The Prague Public Transport Authority (DPP) is set to acquire a fleet of up to 100 low-floor electric buses over the next few years.
DPP has recently launched a public tender, with an estimated total value of CZK 1.5 billion, to identify the supplier for these buses.
The winner of the tender is expected to be announced by the end of this year, after which the DPP will enter into a five-year framework contract.
Zdeněk Hřib, Deputy Mayor of Prague Transport, emphasized the significance of this purchase. “By acquiring up to 100 new electric buses, we are not only fulfilling the Climate Plan of the Capital City of Prague, but also meeting our commitments at the national and European levels to reduce energy consumption, emissions, and noise pollution in public bus transport. If DPP would decommission an equal number of diesel buses, we would save approximately 2.4 million liters of diesel fuel per year and prevent the emission of around 6,438 tonnes of carbon dioxide in Prague.”
Energy management will enable the control and adjustment of the charging speed based on the actual duration of the charging break.
This will reduce the demands on the energy load of the charging infrastructure and prolong the lifespan of the batteries.
The vehicles should have a minimum design speed of 80 km/h and have the capability to capture and store the energy generated during braking in the traction batteries.
The electric bus being offered must have a guaranteed range of at least 100 kilometers, regardless of the season, climate, or operating conditions in Prague and the Central Bohemian Region.
Former journalist Jana Peterková received a two-year suspended sentence from the Prague City Court for spreading alarmist news during the pandemic, despite her supporters storming the courtroom.
Dozens of supporters came to support Peterková in the court hearing, breaking down the courtroom door and chanting slogans about the fascist state.
In response, the Czech police detained two people who were later released. One of the court members was taken to hospital.
“We are continuing to investigate the entire incident and determine whether further violations occurred,” Prague police spokesman Jan Rybanský told the Czech News Agency.
Peterková claims that NATO troops will occupy the Czech Republic and the soldiers would shoot anyone who refused to be taken for a coronavirus vaccination.
Peterková, a 47-year-old former reporter for TV Nova, has spoken in videos on social media about the drastic investigation and treatment of children in hospitals and alleged forced COVID-19 vaccinations.
Adam Wenig, a spokesman for the Prague City Court, said that the incident could be classified as a crime of disorderly conduct, contempt of court or, in extreme cases, violence against an official.
Czech Justice Minister Pavel Blažek condemned the behaviour of those involved in the incident. He also announced that the incident would be addressed by the government meeting on Wednesday, and measures to prevent a recurrence of similar situations would be considered.
However, this is not the first time similar disturbances have occurred at the Prague City Court due to disinformers, albeit without police intervention.
A green bistro has opened in Prague with a purely vegetarian menu and hydroponic farm inside.
Meatless meals can be fun, varied and really tasty. Chef Miluše Makó, who has been entrusted with the kitchen at the new Green Table bistro, proves it.
There are plenty of options for lunch in the center of Prague but finding a place to eat if you don’t eat meat can get a bit complicated.
There are vegetarian establishments in our capital, but their meatless offerings are often unremarkable to those that are being established abroad. Miluše Makó, the chef behind the culinary concept of the new vegetarian bistro Green Table, has a slightly different approach to meat-free food.
The bistro appeals to sustainability and localism and is located in the Florentinum building as an alternative option for employees. Green Table mainly serves the people working in Florentinum, but anyone can visit.
“By opening the Green Table bistro, we wanted to combine two of our long-term ambitions – sharing our philosophy of ecological transformation and taking care of our employees, to whom we want to offer something more than standard benefits. At the same time, we wanted to offer an authentic and welcoming place to meet and relax. And to inspire visitors through great vegetarian gastronomy,” says Markéta Dvořáková, Executive Director of Communications at Veolia ČR.
The menu is put together by a team of chefs headed by Miluše Makó and changes every week. The talented chef is neither vegetarian nor vegan, but she has been cooking without meat for a long time, including at the Gourmet Academy, where she organizes courses focused on the vegetarian culinary sphere.
The world of vegetables has fascinated her since her childhood, as her grandfather was a vegetable farmer. In the course of her cooking career, Makó discovered that she did not enjoy cooking classic dishes and much preferred to experiment with meatless fare.
