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Czech Republic
esk republika
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Pravda vtz" (Czech)
"Truth prevails"
Anthem:
Kde domov mj? (Czech)
Locat ion of t he Czech Republ i c (dark green)
in Europe (green & dark grey)
in t he European Union (green) [Legend]
Czech Republic
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Czech Republic (
i
/tk rpblk/ CHEK
RPUBLIK;
[10]
Czech: esk republika, pronounced
[t

ska rpublka] ( ), short form esko Czech

pronunciation: [t

sko]) is a landlocked country in Central

Europe. The country is bordered by Germany to the west
and north-west, Austria to the south, Slovakia to the east
and Poland to the north-east. Prague is the capital and
largest city, with 1.3 million residents. The Czech
Republic includes the historical territories of Bohemia and
Moravia, and Czech Silesia.
The Czech state, formerly known as Bohemia (echy),
was formed in the late 9th century as Duchy of Bohemia,
at that time under the dominance of the powerful Great
Moravian Empire. After the fall of the Empire in 907, the
centre of power was transferred from Moravia to
Bohemia under the Pemyslids. In 1004, the duchy was
formally recognized as a part of the Holy Roman
Empire,
[11][12]
rising to the status of Kingdom of Bohemia
in 1212. During the rule of the Pemyslids and their
successors, the Luxembourgs, Bohemia expanded in size
until reaching its greatest territorial extent in the 14th
century. During the reform-driven Hussite wars in the 15th
century, the kingdom faced economic embargoes and five
crusades from the Roman Catholic Church.
Following the Battle of Mohcs in 1526, the Kingdom of
Bohemia was gradually integrated into the Habsburg
Monarchy as one of its three principal parts, alongside the
Archduchy of Austria and the Kingdom of Hungary. The
Bohemian Revolt (161820) against the catholic
Habsburgs led to the Thirty Years' War, after which the
monarchy consolidated its rule, re-imposed Catholicism,
and adopted a policy of Germanization. With the
dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the
Bohemian kingdom became part of the Austrian Empire.
In the 19th century the Czech lands became the industrial
powerhouse of the monarchy and the core of the Republic
of Czechoslovakia, which was formed in 1918 following
the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World
War I. After 1933, Czechoslovakia remained the only
democracy in central and eastern Europe.
Following the Munich Agreement and the Polish
annexation of Zaolzie, Czechoslovakia fell under German
occupation during World War II. By 1945, a major
portion of the country was liberated by the Red Army,
Where is my home?
a
Coordinat es: 4945N 1530E
0:00 MENU
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Capital
and largest city
Prague
5005N 1428E
Official languages
Czech
[1]
Ethnic groups
(2014[4])
64%
Czechs
26%
unspecified
5%
Moravians
1.4%
Slovaks
0,4% Poles
Religion 80% non-
declared or
non-
religious
10.3%
Roman
Catholic
Demonym Czech
Government Parliamentary
republic
- President Milo Zeman
- Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka
Legislature Parliament
- Upper house Senate
- Lower house Chamber of
Deputies
Formation
- Principality of Bohemia c. 870
- Kingdom of Bohemia 1198
- Czechoslovakia 28 October 1918
- Czech Socialist Republic 1 January 1969
- Czech Republic 1 January 1993
- Joined the European Union 1 May 2004
Area
- Total 78,866 km2
(116th)
30,450 sq mi
- Water (%) 2
Population
- Sep 2012 estimate 10,513,209[5]
(81st)
- 2011 census 10,436,560[6]
and the subsequent gratitude towards the Soviets,
combined with disillusionment with the West for failing to
intervene, led the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia to
victory in the 1946 elections. Following the 1948 coup
d'tat, Czechoslovakia became a single-party communist
state under Soviet influence. In 1968, increasing
dissatisfaction with the regime culminated in a reform
movement known as the Prague Spring, which ended with
an invasion by the armies of the Warsaw Pact countries
(with the exception of Romania). Czechoslovakia
remained occupied until the 1989 Velvet Revolution,
when the communist regime collapsed and a multiparty
parliamentary republic was formed. On 1 January 1993,
Czechoslovakia peacefully dissolved into its constituent
states: the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic.
The Czech Republic maintains a welfare system that
provides universal health care and tertiary education for its
citizens. The UN ranks the country 14th in the inequality-
adjusted human development.
[13]
It possesses an
advanced economy
[14]
and in 2006 became the first
former member of Comecon to achieve the status of a
developed country, according to the World Bank.
[15]
The
Czech Republic also ranks as the ninth-most peaceful
country in Europe, while achieving the best performance
in democratic governance and infant mortality in the
region. It is a pluralist parliamentary representative
democracy with membership in the European Union,
NATO, the OECD, the OSCE, the Council of Europe
and the Visegrd Group.
Contents
1 Etymology
2 History
2.1 Prehistory
2.2 Bohemia
2.3 Czechoslovakia
2.4 Velvet revolution and independence
3 Politics
3.1 Foreign relations
3.2 Military
3.3 Administrative divisions
4 Geography
4.1 Climate
Officially recognised
[2][3]
minority languages
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- Density 134/km2 (
84th
)
341/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2014 estimate
- Total $295.891 billion[7]
- Per capita $28,086[7]
GDP (nominal) 2014 estimate
- Total $198.537 billion[7]
- Per capita $18,846[7]
Gini (2012) 24.9[8]
low
HDI (2013) 0.873[9]
very high 28th
Currency
Czech koruna
(CZK)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Drives on the right
Calling code
+420
b
Patron saint St Wenceslaus
ISO 3166 code CZ
Internet TLD
.cz
c
The question is rhetorical, implying "those places where my homeland
lies".
Code 42 was shared with Slovakia until 1997.
Also .eu, shared with other European Union member states.
ech, legendary forefather and
namesake of the Czech people
5 Economy
5.1 Energy
5.2 Transportation infrastructure
5.3 Communications
5.4 Science
5.5 Tourism
6 Demographics
6.1 Religion
7 Culture
7.1 Music
7.2 Literature
7.3 Theatre
7.4 Film
7.5 Video games
7.6 Art
7.7 Cuisine
7.8 Sports
7.9 Gallery
8 See also
9 References
10 Further reading
11 External links
Etymology
The traditional English name "Bohemia" derives from Latin
"Boiohaemum", which means "home of the Boii". The current name
comes from the endonym ech, borrowed through Polish and spelt
accordingly.
[16][17]
The name comes from the Slavic tribe (Czechs,
Czech: echov) and, according to legend, their leader ech, who
brought them to Bohemia, to settle on p Mountain. The etymology
of the word ech can be traced back to the Proto-Slavic root *el-,
meaning "member of the people; kinsman", thus making it cognate to
the Czech word lovk (a person).
[18]
The country has been traditionally divided into lands, namely Bohemia
(echy) in the west, Moravia (Morava) in the southeast, and Czech
Silesia (Slezsko; the smaller, south-eastern part of historical Silesia,
most of which is located within modern Poland) in the northeast.
Known officially as the "Lands of the Bohemian Crown" since the 14th century, a number of other names for the
country have been used, including the Lands of the Bohemian Crown, Czech/Bohemian lands, Bohemian
a.
b.
c.
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Great Moravia during the
reign of Svatopluk I
Czech lion with a double tail
from the Small coat of arms
first time appeared in the
13th century coat of arms of
the Kingdom of Bohemia.
The Duchy of Bohemia in 10th
century
Crown, and the Lands of the Crown of Saint Wenceslas. When the country regained its independence after the
dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian empire in 1918, the new name of Czechoslovakia was coined to reflect the
union of the Czech and Slovak nations within the one country.
Following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the Czech part of the former nation found itself
without a common single-word name in English. In 1993, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggested the
name Czechia /tki/ (esko Czech pronunciation: [tsko] in Czech) as an official alternative in all situations
other than formal official documents and the full names of government institutions; however, this has not become
