co-written by Catherine Cox. The head of baggage handling at Prague’s airport resigned after hundreds of travelers reported lost luggage, and employees declared a strike alert on Tuesday, threatening to snarl arrivals during the busy summer tourist season. Tomas Svoboda stepped down from his position as chairman of the board of the airport baggage handling company at Vaclav Havel Airport Prague, airport spokeswoman Klara Diviskova said in a statement. He’ll be replaced by Jiri Jarkovsky, who said he’ll focus on rectifying the crisis that resulted from the abnormally high airport traffic carrying summer visitors to many popular European cities. “I believe that we will be able to prevent the situations that have occurred in recent days at the Prague airport,” Jarkovsky said, according to the CTK news agency. Meanwhile, the Land and Air Trade union said on Monday that they would hold a strike on a date that they will announce later. The union represents 400 of the 2,700 workers at the airport. The union said its workers will walk out because of insufficient staffing, poor management, and low pay, among other reasons, according to a statement. Passenger arrivals surge during the summer, and Prague Airport expects about 3.5 million...
Israeli startup Similarweb, which already has development centres in Tel Aviv and Kiev, is expanding to Prague. The company is starting with 25 employees and plans to grow to 100 developers. CEO and co-founder Or Offer began his entrepreneurial journey in a family jewellery business in Jerusalem. Seeking more than the family trade, Offer aimed to transform the small shop into a well-known brand. When he searched for information on jewelry designer David Yurman for inspiration, he discovered a lack of online tools to find similar jewelry stores. This led him and his friends to develop a browser plugin that analyzed browsing history to recommend similar sites. The plugin quickly became popular, with tens of millions of downloads. That was in 2007. Today, Similarweb offers much more. Its web intelligence platform helps businesses make data-driven decisions, analyzing everything from basic traffic data to online user behavior. Its clients include Google, eBay, Adidas, Zalando, and Booking.com. Similarweb chose Prague for its new development centre due to the city’s wealth of talent, culture of innovation, and problem-solving ethos. “We are opening this centre in Prague primarily because of the talented professionals here. Given our focus on big data and AI, we also...
An unauthorized modification of the fifth-floor terrace in Prague’s Máj building has caused a stir. The terrace was expanded to include children’s play elements without approval from the building authority. This expansion reduced parking space, violating regulations, according to an official statement obtained by our newspaper. The legal action is being taken against Máj Národní, a subsidiary of Amadeus Real Estate. The developer claims the issue arose from a mistake by the outdoor playground supplier. “It appears the supplier incorrectly assumed that installing mobile play elements did not require approval, as it typically wouldn’t. However, given the building’s status as a cultural monument, the standard procedure should have been followed. We unfortunately discovered this only after the fact,” said Martin Klán, a member of the Amadeus Real Estate board. “He apparently misjudged the installation of the mobile play equipment on the terrace as a non-structural alteration, which is not normally subject to the permitting process,” added Klán. “We are already working to rectify this formal error and are discussing the adjustment with all the authorities concerned and the building authority,” he assured. As a result, the building authority initiated proceedings to remove the structure in late June. The developer requested...
US fast-food giant Wendy’s announced on Tuesday its ambitious plans to open hundreds of restaurants across Europe in the next decade. The expansion will begin in the Czech Republic and include Spain, Portugal, France, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Romania, and Poland. Currently, Wendy’s operates only in the UK outside the United States, starting from 2021. Michael Clarke, Wendy’s Managing Director for Europe, described the Czech Republic as an ideal base for the chain’s European expansion. He cited the strong domestic market, geographical location, and the country’s fast-food tradition as key factors. This is why the Czech Republic is part of the first wave of the expansion. “We were encouraged by the positive response to a recent event at the US Embassy in Prague, where we received initial franchise applications,” Clarke said. “We welcome more applicants who want to partner with us and operate Wendy’s restaurants in the Czech Republic.” Wendy’s plans to operate up to 50 restaurants in Britain by the end of the year, with a long-term goal of 400. Although the Czech Republic is in the first wave, negotiations are moving fastest in Ireland and Romania. The company has signed contracts with franchisees in these countries...
