The Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a small country in central Europe. It had been part of the larger Czechoslovakia for over 70 years, but Slovakia separated in 1993, so our republic became independent too. Our republic consist of three historical parts – Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia.There were many famous personalities in the history of our nation – for example the King Charles IV., John Hus (a religious reformer), Jan Ámos Komenský (wrote books for teacher) T.G. Masaryk (the first president of Czechoslovakia).
Our neighbours are Poland in the north, the Slovak Republic in the east, Austria in the south and Germany in the west. The area of our country is about 79 000 square kilometres and its population about 10 million people. The countryside of the Czech Republic is very varied:
There are hills, valleys, plains and lowlands. The mountains form a natural borderline around the country. The highest peak, Sněžka, is in the Giant mountains. Other beautiful mountain ranges are for example Šumava, Jeseníky, Orlické hory and so on. There are several karst regions with remarkable caves. In the Moravian Karst there is the Macocha abbys and the underground river Punkava. The longest rivers are the Elbe, which flows into the North sea, the Vltava river and the Morava. Several dams were built on the rivers, forming large reservoirs (e.g. Lipno, Orlík, Nové Mlýny). There are only few natural lakes in the Czech Republic, but in South Bohemia ther are many ponds – such as Rožmberk, Svět or Bezdrev. All around the country there are many mineral springs and around them spas have developed. We have four national parks for example in the Giant mopuntains or in the Šumava and many nature reserves. Our republic lies on the border between oceanic and continental climate – so the weather is quite hot in the summer and cold and Snowy in the winter. Fortunately, there are no tornadoes or earthquakes, but there are sometimes floods.
The Czech Republic is very densely populated. There are all types of settlement: cities, towns, villages and isolated places. The biggest city is Prague with more than 1 million inhabitions. Other important cities are Brno, Ostrava or Olomouc. Historical towns that attract many tourists are Český Krumlov or Telč with their beautiful sights. We can also admire the beauty of Czech castles and chateaus – very famous are Karlštejn, Hluboká or Lednice.
Lowlands near the river Elbe or in South Moravia are fertile regions suitable for agriculture. Our agricultural products are for example wheat, corn, potatoes or wine. South Moravia is well – known for its production of wine and there are many wine cellars. Our country is poor in mineral resources. In the Middle Ages there were gold, silver, iron, uranium, but nowdays there in only coal mining (near Ostrava and Kladno) and other raw materials must be imported. There are two nuclear power stations ( Dukovany and Temelín) which supply people and industry with electricity. Traditional industries are engineering and mining, but more and more people work in services (banks, insurance companies etc.). Our republic is democratic country. The head of state is a president, elected fot 5 years and the main political authorities are the Parlament and the Senate.
Our traditional cuisine is not very healthy, it includes pork-dumplings-sauerkraut or plum dumplings and traditional drinks are beer or wine.
Překlad slovíček uvedených v textu:
independent | nezávislý | climate | podnebí |
consist of | skládat se | fortunately | naštěstí |
famous | slavný | earthquake | zemětřesení |
personality | osobnost | flood | povodeň |
neighbour | soused | densely | hustě |
hill | kopec | settlement | osídlení |
valley | údolí | inhabitants | obyvatelé |
plain | rovina | attract | přitahovat, lákat |
lowlands | nížina | chateu | zámek |
form | tvořit | suitable for | pohodlný pro |
natural bordeline | přirozená hranice | agriculture | zemědělství |
peak | vrchol | fertile | úrodný |
mountain range | pohoří | wheat | pšenice |
karst region | krasová oblast | corn | kukuřice |
remarkable | pozoruhodný | mineral resources | nerostné suroviny |
cave | jeskyně | coal mining | těžba uhlí |
abbys | propast | nuclear power stations | atomová elektrárna |
flow | téci | supply | zásobovat |
dam | přehrada | industry | průmysl |
reservoir | přehradní nádrž | engineering | strojírenství |
few | málo | services | služby |
lake | jezero | insurance | pojištění |
pond | rybník | elect | volit |
such as | jako je / jsou | cuisine | národní kuchyně |
spring | pramen | include | zahrnovat |
spa | lázně | pork-dumplings-sauerkraut | vepřo-knedlo-zelo |
nature reserve | CHKO | plum | švestka |
Prague – the capital of the Czech Republic
Prague has been the capita of our republic since 1918, it is the seat of our government, the centre of political and cultural life in our country. Prague id often called “The Mother of Towns” or “Golden Prague”. It is situated in the very heart of Europe in central Bohemia and on the Vltava river. There are many historical monuments and the town belongs to the most beautiful cities in the world. Many tourists from all over the world come to visit Prague every year. We can find there all architectural styles : Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and so on.
