Meanwhile in Czechia... 11/25
21.03.2025
Ústí barrage to be visited on Saturday
On World Water Day tomorrow, Saturday, various water-related sites will be open in the Czech Republic. These include the Masaryk Barrage in Ústí nad Labem, below Střekov Castle. Visitors can see a museum, a fish ladder observation room, the engine room of the weir and the hydroelectric power plant with its three Kaplan turbines. This opportunity does not come around very often.
Bílina wants to turn to the water
The river Bílina gave the town of Bílina (Bilin in German) its name. But you don't notice anything of the river in the town, which has been badly damaged by industrialization and brown coal mining. It rises in Zákoutí in the Ore Mountains above Chomutov, but shortly after Chomutov it flows through a pipe because of a coal mine, then through an artificial canal created by the demolition of the old Most, and in the center of Bílina in a deep concrete bed, so that the water is almost invisible from the street. Sections of the Bílina are popular for canoeing. After 49 km, it finally flows into the Elbe in Ústí.
Bílina town hall has now commissioned a concept for the riverside promenade and the area around the river from the railroad station to the famous Kyselka spa. The plan reflects a fundamental change in attitude towards the river. Over a distance of 2 km, various access points to the water are to be created in nine sections, the riverbed is to be renaturalized and paddlers are also being considered. As a kind of pilot project, an area in front of the central school canteen was revitalized last year and is now particularly popular with schoolchildren. A subsequent section is to be rebuilt this year.
Funicular in Prague is being renovated
The famous funicular up Petřín in Prague is undergoing extensive renovation. The old carriages will be replaced by new, very modern ones. On Tuesday, the old carriages were retired after 40 years of service and transported away. One of them will be on display in the Museum of Technology in Chomutov. Only in the second half of next year will it be possible to travel up to the "little Eiffel Tower" by train again. Until then - and afterwards - we recommend walking through the orchards. Especially in spring, when the fruit trees are in bloom, it is a unique experience to sit among the trees and let your gaze wander over the city.
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty to stay
During the Cold War, the US-funded station Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty broadcast from Munich to the Eastern Bloc. With the end of the Cold War, it was supposed to cease its work. However, it had been an important station for the opposition in Czechoslovakia, which is why Václav Havel as President and Václav Klaus as Prime Minister were united in a rare effort to save it. They provided him with a building in Prague, to which he moved exactly 30 years ago. Most recently, he broadcast in 23 countries where the free press is considered to be under threat or is absent.
The Trump administration now wants to close the foreign broadcaster, but the Prague government wants to keep it. It addressed this at the meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday and received support for this, particularly from Central and Eastern Europe. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas also described the radio station as "a beacon of democracy". However, it is unclear whether the EU will be able to fill the funding gap.
Permanent residence for some Ukrainian refugees
The Czech government has decided to introduce the possibility of special permanent residence for Ukrainian refugees in the Czech Republic. The prerequisites for this are temporary protection status for at least two years, an annual income of more than CZK 440,000 (approx. EUR 17,600) and a good reputation. In addition, they must not have received any humanitarian benefits since July last year. For each additional person registered jointly, the required income increases by CZK 110,000 (approx. EUR 4,400). The children would have to go to school in the Czech Republic. According to an NGO, the government is expecting around 20,000 applications. The government emphasizes that the temporary protection status for Ukrainian refugees is not being called into question, but that this is an additional offer for well-integrated people.
Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine three years ago, the Czech Republic had granted temporary protection to a total of 659,970 people by the end of last year. Among the EU countries, the country took in the most Ukrainian refugees in terms of population. Almost 400,000 refugees from Ukraine enjoyed temporary protection in December 2024, i.e. there were around 36 refugees per 1,000 inhabitants.
Inflation in the Czech Republic was well above the EU average
Inflation in the Czech Republic was significantly higher than in most other EU countries in the five years from January 2020 to January 2025, reports Radio Prague. While the average in the EU was 24.6%, it reached 39.8% in the Czech Republic. This was the fifth highest figure in the EU, with Hungary leading the way at 53.5%. The price increase varied greatly for different product groups: for clothing, the Czech Republic took the top spot in the EU with 49.3%, the average being 11.4%, as well as for accommodation with 58.3% compared to the EU average of 29.5%. For food, the Czech Republic was in the middle of the pack with 33.6% inflation and for petrol, at 13.4%, below the EU average of 21.7%.
EU map on regional disparities
In the 9th Cohesion Report, the European Commission published, among other things, an interesting map on the economic development of Europe's regions. This is also available as an interactive map. The regional classification is based on the so-called NUTS 3 level. In the Czech Republic these are the districts (kraj), in Germany the districts and independent cities. The index indicates how likely the individual regions are to be on a growth path, based on data from 2001 to 2021.
Overall, the map shows the interesting picture that the EU Commission sees a much more optimistic outlook for the east and north of Europe than for the west and south. Within the Czech Republic (see chart), a differentiated picture emerges: one can recognize the usual suspects for rather backward regions, i.e. the districts of Karlovy Vary and Ústi in north-western Bohemia and Moravian Silesia in the east. Interestingly, the South Bohemia region is not doing very well either. For the rest of the Czech Republic, however, the EU Commission is more confident than average.
The interactive map offers even more indicators at regional level, so it is definitely interesting to try them out a little. For example, there is a map on threats to development, in which not only the three districts mentioned are attested a declining working population and a lack of tertiary education, but also Saxony, among others.
Up to 900,000 Czechs have harmful alcohol consumption
The National Monitoring Center for Drugs and Addiction presented its annual report on alcohol and drugs this week. At a press conference, the head of the agency warned against excessive alcohol consumption in the Czech Republic.
The population is divided into four groups according to daily alcohol consumption and risk level: harmful with health damage, risky with health risks, moderate and abstinent. A daily consumption of between 40 and 60 g for men and between 20 and 40 g for women is considered risky, anything more is considered harmful. A standard alcoholic drink contains 16 to 20 g of alcohol.
Between six and ten percent of over 15-year-olds, i.e. between 600,000 and 900,000, are harmful drinkers. Between 15% and 18% drink alcohol at risky levels. That is 1.3 to 1.6 million. Up to 13% of adults drink excessively at least once a week - up to 21% of men and up to 7% of women.
Czech Republic ranks 20th in happiness
The Wold Happiness Report 2025 has just been published by Oxford University, which examines how happy people are in which countries. Various indicators such as social support, prosperity, freedom and corruption are examined and weighted in 140 countries. This year, particular attention was paid to the aspects of caring and sharing.
As usual, Scandinavian countries landed in first place. The Czech Republic is in 20th place, up from 18th last year. Germany is two places behind, compared to 24th place in the previous year.
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