Portal:Czech Republic

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Welcome to the Czech Portal!
Vítejte na Českém portálu!

The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The Czech Republic has a hilly landscape that covers an area of 78,871 square kilometers (30,452 sq mi) with a mostly temperate continental and oceanic climate. The capital and largest city is Prague; other major cities and urban areas include Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň and Liberec.

The Duchy of Bohemia was founded in the late 9th century under Great Moravia. It was formally recognized as an Imperial State of the Holy Roman Empire in 1002 and became a kingdom in 1198. Following the Battle of Mohács in 1526, all of the Crown lands of Bohemia were gradually integrated into the Habsburg monarchy. Nearly a hundred years later, the Protestant Bohemian Revolt led to the Thirty Years' War. After the Battle of White Mountain, the Habsburgs consolidated their rule. With the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the Crown lands became part of the Austrian Empire.

In the 19th century, the Czech lands became more industrialized, and in 1918 most of it became part of the First Czechoslovak Republic following the collapse of Austria-Hungary after World War I. Czechoslovakia was the only country in Central and Eastern Europe to remain a parliamentary democracy during the entirety of the interwar period. After the Munich Agreement in 1938, Nazi Germany systematically took control over the Czech lands.

Czechoslovakia was restored in 1945 and three years later became an Eastern Bloc communist state following a coup d'état in 1948. Attempts to liberalize the government and economy were suppressed by a Soviet-led invasion of the country during the Prague Spring in 1968. In November 1989, the Velvet Revolution ended communist rule in the country and restored democracy. On 31 December 1992, Czechoslovakia was peacefully dissolved, with its constituent states becoming the independent states of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The Czech Republic is a unitary parliamentary republic and developed country with an advanced, high-income social market economy. It is a welfare state with a European social model, universal health care and free-tuition university education. It ranks 32nd in the Human Development Index. The Czech Republic is a member of the United Nations, NATO, the European Union, the OECD, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the Visegrád Group. (Full article...)

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Moravia (Czech: Morava [ˈmorava] ^ⓘ; German: Mähren) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.

The medieval and early modern Margraviate of Moravia was a crown land of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown from 1348 to 1918, an imperial state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1004 to 1806, a crown land of the Austrian Empire from 1804 to 1867, and a part of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. Moravia was one of the five lands of Czechoslovakia founded in 1918. In 1928 it was merged with Czech Silesia, and then dissolved in 1948 during the abolition of the land system following the communist coup d'état. (Full article...)

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The town of Litoměřice with the cathedral of St Stephen, in the Ústí nad Labem Region

Photographer: Karelj; License: Public domain

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In this month

1 May 2004 – The Czech Republic joins the European Union
9 May 1974 – The Prague Metro begins operation
14 May 1855 – The book The Grandmother by Božena Němcová is released
27 May 1942 – An assassination attempt (pictured) on acting Reichsprotektor Reinhardt Heydrich in Prague as part of Operation Anthropoid results in him dying on 4 June – the villages of Lidice and Ležáky are razed to the ground in response
29 May 1975 – Gustáv Husák becomes President of Czechoslovakia, remaining in office until 1989

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Kafka in 1923

Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian Jewish novelist and writer from Prague. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It typically features isolated protagonists facing bizarre or surrealistic predicaments and incomprehensible socio-bureaucratic powers. It has been interpreted as exploring themes of alienation, existential anxiety, guilt, and absurdity. His best known works include the novella The Metamorphosis and novels The Trial and The Castle. The term Kafkaesque has entered English to describe absurd situations like those depicted in his writing.

Kafka was born into a middle-class German-speaking Czech Jewish family in Prague, the capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (today the capital of the Czech Republic). He trained as a lawyer, and after completing his legal education was employed full-time by an insurance company, forcing him to relegate writing to his spare time. Over the course of his life, Kafka wrote hundreds of letters to family and close friends, including his father, with whom he had a strained and formal relationship. He became engaged to several women but never married. He died in obscurity in 1924 at the age of 40 from tuberculosis. (Full article...)

