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Serious fire accident in Most
On Saturday last week, there was a serious fire accident in Most in which seven people died. Initially, there were six fatalities and eight people, some of whom were seriously injured - three of them in a critical condition. The injured were taken to hospitals in Most and Ústí nad Labem and three seriously injured people were taken to Prague. One patient in Prague succumbed to her extensive burns three days later. This makes it one of the most serious fire accidents in the history of the Czech Republic and the shock in Most is correspondingly great.
A fire broke out on the wooden veranda of the "U Kojota" restaurant late one evening during a private party and quickly engulfed the entire building. According to eyewitnesses, the cause was most likely an overturned mushroom heater powered by a gas cylinder. The gas cylinder literally exploded. There were other such mushroom heaters on the veranda, some of whose gas cylinders had also exploded. It was therefore a particularly complicated operation for the firefighters. In a dramatic rescue operation, a seriously injured person who had been trapped by the fire in the toilet was rescued.
As a result of the accident, a brief discussion arose about the safety of gas-powered heaters, but this died down again. During a visit to the site, the Czech Minister of the Interior announced that fire departments would be carrying out more checks in places of assembly. The city of Most has already carried out some this week, and in the Ústí district the trade authorities began inspecting restaurants on Wednesday.
Second foreign language remains compulsory
The Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport has presented a new educational framework program for preschools and elementary school. It is described as the biggest change in regional education in the Czech Republic for 20 years. Elementary school in the Czech Republic cover grades 1 to 9 and are not thematically specialized.
One particularly controversial aspect of the education reform was the original plans to abolish the obligation to learn a second foreign language. Allegedly, this would overburden the pupils. The embassies of various European countries (especially neighboring countries), the German-Czech Future Fund, the German minority in the Czech Republic, many business representatives and a whole range of other institutions and individuals strongly criticized these plans. It is now stipulated that all children must learn English from Year 1 and a second foreign language from Year 7, whereby they can choose between German, French and Spanish. The reason given for this restriction to three languages is that otherwise it cannot be guaranteed that the foreign language will be offered at the transition to secondary school. The regulation will be binding from 2034.
Ancient boundary stone restored
The Saxon-Czech border was established in the Treaty of Cheb in 1459 and has hardly changed since then. This makes it one of the oldest borders in Europe. And that also applies to many a boundary stone.
On Thursday, the restored Three Lords' Stone was unveiled near Oberwiesenthal and Boží Dar ( click here for the exact location). It has stood there as a boundary marker since 1729, but by now it was barely recognizable, which is hardly surprising when you've been exposed to the elements at an altitude of 1165 m for almost 300 years. It has now been restored on the initiative of the Saxony State Office for Geographic Information (GeoSN) and was unveiled in its new splendor on Thursday.
The stone is approx. 1.35 m high and has three sides. On one side are the initials of Augustus the Strong and the coats of arms of the Electorate of Saxony and the Kingdom of Poland, on the south side are the Austrian double-headed eagle and the Bohemian lion, and on the third side are the coats of arms of Baden and Saxe-Lauenburg.
Gold treasure on display in Teplice
During excavations at the edge of the Nástup Tušimice mine south of Chomutov, two Iron Age graves containing an unusually large gold treasure were discovered. The finds were made five years ago during preliminary archaeological investigations of a small burial ground, but have been kept secret until now for fear of treasure hunters.
The archaeologists were investigating burial sites of the Bylan culture, which was small but not insignificant (and yet without a German Wikipedia entry). They uncovered five chamber tombs, two of which were particularly striking and dated to between 600 and 650 BC. Girls between the ages of 16 and 20 were buried in both graves. They had been adorned with gold jewelry, among other things, for their final journey. Seventeen spirals and two gold balls were found, which were probably worn as hair ornaments. According to archaeologist Jana Doležalová from the Institute for the Preservation of Archaeological Monuments in Northwest Bohemia, such an extensive find from the early Iron Age is a real sensation.
The gold treasure is now on loan to the Teplice Regional Museum as part of the special exhibition "Coal" until March 30, 2025. The exhibition is open Tuesday to Friday from 1 pm to 5 pm and Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 12 noon and 1 pm to 5 pm.