Prague consist of six parts, mostly former towns which were integrated in the 18th century. They are The Old Town, The Jewish Town (now called Josefov), The New Tonw, The Little Quarter, Hradčany and Vyšehrad.
The Old Town lies on the right bank of the Vltava river. It is connected to the Little Quarter by Charles Bridge, which is the oldest bridge in Prague. It was founded by the Emperor Charles IV. The bridge was later enriched with Baroque statues.
In the heart of The Old Town there is the oldest preserved university building in central Europe – the Carolinum foundečd in 1348 by Charles IV. It is a part of the Charles University.
Another historical monument there is the Powder Gate between The Old Town Hall with the New Town. On The Old Town square there are several signs – such as The Old Town Hall with the astronomical clock (twelve apostles, signs of zodiac) and in the centre of the square there is the statue of Jan Hus.
In The Jewish Town (Josefov) there is the old Jewish cemetery and several synagogues where are museums of Jewish culture.
The Little Quarter is on the left bank of the Vltava river. Its dominant is St. Nicolas Church – the most beautiful baroque building in Prague. On the top of Petřín hill there is the Petřín look – out tower. It provides a marvellous view of the city.
Everybody would like to see the Prague castle. It’s about 1 000 years old. Bořivoj at the end of the 9th founded the castle. The castle became the seat of the Přemyslid dynasty. It was reconstructed during the reign of Charles IV. The construction of St. Vitus Cathedral started in 1344 and the architects were Petr Parléř and Matthias of Arras. In the underground there are the tombs of Czech kings. From the castle we cab go into Golden Lane with small houses of artisans who worked for the castle in the past. Nowdays some of these little buildings serve as shops with souvenirs. There is also tower Daliborka which was used as prison.
Charles IV founded The New Town in 1348. There is the National Theatre which was opened in 1883 with the performance of the opera Libuše by Bedřich Smetana. The National Museum is situated on Wenceslas Aquare. The historical and scientific collections are installed there. Wenceslas Square is also famous for the statue of knight Wenceslas on horseback.
Vyšehrad castle is situated on a high rock above the Vltava river. There is the Vyšehrad cemetery. One part of the cemetery is so called Slavín, which is a collective tomb of fifty famous Czech personalities.
Prague offers modern facilities for sport and recreation – sport stadiums and halls for sports and concerts, parks, swimming pools, amusement parks. There are also many theatres, cinemas, museums and art galleries. We can visit the Prague zoo to see various exotic animals. Most people in Prague live in suburbs and travel to work by cars or by public transport. They can go by the underground, trams or buses. If you have a lot of money, you can take a taxi (but it’s cheaper if you speak Czech).
Překlad slovíček uvedených v textu:
Seat | Sídlo | Provide | Poskytovat |
Government | Vláda | Marvellous | Nádherný |
Belong | Patřit | View of | výhled na |
Former | Bývalý | Found | založit |
Lie,lay,lai | Ležet | Reign | Vláda |
Bank | Břeh | Tomb | Hrobka |
Connect | Spojovat | Golden Lane | Zlatá ulička |
Enrich | Obohatit | Artisan | Řemeslník |
Statue | Socha | Tower | Věž |
The Power gate | Prašná brána | Performance | Představení |
Several | Několik | Knight | Kníže |
Astronomical clock | Orloj | Offer | Nabízet |
Signs of zodiac | Znamení zvěrokruhu | Amusement park | Zábavní park |
Cemetery | Hřbitov | Suburb | Předměstí |
Jew, Jewish | Žid, židovský | Prison | Vězení |