Neuer Wanderweg über die tschechische Grenze

Wanderer haben eine neue Möglichkeit, von Sachsen nach Tschechien zu wandern und umgekehrt. Am 11. April wurde der neue markierte Wanderweg von Schmilka nach Hřensko (Herrnskretschen) in der Sächsisch-Böhmischen Schweiz eingeweiht. Die neue Route führt streng genommen nicht nach Hřensko, sondern mündet rund 100 Meter oberhalb der Wasseraufbereitungsanlage auf den markierten roten Wanderweg zum Prebischtor (Pravčická brána).

Er ist daher auch eine gute Alternative für alle, die das beliebte Wanderziel ansteuern und nicht auf der Straße von Schmilka nach Hřensko laufen möchten. Außerdem muss man nicht an einer Vielzahl von Verkaufsbuden eher fragwürdigen Angebots vorbei. Insgesamt hat der neue markierte Weg eine Länge von knapp drei Kilometern.

Von Schmilka kommend, kann man am oberen Ende des Dorfes nach rechts auf den gelb markierten Wanderweg mit dem Querstrich einbiegen. Der führt auf dem historischen Grenzweg zur tschechischen Grenze. Eine erste Abzweigung Richtung Tschechien lässt man noch rechts liegen, um später auf den durch ein grünes Dreieck markierten grenzüberschreitenden Wanderweg zu stoßen. Die vertraute Markierung im System des Klubs tschechischer Touristen wurde nicht vorgenommen.

Der erste Teil, der an den Hängen des Langen Horns (Dlouhý roh) aufwärts führt, ist komplett neu und wurde am steilen Hang größtenteils mit Stufen gesetzt. Oben angekommen führt der Weg auf der „Prasečí cesta“ (wörtlich: Schweineweg) ins Tal der Suchá Bělá (Dürre Biele) und stößt dort auf den erwähnten rot markierten Wanderweg zum Prebischtor. Leider müssen Wanderer wie bisher dann doch noch ein längeres Stück entlang der Straße laufen. Ein Wanderweg entlang der Ruhezone, der direkt im Wald an den Aufstieg zum Prebischtor anschließt, wurde nicht markiert. Alternativ kann man am Abzweig zum Prebischtor auch den gelb markierten Weg Richtung Mezná (Stimmersdorf) wählen.

Für den Rückweg nach Schmilka kann man sich von Hřensko auch in den Bus setzen. Die Linie 435 von Mezná nach Schmilka verkehrt am Wochenende stündlich. Sie hält auch in Mezní Louka (Rainwiese) und am Abzweig zum Prebischtor (Tři prameny). Es empfiehlt sich, ein Einzelticket in der deutschsprachigen App DÚKapka zu kaufen. Das Elbe-Labe-Ticket gilt zwar auch, lohnt sich allein für die kurze Strecke aber nicht.

Der neue Weg ist der erste grenzüberschreitende markierte Wanderweg seit Gründung des Nationalparks Böhmische Schweiz. Allerdings befindet er sich ganz am Rand der Nationalparke. Ohne Verbindung bleibt weiter das Gebiet zwischen der Grenze bei Schmilka und dem Grenzübergang am früheren Zadní Jetřichovice (Hinterdittersbach). Den Aufruf, einen der bestehenden historischen Wanderwege wie den Stimmersdorfer Weg oder die Verbindung zum Großen Zschand wieder zu öffnen, lehnt der Nationalpark ab.

Streit um NATO-Gipfel

Das nächste Gipfeltreffen der NATO-Länder ist zwar erst im Juli., doch in Tschechien wird seit Wochen erbittert gestritten, wer die tschechische Delegation leiten und wer an ihr beteiligt sein wird. Geht es nach Außenminister Petr Macinka (Autofahrerpartei), wird die Delegation nicht von Präsident Petr Pavel geleitet, wie es traditionell bisher der Fall war. Macinka möchte Pavel auch sonst nicht in der offiziellen Delegation dabeihaben. Ein aktueller Regierungsbeschluss über die Nutzung der offiziellen Flugzeuge weist für die Delegation zum NATO-Gipfel als Teilnehmer nur Premierminister Andrej Babiš, Außenminister Macinka und Verteidigungsminister Jaromír Zůna (SPD) aus.

