Czech Update

Czech real estate more popular with foreigners

Dominik Lukeš — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 19:40:18 +0000

More and more properties are being snapped up by foreigners residing in the Czech Republic. What exactly that means for the economy and culture is not clear yet. More readers for this blog perhaps.

More foreigners now keen on buying Czech real estate - Czechnews - Aktuálně.cz read more »

Karel Gott, the never-aging pop star, marries in Las Vegas

Dominik Lukeš — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 02:08:39 +0000

He's been a fixture on the Czech, German and general East European music scene since at least he mid-1960s. Started off with Rock'n'Roll and descended into broad pop in the 70s. Sold millions and millions of records and is the subject of adoration and derision in equal measure. Most Czechs and their parents have grown up listening to him and watching him win music contests. read more »

New resource for Czech exile literature online

Dominik Lukeš — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 23:08:47 +0000

A complete text (all in Czech) of a book survey of Czech exile literature between 1971 and 1989 was made available by the author on the University of Glasgow's Slavonic Studies Department website. read more »

Half of Czechs are proud to be Czechs

Dominik Lukeš — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 07:45:26 +0000

One of those glass half-full half-empty surveys.

Proud to be Czech, but leave the politics aside - Czechnews - Aktuálně.cz read more »

Czechs end 2007 with EU freedom of movement

Dominik Lukeš — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 07:38:48 +0000

Finally, Czechs can leave their passports or IDs at home when travelling to any of their neighbouring countries. The Schengen zone has embraced a bunch of new countries including all those that share a border with Czech Republic. read more »

Czech inventor of the 'drunk tank' dies aged 91

Dominik Lukeš — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 22:07:26 +0000

Záchytka is a wonderful Czech word that stands for the institution for the collection of drunken (and possibly disorderly) individual wondering city streets occasionally referred to in English as 'drunk tank' or ' read more »

Czech taxes 113th in the world

Dominik Lukeš — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 17:15:01 +0000

In a strange imaginary league table of worldwide taxation, Czech Republic came in the 113th place. That is not good! read more »

Talking about the Velvet Revolution

Dominik Lukeš — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 15:55:26 +0000

Listen to what it was like to be a Velvet Revolutionary in this discussion between Bohemica's Dominik Lukeš and Eamonn Burgess on Future Radio 96.9FM. This discussion was part of the Community Chest programme guest-hosted by Dominik on 16 November 2007.

read more »

Příkopy - Prague street in Top 20 most expensive in the world

Dominik Lukeš — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 10:20:39 +0000

The Prague street that joins into the bottom of Wenceslas square came 20th in the world ranking of the most expensive streets in the world (down from 18th a year ago). Rents there reach 2000 EUR per square meter a year. Paradoxically, the Czech name translates literally as "on the ditches". read more »

Czechs bought 350 000 bicycles in 2006 for Sport not Commute

Dominik Lukeš — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 23:43:00 +0000

Lots of cycling stories in the Czech press this last week. Czechs seem to be buying lots of cycles but don't like to think of them as a commuting device but rather one for getting some exercise in. Prague is becoming a bit more cycle-commute friendly but it's still more the exception than the rule. read more »

Sokol in New York still going strong after 140 years

Dominik Lukeš — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 17:54:06 +0100

read more »

Czech Republic less desirable for support service outsourcing

Dominik Lukeš — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 17:43:32 +0100

Now this could be both bad and good news. While the country is not seen as attractive for these types of services it is also not seen as a source of cheap labor.

Czech Republic on call read more »

Fewer claim asylum in Czech Republic

Dominik Lukeš — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 11:08:27 +0100

Czech Republic is one of the less popular countries in the EU in the number of Asylum Claims with only about 0.3 claims per 1000 inhabitants compared to 1.6 of neighboring Austria or 2.7 of Sweden (Cyprus leads the chart with 6). In total 3016 people claimed asylum in the Czech Republic last year which is almost 25% down on the 4000 claims in 2003. read more »

Ostrava plays host to foreign workers

Dominik Lukeš — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 16:56:14 +0100

This is an interesting story about expatriate adjustment of people who are not like the stereotypical American expats. read more »

Polish workers back in Czech Republic

Dominik Lukeš — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 16:53:28 +0100

