Portal:Czech Republic

Welcome to the Czech Portal!
Vítejte na Českém portálu!

The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country 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 Estate of the Holy Roman Empire in 1002 and became a kingdom in 1198. Following the Battle of Mohács in 1526, all of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown 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.

During the 19th century, the Czech lands underwent significant industrialization. Following the collapse of Austria-Hungary after World War I, most of the region became part of the First Czechoslovak Republic in 1918. 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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Czech (/tʃɛk/ CHEK; endonym: čeština [ˈtʃɛʃcɪna]), historically also known as Bohemian (/boʊˈhiːmiən, bə-/ boh-HEE-mee-ən, bə-; Latin: lingua Bohemica), is a West Slavic language of the Czech–Slovak group, written in Latin script. Spoken by over 12 million people including second language speakers, it serves as the official language of the Czech Republic. Czech is closely related to Slovak, to the point of high mutual intelligibility, as well as to Polish to a lesser degree. Czech is a fusional language with a rich system of morphology and relatively flexible word order. Its vocabulary has been extensively influenced by Latin and German.

The Czech–Slovak group developed within West Slavic in the high medieval period, and the standardization of Czech and Slovak within the Czech–Slovak dialect continuum emerged in the early modern period. In the later 18th to mid-19th century, the modern written standard became codified in the context of the Czech National Revival. The most widely spoken non-standard variety, known as Common Czech, is based on the vernacular of Prague, but is now spoken as an interdialect throughout most of Bohemia. The Moravian dialects spoken in Moravia and Czech Silesia are considerably more varied than the dialects of Bohemia. (Full article...)

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Slender mongoose at Prague Zoo

Photographer: Karelj; License: Dual (GNU Free Documentation License and Creative Commons CC-BY-SA)

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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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Nedvěd playing for the Czech Republic at the 2006 FIFA World Cup

Pavel Nedvěd (Czech pronunciation: [ˈpavɛl ˈnɛdvjɛt] ^ⓘ; born 30 August 1972) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Czech players of all time and he won numerous trophies with Italian clubs Lazio and Juventus. He won the last ever Cup Winners' Cup with Lazio and led Juventus to the 2003 UEFA Champions League final.

Nedvěd was a vital player in the Czech team that reached the final of Euro 1996 and afterwards he attracted the attention of big European clubs. He also captained the team at UEFA Euro 2004, where they were defeated in the semi-final by eventual champions Greece, and Nedvěd was named in the Team of the Tournament. Furthermore, Nedvěd helped his team qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup for the first time since the breakup of Czechoslovakia. Due to his quick and energetic runs during matches, Nedvěd was nicknamed "Furia Ceca" ("Czech Fury") by Italian football fans. His nickname in Czech is Méďa ("Little Bear"), stemming from the similarity between his surname and the Czech word for bear, Medvěd. (Full article...)

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John Amos Comenius Petr Čech Dominik Hašek Jaromír Jágr Gregor Mendel Tomáš Rosický Franz Kafka 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 the Sedlec Ossuary is a chapel decorated with the bones of 40,000 people?
... that in 2013, the Czech Republic plans to directly elect its president for the first time in its history?
... that, having played 465 league matches, Jaroslav Šilhavý holds the record for the most appearances in top-flight Czech football?
... that a 1926 voyage to Java inspired Czech poet Konstantin Biebl for the remainder of his life?

