Cities across the continent want to mold visits into shapes less onerous for residents, and perhaps more lucrative for business. Optimally, a virtuous circle can be created where loud partiers are supplanted by museum-goers with more money to spend—or so the thinking goes. Call it curated tourism. “We met with representatives from Amsterdam, Barcelona and Florence during the pandemic, and all of us were thinking the same thing,” said Hana Třeštíková, Prague’s councilor of tourism. “Before Covid, over-tourism had become almost unbearable, and Covid gave a pause to try and make some changes in what our cities represent, how we promote ourselves and how we must focus on quality of visits—not quantity.” Not so long ago, these cities marketed themselves to everyone. But Amsterdam’s widely available cannabis and legal prostitution, Barcelona’s urban beaches and Prague’s famous beer halls increasingly attracted tourists who brought what Geerte Udo, director of amsterdam&partners, diplomatically called “negative effects.” In recent years, Prague’s tourist problem started to resemble Amsterdam’s, Třeštíková said. The Czech capital was getting 8 million visitors a year, almost doubling between 2012 and 2019. And like Amsterdam, most headed to the same neighborhoods, she said. In Prague’s case, they clog the Old Town Square and Charles Bridge. “The city...
At the last minute, we are expanding this year’s program. We are also looking for the last festival location. We have also announced a competition for university students called the Neon Award. If you have someone nearby, or it’s you, sign in, tell your friends. Signal Festival will take place from October 14 to 17. We are also working on something completely new, which we will talk about a lot during September. Signal AR is a new permanent project to which we at Signal devote a lot of time and care. This is our new experiment. We will soon introduce you to several art installations in augmented reality. And what about the festival theme? What will this year’s Signal be about? The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has issued a new report on the state of our planet. It unequivocally states that human activity is causing climate change. It is high time to wake up. We’ve been guessing this in Signal for some time. This is another factor that shows that the choice of the Plan C theme for this year is more than timeless. As has been said several times, in 2020 we wanted to open a debate in public space through art about the state...
Interior Minister Jan Hamacek will discuss the integration of the Afghans who are being transferred from Kabul to the Czech Republic with regional governors. Meanwhile, Prague City will offer help with the integration of Afghans who have previously worked for the Czech army or diplomatic service. The Czech Republic’s first evacuation flight from Kabul landed at Kbely Airport (in the northeast of Prague) on Monday morning with 46 Czech and local embassy workers and Afghan collaborators of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Department of Defense plans to relocate another twenty army interpreters to the Czech Republic. “Prague is ready to welcome Afghan interpreters and their families, who are being transferred from Kabul to the Czech Republic. Similarly, we have already found a joint solution with the government to help Belarusian dissidents,” said Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) on Twitter. “We are doing everything we can to ensure that our diplomats return home safely. As for helping the coworkers of the Czech army, we want to take care of them, we are working on it, and we have a plan for it,” said the Czech prime minister. In March this year, Prague City rented six apartments to Belarusians who have fled...
Named after the district that hosts it, Prague 4, Pankrác prison was built between 1885 and 1889. At the time, the primary need was to replace the by then outdated and dilapidated prison of Saint Wenceslaus, which was located between Karlovo náměstí and the Vltava. The new detention center, which was then in an open countryside area (today it has the appearance of a Prague financial district, with banks, offices and shopping centers), was part of a vast Austro-Hungarian expansion project of the city and was supposed to represent the development of new technological and infrastructural systems in the sector of atonement for sentences, up to then unseen in the Empire, so much so that, even today, the prison remains a significant institution in the penal universe of the Czech Republic. The state-of-the-art prison, at the end of the nineteenth century, was designed to accommodate about eight hundred prisoners, while today its capacity is about 1,200. In the Habsburg period it in fact represented the maximum example of modernity in terms of prison construction. The centralized water and air heating system, as well as the presence of single cells, were a real rarity in Europe at the time. It was...
