Weekly review no. 59
06.12.2024
The Onset of Winter Blocks Roads in the Ústí District
Large amounts of snow fell in northern Bohemia today, Friday. Not all drivers were prepared for this. Crossing the Ore Mountains proved to be particularly difficult. Several accidents made it nearly impossible to cross the border in our region this morning.
The D8 highway was completely closed starting in the morning due to a broken-down truck near Petrovice in the direction of Germany. The detour via Libouchec and Tisá was blocked by a fallen tree that a car had crashed into. There was also an accident involving two cars in Petrovice itself. Fortunately, no one was injured in these incidents. In contrast, there was a fatality in an accident on the D8 near Ústí in the direction of Prague, when a car struck a truck and partially slid underneath it. Here, too, the highway was completely closed for a long time. The traffic situation slowly began to ease around midday.
Wages in the Czech Republic on par with Germany’s in four years?
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala sparked a debate about wage levels in the Czech Republic with a statement on a talk show on November 17. He phrased his remarks in such a way that they could be interpreted to mean that his government’s four years in office had not yet been enough, but that he would commit to ensuring wages similar to those in Germany or Austria within another four years. Given that the average Czech wage is just under 40% of the German level—even though the relative gap is narrowing year by year—this is a bold statement. Criticism from economists and labor unions, among others, was swift. There is now a debate over exactly what the prime minister meant. However, it is clear that he repeatedly cited wages in Germany, Austria, and Bavaria as a target.
What is interesting about the debate from a German perspective is, on the one hand, that Germany is being chosen as a benchmark as a matter of course (even though the prime minister also mentioned Austria), meaning that the role model effect of the large neighbor is still present. After all, he could have chosen many other European countries. On the other hand, it is clear from some of the comments that the external view of the economic situation and the level of development in Germany (e.g., in terms of digitalization and automation) is less pessimistic than in the debates taking place within the country.
New Series Premieres in Ústí
This evening, two episodes of the new series “Limity” will be previewed exclusively at the Hraničář in Ústí nad Labem. The series, about a toxic waste entrepreneur who becomes an environmental activist against his will, was largely filmed in the Ústí region. It received financial support from the Ústí region. In addition to Ústí nad Labem, filming locations included Děčín, Trmice, Teplice, Libochovice, Horní Jiřetín, and Terezín.
Director Petr Zelenka is one of the Czech Republic’s best-known filmmakers. He has been well-known since the late 1990s for films such as “Knoflíkáři,” “Samotáři,” “Rok ďábla,” “Příběhy obyčejného šílenství,” and “Karamazovi.” Almost all of these films are also featured in the Czech Film Wednesday program. In “Limity,” he will interweave the themes of ecology and family with his signature humor. The series will air on Czech television starting in February 2025.
Record at the Teplice Botanical Garden
The Teplice Botanical Garden has reported a record number of visitors this year. For the first time, it welcomed more than 50,000 people in a single year. Director Petr Šíla attributes this not only to the attractive exhibitions but also to the extensive accompanying program. This also includes the collaboration with the Schellerhau Botanical Garden, which will hopefully continue and intensify in the coming years.
Euroregion Elbe/Labe Has a New President
And now some news from us: At yesterday’s general meeting of the Kommunalgemeinschaft Euroregion Oberes Elbtal/Osterzgebirge e.V. (the official name of the German half of the Elbe/Labe Euroregion), Dresden’s Mayor of Culture, Annekatrin Klepsch, was elected as the new president. The long-serving president, Dirk Hilbert, Lord Mayor of the state capital Dresden, did not seek re-election after 15 years; according to his own statement, he made this decision with a heavy heart due to a lack of time. Manuela Förster from the Pirna District Office and Thomas Peters, Mayor of Bad Gottleuba-Berggießhübel, were elected as Vice Presidents, along with Dresden City Councilor Bettina Kempe-Gebert as an additional member of the Board. The other committee representatives on the working committee and the joint council of the Elbe/Labe Euroregion were also re-elected as scheduled.
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