Compact archive August 2006

Parking lots Park+Ride are very popular in Prague and it is expected growing number of these types of this transport style in capitol city.

Park and ride offers to park in distant places, which are easily accessible by cars and than continue into Prague centre by metro, tram or even bus.

Prague now has sixteen P+R lots with two and thousand places. The newest are at Skalka, Depo Hostivar and Chodov metro stations. Constructed lot will be in Letnany at north of Prague.

The compare of cost with a prize of parking lot in the centre is remarkable: It is only ten crowns for whole day and they are open from 4 a.m. to 1 a.m. next day.

Norodom Sihaony, a Kambodian king will visit Prague in this September. His invitation were approved yesterday by Czech government.

The king studied in Prague at elementary school, a conservatoire and a ballet at DAMU (Theater school) so he can speak Czech fluently. He will accept the freedom of the city Prague for his propagation of Czech capitol.

Norodom Sihamonu was born in 1953 in Phnompenh as a son of king of Kambodia. His father was deposed in 1970. When civil war ended, whole royal family were kept in house arrest even the king were the head of the state. Norodom become a king in year 2002 after abdication of his father.

It was five weeks ago when the liter of gasoline cost average over 32 crowns. Now the prices are returning back below 30 crowns line.

Cheapest fuel is now in Jihlava and Trebic towns. The cost is 28,90 CZK. Both filling stations owns ONO company. The average cost is now 31,71, because stations at high roads are much expensive.

The cost is lower because ends summer driving season. Analytics says that the cost can be hardly cheaper. It is expected other direction. Hurricane season Iran embargo and other events like coming winter adumbrate that the cost of a gasoline will rise again.

Young gorilla Moja, that she is precious of Prague, has been saved by an attendant Marek Zdansky. It happened yesterday and both of them were in danger.

Zoo attendant just came to work and he noticed that group of gorillas were sitting near gap on the rain. Then he saw that young gorilla Moja is in the water with face under water. He immediately jumped into ditch and pulled the gorilla out. He has to go to ground where was whole group of gorillas where was also 315 kilograms wight male Richard. Then Zdansky shook Moja to wake her up. Moja started to scream. Fortunately mother of Moja only take her and went back into pavilion.

Gorillas couldn’t do nothing to help the young one because they can’t swim. The attendant made this large risk also Moja is the first gorilla born in any Czech zoo. Moja was borned 13th December 2004, but her sex has been recognized by DNA test as lately as this May.

This weekend brings heavier traffic on Czech roads. It is last holiday weekend and therefore many families will return back to their homes. 1st September on Friday also begins changes in traffic. Trucks will be now able to ride during some part of weekend what was prohibited until now.

Trucks are allowed to ride on Friday evening and on Saturday morning. Time where camions have to stay off the road is only on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Police want to be prepared for this situation and therefore will reinforce police on roads and policemen will also gain air support of a helicopter.

Prague mayor Pavel Bem and the Prague council are strictly against idea of total Charles Bridge’s closing. Their decision says that company could makes their commercial party only during one day with a duty of a path at one side of the bridge for tourists.

This conditions are for Louis Vutton company unacceptable and therefore they decided to cancel this part of veteran cars race. Prague doesn’t want to loose the race so the company now discusses with Prague council about other places.

The mayor is also afraid that the bridge could be damaged and whole closure of the bridge could be disappointing for tourists. Bem says that is necessary to create directions how and with which conditions is possible to rent monuments in Prague. The bridge was rent for different reasons, but it was only particularly or during a night like in Mission Impossible movie.

Today begins International Folklore Fair, where are presented twenty-one folklore groups from the whole world. The performance of groups is not an only thing. People can see creating of huge wooden sculpture of a clown or traditional old-Bohemian crafts. Products ban be bought by special medieval coins – gros (a penny), which can be changed in special exchange offices at the place.

Folklore groups are for example from Bulgaria, Romania, Columbia, Mexico or Cook Islands. The exhibition are twice a day, from 12 a.m. to 2 p.m. for kids, main programme starts at 4 p.m. and ends at 10 p.m.

