Every holiday in Czechia brings a question with it: Will stores be open or closed? For Easter, the answer is split.
You can shop in large stores on Good Friday but not Easter Monday. Both are national holidays. This year Good Friday falls on March 29, Easter Sunday on March 31, and Easter Monday on April 1.
Banks and government offices will be closed all four days. Many museums and galleries that are normally closed on Mondays will stay closed, but a handful will open with special hours.
Most stores over 200 square meters close on some holidays, including Easter Monday.
This closure is due to a law introduced in October 2016, prohibiting stores larger than 200 square meters from operating on certain national holidays, including Easter Monday. The law was implemented to allow supermarket employees to spend holidays with their families, like everyone else.
The restriction does not apply to shops located in transportation hubs (train stations, bus stations, airports), healthcare facilities, including pharmacies, smaller shops under 200 square meters, wholesalers and gas stations.
However, it’s best to double-check with individual businesses for their operating hours during the holiday.
In conclusion, it’s crucial to plan ahead for any necessary grocery shopping, as supermarkets will be closed on Easter Monday.
The annual Easter markets which take place on three of Prague´s most famous squares – Old Town Square, Wenceslas Square and the Square of the Republic – are the most popular of them all.
- Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) 16.3. – 7. 4. 2022
- Wenceslas Square (Václavské náměstí) 16. 3. – 7. 4. 2024
- Peace Square (náměstí Míru) 16. 3. – 1. 4. 2024
Would you like us to write about your business? Find out more
A new activity bar opened in the centre of Prague in December of 2023.
CrewBar is the first venue to bring shuffleboard to Prague. The venue is located by the river, near the Dancing House. Discover shuffleboard with a drink in hand, and don’t forget to reserve a spot!
An activity bar is a new concept for the Czech Republic where you can have a beer and play a game or two. The marker of a true activity bar is that games come first. They’re not there to entertain patrons in between rounds; quite the opposite!
CrewBar, located by the Dancing House in the centre of Prague, can show you how it’s done.
A sister bar to Prague Golf & Games that popularized glow-in-the-dark golf in Prague, CrewBar has a similar concept. In fact, the success of the former was the inspiration behind the latter. Glow-in-the-dark ping pong did especially well in Prague Golf & Games, so the owner decided to open a new place with ping pong and more.
Chris and his wife, the couple behind the project, met working on a cruise ship, in The Crew Bar, which lends its name to their latest business venture. In their newest venue, patrons are invited to choose from a selection of beers, spirits, and cocktails.
Visualizza questo post su Instagram
But, don’t be fooled; the cocktails, while great, are not the star of the show – shuffleboard is the game to try!
The game is popular in the US, the UK, Sweden, and Norway. Shuffleboard is the perfect bar game: it’s easy to learn, there are multiple different ways to play, and you never have to put your drink down.
CrewBar welcomes a mix of Czechs, expats, and tourists. This is not a traditional bar where patrons can spend the night drinking at a table and sneak an occasional game of shuffleboard in between rounds.
On the contrary; shuffleboard and glow-in-the-dark ping pong are the main event! Visitors are encouraged to reserve their spots in advance. While walk-ins can be accommodated if there’s space, it is always safer to reserve your shuffleboard table a couple of days before your visit.
What’s in store for CrewBar in the future? The team is planning on introducing new menu items in the form of little bites and nibbles.
“If shuffleboard takes off the way it did in northern Europe and the US, we may be looking at another business venture in the form of a shuffleboard-only bar,” said Chris.
The space would have to be significantly larger, with longer shuffleboard tables that could accommodate multiple groups at once. But those plans are far in the future. For now, the goal is to share the joys of shuffleboard with Prague residents and visitors.
Would you like us to write about your business? Find out more
Josef Šálek is the proud new Guinness World Record holder for the fastest half marathon completed barefoot on ice/snow, a feat he accomplished in 1:50:42 clad in nothing but a pair of short tights and an ecstatic grin.
The Czech therapist, lecturer, and personal development coach bested the previous record of 2:16:34 set by Dutch runner Wim ‘The Iceman’ Hof in 2007.
