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July 5th, 2008
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January 9th, 2008 issue

Great railways!

The railway service is one of the few things the Czech Republic has managed to get right (“Czech railway system gets an overhaul,” News, Dec. 26–Jan. 2).
John Ainsworth
Prague
Residence rules
I completely agree with the requirement calling for foreigners to learn some level of Czech language (“Amendment could tighten residency requirements,” News, Dec. 26–Jan. 2).
In the case of married couples gaining residency, instead of requiring married couples to wait, the government could invest in creating tougher checks on couples to make sure that marriages are legitimate. That way, honest people aren’t punished.
Sanan Phutrakul
Prague
Aquarium advice
As Mr. Edney correctly observes in his piece about the proposed Prague Aquarium, Letná is zoned as a park in the city’s urban plan (“An exercise in futility,” Opinion, Dec. 19–25).
This fact is responsible for the area having escaped the aggressive commercial development which has engulfed much of the rest of the city since 1990.
As well as being a treasured public space, Letná Park has long served as a location for assemblies and public gatherings.
One should approach with the utmost care the question of privatizing public space in the manner Mr. Edney proposes.
One should also ask whether the project has underestimated its impact on the surrounding area.
The aquarium project expects to attract 900,000 visitors every year to an area of the city served only by a handful of trams.
According to the developer’s Web site, allegedly no further car parks will be required, “in view of the fact that tourists mostly walk in Prague.” This logic would be questionable even if a new sports stadium and new national library were not projected to be built in the same area.
One should not forget that this is very much a commercial venture, and one that involves turning over a prime piece of public real estate in one of the few still-quiet areas of the city to a private business concern.
Interestingly, Mr. Edney draws parallels between the aquarium project and Prague’s bid for the 2016 Olympics — a bid which has received at best a lukewarm response from the public. One might ask whether the proposed aquarium is any more popular?
Dennis McShane
Prague


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