THE CZECH REPUBLIC
Basic facts:
- The Czech Republic is in the central Europe
- The neighbouring countries are
- Slovakia on the East
- Germany on the West
- Austria on the South
- Poland on the North
- The area is 78 864 km2
- The population is about 10 million
Rivers:
- Vltava – flows to Elbe and then to North Sea
- Oder ends in Baltic Sea
- Morava flows to Danube and then to Black Sea
Mountain ranges:
- Giant Mountain with Snowcap (1602m) – Krkonoše – Sněžka
- Šumava Range – Šumava
- Ore Mountains – Krušné hory
- Jizerské Mountains – Jizerské hory
- Eagel Mountain – Orlické hory
- Czech Forest – Český Ráj
- Bohemian Highlands – Beskydy
- Moravian Highland – Jeseníky
Raw materials:
- black coal – Ostrava – Karviná coal Basin; Kladno coal Basin
- brown coal – North Bohemia coal Basin; Sokolov coal Basin
Large deposits of:
- kaolin
- clay (jíl) for the production of glass and porcelain
Minor deposits of:
- iron ore
- gas
- oil
Most significant industry:
- engineering
History:
- 623 AD Samo’s Empire was the first state in our territory
- 9th century – Great Moravian Empire, Přemyslid dynasty took over
- 1st Czech prince was Bořivoj I
- 1306 Přemyslid dynasty died out by the sword and the Luxemburgs took over. Luxemburg Charles IV
- Charles IV
- Built Charles Bridge (1357, 9.7. in 5:31)
- Promoted the St.Vitus Cathedral
- Established Charles University in 1348 – first university in central east and north Europe
- Czech countries was centre of the Holy Empire (svatá říše římská)
- 15th century – Hussite Movement; named by John Huss
- John Huss
- preacher, professor, dean, rector of Charles University
- was against the catholic church, having all the power and money
- The church didn’t like him so he was sent to Constance (kostnice); he was tried (souzen) and put to death. He was burnt at the state as a heretic in Constance in 1415
- The leaders representatives of Hussite Movement was Jan Žižka and Prokop Holý
- 1526-1918 Hapsburg dynasty; germanization of Czech literature and culture took place
- 19th century – national revival (národní obrození) – scholars and writers brought Czech culture back to life. Jungmann, Palácký, Krásnohorská, Němcová
- 10.1918 after the WWI, the Czechoslovaks Republic was established
- 1848-89 Communist regime
- 1989 Velvet revolution – Democracy revolution with Havel as a president
- 1993 – Slovak Republic separated