The best living conditions in the Czech Republic are to be found in Turnov in the Liberec Region, according to the prosperity index of regions, released yesterday by Ceska Sporitelna and the Europe in Data portal. The worst conditions are in the Karlovy Vary, Usti, and Moravia-Silesia regions.
Turnov scored very well in all areas surveyed except for access to health care. It scored best in leisure opportunities and public amenities. The town is also one of the best served areas by public transport, and has above average road connections and a relatively high number of libraries.
“We really try to be a place where it’s good to live a normal family life,” Turnov Mayor Tomas Hocke told CTK. “We try to make sure that the amenities in the town are of a high standard, and we are lucky to be in the heart of Český Ráj.”
Český Ráj (‘Bohemian Paradise’) is a protected landscape area north-east of Prague, which in 1955 was declared the first nature reserve in the Czech lands.
With a population of 14,500, Turnov is the fourth biggest town in the Liberec Region. “We are a relatively small settlement, we know each other well and we rely on a rich social life,” Hocke added. “Apart from the natural surroundings, we are also lucky to have transport connections; within 25 minutes you are in Liberec or Mlada Boleslav. Thanks to this transport we also have relatively many companies here, and thanks to this we have jobs.”
According to the mayor, there is a small supply of housing, so residents move to nearby villages. “It’s a weakness, but we don’t want to develop into a mega-city, we want to remain a town of small walking distances,” he said.
The index assesses seven key areas, from the economy and demographics to education, healthcare and amenities, including access to public transport, shops and the internet.
The second best rated town is the spa town of Luhacovice in the Zlin Region, followed by Nove Mesto na Morave in Vysocina.
In a number of the parameters measured, Prague dominated the top positions, but it finally ranked 23rd, held back by higher crime rates and poorer accessibility to schools.
The Karlovy Vary, Usti, and Moravia-Silesia regions are struggling with an outflow of educated people, foreclosures, and lower life expectancy. The worst among the 206 Czech micro-regions is Podborany in Usti, followed by Bilina in the same region and Karvina in Moravia-Silesia.
In Rumburk in Usti, citizens live an average of 75 years, five years less than in Prague and six years less than in Nove Mesto nad Metuji in the Hradec Kralove Region, which has the highest life expectancy in the Czech Republic.
The data confirms the persistent long-term differences between regions in the country, with large differences even between micro-regions in individual regions.
The authors of the index said Karlovy Vary is the only region that does not have a university, and so nearly half of the young people from the region leave to go to study in Prague.
Prague is also suffering from the outflow of young people, mainly due to the high cost of housing. Therefore, young people often do not settle directly in the capital city, but head to more affordable areas in its surroundings. The city also has the highest crime rate in the country, with 25 crimes per 1,000 inhabitants.
At the other end of the spectrum, the safest town is Valasske Klobouky in the Zlin region.
Other problems in the less prosperous regions are higher unemployment and lower educational success rates. In Rumburk, for example, 1.5% of the population has not even completed the first level of primary school.