Czech victory at the Dakar Rally
After we reported two weeks ago on the visit of Czech President Petr Pavel to the camp of the Czech Dakar Rally participants, we do not want to withhold an important result from you: Czech racer Martin Macík managed to defend his title in the truck classification from last year. He finished two hours and 21 minutes ahead of Mitchel van den Brinka from the Netherlands, followed by Aleš Loprais from the Czech Republic just five minutes behind.
Saturn in space
On Tuesday, the largest Czech satellite to date was launched into space on a SpaceX rocket. It is independent of foreign technology and, with its cameras, will primarily be used for military reconnaissance, but also for crisis management, for example. The satellite is called SATurnin-1, and anyone who follows Czech Film Wednesday will understand why we find it funny.
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(This is an automatic translation by DeepL Translator.)
Neuer Vogelpark auf Bergbauhalde
Die Tschechische Ornithologische Gesellschaft (ČSO) entwickelt auf einer Abraumhalde bei Most einen großen Vogelpark unter dem Namen "Střimická výsypka", der an das unter der Halde verschwundene Dorf Střimice erinnert. Dafür steht ihr östlich des Most-Sees eine Fläche von 251 ha zur Verfügung, die sie komplett erwerben konnte. Die Kosten von ca. 30 Mio. Kč werden über EU-Fördermittel aus dem Just-Transition-Fonds sowie private Spenden von über 2000 Personen finanziert.
Bis jetzt sind die Halden in Bezug auf Flora und Fauna ein armes Gebiet. Aber genau darin liegt auch das Potenzial, denn hier kann großflächig und aus einem Guss gestaltet werden. Neben Wäldern, z.B. wärmeliebenden lichten Eichenwäldern, soll es viele beweidete Offenlandflächen, Feuchtgebiete, Röhricht und einen Obstgarten geben. So hofft man unter einer großen Vielfalt an Arten auch den Wiedehopf anzulocken, der das Wappentier des Parks ist. Zudem wird der Park mit dem nahegelegenen Most-See verbunden, so dass die Menschen zu Erholung und Bildung gelockt werden. Erste Besucherrundgänge sind bereits in diesem Jahr geplant.
Neue Visualisierung der Schnellbahnstrecke Dresden-Prag
Die Deutsche Bahn hat ein neues Video zur Visualisierung des aktuellen Planungsstandes der Schnellbahnstrecke Dresden-Prag veröffentlicht. Dabei werden eine ganze Reihe von Details entlang der Strecke zwischen Dresden und Ústí erläutert und anschaulich dargestellt.
Über die Aussprache des Ortsnamens Chabařovice muss man leider hinweghören. Das ist kein Zeichen guter grenzüberschreitender Zusammenarbeit.
Sanierung des Krankenhauses in Rumburk beginnt
In diesem Jahr wird der Bezirk Ústí mit der Sanierung des Krankenhauses in Rumburk beginnen. Dieses hatte er vor wenigen Jahren von der Stadt Rumburk übernommen und damit vor dem Bankrott und der Schließung bewahrt. Das Krankenhaus ist das einzige für die ca. 55.000 Einwohner im Schluckenauer Zipfel und steht seit vielen Jahren in der Diskussion. Für die ersten Arbeiten wurden im Haushalt des Bezirks 400 Mio. Kč (ca. 16 Mio. €) bereitgestellt.
Angesichts der damals drohenden Schließung gibt es seit mittlerweile 7 Jahren ernsthafte Bemühungen einiger Bürgermeister und Senatoren aus dem Schluckenauer Zipfel, das Krankenhaus in Sebnitz (und damals auch noch Ebersbach) für tschechische Patienten zu öffnen. Es wurde jedoch von den tschechischen Krankenkassen immer verweigert, in einem einfachen und verlässlichen Verfahren die Kosten dafür zu übernehmen. In dieser Hinsicht gab es letztes Jahr etwas Bewegung in der tschechischen Gesetzgebung. Es wird spannend, ob der Druck auf die tschechische Regierung in dieser Sache nachlässt, wenn nun begonnen wird, das einheimische Krankenhaus zu sanieren.