It’s not his first world record either. In 2023, the fitness enthusiast proved his extreme abdominal strength by holding a plank for 9 hours, 38 minutes, and 47 seconds, besting the previous record by more than eight minutes.
The new record for the fastest barefoot half marathon on ice was set on an open circuit in a valley near the highest mountain in Czechia, measured by a professional surveyor.
Technically, Šálek’s preparation for the record began back in 2013, before he even became a runner. He started hosting workshops where he would walk barefoot over hot coals and glass shards. “I needed to show people how to manage their fears and lack of self-confidence in practice,” he wrote on his website.
Then in 2017, after going through a breakup and struggling with unhealthy eating and alcohol and cigarette use, he decided to try running. It provided a distraction from his heartbreak.
In the two weeks leading up to his official record attempt, Šálek submerged his feet in a tub of ice everyday. The night before, the course froze over and it appeared that it wouldn’t be possible for Šálek to run that day after all, but after volunteers raked the ground, the athlete was able to embark on his mission to embrace the pain cave.
On the course, Šálek zigzagged and adapted his running pattern to keep from slipping on the ice. It was by no means easy—picture running an 8:27/mi average pace over sharp, slick ice whilst barefoot and scantily clad—but thanks to his training and mental fortitude, Šálek conquered his goal, and made it to the finish line with a broad smile on his face.
The Guinness World Records official adjudicator, Pravin Patel, was on site to announce Šálek’s successful attempt and to hand him his certificate.
Would you like us to write about your business? Find out more
* HEALTH:
The Czech Republic has submitted a proposal to the European Commission (EC) for a Czech penicillin factory, Health Minister Vlastimil Valek (TOP 09) announced in a discussion show on TV Nova yesterday. He said it was premature to talk about the region in which the factory would be built.
Last December, Valek said that the construction of the penicillin factory should start by the end of the government’s term, but did not elaborate.
* SECURITY:
The Faculty of Arts at Charles University is enhancing security measures following the tragic December 21 shooting in which a student shot and killed 14 people in the building and injured 25 others. Plans include modifying the gatehouse for better oversight, crisis training for students and staff, and a detailed security analysis of the main building. Repairs on the damaged fourth floor are progressing as scheduled.
* MONEY:
KB begins reimbursement of Sberbank clients Komerční banka disbursed CZK 3.114 billion to 582 Sberbank CZ creditors on the first payout day through its branches. The process, running until April 15, ensures cashless transactions to Czech bank accounts. Over 15,000 creditors anticipate a total payout of approximately CZK 57 billion.
* UKRAINE:
The Czech president, Petr Pavel, has granted permission to 20 Czech citizens to join the armed forces of Ukraine, his spokesperson said on Monday. By contrast, Mr. Pavel, a former senior soldier who has been in the post for just over a year, turned down 56 requests from Czechs seeking to help Ukraine repel its Russian invaders.
* SPORT:
West Ham United midfielder Tomáš Souček has been voted best Czech footballer of the year for the third time in his career. The captain of the Czech national team, who is 29, received the award in a ceremony in Prague on Monday night.
Czechs will join millions of people around the globe in turning off their lights for 60 minutes on March 23 starting at 8:30 pm local time in a symbolic show of support for the Earth Hour campaign against climate change.
Earth Hour will dim some of Prague’s best-known landmarks including Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, Old Town Square or the Žižkov TV tower.
Other fifty businesses and administrative buildings will turn off their lights in the capital. In addition, the illumination of some famous landmarks will be turned off
Prague and other cities around the Czech Republic first marked Earth Hour in 2012. Hundred thirty cities and towns are expected to join the campaign this year.
Everyone recognizes the importance of environmental protection in everyday life in order to ensure a brighter future. In this way, we may leave a healthy Earth to future generations.
A pollution-free environment and a green world are essential. It is really important for living a disease-free life.
Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007 as a symbolic lights-out event organized by WWF and allies and has now grown to become one of the world’s largest environmental grassroots initiatives.
Every year on the final Saturday in March, millions of people in over 180 nations and territories participate in Earth Hour by turning off their lights to show their respect for our planet.