widespread in English.
[19]
History
Prehistory
Archaeologists have found evidence of prehistoric human settlements in the
area, dating back to the Paleolithic era. In the classical era, from the 3rd
century BC Celtic migrations, the Boii and later in the 1st century, Germanic
tribes of Marcomanni and Quadi settled there. During the Migration Period
around the 5th century, many Germanic tribes moved westwards and
southwards out of Central Europe.
Slavic people from the Black Sea-
Carpathian region settled in the area (a
movement that was also stimulated by the
onslaught of peoples from Siberia and
Eastern Europe: Huns, Avars, Bulgars and Magyars). In the sixth century they
moved southwards into Bohemia, Moravia and some of present day Austria.
During the 7th century, the Frankish merchant Samo, supporting the Slavs
fighting their Avar rulers, became the ruler of the first known Slav state in
Central Europe. The Moravian principality arose in the 8th century and
reached its zenith in the 9th, when it held off the influence of the Franks and
won the protection of the Pope.
Bohemia
The Duchy of Bohemia emerged in
the late 9th century, when it was
unified by the Pemyslid dynasty. In
10th century Boleslaus I, Duke of
Bohemia conquered Moravia, Silesia and expanded farther to the
east. The Kingdom of Bohemia was, as the only kingdom in the Holy
Roman Empire, a significant regional power during the Middle Ages.
It was part of the Empire from 1002 till 1806, with the exception of
the years 14401526. In 1212, King Pemysl Ottokar I (bearing the
title "king" since 1198) extracted the Golden Bull of Sicily (a formal
edict) from the emperor, confirming Ottokar and his descendants' royal status; the Duchy of Bohemia was
raised to a Kingdom. The bull declared that the King of Bohemia would be exempt from all future obligations to
the Holy Roman Empire except for participation in imperial councils. German immigrants settled in the Bohemian
periphery in 13th century. Germans populated towns and mining districts and, in some cases, formed German
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Pemysl Ottokar II, (c.
12331278), King of
Bohemia and ruler of Austria,
Styria, Carinthia and Carniola
Charles IV, 131678,
eleventh king of Bohemia,
elected as the Nejvt ech
(Greatest Czech) of all
time.
[23]
Czech lands during the reign of
Charles IV.
colonies in the interior of Bohemia. In 1235, the Mongols launched an invasion of Europe. After the Battle of
Legnica, the Mongols carried their raids into Moravia. The Mongols subsequently invaded and defeated
Hungary.
[20]
King Pemysl Ottokar II earned the nickname "Iron and Golden King" because of his military power and wealth.
He acquired Austria, Styria, Carinthia and Carniola, thus spreading the
Bohemian territory to the Adriatic Sea. He met his death at the Battle on the
Marchfeld in 1278 in a war with his rival, King Rudolph I of Germany.
[21]
Ottokar's son Wenceslaus II acquired the Polish crown in 1300 for himself
and the Hungarian crown for his son. He built a great empire stretching from
the Danube river to the Baltic Sea. In 1306, the last king of Pemyslid line was
murdered in mysterious circumstances in Olomouc while he was resting. After
a series of dynastic wars, the House of Luxembourg gained the Bohemian
throne.
[22]
The 14th century, in particular, the reign of
the Czech king Charles IV (13161378),
who also became the King of Italy, King of
the Romans and Holy Roman Emperor, is
considered the Golden Age of Czech
history. Of particular significance was the
founding of Charles University in Prague in
1348, Charles Bridge, Charles Square. Much of Prague Castle and the
cathedral of Saint Vitus in Gothic style were completed during his reign. He
unified Brandenburg (until 1415), Lusatia (until 1635), and Silesia (until 1742)
under the Czech crown. The Black Death, which had raged in Europe from
1347 to 1352, decimated the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1380,
[24]
killing about
10% of the population.
[25]
In the 15th century, the religious and
social reformer Jan Hus formed a
movement later named after him.
Although Hus was named a heretic
and burnt in Constance in 1415, his
followers seceded from the Catholic
Church and in the Hussite Wars (14191434) defeated five crusades
organized against them by the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund. Petr
Chelick continued with the Czech Hussite Reformation movement.
During the next two centuries, 90% of the inhabitants became
adherents of the Hussite Christian movement.
After 1526 Bohemia came increasingly under Habsburg control as the
Habsburgs became first the elected and then the hereditary rulers of
Bohemia. The Defenestration of Prague and subsequent revolt against
the Habsburgs in 1618 marked the start of the Thirty Years' War,
which quickly spread throughout Central Europe. In 1620, the rebellion in Bohemia was crushed at the Battle of
White Mountain, and the ties between Bohemia and the Habsburgs' hereditary lands in Austria were
strengthened. The war had a devastating effect on the local population; the people were given the choice either
to convert to Catholicism or leave the country.
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Czechoslovak troops in Vladivostok,
Siberia (1918).
The following period, from 1620 to the late 18th century, had colloquially often been called the "Dark Age". The
population of the Czech lands declined by a third through war, disease, famine and the expulsion of Protestant
Czechs.
[26]
The Habsburgs prohibited all other religions than Catholicism, which was expressed by baroque
architecture.
[27]
The flowering of baroque culture shows the ambiquity of this historical period. Ottoman Turks
and Tatars invaded Moravia in 1663.
[28]
In 16791680 the Czech lands faced a devastating plague and an
uprising of serfs.
[29]
The reigns of Maria Theresa of Austria and her son Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor and co-regent from 1765,
were characterized by enlightened absolutism. In 1742, most of Silesia (except the southernmost area), at that
time the possession of the Bohemian crown, was seized by King Frederick II of Prussia in the Silesian Wars. In
1757 Prusians invaded the Bohemia and after the Battle of Prague (1757) occupied the city. Destroyed were
more than one quarter of Prague and heavy damage suffered also the St. Vitus Cathedral. However, soon in the
Battle of Koln Frederick lost and had to vacate the Prague and retreat from Bohemia. The Great Famine, which
lasted from 1770 until 1771, killed about one tenth of the Czech population, or 250,000 inhabitants, and
radicalized countrysides leading to peasant uprisings.
[30]
After the fall of the Holy Roman Empire, Bohemia became part of the Austrian Empire and later of Austria
Hungary. Serfdom was not completely abolished until 1848. After the Revolutions of 1848, Emperor Franz
Josef I of Austria instituted an absolute monarchy in an effort to balance competing ethnic interests in the empire.
Czechoslovakia
An estimated 1.4 million Czech soldiers fought in World War I, of
whom some 150,000 died. More than 90,000 Czech volunteers
formed the Czechoslovak Legions in France, Italy and Russia, where
they fought against the Central Powers and later against Bolshevik
troops.
[31]
In 1918, during the collapse of the Habsburg Empire at the
end of World War I, the independent republic of Czechoslovakia,
which joined the winning Allied powers, was created. This new
country incorporated the Bohemian Crown (Bohemia, Moravia and
Silesia) and parts of the Kingdom of Hungary (Slovakia and the Carpathian Ruthenia) with significant German,
Hungarian, Polish and Ruthenian speaking minorities.
[32]
In 1929 compared to 1913, the gross domestic product increased by 52% and industrial production by 41%. In
1938 Czechoslovakia held a 10th place in the world industrial production.
[33]
Although Czechoslovakia was a unitary state, it provided what were at the time rather extensive rights to its
minorities and remained the only democracy in this part of Europe in the interwar period. The effects of the
Great Depression including high unemployment and massive propaganda from Nazi Germany, however, resulted
in discontent and strong support among ethnic Germans for a break from Czechoslovakia.
Adolf Hitler took advantage of this opportunity and, using Konrad Henlein's separatist Sudeten German Party,
gained the largely German speaking Sudetenland (and its substantial Maginot Line-like border fortifications)
