1. business and industrial

The unmaking of
Ferdinand Piëch
How the VW legend came
to be unceremoniously ousted
profile pages 10–11
No room at
the courthouse
70
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Monday, 11 May 2015
Ministry of justice has
proposed to build a new home
feature pages 12–13
Bali padda:
We rebuilt
lego, brick
by brick
Though Lego is branching out into the
virtual world, its core business will
remain classic brick-building, says Lego’s
Executive Vice President Bali Padda
B
ali Padda is a small,
inconspicuous, greyhaired Indian man.
He speaks in a slight,
but deep voice; the British accent clearly betraying that he
left his place of birth for the
southern English county of
Kent a good many years ago.
Outwardly, there is little to betray that Padda is number-two
at Lego, the largest toy manufacturer in the world. His
demure, gentlemanly manner
is in strong contrast with the
extrovert, jocular manner of
Lego’s Danish CEO Jørgen
Vig Knudstorp. Our interview
begins with Padda handing
me a plastic figure bearing
his likeness – it has grey hair,
green trousers, is emblazoned
with the name Bali Padda, and
even features his telephone
number. It turns out that such
figures are used at this firm
instead of business cards
Do you know what Kladno
was famous for producing
before Lego set up a manufacturing facility here?
No, I don’t. But each time
we travel from the airport, to
our right we see a huge, truly
monstrous-looking factory.
I often wondered what they
make there. But I’ve been told
the factory is closed. Perhaps
you can tell me more...
That factory went bankrupt.
But it used to be a steel
plant, and was the biggest
employer in the town. They
used to make steel ingots in
Kladno. Now Lego has been
here for 15 years, employing
2,000 people in the Czech
Republic.
Continues on page 8
Photo: Hynek Glos
Petr Horký
2/3
news
New army chief faces uphill battle
Igor Záruba’s notebook
General Petr Pavel’s successor wants topped-up numbers in combat units
New Chief.
Lieutenant General
Josef Bečvář (left)
assumed the top
military rank after
predecessor General
Petr Pavel (right)
was elected as the
next Chairman of
the NATO Military
Committee
Armed forces
Pavel Otto
W
Petr Weikert
Things are hotting up where
the Port of Hamburg lot owned
by the Czech state is concerned. The transport ministry,
intent on reconstructing the
facility, wants to revoke an existing contract with the current
lot tenant, EkoLogistic. But if
the company has to leave, it will
apparently demand compensation amounting to millions of
crowns from the Czech state.
EkoLogistic has an agreement to lease the Hamburg
infrastructure until 2021.
Company executives are maintaining they have invested millions of crowns in emergency
repairs.
Photo: ČTK
to reach full strength within
seven years.
The slight increase announced for the defence budget
is intrinsically linked to the
ability to allocate the funds
available in an efficient and
timely manner – these objectives have always troubled the
defence department. Meeting
the fresh goals will be an onerous demand, especially given
the fact that defence ministry
heads are largely yet to make
it past the talking stage. For
example, the long-discussed
tender for 3D radars is still
to be called. Bečvář would
also like to acquire new or
modernised equipment for
the 7th mechanised brigade
which is stuck with outdated
caterpillar-tracked infantry
carriers. Furthermore, he
does not want to neglect the
artillery units whose self-propelled Dana howitzers entered
service back in the 1970s.
Cyber warfare
defence lab
announced
Scientists and security experts
dedicated to researching,
developing and testing
defences against cyber-attacks
will in future be able to turn
to a state-of-the-art computer
laboratory commissioned by
the Faculty of Informatics at
Masaryk University in Brno.
The government has in recent
years upgraded cyber-security
to a higher priority, given
the ever increasing number
of new risks and spates of
major hacking attacks on state
security organisations around
the world
Photo: ČTK
Pilsen last week completed a week-long Festival of Liberty celebration of the 70th anniversary of
the end of WWII. The West Bohemian city was decked out in Czech, American and Belgian flags.
It was American soldiers led by the celebrated General George S. Patton, together with some
Belgian units attached to the US army, that liberated Pilsen. The week included the unveiling of
a 9.5m-high steel sculpture of the general, a convoy of Second World War jeeps and tanks and a
dozen American and Belgian veterans addressing 300 teenagers from local schools on issues such
as safeguarding hard-won liberty
Investigators probing STV’s
armed forces deals
Pavel Otto
Criminal prosecution offices
have started to take an interest in suspicious activities
of STV Group arms dealer
Martin Drda in relation to
the military munitions base
in Týniště nad Orlicí and deals
his company arranged with
the armed forces. Investigations commenced less than two
months after the police raided
the headquarters of businessman Jaroslav Strnad’s Excalibur Group, which has been the
main rival of Drda’s company
for some years. It was Drda’s
letters to ex-defence minister
Vlastimil Picek during the first
half of 2013 which triggered
the case in which several
officials face accusations in
connection with the selling off
of tank and armoured vehicle
engines. Now it is Drda’s STV
which has a problem with the
law enforcers. Like Excalibur, STV repairs and exports
old army equipment, while it
also specialises in munitions
trading.
Play your heart away – so
my parents told me when I
was a boy. The sentiment mixed resignation and permissive benevolence. But in Las
Vegas, they really know the
meaning of “play”. Nothing
new there, but the Sin City
has made for an intriguing
backdrop to this May’s EMC
IT summit, with 14,000
attendees. Suddenly two
very distinct kinds of gamers
were mingling, alongside
tech nerds, suits and Silicon
Valley types. Examine the
dress codes. Vegas gamblers are usually far less Joe
Pesci or Bond, and far more
T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops.
The IT types dress far more
smartly. But these two far-
removed groups share one
thing – they both like to play.
Playfulness is part of human
nature. But how far to take
it. Slot-machine players are
limited by their pockets. IT
types must address growing
client fears on the use of
personal data. And there is a
third group. Sharing the slotmachine addict’s hypnotic
gaze, they stare at their
smartphones nonstop; an
almost cybernetic existence
turning on ever-growing
data. Gambling addicts and
IT obsessives comprise small
groups – but the smartphone zombies are growing in
number. Look up. See if you
can spot the blank stare, the
twitching thumbs...
Zdeňek Pečený’s notebook
Weak is strong
Whom does it help?
Those in favour of a strong
dollar, please raise your
hand. My hand stays still.
And so do those of US
firms; a burly dollar costs
them money. The last time
the dollar was strong,
USD 2bn was wiped off
Apple’s quarterly profits.
But four out of five Americans don’t even have a
passport, so the impact on
foreign travel is negligible.
