Magazine

Photo: CTK
0:00
/
0:00

If there is anything worse than a bad mayor –it is a bad mayor with literary ambitions. The first ever café for dog-owners opens in the town of Plzen, west Bohemia, and who’s that on the sofa? Find out more in Magazine with Daniela Lazarová.

Dymo Piškula,  photo: Czech Television
If there is anything worse than a bad mayor it is a bad mayor with literary ambitions –as the inhabitants of the town of Břeclav have good reason to know. Their former mayor, a certain Dymo Piškula, was determined to make a name for himself as a literary figure. He published a book of poetry called Waiting for a Day of Love and in order to make sure it would not languish on bookshelves ordered the town hall to buy up the whole lot – 2,000 copies in all. The book was then handed out as a present to visitors, put in prize-draws for the locals and the mayor even harassed his employees to buy some copies as gifts for their friends and relatives. Not surprisingly the mayor –who published the book under a pen name – did not get re-elected.
Photo: Czech Television
When his successor took office he found his office literally crammed with books – one book to be precise – his predecessor’s literary work. The book of poems cost 80 crowns apiece and the town hall paid over 172,000 crowns for the lot. The shocking abuse of power has gone unpunished and the locals are shaking their heads over the affair. As one inhabitant put it “it’s funny the former mayor should have chosen to write poetry – because in real life he was far from poetic”.


A man in south Bohemia who invested 170 crowns in a lottery ticket is finding it hard to believe his luck. He got all seven numbers right on–and won over 103 million crowns. The lottery company said it was the fourth biggest win in its history.


Photo: Tomáš Adamec
While people in Prague look forward to the annual lighting of the Christmas tree on Old Town Square, the city’s elephants can’t wait for its dismantling. That’s because they get the tree for lunch. Ever since news spread among the public that fir trees are a welcome treat for elephants – people have been bringing their cleaned-up Christmas trees to the zoo and watching the animals feast on them. Prague zoo has special feeding times that are extremely popular with children. In a way the scene gives Christmas closure – once an elephant polishes off your Christmas tree you know the holiday is well and truly over.


Photo: CTK
The first ever café for dog-owners has just opened in the town of Plzeň, west Bohemia. The place is a combination of a cafe and dog parlour where dog owners can meet and chat while their pets get a haircut, bath, massage or manicure. The owners say that they set up the business after hearing numerous complaints from clients about how they had to while away an hour or two somewhere while their pet was getting treatment, because dog parlours do not want owners present at treatments on the argument that it distracts the dogs. This parlour-cum coffee house allows dog owners to read a book or meet with friends over coffee and cakes while their pooch gets a bath and manicure. After that the dog can choose a basket and will be given dog biscuits and toys to keep him happy until his owners are ready to leave. The café is proving a big success and owners are coming in for a coffee and a chat even if their dog doesn’t need treatment – because unlike in other cafes, where dogs are frowned upon, in this coffee house both master and dog are made to feel very welcome.


Photo: CTK
The snow and freezing cold weather has brought out hundreds of ice-skaters and cross country skiers. The ice on the country’s dams and lakes is so thick that many drivers are not thinking twice about taking short-cuts over the frozen Lipno dam in south Bohemia. Many cross the dam on their way to a weekend of skiing in neighbouring Austria, others say it saves them 23 kilometers on their way home. Besides the road around the dam is dangerous in winter and requires winter tires –which are compulsory along that stretch. Anyone wanting to avoid a fine can simply cross over the dam instead –and many do. The police are watching this practice with increasing concern saying it is an accident waiting to happen. There is no law in the Czech Republic saying you cannot drive across a frozen water surface and so officers are pretty much powerless. The fact that dozens of cars and even a tractor have fallen through the ice in previous years is always quickly forgotten.


A burglar who was working overtime on New Year’s Eve fell asleep in the living room of the house where he had stolen valuables. The owner returned home from a celebration in the early hours of the morning to find the robber sleeping soundly on his sofa, the loot in a bag next to him. The burglar was shortly after woken up by the police and taken away. He said he’d been so tired he just wanted to lie down for a minute before making his escape!