through the 1938 Munich Agreement (signed by Nazi Germany, France, Britain and Italy). Czechoslovakia was
not invited to the conference and felt betrayed by the United Kingdom and France, so Czechs and Slovaks call
the Munich Agreement the Munich Betrayal because the military alliance Czechoslovakia had with France and
Britain proved useless.
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Tom Garrigue Masaryk,
first president of
Czechoslovakia.
A memorial to 82 Lidice children
murdered by the Nazi Germans in
Chelmno.
Despite the mobilization of 1.2 million-strong Czechoslovak army and the
Franco-Czech military alliance. Poland annexed the Zaolzie area around
esk Tn. Hungary gained parts of Slovakia and the Subcarpathian Rus as
a result of the First Vienna Award in November 1938. The remainders of
Slovakia and the Subcarpathian Rus gained greater autonomy, with the state
renamed to "Czecho-Slovakia". After Nazi Germany threatened to annex part
of Slovakia, allowing the remaining regions to be partitioned by Hungary and
Poland, Slovakia chose to maintain its national and territorial integrity,
seceding from Czecho-Slovakia in March 1939, and allying itself, as
demanded by Germany, with Hitler's coalition.
[34]
The remaining Czech territory was occupied by Germany, which transformed
it into the so-called Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. The protectorate
was proclaimed part of the Third Reich, and the president and prime minister
were subordinate to the Nazi Germany's Reichsprotektor ("imperial
protector"). Subcarpathian Rus declared independence as the Republic of
Carpatho-Ukraine on 15 March 1939 but was invaded by Hungary the same
day and formally annexed the next day. Approximately 345,000
Czechoslovak citizens, including 277,000 Jews, were killed or executed while hundreds of thousands of others
were sent to prisons and concentration camps or used as forced labour. Perhaps twothirds of the Czech nation
was destined either for extermination or removal.
[35]
A Nazi German concentration camp existed at Terezn,
north of Prague.
There was a strong Czech resistance to Nazi occupation, both at
home and abroad, most notably with the assassination of Nazi
German leader Reinhard Heydrich by Czechoslovakian soldiers Jozef
Gabk and Jan Kubi in a Prague suburb on 27 May 1942. The
Czechoslovak government-in-exile and its army fighting against the
Germans were acknowledged by the Allies; Czech/Czechoslovak
troops fought from the very beginning of the war in Poland, France,
the UK, North Africa, the Middle East and the Soviet Union. The
German occupation ended on 9 May 1945, with the arrival of the
Soviet and American armies and the Prague uprising. An estimated
140,000 Soviet soldiers died in liberating Czechoslovakia from
German rule.
[36]
In 19451946, almost the entire German minority in Czechoslovakia,
about 3 million people, were expelled to Germany and Austria. During this time, thousands of Germans were
held in prisons and detention camps or used as forced labour. In the summer of 1945, there were several
massacres. The only Germans not expelled were some 250,000 who had been active in the resistance against
the Nazi Germans or were considered economically important, though many of these emigrated later. Following
a Soviet-organised referendum, the Subcarpathian Rus never returned under Czechoslovak rule but became
part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, as the Zakarpattia Oblast in 1946.
Czechoslovakia uneasily tried to play the role of a "bridge" between the West and East. However, the
Communist Party of Czechoslovakia rapidly increased in popularity, with a general disillusionment with the
West, because of the pre-war Munich Agreement, and a favourable popular attitude towards the Soviet Union,
because of the Soviets' role in liberating Czechoslovakia from German rule. In the 1946 elections, the
Communists gained 38%
[37]
of the votes and became the largest party in the Czechoslovak parliament. They
formed a coalition government with other parties of the National Front and moved quickly to consolidate power.
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The Czech Republic became a
member of the European Union in
2004, signed the Lisbon Treaty in
2007 and ratified it in 2009 as the last
EU member.
The decisive step took place in February 1948, during a series of events characterized by Communists as a
"revolution" and by anti-Communists as a "takeover", the Communist People's Militias secured control of key
locations in Prague, and a new all-Communist government was formed.
For the next 41 years, Czechoslovakia was a Communist state within the Eastern Bloc. This period is
characterized by lagging behind the West in almost every aspect of social and economic development. The
country's GDP per capita fell from the level of neighboring Austria below that of Greece or Portugal in the
1980s. The Communist government completely nationalized the means of production and established a
command economy. The economy grew rapidly during the 1950s but slowed down in the 1960s and 1970s and
stagnated in the 1980s. The political climate was highly repressive during the 1950s, including numerous show
trials and hundreds of thousands of political prisoners, but became more open and tolerant in the late 1960s,
culminating in Alexander Dubek's leadership in the 1968 Prague Spring, which tried to create "socialism with a
human face" and perhaps even introduce political pluralism. This was forcibly ended by invasion by all Warsaw
Pact member countries with the exception of Romania and Albania on 21 August 1968.
The invasion was followed by a harsh program of "Normalization" in
the late 1960s and the 1970s. Until 1989, the political establishment
relied on censorship of the opposition. Dissidents published Charter
77 in 1977, and the first of a new wave of protests were seen in
1988. Between 1948 and 1989 more than 250,000 Czechs and
Slovaks were sent to prison for "anti-state activities" and over
400,000 emigrated.
[38]
Velvet revolution and independence
In November 1989, Czechoslovakia returned to a liberal democracy
through the peaceful "Velvet Revolution". However, Slovak national
aspirations strengthened and on 1 January 1993, the country
peacefully split into the independent Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Both countries went through economic reforms and privatisations, with the intention of creating a capitalist
economy. This process was largely successful; in 2006 the Czech Republic was recognised by the World Bank
as a "developed country",
[15]
and in 2009 the Human Development Index ranked it as a nation of "Very High
Human Development".
[39]
From 1991, the Czech Republic, originally as part of Czechoslovakia and since 1993 in its own right, has been
a member of the Visegrd Group and from 1995, the OECD. The Czech Republic joined NATO on 12 March
1999 and the European Union on 1 May 2004. On 21 December 2007 the Czech Republic joined the
Schengen Area. It held the Presidency of the European Union for the first half of 2009.
Politics
The Czech Republic is a pluralist multi-party parliamentary representative democracy, with the Prime Minister as
head of government. The Parliament (Parlament esk republiky) is bicameral, with the Chamber of Deputies
(Czech: Poslaneck snmovna) (200 members) and the Senate (Czech: Sent) (81 members).
The President of the Czech Republic was being selected by a joint session of the parliament for a five-year term,
with no more than two consecutive terms. This system was practised between years 19932012. Since 2013
the presidential election is direct. The president is a formal head of state with limited specific powers, most
importantly to return bills to the parliament, nominate constitutional court judges for the Senate's approval and
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Vclav Havel, the first
President of the Czech
Republic
Czech soldier in Afghanistan
dissolve the parliament under certain special and unusual circumstances. He also appoints the prime minister, as
well the other members of the cabinet on a proposal by the prime minister. From 2013 on, the president is
elected by the public, not the parliament.
[40]
Milo Zeman was the first directly elected Czech President.
The Prime Minister is the head of government and wields considerable powers, including the right to set the
agenda for most foreign and domestic policy, mobilize the parliamentary majority and choose government
ministers.
