Weekly review no. 24
15.03.2024
National Park Closes Edmundsklamm Gorge for Another Three Years
The popular Edmund Gorge (Edmundova soutěska) in Bohemian Switzerland will remain closed for much longer than previously anticipated. The Bohemian Switzerland National Park has announced that it will not carry out any tree-felling work in and above the Edmund Gorge until 2027. The same applies to the Gabrielina stezka trail from Mezní Louka (Rainwiese) to Pravčická brána (Prebischtor). This means that these popular trails will remain closed for safety reasons.
According to the national park administration, the area surrounding the two trails will be left to nature for three years. “It has been shown that the quickest way to reopen the trails is to give nature some time to regenerate,” explains National Park Director Pavel Kříž. As part of studies, a test felling was carried out above the Edmundsklamm gorge, among other things. The intervention showed that large-scale logging would destroy the natural environment around the trails and, at the same time, would not be safe. “Logging would disturb the thin layer of soil,” says Director Kříž. Stones and boulders could come loose. In addition, the logging itself is not without danger and involves high costs.
According to Kříž, simply leaving the burned stumps standing has other advantages. They store moisture and ensure sustainable drainage of rainwater into the soil layers. At the same time, the stumps provide food for insects, which in turn attract birds to the area. Some bird species and bats also use the dead trees as nesting sites. Furthermore, the burned trees have scattered thousands of seeds that sprouted last year. This natural reforestation would also be destroyed by logging. A video commissioned by the national park shows what the Gabrielensteig trail and the area above the Edmundsklamm gorge look like now and what the consequences of logging would be.
The closure until 2027 is a severe blow. In an initial statement, the municipality of Hřensko, which owns the Edmundsklamm Gorge and operates the boat tours, expressed particular disappointment. “The problem is that we are largely taking on the state’s responsibilities. We fund a fire department that not only handles frontline fire protection but also the mountain rescue service. We spend a lot of money on the local police force, which in many ways replaces the absent state police. This costs a lot of money, and we are sorely lacking the income from the Edmund Gorge,” said Deputy Mayor Robert Mareš in an initial reaction to the daily newspaper Mladá fronta Dnes.
Děčín Zoo Car-Free for Three Months
Anyone wishing to visit Děčín Zoo in the coming months will have to be prepared for a short walk. The only access road to the zoo, Žižkova Street, has been closed since Monday due to construction work. The road is expected to reopen on June 9, before the start of the peak season. But until then, visitors will need to be in good shape, as the zoo is located above the Shepherd’s Wall (Pastýřská stěna). The road is closed only on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. However, these times are subject to change, and the road is open to cars only outside of construction hours.
In any case, the Děčín City Council recommends leaving your car in the parking lot on Práce Street between the railroad tracks and the Elbe River and taking the footpath via Jahn-Aussicht (named after the “father of gymnastics,” Friedrich Ludwig Jahn) and continuing uphill to the zoo. At 670 meters, this is also the shortest route to the zoo. This option is easily accessible from the main train station. As a second option, the red-marked hiking trail from Tyrš Bridge via Puchmayerova Street up to Schäferwand is recommended. You can then park your car in the parking lot below Tyrš Bridge. This route is slightly longer at just under one kilometer.
The closure comes at an inopportune time for the zoo, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. In an initial response, the zoo moved one of its anniversary events from May to August without further ado. The zoo is now calling on its fans to come to the zoo dressed as Nicki the bear on August 31. After all, Bruno, the Siberian brown bear, is the zoo’s mascot and by far its most popular animal. The zoo hopes to set a new record with as many people dressed as Nicki as possible.
Czech Republic Celebrates 25 Years of NATO Membership
Three JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets, two Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, and an A-400MS Atlas transport aircraft from Germany flew just 200 meters above the Czech capital on March 12. With this highly symbolic formation, the Czech Republic celebrated 25 years of NATO membership. In March 1999, Poland and Hungary became the first former Eastern Bloc countries to join the transatlantic defense alliance.
Then-U.S. President Bill Clinton attended the celebrations in Prague as the guest of honor. His visit brought back memories, especially since Czech President and former highest-ranking NATO general Petr Pavel arranged for his guest to visit the legendary Reduta jazz club—a place former President Václav Havel had taken him in 1994. Clinton was not only delighted but was also persuaded to play a saxophone solo.
He left the music-making to others that evening, but he recalled that it was he who first appointed Czech-born Madeleine Albright as U.N. Ambassador and later as Secretary of State. Albright, a close friend of Havel’s, strongly supported his efforts to get the Czech Republic into NATO as quickly as possible. Havel used all his foreign policy influence to achieve this, and it is indicative of the priorities in the neighboring country that the Czech Republic first joined NATO and then the European Union.
It was also significant that this week, of all weeks, the Czech Republic was able to announce that it had raised enough money to purchase 800,000 rounds of artillery ammunition from third countries in order to address the ammunition shortage in Ukraine in the short term. The British newspaper *The Telegraph* could not overstate the importance of this initiative. “If it is true that artillery is the king of war, then this small Eastern European country is the kingmaker right now...” Aside from the fact that Czechs tend to see themselves as Central Europeans, many in the Czech Republic will be able to agree with this statement.
Tensions Between Prague and Bratislava
The two neighboring countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia—which split from Czechoslovakia into two independent states over 30 years ago—are currently at odds over how to deal with Russian aggression in Ukraine. In early March, the Czech government decided to suspend regular government consultations.
It was not until the fall, after the left-wing populist Robert Fico took office as head of government in Bratislava, that both sides agreed to resume the consultations. The summit of the Visegrád Group—comprising Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic—also concluded on a conciliatory note in Prague at the end of February. However, their views on Russia and Ukraine could not be more different. On one side are Donald Tusk of Poland and Petr Fiala of the Czech Republic, both clear allies of Ukraine and staunch transatlanticists. On the other side is Viktor Orbán, the EU’s perennial troublemaker, who cannot let go of his adoration for Putin. Robert Fico may have other motives, but he shares nothing in common with Orbán when it comes to his pro-Russian stance.
However, this has now crossed a red line for Prague. The Czechs have just successfully formed a coalition to supply ammunition to Ukraine. Fico’s refusal to support Ukraine militarily is an affront. How long this new ice age will last, and whether and when consultations will resume, remains to be seen.
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The production of this newsletter is co-financed by tax funds based on the budget adopted by the Saxon State Parliament.