I remember there used to be a lot of Polish workers working on construction and other projects in the 1980s and it seems that they are coming back. And why not? read more »

Ammended immigration law claimed to increase xenophobia

Dominik Lukeš — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 09:27:42 +0100

It is hard to say whether this law will actually strengthen xenophobia in Czech lands but it certainly makes things more difficult for immigrants. This may be partly tied to the upcoming Schengen union. read more »

Budvar World's best lager

Dominik Lukeš — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 11:28:42 +0100

Well, what do you know. Czech pivo (which is really more than just beer) really is best in the world. Budvar (aka the real Budweiser - as in actually made in Budweis and actually being beer) beat hundreds of other lagers from all over the world to win the prize. Bohemica.com is not surprised! read more »

Bramboráky a houby in Chicago

Dominik Lukeš — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 14:28:42 +0100
What could be more fitting to celebrate Czech traditions than Houby Day on Čermák Road. This is the season of mushroom picking in the Czech Republic and many of the mushrooms (houby) will end up in pancakes (bramboráky), even though even more will be made into a meal with scrambled eggs (smaženice). read more »

Czechs second highest earners in new EU countries

Dominik Lukeš — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 07:39:39 +0100
The good news is the high salaries and lowish unemployment compared to the new countries. The bad news is a continuing lag behind old EU countries and the 25% pay gap between men and women. read more »

Kafka in Czech complete

Dominik Lukeš — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 02:27:05 +0100
Was he or wasn't he? read more »

German fighting losing battle in Czech schools

Dominik Lukeš — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 08:43:59 +0100
German is no longer the first or even second foreign language of choice for Czech students. It is surprising that even Spanish and Russian seem to be more popular. In a short hundred years since almost all Czechs spoke German (some better than Czech) to where very few do. It would be interesting to see what consequence it will have for Czech-German relations. Probably, it won't be all that bad. read more »

Czech Heritage in Texas

Dominik Lukeš — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 10:48:16 +0100
Not a lot of money but it would be interesting to read some of the essays when they are submitted. read more »

Dictionary of Czech culture

Dominik Lukeš — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 21:56:48 +0100
The Amazon reviewer got it right! read more »

The look of post-communism: New ČSA logo

Dominik Lukeš — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 17:17:25 +0100
It appears the Czech Airlines are changing their look to look less Eastern European, lower quality and post-communist. See them below side by side and judge for yourself if you can tell the new from the old: read more »

Czech president at it again

Dominik Lukeš — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:36:03 +0100
It might be a bit unfair to say that Václav Klaus is a complete idiot. He's quite obviously reasonably well educated and pretty intelligent. But even well-educated and intelligent people do moronic things and this is one. Not so much the disagreement with the global warming lobby but the ease with which he lets himself be used by special interests. read more »

Czech news in English from a Czech online paper

Dominik Lukeš — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 08:44:39 +0100

Pavel Vondra » Yes, we speak English here Another milestone in Czech online journalism, or a tragically miscalculated flop? You be the judge. read more »

Go see the Czech Dream but don't trust it

Dominik Lukeš — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 07:30:50 +0100
Czech Dream (Český sen) is a semi-documentary film about a hoax advertising campaign for a hypermarket of the same name that fooled thousands of people and tried to expose the 'lies' in advertising. read more »

Czech is ...

Dominik Lukeš — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 20:37:01 +0100
If you want to know what Czech and other languages are like, read some of the humorous entries on the Essentialist Explanations page. They may not all be accurate but they are mostly funny. read more »

The simple pleasures of non-Prague

Dominik Lukeš — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 23:29:00 +0100
A visit to Třeboň, a small picturesque town (malebné městečko) in Southern Bohemia elicited justified outbursts of lyricism from a Seattle columnists. And he's right. The individual personality of small Czech towns is something to be experienced through a leisurely journey rather than a hectic 'been there, done that' trip. read more »

100 Years of Czech Teaching in Nebraska

Dominik Lukeš — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:20:47 +0100
Here's a nice bit of news. Apparently people were learning Czech as long ago as 1907.
U.S. University of Nebraska celebrates 100 years of Czech lessons - Czech republic read more »