People begging for money with a litter of kittens sleeping in their lap or a forlorn-looking dog lying on the ground beside them are a common sight in Prague streets, but could soon become a thing of the past if a proposed change to the law is accepted. People have been fooled by this trick, resulting in more and more animals being kept on the streets in harsh weather conditions, which harms their health and well-being. This problem is growing, especially in larger cities, and often involves foreigners, particularly Romanian gangs. “These people get animals and force them to stay in the hot city center for days without being able to move properly,” explains Pavel Buršík from OBRAZ (Obránci zvířat). Fortunately, these practices might soon end, as Prague City is preparing changes to the rules that restrict begging. If everything goes as planned, begging with an animal and public performances involving animals will be banned throughout the capital. Councilors will vote on the proposals, and municipal districts can comment on them until tomorrow. According to Jiří Pospíšil, the deputy mayor of Prague who initiated the changes, the new rules could take effect next year. He noted that the proposals had...
A new office building is set to rise in Prague’s Karlín district, replacing the site of an old cemetery discovered two years ago. This modern development will feature retail shops on the ground floor and offices above, along with event facilities capable of hosting up to 300 people. Coopera Development is constructing the new office complex, which will include three interconnected buildings designed by Bogle Architects. The reinforced concrete and steel structure will feature a façade of aluminum composite panels, reminiscent of the former factories, and a glazed ground floor. The development, named PernerKa, will be environmentally friendly. The seven-storey building will utilize a water-to-air heat pump to harness waste heat and incorporate special heads to save up to 50% of water usage. Water retention systems will be in place to irrigate green areas. PernerKa will offer 10,000 square meters of space on Pernerova Street. About 700 square meters on the ground floor will house shops, with a café in the lobby. The rest will be office space, with Coopera Development already securing tenants. The top three floors will be occupied by Actum Digital, a technology company, while Scott.Weber will take the two lower floors, providing coworking spaces for approximately...
This summer Prague will dress again with the colors of Colombia during the celebration of the 4th Colombian week. Various cultural, sports, gastronomic and other events will take place, which will introduce you to Colombian culture and traditions and will also introduce interesting personalities of the Colombian community living in the Czech Republic. Here it is one of the main events announced by the organizers so far: – 4° Festival de Comida y Música Colombiana – July 21, 2024 This is their annual festival celebrating Colombian cuisine and music. Attendees will have the opportunity to taste traditional Colombian dishes and enjoy live performances from local artists. It’s a vibrant celebration of our culture and an excellent opportunity for cultural exchange with the Czech community. Would you like us to write about your business? Find out more
It will be one of the largest productions ever in the Czech capital, with Barrandov Studio fully booked for the sci-fi series over the next six months. Blade Runner 2099 is being filmed in Prague under the working title “Bulero.” The project has applied for funding from the Czech Film Fund under two headings: “Rebirth” and “The Hunter Becomes the Hunter.” Dimitri Abold (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) and Lewis Gribben (Somewhere Boy) join the previously announced Michelle Yeoh (The Brothers Sun) and Hunter Schafer (Euphoria) in two more main roles. While Katelyn Rose Downey (The Nun II), Daniel Rigby (Renegade Nell), Johnny Harris (A Gentleman in Moscow), Amy Lennox (Only Child), Sheila Atim (The Woman King) and Matthew Needham (House of the Dragon) join as guest stars on the series. Blade Runner 2099 follows the acclaimed films “Blade Runner,” directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, and “Blade Runner 2049,” directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Ryan Gosling and Ana de Armas. Blade Runner 2099 will join several major TV productions recently filmed in Prague, including “Carnival Row,” “The Wheel of Time,” and “Foundation.” Unlike these projects, which used various locations across the Czech...