The members of the Chamber of Deputies are elected for a four-year term by proportional representation, with
a 5% election threshold. There are 14 voting districts, identical to the country's
administrative regions. The Chamber of Deputies, the successor to the Czech
National Council, has the powers and responsibilities of the now defunct
federal parliament of the former Czechoslovakia.
The members of the Senate are elected in single-seat constituencies by two-
round runoff voting for a six-year term, with one-third elected every even year
in the autumn. The first election was in 1996, for differing terms. This
arrangement is modeled on the U.S. Senate, but each constituency is roughly
the same size and the voting system used is a two-round runoff. The Senate is
unpopular among the public and suffers from low election turnout, overall
roughly 30% in the first round and 20% in the second.
Foreign relations
Membership in the European Union is central to the Czech Republic's foreign
policy. The Czech Republic held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first half of 2009.
Czech officials have supported dissenters in Burma, Belarus, Moldova and Cuba.
[41]
Military
The Czech armed forces consist of the Army, Air Force and of specialized
support units. The president of the Czech Republic is Commander-in-Chief of
the armed forces. In 2004 the army transformed itself into a fully professional
organization and compulsory military service was abolished. The country has
been a member of NATO since 12 March 1999. Defense spending is around
1.8% of the GDP (2006). Currently, as a member of NATO, the Czech
military are participating in ISAF and KFOR operations and have soldiers in
Afghanistan and Kosovo. Main equipment includes: multi-role fighters JAS-39
Gripen, combat aircraft Aero L-159 Alca, attack helicopters Mi-24, armored vehicles Pandur II, OT-64, OT-
90, BVP-2 and Czech modernized tanks T-72 (T-72M4CZ).
Administrative divisions
Since 2000, the Czech Republic has been divided into thirteen regions (Czech: kraje, singular kraj) and the
capital city of Prague. Each region has its own elected regional assembly (krajsk zastupitelstvo) and hejtman
(a regional governor). In Prague, the assembly and presidential powers are executed by the city council and the
mayor.
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Map of the Czech Republic with
traditional regions and current
administrative regions.
Map with districts.
The older seventy-six districts (okresy, singular okres) including three "statutory cities" (without Prague, which
had special status) lost most of their importance in 1999 in an administrative reform; they remain as territorial
divisions and seats of various branches of state administration.
[42]
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Satellite image of the Czech Republic
Licence
plate
letter
Region name
in English
Region name
in Czech
Administrative
seat
Population
(2004
estimate)
Population
(2010
estimate)
A Prague (Praha)
a
Hlavn msto
Praha
n/a 1,170,571 1,251,072
S
Central Bohemian
Region
Stedoesk kraj
Prague (Praha)
b
1,144,071 1,256,850
C
South Bohemian
Region
Jihoesk kraj esk Budjovice 625,712 637,723
P
Plze Region Plzesk kraj Plze 549,618 571,831
K
Karlovy Vary Region Karlovarsk kraj Karlovy Vary 304,588 307,380
U
st nad Labem
Region
steck kraj st nad Labem 822,133 835,814
L
Liberec Region Libereck kraj Liberec 427,563 439,458
H
Hradec Krlov
Region
Krlovhradeck
kraj
Hradec Krlov 547,296 554,370
E
Pardubice Region Pardubick kraj Pardubice 505,285 516,777
M
Olomouc Region Olomouck kraj Olomouc 635,126 641,555
T
Moravian-Silesian
Region
Moravskoslezsk
kraj
Ostrava 1,257,554 1,244,837
B
South Moravian
Region
Jihomoravsk kraj Brno 1,123,201 1,152,819
Z
Zln Region Zlnsk kraj Zln 590,706 590,527
J
Vysoina Region Kraj Vysoina Jihlava 517,153 514,805
a
Capital city.
b
Office location.
Geography
The Czech Republic lies mostly between latitudes 48 and 51 N (a
small area lies north of 51), and longitudes 12 and 19 E.
The Czech landscape is exceedingly varied. Bohemia, to the west,
consists of a basin drained by the Elbe (Czech: Labe) and the Vltava
(or Moldau) rivers, surrounded by mostly low mountains, such as the
Krkonoe range of the Sudetes. The highest point in the country,
Snka at 1,602 m (5,256 ft), is located here. Moravia, the eastern
part of the country, is also quite hilly. It is drained mainly by the
Morava River, but it also contains the source of the Oder River
(Czech: Odra).
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Czech Switzerland is one of four
Czech national parks
ance Dam, part of the Moravian-
Silesian Beskids
Rolling hills of Krlick Snnk
Water from the landlocked Czech Republic flows to three different seas: the North Sea, Baltic Sea and Black
Sea. The Czech Republic also leases the Moldauhafen, a 30,000-
square-metre (7.4-acre) lot in the middle of the Hamburg Docks,
which was awarded to Czechoslovakia by Article 363 of the Treaty
of Versailles, to allow the landlocked country a place where goods
transported down river could be transferred to seagoing ships. The
territory reverts to Germany in 2028.
Phytogeographically, the Czech Republic belongs to the Central
European province of the Circumboreal Region, within the Boreal
Kingdom. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the
territory of the Czech Republic can be subdivided into four
ecoregions: the Central European mixed forests, Pannonian mixed
forests, Western European broadleaf forests and Carpathian montane
conifer forests.
There are four national parks in the Czech Republic. The oldest is Krkonoe National Park (Biosphere
Reserve), umava National Park (Biosphere Reserve), Podyj National Park, Bohemian Switzerland.
Climate
The Czech Republic has a temperate continental climate, with warm
summers and cold, cloudy and snowy winters. The temperature
difference between summer and winter is relatively high, due to the
landlocked geographical position.
[43]
Within the Czech Republic, temperatures vary greatly, depending on
the elevation. In general, at higher altitudes, the temperatures decrease
and precipitation increases. The wettest area in the Czech Republic is
found around Bl Potok in Jizera Mountains and the driest region is
the Louny District to the northwest of Prague. Another important
factor is the distribution of the mountains; therefore, the climate is
quite varied.
At the highest peak of Snka (1,602 m or 5,256 ft), the average
temperature is only 0.4 C (31 F), whereas in the lowlands of the
South Moravian Region, the average temperature is as high as 10 C
(50 F). The country's capital, Prague, has a similar average
temperature, although this is influenced by urban factors.
The coldest month is usually January, followed by February and
December. During these months, there is usually snow in the
mountains and sometimes in the major cities and lowlands. During
March, April and May, the temperature usually increases rapidly,
especially during April, when the temperature and weather tends to
vary widely during the day. Spring is also characterized by high water levels in the rivers, due to melting snow
with occasional flooding.
The warmest month of the year is July, followed by August and June. On average, summer temperatures are
about 20 C (68 F) 30 C (86 F) higher than during winter. Summer is also characterized by rain and
storms.
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The Czech Republic is part of the EU
single market and the Schengen Area.
Headquarters of the Czech National
Bank in Prague
koda Auto is one of the largest car
manufacturers in Central Europe. In
2012, sold a record number of
949,000 cars and said it aimed to
double sales by 2018
Autumn generally begins in September, which is still relatively warm and dry. During October, temperatures
usually fall below 15 C (59 F) or 10 C (50 F) and deciduous trees begin to shed their leaves. By the end of
November, temperatures usually range around the freezing point.
The coldest temperature ever measured was in Litvnovice near esk Budjovice in 1929, at 42.2 C
(44.0 F) and the hottest measured, was at 40.4 C (104.7 F) in Dobichovice in 2012.
[44]
Most rain falls during the summer. Sporadic rainfall is relatively constant throughout the year (in Prague, the
average number of days per month experiencing at least 0.1 mm of rain varies from 12 in September and
October to 16 in November) but concentrated heavy rainfall (days with more than 10 mm per day) are more
frequent in the months of May to August (average around two such days per month).
