Kraftstoffpreise in Tschechien steigen langsamer

Auf einmal ist Tanken in Tschechien bei Deutschen wieder beliebt. Deutsche Medien berichteten von langen Schlangen an Tankstellen direkt an der Grenze. Eine Station in Dolní Poustevna (Niedereinsiedel) bei Sebnitz soll zeitweise sogar ausverkauft gewesen sein. Hintergrund für die große Nachfrage sind die sprunghaft gestiegenen Kraftstoffpreise für Benzin und erst recht für Diesel in Deutschland nach dem Angriff Israels und der USA auf den Iran.

Doch die Situation beginnt sich zu ändern. Bereits wenige Tage nach dem Ansturm deutscher Autofahrer steigen auch die Preise in Tschechien, nur eben langsamer. Die Tageszeitung Děčínský deník berichtete am Donnerstag von Preisen für den Liter Natural 95, das dem deutschen Normal-Benzin entspricht, in Děčín (Tetschen) zwischen 33,50 Kronen (1,40 Euro) und 36,40 Kronen (1,52 Euro). Am billigsten war es zehn Kilometer südlich von Děčín in Dobkovice, wo die Tankstelle Tank Ono 32,50 Kronen je Liter (1,35 Euro) verlangte. Für Diesel müssen Autofahrer im Schnitt sogar zwischen 34 und 35 Kronen je Liter zahlen, das entspricht zwischen 1,42 Euro und 1,46 Euro.

Laut Děčínský deník stiegen die Preise seit dem Angriff auf den Iran umgerechnet im Schnitt zwischen 8 und 25 Cent je Liter, also deutlich langsamer als in Deutschland.

Ein Grund dafür sieht die Tageszeitung Hospodářské noviny in der neue Preispolitik der Tankstellen EuroOil und RobinOil. Die gehören zum staatlichen Erdölunternehmen Čepro, das auch eine Raffinerie und Öllager betreibt und im Auftrag des Staates eine Ölreserve vorhält. Sowohl EuroOil als auch RobinOil halten an ihren rund 300 Tankstellen den Preis so niedrig wie möglich. Dass dies politischer Wille ist, schließt die Tageszeitung aus einem Interview des Servers Echo24 mit Industrieminister Karel Havlíček (ANO) am Donnerstag, in dem er die Preispolitik der Čepro-Tankstellen erklärte: "Sie halten den Preis so niedrig wie möglich. Sie werden weder spekulieren noch die Situation ausnutzen. Dann kann sich jeder ein eigenes Bild machen, wie die reale Situation auf dem Markt aussieht, wenn jemand anfängt die Preise zu erhöhen." Diese Politik geht offenbar zunächst auf, da rund 300 Tankstellen eine gewisse Marktmacht ausmachen. Zusätzlich lässt das Finanzministerium Unregelmäßigkeiten bei der Preisbildung prüfen.

Zu normalen Zeiten besteht der Preisunterschied zwischen Benzin in Deutschland und Tschechien bei rund 30 Cent je Liter.

"Chaotisch wie zu Corona-Zeiten"

Anders als bei der Reaktion auf den Anstieg der Ölpreise handelt die Regierung bei der Rückführung tschechischer Staatsbürger aus dem Nahen Osten offenbar weniger koordiniert. Speziell Außenminister Petr Macinka (Autofahrer) machte wieder unrühmlich auf sich aufmerksam, als er den Staatsbürgern in der Krisenregion empfahl, "die Zeit zu genießen. Es werde bestimmt ein Erlebnis", so der Außenminister. Für die immerhin rund 5.000 betroffenen tschechischen Staatsbürger war das kein Trost. Mit fast 4.000 befinden sich die meisten in den Vereinten Arabischen Emiraten. Eine besondere Herausforderung stellt der Oman dar, der die Genehmigung für Evakuierungen vorübergehend gestoppt hat. Dort stecken immerhin etwas mehr als 1.300 Menschen fest, die zweithöchste Zahl tschechischer Staatsbürger in der Region. Mehrere Hundert Menschen befinden sich in Jordanien, Katar, Saudi-Arabien und Israel.