Der Präsident repräsentiert Tschechien in Fragen der Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik. Dafür hat er weitreichende Vollmachten. So wird kein Botschafter ohne die Zustimmung des Präsidenten entsandt. Daraus resultiert die bisherige Praxis, dass der Präsident nicht nur Teil der Delegation bei NATO-Gipfeln ist, sondern sie auch führt. Dass Macinka mit dieser Tradition ausgerechnet bei dem früheren Vorsitzenden des NATO-Militärausschusses brechen will, lässt sich nur mit dem monatelangen Streit um die Besetzung des Umweltministeriums verstehen. Präsident Pavel hatte sich geweigert, den Kandidaten der Autofahrer, Filip Turek, zu ernennen. Grund war für Pavel Tureks frühere rechtsextreme und fremdenfeindliche Äußerungen. Im Februar musste die Autofahrerpartei, deren Vorsitzender Macinka ist, Turek als Kandidat kleinlaut zurückziehen.

Präsident Pavel hatte zuletzt in einem Brief an Premier Andrej Babiš unterstrichen, dass er davon ausgeht, die tschechische Delegation zum NATO-Gipfel anzuführen. Beide Politiker treffen sich in der nächsten Woche und werden wohl auch über diese Frage beraten. Die Frage, wer am NATO-Gipfel teilnimmt, ist aber auch inhaltlich pikant. Während Pavel als Befürworter erhöhter Militärausgaben gilt, hat die Regierung von Andrej Babiš im Haushalt 2026 die Mittel für den Verteidigungsetat auf unter zwei Prozent des Bruttoinlandsprodukts heruntergefahren. Das ist deutlich unter dem Ziel, zu dem sich die NATO-Mitgliedsstaaten verpflichtet haben.

Aufsteiger im tschechischen Wohlstandsindex

Von Platz 162 auf 90. Das ist die Bilanz der Stadt Litoměřice (Leitmeritz) im tschechischen Wohlstandsindex der Regionen innerhalb eines Jahres. Den Wohlstandsindex stellt die Bank Česká spořitelna jedes Jahr neu auf Basis der Datenplattform „Europa in Daten“ zusammen und entwickelt nach 49 Indikatoren eine Rangfolge. Zu den Indikatoren gehören unter anderem die wirtschaftliche Situation, Zugang zu medizinischer Pflege, Bildung, Wohnung, die Umwelt oder die Freizeitangebote, aber auch die Geschwindigkeit des Internets.

Zu den größten Aufsteigern zählten in diesem Jahr zwei weitere Städte aus den sogenannten Sudeten, wie die Gebiete an der Grenze zu Deutschland, Österreich und Polen in Tschechien genannt werden. Die schneiden bei solchen Erhebungen häufig schlecht ab. Doch Nový Bor (Haida) machte einen noch größeren Satz von 174 auf 92. Zweitbester Aufsteiger war die Kleinstadt Králíky (Grulich) in Ostböhmen, nahe der Grenze zu Polen, die von Platz 108 auf 35 sprang.

Spitzenreiter wurde zum zweiten Mal in Folge die Stadt Turnov (Turnau) im Bezirk Liberec am Rande des Böhmischen Paradieses (Český ráj). Danach folgt wie schon im letzten Jahr der beliebte mährische Kurort Luhačovice. Auf den dritten Platz schaffte es überraschend die ostböhmische Kleinstadt Žamberk (Senftenberg).