[45]
Climate data for Prague
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high C (F)
0.4
(32.7)
2.7
(36.9)
7.7
(45.9)
13.3
(55.9)
18.3
(64.9)
21.4
(70.5)
23.3
(73.9)
23.0
(73.4)
19.0
(66.2)
13.1
(55.6)
6.0
(42.8)
2.0
(35.6)
12.5
(54.5)
Average low C (F)
5.4
(22.3)
4.0
(24.8)
1.0
(30.2)
2.6
(36.7)
7.1
(44.8)
10.5
(50.9)
11.9
(53.4)
11.7
(53.1)
8.7
(47.7)
4.3
(39.7)
0.2
(32.4)
3.3
(26.1)
3.6
(38.5)
Snowfall cm (inches)
17.9
(7.05)
15.9
(6.26)
10.3
(4.06)
2.9
(1.14)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.1
(0.04)
8.4
(3.31)
15.9
(6.26)
71.4
(28.11)
Source #1: World Meteorological Organization
[46]
Source #2: NOAA
[47]
Economy
The Czech Republic
possesses a developed,
[48]
high-income
[49]
economy
with a per capita GDP rate
that is 81% of the European
Union average.
[50]
One of
the most stable and
prosperous of the post-
Communist states, the
Czech Republic saw
growth of over 6% annually
in the three years before the
outbreak of the recent
global economic crisis.
Growth has been led by
exports to the European
Union, especially Germany, and foreign investment, while domestic
demand is reviving.
Most of the economy has been privatised, including the banks and
telecommunications. A 2009 survey in cooperation with the Czech
Economic Association found that the majority of Czech economists
favor continued liberalization in most sectors of the economy.
[51]
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Dukovany Nuclear Power Station
Double deck trains called CityElefant
made by koda Transportation
operate near larger cities
The country is part of the Schengen Area from 1 May 2004, having abolished border controls, completely
opening its borders with all of its neighbours, Germany, Austria, Poland and Slovakia, on 21 December
2007.
[52]
The Czech Republic became a member of the World Trade Organisation on 1 January 1995.
Although the country is economically better positioned than other EU Members to adopt the euro, the change is
not expected before 2019, due to political reluctance on the matter.
[53]
The Programme for International Student Assessment, coordinated by the OECD, currently ranks the Czech
education system as the 15th best in the world, higher than the OECD average.
[54]
The Czech Republic is
ranked 30th in the 2012 Index of Economic Freedom.
Energy
Production of Czech electricity exceeds consumption by about 10
TWh per year, which are exported. Nuclear power presently
provides about 30 percent of the total power needs, its share is
projected to increase to 40 percent. In 2005, 65.4 percent of
electricity was produced by steam and combustion power plants
(mostly coal); 30 percent by nuclear plants; and 4.6 percent from
renewable sources, including hydropower. The largest Czech power
resource is Temeln Nuclear Power Station, other nuclear power plant
is in Dukovany.
The Czech Republic is reducing its dependence on highly polluting
low-grade brown coal as a source of energy. Natural gas is procured
from Russian Gazprom, roughly three-fourths of domestic consumption and from Norwegian companies, which
make up most of the remaining one-fourth. Russian gas is imported via Ukraine (Druzhba pipeline), Norwegian
gas is transported through Germany. Gas consumption (approx. 100 TWh in 20032005) is almost double
electricity consumption. South Moravia has small oil and gas deposits.
Transportation infrastructure
Vclav Havel Airport in Prague is the main international airport in the
country. In 2010, it handled 11.6 million passengers, which makes it
the busiest airport in Central and Eastern Europe. In total, Czech
Republic has 46 airports with paved runways, six of which provide
international air services in Brno, Karlovy Vary, Monov (near
Ostrava), Pardubice, Prague and Kunovice (near Uhersk Hradit).
esk drhy (the Czech railways) is the main railway operator in the
Czech Republic, with about 180 million passengers carried yearly. Its
cargo division, D Cargo, is the fifth largest railway cargo operator in
the European Union. With 9,505 km (5,906.13 mi) of tracks, the
Czech Republic has one of the densest railway networks in
Europe.
[55]
Of that number, 2,926 km (1,818.13 mi) is electrified,
7,617 km (4,732.98 mi) are single-line tracks and 1,866 km (1,159.48 mi) are double and multiple-line
tracks.
[56]
In 2006 the new Italian tilting trains Pendolino D Class 680 entered service. They have reached a
speed of 237 km/h setting a new Czech railway speed record.
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Expressway R1 bypassing Prague Electric multiple unit Pendolino at
Prague's central railway station
Academy of Sciences building in
Prague
Russia, via pipelines through Ukraine and to a lesser extent, Norway, via pipelines through Germany, supply the
Czech Republic with liquid and natural gas.
The road network in the Czech Republic is 55,653 km (34,581.17 mi) long.
[57]
and 738,4 km of motorways
and 439,1 km of expressways.
[58]
The speed limit is 50 km/h within towns, 90 km/h outside of towns and
130 km/h on expressways.
Communications
The Czech Republic ranks
in the top 10 countries
worldwide with the fastest
average internet speed.
[59]
The Czech Republic has the
most Wi-Fi subscribers in
the European Union.
[60][61]
By the beginning of 2008,
there were over 800 mostly local WISPs,
[62][63]
with about 350,000
subscribers in 2007. Plans based on either GPRS, EDGE, UMTS or CDMA2000 are being offered by all three
mobile phone operators (T-Mobile, Vodafone, Telefnica O2) and internet provider U:fon. Government-owned
esk Telecom slowed down broadband penetration. At the beginning of 2004, local-loop unbundling began
and alternative operators started to offer ADSL and also SDSL. This and later privatisation of esk Telecom
helped drive down prices.
On 1 July 2006, esk Telecom was acquired by globalized company (Spain owned) Telefnica group and
adopted new name Telefnica O2 Czech Republic. As of June 2014, VDSL and ADSL2+ are offered in many
variants, with download speeds of up to 40 Mbit/s and upload speeds of up to 2Mbit/s. Cable internet is gaining
popularity with its higher download speeds ranging from 2 Mbit/s to 240 Mbit/s.
Science
The Czech lands have a long and rich scientific tradition. The research
based on cooperation between universities, Academy of Sciences and
specialised research centers brings new inventions and impulses in this
area. Important inventions include the modern contact lens, the
separation of modern blood types, and the production of the Semtex
plastic explosive. Prominent scientists who lived and worked in
historically Czech lands include:
John Amos Comenius (15921670), teacher, educator and the
founder of modern education.
[64]
Vclav Prokop Divi (16981765), inventor of the first
grounded lightning rod.
Bernard Bolzano (17811848), noted mathematician, logician,
philosopher, and pacifist.
Jan Evangelista Purkyn (17871869), anatomist and
physiologist responsible for the discovery of Purkinje cells,
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Since the fall of the Iron Curtain in
1989, Prague has become one of the
most visited cities in Europe
Purkinje fibres and sweat glands, as well as Purkinje images and the Purkinje shift.
Josef Ressel (17931857), inventor of the screw propeller and modern compass.
[64]
Jakub Krytof Rad (17991871), inventor of the sugar cubes.
Gregor Mendel (18221884), often called the "father of genetics", is famed for his research concerning
the inheritance of genetic traits.
[64]
Jakub Husnk (18371916), inventor of the improved photolithography.
Karel Kl (18411926), painter and photographer, inventor of the photogravure.
Frantiek Kik (18471941), electrical engineer, inventor of the arc lamp.
Jan Jansk (18731921), serologist and neurologist, discovered classification of blood into the four
types.
Bedich Hrozn (18791952), deciphered the Hittite language.
[64]
Josef apek (18871945) and Karel apek (18901938), brothers who originated the word robot.
Frantiek Burian and Arnold Jirsek, founded the first plastic surgery in 1927.
[65]
Jaroslav Heyrovsk (18901967), inventor of the polarography, electroanalytical chemistry and recipient
of the Nobel Prize.
[64]
Oldich Homuta, inventor of Remoska owen in 1957.
Otto Wichterle (19131998) and Drahoslav Lm (19252003), Czech chemists responsible for the
invention of the modern contact lens and silon (Synthetic fiber).
[66]
Stanislav Brebera (19252012), inventor of the plastic explosive Semtex in 1966.
[67]
Ladislav Mare, inventor of the first machine producing nanofibres, "Nanospider".