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John Amos Comenius Petr Čech Dominik Hašek Jaromír Jágr Pavel Nedvěd Gregor Mendel Tomáš Rosický Bedřich Smetana Emanuel Moravec Gustav Mahler Fredy Hirsch Antonín Kinský Vlastimil Koubek Petra Kvitová Martin Miller (actor) Vratislav Lokvenc Vladimír Remek Leoš Janáček Libor Michálek Vojtěch Jarník Markéta Vondroušová Zdeňka Wiedermannová-Motyčková

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Did you know?

...that in 1990, Czech and Slovak politicians "fought" the Hyphen War, a political battle over whether "Czechoslovakia" should be spelled with a hyphen?
... that the World War II idea of Polish-Czechoslovakian confederation was eventually discarded by the Czechs, whose leader chose instead to believe in the Soviet Union promises of alliance?
... that Czech international footballer Jan Suchopárek dislocated his shoulder while attempting a bicycle kick?
... that Miroslav Tyrš, the founder of Czech national sport movement Sokol, was born into a German family?

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General images

The following are images from various Czech Republic-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Lands of the Bohemian Crown (until 1635), map by Josef Pekař, 1921 (from Bohemia)
Image 2Prague-style beef goulash (from Czech cuisine)
Image 3The First Czechoslovak Republic (1918-1938) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 4The Kingdom of Bohemia in 1618 with other Bohemian Crown lands within the Holy Roman Empire (1618). (from Bohemia)
Image 5Great Moravia during the reign of Svatopluk I (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 6John Amos Comenius (1592-1670), Czech philosopher and school reformer (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 7Territories ruled by Ottokar II of Bohemia in 1273 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 8Monument to Master Jan Hus, a religious reformer and philosopher in Prague (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 9Zelňačka (from Czech cuisine)
Image 10Baroque St. Nicholas Church in Malá Strana, built between 1704 and 1755 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 11Venus of Dolní Věstonice, the oldest ceramic article in the world (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 12A panorama of Zittau (from Bohemia)
Image 13House of the Black Madonna (from Czech architecture)
Image 14Frgál, a type of koláč baked in Moravian Wallachia (from Czech cuisine)
Image 15The National Theater from 1881 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 16Kačina Castle in Chotkov (from Czech architecture)
Image 17Vepřo-knedlo-zelo (Roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 18Fried bramboráky (potato pancakes) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 19Svíčková na smetaně (Marinated tenderloin), served here with dumplings and cream (from Czech cuisine)
Image 20Řežabinec a Řežabinecké tůně National Nature Reserve (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 21Bohemia as the heart of Europa regina; Sebastian Münster, Basel, 1570 (from Bohemia)
Image 22Church of Saint Agnes of Bohemia (Spořilov) (from Czech architecture)
Image 23The coat of arms of the Přemyslid dynasty (until 1253–1262) (from Bohemia)
Image 24Saint Wenceslas, Czech prince (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 25Bronze sword, Urnfield culture, c. 1200 BC (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 26Map of protected areas of the Czech Republic: national parks (grey) and protected landscape areas (green) (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 27A "traditional Bohemian platter" at a restaurant in central Prague, consisting of roast duck, roast pork, beer sausage, smoked meat, red and white cabbage, bread, bacon and potato dumplings. (from Czech cuisine)
Image 28Grand Café Orient in Prague (from Czech architecture)
Image 29Dacian Influence over Bohemia (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 30Russian occupation in 1968 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 31Entrance to Moravian Karst PLA (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 32Monument to the village of Lidice murdered by the Nazis (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 33The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Bohemia (from Bohemia)
Image 34Czech kings Ottokar II, Wenceslas II and Wenceslas III from the Přemyslid dynasty (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 35Bohemia (westernmost area) in Czechoslovakia 1918–1938 (from Bohemia)
Image 36Svíčková na smetaně served with dumplings, whipped cream and cranberries (from Czech cuisine)
Image 37Nakládaný hermelín (marinated cheese) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 38The extent of the Protestant Reformation (1545–1620) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 39A panorama of Kłodzko, the capital city of Kłodzko Land, which is referred to as "Little Prague" (from Bohemia)
Image 40Pilsner Urquell in a branded mug (from Czech cuisine)
Image 41Cubist lamp by Emil Králíček, Jungmannovo náměstí, next to the Gothic Church of Our Lady of the Snows (Prague) (from Czech architecture)
Image 42Emperor and King Charles IV. Luxembourg (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 43Iconic brutalist Transgas building, demolished in 2019 (from Czech architecture)
Image 44Territory under the control of the Přemyslids, c. 1301 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 45Duchy of Bohemia, around 1029 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 46Vladislaus Hall at the Prague Castle, built from 1490 to 1502 by Benedikt Rejt (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 47Detailed map of Bohemia, 1742 (from Bohemia)
Image 48St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague Castle, John of Luxembourg laid the foundation stone in 1344 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 49Adria Palace (Prague) (from Czech architecture)
Image 50Christmas cookies (vánoční cukroví) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 51Rotunda of St. George from the beginning of the 12th century on Mount Říp (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 52Copper engraving of the Second Defenestration of Prague from Theatrum Europaeum by Matthäus Merian. (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 53Beheading of 27 Bohemian nobles at the Old Town Square in Prague, 1621 (contemporary illustration) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 54Europe after the Congress of Vienna in 1815 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 55An 1892 map showing Bohemia proper outlined in pink, Moravia in yellow, and Austrian Silesia in orange (from Bohemia)
Image 56Cubist architecture in Prague (from Czech architecture)
Image 57Václav Havel, playwright, dissident and president from 1989 to 2003 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 58Korozluky Castle (from Czech architecture)
Image 59Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, philosopher, Czechoslovak president in the years 1918-1935 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 60Linguistic map of interwar Czechoslovakia (c. 1930) (from Bohemia)
Image 61Semi-detached villa in Brno by Otto Eisler, according to MoMA's Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson, is a defining building of the International style. (from Czech architecture)
Image 62Buděticko Nature Park with Rabí Castle (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 63Fried cheese, served with tartar sauce and side salad (from Czech cuisine)
Image 64Writer Božena Němcová (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 65The radical Hussites became known as Taborites, after the town of Tábor that became their center (from Bohemia)
Image 66Bohemian city Karlovy Vary (from Bohemia)
Image 67King George of Podebrady, one of the first promoters of united Europe (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 68Obložené chlebíčky, a type of snack or appetizer (from Czech cuisine)
Image 69Hroby Nature Monument in Radenín (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 70Library of Clementinum, a former Jesuit College, built in 1722 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 71Apple strudel with raisins (from Czech cuisine)
Image 72Emperor Francis Joseph I. (reigned 1848–1916) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 73Stone sculpture of a Celtic man, found in Mšecké Žehrovice (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 74Empress Maria Theresa (reignet 1740–1780) (from History of the Czech lands)