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General images

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

Image 1King George of Podebrady, one of the first promoters of united Europe (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 2Vladislaus Hall at the Prague Castle, built from 1490 to 1502 by Benedikt Rejt (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 3Baroque St. Nicholas Church in Malá Strana, built between 1704 and 1755 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 4Cubist architecture in Prague (from Czech architecture)
Image 5The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Bohemia (from Bohemia)
Image 6Grand Café Orient in Prague (from Czech architecture)
Image 7Beheading of 27 Bohemian nobles at the Old Town Square in Prague, 1621 (contemporary illustration) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 8Saint Wenceslas, Czech prince (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 9Czech kings Ottokar II, Wenceslas II and Wenceslas III from the Přemyslid dynasty (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 10Hroby Nature Monument in Radenín (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 11Duchy of Bohemia, around 1029 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 12Detailed map of Bohemia, 1742 (from Bohemia)
Image 13Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, philosopher, Czechoslovak president in the years 1918-1935 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 14Bronze sword, Urnfield culture, c. 1200 BC (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 15Entrance to Moravian Karst PLA (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 16The radical Hussites became known as Taborites, after the town of Tábor that became their center (from Bohemia)
Image 17Bohemia as the heart of Europa regina; Sebastian Münster, Basel, 1570 (from Bohemia)
Image 18St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague Castle, John of Luxembourg laid the foundation stone in 1344 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 19The National Theater from 1881 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 20An 1892 map showing Bohemia proper outlined in pink, Moravia in yellow, and Austrian Silesia in orange (from Bohemia)
Image 21Obložené chlebíčky, a type of snack or appetizer (from Czech cuisine)
Image 22A panorama of Kłodzko, the capital city of Kłodzko Land, which is referred to as "Little Prague" (from Bohemia)
Image 23Writer Božena Němcová (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 24Svíčková na smetaně (Marinated tenderloin), served here with dumplings and cream (from Czech cuisine)
Image 25Cubist lamp by Emil Králíček, Jungmannovo náměstí, next to the Gothic Church of Our Lady of the Snows (Prague) (from Czech architecture)
Image 26A "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 27Territories ruled by Ottokar II of Bohemia in 1273 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 28House of the Black Madonna (from Czech architecture)
Image 29Municipal House (from Czech architecture)
Image 30Russian occupation in 1968 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 31Frgál, a type of koláč baked in Moravian Wallachia (from Czech cuisine)
Image 32Kačina Castle in Chotkov (from Czech architecture)
Image 33Řežabinec a Řežabinecké tůně National Nature Reserve (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 34The coat of arms of the Přemyslid dynasty (until 1253–1262) (from Bohemia)
Image 35Venus of Dolní Věstonice, the oldest ceramic article in the world (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 36Zelňačka (from Czech cuisine)
Image 37Emperor Francis Joseph I. (reigned 1848–1916) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 38Prague-style beef goulash (from Czech cuisine)
Image 39Dacian Influence over Bohemia (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 40Semi-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 41Christmas cookies (vánoční cukroví) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 42Korozluky Castle (from Czech architecture)
Image 43Monument to the village of Lidice murdered by the Nazis (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 44Svíčková na smetaně served with dumplings, whipped cream and cranberries (from Czech cuisine)
Image 45Fried bramboráky (potato pancakes) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 46Iconic brutalist Transgas building, demolished in 2019 (from Czech architecture)
Image 47Empress Maria Theresa (reignet 1740–1780) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 48The extent of the Protestant Reformation (1545–1620) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 49Bohemia (westernmost area) in Czechoslovakia 1918–1938 (from Bohemia)
Image 50A panorama of Zittau (from Bohemia)
Image 51The First Czechoslovak Republic (1918-1938) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 52Rotunda of St. George from the beginning of the 12th century on Mount Říp (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 53Linguistic map of interwar Czechoslovakia (c. 1930) (from Bohemia)
Image 54Territory under the control of the Přemyslids, c. 1301 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 55Nakládaný hermelín (marinated cheese) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 56Fried cheese, served with tartar sauce and side salad (from Czech cuisine)
Image 57The Kingdom of Bohemia in 1618 with other Bohemian Crown lands within the Holy Roman Empire (1618). (from Bohemia)
Image 58Adria Palace (Prague) (from Czech architecture)
Image 59Map of protected areas of the Czech Republic: national parks (grey) and protected landscape areas (green) (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 60Monument to Master Jan Hus, a religious reformer and philosopher in Prague (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 61Library of Clementinum, a former Jesuit College, built in 1722 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 62Lands of the Bohemian Crown (until 1635), map by Josef Pekař, 1921 (from Bohemia)
Image 63Stone sculpture of a Celtic man, found in Mšecké Žehrovice (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 64Copper engraving of the Second Defenestration of Prague from Theatrum Europaeum by Matthäus Merian. (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 65Vepřo-knedlo-zelo (Roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 66Emperor and King Charles IV. Luxembourg (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 67Great Moravia during the reign of Svatopluk I (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 68Buděticko Nature Park with Rabí Castle (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 69Bohemian city Karlovy Vary (from Bohemia)
Image 70Europe after the Congress of Vienna in 1815 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 71Church of Saint Agnes of Bohemia (Spořilov) (from Czech architecture)
Image 72Apple strudel with raisins (from Czech cuisine)
Image 73Václav Havel, playwright, dissident and president from 1989 to 2003 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 74Pilsner Urquell in a branded mug (from Czech cuisine)
Image 75John Amos Comenius (1592-1670), Czech philosopher and school reformer (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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WikiProject Czech Republic

WikiProject Europe

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