[68]
Antonn Hol (19362012), scientist and chemist, in 2009 was involved in creation of the most effective
drug in the treatment of AIDS.
[69]
A number of other scientists are also connected in some way with the Czech Lands, including astronomers
Johannes Kepler and Tycho Brahe, the founder of the psychoanalytic school of psychiatry Sigmund Freud,
physicists Christian Doppler, Ernst Mach, Nikola Tesla, Albert Einstein, engineer Viktor Kaplan and logician
Kurt Gdel.
Tourism
The Czech economy gets a substantial income from tourism. In 2011,
Prague was the sixth most visited city in Europe.
[70]
In 2001, the total
earnings from tourism reached 118.13 billion CZK, making up 5.5%
of GNP and 9.3% of overall export earnings. The industry employs
more than 110,000 people over 1% of the population.
[71]
The
country's reputation has suffered with guidebooks and tourists
reporting overcharging by taxi drivers and pickpocketing problems
mainly in Prague.
[72][73]
Since 2005, Prague's mayor, Pavel Bm, has
worked to improve this reputation by cracking down on petty
crime
[73]
and, aside from these problems, Prague is a safe city.
[74]
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Prague
Brno
Ostrava
Rank City Region Population
[77]
Metropolitan
area
Plze
Liberec
Olomouc
1 Prague Prague,
the
Capital
City
1,268,796 2,300,000
2 Brno South
Moravian
385,913 729,510
3 Ostrava Moravian-
Silesian
296,224 1,164,328
4 Plze Plze 170,322 380,000
5 Liberec Liberec 102,754 270,000
6 Olomouc Olomouc 101,003 480,000[78]
7 Hradec
Krlov
Hradec
Krlov
94,314 -
8 esk
Budjovice
South
Bohemian
93,715 190,000[79]
9 st nad
Labem
st nad
Labem
93,000 -
10 Pardubice Pardubice 90,767 -
11 Havov Moravian- 76,694 -
Also, the Czech Republic as a whole generally has a low crime rate.
[75]
For tourists, the Czech Republic is
considered a safe destination to visit. The low crime rate makes most cities and towns safe to walk around even
after dark.
There are several centres of tourist activity. The spa towns, such as Karlovy Vary, Marinsk Lzn and
Frantikovy Lzn, are particularly popular relaxing holiday destinations. Architectural heritage is another object
of visitors interest - it includes many castles and chateaux from different historical epoques, namely Karltejn
Castle, esk Krumlov and the LedniceValtice area. There are 12 cathedrals and 15 churches elevated to the
rank of basilica by the Pope, calm monasteries, many modern and ancient churches - for example Pilgrimage
Church of Saint John of Nepomuk is one of those inscribed on the World Heritage List. Away from the towns,
areas such as esk rj, umava and the Krkonoe Mountains attract visitors seeking outdoor pursuits.
The country is also known for its various museums, very popular are puppetry and marionettes exhibitions with a
number of puppet festivals throughout the country. Aquapalace Praha in estlice near Prague, is the biggest
water park in central Europe.
[76]
The Czech Republic has a number of beer festivals, including: Czech Beer Festival (the biggest Czech beer
festival, it is 17 days long and held every year in May in Prague), Pilsner Fest (every year in August in Plze),
The "Olomouck pivn festival" (in Olomouc) or festival "Slavnosti piva v eskch Budjovicch" (in esk
Budjovice).
Demographics
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Silesian
12 Zln Zln 75,318 450 000
13 Kladno Central
Bohemian
68,103 -
14 Most st nad
Labem
65,193 95,316
15 Opava Moravian-
Silesian
58,351 -
16 Karvin Moravian-
Silesian
56,897 -
17 Frdek-
Mstek
Moravian-
Silesian
56,356 -
18 Jihlava Vysoina 50,075 -
19 Dn st nad
Labem
49,106 -
20 Karlovy
Vary
Karlovy
Vary
48,639 -
Historical population
Year Pop. %
1857 7,016,531
1869 7,617,230 +8.6%
1880 8,222,013 +7.9%
1890 8,665,421 +5.4%
1900 9,372,214 +8.2%
1910 10,078,637 +7.5%
1921 10,009,587 0.7%
1930 10,674,386 +6.6%
1950 8,896,133 16.7%
1961 9,571,531 +7.6%
1970 9,807,697 +2.5%
1980 10,291,927 +4.9%
1991 10,302,215 +0.1%
2001 10,230,060 0.7%
2011 10,436,560 +2.0%
According to preliminary results of the 2011 census, the majority of
the inhabitants of the Czech Republic are Czechs (63.7%), followed
by Moravians (4.9%), Slovaks (1.4%), Poles (0.4%), Germans
(0.2%) and Silesians (0.1%). As the 'nationality' was an optional
item, a substantial number of people left this field blank (26.0%).
[80]
According to some estimates, there are about 250,000 Romani
people in the Czech Republic.
[81][82]
There were 436,116 foreigners residing in the country in October
2009, according to the Czech Interior Ministry,
[83]
with the largest
groups being Ukrainian (132,481), Slovak (75,210), Vietnamese
(61,102), Russian (29,976), Polish (19,790), German (14,156),
Moldovan (10,315), Bulgarian (6,346), Mongolian (5,924),
American (5,803), Chinese (5,314), British (4,461), Belarusian
(4,441), Serbian (4,098), Romanian (4,021), Kazakh (3,896),
Austrian (3,114), Italian (2,580), Dutch (2,553), French (2,356),
Croatian (2,351), Bosnian (2,240), Armenian (2,021), Uzbek
(1,969), Macedonian (1,787) and Japanese (1,581).
[83]
The Jewish population of Bohemia and Moravia, 118,000 according
to the 1930 census, was virtually annihilated by the Nazi Germans
during the Holocaust.
[84]
There were approximately 4,000 Jews in the Czech Republic in 2005.
[85]
The former
Czech prime minister, Jan Fischer, is of Jewish origin and faith.
[86]
The total fertility rate (TFR) in 2013 was estimated at 1.29 children born/woman, which is below the
replacement rate of 2.1, and one of the lowest in the world.
[87]
In 2013, 45% of births were to unmarried
women.
[88]
The life expectancy in 2013 was estimated at 77.56 years (74.29 years male, 81.01 years
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Religion in the Czech Republic (2011)
[96]
Undeclared 45.2%
Irreligion 34.2%
Roman Catholicism 10.3%
Other religions 9.4%
Protestantism 0.8%
The Statue of famous composer
Antonn Dvok in Prague
female).
[87]
Immigration increased the population by almost 1% in 2007. About 77,000 new foreigners settle
down in the Czech Republic every year.
[89]
Vietnamese immigrants began settling in the Czech Republic during
the Communist period, when they were invited as guest workers by the Czechoslovak government.
[90]
In 2009,
there were about 70,000 Vietnamese in the Czech Republic.
[91]
In contrast to Ukrainians, Vietnamese come to
the Czech Republic to live permanently.
[92]
At the turn of the 20th century, Chicago was the city with the third largest Czech population,
[93]
after Prague
and Vienna.
[94]
According to the 2006 US census, there are 1,637,218 Americans of full or partial Czech
descent.
[95]
Religion
The Czech Republic has one of the least religious
populations in the world. Historically, the Czech people have
been characterised as "tolerant and even indifferent towards
religion".
[97]
According to the 2011 census, 34.2% of the
population stated they had no religion, 10.3% was Roman
Catholic, 0.8% was Protestant (0.5% Czech Brethren and
0.4% Hussite), and 9.4% followed other forms of religion
both denominational or not (of which 863 people answered
they are Pagan) 45.2% of the population did not answer the question about religion.
[96]
From 1991 to 2001 and
further to 2011 the adherence to Roman Catholicism decreased from 39.0 to 26.8 and then to 10.3;
Protestantism similarly declined from 3.7% to 2.1% and then to 0.8%.
[98]
According to a Eurobarometer Poll in 2010,
[99]
16% of Czech citizens responded that "they believe there is a
God" (the lowest rate among the countries of the European Union),
[100]
whereas 44% answered that "they
believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 37% said that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit,
God or life force".
Culture
Music
Music in the Czech lands has its roots in more than 1,000-year-old
sacred music. The first surviving references Lord, Have Mercy on Us
come from the end of the 10th century and in the traditional folk music of
Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia and in the long-term high-culture classical
music tradition. Since the early eras of artificial music, Czech musicians
and composers have often been influenced by genuine folk music (such
as polka which originated in Bohemia). Notable Czech composers
include Antonn Dvok, Bedich Smetana, Gustav Mahler (he was born
and grew up in the Czech lands), Adam Michna, Jan Dismas Zelenka,
Josef Mysliveek, Leo Janek, Josef Suk, Bohuslav Martin, Erwin
Schulhoff and Petr Eben.
Literature
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The Barrande sign near Barrandov
