A new special tram has begun service in Prague to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Prague Uprising and the end of World War II.
Decorated in the Czech national colors and titled “Prague, the City of Heroes,” the tram was officially unveiled on Tuesday, May 6, in Stromovka Park.
This Škoda 15T tram will operate across the city for the next six months, bringing history to life with visuals that honor the resilience and bravery of Prague’s citizens during the May 1945 uprising against Nazi occupation. The tram bears key dates and symbols of that period, offering a moving tribute to those who resisted.
According to Deputy Mayor Jiří Pospíšil, the initiative serves as a living reminder of how Prague’s history is intertwined with its everyday life. “The Prague Uprising is an extremely important moment in our history. This tram will remind both residents and visitors how essential it is to preserve and pass down these values to future generations,” he said during the launch.
Inside the tram, passengers will find informative panels describing not only the Prague Uprising, but also other crucial events from the final days of World War II in Czech territory.
Eleven themed displays highlight episodes such as the fire at the Old Town Hall, the return of Czechoslovak air squadrons, and the roles played by the Russian Liberation Army (ROA), Soviet forces, and American troops.
In addition to the tram, the city has launched a panel exhibition titled “V as Victory” at Mariánské náměstí in Prague 1. Open to the public until May 30, 2025, the outdoor display explores the liberation of Prague and the war’s closing chapter. Full details are available here
Another exhibition, “Old Town Square in Flames,” is now open at the Museum of Memory of the 20th Century.
Would you like us to write about your business? Find out more
Passengers traveling by public transportation in Brno can now make a positive experience from ticket inspection.
In April, the transport sector released a new program for users of prepaid online tickets. For every successful ticket inspection, people gain points, which they can then make use of while paying a fine or in a competition for free yearly passes.
The new system should reward loyal customers and change the view of passengers who only perceive ticket inspection as negative. “We want to motivate the travelers to buy electronic tickets, which is more comfortable for most users”, the spokesperson for the transport sector, Hana Tomaštíková, introduces.
Nearly fifty-five thousand passengers are now buying their tickets online. However, although people need to wait in line for the classic paper tickets, it’s still the more favorable one with more than sixty-eight thousand people still using it.
If the chance of winning attracts people to buy tickets electronically, is still not a certain solution, according to the economist Lukáš Kovanda. “It might have some influence, but I wouldn’t overestimate it. Most of the time we expect more from these measures than is realistic”, he explains.
Magda Bařinková travels around Brno using the electronic tickets. “I appreciate the effort rewarding honest travelers, but I think this method is a little unfair. Someone might not get checked by the ticket inspector in an entire year while someone else might get checked three times a month. The whole system is based on coincidences, which I don’t find celebratory”, she says.
The points are added to the users internet account BrnoID. The maximum amount of points that can be added to the bank account is fifty points, that can then be used to in a potential fifty crown fine payment in the situation that the passenger has a non-functioning or non-activated card. Additionally, the points are automatically considered in the competition for the free yearly passes. Every six months the transport sector draws out three winners, the first one is planned for October.
Author: V.B