Der Parlamentsabgeordnete der Piraten, Zdeněk Hřib, kritisierte vor allem das Kommunikationschaos der Regierung: "Chaotisch wie zu Corona-Zeiten", sagte der Pirat. Viele Staatsbürger fühlten sich schlecht informiert und es fehlte jegliche staatliche Unterstützung. Ganz zu beginn hatte Außenminister Macinka gesagt, dass die Regierung keine Evakuierungsflüge plane. Inzwischen hat er offenbar seine Meinung geändert oder wurde innerhalb der Regierung dazu gedrängt. Bereits am Montag begann die Planung von Evakuierungsflügen mit Hilfe der tschechischen Fluggesellschaft Smartwings und des tschechischen Militärs. Die ersten Flugzeuge landeten in Prag am Dienstag. Sie kamen aus Oman, Ägypten und Jordanien. Am Mittwoch erfuhren die Heimkehrer von Außenminister Petr Macinka, dass sie für ihren Rückflug selbst zahlen müssen, im Schnitt 15.000 Kronen pro Person (625 Euro), was Premierminister Andrej Babiš kategorisch ablehnte. Am Donnerstag dann tat Macinka, als ob er nie davon gesprochen hätte, dass jemand seinen Flug bezahlen muss. 

Auf sich allein gestellt bleiben aber die Tausenden Tschechen, die sich im Fernen Osten in Thailand, Vietnam oder auf den Malediven befinden. Diese haben in der Regel Flüge mit Umstieg in der Golfregion gebucht. Premierminister Andrej Babiš teilte ihnen mit, dass die Regierung ihnen vorerst nicht helfen kann.

Deutsche Bahn sperrt Elbtalstrecke

Bahnreisende müssen sich auf neue Sperrungen im Elbtal Richtung Tschechien einstellen. Zwar wurde die jahrelange Sanierung und der Ausbau des Güterbahnhofs Bad Schandau abgeschlossen. Nun stehen aber weitere Modernisierungsarbeiten an. Deshalb nimmt die Deutsche Bahn in den kommenden Monaten neue Sperrungen vor. Konkret wird der Abschnitt zwischen Bad Schandau und dem Grenzort Schöna vom 15. bis 22. März täglich von 9 bis 17 Uhr gesperrt. Danach bleibt sie bis November immer montags außer an Feiertagen zwischen 9 und 19 Uhr dicht. Eine weitere Totalsperrung ist vom 14. bis 19. April jeweils von 9 bis 17 Uhr geplant. Nachsperrungen gibt es zudem vom 13. bis 17. April sowie vom 25. bis 29. April jeweils von 21 bis 3 Uhr. Während der Vollsperrungen fahren als Ersatz für den Eurocity zwischen Dresden und Ústí nad Labem (Aussig) Busse. Von Juni bis November 2026 sollen weitere Sperrungen folgen. Details werden von der Deutschen Bahn rechtzeitig bekannt gegeben, heißt es.

Unabhängig davon kommt es auf dem Abschnitt zwischen Heidenau und Kurort Rathen noch bis 11. April zu Einschränkungen. Tagsüber ist aufgrund von Bauarbeiten immer nur ein Gleis befahrbar. Nachts kommt es zu Totalsperrungen.

Kaum Einsparung bei Abwanderung nach Tschechien

Die Verlagerung von Produktionsstätten aus Deutschland nach Polen oder Tschechien bringt für die Firmen weniger Einsparung als erhofft. Wie das Handelsblatt unter Berufung auf eine Studie des Consultingunternehmens Strategy& berichtet, zeigen sich neben den vergleichsweise geringen Einsparungen bei den Löhnen noch weitere Probleme. So gebe es in Deutschlands östlichen Nachbarländern einen noch größeren Fachkräftemangel als in der Bundesrepublik. Zudem sei die Industrie nicht hinreichend automatisiert. 

Städte im Grenzgebiet investieren in Schwimmhallen

Der Aquapark in Děčín gehört zu den Besuchermagneten in der Elbestadt. Fast 300.000 Menschen besuchen ihn jedes Jahr. Das ist aber auch das Problem. Die Anlage, die um die Jahrtausendwende durch ein modernes Spaßbad ergänzt wurde, stößt an ihre Kapazitätsgrenzen. Vormittags tummelt sich hier der Schulunterricht, kommen auch Kitas. Nachmittags trainieren Vereine. Für die Öffentlichkeit gibt es immer nur kurze Zeitfenster am Morgen, gegen Mittag und dann abends.