Studios
The Slav Epic from Alphonse
Mucha (1912)
Czech literature is the literature written by Czechs, mostly in the Czech language, although other languages like
Old Church Slavonic, Latin or German have been also used, especially in the past. Non-Czech inhabitants of the
Czech lands who had written in German and other languages, such as Franz Kafka, are usually excluded from
the corpus of Czech literature, regardless of their own national self-identification.
Czech literature is divided into several main time periods: the Middle
Ages; the Hussite period; the years of re-Catholicization and the
baroque; the Enlightenment and Czech reawakening in the 19th century;
the avantgarde of the interwar period; the years under Communism and
the Prague Spring; and the literature of the post-Communist Czech
Republic. Czech literature and culture played a major role on at least two
occasions, when Czechs lived under oppression and political activity was
suppressed. On both of these occasions, in the early 19th century and
then again in the 1960s, the Czechs used their cultural and literary effort
to strive for political freedom, establishing a confident, politically aware
nation.
A famous antiwar comedy novel The Good Soldier vejk by Jaroslav
Haek is the most translated Czech book in history. It was depicted by
Karel Stekl in two color films The Good Soldier Schweik in 1956 and
1957.
Theatre
Theatre of the Czech Republic has rich tradition with roots in the Middle
Ages. In the 19th century, the theatre played an important role in the
national awakening movement and later, in the 20th century it became a
part of the modern European theatre art.
Film
The Barrandov Studios in Prague are the largest film studios in country and one of the largest in Europe. The
Czech Republic has many popular film locations.
[101]
Filmmakers have come to Prague to shoot scenery no
longer found in Berlin, Paris and Vienna. The city of Karlovy Vary was used as a location for the 2006 James
Bond film Casino Royale.
[102]
Video games
Video games are considered by some experts to be the biggest cultural export of the country. There are some
globally successful video game developers based in the Czech Republic such as Bohemia Interactive, Illusion
softworks, Amanita Design or Madfinger Games. Video games produced in the Czech Republic include
Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis, Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven, Vietcong, Machinarium, Shadowgun
and DayZ.
[103]
Art
The Czech Republic is known worldwide for its individually made, mouth blown and decorated art glass and
crystal. One of the best Czech painter and decorative artist was Alphonse Mucha (18601939) mainly known
for art nouveau posters and his cycle of 20 large canvases named The Slav Epic, which depicts the history of
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Pilsner Urquell, the first
"pilsner" type beer in the
world
Svkov na smetan is a
signature Czech dish, consisting
of marinated beef with Czech
dumplings (knedlky)
Czechs and other Slavic peoples. The Slav Epic can be since 2012 seen in Veletrn Palace of National Gallery
in Prague, which manages the largest collection of art in the Czech Republic.
Other famous Czech artists are:
Max vabinsk (1873 - 1962) - painter, illustrator, abstract art
Emil Filla (1882 - 1953) - painter, cubism
Josef apek (1887 - 1945) - painter, cubism
Bohumil Kubita (1884 - 1918) - painter, cubism
Vclav pla (1885 - 1945) - painter, cubism
Frantiek Kupka (1871 - 1954) - painter, abstract art
Jan Zrzav (1890 - 1977) - painter, graphic artist, illustrator
Karel Teige (1900 - 1951) - painter, illustrator, surrealism
Toyen (1902 - 1980) - painter, illustrator, surrealism
Ji Anderle (1936) - graphic artist
Cuisine
Czech cuisine is marked by a strong
emphasis on meat dishes. Pork is quite
common; beef and chicken are also
popular. Goose, duck, rabbit and wild
game are served. Fish is rare, with the
occasional exception of fresh trout and
carp, which is served at Christmas.
Czech beer has a long and important
history. The first brewery is known to have
existed in 1118 and the Czech Republic
has the highest beer consumption per
capita in the world. The famous Pilsener
style beer originated in the western
Bohemian city of Plze, and further south
the town of esk Budjovice, known as
Budweis in German, lent its name to its beer, eventually known as
Budweiser Budvar. Apart from these and other major brands, the Czech Republic also boasts a growing
number of top quality small breweries and mini-breweries seeking to continue the age-old tradition of quality and
taste, whose output matches the best in the world: tin, Chn, Oslavany, Kcov. Tourism is slowly growing
around the Southern Moravian region too, which has been producing wine since the Middle Ages; about 94%
of vineyards in the Czech Republic are Moravian. Aside from Slivovitz, Czech beer and wine, the Czechs also
produce two unique liquors, Fernet Stock and Becherovka. Kofola is a non-alcoholic domestic cola soft drink
which competes with Coca Cola and Pepsi in popularity.
Unique Czech dishes include roast pork with bread dumplings and stewed cabbage Vepo-knedlo-zelo, roast
sirloin beef with steamed dumplings and cream-of-vegetable sauce Svkov na smetan, tomato sauce
Rajsk or dill sauce Koprovka, roast duck with bread or potato dumplings and braised red cabbage, a variety
of beef and pork goulash stews Gul, fried cheese Smak or the famous potato pancakes Bramborky,
besides a large variety of delicate local sausages, wurst, pts and smoked meats and other traditional local
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Team Czech Republic beat Russia 1:0
at the 1998 Winter Olympics in
Nagano and won the gold medal.
foods. Czech desserts include a wide variety of whipped cream, chocolate and fruit pastries and tarts, crepes,
creme desserts and cheese, poppy seed filled and other types of traditional cakes such as buchty, kole and
trdl.
Sports
Sports play a part in the life of many Czechs, who are generally loyal
supporters of their favorite teams or individuals. The three leading
sports in the Czech Republic are ice hockey, football and sport
shooting,
[104]
with the first two drawing the largest attention of both
the media and supporters. Tennis is also a very popular sport in the
Czech Republic. The many other sports with professional leagues and
structures include basketball, volleyball, team handball, track and field
athletics and floorball. The Czech ice hockey team won the gold
medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics and has won six gold medals at
the World Championships including three straight from 1999 to 2001.
In total the country has won 14 gold medals in summer (plus 49 as
Czechoslovakia) and five gold medals (plus two as Czechoslovakia)
in winter Olympic history.
Sport is a source of strong waves of patriotism, usually rising several
days or weeks before an event. The events considered the most important by Czech fans are: the Ice Hockey
World Championships, Olympic Ice hockey tournament, UEFA European Football Championship, UEFA
Champions League and qualification matches for such events.
[105]
In general, any international match of the
Czech ice hockey or football national team draws attention, especially when played against a traditional rival.
The Czech Republic also has great influence on tennis with such players as, Ivan Lendl, 8 times Grand Slam
singles champion, 2010 Wimbledon Championships Men's Singles finalist Tom Berdych, 2011 Wimbledon
Championships Women's Singles champion, Petra Kvitov, 1998 Wimbledon Women's Singles title Jana
Novotn, 2011 Wimbledon Championships Women's Doubles champion Kvta Peschke and 18 time Grand
Slam Champion Martina Navratilova.
The favourite Czech individual or group sport is hiking mainly in Czech mountains. Even one meaning of the
word "tourist" in the Czech language is a trekker or a hiker. It is ideal sport also for beginners, because thanks
to the more than 100 years long tradition, there is a unique system of the trekkings markers, one of the best in
Europe. It contains the net around 40 000 km perfectly marked short or long distanced trails crossing the whole
country and all Czech mountains - not only in umava Mountains, but also in Vysoina, Krun hory, Jizersk
hory, Beskydy, Jesenky, Orlick hory and Giant Mountains - Krkonoe.
Gallery
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The Czech Crown
Jewels are the fourth
oldest in Europe

