Meanwhile in Czechia... 30/25
08.08.2025
Liberec district takes over the Ještěd Tower
The striking tower on Mount Ještěd is expected to become the majority property of the Liberec Region this year. The leadership of the Liberec Region approved the new terms of the purchase agreement, which is expected to come into force by the end of the year. The purchase price is estimated at 181 million crowns (around 7.2 million euros). The purchase price is still to be confirmed by an independent expert opinion. The purchase agreement is to be finally approved by the district parliament at the end of August.
The core of the agreement with the previous owner České Radiokomunikace (ČRa) is an agreement on the continued use of the tower by ČRa as part of the digital broadcasting network in the Czech Republic. The award-winning building by architect Karel Hubáček is also a mountain hotel, restaurant and transmitter. The purchase agreement also clearly defines which areas ČRa is guaranteed to be able to continue using in the future and what restrictions this means for the new owner. An annual usage fee was also agreed, which can be adjusted annually in line with inflation from 2028. However, the increase may not exceed 5 percent.
Taking control of the tower is a prerequisite for the long-planned renovation of the listed building, which is to take place over the next ten years. An architectural study has already been prepared for this. ARN STUDIO from Hradec Králové (Königgrätz) was selected.
The Liberec district will pay the purchase price from the 2025 budget, for which a reserve has been set aside. The district plans to apply for funding for the renovation. The costs for the renovation, which must be true to the original both externally and internally, are estimated at around 400 million crowns (16 million euros).
Duchcov Castle opens new Casanova exhibition
Duchcov Castle (Dux) is preparing a new tour dedicated to its famous resident Giacomo Casanova. The previous exhibition has been revised since last fall. The date of the reopening has not yet been set. However, castle administrator Bedřich Hrabovský told Czech Radio Český rozhlas that the probable date is mid-August. "We are in the final stages. What's still missing now is the demarcation of the areas for visitors and then wiping and cleaning everything again," said Hrabovský. The last time the rooms where Casanova spent the last 13 years of his life were renovated was 35 years ago. The renovation cost the equivalent of around 40,000 euros.
Giacomo Casanova was in the service of Count Joseph Karl Emanuel von Waldstein from September 1785. He worked for him as a librarian, continued to travel extensively and, above all, completed his "Histoire de ma vie" (History of My Life) at the castle.
New Prague-Bubny railroad station opens
Prague has a new transportation hub. Bubny station opened at the end of last week. At the same time, the railroad line from Masaryk station towards Kralupy nad Vltavou and via Prague-Dejvice to Kladno also went back into operation. Construction work on the line and the new station took over two years. The station has been completely rebuilt. All that remains of the old Bubny station is the main building, which houses a memorial to the deportation of the Jewish population from Prague by the Nazi occupation in the early 1940s.
The new station is also a transportation hub and thus offers better connections to the Vltavská metro station and the streetcars that run above the metro station. A level crossing in Holešovice, which often caused traffic jams, has also been removed. The former Holešovice stop has been removed.
The Výstaviště stop is also new, located at the exhibition grounds, the popular Stromovka Park and near the Modern Art section of the National Gallery.
In the future, the station and the line will become even more important. They are part of the high-speed rail line to Prague's Václav Havel Airport, which is due to be completed by 2030.
Change of ambassador in Prague
After four years, the mission of the German ambassador in Prague, Andreas Künne, is coming to an end. Künne will be moving to Bern as EU Ambassador to Switzerland. Before his time in Prague, he spent three years as the United Nations and Counter-Terrorism Commissioner at the German Federal Foreign Office. From 2011 to 2015, he worked in Pretoria (South Africa), where he headed the Department of Economic and Global Affairs as envoy. In Germany, he worked in the Federal Chancellery and as a political advisor. His focus was on security policy and multilateral issues.
Four years is a regular period of service for ambassadors. Künne succeeded Christoph Israng four years ago. According to the embassy, a successor for Künne has already been chosen, but his name has not yet been officially confirmed. In a farewell video on X, Künne said his successor would be an experienced diplomat.
ČEZ increases stake in British nuclear power plant manufacturer
The Czech energy group ČEZ has completed its investment in the British manufacturer of small, modular nuclear power plants Rolls-Royce SMR. Following the last transaction in June, ČEZ now holds 20 percent of Rolls-Royce SMR. The Czechs paid almost a quarter of a billion euros for the entire share package.
The Czech company has thus secured strategic influence in the further development of small, modular reactors, which are also to be built in the Czech Republic. In addition to three reactors for British sites, this also includes the first such nuclear reactor in Temelín. "But we are still at the beginning," said ČEZ CFO Martin Novák. ČEZ's involvement includes the supply of parts for the reactors by the power plant technology subsidiary Škoda JS or by other companies from the ČEZ Group.
The Czech Republic is relying on small modular nuclear power plants to establish emission-free energy security. In addition to a new large power plant unit in Dukovany in southern Moravia, these are to gradually replace the coal-fired power plants, which are to be shut down by the mid-2030s. Small nuclear power plants are also planned at current coal-fired power plant sites, such as in Dětmarovice (north-east Moravia) and Prunéřov in northern Bohemia, near the border with Saxony.
More free charging stations for e-bikes
Cyclists can charge their e-bikes free of charge at more and more restaurants and hotels. Operators are offering charging as an additional service, just as they have been offering WiFi for decades. Some providers also provide cables, although a deposit is often required. However, the costs for the actual charging are borne by the provider. The charging stations are often compatible with various systems such as Shimano or Bosch. Ordinary 230-volt sockets are also frequently offered for the charger you bring with you.
In addition to restaurants and accommodation facilities of all kinds, tourist information offices and tourist facilities such as outdoor pools, museums and even petrol stations often offer this service. In the Děčín district, there is a charging station in Jetřichovice in Bohemian Switzerland and two in Česká Kamenice (tourist information office and outdoor pool). In the Ústí district, bikes can be charged at the Labská bašta restaurant in Střekov, at the Tivoli restaurant in Velké Březno, at Chata Florian in Telnice or at the Air Restaurant Petrovice parking lot. In the Litoměřice district, there are options at the Orlen petrol station in Lovosice, on the main square in Bohušovice nad Ohří or at the U Přívozu snack bar in Velké Žernoseky. In the Teplice region, free charging is available, for example, at the Eurocamp Barbora campsite in Oldřichov, in the atrium of the town museum in Duchcov, on the terrace of the restaurant at Komáří vížka and at Dubí Golf Club.
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