My Czech Republic Blog

Blog written by two Prague residents about life in the Czech Republic.

Prague Zoo Celebrates 80 Years

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The world-renowned Prague Zoo first opened its doors on September 28, 1931. This year therefore marks its 80th birthday. A lot of reconstruction has been necessary since the flood of 2002 and new pavilions and expositions are still under construction. One of the biggest projects the zoo has ever undertaken is the construction of a new elephant exposition and hippo pavilion, which is going on now and is expected to be finished in 2013.

We just revisited the zoo and are posting a few pictures below. As an amusing anecdote, the Prague Zoo now sells elephant dung, which is supposedly a great fertilizer. A 1.5 kg bucket will cost you 70 CZK. Yet another reason to make a trip to the zoo.

You can read more about the Prague Zoo in our other post (Prague Zoo Ranked as the 7th World’s Best Zoo) or visit the zoo website, which is partially available in English.

This is the main entrance to the Prague Zoo.
The popular penguins, cute and wobbly as they walk, sleek torpedoes as they swim.
The Indian gavial is a critically endangered type of crocodile.
You can watch this hippo and her calf from so up close that you can almost feel the texture of their skin. Amazing.
The elephants deserve a better setting. These two were looking for shade under the only tree they could find.
And here are the elegant giraffes. We're glad we hiked up the hill to see them.
It was a little depressing to watch the tigers pace back and forth in their cages, but they did have a large outdoor run available to them..

50 Czech Crown Bill Not Valid as of April 1

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Today is the last day that the 50 Czech Crown (CZK) bill is valid for payment.  As of April 1, only the 50 CZK coin will remain in use due to the much higher cost of keeping the bills in circulation.  The bills can be exchanged free of charge at Czech banks for one year.  The Czech National Bank will exchange the bill for a total of six years.

Starting tomorrow, the valid Czech banknotes are 100 CZK, 200 CZK, 500 CZK, 1,000 CZK, 2,000 CZK and 5,000 CZK.  The coins in circulation have the denominations 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50.

For more information, see the press release on the Czech National Bank web website.

50 Czech Crown banknotes are being removed from circulation
50 Czech Crown Coins

Images from cnb.cz