Meanwhile in Czechia... 13/25
04.04.2025
Closed highway leads to traffic chaos
As expected, the closure of the two highway tunnels on the D8 near the Saxon-Czech border led to traffic chaos on the detour routes. Lines of trucks stretched for miles, some of which stood in the villages all night with their engines running, blocking access to properties. The mayor of Telnice told the newspaper Deník that the residents hardly slept a wink during the night. Cars trying to drive past the queues of trucks sometimes obstructed oncoming traffic. It is therefore advisable to avoid this route by car until Wednesday and to drive around it as much as possible.
This tunnel closure is only the first of three: it will be repeated from July 2 to 8 and from October 2 to 8.
Tourist lines start the season
The Ústí Region has a number of train and boat lines that only operate during the tourist season. This year's season opened last weekend and will run until November 2. The 11 railroad lines include, for example, the connection to Moldava, the goat train from Děčín to Krupka or the motoráček to Zubrnice. The two boat lines run from Ústí upstream to Mělník and downstream to Bad Schandau. Most lines only run at weekends and on public holidays.
We actually recommend - not only because of the name - the Elbe-Labe ticket for such excursions. For holders of the Germany ticket, however, it may be cheaper to buy a day network ticket for the Ústí district. This costs 200 crowns (approx. 8 euros) for individuals, and group rates are also available. The easiest way is to install the "DÚKapka" app, which is also available in German. You can use it to find connections and buy tickets.
Bus to Teplice cheaper
Since Tuesday, fares for the international bus route 360/398 between Dresden and Teplice have been simplified. Previously, a rather expensive special fare had to be purchased for cross-border journeys, which meant that holders of a VVO ticket (including the Deutschlandticket) had to pay for the Altenberg fare zone again, but now it is possible to combine the two network fares VVO and DÚK (Doprava Ústeckého kraje). The reason for this is the integration of the first stop on Czech territory ("Cínovec clo") into the VVO Altenberg fare zone on April 1. If you have a ticket for the VVO or a Germany ticket, you can use it to travel to the first stop on the Czech side without paying extra and also "top up" at the low DÚK fare (e.g. 46 crowns for a journey to Teplice). As before, this is possible directly on the bus (only in Czech crowns) or alternatively via the "DÚKapka" app mentioned above.
Article by Till Menzer
Europe's first autonomous train in regular operation
And something else about transport: from tomorrow, an autonomous train will be running in regular service with passengers for the first time in Europe, reports Radio Prague. It will run between Kopidlno near Jičín and Dolní Bousov near Mladá Boleslav. The railcar, named "Edita", was converted by the company AŽD Praha and equipped with all kinds of modern technology, in particular sensors that record the surroundings. As completely autonomous train operation is not yet permitted, there will still be a driver on board.
If anyone would like to try it out at the weekend: the train runs three times a day, the connection can be found at idos.cz. However, you can't get tickets there. Czech Railways tickets cost a hefty 997 crowns (approx. 40 euros) for a 38-minute journey.
Paulinen valley accessible again and Kyjov reservoir completed
The Pavlinino Valley (Pavlinino údolí), a popular excursion destination near Jetřichovice in Bohemian Switzerland, is accessible again. It had been closed since the end of January because several thousand trees that threatened to fall onto hiking trails or into Chřibská Kamenice had to be felled. Now you can once again experience the rich flora and fauna of the valley, e.g. chamois.
After two years of reconstruction, the small reservoir near Kyjov can now also be enjoyed again without any structural damage. Fish have been reintroduced and the fire department has its reservoir of extinguishing water back for possible forest fires.
Schools want to continue teaching German
A new education plan will come into force in the Czech Republic in 2027. The original plan to abolish the obligation to learn a second foreign language has fortunately been averted, as hardly anyone would have learned German then. However, it has now been decided that English will be compulsory as a first foreign language from year one. There is resistance to this from schools where German has been offered as a first foreign language up to now, e.g. in Cheb (Eger). These schools see their special profile threatened by the new regulation, as two foreign languages from the first year onwards would be too much for the children. It is understandable that nowadays no one should be released from school without a knowledge of English. The schools therefore want exemptions to offer German from the first grade and English as a second foreign language later on. After the Czech government recognized the right of the German minority to German-language lessons in some districts of North Bohemia last year, this could kill two birds with one stone.
Faster train connection Liberec-Prague will be more expensive
A train journey from Liberec to Prague, around 85 km as the crow flies, currently takes over 2.5 hours. The line is single-track for long stretches and in poor condition. The Hejtman of the Liberec district, Martin Půta, has now announced that the cost of speeding up the line is estimated at around 80 billion crowns (approx. 3.2 billion euros), around 60% more than assumed 6 years ago. The extension would reduce the journey time to 68 minutes. However, construction is not expected to start before 2028 and completion is not expected until 2035 at the earliest. Since 1990, 16 studies have been carried out on the line, and in 2003 it was expected that faster trains would be running in 2010. However, other routes in the Czech Republic were always preferred.
Animal abuser sentenced to prison
In the Czech Republic, there has been a public debate for several months about farmers who violate minimum standards of animal husbandry and are often described as downright cruel to animals. Some cases have been documented by animal welfare organizations with secret filming. The authorities promised to carry out more frequent inspections.
The Ústí nad Labem District Court has now sentenced the director of a farm in Měděnec in the Ore Mountains to 6 years and nine months in prison for cruelty to animals. His manager was sentenced to 2 years on probation. Both were responsible for the agonizing deaths of at least 41 cattle. In a verdict of the previous instance, there was still talk of several hundred dead animals, whereas the current verdict was limited to cases that could be proven by autopsy.
The cattle on the farm were provided with insufficient and inferior feed and did not have sufficient access to water. In addition, they did not receive veterinary care. As a result, they were completely emaciated and suffered constant pain.
New sculpture by Skála in Prague
The well-known artist František Skála devotes himself to a wide range of artistic activities and is a painter, sculptor and book illustrator, as well as a musician and performer. He was present in Dresden for several months in 2023 with a sculpture of a dog made of iron wire on the banks of the Elbe (at the Filmnächte square). Now he has presented a new work in Prague with the (original, untranslated) title "Spinne Dreifußschauplatz", reports Radio Prague. As so often, he draws inspiration from the animal world. He has placed a spider under a three-legged, oversized flower table, which moves when someone approaches it.
The model for the spider is an invasive species, the large trembling spider, which has destroyed the native spiders. He sees this as a parable for our rotten civilization, which he believes is heading for destruction: "I don't see why it shouldn't go extinct when all previous great civilizations have also gone extinct. I don't think contemporary pride is appropriate. If you look at world events, I think the strategy to hasten the end is already underway. Either there will be a major breakthrough or an end." The "Spider Tripod" can still be seen for a month in front of the National Theater in Prague.
In October, a representative exhibition of the artist's work from the last three decades of his career will open in Dresden's Lipsius Building.
Rabbit hopping championship
At the beginning of the 1970s, a sport called Kaninhop was created in Sweden, in which rabbits jump over obstacles or particularly far or high. The main idea at the time was to keep the animals busy. In the meantime, the hobby has spread to - some - other countries. More than 100 animals took part in the Czech championship in Nové Město na Moravě last weekend, reports the ČTK news agency.
The Czech Republic - where the whole thing is called Králičí hop, while the others stick to Kaninhop - is one of the most successful countries. At the 9th European Championships in Switzerland last year, Czech athletes won 13 of the 30 medals awarded. Only Germany was close behind with 14, with the remaining three going to Sweden. Otherwise, only Switzerland and Denmark were represented.