Compact archive January 31, 2007

Today it is the last time you can pay by the Czech banknotes that were issued in 1993. Their denomination is 50, 100, 200 and 500 CZK and their validity ceases at the end of January.

You can recognize them by two things. There is the year 1993 on the front side of the banknotes. 1993’s banknotes also lack the graphic symbol on the blank margin on the reverse side.

The banknotes must be cancelled because there are not so many protective elements against forgery and many times shopkeepers do not accept the notes because of the lack of the graphic symbol.

The obsolete banknotes can be changed in any Czech bank from tomorrow until January 2010. Learn more about Czech banknotes.

Czech Museum of Music which is a part of the National Museum got a special item to its inventory. It is a hammer piano on which Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart allegedly played during his first visit of Prague in 1787.

At first this special piano was kept in Vienna, then it moved to Prague’s Villa Bertramka, which is very closely connected to Mozart. Now it will a part of the exhibition of the Czech Museum of Music together with 2800 other musical instruments. Many of them belonged to well-known musicians, such as Bedrich Smetana or Franz Liszt.

Czech Museum of Music (Karmelitska 2) is open from Wednesday to Monday from 10:00 to 18:00. You can get by metro green line A, stop Malostranska. The basic entrance fee is 100 CZK (reduced 50 CZK, family 120 CZK). You can also buy a 3-day ticket for all Prague’s objects of the National Museum for 160 CZK (reduced 80 CZK, family 200 CZK).

Stefanikuv bridge in Prague, which connects Revolucni street leading from Namesti Republiky with Letensky tunnel on the left river bank, will be closed from this Saturday. The city of Prague invests 390 million CZK for its reconstruction.

The bridge should be open from 22nd August again. Until then, the bridge is closed for car traffic, trams, as well as for pedestrians. Cars can get to the centre via Veletrzni and Bubenska streets, and from the centre via nabr. L. Svobody, Cechuv bridge and nabr. E. Benese.

Trams 5, 8, 14, 51, 54 will not ride from the crossroads of Havlickova and Na Porici streets to crossroads of Stefanikuv bridge and nabr. E. Benese. Travellers can use the bus 133 and at night buses 505, 509 and 513.

The Prague Exhibition Ground in Prague-Holesovice will host several fairs at the same time. The theme of the fairs is similar – housing at the beginning of the 21st century.

The 17th international fair PRAGOINTERIER NEW DESIGN 2007 displays furniture, flooring, home textiles, lighting and accessories. WINDOWS-DOORS-STAIRS 2007 is a specialized exhibition devoted to windows, doors, stairs, and staircases and their accessories. At PRAGOTHERM 2007 is specialized on power engineering, heating and energy saving. The last fair HOUSING 2007 (BYDLENI 2007) presents new ways of living.

All four fairs start on 1st February and finish on 4th February. You can visit them from Thursday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00 and on Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00. The full entrance fee is 100 CZK, the reduced one 60 CZK.

The Czech Trade Inspection made inspections throughout the country to find out whether the personnel of pubs and restaurants cheat their customers or not. According to them, Prague was the worst from all regions. Every other pub in Prague is cheating their customers. In other regions it is “only” 38% of companies.

The most common way how to rip off customers is to pour less liquid in the glass, serving meat of smaller weight than is written in the menu or counting other services to the bill. Some companies show the prices on the menu without VAT.

Although the situation is getting better, it is still very deplorable. The most cheating pubs and restaurants are in the city centre. These companies are often visited by foreign tourists. Be, therefore, aware of what you pay for and do not hesitate to complain.