People can also see dance groups from Prague House of Children and Youth who will present historical, country, sport, cheerleader and classical dances every day from Thursday to Saturday.

The Fair opening ceremony is today at 8 p.m. and the event ends on this Sunday.

Czech Government will raise costs of cigarettes. Next raising starts with a new year. Cigarette distributors are slowing down the cost by a forward buying of duty stamps. This step will bring economic shock for smokers, because the new raising will meet the old one from the beginning of this year almost in same time. The cost of a pack of cigarettes will be raised by 20 crowns instead of fifteen.

Czech most popular cigarettes Petra, will cost 66 crowns instead of 44. This makes a pack more expensive by one third. The Government follows European union directions and this step will bring money to state budget.

It is expected decreasing number of smokers. Phillip Morris is the strongest cigarette producer in Czech Republic. Sixty per cents of cigarettes sold in CZ are made by this company, but smokers are starting to by cheaper brands. Shares of the company have half cost now.Czech smokes 24 milliards cigarettes every year.

The system of parking zones is spreading in Prague. Green and yellow zones are for travellers from outside of Prague in cost from 15 to 40 crowns as well as underground garages. Blue lines are for resident population, who has one-year ticket in cost of 700 crowns. Now City hall started to defend these places against reckless drivers without permission.

Prague has started with a tow of cars in Platnerska street yesterday as a demonstration of their plan. Four tow tracks were used and if necessary than can be all thirty four tow cars in streets. They can tow up to 300 cars a day. Raising number of tow tracks in street starts next week. Prague wants to return rights of paying residents back. Towing in cases of bad parking is possible from July when new road law came into effect.

The owner has to pay 1450 crowns for the tow plus a fine. Every day cost 200 crowns at a tow parking place. When an owner would get to his car in time of towing he would pay 850 crowns plus a fine.

It was counted over 15 000 violations in two months, 1600 cars were towed. Now about forty per cents of cars stand at blue lines without permission.

As you can read read in our last article about Prague zoo, visitors has unique chance to visit the zoo in the night. This offer has unexpected success and the zoo decided to continue until the end of September.

Night walk in Prague zoo offers chance to see night life of other animals, sleeping herd of antelopes, hear howl of wolves and much more. The tour is every Friday and Saturday in 8.00 p.m. 8,30 p.m. and 9.00 p.m. It takes two hours.

Tours should be reserved in advance because each group can have a maximum of 25 people. The bookings can be done via mail (pr@zoopraha.cz) or using the telephone (296 112 230).

Prague has this weekend meeting of sprayers in Prague Harfa. Sprayers protested against lack of legal places in Prague, where they can show their art without a fear of being caught.

Sprayers has not enough of wall for spraying. Now it is mostly Barrandov bridge, walls near former chocolate factory Orionka in Modrany and at Tesnov. The meeting was visited by thirty people and it was followed by “painting” the walls of former factory and hip-hop music.

Unfortunately sprayers doesn’t use only allowed places, but mostly some Prague house wall. Another popular target were trams and metros but better security prevents it now. Prague protects some places by using a special substance.

A small town Radvanovice in Northern Bohemia was a place where was made a tomato battle – Rajcatovina. As it was in two recent years two “armies” in strength of fifty men fought at both sides. Their ammunition were of course overripe tomatoes.

Thirteen tons of tomatoes were used for destroying enemy blow-up balloons. After that the battle changed to free-for-all fight and target was also an audience.

These battle – La Tomatina has long tradition in Spain, where thousands of people use this ammunition.

Infrastructure of Czech highways is continuously becoming connected and more dense. This good new brings in upcoming months problems for Prague.

Prague is a focus point of most highways in Bohemia. Star type of highways brings problems for Prague now. New finished parts of highways will bring more cars into Prague. Capitol city has a problem with proper infrastructure for heavy traffic. An arterial leading through centre of Prague is totally unfit and unfinished inner circuit is now at maximum of a capacity.