And given the fact that
the US economy, with its
300 million consumers, is
highly self-reliant, similar
concerns about a strong
Photo: Martin Pinkas
Port Hamburg
leaseholder
gets the hump
Smartphone zombies
City remembers its 1945 day of jubilation
Photo: ČTK
hen Lieutenant General Josef Bečvář
was appointed the
new Chief of the General Staff
by President Miloš Zeman,
his priorities were clear-cut:
issues surrounding the lessthan-optimum military personnel numbers – thousands
more soldiers are needed
– and the need to promptly
execute investments such as
new radar and helicopter acquisitions. Bečvář assumed
the top military rank after
predecessor General Petr
Pavel was elected as the next
Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, a job he is to
begin in June.
“Some units are severely
below the strength necessary
for the efficient performance
of their military tasks,” said
Bečvář, addressing members
of the Defence Committee
of the parliamentary Chamber of Deputies. The army
currently lacks up of 5,000
men and women in uniform.
Bečvář would like to recruit
1,500 this year, followed by
another 2,000 in each of the
following years. The new Chief of the General Staff plans
dollar impacting exports
to the US are also
misplaced. Yet European
and Asian tourists are
left most unhappy.
Their holidays across the
pond are now 20 percent
more expensive than they
were six months ago, and
almost 50 times more
expensive than four years
back. Electronic goods
prices have also been
hit. If the ECB aborted its
policy of printing money to
help Italy and Spain, thus
weakening the euro but
strengthening the dollar,
we would all be better off.
Suspicious activities. STV repairs and exports old army
equipment, while it also specialises in munitions trading
Investigators have focused among other things on
the equipping of laboratories
for the testing of munitions,
which were supplied by STV,
and on deliveries of 125-millimetre munitions for the tank
battalion based in Přáslavice,
near Olomouc. “The provided
munitions were apparently
not entirely new, so not in line
with what the army requested.
Looking at the data distortions
they allegedly had to occur in
Týniště,” said a source in the
military police.
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4/5
business
Sitting on lithium worth CZK 40bn
up and down
Supplies mined from deposits in the Ore Mountains could compete on the world market
Photo: Reuters
T
he mining of battery-grade lithium carbonate under the Ore Mountains
[Krušné hory] in the locality
of Cínovec is becoming a realistic prospect. The estimated
production cost has fallen below the key threshold of USD
2,000/tonne, meaning the deposits near the northwestern
border with Germany could
boldly compete with output
mined by South American
market competitors. The release of feasibility study results
from Czech firm Geomet have
sparked huge interest from investors in Australian mineral
exploration company European Metals Holdings, the parent company of Geomet. Its
shares on the Australian stock
market strengthened by nearly
300 percent to 24 cents over
the course of a week. Geomet
is also starting a further CZK
100m exploration phase. “If in
Europe we can manage to produce lithium at two thousand
dollars, everybody will take note
of us,” Otto Janout, co-founder
of Geomet, told E15 daily.
Vladimír Šolc
CEO, Sberbank CZ
The third
element.
Insatiable
demand for
lithium is
spurring mining
companies to
scour the globe’s
remotest corners
(pictured Bolivia)
MINING
David Vagaday
The market price for lithium carbonate has over 13 years quadrupled to USD 6,000/
tonne. The deposits beneath
Cínovec have been estima-
ted at 330,000 tonnes. Their
market value would therefore
exceed CZK 40bn. European
demand for the important
industrial chemical could be
met for two decades. The
profitability of the potential
mining in Bohemia would be
positively influenced by the
sourcing of potassium sulpha-
The bank last year earned CZK 383m,
which amounts to year on year growth
of more than two-thirds. The figure is
also a record in the history of the Czech
branch of the Russian bank group and
it was never bettered by predecessor
Volksbank.
te – a required raw material
in the production of artificial
fertilizers. The Cínovec lithium deposits are problematic
in that they have a low metal
content in the ore, so Geomet
must count on income from
the sale of by-product commodities produced during the
lithium mining. The planned
profits from sales of the potassium sulphate would lower
the lithium production cost to
a competitive level.
Europe is entirely dependent on lithium imports, which
mainly derive from South America, or China if need be. The
largest lithium deposits in the
world are located in Argentina,
Bolivia and Chile.
Mild winter costs
RWE small fortune
Jan Stuchlík
A slump in fees charged for
gas storage in underground
reservoirs coupled with a very
mild winter have driven RWE
Czech Republic profit for 2014
to a level one-third below what
was anticipated. In 2013, the
energy company recorded a
profit of CZK 10.5bn in the
Czech Republic, but last year’s figure came in at just CZK
7.4bn. However, the company
is planning to recover one billion crowns through increased
distribution charges in 2016.
Above-average temperatures during last winter reduced
gas consumption in the Czech
Republic by 15 percent. In combination with falling gas prices,
the lower consumption cut the
group’s revenues by one-fifth
to CZK 43.5bn. Yet the com-
pany is facing an even more
pressing issue associated with
its underground gas reservoirs,
which are capable of storing
some 3 billion cubic metres of
gas. The diminishing difference between winter and summer
wholesale prices has pushed
gas storage fees down.
RWE was already facing
falling gas consumption in
the Czech Republic before
last winter’s weather became
a problem. To a degree, it has
managed to offset the decline
through sales of compressed
natural gas used to fuel vehicles. “We have been in discussions with the environment
ministry on ways of applying
European funds to revive the
330,000 consumer gas connections that have been idle,”
said Martin Herrmann, RWE
Česká republika CEO.
Helika at the UAE school project ‘gates’
Visualization: Helika
Czech project design office Helika is a step from commissioning a construction company to build a
school for about 3,000 students in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The project,
which is at the conceptual design phase, is required by authorities to reflect some special cultural
requirements, such as separate facilities for boys and girls
Did Floyd Mayweather, Jr. knock out Avengers?
Photo: Falcon
Second-place was the best Avengers: Age of Ultron could do at the US box office on its opening
weekend. The film’s debut in US theatres generated more than USD 84.4m in ticket sales, meaning
it had the second-highest single-day gross of all time. According to Boxofficemojo.com, the actionadventure-sci-fi film also scooped more than USD 187.6m at the box office over its first three days.
Despite the efforts of its mightiest heroes – including Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and Captain America – Age
of Ultron was pipped to the post by Marvel’s The Avengers prequel released in 2012. Marvel owner Walt
Disney may thus be mildly disillusioned. Concurrent major sports events, such as the Floyd Mayweather
Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao “Boxing match of the century”, may have been to blame for the near-miss
A151003600
Libor Janoušek
Boss of Brokerjet ČS
Unprofitable Brokerjet Česká spořitelna
is scrapping its Můj makléř [My broker]
service, citing poor interest from clients.