Prague Astronomical
Clock is the oldest
working astronomical
clock in the world

esk Krumlov Castle in
the South Bohemian
Region

Karltejn Castle in the
Central Bohemian
Region, founded in 1348
by Charles IV.

St. Barbara Church in
Kutn Hora

esk ternberk is a
gothic castle

Castle Hlubok in
Hlubok nad Vltavou

Chateau in
Lednice,contains a
palace and the largest
park in the country

The folk costume of
kroje, seen in Vlnov,
Moravia

Marinsk Lzn, a spa
town in the Karlovy
Vary Region

Jaromr Jgr is the
leading point scorer
among active NHL
players
[106]

A Ski resort in the
Krkonoe mountains
See also
List of Czech Republic-related topics
Outline of the Czech Republic
Bohemia
Moravia
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Further reading
Hochman, Ji. Historical dictionary of the Czech State (1998)
External links
Czech Republic (http://www.czech.cz/en/).
History of Celts (http://www.archeolog.cz/encyklopedie/keltove-kelt-keltske/)
History of Czech Economic and Political Alignments Viewed as a Transition
(http://www1.ceses.cuni.cz/benacek/hist%20kniha2.pdf)
Government
Governmental website (http://www.vlada.cz/en/).
Presidential website (http://www.hrad.cz/en/).
Portal of the Public Administration (http://portal.gov.cz/portal/obcan/).
Senate (http://www.senat.cz/index-eng.php).
Chief of State and Cabinet Members (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/world-
leaders-c/czech-republic.html).
General information
Czech Republic (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ez.html) entry at The
World Factbook
Czech Republic (http://www.state.gov/p/eur/ci/ez/) information from the United States Department of
State.
Portals to the World (http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/european/czechr/cz.html) from the United States
Library of Congress.
Czech Republic (http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/czechrepublic.htm) at UCB Libraries
GovPubs.
Czech Republic (http://www.dmoz.org/Regional/Europe/Czech_Republic) at DMOZ
Czech Republic profile (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17220018) from the BBC News
Wikimedia Atlas of the Czech Republic
Geographic data related to Czech Republic (http://www.openstreetmap.org/browse/relation/51684)
at OpenStreetMap
Key Development Forecasts for the Czech Republic (http://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?
Country=CZ) from International Futures
News
roundup.html?_r=1). Associated Press via The New York Times (7 October 2011).
6/21/2014 Czech Republic - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_Republic 31/31
The Prague Post (http://www.praguepost.com/).
CzechNews (http://aktualne.centrum.cz/czechnews/).
Czech News Agency News (http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/).
Prague Daily Monitor (http://praguemonitor.com/).
Radio Prague (http://www.radio.cz/en/).
Statistics
Czech Statistical Office (http://www.czso.cz/eng/redakce.nsf/i/home).
Trade
World Bank Summary Trade Statistics Czech Republic
(http://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/Country/CZE/Year/2012/Summary)
Travel
Czech Tourism (http://www.czechtourism.com/Homepage.aspx?lang=en-GB&selectedculture=en-US)
Official travel site of the Czech Republic.
Czech tourist club Official webpage (http://www.kct.cz/cms/czech-tourist-klub-kct/)
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