Die Stadt Děčín plant deshalb die Erweiterung und Modernisierung. Der Plan ist, dass die Vereine ganzjährig im Außenbereich trainieren sollen. Auch wenn das Wasser durch Thermalquellen warm ist, muss das Becken auch überdacht werden, um ein ganzjähriges Training zu gewährleisten. Gleichzeitig muss das 50-Meter-Becken durch ein neues ersetzt werden. Erste Entwürfe sollen der Öffentlichkeit noch im Frühling vorgestellt werden. Die Kosten werden auf bis zu 200 Millionen Kronen geschätzt. Das entspricht rund 8,3 Millionen Euro. Für den Haushalt der 50.000-Einwohner-Stadt ist das viel zu viel. Deshalb kann die Erweiterung nur starten, wenn ein geeignetes Fördermittelprogramm aufgelegt wird.

Nicht nur Děčín, auch Rumburk (Rumburg) im Schluckenauer Zipfel plant die Modernisierung seines Hallenbads. Genaue Pläne sind noch nicht bekannt. Fest steht nur, dass die Technik ausgetauscht und eine Fotovoltaikanlage eingebaut werden soll. Die soll außerdem mit der Fotovoltaikanlage auf dem Dach der nahen Schule verbunden werden. Damit will die Stadt Betriebskosten sparen. Außerdem soll neu eine Saunawelt eingebaut werden.

Auch Rumburk ist bei der Modernisierung von Fördermitteln abhängig. Auch in Rumburk spricht man bei den Kosten von rund 200 Millionen Kronen. Die Modernisierung hätte auch grenzüberschreitende Auswirkungen. Schon heute trainieren in der Halle auch Vereine aus dem nahen Sachsen. Mit der Sauna dürfte die Halle noch mehr für Gäste aus Sachsen interessant werden.

Ausstellung aus Sicht der Pflanzen

Wie sieht die Welt eigentlich für Pflanzen aus. Eine Ausstellung im Gebietsmuseum in Ústí nad Labem (Aussig) möchte Besuchern helfen, sich in die Pflanzen hineinzuversetzen. Die Ende Februar eröffnete Ausstellung mit dem Titel "Planeta Plantae" (Die Welt der Pflanzen) verteilt sich auf drei Räume und umfasst auch echte Pflanzen, meist Zimmerpflanzen, welche die Zeit der Ausstellung bis zum 2. August auch überleben. Im ersten Saal zeigen die Ausstellungsmacher, die die Pflanzen die Welt formen und Leben für Menschen und Tiere möglich gemacht haben. Im zweiten Raum wird das Leben der Wurzeln unter der Erde untersucht. Im dritten Saal zeigt die Ausstellung, worin sich Pflanzen und Menschen ähneln und worin sie sich unterscheiden.

Die Ausstellung ist multimedial aufbereitet und verspricht wenig Textlastigkeit, so dass sie auch für Besucher, die des Tschechischen nicht mächtig sind, attraktiv ist. Es gibt auch mehrere interaktive Angebote. Die Ausstellung lässt sich zudem gut mit einem Besuch der Dauerausstellung "Unsere Deutschen" verbinden. Exotische Pflanzen suchen Besucher aber vergebens. Das geben die Raumverhältnisse nicht her. Dafür ist aber ein Besuch des Botanischen Gartens in Teplice (Teplitz) empfohlen. Dort läuft noch bis Ende März eine Ausstellung zum Pflanzenduft und Parfümerie.

Die Ausstellung im Museum in Ústí ist täglich außer montags von 9 bis 18 Uhr geöffnet.

