On August 21, 1968, Soviet troops and their Warsaw Pact allies invaded Czechoslovakia to bring an end to that country’s brief period of political liberalization, called the Prague Spring. People still recall waking up on that fateful morning to find that Soviet-led Warsaw Pact tanks had rolled into the country, crushing all hope of implementing the democratic reforms of the Prague Spring. Shocked citizens took to the streets in protest of the invasion. About 500,000 troops were involved in the invasion and occupation, during which 137 Czechoslovaks died and some 500 were wounded. One of the key battles was for the control of Czech Radio, similar to the one that took place at the end of the Second World War. The invasion ended the political and economic reforms led by Alexander Dubcek and reasserted dominant Soviet and Communist authority in Czechoslovakia. It also helped establish the Brezhnev Doctrine, which Moscow said allowed the U.S.S.R. to intervene in any country where a communist government was under threat. Within the following year, resistance faded, Dubček was removed from office, his reforms were undone, and a more Soviet-controlled government was installed.
A new urban festival is aiming to become a regular fixture on Prague’s cultural calendar after attracting 1,200 visitors to its first edition in Riegrovy sady. Groovy Market Fest, held on August 1, brought together food, design, music and local brands in a format inspired by European city markets. According to the organizers, around 85% of visitors were tourists or foreign residents of Prague, highlighting the event’s appeal beyond the Czech-speaking audience. The festival will return to Riegrovy sady on September 5, with further editions planned for October, November and December. From Barcelona to Prague Groovy Market Fest was founded by Marek Novák and Veronika Kracíková, a couple with experience in Prague’s food scene and Barcelona’s street-food culture. Their interest in international gastronomy also led them to compete in Spain. In 2025, they won first place in the Cooking The Street competition, where their dish was judged by a professional panel that included chefs Beñat Ormaetxea and Jon Kepa Aurrecoetxea. After returning to Prague, they decided to develop their own event, drawing inspiration from markets such as Barcelona’s Palo Alto Market. The First Edition Food Garden focused on gastronomy, while Palm Street featured local products and handmade goods. The Design...
A new bus service running through Prague’s Blanka tunnel has begun operating, offering a direct connection between the northern part of the city and Dejvice. Bus line 145 connects Čimice and Kobylisy in Prague 8 with Hradčanská and Dejvická in Prague 6. The journey takes around 15 minutes, according to Prague’s public transport authority ROPID. The same trip by metro requires a change between lines C and A in the city centre and takes around 22 minutes. Including the time spent walking through stations and using escalators, the journey can take about half an hour. The first day of operation brought mostly positive results, with many buses arriving on time or even ahead of schedule. The real test will come during regular weekday traffic, when congestion around Prague is heavier. Where the new bus runs In the direction from Čimice to Dejvice, line 145 serves: Sídliště Čimice – Čimice – Libeňská – Řepínská – Podhajská pole – Čimický háj – Písečná – Služská – Kobylisy – Okrouhlická – Vychovatelna – Hradčanská – Vítězné náměstí – Dejvická The return route follows the same corridor in the opposite direction. The key feature of line 145 is its use of the Blanka tunnel,...
The Romanian community in Czechia will come together in Prague on September 6 for the 12th edition of the Romanian Celebration, an annual event highlighting Romanian culture, traditions and the community’s ties with Czech society. The main event will take place at the Ethnographic Section of the National Museum of the Czech Republic in Kinský Park, Prague 5. The program will bring together Romanian music, dance, food, literature and activities for children. Organized by the Association of Romanians in the Czech Republic (ARRC), the event is part of a wider cultural project running from March 1 to November 30, 2026. Visitors can expect traditional music and dance performances, educational activities for children, cultural exhibitions, book presentations and Romanian gastronomy. The event is aimed at members of the Romanian community, Romanian-speaking families, children and young people, as well as Czech residents interested in Romanian culture. According to ARRC, the project aims to preserve and promote Romanian cultural and linguistic identity among Romanians living in the Czech Republic while creating opportunities for greater interaction between the Romanian and Czech communities. “Through this project, we aim to offer the Romanian community, Romanian speakers, and lovers of the Romanian language a space for meeting,...