The internet brokerage itself is continuing
to operate, but observers are speculating
that there may be market consolidation
ahead in online investments.
a dv e r t i s i n g
6/7
opinion
Coalition faces
impasse over budget
No wonder then that this situation, which
the billionaire ANO leader enthusiastically
embraced, is now being used to make life
difficult for Babiš by his coalition partner
and PM Bohuslav Sobotka
could have been left out of the
number-crunching taking place between the ministries.
However, last January’s
coalition deal was instead
loaded with generalities –
some time in the future, we
would “just hammer out” our
differences. This enabled the
Social Democrats [ČSSD] to
honour spending commitments and ANO to honour
its promise to not raise taxes – especially on Agrofert.
Instead, Babiš was, within a
year, going to clamp down on
tax avoidance, reaping tens
of billions of crowns in extra
tion partner and PM Bohuslav
Sobotka.
The political aim of ČSSD
is to raise taxes in a fashion
that shields its voters drawn
from low-income individuals
and groups whose income is
tied to public spending. Conversely, Babiš, elected by
right-leaning voters, is intent
on resisting such a scenario.
Presently, the Social Democrats are pushing for a
second tax bracket for large
firms. Which is certainly no
less damaging than sector taxes. Relatively low corporate
taxes serve as a pillar of cur-
still insufficient to begin to
pull down the Czech budget
deficit.
If this is even being mulled in the talks on next year’s
budget, then it represents a
stunning memory lapse of our
politicians. After all, we’ve
already paid a heavy price
for such post-2008 socialist
spending practices. An encore would be highly depressing. Sobotka should realise
that the future of Czech economic prosperity is far more
important than the allure of
an “I told you so” victory over
Babiš.
The labour ministry
has issued a near halfa-million-crown tender
for help widening its
footprint on TV, radio and
newswire service ČTK. The
basic campaign –depict a
labourer on benefits as a
sympathetic person who is
professional, knows what
he is doing, and does it
well. The campaign peak
is to feature Minister
Michaela Marksová on
the main Czech Television
evening news. Seems some
ministers are a bit deluded
as to what is and is not
newsworthy...
President Zeman has
boasted about his own
good health during a
tour of Central Bohemia.
Though conceding he
suffers mild diabetes and
peripheral neuropathy,
he implied he’s otherwise
fit as a fiddle: “My lungs
are absolutely clean [he’s
a smoker], and I have the
prostate of a virgin,” he
declared. Perhaps, like me,
dear reader you wish you’d
been spared that nugget.
Sailing the Vltava, on the
decks of the Šumava, the
trays piled with Agrofert
doughnuts, the ANO party
founded its youth wing.
Members aged 15-35 are
sought. Naturally ANO
chief Babiš was at the
event, too. It was May Day,
after all.
joke
ad ve r ti s in g A150000824
S
ome tough back and
forth between the three
coalition parties over
the first draft of next year’s
budget is to be expected. But
what is unusual is that this
time the dispute is over the
kind of fundamental principles which should have been
ironed out in the coalition
agreement. That way, politics
rent Czech growth, and are
spurring the gradual recovery
of private sector investment.
Embarking on such policies
at a time when the EU-wide
economy remains stagnant is
foolhardy.
In fact, one other, even less
desirable option is apparently
also on the cards. It is something that would send an even
worse signal to foreign investors and the financial markets
– namely, raising corporate
taxes and accelerating state
spending growth at a time
when economic growth is
The Social Democrats
appear unable to fathom
that for the ANO-run
finance ministry efforts
to scrap the “supergross wage” [untaxed
wages plus social and
health payments] are
far less important than
unmasking “irregularities”
in the returns of each
taxpayer, who in the past
merely brushed past the
state authorities. And if
that wasn’t enough, it
was actually the Social
Democrats who permitted
TV Barrandov to “malign”
Monika Babišová, wife
of Andrej, for allegedly
seeking to avoid paying
customs duties on a
handbag after the pair’s
return from their recent
US trip. The Christian
Democrats also appeared
to stay mum on the matter.
But they are making noises
about proposed spending
cuts in the 2016 budget.
And still the state is short
on the tax receipts side...
Let’s give Babiš another
chance to churn his
numbers.

Pavel
Páral
revenue. This, the promise
went, would yield a bright
new future for the country,
and everyone would be happy
ever after. Naturally, no tough and unpleasant reforms of
any kind would be needed.
The spending began right
away; public sector pay was
hiked, more funds were poured into the black hole of
healthcare. No wonder then
that this situation, which the
billionaire ANO leader enthusiastically embraced, is
now being used to make life
difficult for Babiš by his coali-
This is how we live here
Photo: ČTK
Let’s keep our fingers
crossed that Finance
Minister Andrej Babiš
holds firm, and that the
Social Democrats realise
the government should
not spend more than the
revenues generated by
economic growth
Jana Havligerová’s political diary
8/9
cover story
We rebuilt lego, brick by brick
Continued from page 1
Yes. People here have proven to be
very technically gifted.
Prior to joining Lego you worked in the
pharmaceutical industry and also for
footwear maker Timberland. Was it a
shock to join a cult toymaker producing a very specific product?
If you look at it from the point of view
of a supply chain, and logistics, then the
challenges are the same. You buy raw
materials, process them in some way,
and then sell a finished product. But the
culture at Lego was completely different. Firstly, it is a family firm, which
fosters a very different dynamic and
relationships. Secondly, the product
is a highly entertaining one.
Why do you think they hired you specifically?
You would have to ask my boss [laughs]. I started out in a factory in the
US. This was at a time when Lego was
facing near-bankruptcy. But then a new
CEO, Jørgen, came on board. Later, in
2005, he asked me if I would join the
[management] team.
Photo: Hynek Glos
In communist Czechoslovakia, Lego
was an expensive luxury. Were you
able to play with Lego as a child?
I come from India, and when I was
born there was no Lego available there. I probably first encountered it in
England, following the birth of my
son. That was Lego Duplo; my son was
around two-and-a-half then. I also remember how I bought him a Technic
[a more technically advanced Lego
series –Ed.] building set when he was
around nine. And that made me fall in
love with Lego too. That was around
20 years ago.
We didn’t plan our rapid growth.
It just happened
neglecting its core business – namely
Lego bricks – and focusing on other
products instead...
That was one of the reasons. Back
then, many indicators were suggesting
that children were developing shorter
attention spans. Meaning they wanted
quicker gratification. So we started
To what extent were external factors producing larger components, which
responsible for Lego’s woes back in the weren’t really Lego. Also internally we
lacked discipline. So we ended up with
early 2000s?
We were internally responsible for a pile of problems.
our problems. They would have come
about, irrespective of external factors, Was that the toughest period in the
such as an economic crisis.
company’s history?
From my personal experiences, cerWhat, in your view, were the root cau- tainly. There was also a smaller crisis
back in the 1990s. But nowhere near as
ses of the troubles?
