Photo: ČTK/Vondrouš Roman
Prague - The Czech Republic will welcome the New Year at midnight. The most exuberant celebrations are held every year in Prague, where the city expects up to 90,000 visitors from abroad. In the centre of the metropolis, traffic measures will be introduced on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, restricting parking and access to some streets and areas. Hundreds of police officers will be on the streets of Prague during the New Year's Eve celebrations to monitor security and enforce the ban on pyrotechnics. Interior Minister Vít Rakušan (STAN) on Wednesday urged mayors of municipalities not to hold New Year's Eve and New Year's Day fireworks displays this year because of the tragic shooting at the Faculty of Arts at Charles University in Prague. However, some towns that had planned New Year's fireworks will not abandon their plans.
The parking bans in Prague will mainly affect Wenceslas Square, the area around Charles Bridge and Old Town Square. The first restrictions will start to apply on 31 December from 12:00. The metro service will be extended and night trams will be reinforced. The parking ban will be in force on 31 December from 12:00 to 10:00 on Monday 1 January.
The ban on pyrotechnics is in force in the centre of Prague and also in parks, near hospitals, homes for the elderly and around the zoo. Violations are punishable by thousands of euros in fines. In connection with the tragic shooting at the Faculty of Arts at Charles University before Christmas, police expect people to call the emergency line more when they hear suspicious noises.
Prague has not held New Year's fireworks since January 2020. Instead, the city will provide a discount on admission to the zoo. There will be a ban on fireworks in the centre of Prague and other places from 1 December 2020. So-called lucky lanterns are not allowed either.
Some of the cities that had planned New Year's fireworks will not abandon their plans. But it is urging people to limit pyrotechnics on New Year's Eve. Traditional fireworks will be on the first day of 2024 in Kladno or Kolín, for example. Ústí nad Orlicí, on the other hand, has decided to cancel New Year's Eve fireworks, as has Skuteč in the Chrudim region. Trutnov, a town of 30,000, will hold a New Year's Eve fireworks display. According to the town hall management, cancelling it would be an empty gesture. Neither will Protivín in Písek, which expects up to 25,000 people for the New Year's fireworks. It sees it as a symbol of good.
The last day of the year can also be spent at cultural events. For example, the National Theatre Brno has prepared for the audience the drama Without a Robe and the ballet performance The Nutcracker. In Prague's Theatre Na zábradlí, the audience can look forward to a stage adaptation of the short stories by Finnish novelist Rosa Liksomová, The Bear with a Chainsaw. Another Prague venue, the Hybernia Theatre, will present the famous musical Singing in the Rain, while the State Opera has prepared a special New Year's Eve performance of the jazz operetta Ball at the Savoy Hotel. During the New Year's Eve previews, some cinemas in the Czech Republic will hold the first screening of the Slovak tragicomedy A máme, co jsme chtěli.
ČTK/JaV
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