Since 2007, millions of people have participated in a global event to raise climate change awareness.
Would you like us to write about your business? Find out more
58 years ago, Věra Chytilová released her movie ‘Daisies’, which displeased the communist dictatorship with its criticism of the materialistic and male-dominated society and was banned by the regime.
Although Czech society has made considerable progress since then, calls for equality from Czech women are often silenced, as evidenced by the recent incident involving director Daria Kascheeva at the Czech Lions Film Award ceremony.
Where does the Czech Republic stand in terms of promoting gender equality? Join us for a discussion on this burning topic while watching this Czechoslovak New Wave masterpiece with English subtitles at kino Aero on the 20th of March. Purchase your tickets here.
In ‘Daisies’ (1966, watch the trailer), Chytilová, who had made her living as a model in commercials before becoming one of the leading figures of the Czechoslovak New Wave, brings a nihilist story about two Maries who decided to be spoiled as the world they live in.
They play pranks on men, catwalk down the overflowing buffet table and swing from the chandelier. The bold aesthetic she created with the artist Ester Krumbachová and the metaphorical language was too much for the communist regime and they tried to silence her by locking this movie in the vault.
Throughout the years, the movie gained strong international recognition and Chytilová was and still is perceived as a key feminist filmmaker (although she refused to call herself a feminist).
In 2022, ‘Daisies’ ranked #28 on the prestigious Sight and Sound poll of the greatest films of all time. In the same year, this iconic picture was restored and screened at the Cannes festival.
Although Czech society has clearly made considerable progress since the socialist times of censorship and the restriction of human liberty, it appears that our Czech society still has much to learn in terms of giving space to pro-gender equality voices.
The evidence could be the recent incident that has stirred social debate. On March 9th, Daria Kashcheeva, a Tajik-born, and Czech-based filmmaker, received an award at the Czech Lions for her short film ‘Electra’. During her speech, where she tried to make a point about the position of women in the film industry, she was silenced, allegedly due to the excessive length of her speech.
Was she interrupted because she didn’t respect the rules of the show, or because our society doesn’t want to hear about these topics? Does Czech society support feminist voices? Is the Czech Republic a safe space for people with different sexualities and genders?
Come and join “Some like it Czech” project at the English-friendly screening of Daisies, accompanied by a feminist, flower power-driven introduction discussing all these burning questions. Secure your tickets now. Screened on March 20th at kino Aero.
If you want to know more about the event and the project itself, follow “Some like it Czech” on Instagram or Facebook
Would you like us to write about your business? Find out more
Whooping cough is on the rise across Europe, and the Czech Republic is no exception.
In the first week of January, say the Czech authorities, there were 28 registered cases of whooping cough. That figure now stands at 3,084 – a number not seen since 1963.
As cases continued to rise, the Prague public health authority took matters into its own hands.
It sent out a letter to the capital’s schools, saying in the event of a confirmed case of whooping cough in a class, any unvaccinated children must be sent home.
This was immediately shot down by the head of the national public health authority, who admonished her Prague colleagues at a press conference. Schools had no authority to send home unvaccinated children as a precaution, she said.
Instead, all cases should be judged individually, based on how long the infected child had spent in the classroom, and so on.
Epidemiologists, including one who led the government’s measures against Covid, shook their heads in disbelief. Recently amended health ministry guidelines called for exactly the approach recommended by the Prague authority, they said.
But the confusion over the official guidance obscured a curious conundrum; what unvaccinated children?
Vaccination for whooping cough, known in Czech as “black cough”, is mandatory in the country.
It is meant to be administered, alongside inoculation for diphtheria, tetanus, polio, and others, from the very first weeks of life.
Yet according to official figures, immunisation for whooping cough is estimated at 97% of the infant population, suggesting there are thousands of unvaccinated babies in the Czech Republic.
Health Minister Vlastimil Válek told Czech Television the current rise in cases is down to a combination of two things: a resurgence in respiratory diseases as society abandons strict Covid measures; and incomplete immunisation in children.
The whooping cough vaccine is applied in five stages, the first three in the first 12 months of life. Almost all children receive these initial doses.