New Dresden-Prague line reaches the Bundestag

The preliminary planning for the new railroad line from Dresden to Prague has reached the Bundestag. As a result, the Federal Ministry of Transport has submitted the documents to the Bundestag for parliamentary consideration of the new line from Dresden to the border with the Czech Republic. The core of the project is the 30 km long Erzgebirge tunnel, which was approved by the Czech government last summer. Since then, the German side has been waiting for a decision. The Bundestag is responsible for this. Saxony's Infrastructure Minister Regina Kraushaar described the bill to the dpa news agency as a "very important signal to the people in Saxony's Elbe Valley and to our Czech neighbors". Further steps must now follow as quickly as possible. "I ask the members of the German Bundestag to quickly make the necessary referrals and then secure reliable funding in the federal budget," the Minister called on the Bundestag. According to the Minister, there is an important reason for swift action: "If the budget funds for the next planning steps are made available now, the time window for EU funding and joint implementation with the Czech Republic will remain open." The new line is intended to reduce the travel time between Dresden and Prague from the current 2.5 hours to one hour. If the Bundestag approves the continuation of the project and secures the funding, the already prepared state treaty with the Czech Republic can be signed.

According to current calculations, the Czech Republic is investing almost 1.9 billion euros in its section of the high-speed line. The first section is scheduled to go into operation in 2039. The entire line should be completed by 2045. There will only be a maximum of two stops between Dresden and Prague: one in Ústí nad Labem (Aussig) and a second near Roudnice nad Labem (Raudnitz). Kraushaar emphasized the supra-regional character of the new line. It would close an important gap in the connection between the capital cities of Berlin, Prague and Vienna.

Successful Czech Olympic record

The Czech Olympic delegation returned home from the Winter Games in Cortina and Milan with five medals. In addition to two gold medals, they also won two silver and one bronze medal. With 16th place in the medal rankings, they were able to leave a winter sports nation such as Finland, Slovenia and Poland behind. In terms of value, it was the third best result in the history of the Czech Republic. In terms of the total number of medals, it was the Czech Republic's fourth-best result to date.

However, the medals were ultimately distributed somewhat differently than expected. In the parallel snowboard slalom, defending champion Ester Ledecká was eliminated in the quarter-finals. And yet there was gold for the Czech Republic. Because Zuzana Maděrová stepped into the breach for the three-time Olympic champion (both on skis and snowboard). She won gold in the final in front of President Petr Pavel.

The second gold also went to the Czech Republic, somewhat surprisingly, at least outside the country. Speed skater Metoděj Jílek, just 19 years old, was crowned Olympic champion in the 10,000 meter long track. He himself had the goal of winning the Olympics confidently in mind and produced an impressive triumphant run on the ice over the long distance. He also won a silver medal in the 5,000 meters, narrowly missing out on gold. He thus took over the baton from the legendary Martina Sáblíková, who once surprised the world at a young age in a similar way to Jílek now. In Sáblíková's early years, there was not even a competition track for speed skaters in the Czech Republic.

The 32-year-old Eva Adamczyková also won silver in snowboard cross. This was her third Olympic medal and completes her medal set of gold, silver and bronze. She had to miss the 2022 Olympics in Beijing due to a double leg fracture just above the ankle. In 2023, she crowned a phenomenal return with the world title. She gave birth to her son Kryštof 14 months ago and, after a mixed season, is now back to showing her absolute world class at the Olympics.

However, the fifth Czech medal was the biggest surprise. On the penultimate day of the competition, 25-year-old Tereza Voborníková won it in the women's biathlon mass start. It was her first individual medal at the Olympics and the Czech Republic's first Olympic medal in the biathlon since Michal Krčmář's silver medal in the sprint in 2018. Like teammates Krčmář and Eva Adamczyková, Voborníková also comes from Vrchlabí (Hohenelbe) in the Giant Mountains.

This is what the stations for the Jeschken cable car look like

The designs for the new stations of the cable car to the popular Ještěd peak were presented in Liberec. The Liberec-based architecture firm SIAL was awarded the contract by the city. SIAL has a long tradition. Its co-founder Karel Hubáček once designed the iconic television tower on Jeschken, which is both a restaurant and a hotel.

The designs for the stations are based on the design for the new cable car by designer Anna Marešová, which was presented earlier. The new cable car route consists of a valley station, a mountain station and an intermediate station, which is located on the road to the Ještědka chalet.

