Meanwhile in Czechia... 24/25
27.06.2025
New ridge path in the Ore Mountains
From Petrovice to Keilberg: the ridge trail on the Bohemian side of the Ore Mountains is now complete. The missing 143-kilometer section was opened this week. The section connects to the existing Ore Mountain Ridge Trail in the Karlovy Vary district. The ridge trail is also already signposted from the east, so that hikers can now use it in the Ore Mountains and Bohemian Switzerland as far as the Šébr Pass.
The historic ridge trail in the Ore Mountains was opened in 1902 and was established by the German-Bohemian Ore Mountains Association. Based on the historic ridge path, the new one can also be recognized by the typical blue ridge.
Dresden researcher: better public transport services in the Czech Republic
Dresden researcher Steffen Dutsch believes that local public transport services in the Czech Republic are better than in Germany. In an interview for Radio Prague, Dutsch considers the Czech Republic to be ahead in terms of network density, frequency of journeys and operating times, which are better in regional transport in particular. A not insignificant factor is also the attractive pricing. The interest of the media and politicians in public transport is also higher in the Czech Republic, which he himself feels. In Germany, there are no interviews with him on this topic. As a result, public transport is also used much more in the Czech Republic. At the same time, there are significantly more means of transport available to passengers in the Czech Republic. While Leipzig has an average of 2,500 passengers per means of public transport at peak times, Brno has only 750. The comparison is similar for smaller cities: Pirna has an average of 2,200 passengers, while Děčín has only 1,500.
Steffen Dutsch heads the Public Transport Research Group at the Faculty of Transport at the Technical University of Dresden. He is particularly interested in local public transport in the Czech Republic and cross-border transport to and from Germany. He is currently working with Czech colleagues on a better cross-border transport service for Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland.
New environmental assessment for Děčín barrage
The Czech Waterway Directorate RVC has launched a new environmental assessment procedure for the planned Elbe barrage at Děčín. The last procedure was aborted years ago without success because the client was unable to present any compensation measures for the vegetation near the banks of the river that would disappear during the construction of a barrage. The new procedure should now also make appropriate compensation measures possible.
The barrage is to be built unchanged in the area of the Loubí district downstream of the Elbe and will raise the Elbe by up to 3.5 meters. The barrage is to extend to the southern end of the city near Nebočady. RVC wants the barrage to enable stable year-round freight shipping, which is currently not possible for up to six months of the year due to low water levels.
However, the structure is highly controversial. Environmental associations and the Bohemian Switzerland National Park are against it. The city of Děčín itself is positive about the project. The environmental assessment is expected to take two years. It is expected that the Saxon neighbors will also be allowed to have their say. The last environmental assessments were also cross-border.
Court overturns Babiš acquittal
The Supreme Court in Prague has overturned the acquittal of former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš in the "Stork's Nest" case and returned it to the Municipal Court of Prague for a new trial. This is the second time that the acquittal has been overturned. After the Municipal Court acquitted Babiš at the beginning of 2023, the same decision followed again in the previous year after the Supreme Court had already called for a retrial in the fall of 2023.
Babiš is accused of subsidy fraud. He and his company Agrofert are alleged to have illegally collected EU funding for the construction of the "Stork's Nest" vacation resort south of Prague. In its new reasoning, the Supreme Court now leaves little room for an acquittal. This could have consequences for the upcoming parliamentary elections in the fall. According to opinion polls, Babiš's ANO party is clearly in the lead and he has a good chance of becoming prime minister again. The Pirates have already called for Babiš to step down as lead candidate. Babiš himself considers the proceedings to be politically motivated. The former entrepreneur was also one of the richest people in the Czech Republic for a long time.