However, only 90% end up receiving the final two, administered around the ages of six and ten. This, said Mr Válek, would explain why the greatest rise is among Czech teenagers.
Parents have been urged to check their children’s vaccination history. Adults are encouraged to go for booster shots.
The resurgence in cases, however, still carries dangers.
Those infected teenagers may suffer nothing more serious than a persistent cough. But they can still pass on what can be a fatal disease to their younger siblings – whose immunity is still forming – or indeed their grandparents, whose immunity may have faded.
What is whooping cough and what are the initial symptoms?
Whooping cough (also known as pertussis) is a contagious infection in the lungs or breathing tube.
The first signs of whooping cough are similar to a cold, with a runny nose and sore throat.
But after about a week, the infection can develop into coughing bouts that last a few minutes and are typically worse at night.
Would you like us to write about your business? Find out more
Lukáš Kovanda, Chief Economist at Trinity Bank, has recently highlighted the affordability of public transportation in Prague.
A recent study commissioned by the Prague City Council revealed that an annual public transport pass, adjusted for inflation and distance traveled since 2000, should cost approximately 11,250 CZK.
However, the current price has been 3,650 CZK since 2015.
This translates to a significant decrease in real terms, with residents essentially paying half the price for public transport compared to just a decade ago.
“Prague residents are now traveling for roughly twice as cheaply as they did in 2014,” commented Mr. Kovanda. “This forward-thinking approach by the city administration deserves recognition. In a world facing inflation, Prague has ensured affordable and efficient travel for its residents.”
The coalition parties that form the city government have not yet agreed on how much fares should be raised, but several possibilities are being discussed.
One of the proposals on the table is doubling the price of the annual public transport pass, which currently costs CZK 3,650, working out at CZK 10 per day, one of the cheapest in the world.
Deputy Mayor for Transport Zdeněk Hřib from the Pirate Party told Deník N he did not agree with the proposal, saying he wanted public transport to remain affordable for the residents of Prague.
Before 2020, passenger fares covered roughly 21 percent of the transport company’s costs, while now it is only around 15 percent, with Prague covering the remaining 85 percent from its spending budget.
In most other countries the share is closer to 50-50.
Would you like us to write about your business? Find out more
* POLITICS:
Former Czech President Miloš Zeman, 79, remains in ICU post-surgery for a blood clot in his leg, with stable but serious condition at Motol Hospital. His health will be reassessed Monday. Zeman’s aide Vratislav Mynář abstains from visiting per doctors’ advice. Zeman’s history includes neuropathy and recent wheelchair use. Surgeons performed a common hybrid procedure to restore blood flow.
* WEATHER:
Monday should be partly cloudy and mostly dry with day temperatures between 6 and 10 degrees Celsius.
* PROTESTS:
Several dozen Russian nationals took part in a protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin on Prague’s Wenceslas Square on Sunday, the final day of the Russian presidential elections. The protest aimed to show the public that Russians in Prague stand against Putin and support Ukraine in its defense against the Russian aggression.
* BRNO:
The Brno Exhibition Centre is featuring an exhibition on space missions. There are over 200 artefacts on display on a space of over 3,500 square meters. Many of them are originals on loan from NASA that have actually been in space. The Space Mission is a travelling exhibition, which came to Czechia from Barcelona and will next head to Asia.
* EASTER:
Residents of Jablonné v Podještědí in Czechia’s Liberec Region have crafted a giatn Easter egg using 324 meters of ribbons and 320 meters of wire. The colossal egg, standing three meters tall, took approximately 80 hours to complete. the egg serves as a festive centerpiece on the town’s Náměstí Míru until Easter.
Czech private railway operator RegioJet has announced the launch of a brand new train route connecting Prague, Czech Republic, with Chop, Ukraine.
The service kicks off on Wednesday, March 27th, but passengers can already secure their tickets.
This new line serves as an alternative to the existing route linking Prague with the Polish border town of Przemysl.
According to ZDopravy.cz, a key advantage lies in the smooth border crossing between Slovakia and Ukraine. Unlike buses, this train route avoids longer wait times.