Works on outer circuits continues, but one of important parts connecting highways to Pilsen and to Brno will be finished soonest in year 2009. The rest have even more problems. 17 kilometers out of 83 is built, but it is not certain where exactly the circuit will lead at many other places. Second problem is very common: a lack of money. Total cost is 84 milliards crowns and complete finishing of outer circuit is expected between years 2015 and 2020.

Yesterday brought much more of history into Prague centre. A parade of Hussite warriors from 15th century marched across the Charles Bridge to Kampa island. At the top of parade rode on a horse Jan Zizka in full armor, a great leader of Hussite armies. Sound of drums could be heard in a wide surrounding.

People could see at Kampa medieval swordsmen, knights, a medieval market – a fair and jugglers. The meeting also offered medieval music.

This event was a small presentation of Medieval Festivities in Tabor town in Southern Bohemia. The festivities are between 15th and 17th September and visitors can see a lot from medieval times.

Capital city of Prague used most of money fro European to repairs and reconstructions. From 1,33 milliard crowns it is 1,14, that mean almost ninety per cents.

Most expensive has been repair of Broumarska street in Prague 14. 213 millions crowns were taken from funds. Very important repair of Petrin funicular costs 50 millions. Other project are elevators in Florenc station for 43 millions and Camera system in Prague for 50 millions.

The rule of using funds says, that European union will pay fifty percents of the cost, the rest is equally divided between Czech state and an applicant like city or city department. Over eighty projects has been realized this year.

Nanothread will now have a new use. Elmaco company cooperated with Liberec Technical university and created new use for nanothread: a sound isolation.

This is a second product created by this cooperation. The first one was a patch for better healing of wounds. The team as first in the world constructed a machine for industrial producing of nano threads. Nano threads are three time lighter than materials used in present time and is very universal.

Elmaco wants to start cooperation with a company who creates materials absorbing sounds. Elmaco as a first middle-size company has open branch in Japan, where it want to expand to Asia and Australia. The company now cooperate with Ireland Alltracel Pharmaceuticals in producing of wound-cover materials. First products can be bought next year.

As we inform, collection of guitars in cost eleven millions crowns has been stolen this July in Prague. Police found thieves and eighth out of eleven guitars.

Two thieves were already punished for crimes, one of them is drug addicted and also producer of pervitin. Police caught them after investigation and collecting of evidence 8th August. With regard to crimes what were committed and founded equipment to pervitin producing, older offender can spend in jail up to twelve years. The young one can could be sentenced to five years.

Still three guitars are missing. They are FENDER guitars in cost of hundreds of thousand, made between 1950 and 1980. It is most possible that guitars are already sold. Police still search for them.

This Saturday is in Prague world championship of speedways. The tournament has a jubilee in Prague for this time. Prague prepared additional programme with Grand Prix.

Lower part of Wenceslav square will be a place where people can see from 10 p.m. motorcycle veterans like brands Cechie/Bohmerland, Harley-Davidson, BMW or Jawa.
In 2 p.m. all bikes will start their journey to stadium Marketa, where Speedway Grand Pix start in 7 p.m.
Marketa Stadium in Ladronka offer programme from 1 p.m. for adults as well as for kids.

This Grand Prix has in Prague ten jubilee and no stadium in the world can compare with.
More information can be found in Speedway pages.

Martina Navratilova, world tennis legend is preparing an exhibition of her pictures in Congress centre. The exhibition has Czech a premiere 7th October and it was created with Slovakia artist Juraj Kralik.

The exhibition has a name Art Grand Slam and works started on it in year 2000. This project was made in New York, Melbourne, Paris, London and also in Revnice u Prahy, where Martina grew up.

The exhibition has around one hundred of pictures of different sizes and materials-paper, canvas, clay or fake turf. The surface is covered by multiple color spots made by Martina’s tennis ball which she struck on the surface. Largest picture has ten square meters.