The mountain station directly below the mountain hotel will be smaller than the original one. At the same time, it will improve access for emergency vehicles. The access road runs directly below the mountain station. The biggest innovation is the valley station, which is to be built several hundred meters further down the valley. Its new location is right next to the final streetcar stop. The parking lot there will also have a superstructure and thus a second floor. This means that in future there will be 782 parking spaces for cars instead of 529.

However, it will be a long time before the new streetcar runs to the summit again. It is estimated that it will not be operational until 2030 at the earliest.

This week, the mountain hotel including the radio tower and restaurant was also sold. It now belongs to the Liberec district. Previously, the broadcasting and telecommunications company České Radiokomunikace was the owner. The sale, which amounts to 7.6 million euros including original furniture from the 1970s, has secured the building for use by the public, according to the Liberec district.

Gerta Schnirch film scores on HBO

It will be one of the film events not only in the Czech Republic this year. The film adaptation of Kateřina Tučková's bestseller "The Expulsion of Gerta Schnirch". The two-part film with the simple title "Gerta Schnirch" is a co-production of Czech Television Česká televize and Arte. It will only be shown on both broadcasters in the fall and will also be presented at the Frankfurt Book Fair at the beginning of October. However, the 90-minute mini-series can already be seen on HBO plus. And the demand in the first few weeks makes the producers optimistic.

The two-part film by director Tomáš Mašín is based on the screenplay by Alice Nellis, Ondřej Gabriel and Tomáš Mašín, which is inspired by Tučková's successful novel. The film is about the young woman Gerta Schnirch, who grows up in a German-Czech family before and during the German occupation (1939-1945). After 1945, she and hundreds of other Germans from Brno are driven on the painful march to Austria, which ends in Pohořelice.

Although the novel is set in Brno, the film was also shot near the border with Saxony. The film crew spent several days in Děčín (Tetschen).

Czech Republic has a new environment minister

Five months after the election and two months after the new Czech government took office, it is now complete. On Monday, President Petr Pavel appointed Motorist Party candidate Igor Červený as the new Minister of the Environment. Until now, the post had been held temporarily by Foreign Minister and Motorist leader Petr Macinka. Červený announced that he would lead the ministry in a triumvirate with the Government Commissioner for the Green Deal and Climate Policy, Filip Turek, and the Chief Director of the Technical Environmental Protection Section, Jaromír Wasserbauer.

Olympia Teplice shopping center to be expanded

Construction work is in full swing on the highway from Ústí nad Labem to Teplice just before the spa town. Since September 2024, the large Olympia shopping center at the gates of the city has been extended by a low-rise building directly on the highway. The old center has also been modernized. The focus was on energy-efficient refurbishment. The new building is due to open in spring. While the operator is expecting a reduction in operating costs, customers are looking forward to new stores. The 8,000 square meters of additional retail space will accommodate 13 stores. Stores from Penny, Jysk, Rossmann, the electronics retailer Planeo, Action (decoration, furnishings) and Kytky od Pepy (flowers) have already been confirmed. A Burger King is also moving into the new building.

However, the new building is not only met with anticipation. Critics complain that the center on the outskirts of the city will draw further purchasing power away from the city center. There are already two other shopping centers there (Fontána and Galerie). This will make it increasingly difficult for small stores in the spa town.

 

(This is an automatic translation by DeepL Translator.)

Strong increase in guests in North Bohemia

The Ústí region is becoming increasingly attractive as a vacation destination. In 2025, accommodation facilities recorded more guests than ever before since statistics began in 2012. According to the Statistical Office, over 660,000 guests stayed overnight last year, 4.3 percent more than in the previous year. Guests from abroad provided the strongest momentum. Their number increased by 8.6 percent to 228,007, while the number of guests from the Czech Republic rose by 2.2 percent to 432,335. The number of overnight stays also increased, by 5.6 percent in total to 1.7 million nights. That is an average of 2.6 overnight stays per guest. Czech tourists stayed an average of 2.7 nights, slightly longer than guests from abroad (2.4 nights). Almost half of foreign tourists came from Germany with almost 112,000. This was followed by almost 30,000 guests from Poland and just under 15,000 tourists from Slovakia.