Poor focus. Lack of internal coope- serious as that which we encountered
ration. An absence of direction. It was in 2002 and 2003.
many things combined.
What managed to reverse the slide?
Based on what I have heard and read
New leadership. A return to our roabout Lego, one of the main past pro- ots. One of the steps taken by our new
blems stemmed from the company CEO was that he went out and talked
to our fans and customers. And they
were the ones who told him that Lego
had stopped being Lego. And so he
set to work, and also initiated a major
staffing shake-up.
And this brought massive growth. As of
last year, you are the largest toy manufacturer in the world.
We didn’t plan this growth. This
growth just happened [laughs].
facility in China. This August we plan
to open our own packaging plant and
next year we will open a plastic pressing
plant for Lego bricks. It is a complex
process. But when we talk to Chinese
mothers and their children, they feel
the same way about these building
bricks, and are just as entertained by
them as are children in Germany or the
Czech Republic. We believe that Lego
is a globally comprehensible product.
What matters, however, is to correctly
read the operation of a market in a given country. As we are talking now, the
company is hard at work developing a
China strategy.
When I fist came across Lego as a boy,
there was Duplo for toddlers, and then
for children of my age, there was Lego
Castle, Lego City, and Lego Space. But
that was about all. Today, there are
countless Lego themes. How do, for
example, themes such as Elves or Bionicle, come about?
We have 200 designers at work in
Denmark. You sit them down in one
How successful are your efforts to ex- place and let them be creative. They
pand into Asia, and China specifically? then unleash a flood of ideas for proFor us, this is a defining challenge. ducts, which in theory would be super
We are preparing to set up a production to produce.
Last year’s hugely successful The Lego
Movie must have had a major impact
too.
The film created a kind of halo effect.
It created new characters, but actually
ended up impacting our entire product
range – Lego City, Lego Star Wars, etc.
It lifted up the whole brand.
Will Lego Dimensions also be produced here?
No. That is a joint effort – the sets
are sold and distributed by US studio
Warner. So we produce the components and then send those to them.
To what do you attribute Lego’s success? Those building sets have been
with us for a very long time.
Born in India. Currently lives in
the county of Kent in southern
England. Previously served at
footwear maker Timberland and
pharmaceutical firm Glaxo Wellcome. Joined Lego in 2002, where he
rose to become Chief Operations
Officer and Executive Vice President, Operations. He is married
with two adult children.
Photo: Profimedia
Bali Padda:
For us, the quality of the product is
paramount. You said that you first came
across Lego when you were very small.
You perhaps still have some bricks hidden away somewhere. And those bricks
must be able to fit exactly into the bricks
we produce today. Product quality and
employee training levels are key for us.
Which is why we make an effort to make
all our production facilities look the same
– table coverings, air ventilation, floors,
etc. There can be no differences between
a plant in the Czech Republic and China.
The Lego Dimensions video game is a They must be the same as Lego’s home
relatively new idea from Lego. With factory in Billund, Denmark.
this, you are entering the Toys-toLife genre, which merges physical How many bricks does the firm make?
We made more than 60 billion comtoys with a virtual space. How important do you think this product line ponents last year. Our machines run
will be? Will it not lure children away 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
from actual brick-building?
It is an initial step; an experiment, What happens to all those bricks? After
which will tell us more. We will see all, they are practically indestructible.
Yes, that’s true. Dividing up all those
where it takes us.
bricks you could say there are more
Did you willingly enter into this field, than 80 bricks per person on this plaor was it a reaction to competitors’ net. A number of years ago, I visited a
activities, such as the Skylanders supplier in Germany. He brought in his
video game series from Activision, old Lego building set, which must have
which is reaping major successes in harked back to the 1960s.
this sector?
It was entirely our own decisi- Which Lego products are seeing the
on. Nonetheless, we are observing most growth?
an ever-greater fusion between the
They all are. If you wanted a global
physical and virtual worlds. We are top five, then four of these would be
making sure that we have a stake in classic Lego themes. We have been very
that. But we believe that the real, tac- pleased with our Lego Friends series.
tile world will continue to exist. That While Lego is a unisex toy, it has always
serves as our foundation. Anyone who been viewed as predominantly a boy’s
has children of their own will know toy. But we’ve undertaken many efforts
what it is like to have them spend too to break in to the girls’ toys market, and
much time on their iPads and compu- Friends has achieved just that.
ters. For us, it is important to have
the virtual world connected to items, Where would you like to most expand
which a user built previously in the in the near future?
In Asia, where we are presently
physical world.
building a plant in Shanghai. But we
Will the entire family be able to play must also pay heed to maintaining our
Lego Dimensions?
tempo in the US and Europe. We canIt will be a multi-player game, but not neglect our roots.
only on a local level, not via the Internet.
Which region is least familiar with Lego
products?
The Lego components produced in
Africa, for sure. We are in Asia and
Kladno – where are they sent to?
Latin America, but in terms of Africa
Here the entire range of Lego toys we only have a presence in South Afriare completed. We pack the building ca. From there, travelling northwards
sets, and then they head to a distri- in the continent, our presence is pracbution centre in Jirny [east of Prague tically non-existent.
–Ed.]; from there they travel to all of
Europe and to Asia. But in about a
year, it will only serve Europe, as Asia
will be covered by a Chinese plant.
Bali Padda (59)
How do you choose the right ones?
We select the ones which we know
will be able to tell a strong story. We
also consult with children, gaining
feedback from them during the early
design stages. Asides from the physical products, we also devise stories,
films and games. After three or four
years, the final product emerges. For
example, the development of Friends
took around four years to get from the
drawing board to store shelves.
lego’s Phoenix story
In the early 2000s, Lego faced near-bankruptcy
– but it has risen to become the world’s largest
toy producer
Petr Horký
The business story is so well-known it
has almost become myth. Or rather it
has come to serve as a cautionary tale
about a company forgetting to pay heed
to its core business.
Back in 1932, Danish carpenter Oleh
Kirk Christiansen started making wooden toys at his factory in Billund. But
as the Great Depression set in, orders
for toys declined, and Christiansen was
forced to also produce furniture to stay
in business. But toy-making continued
as a sideline, and in 1934 Lego was
born, the word deriving from the Danish words “leg” and “godt”, meaning
to play well.
Plastic arrived in Denmark at the end
of WWII, and in 1947 the Lego company acquired its first moulding machine.
This led to experiments that created the
famous interlocking bricks, which were
first offered to customers two years later.
Initially, the plastic version of the bricks
did not sell well. They were updated with
their now iconic, and subsequently patented, hollow studs in the early 1950s.
Lego finally abandoned wood entirely
following a warehouse fire in 1960.
Throughout this decade, Lego continued as a medium-sized business.
It employed 450 staff, and expanded
into also producing bricks in the US.