Auch wenn mit Litoměřice eine Stadt aus dem Bezirk Ústí einen Achtungserfolg zielen konnte, sieht es für den Rest des Bezirks trübe aus. Neben Litoměřice platzierte sich mit Varnsdorf nur noch eine Stadt unter den ersten 100 Regionen. Dagegen fanden sich mit Chomutov (Komotau), Litvínov (Oberleutensdorf), Teplice (Teplitz), Louny (Laun), Podbořany (Podersam) und Bílina (Bilin) gleich sechs Städte und Regionen unter den letzten zehn Plätzen. Bílina landete dabei knapp vor dem westböhmischen Horšovský Týn (Bischofteinitz) auf dem vorletzten Platz..

Zulassungsprüfungen für weiterführende Schulen gestartet

Für alle Neuntklässler in Tschechien ist es gerade eine entscheidende Zeit, denn am 10. April begannen die Aufnahmetests für die weiterführenden Schulen. Wer nach der Grundschule, die in Tschechien nach der neunten Klasse endet, das Abitur anstrebt, kann sich wahlweise an einem Gymnasium, einer Mittelschule, einer Mittelfachschule oder einer Handelsakademie bewerben. Außer am Gymnasium besteht auch die Möglichkeit, die Schule mit einer Berufsausbildung abzuschließen. Mittelschulen weisen zudem auch schon eine Fachspezialisierung auf, selbst wenn man mit Abitur abschließt.

Doch der Weg zu Gymnasium oder Mittelschule führt ausschließlich über einen Test, der landesweit einheitlich ist. Er besteht aus einer Prüfung in Mathematik (70 Minuten) und in Deutsch (60 Minuten).

In der Regel beginnen die Grundschüler schon ein Jahr früher mit der Vorbereitung. Die Tests sind gefürchtet. Selbst Schüler mit gutem Allgemeinwissen sind schon gescheitert. Man muss eher die innere Logik des Tests verstehen, um erfolgreich zu sein. Deshalb gibt es spezielle Agenturen, die die Schüler gezielt auf die Aufnahmetests vorbereitet. Kaum ein Schüler kommt ohne solch eine Agentur aus. Das ist also ein interessanter Unternehmenszweig in Tschechien im Bereich Bildung/Fortbildung.

Schüler können sich an bis zu drei Schulen bewerben. An welcher Schule es mit der Aufnahme klappt, hängt auch vom Renommee der Schule ab. Für manche Schulen braucht es ein erstklassiges Testergebnis, bei anderen reicht ein gutes. Die Ergebnisse stehen Mitte Mai fest.

Schloss günstig zu verkaufen

Es ist bereits der vierte Versuch, das Schloss von Milešov zu verkaufen. Und diesmal entschied sich der Bezirk Ústí als Eigentümer zu einem rasanten Schritt: Der Preis fiel auf 29,9 Millionen Kronen, umgerechnet rund 1,25 Millionen Euro. Damit liegt er noch unter der Empfehlung eines Gutachtens, das seinen Wert auf 33 Millionen Kronen geschätzt hatte. Bei der ersten Versteigerung vor zwei Jahren kostete das Schloss noch 99 Millionen Kronen, also über 4 Millionen Euro. Die öffentliche Versteigerung findet am 13. Mai statt. Interessenten müssen als Sicherheit fast 3 Millionen Kronen hinterlegen. Zum Schloss gehören mehrere Bauobjekte.

Was nach einem Schnäppchen aussieht, wird noch viel Geld kosten. Denn der Zustand des Schlosses macht Investitionen erforderlich. Immerhin ist es noch nicht so lange her, dass in dem Schloss gewohnt wurde. Bis vor drei Jahren diente das Schloss noch als Altersheim. Davor war es schon Schule, Erholungsheim und Heilanstalt.

