Compact archive June 2006

Brevnov monastery (Brevnovky klaster) welcomes you. I bring a tip to a trip.

Benedictine monastery in Brevnov is more than thousand years old. It was built in 993 and after many years it was changed of course. It has mostly baroque architecture nowadays.

The arch-abbey has things to offer. A dominant is church of St. Margaret with a crypt from year 1040. There is also a Theresina hall and you can take a route in a weekend. Route starts at 10 am, 2 pm and 4pm, unfortunately only with a Czech guide.

You can also visit a service yard, terrace gardens with Gazebo Vojteska, remains of a glasshouse from 18th century or a graveyard where is buried many important persons like Karel Kryl, one of the most important anti communistic singers with unforgettable lyrics.

Is is easy to get to Brevnov monastery. You only need to take a tram 22 from Hradcanska station at metro A line.

Czech newspapers Mlada Fronta DNES made a test to find out where is the best to change money in Prague. Journalists changed Czech crowns for 100 Euros and for 100 American dollars.

21 banks and exchange offices was tested in Prague, another nine in other towns in Czech Republic. The test was made 12th June.

Generally, the worse rate is in banks and better is in exchange offices.
But worst exchange rate with totally nonconforming voucher is in FEO exchange office at Hlavni nadrazi (Main Railway station). 100 Euros costs 2990 CZK, 100 USD is 2391 CZK.

Best rate is in Camfex Group and Alpha Prague.
12th June has Alpha Prague 100 Euros 2825 CZK, 100 USD cost 2240 CZK. The adress is Na prikope 23, Prague 1.
Camfex Group has that day the rate almost similar. 100 Euros cost 2534, 100 USD 2240 USD. The address is Vladislavova 16, Prague 1.
Today exchange rate was better in Camfex Group in both an Bid and an Ask.

On-line exchange rate is at Kurzy pages.

Municipal (city) police has a new competences from tomorrow. It will be much helpful in case of disobey traffic regulations.

Policemen can measure a speeding of cars, give a traffic ticket for riding at red light, when the car uses incompetently the lane or when driver stays at a place where the waiting is prohibited or at clearway. Policemen can also remove a vehicle from a place where the vehicle shouldn’t be.

1st July also brings a number of changes for drivers. Point penalty system, more expensive traffic tickets, the loss of driving licence (for foreigners in some form too) or even prison can wait irresponsible drivers. More about new law in Czech Republic you can find at official pages (in English).

Vrtbovska garden in Prague Lesser Town has new statues. The old were replaced. The garden and original statues are three hundred years old.

New sculptures replace low quality copies what are 40 years old. the sculptures made of a poor quality artificial stone was replaced for Labe’s sandstone from Germany. The cost of new copies is 11,5 millions crowns.

Original statues are made by famous baroque sculptor Matthew Bernard Braun and his workshop. Similar but not same statues are in Troja chateau or Clam-Gallas palace. Originals are now in City Gallery Prague depository.

41st International movie festival in Carlsbad starts tomorrow. During 10 days you have a chance to see 230 movies. There will be many movies from many countries and many celebrities.

You can see almost every genre. You can visit some seminars for example about horror.

As a guests or celebrities who gain awards. You can met actors, producers, directors etc.: Matthew Barney, Richard P. Rubinstein, Andy Garcia, Robert K. Shay, Luc Besson, Terry Gilliam, Kim Ki-duk or Goran Paskaljevic.

The movies are from USA, Romania, Thailand, Brazil, Iraq, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Bulgaria, Sweden… and much more.

Every information you can need you find at official IFFKV pages.

Most absurd fee was voted the paying for an incoming payment. It was two months ago. A month ago Postovni sporitelna (Post Savings Bank) cancelled this fee. Second bank did the same yesterday.

It was eBanka (eBank). The fee doesn’t exists from 1st July. It was 2,10 or 6,10 crown for a payment. The rest of Czech banks don’t think about it. Consumers Defence Association of the Czech Republic critics this fee as well as other things in bank sector. The organisation has a goal to fight for better protection of costumers.

And why was this fee voted by customers as a most absurd? Imagine that someone doesn’t like you and he know the number of your bank account. He sends to your account one single crown million times. Bank takes from your account six crowns for each transfer. The result: You have a loss 5 million crowns. It is nice, isn’t it?

Humanistic movement created a classic symbol of a peace at Hradcanske square directly in front of Prague Castle.
It was 16th June and it was made as a support of a peace in the world and also a protest against occupation of Iraq.

This action was well prepared, the torches was sold to volunteers who want to be a part of this large symbol and the layout was directed by many people who directed one section of a symbol. A diameter of the symbol was 15 meters wide and it was made by more than 300 people.

