With effect from 1 January 2023, the steady sounds of clip-clopping hooves pulling creaking carriages will be absent from the streets in Prague. The city said the coaches no longer fit in with the council’s vision of “quality tourism”. They are also a problem given the number of tourists in the city center, and the council raised the issue of animal welfare. For years, animal rights activists have called the carriage-horse industry abusive and cruel but supporters have argued that the horses are treated humanely and the carriages are a romantic link to history, provide jobs and appeal to tourists. Critics say the practice is cruel as horses can develop respiratory illnesses from exhaust fumes, and may suffer debilitating leg problems from trotting around on hard surfaces all day. Public safety is also a serious concern. Wherever these rides are permitted, accidents occur, often resulting in property damage, serious injury to both horses and humans. Horses startle easily and are extremely sensitive to loud and unexpected noises, which are common on busy city streets. A pneumatic drill or even a car horn can be enough to cause a horse to bolt. Now that most of the tourists are gone, Prague city wants to seize...
Some of them will eject water into the Vltava River while others will hold fire torches. Prague’s beautiful architecture, its numerous bridges, and the Vltava river are some of the main attractions that make the Czech capital a popular tourist destination. These three attractions are interconnected as the city’s bridges have unique appearances and offer breathtaking views of the river. Taking a case in point, Prague’s Čech Bridge was built in the early twentieth century and is the only steel arch bridge in the city. Its architecture is distinctive, with the bridge having several bronze statues of female torchbearers and three-headed dragons on its four pillars. As TheMayor.eu reports, the City of Prague has revealed that the bridge will undergo a partial restoration of its architecture and statues. The restoration of Čech Bridge will include the reconstruction and fitting of lighting and effects systems. More specifically, the Technology Company of the Capital City of Prague (THMP) will modernise the 20th-century bridge, making its dragons spew water into the river at regular intervals. In addition to this, it will add flames to the torches of the female light-bearers. “From the surviving information, it seems that the fitting of water and gas...
No matter what the occasion, sparkling wine always fits the bill. Whether brunching with friends, giving a holiday gift, or simply enjoying a glass at home after a long day at work, sometimes, a bottle of bubbly is all you need. In the past, sparkling was considered a wine defect. The involuntary “eruption” of one bottle in the cellar often gave rise to a chain reaction. Many wineries have lost up to 20% of their wine reserves due to such incidents. When champagne was first produced, the pressure of the sparkling wine was maintained by wooden plugs sealed with oil cloth and wax. This method proved inconsistent either from leaking or blowing out of the stopper and a method of restraining the corks using cord was developed. In 1844, Adolphe Jacquesson invented the more secure method involving steel wire, however, the early muselets were not easy to install and proved somewhat inconvenient to open. Further developments led to the modern muselet which is made of steel wire twisted to add strength and with a small loop of wire twisted into the lower ring which can be untwisted to release the pressure of the muselet and give access to the cork....
Quick commerce startup Grovy has finalized a €3 million financing round led by Lighthouse Ventures. The funds will be used for further expansion across Central and Eastern Europe, with offices already running in Prague and Bucharest. The startup has already established traction in the crowded German market by focusing on customer service, a positive and fair work culture, and sustainability. The rise of same-day (and same-hour) grocery delivery in Europe has been rapid and not without teething problems. First, many players in the space still rely on significant mark-ups, which can be as high as 20%. Second, many delivery companies depend on gig workers, who are often underpaid and overworked. Lastly, supply chain inefficiencies and food waste have plagued the grocery industry for decades, leaving plenty of room for improvement in sustainability. Grovy is looking to improve retail grocery in all three of these areas. Grovy leverages a network of strategically located dark warehouses to bring supermarket products to people within 10 minutes. While a 15-20% markup from supermarket prices is normal in grocery delivery, Grovy has pledged to never go beyond a 5% markup. Now, Grovy sets its sights on Central and Eastern Europe, where the startup envisions to...
It now takes the equivalent of 16 years’ average salary to buy a new 70-meter flat in Prague, according to data published by property developers of Central Group. That is six years more than in 2014, evidence that salaries are not rising along with housing costs in the Czech capital. According to Central Group, in Bratislava, it takes 12.5 years’ salary to buy a comparable flat, in Munich, 12.3 years’, in Berlin, 8.7 years, and in Vienna, 8.3 years. Apartment prices have risen by 90 percent in the last five years, but wages have risen by only 33 percent. Therefore, they consider the availability of housing to be the worst in the entire period of monitoring the CG-Index. According to Head and Founder of Central Group Dušan Kunovský, the way out of the crisis is to support new construction and achieve a sufficient supply of new apartments while maintaining market conditions with competition from development companies and mortgage banks. “Since 2015, the prices of new flats in Prague have more than doubled, and the growth rate is also accelerating again. In the last year, a sharp rise in the price of construction work and materials has also contributed to this, but...
Renovation work on Malostranské náměstí will finally begin next spring. Preparations have been completed, and the project has a building permit. Prague city councilors have approved a CZK 74 million public works project to reconstruct Malostranské Square to make it more pedestrian-friendly. Tramlines will be disrupted so the tracks can be rebuilt, and traffic will be redirected during repairs. To make the square more friendly to pedestrians, traffic will remain limited even after the tram tracks are rebuilt. The square should get a coherent look with a uniform paving design. There will be more places to sit, trees and a fountain. Part of Nerudova Street will turn into a pedestrian area. The corner at Mostecká Street will have more pedestrian space. Petr Hejma, Mayor for Prague 1, adds that “Prague 1 wants to shape the lower part of Lesser Town Square into an area that will allow residents to sit and meet in a peaceful and green environment. We very much welcome this project from our colleagues at City Hall, as it will help us considerably towards achieving this goal.” The Lesser Town Square’s new design was selected in an architectural competition organized by IPR Prague in 2014. The winning design is the work...
