Czech news in brief for January 15: Thursday’s top afternoon headlines

Czech President Petr Pavel began a visit to Lviv, Ukraine, today, meeting local officials and attending a memorial at Lychakiv Cemetery for fallen soldiers. He is also expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Pavel toured a hospital renovated with Czech support, including a prosthetics and rehabilitation center for war veterans. The trip follows a Russian drone attack on Lviv last night, which damaged a playground but caused no injuries.

The Supreme Audit Office (NKU) reported that despite spending over CZK 50 billion from 2020–2024, only 18 percent of Czech state services are fully digitized, falling short of the February 2025 legal target. Delays were linked to project management issues, IT staff shortages, and incomplete data. Authorities say progress continues, with over 1,700 services now fully digital and nearly 1,700 more expected by February 2027, but many processes still rely on manual follow-up.

Starting this spring, the busy road II/101 between Prague’s Zbraslav and Dolní Břežany will close for a comprehensive three-kilometer reconstruction. The CZK 350 million project includes road drainage, new retaining walls, and rock rehabilitation to ensure long-term safety. While local drivers expressed frustration over previous emergency repairs in the area, officials confirm this major overhaul is necessary to complete the route’s modernization. The closure is expected to last until the end of 2026.

Prague’s Náměstí Míru was recently transformed into 19th-century New York for a new Netflix adaptation of Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence. The production, which began filming in the Czech Republic last fall, featured period carriages and actors in historical costumes outside the Basilica of St. Ludmila. Filming is expected to continue until March 2026, bolstered by the Czechia’s newly increased film incentives, which now offer up to a 25 percent refund on local expenditures.

The 76th Berlinale, running Feb.12–22, will showcase four films with Czech involvement. Short animation En, ten, týky! by Andrea Szelesová appears in Generation Kplus, Iranian feature Roya in Panorama, and Pepa Lubojacki’s documentary If Pigeons Turned to Gold in Forum. Berlinale Classics will present a digitally restored Panelstory by Věra Chytilová. Czech co-productions highlight animation, documentary, and restored classics, continuing the country’s presence in international cinema.