In 1963, Lego switched to making its
bricks from thermoplastic polymer
ABS. A year later, Lego added its first
assembly instructions to Lego kits, a
practice which also continues to this
day. In 1968, Legoland entertainment
park, built entirely from Lego, opened
its doors in Billund.
A crucial year in the firm’s history
was 1978. It saw the creation of the Lego
“minifigure”, a yellow-faced human figure with bendable arms and hips. The
smiling character served to define the
Lego experience for children. The figures also enabled Lego to branch out
into various themes such as Lego City,
featuring trains, boats, airports, pirates,
spaceships, and so on.
But by the 1990s, Lego appeared to
lose its focus. From 1992 onwards profits began to decline, and in 1998 the
firm experienced its first ever losses,
recorded at USD 38mn. Five years later,
that figure had grown to USD 394m,
bringing a very real risk of bankrupt-
LEGO
Number of staff:
12 582
Sales:
USD 4.4bn
Profits:
USD 1.1bn
Kladno factory opened:
2000
Number of staff in the
Czech Republic:
2000
cy. But in 2004, new CEO Jørgen Vig
Knudstorp joined the firm, and decided
to return Lego to its roots. Various Legolands were sold off, and actual, hitherto outsourced, Lego manufacturing
was brought back into the fold. Specifically, Knudstorp’s reforms saw Lego
assuming control of plants in Juárez,
Mexico and Nyíregyháza, Hungary from
long-term outsourcing partner Flextronics. The new CEO also reduced the
types of bricks produced by the firm,
and revived the Duplo name for large
Lego bricks intended for toddlers (it
had been changed to Explore). In 2009,
Lego signed a deal with Warner Bros,
which ultimately yielded 2014’s hugely
successful The Lego Movie. The tonic
worked. Last December, Lego overtook
Barbie doll-maker Mattel as the world’s
largest toymaker.
10/11
profile
Ferdinand Piëch (78)
» born to Louise Piëch, daughter of Ferdinand Porsche, founder of the
eponymous carmaker and developer of the “People’s Car” VW Beetle,
unveiled in 1938
» an engineer by education, Piëch studied at the prestigious ETH Zürich
technology institute in Switzerland
» from 1963-1971 worked at Porsche in Stuttgart; joined Audi in 1972,
becoming head of that firm in 1990
» named Chairman and CEO of Volkswagen Group in 1993. Resigned from
these posts in 2002, instead becoming Chairman of the Supervisory Board
» has fathered 12 children with four women and has had three marriages
The Phaeton disappoints
But Piëch’s role was not merely centred
around management. Two examples are
illustrative, both coming about thanks to
the boss’s hands-on engineering experience: the ultra-efficient Volkswagen
XL1 and the super-fast Bugatti Veyron.
It was he who also had final say over the
appearance of the “monster” 2005 Veyron sports car, as well as its power and
the fact that its maximum speed would
be more than 400 km/h. Many commentators at the time considered such specs
to be a waste of money. But Piëch stood
by his baby. Engineers who opposed the
boss’s ideas found themselves the targets
of his wrath.
And there were other vehicles as well
to which Piëch took a fancy. Upon his
departure as VW Chairman of the Board
of Management, Piëch gave an interview
to the BBC series Top Gear apparently
in order to help secure his appointment
as Chairman of the Supervisory Board.
Looking back over his career, he singled
out the Porsche 917 and VW Phaeton as
among his favourite projects in which he
had participated.
Piëch remained restless over the fact
that rivals were making big profits through luxury car sales. But the Volkswagen
Phaeton, unveiled in 2002, was more
than a flop, and it actually represented
a financial catastrophe for the firm. Yet
Piëch calmly weathered the storm.
Kov
Many associates say that Piëch is obsessed with detail as much as with megalomaniac projects. As a manager, his
behaviour was reportedly frequently
despotic. He ran the VW behemoth
with the aid of a number of lower-level managers. Those unable to quickly
and intelligently answer a particular
probing question rarely remained in
their posts for long.
Upon assuming the management
reigns at VW in 1993, Piëch oversaw his
firm’s overtaking of General Motors in
overall size, and even managed to nip at
the heels of global number one Toyota.
Last year, the firm sold 10 million automobiles and employed 600,000
people.
But now, the decidedly oldschool Piëch is out. What that
will mean for the future of VW
remains unclear. Will the prickly 78-year-old be missed for
his competitive, perfectionist,
visionary nature and engineering talents?
One change was immediately
evident at Berlin’s recent Volkswagen
Group Forum DRIVE. The previously
starchy, aloof Martin Winterkorn was
seen in a thoroughly joyous mood, cracking jokes and glad-handing all comers.
It was as if a completely different person
had emerged.
ařík
End of the old school
islav
Piëch’s departure caused shockwaves
across the globe. Reports spoke of a
“titan” of the German automobile industry; the man who in 1997 had a hand in
reviving the iconic VW Beetle, originally
created by his grandfather Ferdinand
and uncle Ferry in 1938.
Why all the commotion? Simply
put, very few would have predicted
that Piëch’s downfall would have come
about via an ill-considered, obviously
futile, attempt to oust a CEO, who by all
measures was proving highly successful
at his job.
Union leader Bernd Osterloh, a man
who had hitherto served as a reliable pillar of support for Piëch, was among those
suddenly jumping ship. Cousin Wolfgang Porsche also declined to support
the chairman’s ouster attempts. Stephan
Weil, Social Democrat Prime Minister of
Lower Saxony, which holds a blocking
minority (mandated via the Volkswagen
Law of 1960), also threw his support behind Winterkorn.
Shortly after the Salzburg talks, several key shareholders told Piëch that he
had lost their support. At which point, the
patriarch immediately resigned, severing
all his management ties in the group. Wife
Ursula, 20 years his junior, also resigned
her seat on the supervisory board.
quickly and decisively. Drawing upon his
vast experience in the automotive industry, he implemented a platform strategy,
which increased efficiency by sharing
components and technologies across the
entire company’s range of cars.
The result was an immediate turnaround, yielding lower costs and better
quality cars. The same strategy was
used during the development of the
Volkswagen Golf and its related models,
from the first Audi TT, through to the
new Beetle. The plan was also used for
the assembly of the group subsidiary Seat
(acquired 1986) and Škoda (acquired in
1994) models. The money saved by this
process was directed towards improved
interiors, and a wider range of models.
Occasionally valid criticism could be heard that VW’s vehicles were becoming
a little similar to each other, but Piëch
shrugged off such complaints.
His very personality increased the
blood pressure of his colleagues. Competitive by nature, the CEO did battle not
just with other global car-making rivals,
but also within VW Group itself. Piëch
appeared to relish placing engineers, construction workers, and designers from
various divisions in direct competition
with each other. And he made a point
of identifying and rewarding the most
talented – and also dismissing those who
failed to measure up.