The price of electricity will rise by 30 to 50 percent next year, and the price of gas by 50 to 70 percent, said Karel Havlíček (ANO), Minister of Industry and Trade in resignation. The government in resignation will propose an amendment that will reduce the value-added tax (VAT) rate on electricity and gas from 21 percent to zero for the coming year. At the same time The government wants to waive the so-called supported energy sources (POZE). If both proposals pass, households’ energy payments will be reduced by about 35 percent. According to Havlíček, the remission of VAT and the fee for renewable resources are the only comprehensive measures that can be taken. The Czech Republic spends about 46 billion crowns a year on renewable sources, 20 billion of which are contributed by households and companies. In 2022, the state should pay the full amount of support. The price for water will increase by six percent year on year to CZK 107.72 per cubic meter next year. For Prague residents, this means that their monthly water price will increase by about 21 CZK per person, (252 CZK per person per year). According to the document, the more significant price...
The second year of the Mayor’s food collection will take place on December 16, 2021, in Mariánské náměstí. The aid will go to people in need, including the homeless, seniors living on the edge of poverty, or single parents. The collection, which is granted under the auspices of the Mayor of the Capital City of Prague Zdeněk Hřib, is organized by the Humanitarian Aid Foundation in cooperation with the Food Bank of Prague and will take place between 10 am and 6 pm. “It is clear that when it comes to a good thing, Praguers can unite. Last year, we have managed to collect a respectable amount of food, hygiene items and money to help those in need. It is important to realize that most people in need did not find themselves in this situation through their own fault. At the time of the pandemic when many people experienced a loss of income, which is also insufficiently compensated by the state, this is true twice as much,” said Zdeněk Hřib. The number of people in need began to increase in the Czech Republic due to the coronavirus epidemic and measures against its spread. Although the Czechs donated a record amount...
A young London practice – along with two local firms – has won an international master planning competition to regenerate the area of Florenc in Prague. Marko & Placemakers with Prague-based architect practices Unit Architekti and A69 – Architekti will design the 24ha regeneration area of Florenc, which is one the largest brownfield site close to the historic city centre. The practice said one of the most challenging tasks of the brief was to resolve the complex transport interchange hub including the bus station, metro station, nearby railway station and public transport links. Its vision called ‘Orchestrated complexity’ is intended to develop “the area’s unique character and identity through a compact and multifunctional urban framework”. Green infrastructure and the morphology of the buildings have been designed to maximise climate cooling, the Marko & Placemakers team added. The Florence 21 competition was launched by the City of Prague, Prague Institute of Planning and Development, Masaryk Station Development and ČSAD Praha Holding. It attracted 57 entries from all over the world.
Around 4,000 protestors have gathered on Wenceslas Square this Sunday. They are demonstrating against mandatory vaccination as well as alleged violations of personal freedoms and the Czech Constitution. The protest is organized by the initiative Chcípl pes, which opposes government Covid counter-measures. The demonstration under the statue of St. Wenceslas began with a song by Karel Kryl and a speech by the chairman of the initiative, Jakub Olbert. Demonstrators do not wear masks or keep enough space for social distancing. Protestors plan to march through the city center towards the Office of Government and Prague Castle. “We are only against compulsory vaccination, which the government is trying to introduce with the support of the Parliament of the Czech Republic,” the organizers said. At around 3 pm, the protesters marched from Wenceslas Square to the Straka Academy and from there to Hradčany. They plan to end the demonstration at the statue of the first Czechoslovak president Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk on Hradčanské náměstí. The outgoing Czech government has published a decree in the official Collection of Laws, requiring mandatory Covid-19 vaccination for all those over 60. The requirement would also apply to health workers, police officers, firefighters and the military. However, it...
Prague Pride has opened a new community center for LGBT + people at Železná 18, just a few steps from Old Town Square: the Rainbow House. The main goal is to create a safe and respectful environment in which “everyone can be themselves, regardless of their orientation and gender identity,” says Hana Třeštíková, Prague City Councillor for culture. The opening of the new community center took place symbolically on the eve of Human Rights Day, on December 10. With regard to the current situation, no public events will take place in the community center until the end of the year. “Since January, however, visitors can look forward to our open days, when it will be possible to visit the community center every Thursday between 3 pm and 9 pm. The main room features a library, PlayStation, board games and a jukebox. You can also just come and talk to friends or other visitors to the community space,” adds the director Tom Bílý. The Rainbow House, which has a capacity of up to 40 people, will host also lectures, discussions, screenings, support groups. In June 2019, according to a survey conducted between 4–14 May 2019 by CVVM, 48% of respondents said...
The company Technology for the Capital City Prague (THMP) has replaced the first few shelters at public transport stops operated by the French company JCDecaux. Passengers can already use the new shelters in Prague 13 at the Píškova and Velká Ohrada stops. The prototype of the transit stop has been tested in Palacký Square for almost two years. As mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) and THMP director Tomáš Jílek told journalists yesterday, their administration and the management of advertising spaces should be taken over by the transport company (DPP). From January 2022, THMP will receive 15 shelters every week. Each shelter costs about 350 thousand CZK. “Street furniture is an often overlooked but very important part of the city that we shouldn’t forget. In addition to providing user comfort, it should be attractive and easy to maintain. The new shelter has all of these attributes, so I’m pleased they will gradually start spreading throughout Prague,” said Mayor of Prague, Zdeněk Hřib. “We have rejected a proposal to extend this contract for seven years without competition. Prague deserves to have its own shelters and other elements of city furniture from benches to bicycle stands. The aim is for the city not to be...
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