Meanwhile in Czechia... 23/26
12.06.2026
Opening of the New Bike Trails
The new off-road bike trails in the German-Czech border region of Sebnitz and Dolní Poustevna were officially opened today. The first four of the 14 so-called trails are complete and will be officially inaugurated with festivities throughout the weekend. Cyclists will then be able to test about 10 of the total 31 planned kilometers. The completed trails are primarily located on the Czech side. However, celebrations will take place on both sides of the border, with food stands and parking available at SoliVital as well as at the fish ponds in Poustevna. The cross-border bike park “Borderless Trails” will be fully completed next year. A grand opening is planned for spring 2027.
In the Czech Republic, specially designed off-road trails for bikes have long been very popular. A large park is located in the Czech-Polish border region in the Jizera Mountains. Now there is the first German-Czech facility, which stretches around the Gerstenberg. The trails are graded by difficulty, with beginners able to ride on the easiest, blue trails. There are both downhill and uphill trails.
The construction of the facility is being financed by EU INTERREG funds for the Czech-German border region. The funding amounts to over 2.8 million euros. The lead partner of the project is the district town of Sebnitz. Other project partners include Dolní Poustevna and Neustadt in Saxony.
Czech Republic aims to shift more freight to rail
Road traffic is increasing, and freight rail companies are facing problems. Furthermore, efforts to reduce CO2 emissions are not succeeding. Originally, the EU had planned to have 30 percent of freight traffic on rail by 2030. Currently, this figure stands at only 16 percent. This figure is worse than it was years ago, when it stood at 20 percent.
The Czech Republic wants to change this and has now launched a European initiative to save rail freight transport. The goals are to reduce bureaucracy and the barriers that still exist in cross-border transport, as well as to support infrastructure. After several rounds of negotiations, Czech Transport Minister Ivan Bednárek (SPD) has now managed to rally eleven countries behind the initiative, which—including the Czech Republic—represent 42 percent of the European Union’s population. According to Minister Bednárek, this is sufficient for the initiative to be adopted by the European Commission. The Commission must now address the issue and develop solutions.
Ultimately, the decisive factor for success was that Poland also joined the initiative. France agreed to consider the proposal, as did Germany. However, Minister Bednárek stated in an interview with the daily newspaper Hospodářské noviny that he had been told privately that Germany’s debt brake would be an obstacle and that European funding should primarily go toward the Ore Mountains Base Tunnel.
Ústí Zoo Delighted with New Seal Pup
The mountain zoo in Ústí nad Labem (Aussig) had to wait 16 years for new seal pups. The species, with its rock pool located right near the lower entrance, is among the zoo’s most popular animals. According to the zoo, the seal pup was born during the night from Sunday to Monday.
The seal pool is currently closed to visitors, as the first few days are still very critical for a seal pup and survival is not guaranteed. The zoo train is also not running, as its route passes directly by the pool. Until further notice, the public feeding of the seals has also been canceled.
The successful breeding of seals is something very special. In 2010, the seals successfully had offspring for the first time. However, the little female died of a stroke after three months. This time, the zoo is hoping for a longer life for the seal pup.
Salaries in the Czech Republic are rising surprisingly sharply
The mood is upbeat in the Czech Republic. According to the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ), the average gross salary in the first quarter of 2026 rose by 8.1 percent compared to the same quarter of the previous year, reaching 50,282 korunas (2,067 euros). Due to relatively low inflation of 1.6 percent, the average real increase remained a remarkable 6.4 percent.
Growth is distributed very unevenly both across different sectors and regionally. While salaries for employees in the real estate sector (+22.1 percent), administration (+18.8 percent), and construction (+12.6 percent) saw above-average increases, salaries for employees in the production and distribution of electricity, gas, and heat rose only slightly, by 2.1 percent. However, employees in this sector already earn a good income, with an average of 87,404 kroner per month (3,592 euros). Employees in IT and communications companies are paid the most. They earn an average of 98,776 kroner per month (4,060 euros). At the lower end of the salary scale is the hotel and hospitality industry, with an average gross monthly salary of 30,688 crowns (1,261 euros).
In the Czech Republic, how much you earn also depends significantly on where you live. In Prague, the average gross monthly salary is 67,945 koruna (2,793 euros). In contrast, in the Karlovy Vary district, the average monthly salary is only 42,391 koruna (1,742 euros).
Observers assume that the sharp rise will not continue. It is also uncertain how inflation will develop further. In the first quarter, the U.S.-Iran war had not yet fully taken effect. Between 2021 and 2023, inflation in the Czech Republic had caused real earnings to decline steadily. Since early 2024, real wages have been rising continuously and have long since made up for the losses of that period.
Former Senator Oto Neubauer has died
Oto Neubauer, the long-time mayor of the town of Trmice near Ústí nad Labem and a former senator, has died. He passed away on his 95th birthday, June 8. Neubauer was among those who actively helped shape the town of Trmice and politics after 1989. At that time, he joined the re-established Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) and helped re-establish the oldest party in the Czech Republic. From 1994 to 2006, he served as mayor, steering the fortunes of his town, which had only become independent from Ústí nad Labem after 1989. In 1996, Neubauer was elected to the newly established Senate as the first politician from the Ústí nad Labem constituency. He also shaped policy at the regional level, serving as a member of the regional parliament for four years until 2004 and subsequently as a member of the Committee on Foreign Relations. Oto Neubauer was also active in the Elbe/Labe Euroregion for many years until 2018 and is a recipient of the Euroregion’s Medal of Honor. In 2014, he was awarded honorary citizenship of Trmice for his services.