From the noisy and crowded Wenceslas Square, proceeding Northeast for a couple of stops on tram n°9, you will find yourself catapulted into another reality, where the previous streets full of tourists, give way to the typical sounds, sensations, smells and aromas of the neighbourhood. Žižkov, whose main area today lies in the Municipal District of Prague 3 – but which was actually an independent town until the 1920s – got its name from the Hussite leader Jan Žižka from Trocnov in 1877, a Czech general and hero of the civil war in Bohemia, whose historical and legendary figure is inextricably linked to Czech national consciousness. The neighbourhood stands at the foot of Vítkov hill, a place in which Žižka, loyal to the ideals of Jan Hus, achieved a major military victory over the army of Emperor Sigismund in 1420, against a bigger army, made up of thousands of more soldiers, compared to those of the Hussite rebels. On the hilltop, the stronghold of the Žižka Hussites, there is an imposing equestrian statue of the great leader (one among the biggest in the world), built by Bohumil Kafka in 1950, which represents him as a warrior. Historically, Žižkov has always...
The best day of the week is here and no doubt you’re all getting ready for another stonkingly good weekend in Prague! Víno na Střelečáku WHEN: August 13-14 WHERE: Střelecký ostrov PRICE: Free Střelecký Ostrov will turn into an island of wine on Friday and Saturday. You can taste wines from South Moravia and abroad. and listen to live music in the afternoon and evening. The event starts on Friday at 2.30 pm and ends on Saturday at 10 pm. Meeting of cultures in Kyje WHEN: August 14 WHERE: Parish garden in Kyje PRICE: Free Are you a music fan? Then you might be interested in this event. In the parish garden near the Church of St. Batholomew, will take place a series of concerts from 4 pm to 9 pm. You can listen to Balkan and Romani rhythms, Slovak and Ukrainian folk, or to original music with elements of African, Mongolian, and black culture. Letni Letna WHEN: August 12 – August 31 WHERE: Letná Parks PRICE: Free A unique line-up of international contemporary circus stars, the largest festival of Czech circus and theatre companies, clown shows, open-air performances, concerts, film screenings, workshops, and extensive programs for kids. Claptone WHEN:...
The rumble of a helicopter woke up many citizens in the capital’s Holešovice district early on Thursday morning. Czech Police are currently searching for the driver of a truck that avoided a police check and went on to crash. The driver fled the vehicle together with a group of mainly Syrian migrants, 29 of whom have thus far been detained by the Czech Foreign Police. “At about the 4th kilometer of the D1, the Central Bohemian traffic police wanted to check a van going to Prague. However, the driver fled away from the crime scene. Almost 30 other people ran out of the vehicle with him,” said Richard Hrdina, spokesman for the Prague police. “We managed to detain 29 foreigners, who come mainly from Syria. They were transferred to the headquarters of the foreigner police, which took over the case and there will be a standard investigation,” Hrdina added. On November 5, 2020, Czech police stopped a Turkish truck carrying 48 migrants from Syria and were heading to western Europe. The 47 men and one woman claimed they were on their way to Germany and the Netherlands. The two Turkish drivers of the truck told Czech authorities they had no...
Starting on August 19, this summer’s Final Sale is taking place at the Fashion Arena Prague Outlet. A varied selection of discounts will be available until Sunday, August 22. And to make shopping as convenient as possible, Fashion Arena has extended the shopping hours – during the sale stores will be open from 9 a.m. up to 8 p.m., just so you can avoid any queues. You can also look forward to a special weekend programme. You can find details of all the special offers here. Together with the Óčko music TV channel, organizers prepared special events for children and adults alike that will take place over the weekend (21–22 August). There’s going to be a kids’ disco in the afternoon and adults can participate in competitions for prizes. Customers can take a moment to relax on the terrace at the Óčko Lounge chill-out zone or in the garden with sunshades, lounge chairs, mist sprinklers and a playground. For even greater accessibility there will be a free shuttle bus running from the Depo Hostivař metro station. It all begins with breakfast From 9 a.m. you can get yourself a coffee and croissant at Starbucks or Costa Coffee, a fresh omelette...