You can see the photos at Humanistic movement official pages.

Today I bring you next review of Prague. The author describes her experience in Prague. She isn’t one of them who breathtakingly gaze at Charles Bridge or the Astronomical clock. I appreciate another point of view, so you can read here another things than usual monument descriptions.

The thing about Czech money was that there was a lot of coins. Not just coins, but giant, heavy coins. The coins were at least twice the weight of the equivalently valued Canadian coin. The dual-metal fifty koruna piece was particularly quite the looker. I imagine Czech men being plagued with hole problems in their trousers.

Public transport in Prague is accessible, dense and relatively fast. But not for people on a wheelchair. For them is transport in a bus, a tram or a metro only a dream. Or a nightmare.

Imagine that you are on a wheel chair and you want to get from one side of a Prague to another by public transport.
First step: How to get to metro station? Still there are many sidewalks in Prague what haven’t barrier less access so get from one side of a road to another is problem.
Second: You must get under a ground into a platform. New stations are barrier less – they have elevators, but almost every old station is without it. So you have no chance to get to Prague centre by metro.
Third: At some stations the gap between the metro train and platform is so big, than your wheel can get stuck there. In metro train you have also no chance how to give a not to driver than you want to leave the train.

Buses: Only small number of buses have low-lying floor. You must wait to this bus or you can have a bad luck and the line have no low-lying floor buses at all.

Trams: Forget it. There is no chance to get to tram (there is only one exception).

There is also more problems like how to get to some offices with barrier access. You can also find some grotesque things like a ring or a bell for wheelchaired people, which is set at a place unreachable from a wheelchair or a elevator with buttons too high to push. And where is biggest problem (if we don’t count some examples of a stupidity like these)? Money. Changes in transport for better live of people at wheelchairs costs milliards of crowns.

Still it will take some time to an existence of artificial doctor who will be able to cure patients or recognize the wounds. For now we can see them only in Star Wars movie or Star Trek: Voyager series. But robotic technology can be helpful already now.

Prague Na Homolce hospital has a “robotic servant”. This useful piece of technology allows to make a virtual tour for a doctor who cannot be really presented at a place. The robot moves in a hospital and visits patient room. The motion is directed by a doctor from a distance. In rooms the robot can visit every patient and a doctor can communicate with them via cameras and raudio system at both sides. A doctor can see the wounds, speak with nurses and other doctors or suggest a treatment.

This technology can help in many ways. It can control and gives advices to younger doctors, it can be used as an expert assistance in operations, when the doctor is in another hospital or a country. This allows to reduce a need of transportation a patient for another expert opinion. When hospital need to know an attitude of doctor who is at vacation or at home this is very helpful. And there is another quality of this robot: doctor can visit a patient contagious disease without fear.

Na Homolce hospital now testing the robot and his use. It would be the first “robotic doctor” used in Central and Easter Europe. Total number of robots used in the world is about 80.

Sculpture Grande is an every year open air exhibition of statues. Exhibition ground is Prague Wenceslas square, where you can see really big statues.

The exhibition is between 19th July and 30 October and you can see there many styles of modern art in a statuary for free. There will be many “most” things in the exhibition.

Biggest statue will be National museum itself, transformed into a sculpture. Highest sculpture will have 11 meters. Most famous author is Dennis Oppenheim and most authors work at sculpture “12 words”. Most visible is statue the Tsunami. It will create an illusion of water sweeping over speculator as is was in 2004 at Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Do you want to see Charles Bridge or National theatre from different perspective? Or do you search for refreshment? Than try a boat at Vltava river.

You can rent a boat at four places: U Kotvy, Zofin island, GO Zlute lazne (Yellow spa), Podoli Prague 4, Club Lavka, Novotneho lavka Pragu 1, Rent-house S.P.L A.V., Zofin island.

You can also rent a dory (small boat with a motor) at Cisarska louka island as well at Go Yellow spa. You don’t need any licence to drive. The speed is up to 35 km/h.

If you want something more comfort than you can try a steamboat. You can try Troja or Rasinovo riverside between Palackeho and train bridge.

You can also find at some docked ships and boats a restaurant or a theatre.

This is an article describing a trip to Karlstejn Castle, maybe the second most famous castle in Czech Republic, after Prague Castle. It’s importance was big during medieval.

The author takes some photos, drew some sketches and wrote some info.

The second day was dedicated to Karlštejn castle , which is situated in the Central Bohemia cca 40 kilometers from Prague.This High Gothic castle (founded in 1348) is the most visited and the most famous castle of the Czech Republic. It was built by Czech King and Roman Emperor Charles IV as a place for safekeeping of the royal treasures, especially Charles’s collection of holy relics and the coronation jewels of the Roman Empire.

