The Czech republic
- population: 10 mil.
- area: 78,866 sq km
- capital: Prague
- other cities: Brno, Ostrava, Hradec Králové, Plzeň, Zlín
- three main parts: Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia
- official language: Czech
- member of EU, NATO
Geography, climate
- location: inland country in central Europe bordered by Germany, Poland, Slovakia and Austria, it’s surounded by mountains along borders
- highest point: Sněžka 1603 m
- mountain ranges:
- the Giant mountains
- the Bohemian forest in Bohemia
- the Jeseníky mountains
- the Beskydy mountains in Moravia
- the Ore mountains
- largest river is the Elbe which flows through Germany and empties into the North Sea
- other: Vltava with numerous dams (Lipno, Slapy), Morava river which empties into the Danube and finaly into the Black Sea
- humid continental climate with cold winters and warm summers
- natural resources of coal (Ostrava), lignite (Chomutov, Most, Teplice)
Government
- parliamentary democracy
- bicameral legislature
- Chamber of Deputies (lower house, 200)
- Senate (upper house, 81)
- head of government: Prime Minister Miroslav Topolánek
- president: Václav Klaus
- main parties: ODS, ČSSD
Economy
- the CR is both industrial and agricultural country
- we grow weat, potatoes, sugar beet, rye
- we produce wood, paper, chemicals, steel, glass, machines (motor cars, trams, buses etc), guns
History
- in the 4th century BC Celtic tribes settled in area of today’s ČR and named it „Bohemia“
- in the 7th century Frankish merchant Samo became the ruler of the new Slavic state called Great Moravia
- by the end of 9th century Czech state was unified by the Přemyslids
- during Middle Ages it was part of the Holy Roman Empire (Charel IV., a Czech king became the Holy Roman Emperor (1355)
- in the 16th century country came under the Habsburg reign
- country was devastated during Hussite Wars and after the Thirty Years War (1618-1648)
- Germanisation
- Czech National Revival – cultural movement in 18th and 19th centuries
- Czechoslovakia (1918) after collapse of Austro-Hungarian Empire at the end of WW I.
- during WW II. Czech state was occupied by the Germans (Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia), Slovakia broke away
- 1948-1989 – communist era with influence of Soviet Union
- in 1989 freedom after the Velvet Revolution
- in 2003 Czech republic was founded
- 2004 – Czech republic joined the EU
Famous Czech people
- Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (first president of Czechoslovakia)
- Václav Havel (first spokesmen for Charter 77, leading figure of the Velvet Revolution, first Czech president)
- Emil Zátopek (famous runner, three gold medals at the summer Olympics in Helsinki)
- Jaromír Jágr, Dominik Hašek – hockey players
- Jan Železný, Roman Šebrle – athletics
- Matina Návratilová – tennis
- Karel Čapek – R.U.R. – robot
- Antonín Dvořák, Bedřich Smetana – composers
Nobel prize winners:
- Jaroslav Heyrovský (chemistry – invention of the polarographic method
- Jaroslav Seifet (literature)
Symbols
- flag
- The Czech flag was first adopted in 1918 as the flag of Czechoslovakia
- consist of a horizontal white band above a red band (traditional colours of Bohemia and Moravia) and a blue triangle on the left side (originally represented Slovakia but it was kept even after the split of Czechoslovakia)
- anthem
- Where is My Home?
- written by the composer František Škroup and the playwright Josef Kajetán Tyl as a part of the comedy Fidlovačka aneb Žádný hněv a žádná rvačka
- the national colors
- The Bohemian national colors are regarded as being white and red. The colors of Moravia are gold and red and the national colors of Silesia are gold and black.
- the large and small national emblem
- originally, the emblem used by Czech kings was a silver single-tailed lion on a red background, later on double-tailed
- the large national emblem
- individual fields symbolize the historical lands – Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia
- two lions (Bohemia) and two eagles (for Moravia and Silesia) in the national colors
- the flag of the president of the republic
Prague
- biggest and oldest city in the CR, also a capital city
- seat of president, governent, parliament
- more than 1.2 mil. people
- best views of Prague are from Petřín hill where is also an observation tower and a cableway
- the Old town is from 13th century, first settled in 5th century
Czech cuisine
- pickled sausage with onions
- pickled cheese with peppers
- svíčková
- pieces of tenderloin covered in sweet creamy sauce
- served with dumplings, slice of lemon and cranberry sauce
- goulash
- beef and onions cooked with spices and served with dumplings
- roasted pork – national dish
- served with sauerkraut and dumplings
- řízek
- slice of pork or chicken meat breaded and fried
- served usually with potatoes
- beer
- cheaper than mineral water in restaurants
Czech attractions
- many castles (Karlštejn)
- and chateaus (Hluboká)
- spa towns in the west (Karlovy vary, Mariánské lázně)