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Topics

Czech lands: Bohemia • Moravia • Czech Silesia

History: Únětice culture • Boii • Marcomanni • Samo • Great Moravia • Přemyslid dynasty • Lands of the Bohemian Crown • Czech lands (1526–1648) • 1648–1867 • 1867–1918) • Czechoslovakia • Czech Republic

Geography: Lakes • Protected areas • Regions • Rivers

Law: Judiciary • Law enforcement • Supreme Court of the Czech Republic

Politics: Administrative divisions • Government • Constitution • Elections • Foreign relations • Army • Parliament • Political parties • President • Prime Minister

Economy: Banks • Czech koruna • Energy • Oil and gas deposits • Stock Exchange • Tourism • Transport

Culture: Architecture • Art • Cinema • Cuisine • Demographics • Education • Language • Literature • Media • Music • Philosophy • Prostitution • Public holidays • Religion • Sport • Television • Video games

Symbols: Flag • Coat of arms • National anthem (Kde domov můj)

Lists: Outline of the Czech Republic • List of Czech Republic–related topics

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WikiProjects

WikiProject Czech Republic

WikiProject Europe

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Featured and good content

	Featured articles		Dominik Hašek • Earth-grazing meteoroid of 13 October 1990 • Franz Kafka • Gustav Mahler • Bedřich Smetana • The Bartered Bride
	Good articles		Patrik Berger • FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 • Reinhard Heydrich • Leoš Janáček • Vlastimil Koubek • Libor Michálek • Pavel Nedvěd • Panzer 35(t) • Polish minority in the Czech Republic • Prague Spring • Punch-up in Piestany • Randy Blythe manslaughter case • The Brothers Grimm (film) • Winton Train • Zaolzie