Compact archive February 20, 2007

Visitors of Prague can enjoy the traditional Easter markets that will be held this year from 24th March to 15th April . The organizers promise many spacious stands with various goods and assortment.

There will be 16 stands in Old Town Square. The organizers will use the same popular stands that were in the Old Town Square last Christmas. Wenceslas Square will offer about 60 stands.

The markets will be devoted to the Czech Easter traditions and habits. People can taste traditional Czech food, such as a cake called Easter Beranek or Easter stuffing. The birch tree, which is connected with Easter, will be put in the middle of both Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square.

We’ll certainly inform you about other events during the Easter in Prague.

Travellers flying from Barcelona to Prague or vice versa can now use another low-budget air carrier flying from the Prague International Airport Ruzyne. It’s Spanish clickair flying between Prague and Barcelona once a day.

The planes from Barcelona land in Prague at 19:00, then they continue back to Barcelona at 20:00. According to the summer schedule, the planes will land at 13:10 and take off at 13:45.

The number of passengers flying between Czech capital and Spanish destinations increased by 17% last year. Now is Spain, according to the spokesperson of Prague Airport, the 6th most popular destination for travellers flying from Prague.

The Prague Public Transport Company announced that due to the track maintenance there will be two short-term changes in public transport.

Trams no. 4, 7, 9, 10, 58 and 59 won’t go to the centre via stop Andel in Plzenska street, but via Na Knizeci (Za Zenskymi domovy street) and Andel stop in Nadrazni street. This limitation is valid only for the night from 22nd to 23rd February from 22:00 to 4:00 and only on the way to the centre.

On Saturday 24th February from 9:00 to 14:00 there will run no trams between Ohrada and Palmovka in the northeast of Prague. Line no. 1 will go from Palmovka via Bulovka, Ke Stirce, Ladvi to Sidliste Dablice. Line no. 8 will go from Nadrazi Vysocany via Kolbenova and Hloubetin to Lehovec. Line no. 10 will go from Biskupcova to Vapenka and tram no. 19 will go via Vapenka to the stop Spojovaci. There will be an additional bus X-1 between stops Biskupcova and Palmovka.

Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, released a data informing about the degree of economic development of all regions in 27 countries of the European Union.

The survey measured the regional GDP per inhabitant in the 27 countries of European Union in 2004. The best results belongs to the Inner London with 303% of the average of the European Union GDP. London is followed by Luxembourg and Brussels. The lowest positions belong to the North-East of Romania with 24%.

Prague is in the 12th place of all the regions. It scored 157% of the average 27EU GDP per person. Other Czech regions did not reach up 70% of the average GDP of the European Union. The region in the Czech Republic with the lowest GDP per person is the central Moravia. Read here the whole report.

The Czech Republic and Poland will risk being targeted by Russian missile if they agree to build U.S. anti-missile defence bases in their countries. These are words of the top Russian general Nikolai Solovtsov as a reaction to the meeting of Czech and Polish Prime Ministers in Warsaw yesterday.

The Prime Ministers agreed that their countries will probably say yes to the U.S. proposal. “I think it is in our joint interest to negotiate this initiative and to build in our area the missile defense,” said the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Mirek Topolanek.

According to Russia, the anti-missile defence bases could start a new arms race. Analysts say that Russia may withdraw from the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed by Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan in 1987.