Gebaut wurde es im 14. Jahrhundert auf einem Felsensporn. Im 16. Jahrhundert wurde es zu einem Renaissanceschloss umgebaut. Es folgte ein barocker Umbau zur Mitte des 17. Jahrhunderts sowie eine weitere Renovierung in der zweiten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts. Das Schloss liegt malerisch am Fuße des höchsten Gipfels des Böhmischen Mittelgebirges Milešovka (Milleschauer).

Milešov ist übrigens nicht das einzige Schloss, das gerade verkauft wird. Immobilienmakler bieten auch die Schlösser in Encovany, Cítoliby und Vršovice bei Louny zum Verkauf.

Menschenkette für den Wolfsberg

Wie bekommt man 800 Sack Zement, eine Menge Formsteine und weiteres Baumaterial auf den 591 Meter hohen Gipfel Vlčí hora (Wolfsberg) nahe Krásná Lípa (Schönlinde)? Am besten, indem ganz viele Menschen mit anpacken. Denn der Wolfsberg hat zwar einen Aussichtsturm, aber keinen Lastenaufzug. Also musste das ganze Material per Hand nach oben getragen werden. Dass es aber so schnell geht, wie am vergangenen Samstag, hätte wohl der kühnste Optimist nicht zu glauben gewagt. Binnen zwei Stunden war alles oben. Zu verdanken war das den 127 Freiwilligen, die nicht nur mit anpackten, sondern gleich eine Menschenkette bildeten. Insgesamt waren knapp 20 Höhenmeter auf 150 Metern Länge zu überwinden. Also für jeden etwas mehr als einen Meter.

Aus dem Baumaterial entsteht in den kommenden Wochen eine Aussichtsplattform an dem Ort, an dem einst eine Berghütte stand. Die wurde allerdings vor drei Jahren durch Brandstiftung zerstört. Dabei wurde auch der Aussichtsturm in Mitleidenschaft gezogen, der aber wieder erneuert und eröffnet werden konnte.

Die Menschenkette kümmerte sich aber nicht nur um den Transport des Materials. Für jeden transportierten Sack Zement wurden auch 20 Kronen für die medizinische Behandlung eines kranken Jungen aus Dolní Podluží (Niedergrund) gespendet.

 

Price cap for fuel in the Czech Republic

The regulation on maximum fuel prices adopted by the Czech government on April 2 was applied for the first time on Tuesday. Since then, the government has been setting the maximum prices for petrol and diesel every day at 2 p.m., which will apply the next day (or over the weekend). The fixed prices are based on market data, in particular wholesale prices. The actual restriction is that a profit margin of CZK 2.50 per liter may not be exceeded for normal fuels. At the same time, taxes on fuel were reduced by CZK 2.35 per liter.

On Tuesday, the maximum prices for Wednesday were set at CZK 43.15 (€1.77) per liter for petrol and CZK 49.59 (€2.03) for diesel. For the weekend and Monday, CZK 41.95 (€1.72) and CZK 45.90 (€1.88) per liter were announced today on the website of the Ministry of Finance. There you can also find a hypothetical price without regulation, with which the government apparently wants to pat itself on the back.

State treaty with the Vatican is unconstitutional

The Czech Republic is one of the last countries in Europe to conclude a state treaty with the Vatican in 2024 to regulate relations. However, this must be ratified by the Senate, Parliament and the President. The first two steps have been taken, but some senators have submitted it to the Constitutional Court for review on eight specific points. The court ruled last week that two of these were not compatible with the Czech constitution.

One of these concerns the confidentiality of confessions, which according to the treaty should apply to Catholic priests without restriction, while it is restricted for other religious communities. For example, the latter would have to report if someone announced a serious crime in confession, which Catholic priests would not be obliged to do. The second point concerns restrictions on access to the archives of the Catholic Church.

Ratification cannot be completed due to the ruling. It is now up to the new government to negotiate an amended version of the treaty with the Vatican.

