcohol and nicotine. As for illegal substances, the most common are marijuana, opiates, and methamphetamine. Compared to other regions in the country, opiates are abused mostly in Prague. These results were shared in the Annual Report on Drug Policy for 2017, which was discussed today by the Prague city council. The situation is different in different parts of the city. The drug scene is most apparent in the city centre and areas around metro stations where there is usually a higher supply and demand for illicit drugs and there are frequent problems with their use in public. There is also a higher number of drug-related crime cases in Prague, especially in the form of minor crimes against property. In urban areas in the wider...
Nearly all rabbits, hens, pigs or quails spend their entire life cramped in breeding cages. A European citizens initiative to improve their living conditions was launched in September and was supported by several NGOs in the Czech Republic. The initiative intends to collect at least one million signatures from at least seven EU member states over the next twelve months in order to oblige the European Commission to deal with the issue and table legislative measures. The petition is also supported by two Czech MEPs: Jiri Pospisil (European People’s Party), who is also a member of the working group engaged in ending the use of the cage age, and Pavel Poc (Socialists & Democrats), a member of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee. In the Czech Republic, the initiative’s campaign started in early October in Prague. The Czech representatives of the CIWF hope the initiative can collect 50,000 signatures in the country. “Life in the cage is no life. Science has already proved that all livestock are sensitive and susceptible beings able to suffer and experience joy,” said Romana Sonkova, the Czech representative of the CIWF. “The Eurobarometer survey has recently revealed that 94% of people in the EU believes it is important...
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