In recent years, the number of tourists in the Ústí district has risen steadily, especially those from the Czech Republic. Tourism is also booming nationwide. The pre-corona level of almost 22 million tourists throughout the Czech Republic was already exceeded in 2024. Last year, 23.5 million people stayed in hotels, guesthouses, vacation apartments or campsites throughout the Czech Republic. At 10.9 million, the pre-corona level of foreign tourists was only exceeded in 2025. The number of domestic tourists had already exceeded the pre-pandemic level in 2022.

Motorists withdraw candidate Turek

Two weeks ago, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš declared the "Turek" issue over. The dispute over the nomination of the honorary chairman of the Motoristé party, Filip Turek, had escalated. The leader of the Motorist Party, Petr Macinka, had threatened the President of the Republic in several text messages. President Petr Pavel went public and went on the offensive. This was followed by massive demonstrations throughout the country in support of Pavel, which continued for days and weeks afterwards. Officially, Macinka and Turek remained stubborn and stuck with the candidate for the post of environment minister. In the past, the latter had published posts on social media that trivialized the rule of the National Socialists, while other posts were xenophobic or insulted minorities. President Pavel did not consider Turek to be a suitable candidate for a ministerial post.

But at the beginning of the week, the 180-degree turnaround: The Motorists suddenly presented MP Igor Červený as the new candidate for the post of environment minister. Before becoming an MP, Červený worked as a project manager at various universities in Prague and Charles University. President Petr Pavel had announced that he would first meet with Červený before making an appointment, which took place yesterday at Prague Castle. After the meeting, it was announced that the president would appoint the minister on Monday.

Political scientists see three reasons behind the sudden change of opinion. In opinion polls, the small party had fallen by two percentage points from its previous 7 percent, bringing it to the edge of the 5 percent hurdle. In addition, head of government Andrej Babiš put pressure on the party. The whole affair was beginning to get on his nerves and he feared that his work in government could be damaged. And thirdly, the Foreign Ministry and the Environment Ministry complained that their head, Petr Macinka, was not in the house enough. Macinka had led both ministries. The original plan was to maintain this as long as Turek was not appointed.

Nine border market stalls in Hřensko already removed

The border village of Hřensko (Herrnskretschen) has got its way. According to Czech Radio, nine stalls at the border market run by members of the Vietnamese minority in the Czech Republic have already disappeared. The municipality had called on all stall owners to remove their stalls, which were illegally located on public municipal land. The operators had had a special permit for this since 2004, but it had expired. This involved three smaller and six larger stalls. There are now a total of two affected market stalls. The municipality is still negotiating details with one of the traders. One trader did not respond to the municipality's request, which has now commissioned a lawyer to clarify the matter.

"We are aware that this will eliminate shopping opportunities. But we want certain rules to be observed," Mayor Kateřina Horáková told Czech Radio in December. The municipality hopes that the removal of the market stalls will improve the aesthetics of the village's public image.

After cave closure: bat population recovers

Five years ago, the administration of the Bohemian Switzerland National Park had several caves in the Elbe Valley closed. The aim was to protect bats that hibernate in the caves from cave tourists. The caves in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains are a popular destination for climbers, especially in winter, when the sandstone cliffs are not allowed to be climbed. There are hundreds of caves of different sizes in the Elbe Valley on the Czech side alone.

After five years, the national park has noticed an improvement in the bat population. During the last census, national park rangers recorded 24 species of lesser horseshoe bat, six species of greater mouse-eared bat and six species of fringed bat in the Elbe Valley caves alone. In total, the national park regularly monitors 16 caves in Bohemian Switzerland and the Elbe Sandstone Mountains.

When will the Ústí Hole disappear?

The city of Dresden once had the Vienna Hole, an unused excavation pit on Vienna Square that was only closed after 15 years. The district town of Ústí nad Labem (Aussig) has had its "hole" for 14 years now, but it has not been given a special name. Everyone in Ústí simply calls it the "hole" and everyone knows what is meant: it is also a construction pit on the edge of the central square Mírové náměstí (Peace Square), in which, however, two floors of underground parking have already been built. That's why the hole is not as deep as it was in Dresden. However, nothing has been done here for many years and, according to the latest findings, the two underground levels also need to be adapted as a minimum.