Czechs view many countries more positively

The renowned Czech opinion research institute STEM has been conducting a survey on the Czech public's attitude towards various other countries for many years. For 2025, this shows a slight increase in sympathy ratings for many European countries. Respondents rate their personal attitude with school grades from 1 to 5. The evaluation then refers in particular to the proportion of those who awarded grades 1 and 2.

The frontrunner in 2025 was Austria with 71% (grades 1 and 2), closely followed by Switzerland (69%), Italy and Poland (68% each) and Slovakia (67%). Germany ranked in the middle of the pack with 54% and formed a close group with Slovenia, France, Belgium, Japan and the UK.

The study is particularly interesting when looking at longer time series (see chart). For example, a clear downward trend can be seen for the USA (orange line) since 1994 and for France (burgundy) and the UK (green) since around 2012. For Germany (turquoise), on the other hand, the trend has been slightly upwards since 1994, albeit with very strong fluctuations that often reflect current political developments. For all four countries, for example, there was a sharp dip in 2004 and a somewhat lighter one in 2015/2016.

With regard to the Visegrád states (Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary), it can be seen that, on the one hand, Hungary is far behind at 40%, while on the other hand, Slovakia's popularity has been falling significantly for around 10 years, while Poland's has risen considerably in the last five years.

The survey not only evaluates countries, but also internationally important personalities. Pope Leo XIV takes the top spot, followed by Emmanuel Macron and Karel Nawrocki. Interestingly, Friedrich Merz also did quite well, coming in fifth place, although he was unknown to 36% of respondents. Among those who knew him, he enjoyed similar popularity to Macron.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks invests in Cheb

Last week, Mercedes-Benz Trucks announced plans to build a new truck assembly plant in Cheb. This will have a production capacity of 25,000 vehicles per year. Around 1100 new jobs are to be created. Mercedes plans to invest around 300 million euros and start production by 2030. This is an enormously important project for the structurally weak region, which will significantly reduce unemployment, which is above the national average, but will also increase wage levels, which are below the national average.

Successful fundraising campaign for attack victims

On January 19, a man shot and killed janitor Libor Cicvárek in the municipal administration of Chřibská (Kreibitz) in the Schluckenauer Zipfel and injured six people(we reported). He then shot himself. The Ústí district had launched a fundraising campaign for the relatives of the victim and the injured, which ended this week. Around CZK 1.1 million (approx. EUR 45,000) was collected from 499 donations from private individuals, municipalities and other legal entities, as has now been announced. By decision of the Ústí District Council, the wife of Libor Cicvárek will receive CZK 500,000, his two sons CZK 250,000 each and the injured CZK 25,000 each.

Hejtman Richard Brabec also proposed to Czech President Petr Pavel that Libor Cicvárek be awarded the Hero Medal in recognition of the fact that, despite the danger to his life, he provided first aid to the seriously injured mayor, protected female colleagues from the attacker and warned a colleague by telephone while he was still dying, which probably saved his life.

 

(This is an automatic translation by DeepL Translator.)

Edmundsklamm gorge: perhaps as early as May

Since Wednesday, the boats with tourists have been shuttling through the Wild Gorge again. One of the biggest attractions in Bohemian Switzerland has reopened just in time for Easter. The village of Hřensko (Herrnskretschen) is expecting a real rush over the holidays, which will also be due to the large Easter market with almost 40 stalls in the center of the village around the church.

The operating time in the Wild Gorge has also been extended. The last boat now departs at 5.30 pm. In the Wilde Klamm, the boats travel upstream from the lower landing stage and return to the starting point. You can now also pay by card at the landing stage.

However, the Edmundsklamm remains closed for the time being. New geological investigations have identified five dangerous objects that now need to be secured before tourists can be allowed back into the gorge. A company has already been found to secure the gorge and intensive talks are underway with the Bohemian Switzerland National Park. The mayor hopes that the gorge will be open by the end of May at the latest.