Berlin burger chain Burgermeister is preparing to enter the Czech market, with its first Prague restaurant expected to open in early 2027. The company has chosen Wenceslas Square for its debut. The location will also serve as a base for Burgermeister’s planned expansion across the Czech Republic, with more restaurants already in the pipeline. Burgermeister has built its reputation in Berlin over the past two decades, growing from a single restaurant in a former public toilet into an international chain with 32 locations across Germany and other European markets. Burgermeister has not yet revealed the exact address or confirmed a specific opening date. The Prague restaurant will follow the concept that made Burgermeister popular in Berlin. The chain focuses on freshly prepared burgers and fries, with part of its food production handled in-house. Its operations also include its own bakery. From a former public toilet to an international burger chain Burgermeister opened its first restaurant in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin in 2006. The location was far from a conventional restaurant site. It occupied a former public toilet beneath the railway tracks near Schlesisches Tor station. The unusual setting quickly became part of the brand’s identity. Over the years, Burgermeister expanded...
Oscar-winning actor and musician Russell Crowe will bring his band, The Gentlemen Barbers, to Forum Karlín on May 23, 2027, for their first-ever Prague concert. Russell Crowe is best known for his roles in Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind and A Good Year, but long before Hollywood, music was a major part of his life. On May 23, 2027, the Oscar and Golden Globe winner will bring that side of his career to Prague for the first time, performing with his band The Gentlemen Barbers at Forum Karlín. You can get your ticket here. The concert will also mark the opening night of the band’s European tour. The Gentlemen Barbers have been developing their sound over the past four years, although many of the musicians have worked with Crowe for decades. The lineup includes drummer Dave Kelly and trumpeter Stewart Kirwan, both former members of Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts, as well as musicians who have collaborated with Crowe on later projects. The band also features pianist Stu Hunter, guitarist Chris Kamzelas and bassist James Hazelwood. Irish singer Lorraine O’Reilly, known for her powerful, raspy vocals, has performed with Crowe since they first met while recording a duet for the Bible...
For passengers, a taxi ride can make the job look straightforward. Pick someone up, drive them across Prague, wait for the next booking and repeat. But the income of a full-time taxi driver depends on far more than the fare shown on the meter or app. Drivers working through platforms such as Uber and Bolt can generate more than CZK 60,000 in gross monthly revenue when working around 40 to 50 hours a week. What they actually keep, however, is considerably less. Gross income can exceed CZK 60,000 Official figures for Prague’s taxi sector put the average gross monthly pay at roughly CZK 38,000. Drivers who work full time through ride-hailing platforms can earn more, particularly when they concentrate on periods of high demand. According to Ondřej Krátký, founder of the Czech taxi platform Liftago, drivers can typically earn about CZK 250 to CZK 350 per hour. At the lower end of the market, however, some drivers make only around CZK 80 an hour, which is difficult to turn into a sustainable income in Prague. Official statistics may also underestimate the money generated by some drivers because not every journey is paid through an app. Cash payments remain part...
A passenger attacked four employees of ground-handling company Menzies Aviation at Prague’s Airport on Thursday evening after being denied boarding on a flight to Rome. The incident took place at Terminal 2, near Gate C9, shortly after 8 p.m., according to Zdopravy.cz. The woman arrived late for boarding on a Ryanair flight. After being refused entry to the aircraft, she reportedly became aggressive and attacked members of the ground-handling staff. One of the employees stepped between the woman and a colleague who was being confronted by her. The passenger then bit him. Airport police were called to the scene and used restraint equipment to detain the woman. She was subsequently escorted from the boarding area and handed over to the Czech police. “The woman was late for the boarding gate, and after being denied boarding, she physically attacked an airport employee,” Josef Urban, a spokesperson for the Foreign Police Directorate said. “Responding officers detained her using restraint equipment, and the case is now being investigated as disorderly conduct,” he added. The incident was also confirmed by Prague Airport spokesperson Jiří Hánich. The injured employees required medical treatment following the attack. Four members of the Menzies team were reportedly involved in...