“In our bistro you will see that modern sustainable cuisine can be made without compromise and with an emphasis on exceptional taste. I would like to show guests that eating healthy, locally, and with respect for nature does not mean a lesser gastronomic experience. On the contrary!” Makó explains her approach.
For example, broccoli ragout, grilled halloumi cheese with pickled celery, roasted portobello mushroom and baby courgette tartare appear on the menu. The bistro is green not only because of its purely vegetable-based menu, but also because it minimizes food waste. Makó only uses the freshest ingredients and uses all parts of the vegetable in her dishes.
Moreover, some of the ingredients come directly from inside the restaurant – in fact, the landmark of the establishment is a large hydroponic farm.
“We grow our own salads and herbs here, ensuring year-round production without sprays and unnecessary chemicals. In addition, a number of our innovative technologies are used in the space with an emphasis on sustainability. The ornamental flowers are irrigated with purified water from the bistro’s operation and grow from a substrate enriched with sewage sludge. Biodynamic lighting responds to outdoor conditions and the air is purified through eco-friendly filters,” adds Dvořáková.
Most of the elements in the interior are made primarily from eco-friendly, highly durable, and recycled materials. Large joinery assembled from waste wood, designer chairs made from the insides of old fridges, and armchairs made from recycled PET bottles all grace the interior.
Green Table also includes a coworking space that hosts various sustainability events – which, like the bistro, are open to the public.
The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) released its rankings of congress metropolises for 2022: Vienna once again takes 1st place worldwide in the ICCA City Ranking, ahead of Lisbon and Paris.
Vienna ranked 1st also in the 2021 overall ranking, which was published in 2022.
The ICCA City Ranking Report examines globally held international congress events in 2022. While Vienna reclaims the top spot worldwide with 166 hosted meetings, in 2nd and 3rd place are Lisbon (144) and Paris (134) respectively, followed by Barcelona (133), Prague (129), Madrid (128), Berlin (133), Athens (109), Brussels (108) and London (106).
Following the international trend that sees destinations hosting in-person meetings again, the latest ICCA Ranking Report refers to meetings & congresses that took place in-person in each meeting destination.
Prague hosted nearly four thousand events and welcomed 616,000 delegates last year, marking a significant increase compared to the pandemic-affected years.
However, Prague’s congress attendance still falls short of the record-breaking years of 2018 and 2019, despite notable progress on an international scale.
Although the number of events held in Prague last year represented only 66% of the figure from 2019, the attendance levels were considerably higher. The lingering effects of the pandemic, coupled with related restrictions both domestically and abroad, as well as the Ukrainian war outbreak, contributed to the lower event count.
Prague successfully hosted 616,597 delegates in 2022, equivalent to 86% of the participation seen in the record-breaking congress year of 2019.
These statistics serve as further evidence that face-to-face interaction remains invaluable, particularly in business meetings, as highlighted by Roman Muška, Director of the Prague Convention Bureau.
Prague’s ascent into the top five destinations is a remarkable accomplishment, especially considering its 19th-place ranking in 2010. This improvement of 14 positions can be attributed to the concerted efforts of various organizations involved in the development of the congress industry.
- Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský has condemned Monday’s attack on members of the international KFOR mission in Kosovo. Both Pristina and Belgrade must take immediate steps to ease tensions, the Czech head of diplomacy wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.
- The Czech economy experienced a fall by 0.4 percent year-on -year in the first quarter of 2023, according to revised data released by the Czech Statistics Office on Tuesday. Estimates in May predicted a decline by 0.2 percent. The quarter-on-quarter GDP stagnated during the first three months of this year.
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- On Tuesday, restorers will dismantle the statues of three apostles from Prague’s famous Astronomical Clock on Old Town Square that were damaged by vandals last July. During the repair work, expected to cost around CZK 35,000, the clock will operate as usual, with three of its windows empty.
- 24% of the Czech population smoked tobacco products last year, according to a survey by the State Health Institute (SZU) released today. Another 10% of the population used electronic cigarettes, 6.6% used heated tobacco and 2.8% used nicotine sachets. Electronic cigarettes and nicotine sachets are most popular among young people.
- Some 3,462 cases of scabies were recorded in Czechia at the end of April, which is the highest figure in the past 20 years and twice as high as in the same period last year. Experts attribute the rise in scabies incidence to its absence during Covid lockdowns and to the overall decline in immunity.
The European League of American Football begins Sunday. For the first time ever, the Czech Republic will be represented.