Visitors will be rewarded for their patience, however, as the municipality is planning to allow twice as many visitors per day into the gorge this season as last year. Back then, it was a kind of test phase. Most recently, the municipality sold 150 tickets per day. This year there should be at least 300. Two new boats will be launched for this purpose. If all goes well, the reservation system will then also run via the Internet. After Easter, the municipal council will decide to make the money available for the introduction of the system. The same company that has been successfully operating such a system for some time in the Adršpach crags and more recently in the Tyssa walls will be commissioned to do so.

Lowest birth rate since 1785

The Czech Statistical Office published the latest figures on population development this week. The number of inhabitants in the country is expected to increase by around 6,300 to 10,915,839 people in 2025. However, this would only be due to immigration, while the natural population trend shows a death surplus of around 35,700 people.

Last year, the number of births would have reached a historic low of 77,600 children since 1785, when the statistical recording of the population in the Czech lands began. 47% of children were born out of wedlock, most children were born to women between the ages of 30 and 32.

The Czech Republic goes to the World Cup

While the Italians are being left out for the third time, the Czech men's national soccer team is taking part in the World Cup for the first time in 20 years. The Czechs beat Denmark on penalties in the play-off final the day before yesterday. A penalty shoot-out also decided their progress in the semi-final against Ireland a week ago, when the score was 2-2 after extra time. However, both commentators and players (self-)criticized that the matches were not of a high quality. The team will now face South Korea, South Africa and Mexico in Group A at the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico from June 12. At 74, coach Miroslav Koubek will be the oldest coach at the World Cup.

How do the stores open over Easter?

Good Friday has long been a public holiday in the Czech Republic too. But if you still want to go shopping in the neighboring country, you don't have to worry. All stores are open on Good Friday. You can also shop on Holy Saturday as you would on any Saturday. Stores are also open on Easter Sunday. However, some stores may shorten their opening hours. Only Easter Monday is closed. Unlike in Germany, Easter Monday is the main public holiday in the Czech Republic. Many popular customs are celebrated there. The tradition of Easter markets is also becoming increasingly popular, e.g. in Úštěk on Saturday or in the Teplice Colonnades until Monday.

A good overview of Czech Easter customs has been published by the Landesecho. These range from the amusing delivery of eggs from Velvary to Prague, which is associated with an embarrassing history, to the highly controversial custom of beating young women with willow rods. Today, for example, you shouldn't be surprised if you are served green beer. In the regional museum in Ústí nad Labem, you can visit an Easter egg exhibition, while the gallery of the Association of Easter Egg Painters in Libotenice is apparently only open by appointment this year.

Museums network across borders

45 participants from almost 20 institutions, mainly from museums and archives in Saxony and the Czech Republic, met for a workshop at Weesenstein Castle on Monday. The participants spoke in Czech and German as well as English and the workshop was primarily a networking event. Around a third of the participants came from the Czech Republic, including Velké Březno Castle, the Zubrnice Open-Air Museum and the Regional Museum in Děčín. The theme of the workshop was "Growing, shopping, eating - communicating historical supply systems", which plays an important role in various museums in the border region. The workshop was part of the Interreg project "Childhood in the Nobility and Bourgeoisie in Historical Perspective" organized by Weesenstein Castle and the Regional Museum in Děčín.

 

(This is an automatic translation by DeepL Translator.)

Radio Prague facing the end?

According to Foreign Minister Petr Macinka, the international stations of Czech broadcaster Český rozhlas are to be abolished. Next week, the minister wants to sign a new contract with the broadcaster, whose foreign radio stations are financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, regarding funding for this year. According to the agreement, the broadcaster would only receive just over 26 million crowns instead of the planned 35 million. In 2027, the minister would like to stop funding completely. He considers the broadcaster to be superfluous. During a TV interview, it emerged that the minister thought the channel was for Czechs living abroad. However, the multilingual stations (in English, German and French, among others) are listened to by people who do not speak Czech and who are interested in the Czech Republic. The foreign stations are therefore a form of advertising abroad. According to Český rozhlas, around 8 million people visited the international websites last year, most of them from Germany, France, the USA, Austria, Spain and the UK. The programs are listened to most in English, German and French. An end to financial support would also mean the end of the foreign broadcaster, which is celebrating its 90th birthday this year.