A majority in the city council has now decided that the company BBP Stavby Management should complete the building planned there. But it is foreseeable that the Ústí Hole will last longer than 15 years. According to the contract, BBP Stavby Management must begin construction no later than nine months after it comes into force. The building is due to be completed in 2029.

However, the "Ústí Hole" and the associated decisions of the city council majority have been criticized by the opposition. They already considered the purchase of the ruined building for 73 million crowns (2.9 million euros) to be a mistake. An expert opinion had only determined a value of 37 million crowns. BBP Stavby Management is taking little risk by taking over the building. This is also criticized by the opposition. The city receives 1.5 million crowns a year for the right to build on city-owned land. At the same time, however, the city will pay over 1.7 million crowns a year in rent after completion, which has already been contractually agreed.

There used to be a small park in place of the eternal new building.

Děčín strengthens local public transport

While cities in Germany are suffering from budget problems and are therefore beginning to cut back on local public transport, as in Dresden or Chemnitz, the northern Bohemian city of Děčín is taking the opposite approach. Since February, the intervals for the most important bus routes have been reduced from 15 to 10 minutes during rush hour. This affects weekday mornings and afternoons. But there have also been improvements at weekends. In addition, the night routes 232 and 233 have returned. The reason for this step is the high demand. The shorter intervals also fit in with the objectives of the city tour. "We want people to travel around the city by bus more than by car if possible," said Deputy Mayor Ondřej Smíšek. Incidentally, neither he nor anyone else in the city leadership belongs to the Green Party, which in the Czech Republic is only represented by two individual MPs in the national parliament and is not represented at all in many local parliaments. In Děčín, the mayor belongs to the right-wing populist ANO party of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. He is in coalition with pragmatic politicians from electoral alliances that are most likely to belong to the center-right spectrum.
The decision to improve public transport will increase the number of kilometers traveled by 5 percent this year. However, the shortened intervals are not new in Děčín. Bus routes used to run every eight minutes during rush hour in some places. The night lines already existed too.

 

(This is an automatic translation by DeepL Translator.)

Ústí district approves zoning for lithium mining

The deputies of the Ústí region approved the designation of a corridor for lithium mining near Cínovec in the Ore Mountains on Monday, after the decision was postponed in December. At that time, some MPs had questions that needed to be answered first.

The mining plans are being driven forward by the company Geomet, which is 51% owned by the ČEZ Group and 49% by the Australian holding company EMH. A representative of ČEZ answered the questions of the delegates, but not to everyone's satisfaction. Some representatives complained that the issue of the fees that the investor would pay to the affected municipalities was unclear. For example, the mayor of Dubí, Jiří Kašpar, is demanding CZK 100 million per year. ČEZ, on the other hand, stated that Dubí would receive CZK 800 million over 25 years of extraction for the extracted raw materials alone, i.e. only CZK 32 million per year. MP Papajanovský said that the state could count on CZK 1.1 billion in taxes annually, of which the Ústí district would receive CZK 100 million.

The meeting was also attended by citizens from the region, most of whom were critical and feared for their quality of life. They felt that the investor had not sufficiently addressed the concerns of the municipalities.

ČEZ promises to invest CZK 42 billion in the project, creating 2,000 direct jobs and a further 2,000 indirect jobs. The processing plant is to be built in Prunéřov in the Chomutov district, where the ore from Cínovec will be transported by rail.

In the end, 38 MPs voted in favor of the corresponding amendment to the principles of spatial development, 5 were against and 5 abstained. This represents a further formal step in the planning process.

Yesterday, the Minister of Industry and Trade, Karel Havlíček (ANO), explained in the Chamber of Deputies in response to a question from Papajanovský that the state does not currently envisage any special compensation for the Ústí nad Labem region for the planned lithium mining in the Ore Mountains. According to Havlíček, if compensation were introduced, other regions affected by mining could also demand it. In his opinion, jobs would be created in the region, all the usual taxes and duties would be paid there and new business opportunities would be created.

Czech Republic improves in the corruption index

After 46th place last year, the Czech Republic has risen to 39th place in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index for 2025. A representative of the organization said: "Under the Fiala government, confidence has increased that corruption is not systemically rooted in the Czech Republic. This means that rules are not being circumvented on a large scale in order to favor a few small interest groups. In fact, a number of anti-corruption laws were passed last year, for example in relation to whistleblowers or lobbying." Referring to Prime Minister Babiš's conflict of interest as an entrepreneur, he also spoke of uncertainties regarding further developments.