During his tenure, Piëch gradually
transformed VW into a healthy, thriving carmaker. But that wasn’t enough
for him. And so began an acquisition
shopping spree: Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Scania... But he wanted more
still. Upon him becoming Chairman of
the Supervisory Board in 2002, VW also
added Ducati, MAN, and ItalDesign.
He also wanted Alfa Romeo (owned
by Fiat). While ostensibly no longer in
command, Piëch continued to pull the
strings from the shadows thereafter.
This ensured that VW Group came
out on top during a 2008 “battle of
the giants” in which Porsche sought
to assume control of Volkswagen. In
2012, VW’s EUR 4.46bn takeover of
Porsche represented the closing chapter of this feud.
Břet
He sowed the winds and reaped a
storm. Such a characterisation seems
apt for Ferdinand Piëch’s final days as
Chairman of the Supervisory Board
at Volkswagen Group. According to
the Financial Times, the 78-year-old
unsuccessfully manoeuvred to stab
in the back VW’s number two, CEO
Martin Winterkorn. The move backfired, and ultimately it was Piëch who
ended up having to resign on 25 April,
likely never to return.
It was a stunning change of form
for a man known for his fox-like cunning, terse stare, and ability to move
the chess pieces in such a way as to
always get his own way.
Piëch ended his long reign as supervisory board chairman following
a stormy, several-hour-long management meeting in Salzburg, Austria at
the end of April.
In the past, Piëch had reacted to
pressure by forming an impenetrable
alliance of VW’s leading voices spanning his family (which has historic
ties to both VW and Porsche going
back to the 1930s), unions, politicians
and other insiders. For years, Piëch
dominated the automobile giant founded by his grandfather, Ferdinand
Porsche.
Even the master carpenter
sometimes meets his match
Photo: Reuters
Igor Záruba
Piëch had once thrown his full
weight behind his number-two and
evident protégé Winterkorn. In 2002,
he was personally selected by Piëch
to replace him as Chairman of the Board of Management, following Piëch’s
retirement from that post. But in recent months, the pair’s relationship
evidently soured following a series of
escalating headaches for the carmaker.
The list includes: a lack of success for
Volkswagen in the US market, a fall in
sales in Russia, growing dependence
of the brand on sales to the Chinese
market, and an inability to offer up new,
enticing models. But what evidently
irritated Piëch most was Volkswagen’s
inability to turn a decent profit.
According to Center Automotive Research (CAR) at Germany’s University
of Duisburg-Essen, Volkswagen’s profit
margin is presently almost laughable
in comparison with the current world
number one Toyota. Indeed, it is actu-
Ferdinand Piëch became involved in
auto production as a small boy in the
workshops of his grandfather Ferdinand
Porsche, founder of the eponymous car
company. In 1968, Ferdinand built the
Porsche 917 model, which ultimately
became one of the most successful and
celebrated sports vehicles of its day.
Four years later, the engineer was
forced to leave the firm following an
agreement signed by the Piëch and
Porsche families to play no role in the
management of Porsche. And so Piëch
set about founding his own engineering
company, which soon yielded the OM617
five-cylinder diesel engine for automaker
Mercedes. Shortly thereafter, he became
chief engineer at Audi, and later ended
up heading this company (a subsidiary of
Volkswagen Group since 1966). During
his 12 years in charge, Piëch managed to
transform a relatively indistinct car company into a thriving, modern juggernaut.
It was under his reign, for example, that
the legendary Audi Quattro came into
being. In 1993, Piëch became Chairman
and CEO of the entire VW Group. At
that time, Volkswagen was facing possible bankruptcy. But the new boss acted
ing:
L
ast Tuesday saw the opening of the
Volkswagen Group Forum DRIVE in the
heart of Berlin. But someone was notably
absent from the unveiling of Volkswagen’s newly
restored, grandiose communications platform.
Ferdinand Piëch, the man who once saved
Volkswagen from bankruptcy; the man who had
served on the company’s board for more than
20 years, but was unceremoniously ousted at
the end of April. The dramatic departure carries
echoes of Steve Jobs’ sudden departure from
Apple in August 2011
From grandpa’s famous
workshop
Draw
Ferdinand Piëch:
A Fallen Idol
Piëch remained in the shadows
pulling the strings. This meant that
when Porsche sought a takeover
of VW, it was the latter carmaker
which actually came out on top
ally three times smaller: Toyota’s profit
margin is USD 1,783 (8.6 percent) per
average car sold; while for Volkswagen
the figure is USD 585 (2.5 percent). The
profit margin for the entire Volkswagen
group, incorporating VW, is just under
6.5 percent.
12/13
feature
‘Palace’ advocated
for crammed judges
T
Václav Drchal
It is some 723 years since King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia founded the Cistercian Abbey at Zbraslav, near the
confluence of the rivers Berounka and
Vltava. If the efforts of current Justice
Minister Robert Pelikán come to fruition,
the ancient settlement of Zbraslav could
soon become home to another notable
landmark: a palace of justice.
Prague already boasts one modernday palace of justice, which stands on
Na Míčánkách street in the Vršovice
quarter of Prague 2. However, judges
of the Court of Central Bohemia and Prague, as well as state prosecutors, could
still use more space. The contemplated
construction of a palace of justice near
Na Baních street in Zbraslav is a brand
new proposal drawn up by the latest
head of the justice ministry. The new
premises would provide a home for the
Regional Court of Prague, the District
Court of Prague 5, the District Court
of Prague-West, and most likely the associated state prosecutors as well. That
would make for almost 160 judges, 50
prosecutors and a veritable small army
of clerks. Bold estimates see the justice
complex ready to go into service a mere
three years from now.
If the “Palace of Zbraslav” actually
does materialise it would be one of the
biggest post-November 1989 buildings dedicated to justice in the country. For the
sake of comparison: the Na Míčánkách
complex has the capacity for approximately 175 judges and 50 state prosecutors,
while the overpriced palace of justice in
Brno has space for about 100 judges and
50 prosecutors. The commissioning of
the new compound would most likely
be coupled with the vacating or selling
of some buildings currently used by the
judiciary around Prague.
Although the justice ministry has already presented its plans to the heads of
the relevant courts, the project could still
go awry: the prospective land is owned by
the City, while the national government,
being the decisive body, has not yet even
discussed the project.