Absinthe: tourist attraction as well as a popular export item

Dominik Lukeš — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 16:20:52 +0100
There are fewer drinks with more history and less appeal than absinthe. It has been made in the Czech lands for over a hundred years with all its decadence and semi-halucinogenic properties. It has now become a tourist attraction as well as a profitable export business.
read more »

Hollywood Rains Puns on Czech

Dominik Lukeš — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 18:53:09 +0100

Jossip Brad And Angie Take A Rain Czech Ditch Boring Senators In Favor Of Glam Hollywood Film July 12th, 2007 » 2 Comments angelina-jolie-pensivemic.JPG According to Us Weekly, Angelina Jolie hasn’t exactly been living up to her (honorary) title as U.N. Ambassador. Reportedly, the pro-adoption humanitarian recently left the Czech senate hanging, canceling a planned get-together in Prague in order to wrap up shooting her latest film, Wanted.
read more »

The Prague Post Online: Tempo: Czechs on film

Dominik Lukeš — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 10:59:11 +0100

The Prague Post Online: Tempo: Czechs on film: Among Hollywood's outstanding directors were and still are Gustav Machatý, Miloš Forman and Ivan Passer. Jan Tříska, Herbert Lom, Karel Roden and Jan Rubeš rank among the more prominent current Czech film actors, while other names such as Francis Lederer, Hugo Haas and Vera Hruba-Ralston lurk in the past. Erich Korngold towers among film composers and Miroslav Ondříček among cameramen, while a plethora of little-known but no less capable Czech stuntmen helped make movies such as Titanic and Gladiator into classics. read more »

Czech communities in Texas since 1850s

Dominik Lukeš — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 16:45:25 +0100

Texas Czech group working to preserve traditions - 21-06-2007 - Radio PragueThe first Czechs began settling in Texas in the 1850s and within five decades there were around 250 Czech communities in the state. Today one of the organisations keeping the community's traditions alive is the Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Centre. This week John Polasek, a member of its board of directors, was in Prague on behalf of the centre to receive an award from the Czech Foreign Ministry. He told me about its activities. read more »

Prague ham to return to Prague

Dominik Lukeš — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 11:12:11 +0000

Pražská šunka se vrací - iDNES.cz Kdo neví, jak chutná tradiční Pražská šunka od kosti, ať si koupí letenku. Ochutnat ji může v italském Terstu, v Berlíně, ve Spojených státech nebo i v Austrálii. V Česku zatím ne.
read more »

Prague has two hotels World Top 10

Dominik Lukeš — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 09:43:57 +0000

MF DNES Praha - Pražský hotel Riverside je osmý nejluxusnější na celém světě. Na osmé místo se dostal v prestižní anketě portálu Tripadvisor, který každý rok oceňuje nejlepší hotely z celého světa.
Two hotels in Prague made it to the top 10 in a survey of hotel visitors from around the world conducted by Tripadvisor. Riverside is 8th (4th in Europe) and Le Palais 10th. It should be of note that neither of these hotels has a Czech or even Czech sounding name and that one read more »

Czechs finally get the wedding planner

Dominik Lukeš — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 10:02:59 +0000

Weddings arranged by agencies increasingly popular in Czech Republic - 13-02-2007 - Radio Prague If you have been to a Czech wedding any time in the last few decades, you are probably familiar with the classic format: the same bleak communist-era town hall with an uninterested official repeating the same old clichés, the same Wedding March, and even the exact same menu in a local restaurant afterwards. But just as so many other things have changed in Czech society in recent years, Czechs weddings, too, are becoming a whole different affair.
read more »

Czech children not poor, but have emotional problems - UNICEF

Dominik Lukeš — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 09:45:00 +0000

Czech children not poor, but have emotional problems - UNICEF Czech children do not suffer from poverty and they have good health care and education as compared to children from some two tens of developed countries, but they have more problems in relations with parents and peers, according to a study that UNICEF released today.
Czech Republic came 11th in the overall score beating USA, France and UK (all three often featured as role models in socio-economic areas). Czechs were 11th, 10th and 9th in financial position, health and education respectively and it's infant mortality rates are one of the lowest but their overall ranking was brought down by "assessment of relations between children and their peers, and children and their parents." where CR scored 19th (ahead only of UK and US). Here are some other quotes from the article about the report. read more »