Whole article is here

Prague is a top city in Czech Republic in a level of the noise. Summer, a tourism, a transport or even historical cobblestones causes loud and unwelcome noise.

Summer raises the noise, because many restaurant has open windows and loud conversation, creaking of tables and chairs, tinkling of glass or music and TV sounds are nothing great for people living in surrounding.

Tourism with thousands of tourists maybe bring money, but people living in Wenceslas Square, Old Town Square or at Royal Road and Lesser Town are not very happy.

But transport leads. Cars, trams and planes near Ruzyne airport makes hard live for citizens. Many things are made now for better living. New runway should lower the number of planes flying across the city, trams riding at rails covered in green makes smaller noise and Prague outer circuit with replacing cobblestones for quiet pitch will cause a lower level of decibels.

Anti noise screens with better windows should help too.

35th birthday was celebrated in Prague zoo. And who was honoured person? The orangutan Kama, an ape male. He was the first orangutan born in Prague zoo.

Director of the zoo Petr Fejk was at birthday party too as well as former director Zdenek Veselovsky, who was a friend of the orangutan many years.

Professor Veselovsky became Kama’s family shortly after ape’s birth, because his mother died soon after his birth because of heart disease. Kama was fed by human milk from maternity hospitals. When he was little older Mr. Veselovsky or a nurse Bozena Gottfriedova perambulate him. As a father Kama has two children.

You can see Kama and his family in Pavilion Indonesian jungle or in adjacent outer exposition.

I wrote about Two Czech heroes of World War II who assassinated a Nazi leader Heydrich some time ago. They trained in England and were paradropped to Bohemia during war where they committed assassination the chief planner of the holocaust.
After their mission they hid in church of Cyril and Metodej, where they was finally found and where they was killed when they defend themself.

At this page you can find suggestive photos of this church with some words of the author of the blog.

US Army finished testing of Czech military technology – radiolocator Vera. It is observation system upgraded version of Czech radiolocator Tamara.

This unique technology has a great characteristics. It can be used for scanning of a sky and detects radio waves emitted from plane. This technology is based on receiving without emitting so this passive technology cannot be located as normal radars. It can find a flying object at distance 500 kilometers, identify it and track the route. This technology has one huge advantage: every plane is visible for it, even “invisible” bombers Stealth.

US Army wants this device as well as some another NATO partners or for example Australia. China, Egypt, Malaysia or Vietnam are interested too, but NATO didn’t recommend selling this strategical technology to China, because of its political regime and a military power.

Last weekend brought a success for many athletes at Prague Strahov stadium. Limits required for a join to Europe championship in Sweden Goteborg on August.

Women sprinters Stepanka Klapacova, Katerina Cechova, Iveta Mazacova and male Jan Shiller with a hurdler Jiri Muzik are members of Czech Athlete team now.
Klapacova and Cechova succeeded in heat run, Mazacova and Shiller reached the limit in final run.
Muzik returned to European championship after an injury of a knee and he will defend silver medal from Munich.

Pavla Hamackova, pole-jumper reached 450 cm and even she didn’t make a new record, this is best high in this year.
Vera Cechlova threw a discus to 61,79 meters and won by 9 meters.
Barbora Lalakova reached in high jump 194 centimeters.

Summer Holiday is coming and this mean traditional depopulation of Prague. Many families leaves a hot city and they will spent summer in the country or abroad.

Prague Public Transport flexibly reacts and many lines will be reduced or even stopped during July and August.

Tram line 13 as well as bus lines 143, 168, 274, 277, 343, 465 are cancelled.
Tram lines have longer intervals.

Metro line A goes between Skalka and Depo Hostivar station only every second metro set in time from 7 am to 5,30 pm. Line B has every second set in time from 6,45 am to 4 pm in Nove Butovice and Ceskomoravska section, from 8,30 am to 4 pm between Smichovske nadrazi and Ceskomoravska station.

Last Thursday broke a year old record. During this day the airport has 628 landings and starts of planes. In addition Ruzyne airport between 8 am an 9 am checked out 50 planes. The declared maximum is only 40 planes.

This has unfortunately an opposite site. More planes means more noise and many Prague citizens is disturbed by plane engines. the worst situation has a Horomerice district. The key to help them is to built another runway. It ought to be built in 2010. But there is same problem: Citizens of another Prague part, Nebusice, don’t want it, because this will move the noise to them. Nevertheless, Nebusice has much less people than other parts of Prague, where planes are landing and are taking off.

Letnany airport is not very popular too. The airport will gain status “international airport” next month and it will be used for private flights. This is criticised by Kbely district, although the raising of flights is expected only by 2 per cents. And it is strange for a different reason too, because Kbely has Museum of Aviation and there is a military airport used also for flights of politicians over eighty years.