“The Zbraslav location is one of the
possible locations but it would still be
way too early to go into any detail at
this time,” said Kateřina Hrochová, a
spokesperson for the justice ministry,
confirming the existence of plans for the
building of a new Prague justice palace
to Euro weekly. The Chair of the Regional Court of Prague Ivana Švehlová also
discussed the ministry’s plans with some
restraint. “There are several possible
5 in their current building on Kinských
Square in Smíchov. The judiciary has
been in occupancy there since the mid1990s and the judges have persistently
complained about a lack of space almost
from day one. Successive justice ministers together with the judges have
struggled to devise a solution but none of
the plans previously put on the table ever
progressed. The ideas pondered included for example a loft extension or the
construction of another building in the
courtyard of the existing one, but it was
all to no avail. The Regional Court (as
the official administrator of the building,
while the District Court is a mere tenant)
subsequently decided to act of its own
accord and secured permission from
the then Justice Minister Marie Benešová to evict the District Court from
the building.
That prompted the ministry and
the District Court to start looking feverishly for a building that would be
both suitable and, above all, big enough.
However, the search came to nought.
The ministry eventually decided that
the District Court of Prague 5 needed
to be split in two, and recently it even
The latest plans propose the
following: the District Court will
split in three in the summer and
merge again in three years’ time
and move to Zbraslav together
with the Regional Court
solutions. The aforementioned project
is just one of them and it has not progressed beyond the contemplative stage.
As such it hardly merits an evaluation,”
Švehlová told Euro via her spokesperson
Zuzana Steinerová.
Judges miffed by the squeeze
The latest plans for the construction of a
new palace of justice are the consequence of some 20 years of less than idyllic
coexistence of the Regional Court of
Prague and the District Court of Prague
recommended a division into three
parts. Judges dealing with civil law
will stay in Smíchov for the time being while judges attending to criminal
matters will move to a vacant building
in Legerova street (formerly used by
the District Court of Prague 2) with the
foreclosures section to drop anchor at
V. P. Čkalova street.
Even though the big move is planned
for this summer, the judiciary council of
the District Court of Prague 5 expressed its disapproval three weeks ago,
Selected venues that the Zbraslav
project could affect
pointing out that the split could result in
a diminished performance of the court
(as in the case of the District Court of
Prague 6 some time ago). Moreover,
the council described the building on
Legerova street as “exceptionally unsuitable for a court of law”.
A billion in investment
The Regional Court of Prague could
have considered itself the victor at this
stage but then the justice ministry arrived with its bright idea of building a
new justice complex in Zbraslav, turning all previous plans upside down.
The intended splitting up of the District
Court of Prague 5 would probably still
go ahead but as a temporary measure
only. In other words, the latest plans
paint the following picture: the District
Court is to be split into three in the
summer and it is to be merged again
in three years’ time when it will hold
hands once more with the Regional
Court and march off to Zbraslav. What
still hangs in the balance is the future of
the Kinských Square building, reportedly crying out for refurbishment at
an estimated cost of CZK 891m. One
possible route to take is to sell off this
particular property.
The key question regarding the
Zbraslav complex is the cost. Since
the ministry has not divulged any numbers yet, estimates must be resorted
to. The slightly bigger justice palace
at Na Míčánkách street came with a
CZK 2.5bn price tag while the smaller
(and overpriced) Brno palace cost just
shy of CZK 2bn.
It is no small change but the construction of a new palace of justice
could still make sense financially. Under certain conditions, that is. Firstly,
there would have to be no new minister
with a further grand plan, secondly,
the justice palace would have to be
built quickly and at a reasonable cost,
and thirdly, the justice ministry would
have to be able to sell the building at
Kinských Square, plus a few other
buildings, for a good price instead of
embarking on costly refurbishments.
Umm, when was the last time the state
succeeded in securing a good sale price
or in building something quickly and at
a reasonable cost?
7 Legerova street
Justice palace at Kinských Square
The 19th century building is currently home to the
Regional Court of Prague and the District Court
of Prague 5. However, relations between the two
bodies are strained to say the least. For example
the district judges are banned from the Regional
Court’s cafeteria.
Prague’s Lesser Town
The District Court for Prague-West sits at
19 Karmelitská street. The court would also move
to Zbraslav if the new complex was built there.
3 Edvarda Beneše street
This is the address of the State Prosecution Offices
of Prague 1 and Prague 7. The building’s structural
integrity has been severely compromised. Although
The building at the address is rented by the justice
it will not be directly affected by the proposed
ministry. It was previously used for the District
exodus to Zbraslav, it is excellently located just
Court of Prague 6 while it is now earmarked as a
prospective temporary base for a part of the District opposite the Cabinet Office building should a sale be
on the cards.
Court of Prague 5.
18 V. P. Čkalova street
The building, now vacant, had previously been used
by the District Court of Prague 2. It is now intended
to make it a temporary abode for a part of the
District Court of Prague 5. The building is in a state
of disrepair and in dire need of refurbishment.
21 Washingtonova street
The building, in a state of considerable disrepair,
is owned by the justice ministry. The ministry
initially planned to hand it over to the culture
ministry but no agreement was struck. The
property was briefly occupied by squatters who
broke in during October 2013.
Photos: Martin Pinkas
he justice ministry has stepped forward
with the idea of building a second modern
precinct for the judiciary in Prague.
Zbraslav, located on the southernmost edge of
the capital, seems a likely setting for it
If the “Palace of Zbraslav” actually does
materialise it would be one of the biggest
post-November 1989 buildings dedicated
to justice in the country
14/15
wine & dine
society
society
La Bottega
olda and olda
Director of the Velké Popovice brewery Petr Kofroň christened two freshly
born kid goats with the name Olda. For more than 40 years this name – the
name of the person who took care of the beer maker’s first few generations
of live mascots – has been passed down from goat to goat by the brewery,
located southeast of Prague. Kozel, which means “male goat” in Czech, is
part of the name of its award-winning Velkopopovický Kozel range of lagers
Six variations on bistro
Photo: ČEZ
Holešovice
recently saw
the opening of a
new La Bottega
bistro created by
Riccardo Lucque.
Local residents
and office workers
have already been
showing their
appreciation
access-friendly contraption tried
out at school weekend
Photo: Plzeňský Prazdroj
Prague’s Hanspaulka primary school arranged a fun weekend for its youngest pupils
along with the HanspaulCUP football tournament for their parents. During the
occasion, visitors were invited to try out a new angled staircase platform introduced
in the rear wing of the school. It makes it possible for the Kryštof pre-schoolers and
anybody else who uses a wheelchair to independently access all the key parts of the
school buildings. The foundation of energy company ČEZ contributed CZK 100,000
to buying the platform on the recommendation of six-time Paralympic winner and
world champion in road and track cycling Jiří Ježek
Klára Donathová
a dv e r t i s i n g
Photos: archive
A151002208
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The unmaking of
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How the VW legend came
to be unceremoniously ousted
profile pages 10–11
No room at
the courthouse
Somewhat higher
prices than usual
Stock items/dishes
not always available
ed right next to the desserts.
