Prague's Epiphany winter bathing gets warmer with record-breaking temperatures

Record ID: 1705402

  • Title: Prague's Epiphany winter bathing gets warmer with record-breaking temperatures
  • Date: 6th January 2023
  • Summary: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (JANUARY 6, 2023) (REUTERS) SWIMMERS PASSING BY SWIMMERS POSING FOR PICTURES WITH SIGN INDICATING AIR AND WATER TEMPERATURE SIGN, READING (Czech): "Water: 6,1°C, AIR: 7°C - 6.1.2023" (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) CZECH WINTER SWIMMER UNION LEADER, VLADIMIR KOMAREK, SAYING: "Today is – especially for winter swimmers – quite warm water: 6,1 degrees (Celsius) which is similar to the warmest years." BOATS CARRYING SWIMMERS SAILING ON THE VLTAVA RIVER CAMERAMAN FILMING VARIOUS OF MEN WEARING CROWNS ("THREE KINGS") ENTERING THE WATER FROM THE BOAT SWIMMERS IN WATER BY BRIDGE THREE MEN WEARING CROWNS, SWIMMING (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) WINTER SWIMMING "KING BALTAZAR", ZDENEK HRUBY, SAYING: "Yes, the swimming is very pleasant. This year the water is warmer but the stream is sharp and we he to swim askew against it." CHARLES BRIDGE OVER THE VLTAVA RIVER KOMAREK LOOKING THROUGH HIS PAST PARTICIPATION DIPLOMAS DIPLOMA FROM DECEMBER 26, 2002 SHOWING WATER TEMPERATURE AT 1,9°C AND AIR TEMPERATURE AT -4°C (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) CZECH WINTER SWIMMER UNION LEADER, VLADIMIR KOMAREK, SAYING: "The coldest water (temperature) around like zero degrees was in 1984 and the warmest was in 2015 when it was 6,9 degrees, which is a lot." VARIOUS OF KOMAREK'S DIPLOMAS (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) CZECH WINTER SWIMMER UNION LEADER, VLADIMIR KOMAREK, SAYING: "The temperatures (of water) under 4 degrees are just an exception during the last 15 years. Before that, the exception was water temperatures over 4 degrees. The borderline of 4 degrees is very important for hardiness people (Ed's note: winter swimmers) because for swimming in waters of 4 degrees or lower they can get so-called hardiness points.” DIPLOMAS FOR WINTER SWIMMING VARIOUS OF SWIMMERS SWIMMING IN THE RIVER (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) WINTER SWIMMER, MIROSLAV CERNIL, SAYING: “It is great, we are not cold, even if warm looks different. The main thing that you can observe is the Charles Bridge from this side, which is a rare sight." WOMEN SWIMMING PAST MAN WAVING TO CAMERA WHILE SWIMMING "THREE KINGS" POSING FOR PICTURES
  • Embargoed: 20th January 2023 14:37
  • Keywords: change in temeratures climate change epiphany fitness mild winter sports tradition winter swimming
  • Location: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
  • City: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
  • Country: Czech Republic
  • Topics: Europe,Religion/Belief,Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA001076906012023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Winter swimmers took to Prague's Vltava River on Friday (January 6) to mark Epiphany Day.
    Swimming near the city's famous Charles Bridge and adorned with a crown on his head to symbolise the 'Three Kings', Zdenek "King Baltazar" Hruby, said this year's water was warmer than usual and the river's stream was sharp.
    The water temperature on Friday was 6.1 degrees Celcius, close to that of 2015, which was the warmest water temperature Czech Winter Swimmer Union leader, Vladimir Komarek ever experienced.
    “The coldest water (temperature) around like zero degrees was in 1984 and the warmest was in 2015 when it was 6,9 degrees, which is a lot,” Komarek told Reuters.
    This year on New Year's Day, the record for the highest-ever January temperature in the Czech Republic was broken at 19.6 degrees Celsius, recorded in the morning in Javornik, Olomouc region.
    (Production: Jiri Skacel, Isabella Ronca)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2023. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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