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Czech police were stationed at 800 different locations on Wednesday as part of the Pan European 24-Hour Speed Enforcement Marathon’s efforts to crack down on negligent driving. First launched in 2016 by the European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL) in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the initiative involves law enforcement planting themselves in hundreds of areas across 22 different EU countries to catch speeding or negligent drivers. At the time of its conception, TISPOL president Aidan Reid said, “The speed marathon is all about prevention. We want drivers to think about the speeds they choose; speeds which are both legal and appropriate for the conditions. By doing so, they will be reducing the risks they face and the risks theyContinue Reading

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People in the Czech Republic have been paying more for electricity than citizens of any other country in Europe, according to a new report from Eurostat.  As Yookee reports, Germans, for example, are paying 37% less for electricity than the average Czech.  “After accommodating for the purchasing power of each currency to allow for country-to-country comparisons, this is by the highest price in all of Europe. This is almost one-fifth more expensive, after conversion according to purchasing power parity of the local currency, than the second-highest electricity price in the E.U,” said Lukáš Kovanda, chief economist from Trinty Bank. According to the Eurostat data, the average Czech household was paying about 4.66 CZK per kilowatt-hour last year, and consumed betweenContinue Reading

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Jan Hamáček, Minister of the Interior for the Czech Republic, has instructed the Czech ambassador in Denmark to inquire with Danish officials about purchasing AstraZeneca vaccines that the Western European country has now written off as dangerous.  “Denmark has announced that it’s suspending the use of AstraZeneca vaccinations. I have instructed the Czech Ambassador in Copenhagen to contact the Danish authorities immediately and express the Czech Republic’s interest in purchasing all AstraZeneca vaccines from Denmark,” Hamáček said on Twitter.  Danish officials recently announced they would be withdrawing all 2.4 million doses of the vaccine until further notice. The Danish Health Authority (DAN) said that their studies had shown a higher than normal occurrence of negative effects like blood clots andContinue Reading

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České dráhy will be spending 12.5 billion CZK on new and improved trains from Siemens Mobility and Škoda Transportation that will be gradually integrated between 2024 and 2026.  The new trains will start off by running from Prague via Ústí nad Labem to Hamburg or via Brno to Budapest and Vienna.  České dráhy’s order from Siemens and Škoda consists of 180 cars each holding 555 seats and with a maximum operating speed of 230 km an hour.  “In the Czech Republic, the plan is to increase the speed on conventional lines to 200 km an hour and to build high-speed lines. In the future, this will enable the operation of trains that can go faster than the current speed limitContinue Reading

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The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is backing the Czech Republic’s rules of mandatory vaccination for pre-school children. The vote of 16 to 1 decided that banning unvaccinated children from attending school is an acceptable “protective measure”, according to the report by Bloomberg. The landmark ruling comes following complaints from multiple Czech parents after their unvaccinated children were refused entry to preschool, or received fines from the government. Some of these complaints date as far back as 2003. The legislation does not yet apply to COVID-19 vaccines since the complaints were filed before the current pandemic. Barbora Peterová, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health, has confirmed that the ruling doesn’t have any implications for the COVID-19 vaccine. CzechContinue Reading

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A man was arrested by police on Bělčická Street for vandalizing 20 cars reportedly because he had a grudge against ‘rich people.’ The 32-year old man faces up to 2 years in prison for kicking off the rearview mirrors of the parked cars, causing an estimated 250,000 CZK in damages, as well as being in possession of narcotics.  Police spokeswoman Hana Křížová said the suspect, who was allegedly in possession of methamphetamines, blamed much of his life problems on rich people and subsequently decided to destroy cars in revenge.  “He also told the police that he was being harassed by the rich and that he had lost his job supposedly because of rich people. For these reasons, he deliberately choseContinue Reading

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Results from a new survey suggest that half of everyone who has been forced to start working from home because of COVID-19 restrictions is no longer enjoying it, and don’t consider it as a benefit.  Conducted by Czech IT services company System4U, over 1,400 people who have been doing home-office since March of 2020 were asked how they’ve been feeling about their work situation. It generally concluded that at least half of those surveyed were tired of working from home, and believed it was making them less productive and efficient. For example, many people said general communication between their team was becoming extremely difficult. “Surprisingly, a lot of companies with up to 50 employees don’t use video calls for teamContinue Reading

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The Bohemian Crown Jewels are the most famous and valuable treasure in the Czech Republic. They consist of the crown of Saint Wenceslas, the royal orb and scepter, the coronation vestments of the Kings of Bohemia, Saint Wenceslas’ sword, and the gold reliquary cross. Today, the Bohemian Crown Jewels are kept in a chamber in Saint Vitus Cathedral. The chamber is barely accessible, and the door leading inside has seven locks. The key to each lock is in the hands of seven different men: The President, the Prague Archbishop, the Chairman of the House of Deputies, the Chairman of the Senate, the Dean of the Metropolitan Chapter of St Vitus Cathedral, and the last one is held by the MayorContinue Reading

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Prague Castle is getting rid of the security checkpoints at the entrance of the complex 5 years after being introduced by President Zeman in response to terrorism concerns. Visitors will instead be subject to random checks. At the same time, gardens next to Prague castle and the upper part of the one-kilometer-long Deer Moat will be opened to the public starting April 2nd. Deer Moat was closed all through communism before being opened by President Václav Havel. In 2018, it was closed for reconstruction, but the upper part is ready to be opened, and the lower part is scheduled to be opened by next year.  “With this step, the Office of the President of the Republic is allowing the expansionContinue Reading

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A legendary industrialist and creator of the world-famous shoe empire, Tomáš Baťa was a pioneer of technology, advertising, marketing, and business management. Born April 3rd, 1876 in Zlín, Czechoslovakia, Baťa’s father was also a shoemaker, continuing the family tradition that had been going since the 1600s. With his 11 siblings, Tomáš Baťa learnt the tricks of the trade early on in life, before travelling to Vienna to learn more about the shoe industry.   Baťa created his first shoe company with his brother Antonín, and sister Anna. All three of them put every penny they had into the business, and poured a lot of effort into systemizing everything, from modern (at the time) manufacturing methods, and introduced fixed schedules and weeklyContinue Reading