Whether financial support will be discontinued now depends on the Czech parliament's media committee. According to media reports, the possible abolition of foreign broadcasters has met with opposition from members of the ruling ANO party. The opposition parties are already criticizing the undertaking.

Public broadcasting in the Czech Republic is currently under immense pressure. The government wants to drastically cut funding, abolish fees and finance broadcasting directly from the state budget. The main drivers are the two small parties in the government, the radical right-wing SPD and the motorists, whose share of the vote in opinion polls is currently below the 5 percent threshold.

Mass protest in Prague

Almost a quarter of a million people protested against the current Czech government in Prague last Saturday. The demonstration in Letná Park was held under the slogan "We will not allow our future to be stolen" and accused the government of corruption, abuse of power, abolition of institutions and the introduction of the manners of Eastern European autocrats. Above all, the demonstrators fear an erosion of democratic institutions and complain about the aggressiveness of the two small governing parties in particular. The demonstration was called by the association "Milion chvilek pro demokracii" (One million moments for democracy). Speakers included well-known actors such as 90-year-old actor and screenwriter Zdeněk Svěrák ("Kolja"), actor Ondřej Trojan and singer Aneta Langerová.

Letná Park is the venue for large demonstrations in the Czech Republic. A similarly large demonstration in 2019 heralded the end of the first government. The Milion chilek association is independent of political parties and politicians and relies purely on civil society. The largest demonstration in the history of the Czech Republic and Czechoslovakia to date also took place in Letná Park. In 1989, at the height of the Velvet Revolution, 750,000 people from all over Czechoslovakia demonstrated here.

Tysza walls restrict access

Anyone planning an Easter trip to the Tiské stěny (Tysa Walls) should leave nothing to chance. Otherwise, you might end up in Tisá but only be able to see the walls from afar. With the start of the new excursion season on April 1, the municipality will only allow a maximum of 2,000 people a day into the popular rock world. On days with many visitors, such as Easter, it can therefore happen that it is simply sold out.

It is nothing new that admission to the Felsenwelt costs money. Tickets are available from small sales booths at the two entrances. A ticket for adults currently costs 100 crowns, which is just over 4 euros. Children up to the age of 15, students up to the age of 26 and senior citizens over the age of 65 only pay half price. There is also a family ticket for up to three children for 250 crowns. Children under the age of 6 pay nothing.

However, even early risers could come away empty-handed, as the municipality has launched an online ticket system. So if you want to be on the safe side for your Easter trip, you should buy your tickets here. The ticket platform also shows how many tickets are still available. For Easter Sunday, all 2,000 tickets are currently still available. The platform has a Czech, German and English language version.

Incidentally, the municipality of Tisá is planning regular ticket checks. The area is not fenced in, which is why resourceful visitors could cheat their way past the entrance. The municipality wants to prevent this and will have two to three people on site regularly to check the area.

Restrictions on visits to popular excursion destinations have increased in recent years. This first happened in the Adršpach rock world, a similarly fascinating landscape to the Tyssa Walls, only bigger. In Bohemian Switzerland, limited ticket sales for the Edmund Gorge (Edmundova soutěska) have been available since last year. This is due to the destruction caused by the forest fire four years ago. However, the municipality of Hřensko, which owns the paths in the gorge and organizes the boat trips, would like to maintain limited access in the future, albeit with a higher number of people per day as soon as possible.

Less beer from Velké Březno

The Dutch brewing group Heineken has announced that it will be brewing less beer at its brewery in Velké Březno (Großpriesen) in future. The background to this is the falling demand for beer, not just in the Czech Republic but worldwide. The group wants to cut 5,000 to 6,000 jobs worldwide. No employees are to be made redundant in Velké Březno, according to reports. However, there will be no more brewery tours until further notice.