The third edition of the European equivalent of the overseas National Football League (NFL) starts this Sunday, June 4th. Since last year, 6 teams have joined the league meaning 17 teams will compete in the 2023 season.
A Netflix crew is following the action and a documentary is in the works.
The popularity of American football in Europe is growing every year, as evidenced by the creation of the European Professional Football League (ELF).
The ELF has a worldwide reach of over half a billion households who are anxiously watching to see which team will be this year’s winner. “This is a great opportunity for our players to play at the highest European level and show that we have what it takes,” says Prague Lions head coach Zach Harrod.
In the first year of the league, only 8 teams participated – six from Germany and one each from Poland and Spain. But in two years, the eight teams have grown to seventeen, each vying for the European Championship title.
The Prague Lions themselves will make their first appearance at the FK Viktoria Žižkov stadium, where they host the German team the Leipzig Kings on Sunday, June 4th at 16:25.
The Prague Lions aim to move American football to a professional level in the Czech Republic
Their impressive record includes winning six Czech Bowls which led to their September 2022 decision that their travels would no longer lead only “to the Highlands and back.” Now the Prague Lions will face competition from the whole of Europe.
“We felt we needed a new challenge, in all areas – on and off the field. We have assembled a talented team and we will do everything we can to make the playoffs. And anything is possible in the playoffs,” comments Harrod on joining the ELF.
The talent to do so is here in the Czech Republic, according to Harrod. It just needs to develop more. The Czech Republic must build a culture of the sport and get more kids involved. Football has a tradition here and it’s been around since the end of World War II. “American football has been played in the Czech Republic for years. We have many successful players and even two D-1 coaches who have helped many of them make it to the NFL,” says Harrod.
You’ll be able to watch ELF both on the field and behind the scenes Plus, all the important moments and emotions will be documented through an upcoming behind-the-scenes series that will run every 14 days on YouTube. The series will chart everything from the arrival of the first international players and joint training sessions, to open problem solving and play-making.
A collaboration for Netflix is also in the works, so all footage is already being processed on certified Netflix cameras.
Metronome Prague, happening at the Prague Exhibition Grounds from 21 to 24 June, will traditionally offer more than just great music.
The sixth edition also features a rich accompanying programme, the Metronome Fair, with this year’s theme being COURAGE.
Broadcasted directly from Metronome Prague, podcasts will make an exciting addition, there will be a variety of workshops, the festival also gives space to non-profit organizations and award-winning artists, and does not forget about children and teenagers.
All those who like to have fun will meet in one place, where stars such as Jamiroquai, ZAZ, Moderat, Aurora, M83, Editors, ToveLo, J.I.D, White Lies, Jana Kirschner and others reign supreme. Bargain-priced tickets are nearly sold out, with the next edition going for full price.
For example, you can play an escape game, explore virtual reality, see the festival from above from the observation wheel, practice heart massage, start fighting stress, search for brand new caches and try hip hop dance.
Festival of podcasts
The organizers of Metronome, together with other Czech art institutions, have prepared extraordinary outdoor expositions, there will be interesting film productions and also a new exciting addition: podcasts recorded live from the Prague Exhibition Grounds – Čestmír Strakatý with Prostor X, Pastoral Brothers, Dobrovský & Šídlo, We Children with Courage, etc.
Visitors will also be able to attend debates on current topics, for example, the Foundation for Independent Journalism will present courageous media, Professor Andrey Borisovich Zubov and Libor Dvořák will talk about the history of Russia through the eyes of today, Margit Slimáková about the courage to take good care of your body, etc.
The accompanying programme also features exhibitions, slam poetry and a lot of entertainment for children and young people including theatre, dance and art workshops, skatepark and pump track, photo corner, observation wheel and a whole lot more (glitters, tattoos, computer and board games, etc.). The Czech Olympic Committee is preparing a special zone about courage, which will present the brave female gymnast and gymnastics coach Věra Čáslavská.
Courageous NPOs
Non-profit organizations will be given a special place at Metronome Prague to present their projects and activities, in which visitors will be able to participate on the spot.
People in Need will take part in the festival by presenting the new computer card game BeeCarbonize. This will allow players to become the one who decides the fate of the planet, and visitors will be able to play it on the spot.