The City Hall of Prague 2 will pay approximately 28.6 million CZK without VAT for the new leisure area at Folimanka under the Nusle Bridge. The project will be done by the Gardenline company. Some locals are protesting against the plan, which includes building an oval rink that will serve as an ice skating rink in wintertime. The town hall plans to start building in August. The city district originally estimated the price of the contract at 21.3 million CZK without tax in the tender. In addition to the oval with facilities, the project includes building public toilets, a sandpit with a water feature, a pétanque court, places for public barbecues and a snack bar. Sidewalks, a pergola and benches will be added to the space. The construction should be completed in one year. “For a green, not concrete Folimanka!” The residents of Prague 2 recently demonstrated against the construction of a complex under the Nusle Bridge. A petition was raised against the plan, the authors of which demand the reduction or complete cancellation of the project. According to them, it will take away the greenery, which will worsen the air quality and other environmental conditions in the area as...
In Prague’s high-end street connecting the Old Town square to Vltava River, lies Miloš Forman Square, causing discontent amongst residents. Signatures are being collected in a petition by the Citizens of Prague 1 association, against the construction of a four-storey glass department store, near the InterContinental Hotel. Nevertheless, a building authority has already issued a zoning decision for its placement, on the basis of which an application for a building permit may be made. In Prague, fifteen appeals were filed against the ruling. This debate has been ongoing for some time. Developers are on the edge of their seats in the attempt to discover how to fill the undeveloped land in the historical center of Prague. Local Citizens of Prague 1, the Institute of Planning and Development of the Capital City of Prague (IPR), or the Czech Chamber of Architects are fundamentally opposed. The chamber of Architects, led by the former Mayor of Prague Jan Kasl has expressed that the square “is not a gap or place intended to be stopped”. The Citizens of Prague 1 association, for example, filed an appeal against the decision, that is set to believe that the developer’s intention to push a glass commercial building,...
Eobuwie.pl opened its first store in the Czech Republic in the Nový Smíchov shopping center. Prague customers can experience the futuristic concept in a store equipped with the latest technologies. The new shop combines products of two fashion brands: eobuv.cz (specialized in high-quality branded shoes at affordable prices) and MODIVO. And that means 100,000 products available immediately, interactive fitting rooms, and delivery directly from the store to any place in Prague even in 90 minutes. Nanovo is responsible for digital experiences. So far, the company has been present in the Czech Republic in the online channel. Eobuwie.pl started selling on this market in 2014. “The Czech Republic is especially close to us. And now we are launching another groundbreaking project for our southern neighbors. This time we are pleased to invite customers to shop in the popular shopping center Nový Smíchov. MODIVO’s fashion products were added to enhance the shopping experience at the Prague store. Now, customers can pick whole outfits in one place,” says Mikołaj Wezdecki, Member of the Board and Director of Electronic Commerce at eobuwie.pl. “We are pleased to open our first foreign store in Prague, where our products have been known for eight years. Our customers...
The Hard Rock Café American chain, which has been operating a restaurant and a merchandise store in the center of Prague for over ten years, is now adding another venue to its portfolio. The Rock Shop launched its operations at Václav Havel Airport Prague on August 3, 2021, offering passengers all the iconic items from the brand’s range of merchandise, starting with T-shirts, sweatshirts, pins, mugs and many other things. The new store is located in Terminal 1, designated for flights to countries outside the Schengen area. “The assortment will be the same as in all our Rock Shops, with four special thematic pins added to the selection at Václav Havel Airport Prague. No food or drinks will be sold at the store,” Martina Lednová, Hard Rock Café Prague General Manager, said. It was the Prague HRC branch that, for over a year and a half, was working towards the new store launch of operations and opening. “Our cooperation and communication with the airport team went very well. We very much look forward to welcoming the first passengers at the store. We hope our store will make their waiting for a flight or arriving in the country even more pleasant,” Ms. Lednová added....
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