Applicants for Czech visas to need fingerprints in 2008

Dominik Lukeš — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 23:00:05 +0000

Applicants for Czech visas to need fingerprints, photographs - Prague Daily Monitor Fingerprints and photographs of applicants for Czech visas coming from countries which do not have visa-free relations with the Czech Republic and other EU countries will start to be gradually taken at diplomatic missions as from August 2008, the Czech Foreign Ministry told CTK today.
The visa empire strikes back. But making it more difficult for people to visit is probably the price Czech Republic has to pay for being in the EU. (Although, the old bureaucratic procedures are easy to resurrect.) read more »

Most Czechs won't trade base for visas

Dominik Lukeš — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:44:57 +0000

Češi zrušení víz za radar nevymění, ukázal průzkum - iDNES.cz Čechům nestojí zrušení víz do USA za to, aby souhlasili s umístěním amerického radaru v Brdech. Podle průzkumu RCA Research má takový názor 48,6 % lidí. Výměnu za víza by bralo 31,4 %. Radar nejčastěji odmítají Jihočeši a lidé bez maturity.
Two of the most significant sticking points in Czech American relations are the continued requirement for visas for Czechs visiting the US and now also the suggested military base with a Star Wars-like radar. read more »

Czech tax freedom day stays on 22 June in 2007

Dominik Lukeš — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 09:53:20 +0000

Patria: Češi budou na stát dělat do 22. června - iDNES.cz Češi budou letos pracovat na stát do 22. června, tedy stejně jako loni. Den daňové svobody připadne podle propočtů Patria Finance na 173. den v roce. Od onoho okamžiku si pomyslně budou Češi moci nechat svůj příjem pro sebe, do té doby jej budou odevzdávat státu.
Another example of American perspectives being imposed on Czech affairs. Czech newspapers now use the Tax Freedom Day concept to describe the Czech taxation system. But it makes it easier to compare the tax burden: read more »

Changes and challenges in Czech education

Dominik Lukeš — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 10:20:45 +0000

Changes and challenges in Czech education The Education Act passed in 2004 calls for the standardization of the matriculation examination (ME). After finishing compulsory education, Czech students choose one track from either academic (gymnasia), secondary technical or vocational. Students from academic and secondary technical tracks finish their studies with a ME that allows them to apply to universities. Traditionally, the ME has consisted of a written and oral examination on Czech and one foreign language, and an oral examination on two eligible subjects. In accordance with the act, beginning in the 2007 academic year, all students must sit for a standardized test in Czech and foreign languages, and a third subject chosen from science, information technology, mathematics or civics.
read more »

Prague sixth most visited place in Europe, first most crowded

Dominik Lukeš — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 10:13:19 +0000

MF DNES Praha - Praha je šestým nejnavštěvovanějším místem v Evropě. „Ale když se podíváme na počet obyvatel, tak z první desítky turisticky atraktivních destinací je Praha suverénně nejmenší, proto je v centru několikanásobně vyšší koncentrace lidí než v jiných metropolích,“ vysvětluje Tomio Okamura z Asociace cestovních kanceláří a agentur.
Prague is the sixth most visited place in Europe, it seems (behind places like Paris, Rome, London, probably, the article doesn't say). But it is the smallest of the top ten most visited places and as a result most crowded. The one million three hundred thousand inhabitants are joined by another four million visitors every year who mostly come to visit the historic center which has one of the narrowest streets of the popular destinations. Part of the problem is the fact that the outskirts of Prague are not particularly appealing, ringed as it is by bland-looking apartment housing blocks (Note: which I personally find beautiful on many levels) so the tourists have no other outlets. (Note: this is not strictly speaking true there many places off the beaten track in Prague worth visiting but the concentrated beauty of the architectural Disneyland of the historic center makes them not as attractive.) read more »

It's a Czech's funeral

Dominik Lukeš — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 13:55:53 +0000

Potoky "druhých slzí" - www.lidovky.cz PRAHA 4. února 2007 | 13:45 V Česku se prý moc slavnostně nepohřbívá. Čas od času proběhnou médii zprávy o tom, že velká část pohřbů proběhne bez obřadu, v některých oblastech to je snad až šedesát procent. Je hodně pozůstalých, kteří si do pohřebního ústavu zapomenou přijít pro urnu, když uplyne lhůta, popel se vysype... někam.
Karel Svoboda, a well-known composer died recently, apparently committing suicide leading to a great amount of attention from the media and the public. This led Lidové Noviny to publish an article that has some interesting information about Czech funereal practices. Apparently, these happen typically with a minimum of pomp. As many as 60% of all funerals happen without a ceremony (I know of several families where that is a tradition) and supposedly quite a few urns with ashes are not collected from funeral homes. This is undoubtedly connected with the high level of atheism - up to 60% - which means that many Czechs don't have an easy access to a ritualized and institutionalized expression of grief and mourning. read more »

Take the Czech quiz!