Last time I enjoyed marinated
grilled courgettes with basil,
hazel nuts and balsamic vinegar.
La Bottega is not only a bistro, it is also a store where you
can buy everything you need
to prepare authentic Italian
dishes at home: From highquality olive oil and tomatoes
of different varieties to wines,
vinegars, fresh pasta made
from semolina flour and freshly prepared sauces.
Use the e-mail address
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Simple fresh food
Includes a store
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delicacies and highquality ingredients
9 771803 454314
version was enlivened by the
addition of mouth meltingly
delicious bone marrow. With
its well cooked rice, creamy
consistency and beautiful
yellow colour, it was close to
perfect.
From among the lighter
dishes we also tried the grilled
fish on toasted bruschetta
with feta cheese. On the main
menu the fish is presented as
grilled mackerel, but as this
wasn’t available on the day,
I was offered a tasty fillet of
sea bream instead. Who could
complain?
La Bottega Tusarova
employs its own professioBurger.
nal confectioner and during
the day you can watch Italian
With
confectioner Daniele Comporchetta,
bi at work through the glass
salsa verde
and coleslaw partition. Choosing only one
of his delicious creations may
prove difficult but you certainly won’t be disappointed by
the rich chocolate effusion
of the Foresta Nera, a domeshaped dessert of chocolate
mousse, a cocoa glaze and
forest fruits.
Some unconventional and
colourful salads are display-
Full-year subscription:
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proposed to build a new home
CZK 650 and as a gift
feature pages 12–13
Bali padda:
We rebuilt
lego, brick
by brick
vouchers with a value of CZK 1,500
out into the
Though Lego is branching
s will
virtual world, its core busines
says Lego’s
remain classic brick-building,
Padda
Executive Vice President Bali
firm
figures are used at this
instead of business cards
ali Padda is a small,
Do you know what Kladno
inconspicuous, greywas famous for producing
haired Indian man.
manua
up
set
Lego
before
He speaks in a slight,
here?
ac- facturing facility
but deep voice; the British
No, I don’t. But each time
he
cent clearly betraying that
airport, to
the we travel from the
truly
left his place of birth for
of our right we see a huge,
factory.
southern English county
ago. monstrous-looking
Kent a good many years
what they
to be- I often wondered
been told
Outwardly, there is little
I’ve
But
there.
make
tray that Padda is number-two the factory is closed. Perhaps
maat Lego, the largest toy
His you can tell me more...
nufacturer in the world.
manner
y
demure, gentlemanl
bankrupt.
the That factory went
a steel
is in strong contrast with
of But it used to be
extrovert, jocular manner
plant, and was the biggest
Lego’s Danish CEO Jørgen employer in the town. They
Vig Knudstorp. Our interview used to make steel ingots in
begins with Padda handing Kladno. Now Lego has been
me a plastic figure bearing here for 15 years, employing
hair,
grey
has
it
–
Czech
his likeness
2,000 people in the
green trousers, is emblazoned Republic.
and
with the name Bali Padda,
even features his telephone
Continues on page 8
such
number. It turns out that
Petr Horký
B
can be used for e-shop
www.luxuryoffice.cz
Photo: Hynek Glos
I
f you want to enjoy good
Italian food at reasonable
prices, an available seat is
surely waiting for you in one
of the six varied La Bottega
bistros that now operate in
Prague.
The recently opened
branch on Tusarova street in
Holešovice is open from 9am
and serves up a good selection
of traditional breakfasts. Try
a classic fresh croissant with
a Gianni Frasi cappuccino, or
eggs Benedict with cooked
ham and Hollandaise sauce on
a sesame bagel (195 crowns),
or for the same price there
are well prepared scrambled
eggs with smoked salmon and
mascarpone.
Lunch is a more streamlined affair. Every week La Spaghetti Carbonara.
Bottega offers a different With poached egg, pecorino and crispy quanciale
lunch menu priced at 195
crowns for two courses.
The menu always includes a
soup, a meat or fish dish and
a pasta dish or risotto. Soup
of the day on our visit was a
flavoursome cream of white
asparagus and green asparagus with poached egg, topped
with a hollandaise sauce and
accompanied by two slices of
crispy pancetta.
Next up was the Milanese
saffron risotto. This is one
of the more familiar rice
dishes from Italy but this
until 29 September 2015
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16
Photo: Reuters
diversions
picture of the week
Close, but no e-cigar
The aim for competitors battling it out at Vape Summit 3 in Las Vegas was nothing more than exhaling the biggest vape cloud from an electronic cigarette. But
some contestants just had to take things a bit further than simply ‘cloud-chasing’; they were variously seen blowing vapour into a bubble, stepping forward with
way-out flavoured vape juices such as thick and milky custard and pineapple cheesecake and using a trash can to create vapour rings, among other valuable
pursuits. Research shows that performing tricks is one of the top two reasons why youngsters begin using e-cigs
invitations
photography
ClassiCal musiC
Folklore
gastronomy
The masterful work
of Vlastimil Košvanec
Jiří Wackermann’s
Returns of the Seen
Mahler’s music and
young life in sync
Prague set for Navalis
baroque festival
50+ stalls at
Fishkus festival
Sorrow and tenderness is inimitably characterised by the
work of painter and satirical
illustrator Vlastimil Košvanec
(1887-1961). He died isolated
and forgotten after a nervous
breakdown in a mental hospital. A three-sided Košvanec exhibition is taking place until 6
June at Prague’s Czech Centre,
Italian Cultural Institute and
Museum of Bedřich Smetana.
Jiří Wackermann’s work moves
between images of fantasy
and simple optical lyricism.
An exhibition of a range of his
photography will commence
on 12 May at the Café Kampus
coffeehouse and gallery which
is situated at 10 Náprstkova,
Prague 1. It will remain open
until 30 June.
Jihlava will resound with the
sound of the great Bohemia-born composer Gustav
Mahler. The Mahler-Jihlava
2015 international festival will
link works of Mahler to places
he experienced during his
childhood and youth. Many of
the concerts, starting 14 May,
will take place at the Elevation
of the Cross church and the
Jihlava House of Culture.
The Navalis midsummer
baroque festival takes place
on 15 May in the vicinity
of Charles Bridge. Folklore
associations will offer various
attractions on Křižovnické
náměstí and the day will culminate with floating baroque
concert performances on the
river Vltava and a light show.
Look out also for parachutists
and a regatta of dragon boats.
Fish and seafood festival Fishkus will be held on 16 May on
Smíchovská náplavka by the
river Vltava in Prague 5. Visitors can look forward to more
than 50 stalls offering grilled,
smoked, baked and pickled
fish treats, along with oysters,
mussels, shrimps, seafood and
many other mouthwatering
temptations.
Photos: archive
visual arts