The Czech Republic has thus returned to its 2018 ranking and, with 59 out of a possible 100 points in the Corruption Index, is slightly below the EU average of 62 points. Germany is in 10th place with 77 points, while Slovakia is in 61st place with 48 points, one point and two places lower than in 2024.

Czechs are optimistic about the future

Last week, the European Parliament presented the results of the Eurobarometer, for which around 26,500 people in the EU were surveyed in November last year, including around 1,000 in the Czech Republic. In terms of expectations for the future, the Czech Republic scored significantly better than the EU average of 44% with 57% positive responses. At the same time, 42% of respondents consider EU membership to be a good thing (the EU average is 64%), just as many are undecided and 15% consider it to be a bad thing.

A survey conducted by the renowned Czech institute STEM in October 2025 with 1023 participants, the results of which were published yesterday, showed somewhat different results in terms of EU membership. According to the results, 57% of Czechs are satisfied with EU membership, the highest figure since 2010. Just under two thirds of respondents would vote against the Czech Republic leaving the EU. Only around 23% are in favor of the introduction of the euro in the Czech Republic.

Czech MEPs expelled from EP group

Czech MEP Nikola Bartůšek has been expelled from the "Patriots for Europe" group in the European Parliament, it was announced on Monday. The newspaper Deník N reports that the reason for this is a system of nepotism (similar to the one that recently came to light in Saxony-Anhalt): Nikola Bartůšek's husband would have worked for Czech MEP Ondřej Dostál, while in return she would have recommended Dostál's wife for her group's secretariat. What is interesting in this case is that Bartůšek entered Parliament for the far-right Přísaha party, while Dostál ran on the list of the Communist-led Stačilo! coalition. Cooperation for the benefit of the family thus spans the entire political spectrum here and shows that even representatives from far-flung political camps can work well together.

There is now also pressure on Nikola Bartůšek to leave the Přísaha party. Its founder owes his fame to a corruption investigation that he led. In the last parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic in 2025, Přísaha failed with just 1.08% of the vote. The movement had entered the European Parliament in 2024 on a joint list with the Motorists, although this success was probably mainly due to the latter. However, both seats are now held by Přísaha after Filip Turek won a seat in the Czech Parliament and resigned his EP mandate (and will now not be appointed Environment Minister by President Pavel).

Actress Jana Brejchová passes away

Czech actress Jana Brejchová has died at the age of 86, her daughter announced last weekend. She was one of the best-known and most popular actresses in Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic and appeared in over 100 films. She was honored with both a Bohemian Lion for her life's work and a state award for her services to culture and art. The Ministers of Culture and Sport have proposed to the government that a funeral with state honours be organized for Brejchová. The last artist to receive this honor was Karel Gott in 2019.

Brejchová first appeared in front of the camera at the age of 13 in the film "Olověný chléb" (Lead Bread; GDR title: Children of a Great Love). One of her best-known roles was in the 1960 film "Vyšší princip" (The Higher Principle), for which she received an award at the Locarno International Film Festival. This film and "Probuzení" (Awakening) from 1959 were already screened at the Czech Film Wednesday. She is probably also known to many for her role as the Queen in the popular fairytale series "Arabela" (The Fairytale Bride).

Reading marathon in Ústí

The Ústí Regional Library will try to set a new record next week: With a 130-hour reading marathon, an entry in the Czech Book of Records is to be made. From 10 a.m. on Monday to 8 p.m. on Saturday, around 200 people will read aloud around the clock, including well-known personalities, authors and partners of the library from the cultural scene. The event will be broadcast live on YouTube. After last year's 80-hour reading marathon, the Ústí nad Labem Regional Library is setting the bar even higher. "Symbolically, the event ties in with the 130th anniversary of the founding of the German library in Ústí nad Labem," said Veronika Balcarová, spokesperson for the library in Ústí. The campaign also raises funds for the rescue of wild animals. If you speak Czech, you can find all the information on the library's website.

(This is an automatic translation by DeepL Translator.)