The Daily Dozen: 12 things to know about Czechia today

Support for Ukraine|Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced on Twitter Sunday that he had a phone call with Czech President Petr Pavel, inaugurated last week. Points of discussion included Ukrainian security needs, its integration into the European Union, and an agreement for further cooperation, Zelenskiy tweeted. Read more in our article.

Euro 7|Czech Minister of Transport Martin Kupka tweeted that he was heading today to Strasbourg to discuss together with his counterparts from Germany, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia changes to the proposed Euro 7 vehicle emissions standard. As Reuters notes, the Euro 7 standard allows cars to emit a maximum of 60 milligrams of nitrogen oxides.

Co-working|The HubHub company is closing its two co-working spaces in Prague "due to the long-term unfavorable economic situation," Czech Crunch reports, citing Peter Terpak, head of marketing and communication at HB Reavis, the company that operates them. The news comes despite earlier predictions by Milan Kilik, the head of the Prague HubHubs, about 2022 being the best year for the company.

Counterfeit banknotes|The number of counterfeit and altered banknotes and coins of various currencies seized in 2022 was three and a half times less than in 2021, according to data from the Czech National Bank. The number for 2022 stood at a total of 1,980 counterfeit and altered banknotes and coins of various currencies, with a total value of CZK 2.954 million crowns.

St. Patrick's Day|St. Patrick's Day falls on Friday, March 17 this year, and numerous festivities are planned throughout the city. But you don't have to wait to celebrate: St. Patrick's Festival Prague brings together the Czech capital's Irish pubs for a week of festivities that kicks off on Monday, March 13. Read more in our article.

Remarkable offices|Mercedes-Benz Česká republika’s modern offices in the Anděl 17 building in Prague 5 won the award for Best Interior Design at ThePrime Real Estate Gala. A 23-member expert jury judged that category based on design quality, functionality and flexibility, ergonomics, and innovative use of technology, design, and materials. Awards were also given out in eight other real estate-related categories.

Oscar winner|The Czech-lensed “All Quiet on the Western Front” won four Oscars including Best International Feature Film, but four Czechs nominated in technical categories lost out. In total, “All Quiet on the Western Front,” was nominated for nine Oscars, including Best Picture, which it lost to “Everything Everywhere All at One,” the big winner of the evening. Read more in our article.

Architecture history|One of the most important Czech architects of the first half of the 20th century, Josef Gočár was born on March 13, 1880 in the municipality of Semín, then located in the Austro-Hungarian empire. His work, which initially belonged to Czech Rondocubism, then Functionalism, includes the House of the Black Madonna, the Saint Wenceslas church in Vršovice, and the Fénix Palace, all of them in Prague.

Hockey turns political|On March 13, 1950, the angry Czechoslovak hockey team met in the U Herdíků restaurant after the communist regime did not allow them to travel to the World Championship. They started cursing the communists, and the whole team went to jail. Eleven players were convicted of treason and espionage.