Prague has many fountains, but only some of them are for drinking. Many of them are only for aestethic purposes. Drinking fountains or posts can be recognised easily I hope. Historical, large and fountains with bad access to water aren’t probably for drinking.

Their water is adjust by copper vitrion as a protection against rotting of water. The water is not dangerous, but it is prohibited to drink the water or bath either.

Number of water fountains is sad to say small and they are heavily used. For example a post in Na Prikopech street spent 2123 cubic meters of water last season.
Even the some drinking posts seems to be without water, they have a push button or a photocell.

Mercer Human Resource Consulting chart is an annual list of world cities, comparing living costs. It is based on more than 200 entries like cost of the food, the transport or the accommodation.

The chart has as base the cost in New York (rate 100), an expensive cities have higher number, a cheaper have lower. The rate depends on exchange rate, so the better prizes of Czech crown made Prague cheaper. The chart is made as a help for employers to show them how big are costs of an employee living in one of rated city.

Most expensive is Moscow, Russia with index 123,9 then there is Soul, Tokyo, Hongkong and London. New York is at 10th place, Paris is 15th, Sydney 19th. Our neighbour Bratislava is 48th.

The end of school year is coming and this mean that the police have work to do. 150 policemen watch over the eighty zebra-crossings every morning of school day. Police raises the number of policemen in the last days of June.

240 policemen will supervise and coordinate the traffic at 150 crossings. Some schools have the last day earlier then another, so the police contacts the headmasters for better coordination.

Policemen will also at zebra crossings not only in the morning before school time, when kids will gain a school report, but also after that, when the youth will return home.

Well, I know that this is a little underground theme, but sewers are one of the most complexest and important structure in every city. Without that the living would be much bad smelling and even worse.

It is 100 years when Prague as a one of the first cities in Europe started to clean a sewage and therefore stopped bad smell in streets and in a river. Dozens of kilometers of sewers was made and the Prague sewage clarification plant started its work hundred years ago. The steam engines worked 20 years without stop. In 1967 the plant ended its work and the new one started at another place.

Today the canalization has 3,5 thousand kilometers. If is for you 100 years too small piece of history than let me tell you that oldest canalization in Prague is from 12th century and it was built for Strahov monastery.

Civic democrats won the elections. Christian union and Green party joined with Civic democrats to create a coalition and new government. Today they signed the deal and tomorrow the Chamber of Deputies has the constitutive meeting. There will be proposed the new Government with their deal.

After that the new Government usually takes a place after the old one. After the constitutive meeting the new Government has exactly 30 days to gain the confidence (or agreement) of the Chamber. And this is for upcoming Government a problem.

Coalition has 100 seats out of 200 and this means that it required one more seat to have majority necessary to gain the confidence. The rest of 200 seats has biggest rival of Civic Democrats – Social Democrats and Communistic Party.

So there is only one chance to create the Government: to gain any kind of support of Social democrats. This mean a heavy negotiation, because Social Democrats cannot accept some points of coalition programme at all cost and Civic democrats want to realize this points at same cost.

So this will be very interesting. If the upcoming Government wouldn’t gain the confidence, the new government would be set.

Prague was a witness of surprising event. Sixty ladies dressed in beautiful kimonos presented their traditional clothes in Prague streets where they took a walk. The ladies was a wives of famous kimono producers.

They wanted to give a notice about Japan culture and traditions. Kimonos are traditional and ceremonial clothes and they are worn in Japan feasts or in some professions.

This walk-presentation has a great success and the surroundings was excited. The kimonos was made of natural silk and the cost of one of them is 200 000 crowns.

New ferry is at Vltava river in Prague. This un-bridged transport across the river is second in a row and it is at the north of the Prague. The first one is one years old and it is between Prague parts Sedlec and Bohnice.

The ferry transport is between Sedlec and Zamky and it will also transport bikes, baby coaches or animals. This will also give a new access to Troja, where “Prague zoo” is and it connect a bike traces.

The cost of the ferry is simple: you can use an ordinary PRI transport ticket.

United Islands festival, which has this year many celebrities like Placebo, Medeski, Martin &Wood or Khaled was maybe this year for a last time.

Why? It is because the festival wasn’t able to make money for itself and the producer has a great loss. Although the number of visitors was double than last year – about 15 000 – it is not enough for funding the festival. As a chief organiser David Gaydecka says, the big problem was that the Islands was not able to find a general partner.

United Island of Prague has over 100 music bands, interpreters and DJs from 20 countries. There was no problem with visitors and performers during the festival as well as with their health.