This is a hard blow for the region. Following the takeover, Heineken had already closed the Zlatopramen brewery in Ústí nad Labem (Aussig) in the Krásné Březno (Schönpriesen) district there. The popular Březňák beer is brewed in Velké Březno and is also exported to Germany.

The beer is best known for its logo. Since 1906, it has been adorned with the likeness of former railroad employee Viktor Cibich (1856-1916). His identity was discovered by Vladimír Kaiser, the former head of the Ústí nad Labem municipal archive, through lengthy research. Kaiser also eventually found Cibich's grave. The well-fed and contented Cibich was even a role model for other logos abroad. Cibich could be well-fed and content simply because he was granted a lifelong beer pension in return. So he got his beer for free in the local pubs.

Association saves ballroom in the Schicht factory

The historic ballroom of the Schicht factory in Ústí nad Labem in the Střekov district is reopening. A photo exhibition will open on Saturday where generations used to dance. The exhibition is a charity event to save the ballroom. Among other things, motifs of the administration building of the famous Schicht-Werke with its opulent ballroom will be on display.

A few years ago, however, this historic building seemed to have come to an end. Where the Schicht family began producing soaps in the 19th century, one of the largest factories in the monarchy quickly emerged. In addition to soaps, magarine and other drugstore products were also manufactured. The soap with the deer (Jelen) logo was famous. This is the birthplace of today's global corporation Unilever. After 1945, however, the factory in Ústí was nationalized, but it continued to produce until the 2010s. Then the plant was split up. Today, neither soap nor margarine is produced here. The administration building has been empty since 2011 and was due to be demolished three years ago. Part of it was demolished and one wing had to go. However, the older part with the ballroom was placed under a preservation order. The Střek-ON association was therefore able to convince the owner to rent out the hall.

After a year, the time has now come to inaugurate the hall with a vernissage. Admission costs 70 euros for two people. The proceeds are earmarked for the sensitive renovation of the hall and its continued operation. After the vernissage with music and dancing, which starts at 3 pm, the party will continue until 10 pm. The hall will also be open all day on Sunday. More information at Sál Šichtovka.

Czechs switch to public transportation due to petrol prices

Rising prices for petrol and especially diesel have now also reached the Czech Republic. According to a report in the daily newspaper Mladá fronta Dnes (MfD), this is now making itself felt in transport behavior, including in the Ústí district. Capacity utilization has increased, especially on bus routes that connect smaller towns with cities. The district, which orders the journeys, does not have any reliable figures. However, the newspaper relies on statements from passengers and bus drivers. According to them, some connections are much busier than two weeks ago, especially during rush hour.

According to researcher Hana Brůhová Foltýnová from the University of Ústí nad Labem (UJEP), commuters who can switch to public transport, which is regular, predictable and, above all, has a journey time comparable to that of a car, are therefore the first to switch from car to bus or train. However, she does not expect a large number of car drivers to switch to public transport. Experience shows that for every 10 percent increase in prices, 1 to 4 percent of car users will switch.

Petrol and diesel prices are now significantly higher than they were weeks ago. Petrol costs an average of 1.75 euros per liter, diesel 1.95 euros. This means that the old gap between German and Czech prices of a good 30 cents has almost been restored.

Prices in the Czech Republic initially rose more slowly than in Germany because the state kept prices low through its company Čepro. Čepro operates the Eurooil and Robin Oil networks with almost 300 petrol stations, which already represents a small market power. Industry Minister Karel Havlíček had instructed Čepro to continue selling fuel at the same prices as before the attack on Iran. In Germany, on the other hand, petrol station chains immediately raised prices, although the state does not have a stake in any petrol stations here either.

(This is an automatic translation by DeepL Translator.)