A new website is giving Prague residents a live picture of how many trams are operating without air conditioning, highlighting an issue that has become particularly noticeable during the city’s summer heat. The service, Smrdime.cz, was created by developer Christoph Korb. Its name is a play on the Czech word smrdíme, meaning “we stink,” and refers to the uncomfortable conditions passengers can face inside overheated trams. The website uses live data to calculate the share of Prague’s trams that are currently running without air conditioning. The figures change throughout the day as new vehicles enter and leave service. When the service was checked on Thursday, August 13, Prague was experiencing temperatures of around 37 degrees Celsius. At that point, 188 of the 256 trams in operation did not have air conditioning, representing about 71 percent of the fleet being tracked. Of the 147 air-conditioned trams available, 77 were operating at the same time. The figures provide a snapshot rather than a fixed daily total. As trams are taken out of service and replaced, the balance between air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned vehicles changes continuously. The project draws attention to a long-standing issue facing Prague’s public transport system: a substantial part of the...
For Hoan, opening a bakery in Prague was not a sudden business idea. It was a dream that had been taking shape for more than a decade. After arriving in Prague as a student, Hoan watched members of the Vietnamese community build businesses across the city, most commonly in restaurants, grocery shops and nail salons. She worked in grocery stores and restaurants herself, gradually gaining experience in the food industry while studying. But after finishing school, she still was not sure what kind of business she wanted to open. One thing was clear: she loved baking. “Its my dream. It’s been my plan for a long time, more than 10 years,” she says. Rather than opening another coffee shop, she decided to focus on what she knew best. She had visited bakeries around Prague and noticed what she saw as a gap in the city’s food scene: there were few places specialising in Japanese-style baking. Around six years ago, she decided that she wanted to fill that gap herself. The result was Yaki-Pan, a small bakery built around Japanese pastries and flavours. Before opening, Hoan spent roughly a year and a half — and much of that time at home...
A 21-year-old taxi driver in Prague has been arrested after allegedly taking a suitcase containing CZK 3.5 million in cash that passengers accidentally left in his car. The money was recovered by police after the driver eventually admitted what he had done and told investigators where he had hidden it. He now faces up to five years in prison. The incident happened in late July, although police only released details of the case several days later. The passengers were a married couple who had taken a taxi to Václav Havel Airport in the early morning. They were heading on vacation and only realized after reaching the airport that one of their suitcases was still in the vehicle. The couple immediately contacted the driver and asked him to bring the suitcase back. According to police, he initially agreed, but the luggage never appeared despite further calls and reminders. The couple eventually reported the matter to police. Given the amount of money involved, forensic specialists from the Prague 1 police precinct joined the investigation. Investigators quickly located the taxi and detained the driver. A search of the vehicle, however, produced no suitcase. The 21-year-old initially denied that the passengers had left anything...
Summer is already moving on, and Prague’s rooftop season won’t last much longer. August is the time to make the most of the city’s terraces, sunset views and outdoor events before they disappear for another year. Here are six rooftops and terraces worth visiting before autumn arrives. 1. REASON at Masaryčka Eleven floors above Masaryk Station, REASON offers one of Prague’s newest rooftop dining spots, with views over the city and the Zaha Hadid-designed Masaryčka development. This summer, its terrace is also home to the seasonal Frerejean Frères Champagne Bar, serving champagne by the glass, cocktails, oysters and light bites. The menu includes THE REASON KIR, made with herbs grown on the rooftop. This summer: Champagne, oysters and cocktails above Masaryčka. 2. W Prague – ABOVE Rooftop ABOVE Rooftop at W Prague brings a Mediterranean feel to the top of Wenceslas Square. The daily Mediterranean Hour runs from 5 to 6 PM, with two spritzes and a Taste of the Mediterranean platter for CZK 990. Oysters are also served from Thursday to Saturday, alongside a programme of summer events and pop-ups. This summer: Mediterranean Hour, sunset drinks and oysters in the centre. 3. MINUTY Rooftop Terrace The rooftop at Fairmont...
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