Portal:Czech Republic

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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.

In the 19th century, the Czech lands became more industrialized; further, in 1918, most of the country 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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The Precious Legacy: Judaic Treasures from the Czechoslovak State Collections was one of the names for a travelling exhibition of Czech Jewish art and ritual objects that opened at The Whitworth in Manchester, in 1980. It subsequently toured the United States and Canada from 1983 to 1986. In 1990, part of the show was brought to Israel for a joint exhibition with the permanent collection of the Israel Museum. The travelling exhibition was relaunched in 1998 for a two-year tour of Sweden, New Zealand, and Australia.

The objects, dating from the early 17th to mid-20th centuries, included silverwork, pottery, textiles, paintings, drawings, and ritual and household items. The exhibition was noted for being a mixture of fine art, folk art, and anthropological study; for the irony by which fascists and communists had preserved the merits of the culture; and for showing a continuity of culture across multiple social upheavals. (Full article...)

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Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor

Source: www.bildindex.de; License: Public domain

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In this month

2 February 1993 – Václav Havel takes office as the first President of the Czech Republic
5 February 1796 – The Society of Patriotic Friends of the Arts is founded, later to become known as the National Gallery in Prague
8 February 1993 – The Czech koruna (pictured) becomes the national currency
11 February 1929 – The lowest temperature is recorded in Litvínovice, where it reaches -42.2°C
22 February 1998 – The Czech Republic ice hockey team wins gold in the 1998 Winter Olympics

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Vojtěch Jarník (Czech pronunciation: [ˈvojcɛx ˈjarɲiːk]; 22 December 1897 – 22 September 1970) was a Czech mathematician. He worked for many years as a professor and administrator at Charles University, and helped found the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences. He is the namesake of Jarník's algorithm for minimum spanning trees.

Jarník worked in number theory, mathematical analysis, and graph algorithms. He has been called "probably the first Czechoslovak mathematician whose scientific works received wide and lasting international response". As well as developing Jarník's algorithm, he found tight bounds on the number of lattice points on convex curves, studied the relationship between the Hausdorff dimension of sets of real numbers and how well they can be approximated by rational numbers, and investigated the properties of nowhere-differentiable functions. (Full article...)

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John Amos Comenius Petr Čech Dominik Hašek Jaromír Jágr Pavel Nedvěd 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 Markéta Vondroušová Zdeňka Wiedermannová-Motyčková

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Did you know?

... that in 2005 UNESCO proclaimed the Moravian male recruit dance verbuňk as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Mankind?
... that the Cross of Merit of the Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic is the highest award presented by the Czech Minister of Defence?
... that Czech international footballer Jan Suchopárek dislocated his shoulder while attempting a bicycle kick?
... that Czech Karel Robětín was not only an Olympian and national tennis champion but also an international paper industry tycoon?

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General images

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

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