Derweil in Tschechien... 1/26
09.01.2026
Bishop commemorates expulsion
2026 should be the year of healing, says the Bishop of Litoměřice, Stanislav Přibyl. In a pastoral letter, he called for reconciliation in the diocese. This includes the entire Ústí (Aussig) district and large parts of the Liberec (Reichenberg) district as well as parts of Central Bohemia. Bishop Přibyl refers to the Catholic Ackermann community, which was founded 80 years ago on January 13 and has been striving for reconciliation from the very beginning. The first reconciliation mass in the diocese will also take place on January 13 in Filipov (Philippsdorf) on the border with Lusatia in Saxony, where the healing miracle of Magdalena Kade took place on this day. Mary, the Mother of God, appeared to her with the words "From now on it heals". The displaced Catholic Sudeten Germans understood these words in 1946 as hope for reconciliation between Germans and Czechs. A second reason for the Year of Reconciliation is the 80th anniversary of the expulsion of the Germans from Czechoslovakia. After the first wild phase in 1945, it took place mainly in 1946.
In addition to Filipov, further reconciliation masses and commemorative events are planned in Terezín, Postoloprty, Žatec, Ústí nad Labem, Osek, Česká Kamenice and Česká Lípa. These are sites of crimes against Sudeten Germans, but also of National Socialist tyranny.
2026 is also the year in which Sudeten German Day will take place for the first time in the Czech Republic, in Brno. Brno, where a death march to the border with Austria took place in 1945, had already proclaimed a year of reconciliation ten years ago.
Snow causes obstructions and skiing fun
Storm Elli also caused disruptions in the Czech Republic today. Large parts of southern and northern Bohemia and central Bohemia, including the capital Prague, were particularly affected. Due to the heavy snowfall, the roads could not be cleared in time, which is why there were sometimes severe delays in public transport in the cities. Trains and regional transport were also affected. There were traffic jams on the Czech side of the Prague-Dresden highway. However, there were initially no major accidents.
On the other hand, the rain of snow means that the opening of ski resorts is accelerating. The entire ski area in Klíny will open on Friday evening. This means that the four-seater chairlift will also be in operation and not just the T-bar lift. In Telnice and Český Jiřetín, the major ski slopes such as Macháček and Piste 1 will open on Saturday. In Telnice, the four-seater chairlift will also be put into operation at the same time. At Bouřňák (Stürmer) near Mikulov, it was still uncertain whether the important slalom slope would open on Saturday.
Conditions are also good for cross-country skiers. The trails in the Bohemian Ore Mountains are regularly groomed thanks to good snow conditions. You can follow the current condition of the trails on the winter map at mapy.com.
New visitor center planned in Bohemian Switzerland
The Bohemian Switzerland National Park is planning to set up a new visitor center in Mezní Louka (Rainwiese). A building owned by the national park is to be used for this purpose. Together with an extension to the nearby Luchsweg adventure area, it should be completed by 2028. The costs amount to the equivalent of 5.5 million euros. The new center will house an exhibition dedicated to nature in the national park, as well as the recovery of the forest after the major forest fire in the summer of 2022. The national park is also planning a trail off the road between Mezní Louka and Mezná (Stimmersdorf). Preparations are also to be made for the renovation of the hiking trail from Tři prameny (Three Springs) to Pravčická brána (Pravčická Gate). A study is to be carried out for the safe reopening of the Gabrielensteig trail, which has been closed since summer 2022. No date has been set for the reopening of the popular hiking trail.
Canceled fireworks displays and toothless pyro ban
The farewell to the old year 2025 was the first in the Czech Republic after the comprehensive restrictions on the use of pyrotechnics, which have been regulated by law since the beginning of December 2025. According to media reports, it was relatively quiet on New Year's Eve in northern Bohemia. The number of emergency services deployed was also on a par with the previous year. However, the ban on pyrotechnics proved to be rather toothless. Since last year, there have been some large areas where the use of pyrotechnics is prohibited, e.g. near hospitals, animal shelters or zoos. The only exceptions are class F1 firecrackers, i.e. sparklers and other children's firecrackers.
However, a reporter for the daily newspaper Děčínský děník witnessed rockets being set off on Masaryk Square in Děčín without the police intervening or punishing anyone. In the entire Ústí district, there were just 46 reports in connection with the use of pyrotechnics. Of these, 17 cases were prosecuted as administrative penalties, according to the police. In Děčín, however, where unauthorized use was observed, there were no fines at all. In Ústí nad Labem, too, not a single complaint was made, although private fireworks were also used there. The police excused this by saying that they already had enough to do with ensuring safety and order. It is also relatively complicated to convict someone of the unauthorized use of pyrotechnics. "The only effective measure would be a ban on the sale of pyrotechnics," says Marcel Horák, head of the Děčín City Police. The new situation also absurdly leads to people setting off fireworks in the countryside far away from residential areas to make sure they are not in a prohibited zone.
The police chief is not alone in his opinion that the sale of pyrotechnics should be banned. Many official fireworks displays have also been canceled due to the new legal situation. They are not feasible under the new conditions. Only in a few places, such as Litvínov or Ústí, did the municipal fireworks display take place. But even these towns are considering celebrating differently in a year's time. In Most, the traditional fireworks display on the local hill Hněvín was canceled and replaced by a light show and video mapping on building facades.
On a positive note, the emergency services were only called out to 170 patients in the entire Ústí region on New Year's Eve. The number remained unchanged compared to the previous year. The number of people injured by fireworks was even lower, although three children were among the injured.
Czech Republic continues ammunition initiative
The Czech Republic will continue to organize ammunition for Ukraine. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš made this clear after the meeting of the coalition of the willing in Paris. However, the Czech Republic will no longer participate financially. The Czech Republic is organizing the ammunition together with Denmark and the Netherlands. The Czech Republic's financial contribution has so far been in the very low range of two to three percent. The most important donors are Germany, Canada and the Netherlands.
The ANO and SPD parties had announced in the election campaign before the parliamentary elections in the fall that they would abandon the ammunition initiative. Now the ANO has changed its mind. The motorists' party Motoristé was in favor of a continuation anyway. The radical SPD is now talking about a compromise in which the main thing is that no more Czech money will be spent on it. Foreign Minister Petr Macinka said that abandoning the initiative would have been a major problem, especially for the Czech Republic. The initiative, which was launched under the previous government and with the great help of President Petr Pavel, would have given the country enormous prestige.
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