09.05.2025

The Czech Republic also has a bridge problem

Shock in Děčín: the Tyrš Bridge remains closed until further notice. This is due to cracks on the left bank of the bridge, which were discovered during planned construction work. The city had already closed the bridge to truck traffic and buses on April 30. Cars, cyclists and pedestrians could therefore continue to use it. At midday on May 2, the bridge was completely closed due to new findings.

However, the bridge is not a prestressed concrete bridge like the Carola Bridge in Dresden. The steel bridge was opened in 1933 and therefore dates from a similar time to the Beneš Bridge in Ústí nad Labem, which is currently being renovated (see last newsletter).

Ondřej Smíšek, Děčín City Councillor for Transport, told the daily newspaper Děčínský deník that he is optimistic that the Tyrš Bridge will soon be reopened to cars, pedestrians and cyclists. A company is to install additional supports at the left-hand bridgehead. These already exist at the bridgehead on the right bank. He explained the cracks as being due to long-term fatigue. However, the city is not planning a comprehensive renovation or a replacement solution. The bridge itself is in good condition and the additional supports are a long-term solution.

However, with this "long-term solution", buses will not be able to cross the bridge. According to Smíšek, this is desirable but very unsafe. However, this is a major problem because almost all city bus routes cross the bridge.

Long traffic jams formed on the four-lane New Bridge, especially at the entrances and exits, by the beginning of the week at the latest. The city has prepared scenarios to react if the situation worsens, Smíšek told Děčínský deník. Retailers and restaurants on the Old Town side of the bridge are also affected and have been difficult to reach ever since.

In the Czech Republic, three Elbe bridges in northern Bohemia have already been closed to traffic, either planned or unplanned: In addition to the Tyrš Bridge in Děčín and the Beneš Bridge in Ústí, this is the Ervín-Špindler Bridge in Roudnice. All three bridges are made of steel.

A bear for the zoo in Děčín

Irina is the new bear at Děčín Zoo. She was brought to Děčín from the zoo in Brno at the beginning of the week. At the zoo on the Schäferwand rock high above the Elbe, Irina will keep Bruno the brown bear company. After an acclimatization phase, they will be allowed into the outdoor enclosure over the next few weeks, first alternately and then together.

The two brown bears belong to the Siberian brown bear subspecies, also known as the Kamchatka bear in Czech. Grizzly bears lived at Dečín Zoo for a long time. After their death, Bruno arrived, as the bear is also the zoo's logo and therefore its figurehead. The zoo also focuses on native animal species. Bears, on the other hand, are not found in either the Czech Republic or Germany. However, the population of Siberian bears in particular has changed for the better in recent decades, meaning that they are rarely kept in zoos today. Děčín is now the only zoo in the Czech Republic with these bears. Brno will focus on breeding polar bears in the future. Speaking of breeding: a partner for Bruno does not mean that offspring are to be expected, as further zoo keeping is no longer desired. Bruno was therefore neutered some time ago. But if everything goes normally, the two of them have another twenty years together in Děčín ahead of them.

Hřensko plans to open Edmundsklamm Gorge at the end of May

After almost three years of closure, the reopening of the popular Edmundova soutěska (Edmund's Gorge) in Bohemian Switzerland is approaching. According to the mayor Kateřina Horáková, it could start at the end of May. Preparations are already underway in close coordination with the Bohemian Switzerland National Park. Not only is the hiking trail due to open at the end of May, but boating is also due to start again. The municipal council of Hřensko will decide on this on May 14. It is already clear that there will be no visit to the gorge as before the forest fire in summer 2022. Limited access is only planned when accompanied by employees of the municipal administration or rangers from the national park.

After the forest fire, which reached the upper edge of the gorge, trees and boulders threatened to fall into the gorge. In the meantime, the national park has had risk trees removed.

Czech economic situation brightens

The Czech economy is in better shape than the German economy. The signs have been pointing to growth again for some time now. Inflation recently fell to an annual low of 1.8 percent in April. This is the lowest figure for seven years. Compared to March, prices fell by 0.1 percent. The price trend thus continued to support private consumption, which has become the strongest driver of the Czech economy. Retail sales rose by 3.4% year-on-year in March and by a robust 0.6% compared to February. Industrial production also increased, although at 1.4% in March it remained at the same pace as the previous month. In contrast, the upturn is more pronounced in the construction industry, where production is already up for the fifth month in a row on an annualized basis. In March, the pace increased to a double-digit 12.1% compared to March 2024.

On Wednesday, the central bank ČNB also decided to cut the key interest rate from 3.75 percent to 3.5 percent. The move had been expected and Governor Aleš Michl also curbed expectations of further interest rate cuts, as the scope in this direction is limited. However, the interest rate cut will continue to help the economy. Risks remain in foreign trade, which has been a pillar of the economy for decades. However, the export-oriented country is highly dependent on Germany, from which no growth impetus is currently to be expected. The automotive industry, the most important pillar of the Czech economy, is also causing concern due to the US customs policy and the slow transition to electromobility.

The popular actor Jiří Bartoška is dead

The popular Czech actor Jiří Bartoška has died at the age of 78. Bartoška was best known before 1989 for television series and films such as "Sanitka" (Rescue Service). He was actively involved in the Velvet Revolution. In 1998, he shone in the feature film "Je třeba zabít Sekala" (The Bastard Must Die) in the leading role of the priest, which earned him a nomination for the Czech film award "Bohemian Lion". With the film "Všichni moji blízcí" (All My Neighbors), he finally won a film award the following year. In addition to his roles in film, Bartoška also remained loyal to the theater.

Born on March 24, 1947 in Děčín, he began his career by playing at the acting studio in Ústí-Střekov for several years before moving to Prague's Divadlo na Zábradlí (Theatre on the Balustrade) in 1978.

After 1989, however, his name is inextricably linked with the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. After the state decided to discontinue the festival in 1993, Bartoška was one of those who took it into their own hands to save it. He remained at the helm of the festival until the very end, leading it back into the premier league of European film festivals for over 30 years.

Unknown person demolishes monument to the Red Army

The attacks on monuments erected in the Czech Republic in honor of the Soviet Army or the Red Army do not stop. This week, an unknown person damaged the monument dedicated to Red Army soldiers in Teplice so severely that it fell off its pedestal and was almost completely destroyed. Mayor Jiří Štábl (ANO) condemned the act. According to media reports, criminal proceedings have been initiated in Russia.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there have been repeated attacks on Russian monuments in the Czech Republic. The town of Litoměřice recently decided to dismantle the soldiers' memorial there. However, there were also debates about these monuments after the annexation of Crimea by Russia and the invasion of eastern Ukraine in 2014.

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(This is an automatic translation by DeepL Translator.)