Derweil in Tschechien... 4/26
30.01.2026
Dispute Between President and Motorists Escalates
The dispute between the leader of the Motorists’ Party, Foreign Minister Petr Macinka, and President Petr Pavel over the appointment of the Motorists’ Party’s honorary chairman, Filip Turek, as Minister of the Environment has entered a new phase. In text messages to presidential advisor Pavel Kolář, Macinka threatened the president with “burning all bridges in a way that will go down in history as an extreme case of cohabitation” if Pavel did not appoint Turek as environment minister. Pavel described the late-night text messages on Wednesday as an attempt at blackmail and published the text message exchange. The president also announced that he would call in the police to investigate whether the text messages constituted a criminal offense.
Pavel refuses to appoint Turek as environment minister because of his social media posts that trivialized the Nazi dictatorship and were racist. Macinka currently serves as foreign minister and also heads the Ministry of the Environment. However, Macinka and the Motorist Party insist that Turek be appointed environment minister.
Political analysts interviewed by the media differed in their opinions as to whether this was truly a case of blackmail and who was more harmed by this exchange. The dispute had escalated too far in the meantime and was consistently negative, possibly first and foremost for the government’s popularity.
Macinka gave an initial example of how he intended to undermine Pavel in connection with the NATO summit this summer. According to an agreement between President Pavel and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, the Czech Republic was to be represented at the summit by the President. Macinka wanted to prevent this, as Pavel was acting unconstitutionally by not appointing Turek. Macinka also stated that, with him on board, a delivery of L-159 light fighter jets to Ukraine—a move Pavel strongly supports—would have gone through. However, the defense minister, who was nominated by the small right-wing populist SPD party, rejected this, and the entire cabinet also spoke out against it.
Meanwhile, critics accuse Macinka of failing to file a constitutional challenge against Pavel regarding his powers because he fears defeat. Macinka rejects the idea of a lawsuit because the Constitutional Court is unilaterally on Pavel’s side, a fact that has caused outrage not only in judicial circles. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, for his part, called on both the President and the Foreign Minister to ease tensions and invited them to a joint meeting.
The dispute also comes at a time when President Pavel publicly announced for the first time at the end of last week that he would be open to a second term in office if “he were healthy and had the necessary support.” Pavel has been in office since March 2023. A term of office lasts five years. The president can only be re-elected once in the Czech Republic.
Donation Account for Shooting Victims
Just over a week after the deadly shooting in the small town of Chřibská (Kreibitz), the community is showing an enormous willingness to help the victims of the shooting. Last Monday, a 39-year-old man killed the town hall janitor and injured six other people, including the town’s mayor, Jan Macháč. The shooter ultimately turned the gun on himself.
The Ústí district then set up a donation account for the janitor’s surviving dependents, the families of the injured, and to support the town. Since then, over 750,000 crowns (31,250 euros) have already been collected in the account (as of January 30, 2026), including substantial donations from many towns and municipalities in northern Bohemia such as Krupka (Graupen), Hřensko (Herrnkretschen), Rybniště (Teichstatt), and Ludvíkovice (Loosdorf), each of which donated around 1,000 euros, as well as a large number of small donations from private individuals. The Ústí (Aussig) district contributed 200,000 crowns, and hundreds also attended the funeral Mass for the former janitor in Chřibská and the Protestant funeral service in Česká Kamenice.
For anyone who would also like to donate to the account, here are the details for the account at Bank Česká spořitelna: CZ37 0800 0000 0000 2222 9922 (IBAN), GIBACZPX (BIC).
The most valuable company in the Czech Republic is a defense group
While the stock market has suffered a number of setbacks in recent days due to Donald Trump’s Greenland policy, there has been an unusual success: Czechoslovak Group (CSG), the Czech arms manufacturer owned by entrepreneur Michal Strnad, has listed some of its shares on the Euronext stock exchange in Amsterdam. CSG raised 3.8 billion euros for 15 percent of its shares. It thus replaced the energy group ČEZ as the most valuable Czech company.
According to Forbes, the 33-year-old Strnad has also catapulted himself to the top of the list of the richest Czechs with his company’s IPO. Renate Kellnerová previously held the top spot among women. At the same time, Strnad became the third-richest person in the world under the age of 40.
CSG plans to invest 750 million euros from the IPO in further investments and acquisitions. The company is considered the fastest-growing defense company in the world. It was founded in the 1990s by Jaroslav Strnad, the father of Michal Strnad, who handed it over to his son in 2018. Like other defense companies, it experienced significant growth following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It is not a pure-play defense company but comprises a variety of firms in the defense sector as well as mechanical engineering. One of its best-known brands is Tatra, a manufacturer of commercial vehicles.
Founding of the Bohemian Switzerland Mountain Club
Almost 90 years after its dissolution, Bohemian Switzerland once again has a mountain club. It was founded a year ago. But now, as its first major initiative, it has signed a memorandum with the administration of the Bohemian Switzerland National Park, which provides for the coordination of both partners’ activities aimed at nature conservation and improving the tourist environment.
The association’s founding members include the municipality of Hřensko, the Janov branch of the Czech Tourist Club (a district of Hřensko), and the Paal company, which operates the viewpoint, snack bar, and restaurant at the Prebisch Gate.
The association sees itself as continuing the tradition of the Mountain Association for Northernmost Bohemia, which was based in Krásná Lípa (Schönlinde) from 1885 to 1938 and was dissolved by the National Socialists in 1938. The first chairman, until his death in 1925, was Dr. Johann Hille from Schönlinde. After 1945, the association was never reestablished, as most of its members were expelled from Czechoslovakia, as were almost all Germans. However, the Krásná Lípa branch of the Klub českých turistů (Czech Tourist Club), which was founded later and dissolved in 1948, preserved some of the legacy of the old association. In 1972, the old Wolfsbergbaude chalet and observation tower were saved by being formally transferred to private ownership (learn more about the tower here).
Rail Vehicle Manufacturer Invests in Děčín
One of Europe’s largest repair workshops for freight rail vehicles is located in Děčín (Tetschen). The local company Ryko has now put a new workshop into operation at a cost of just over 5 million euros. Ryko will press wheelsets here in the future. This will allow the company to process 2,500 wheelsets each year.
The investment demonstrates that Ryko continues to grow. In 2025, 5,800 freight cars were overhauled in Děčín. Ryko is also expanding its workforce. The plant currently employs 360 people, with plans to hire more, primarily experienced production workers and technicians, particularly fitters. Ryko serves customers in 15 European countries. In addition to Děčín, the company also has facilities in Mladá Boleslav (Jungbunzlau) and Kralupy nad Vltavou (Kralup on the Vltava).
Low-cost fuel chain expands
Tank Ono is a household name among cross-border commuters from Germany. The chain is by far the cheapest and therefore a popular destination for German gas tourists. Now the chain, which currently has 46 stations, mainly in the German-Czech border region, is gaining a prominent new location. For the first time, Tank Ono will have two gas stations on highways. The first is currently under construction on the D4 southbound near Lety and Horosedly in the Písek district, and the second on the D1 Prague-Brno highway, near Divišov. Both gas stations are scheduled to open this year.
Tank Ono is known for offering the same fuel prices nationwide. It keeps prices particularly low thanks to a lower profit margin. As a result, it has made a name for itself as the cheapest gas station.