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After three previous months of decline, industry in Czechia grew year-on-year by 3.3 percent in May, the Czech Statistics Office announced on Thursday. The construction sector grew by the same number in May, following a 4 percent decrease in the previous month.

The growth was largely thanks to an increase in automobile production, which grew by 9.8 percent when compared with the same month last year, and land construction, which grew by 3.5 percent when compared to the same period. Meanwhile, transport vehicle production saw a significant fall in May, down by 28 percent. According to the Czech Statistics Agency this sharp fall in statistics was largely due to a high comparative base. When it comes to international trade, Czechia saw a deficit of CZK 23.3 billion in May. The last time that the country's international trade was in surplus was in January.

When planning their holidays, Czechs are increasingly choosing active vacations, the Czech News Agency (ČTK) reports citing various companies active in the holiday business. Locations that offer cycling, hiking and rafting opportunities are among those most in demand.

For example, the director of web platform Slevomat, Ladislav Veselý, said that while active holidays made up between 15 to 18 percent of all of Slevomat’s sales before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, this year the company expects that it will be closer to 20 percent. The popularity of active holidays is especially popular among the younger generation of customers, he said.

The spokeswoman of travel agency Invia, Andrea Řezníčková, told ČTK that Czechs tend to plan active holidays on their own rather than through travel agencies. However, she did say that interest in active vacations organised by travel agencies grew during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, when, for example, demand for cycling trips grew by 30 percent.

Thursday will see temperatures range around 19 degrees Celsius, with overcast skies and rainfall expected particularly in the western and central parts of the Czech Republic.

July 6 is a public holiday in the Czech Republic commemorating the anniversary of the burning of Bohemian reformer priest Jan Hust in 1415.

A mass honouring Hus’ legacy was held in Prague’s Bethlehem Chapel, where Hus used to preach, on Wednesday afternoon to mark the occasion. It was conducted by the Patriarch of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church Tomáš Butta, who compared Hus with Czech philosopher Jan Amos Comenius, saying that they were both teachers close to their nation who played a role in uplifting Czech culture. This year marks the 430th anniversary of the birth of Comenius.

A mass was also held in Hus’ native village of Husinec.