Mieten in Tschechien
Eine Untersuchung der Firma Deloitte auf Basis von Daten aus Immobilienportalen zeigt, dass die Durchschnittsmiete in allen tschechischen Bezirksstädten im 3. Quartal 2024 gestiegen ist und nun 310 Kč/m² (ca. 12,40 €) beträgt. Leider war keine Angabe dazu zu finden, aber es ist zu vermuten, dass hier die Warmmiete gemeint ist.
Spitzenreiter ist natürlich Prag mit durchschnittlich 422 Kč/m² (ca. 17 €), auf Platz 2 liegt Brno mit 361 Kč/m² (ca. 14,40 €). Dann folgen die meisten anderen Bezirksstädte mit Werten zwischen 250 und 300 Kč/m² (ca. 10-12 €).
Auf den unteren Plätzen finden sich die "üblichen Verdächtigen": Karlovy Vary, Ostrava und Ústí nad Labem, das mit nur 203 Kč/m² (ca. 8 €) das Schlusslicht bildet. Niedrige Wohnungsmieten sind an sich nicht unbedingt schlecht, aber in diesen Fällen deuten sie auf soziale Probleme hin und passen damit in das Bild, dass die drei Bezirke in vielen Statistiken zu sozialen und wirtschaftlichen Indikatoren abgeben.
Deloitte unterteilt den Wohnungsmarkt in "Ziegelhäuser", Plattenbauten und Developer-Projekte (also vermutlich moderne Neubauten). Während die Durchschnittsmieten für erstere nahe beim Gesamtschnitt liegen, sind Plattenbauten ca. 15% günstiger, die Developer-Projekte hingegen ca. 20% teurer.
Tschechien importiert mehr Strom aus Deutschland
Im vergangenen Jahr hat Tschechien erstmals seit 2020 wieder mehr Strom aus Deutschland importiert als dahin exportiert. Das hat die Zeitung Hospodářské noviny anhand von Daten der tschechischen Energieaufsichtsbehörde (bis November) und der Bundesnetzagentur berechnet. Danach wurden 8226,9 GWh von Deutschland nach Tschechien und 4352,8 GWh in umgekehrter Richtung transportiert, was im Saldo einen deutschen Überschuss von 3874,1 GWh bedeutet.
Die Größenordnungen vom Importen und Exporten sind vor allem von den Strompreisen an der Börse bestimmt. Man kann also aus der Statistik nicht schlussfolgern, dass Tschechien zu wenig oder Deutschland zu viel Strom produziert hätten. Vielmehr hat Deutschland vor allem Strom aus Frankreich, Dänemark und der Schweiz importiert, während Tschechien in die Slowakei und nach Österreich exportiert hat. Dies schwankt im Jahresverlauf sehr stark, abhängig vom Stromangebot (also ob z.B. Wind und Sonne liefern) und der Nachfrage (ob z.B. in Frankreich im Sommer wenig Strom zu Heizen benötigt wird, die Kernkraftwerke aber trotzdem laufen), schreibt die Hospodářské noviny.
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2024 again the warmest year
As in Germany and worldwide, 2024 was also the warmest year in the Czech Republic since records began. In the case of the Czech Republic, the national average temperature has been calculated since 1961 (the red line in the adjacent diagram is its 5-year moving average). At 10.6 °C in 2024, this was 0.6 °C above the average for 2023, which was the previous record year.
The records for Prague go back even further, as the Clementinum there has been collecting weather data since 1775. The average value for this station was 13.3 °C. This was the highest in the 250 years recorded, 3.5 °C above the average for this period. The meteorologists also pointed out that the warmest 15 years were all after 1990, 13 of them in this millennium alone.
