• Funeral mass for Karel Schwarzenberg held in St. Vitus Cathedral
    12/09/2023

    The official funeral mass for Karel Schwarzenberg, a member of the Czech nobility and one of the country’s most prominent post-1989 politicians, took place with state honours in St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle on Saturday afternoon. The roughly two-hour Catholic ceremony, which began at noon, was officiated by Prague Archbishop Jan Graubner, while President Petr Pavel gave a short eulogy. The invite-only event was attended by hundreds of guests from the worlds of politics, culture, and the nobility, including Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová, Prince Albert of Monaco, and British ambassador to the Czech Republic, Matt Field.

    Karel Schwarzenberg passed away on November 12 in Vienna at the age of 85. He would have been 86 on Sunday.
    Author: Anna Fodor

  • Ice warning issued for parts of Czechia
    12/09/2023

    The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute has warned that there is a risk of black ice forming on roads and pedestrian walkways on Saturday evening and overnight, with southern and southwestern Bohemia most at risk. Elderly or less mobile people are advised to avoid going outside if possible and motorists have been told to drive with extreme caution and to expect increased travel times.

    Snow is expected to come in from the west of the country, with the snowfall turning into rain in some places, which may freeze and form black ice on surfaces and power lines. During the night, the precipitation will move further east, so towards morning, eastern Bohemia and southwestern Moravia will be more at risk.
    Author: Anna Fodor

  • Surveys suggest Czechs significantly underestimate wealth inequality
    12/09/2023

    People perceive the gap between Czechia's richest and poorest as being smaller than it actually is, two studies on the perception of wealth and income inequality conducted by the Research Institute of Labour and Social Affairs suggest. Respondents estimated that the richest fifth of the population owned less than half of the total property in the country and the poorest fifth owned about five percent, while in reality, the richest segment of society owns four-fifths of the property and the poorest only 0.2 percent.

    The survey respondents were also asked how wealth should be distributed amongst the population in an ideal world, with the results indicating that people thought the richest fifth of society should get a third of the total property and the poorest fifth more than a tenth, with the remaining almost three-fifths going to the middle classes.

    The authors said the results showed that people significantly underestimate wealth inequality.
    Author: Anna Fodor

  • Karel Schwarzenberg's coffin transported in police procession to Prague Castle
    12/09/2023

    A hearse bearing the family coat-of-arms transported Karel Schwarzenberg's coffin from the Church of Our Lady Beneath the Chain in Prague's Malá Strana district to Prague Castle on Saturday morning, accompanied by a police procession. After arriving at its destination, the coffin, draped in the blue-and-white flag of the House of Schwarzenberg, was carried by soldiers into St. Vitus Cathedral for the former statesman's funeral mass.

    Over the course of three days, over 11,000 people came to pay their respects to the late Karel Schwarzenberg as his body lay in state in the Malá Strana church.

    Karel Schwarzenberg was a member of the Czech nobility and one of the country’s most prominent post-1989 politicians. He passed away on November 12 in Vienna at the age of 85.
    Author: Anna Fodor

  • Weather forecast
    12/08/2023

    Saturday should be partly cloudy to overcast with snow, mainly in the eastern parts of the country, and day temperatures between -2 and 2 degrees Celsius. Meteorologists have issued a warning to pedestrians and drivers about icy conditions on Friday and Saturday.

  • Thirty-six percent of Czechs cannot afford to take winter holiday
    12/08/2023

    A survey by the CzechTourism agency indicates that 52 percent of Czechs will not take a winter holiday this year, with 36 percent of respondents citing financial reasons. According to the head of CzechTourism František Reismüller this points to a new trend, with people only taking one proper holiday a year. On the other hand, 43 percent of respondents said they were planning to take a second holiday in the winter.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • More ski resorts to open for winter season this weekend
    12/08/2023

    More ski resorts are due to open their doors to visitors this weekend, among them the popular resorts Rokytnice nad Jizerou and Pec pod Sněžkou in the Krkonoše mountains, Klínovec in the Krušné hory mountains or Červehohorské sedlo in the Jeseníky mountains. Lifts are being set in operation and cross-country trails are ready for skiers. The conditions for skiing are said to be ideal with 30 to 80 centimeters of natural and technical snow on the slopes. Many resorts say they are fully booked for Christmas and New Year's Eve.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Germany to extend border controls with Czechia and other neighbor states
    12/08/2023

    Germany has announced that it will extend controls at its borders with Czechia, Poland and Switzerland for at least another two months after December 15 when they were due to end. German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the controls were proving successful both in curbing the number of illegal entries into the country and detaining people smugglers. Since Germany introduced the checks on October 16, federal police have reportedly detained around 120 smugglers on its borders with the said countries and detected 9,200 illegal crossings.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Health minister and doctors unions sign agreement ending partial strike in hospitals
    12/08/2023

    Government officials and doctors’ unions have signed an agreement that will end the partial strike in Czech hospitals. The agreement confirms a 9.8 billion crown pay increase for hospital staff next year, with doctors receiving an additional 5,000 and 15,000 crowns a month to their salaries and other employees receiving a five percent wage increase. Hospitals around the country have been operating in crisis mode since December 1, after 6,000 doctors refused to sign contracts on overtime in protest against low pay and overwork.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • People coming in droves to pay their last respects to the late Karel Schwarzenberg
    12/08/2023

    Over 6, 600 people have come to pay their respects to the late Karel Schwarzenberg, a member of the Czech nobility and one of the country’s most prominent post-1989 politicians, whose coffin is on display for the public at the Church of the Knights of Malta of Our Lady Beneath the Chain in central Prague. Members of the public will have one more chance to bid the former head of Czech diplomacy a last farewell between midday and 10 pm on Friday before his coffin is moved to St. Vitus for a funeral mass on Saturday.

    The funeral mass will be followed by a private funeral for family and friends at Orlík nad Vltavou Castle, after which Schwarzenberg’s remains will be placed to rest in the family tomb in the castle park.

    Mr. Schwarzenberg passed away on November 12 in Vienna at the age of 85.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

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