Anastacia, the international pop icon known for her powerful voice, is celebrating the 25th anniversary of her debut album “Not That Kind” with a European tour. The US pop star will perform in Prague on 28 March 2025 at O2 universum. Anastacia’s “Not That Kind” tour marks 25 years since her debut album was released in 2000. She achieved a breakthrough in Europe with the hit “I’m Outta Love” from this album and has enjoyed worldwide success since then. “I am overjoyed to be touring Europe again and performing in so many beautiful places in front of my very special family. I wasn’t able to tour for my first album back then, so this tour makes it extra special for me. I can’t believe it’s been 25 years since ‘Not That Kind’ was released and we’re going to celebrate in typical Anastacia style. It’s going to be a huge anniversary party. I’m really looking forward to seeing you all there,” Anastacia said about her upcoming tour. Anastacia started her career in 1999 and was named the “world’s best-selling new female pop artist” just two years later. She is known for hits like “I’m Outta Love,” “Paid My Dues,” and “Left...
This June was one of the hottest months ever recorded at Prague’s Klementinum, the oldest weather station in the Czech Republic. The average temperature for the month was 21.2 degrees Celsius. According to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ), only six Junes have been warmer since the station began operating in 1775, with just one occurring before the year 2000. Across the country, June was exceptionally warm, with a national average temperature of 17.9 degrees Celsius, based on preliminary data. “June 2024, with an average monthly temperature of 21.2 degrees Celsius, was significantly above normal in Prague-Klementinum, ranking seventh to ninth among all Junes since 1775,” meteorologists reported. The deviation from the 1991-2020 average was 1.6 degrees higher, and the long-term average from 1775 to 2014 was exceeded by 3.1 degrees this June. The warmest June in the past 250 years at Klementinum was in 2019, with an average temperature of 24.5 degrees Celsius. This was followed by June 1811 at 22.5 degrees, and recent years like 2003, 2021, 2022, and 2017. “Of the six Junes warmer than this year, only one occurred before 2000,” meteorologists noted. In contrast, the coldest June since 1775 was recorded in 1923, with an average...
On Tuesday, July 2, the Prague Transport Company introduced two new lifts at the Jiřího z Poděbrad metro station. Originally opened in 1980, the station did not have lifts, requiring new shafts to be constructed from scratch. This project, lasting almost three years, cost CZK 500 million. Jiřího z Poděbrad is now the 47th barrier-free station in the Prague metro system, which has a total of 61 stations. The lifts are placed in different parts of the station, with a 40-meter passage between them. Each lift can accommodate 21 passengers or up to 1,600 kg. The shafts of the first pair of lifts are 16.9 meters high, while the second pair reaches 28.1 meters. The travel time for the first pair of lifts is 11 seconds, and for the second pair, it is 14 seconds. After a major reconstruction, Jiřího z Poděbrad station reopened on November 2, 2023, with the installation of the lifts marking the completion of the project. The renovation of Jiřího z Poděbrad square Work on transforming Prague’s Jiřího z Poděbrad square started in February this year. The reconstruction which aims to create an open green space where people can sit on the grass, on benches under...
The summer heat in Prague is intensifying, making public transportation trips quite challenging. For those who struggle with hot and stuffy conditions, the city’s transportation authorities have provided a guide to identify trams equipped with air conditioning. All Škoda 15T4 trams come with onboard climate control. These trams are easily recognized by the yellow plastic inserts in the front section. Currently, 127 of these air-conditioned trams operate on Prague’s streets, and air conditioning is a standard feature. However, the older Škoda 15T trams only have air conditioning in the driver’s cabin, leaving the passenger compartment without this comfort. These trams have a front section designed in gray and red and do not include the yellow inserts. However, there is an exception – two gray Škoda 15T trams do have air conditioning in the passenger compartment (they were installed as an experiment). These trams can be identified by their registration numbers 9243 and 9285, which are displayed on the front section of the tram. Another way to find out in advance when a tram or bus with air conditioning will arrive at a stop is by using the official online map of the Prague public transportation system, which shows the real-time...
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