RegioJet’s owner, Radim Jančura, revealed that the Chop-Prague route will consist of three cars with 140 seats, including 80 in sleeper cars and 60 in seated cars.
RegioJet will collaborate with Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia) on this new service. Plans are underway to extend the line further to Mukachevo, a city in the Transcarpathian region.
The new connection complements RegioJet’s existing Prague-Košice route. Passengers can choose between comfortable sleeper cars and regular seating.
The ticket price encompasses both breakfast and dinner, offering excellent value. Prices start from 459 CZK for a seat and 740 CZK for a sleeper berth.
RegioJet will not be the only operator of passenger trains on 1435-mm-gauge lines to Ukraine.
Slovakia’s national operator ZSSK operates a twice-daily service to Chop and Mukachevo, while Hungarian State Railways (MÁV) operates up to eight pairs of trains per day from Záhony to Chop.
Would you like us to write about your business? Find out more
A Czech invention that brings an innovative twist to the concept of urban furniture.
They look like black periscopes sticking out of the ground and observing the urban landscape around them. Or they could be confused with an air pipe that connects to some grid hidden in the Netherlands.
Meet the Poesiomats – the urban poetry machines that have taken over most of the cities in the Czech Republic, and recently also other places around the world.
The idea behind the Poesiomat, invented by café owner and cultural activist Ondřej Kobza, was to create a sort of publicly accessible jukebox for spoken word culture.
The first one of this type was installed in Prague’s Namesti Míru in 2015 and since then they have become a common feature in other Czech cities, towns, villages and even castles.
The aim of the Poesiomat is to revive the appeal of poetry by making it easily accessible to the masses. According to the initiative’s website, the poetry machines, however, can also contain lyrics, songs, and sounds related to the specific place they are located in.
On Tuesday, 12 March, a Poesiomat was erected in Kaznice, Brno-sever district.
Reminiscent of a submarine periscope, this machine talks and sings when prompted, offering poetry by important Czech poets interned in Káznice such as Jan Zahradníček, memories of political prisoners, and also poems, songs and texts by contemporary Czech and Roma authors.
Listeners of the Poesiomat can choose from 20 audio tracks, including the poem “Bratislavská”, written by the prominent Czech poet Jan Zahradníček during his prison stay in Káznice. Other poets featured who were also interned in the Cejl prison include Václav Renč and Zdeněk Rotrekl.
In essence, that means that no two are alike in terms of their cultural content.
The poetry machines are made of steel and are about 180 cm tall, consisting of three assembled parts. Inside each of them, there’s a speaker and electronic software which contains 20 different mp3 files. Passers-by can spin a handle jutting out from one side of the machine and choose what to play.
For a list of locations and further information about Poesiomat, see www.poesiomat.cz
Would you like us to write about your business? Find out more
* LATEST NEWS:
Former President Miloš Zeman was hospitalised after a medical examination on Thursday due to a blood clot which caused the blood supply to his leg to stop. He then underwent surgery in Prague’s Motol hospital to correct the problem. Mr. Zeman’s spokesperson Jiří Ovčáček said that the health issue was related to his diabetes and that he is expected to remain in hospital for about a week.
* POLITICS:
Czechia and the Philippines are aligned in their assessments of the international security situation, President Petr Pavel said after meeting with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in Prague on Thursday. Mr. Pavel also noted that Czechia is struggling with a labour shortage and that the Philippines is one of their priority countries for workers to come and fill the gap.
* WEATHER:
Friday is expected to be overcast with a chance of light showers in the late afternoon and evening. Daytime temperatures should range between 8 and 16 degrees Celsius.
* ENVIRONEMENT:
The Czech state spent CZK 26.8 billion on anti-drought measures last year. The money was used, among other things, for land adjustments, increasing the proportion of organic matter in the soil, and the construction of water supply and sewage systems. In the previous five years, an average of just under CZK 16 billion was spent on drought measures, according to the Agriculture Ministry.
* CULTURE:
The One World International Human Rights Film Festival kicks off in Prague on Wednesday 20 March. The festival will open with the Oscar-winning documentary 20 Days in Mariupol.