The association Nevypusť duši will show those interested how to find courage and face the stress; Caritas Czech Republic will let the audience experience what it is like to live in a makeshift shelter of a refugee tent and tell the stories of those who managed to stand on their own feet again despite adversity.
Political Prisoners.eu Association will recall recent history and reveal the courageous step they took to save the “chain changing room” building called as Řetízkárna in the Ore Mountains, part of the site of a silver and later uranium mine and the largest communist labour camp Rovnost near Jáchymov.
This year, the Prague Exhibition Grounds, will provide visitors with unforgettable historical pavilions and the Křižík Fountain. The advantage of the venue is also the accessibility of all attractions – monuments, museums, galleries, parks – and the historical centre of Prague itself is literally within easy reach for excursions or relaxing in cafés.
It’s that time again. Head to the fields and pick your own strawberries in Prague and around Czechia.
Every year, the Czech Ministry of Agriculture encourages people to choose Czech berries as they are much tastier and healthier than imported ones.
“Our strawberries are riper, juicier and more delicious. This is due to the fact that foreign producers deliberately grow hard varieties for export so that they can endure long transports,” the ministry explains.
Many Czech farmers traditionally offer their clients to come to their own fields and pick their own strawberries. In this case, they will cost almost half as much as in a normal shop.
This service is called samosběr and is in great demand. It is not only about economic gain: for many nature lovers, the picking process is a pleasure in itself.
Here you can also find a special website with a list of farms that offer this service.
You can select the region where you live and a list of farms appears. By clicking on the name of the farm, you will find all the information you need (price, address, opening hours, etc.).
Self-harvesting dates are weather-dependent and often change at the last minute. Therefore, always check the information on the website or on the social media of a particular farm before heading out to pick strawberries.
If you do not feel like working in the fields, you can buy already harvested strawberries on the spot. They cost more, but they are still much cheaper than store-bought ones.
The strawberries are already on sale in the following strawberry farms in Prague:
Kunratické jahody (Václav Macháček)
Kunratické jahody (Jiří Jakoubek)
- During the past winter, Czechia fulfilled the EU target of saving at least 5% electricity during peak consumption periods, Jan Hamrník, spokesman for the Energy Regulatory Office told the ctk news agency on Monday. The total savings during the peak consumption hours from December till March were 6.5 percent.
- The 25th edition of the Khamoro festival of Romany culture gets underway in Prague on Sunday. The annual event, offering concerts, workshops, film screenings and seminars, will start with a theatre performance at the capital’s Výstaviště. Khamoro, named after the Romany word for sunshine, will run at venues around the city until June 3.
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- The planned introduction of a legal, regulated cannabis market in Czechia may end up in the European Court of Justice, said national drug policy coordinator Jindrich Voboril. However, he said he believed this to be the best option, as prohibition has been proven not to work and only brings costs and risks.
- Less than a third of the population is satisfied with the way democracy is working in Czechia and only 18% of Czechs believe that politicians listen to the opinions of ordinary people, suggests a survey carried out by Ipsos agency. 31% of Czechs are satisfied with the functioning of democracy in the country, while 42% thought democracy wasn’t functioning well.
- Writer, translator and former diplomat, Michael Žantovský has announced that he will leave his post as head of the the Václav Havel Library on June 1. He has led the institution, which looks after the intellectual, literary and political legacy of playwright and former president Václav Havel, since September 2015.
The new collection covers an entire floor of the Trade Fair Palace, with 300 works purely from the collections of the National Gallery and a cross-section of domestic work spanning eight decades.
The new permanent exhibition entitled 1939-2021: The End of the Black and White Era, aims to show visitors how the perception of artistic quality in the Czech Republic has changed over time.
Within the collection, several types of creative expression exist side by side illustrating that art serves primarily as a testimony to the times.
The exhibition begins in 1939, drawing the visitor into the wartime art of Emil Filla, Jan Kotík, Josef Čapek, Karel Kotrba, and the artists of Group 42. The collection continues through the equally dark period of totalitarianism, in which a number of artistic movements flourished despite the suppression of the creative spirit.
“The title, ‘The End of the Black and White Era’ can carry many connotations. It is also a slogan summing up our approach. We try to go beyond simple evaluation criteria based on opposites.
The period after 1939 is still artistically alive and has a direct influence on the present,” says Michal Novotný, Director of the Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art and curator of the new exhibition.