As you can read in yesterday article Prague rent Charles bridge to fashion company Luis Vutton as a part of race of veterans.

The bridge would be closed from 6th to 10th September, first three days will have three meters wide corridor for tourists, the bridge would be closed completely from Saturday 3 p.m. to Sunday 2 a.m. This is because is planned party at Charles Bridge Some councillors of Prague 1 are annoyed because no one told him abut this drastical close of one of the most important monuments in Czech Republic.

The agreement was made between the company and Prague 1 hall and Technical Administration of Communications. Now special comission wants to know how was the contract signed. Prague 1 invites 1,2 millions crowns as a profit to district cash, but someone says that is almost nothing in 750 millions crowns large years budget.

Charles bridge cost 250 000 crowns for every day of shooting (the fashion company want to shoot documentary about the race), other rent is paid in addition. It is 10 CZK for square meter every day.

With this i bring another infromation. Reconstruction of Charles Bridge is moved to spring of next year.

Town hall of Prague 2 wants to clean facades of public buildings in their district. Prague hired a cleaning company, which removes “work” of sprayers in two days. Buildings are covered by substance making the remove much easier. This substance is used in other districts of Prague some time.

The company cares for twenty-five buildings. The cost is 1300 crowns for a month and one building. The system is effective, but town hall wants to extend the number of protected buildings, so the district start a selection procedure.

Sprayers cause damage in millions of crowns every year. Strongest effort of damaging building by sprayers was in nineties.

Prague will be target of another race. As you can read in yesterday article, Prague will be target point of race, where cars are as cheap as possible. But this race is on the other side of car value.

Best veteran cars starts from Budapest ride through Vienna and ends at Prague Charles Bridge. After that cars will pent some time at Hradcany square where you can see them.

None of cars has younger year of produce than 1960. Oldest car has been made in 1910. Brands of cars shows how rich the owners are: Jaguar, Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, Maserati. There is only one representative of Czech Republic – brand Tatra 603. The race is organized by Luis Vutton company. Their last race was in year 1998 and lead alongside Great wall of China.

Ministry of Internal affairs are started to create new department to fight against organised terrorism. It would be focused on gathering and collecting of information about terrorism and cooperation with foreign departments.

The centre should have from thirty to fifty people, the centre should have members from The Unit for Detection of Organised Crime and Financial police. The meeting about this department would be at September and after two months the department could work.

The department should make easier work for police investigators by using information from intelligence service. This department will create much better communication between Czech and foreign countries. This will make work more effective.

Three robbers who stole money from exchange office in Prague centre on Saturday, tried to steal money once again. It was in Prague too. This time they tried to steal money from exchange office in Celetna street in Prague centre yesterday afternoon.

Two men entered to office, one checked surrounding outside. One of them aimed at an owner of the office and want money. The owned refused and started to shout for help. After that robbers escaped.

Czech newspapers MF Dnes compared costs of taxi services in European capital cities. The cost was counted to average salary in country where measures were made.

The results are not very friendly for Czech people. The ride for average salary would be 762 kilometers long. Average salary of Spaniard is enough for 1733 km of taxi ride in Madrid. The ride in Paris and Vienna is for inhabitant 1864 km long. And Berlin offer for average German salary 2730 km long ride. More expensive taxis are in Slovakia when costs aren’t limited.

On the other hand, taxi Prague drivers says that they have more expensive input. And Prague City hall wants more required equipment for taxi.

Czech Airlines are in large loss. It was 532 millions crowns in a half of year 2005. This year it is 773 millions. Large help should come from money of Czech Republic.

Czech Airlines (CSA) have to pay new planes ordered by old management from Airbus company. Costs are higher by 11,3 per cents, mostly because of more expensive fuel and higher earnings. Required help is two milliards crowns. Czech Republic has more than ninety percents of share.

Large competition mostly cased by low-cost airlines like Smart Wings or SkyEurope takes customers away. A management of CSA tries to reduce loss by firing employees. one hundred and fifty accepted offer of ten salaries in change of leaving jobs in CSA.