Coal phase-out by 2033
In the week before Christmas, the Czech government presented the climate and energy plan required by the EU. The first version from summer 2024 was heavily criticized and has now been presented in a less ambitious form. It includes the intention to increase the proportion of renewable energies to 30 percent by 2030. Coal-fired power generation is to be phased out by 2033 at the latest. However, the energy companies are assuming an earlier date here, as CO2 certificates are already making this electricity rather uneconomical. At the same time, the plan emphasizes the importance of nuclear energy for the Czech Republic.
New toll prices in the Czech Republic
New - and in most cases higher - toll prices have been in force on Czech highways since January 1. They increase according to a fixed schedule, which takes into account inflation in particular, but also the expansion of the route network.
The following prices now apply to passenger cars:
| Validity | Price |
|---|---|
| 1 day | 210 Kč (approx. 8.40 EUR) |
| 10 days | 290 Kčč (approx. 11,60 EUR) |
| 1 month | 460 Kčč (approx. 18.40 EUR) |
| 1 year | 2440 Kčč (approx. 97.60 EUR) |
Further information on the highway toll in the Czech Republic (e.g. where it does not apply) can be found on our website.
More information about the highway toll
Czech embassy in Syria reopened
The Czech embassy in Damascus, which was closed shortly before the fall of dictator Assad, has now been reopened. This is of great importance not only for the Czech Republic: as neither the USA nor most EU states have an embassy in Syria, the Czech embassy is also looking after their citizens there. The background to this special position is that communist Czechoslovakia used to have good relations with Syria and these continued even after the founding of the independent Czech state. For this reason, the embassy was not closed after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, meaning that the Czech diplomats were ultimately the only ones from the EU to remain in Damascus.
Partnership instead of marriage for all
On January 1, an amendment to the Civil Code on same-sex partnerships came into force in the Czech Republic. On the one hand, the name of the partnership changed from "registered partnership" (which has existed since 2006) to "partnership". On the other hand, the conditions are somewhat closer to those of marriage. Partners can now adopt each other's children, but not other people's children. They can also accumulate joint assets and receive a widow's or widower's pension after the death of a partner. Klára Laurenčíková Šimáčková, the government commissioner for human rights, criticized the fact that the rights of same-sex couples remain lower than those of married couples, meaning that the Czech Republic lags behind not only Western European countries, but also many former Eastern Bloc countries.
More donor organs in the Czech Republic
By mid-December 2024, 298 post-mortem organ donors had been counted in the Czech Republic. A new record of over 300 should therefore be reached by the end of the year. According to the head of the coordinating center, around 900 people in the Czech Republic are still waiting for an organ donation: "Basically, every patient on the list in this country receives a donor organ within a year. For liver transplants, the average waiting time is only three months. By comparison: in neighboring Germany, the average waiting time for a donor organ is three years."
The Czech Republic is one of the three countries in the world with the highest organ donor rate. The main reason for this is the opt-out regulation that applies here, i.e. if you do not register in the national register for refusal of organ donation, you are automatically considered a donor.
President Pavel after New Year's speech at the Dakar Rally 2025
In his New Year's address, Czech President Petr Pavel referred, among other things, to the much-criticized statement by Prime Minister Fiala that - if he is allowed to form the government again - wages in the Czech Republic would be paid like in Germany in a few years (we reported). Pavel said that real wages should grow more slowly, but that it would be good if they were paid in euros in a few years' time. However, there is currently no strong political movement to introduce the euro in the Czech Republic. Pavel also emphasized the importance of the Czech Republic's ties to the West and the need for fairness in the upcoming election campaign in order not to damage democracy. His appeal to reduce regional differences in development in the Czech Republic was also interesting. Overall, the President tried to look to the future with optimism despite all the international crises and uncertainty.
At the beginning of the new year, President Pavel is on a private visit to Saudi Arabia to attend the Dakar Rally 2025. Pavel is known to be a big motorcycle fan, making life difficult for his bodyguards from time to time. Now he is visiting several Czech teams taking part in the 2025 Dakar Rally. And they used to be quite successful: last year, Martin Macík won the rally in the truck category. You can see what it looks like on site, for example, in a video by photographer Petr Lusk on Facebook. The president plans to be there for five days and sleep in a tent like all the participants.
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(This is an automatic translation by DeepL Translator.)
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