The works on display include surrealist, avant-garde, abstract, and lyrical-abstract works, while representatives of conceptualism, constructivism, and Czech new figuration add depth to the collection.
The curators also allow space for socialist realism within the collection, whose idealistic scenes act as a fist in the eye in contrast to the dark atmosphere of the time.
Represented in the collection are canvases exhibiting an oppressive atmosphere by the Vál sisters, the large-format Cleopatra by Jan Zrzavý, the spiky sculptures by Aleš Veselý and the iconic sculpture “The Great Dialogue” by Karel Nepraš, and the typically constructivist works by Vladislav Mirvald and Radoslav Kratina.
The new exhibition shows that individual artistic endeavors, official and unofficial, abstract and figurative, formal and socially engaged, have always influenced each other’s existence and cannot be separated into black and white.
Art has always been at the intersection of social, economic and political conditions, which Michal Novotný and other curators Eva Skopalová and Adéla Janíčková have highlighted in the collection.
At the end of the gallery, the pieces done by contemporary artists are hung on metal grids – the same ones used to place works in depositories.
The contemporary section contains large artworks, such as the strange five figures in a pink car by Josef Bolf, a painting by Jakub Hošek, whose timeless work combines calligraphy and street art, and a geometric canvas by Vladimír Houdek.
The Prague City Technology Company (THMP) has recently finished constructing the first new set of crossing lights, with a total of fifty-three planned for completion this year.
Fifteen districts in the city will gradually receive these new crossing lights.
According to a press release, the initial installations have been completed in Ústřední and Archimédova Street in Prague 15.
The city’s decision to implement this project stems from the fact that improved illumination of crosswalks allows drivers to spot pedestrians in a timely manner.
Zdeněk Hřib (Piráti), Deputy Mayor of Prague for Transport, stated, that “to navigate safely in traffic, it is crucial to see and, most importantly, be seen. By illuminating crosswalks, we enhance conditions for both pedestrians and drivers, enabling the latter to identify crossings earlier and avoid unnecessary collisions.”
The enhancement of crossing lights will be carried out across most districts in the city. They will be installed at various locations, including the entrance to Letenské sady, near ČVUT, Jiřího z Poděbrad Square, and other busy streets with tram traffic, such as Francouzská, Seifertova, and Střešovická Street.
The newly installed luminaires feature flat glass and directional optics to minimize nighttime light pollution.
The LED light sources have an optimal color rendering temperature, which is crucial for enhancing pedestrian safety on the roads.
THMP will also provide service and maintenance for over 1,300 existing crosswalk lights in the capital city.
In Prague, these crossing lights are turned on one hour prior to public lighting and remain on for an hour after it is switched off.
A Czech Republic resident has sparked outrage by displaying outside her home a flag of the Wagner private military company, whose mercenaries are currently engaged in war crimes against Ukraine as part of Russia’s occupying forces, Czech Radio reported on May 27.
Lucie Brychtova, a Czech citizen, proudly exhibited the flag of the war criminals on her private property, even sharing a photo of it on her Facebook page.
The woman’s social media posts clearly demonstrate her support for the “Russian world” ideology and the fictitious entity known as “Novorossiya.”
The police have initiated an investigation into this incident.
David Chaloupka, spokesperson for the Czech police, confirmed the ongoing investigation, stating, “The police are aware of this case. An investigation is underway. However, premature comments are not appropriate at this time.”
Wagner mercenaries have been actively involved in the conflict in Ukraine since 2014, fighting against the Ukrainian army under Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Established in 2014 by Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close associate of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, the Wagner private military company is reported to receive monthly funding exceeding $100 million from Prigozhin for its operations in Ukraine.
Apart from Ukraine, Wagner PMC mercenaries have reportedly been deployed to other regions, including Syria, Mali, and the Central African Republic.
Recruiters have largely targeted prisoners serving sentences for serious crimes such as murder, grievous bodily harm, robbery, and burglary.
Since the beginning of this year, many Wagner PMC mercenaries have been eliminated in the Battle of Bakhmut.
The recent U.S. assessment of 100,000 Russian losses — including killed and wounded in action, along with deserters and surrendered troops — remains an accurate reflection of the price Moscow has paid in Bakhmut, White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said at a press briefing on May 24.
Wagner PMC is under sanctions from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union.