Dominik Lukeš — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 23:53:51 +0000

Tiscali Europa It's not all beer and the Vltava you know... Ten countries in Central Europe and the Mediterranean joined the European Union in 2004 - how well do you know them? Can you tell a Becherovka from a Jan Huss? Or a Škoda from a Schroeder? Try your luck with our great photo quizzes... but make a mistake and you get sent back to the beginning!
Tiscali Europe has provided this fun quiz on what is important to know about the Czech Republic. They hit many of the major points (although they read more »

Czech identity a Czech tennis stars

Dominik Lukeš — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 08:07:58 +0000

The Electric New Paper, Singapore - The Electric New Paper Sports LIKE Maria Sharapova, Nicole Vaidišová is a product of the Nick Bollettieri Academy in Florida and has developed an American accent. But she bristles at suggestions she is no longer a true Czech. Unlike Sharapova, who was born in Russia but hasn't lived there for years, Vaidisova still resides in Prague and says it will always be home. 'I think in every single sense I am Czech. Deep down, I'm Czech. Czech Republic is home for me,' she said. read more »

Richer Czechs adopt long distance

Dominik Lukeš — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 09:55:50 +0000

Češi propadli adopci na dálku - www.lidovky.cz Odborníci mají pro rostoucí zájem o adopce na dálku vysvětlení. Zatímco dříve byla z drtivé většiny motivace lidí dána výchovou – tedy že lidem v nouzi by se mělo pomáhat – nyní vstupuje do hry nový motiv. „I když ta touha pomáhat chudým převládá, motivace pramení i z dobrých materiálních poměrů Čechů, jejichž životní úroveň se každým rokem zvyšuje,“ konstatovala za občanské sdružení Adra Marie Racková. Organizace Adra zprostředkovala dálkové sponzorství pro 1100 dětí v Bangladéši.
read more »

Doomsday 2010 Prague Short Story Wins BCSA Prize

Dominik Lukeš — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 20:33:35 +0000

Mayor Šulc’s Astounding 2010 Directive is the title of a short story that has just won a prize of £300 in a writing competition run by the British Czech & Slovak Association. The author is Adam Daniel Mezei.

The story set in a Prague in 2010, which secedes from a Czechia which is controlled by a Communist revisionist government, and which in turn is part of an imperial Euro superstate. It explores the extraordinary consequences of political changes in the far from distant future – where Language Police patrol restaurants, and where Prague (Mayor Šulc’s ‘Inner District’) resorts to a helicopter airlift to take passengers to the airport to avoid the random searches and hefty tolls imposed by the Communist authorities. It’s one of several stories Adam submitted to the competition that tackle rather different, often unsettling subjects. (From BCSA Press Release) read more »

Czechs give go-ahead for US 'son of star wars' base

Dominik Lukeš — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 13:06:41 +0000

Czechs give go-ahead for US 'son of star wars' base | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited The Czech government has announced that it wants to host a large US military site for the Pentagon's much-criticised missile shield system, confirming for the first time that Washington had asked Prague for permission to build a radar site for the national missile defence programme.
Not much to say. The long fascination of the Czech Republic with the US continues. Of course, there's also the visa problem...

New property law raises expectations of Brit influx

Dominik Lukeš — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 01:31:40 +0000

News - Check out Czech Republic for property investment - Real Estate TV A change in VAT laws in the Czech Republic is set to see an increase in the number of Britons investing in the country, according to a spokesperson for Property Secrets.

The VAT rule alterations, due to come into effect in 2008, coupled with the accelerated growth in the economy are set to drive property investment in the Czech Republic in the next few years.
What more can be said? The number of read more »