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 COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.

The first three confirmed cases in the Czech Republic were reported on 1 March 2020. On 12 March, the government declared a National state of emergency for the first time in the country's modern history. On 16 March, the country closed its borders, forbade the entry of foreigners without residence permits, and issued a nationwide curfew. While originally planned to be in effect until 24 March, the measures were later extended until 1 April and then again until the end of the state of emergency. This was extended by the Chamber of Deputies until 30 April 2020 and then again until 17 May 2020. (Full article...)

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A Škoda 15 T, one of the trams in Prague

Photographer: Honza Groh; License: Creative Commons CC-BY-SA

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In this month

11 December 1949 – The Číhošť miracle takes place: during a church service of Josef Toufar in the village of Číhošť, the crucifix moves several times over the pulpit, prompting an intervention by the StB
15 December 1230 – Wenceslaus I succeeds Ottokar I as King of Bohemia
16 December 1992 – The Czech National Council adopts the Constitution of the Czech Republic
18 December 1935 – Edvard Beneš is elected second President of Czechoslovakia
22 December 1966 – Construction begins on the Stalin Monument (pictured), the largest representation of Stalin in the world

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Hašek with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008

Dominik Hašek (Czech pronunciation: [ˈdomɪnɪk ˈɦaʃɛk], audio; born January 29, 1965) is a Czech former ice hockey goaltender who mostly played for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). Widely regarded as one of the best goaltenders of all time, Hašek also played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, and Ottawa Senators in his 16-season National Hockey League (NHL) career before finishing his career in Europe. While in Buffalo, he became one of the league's finest goaltenders, earning him the nickname "The Dominator". His strong play has been credited with establishing European goaltenders in a league previously dominated by North Americans. He is a two-time Stanley Cup champion, both with the Red Wings, winning his first one as the starting goaltender, and his second one as the backup goaltender.

Hašek was one of the league's most successful goaltenders of the 1990s and early 2000s. From 1993 to 2001, he won six Vezina Trophies, the most under the award's current system of voting for the best individual goaltender. In 1998 he won his second consecutive Hart Memorial Trophy, becoming the first goaltender to win the award multiple times. During the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, he led the Czech national ice hockey team to its first and only Olympic gold medal. The feat made him a popular figure in his home country and prompted hockey legend Wayne Gretzky to call him "the best player in the game". While with the Red Wings in 2002, Hašek became the first European-trained starting goaltender to win the Stanley Cup. In the process, he set a record for shutouts in a postseason year. (Full article...)

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John Amos Comenius Petr Čech 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 Vojtěch Jarník Markéta Vondroušová Zdeňka Wiedermannová-Motyčková

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Did you know?

...that, although Mozart never visited Kroměříž, much of the Academy Award-winning film Amadeus was filmed at the local episcopal residence?
... 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 1Dacian Influence over Bohemia (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 2The National Theater from 1881 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 3Monument to Master Jan Hus, a religious reformer and philosopher in Prague (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 4The extent of the Protestant Reformation (1545–1620) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 5Europe after the Congress of Vienna in 1815 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 6Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, philosopher, Czechoslovak president in the years 1918-1935 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 7St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague Castle, John of Luxembourg laid the foundation stone in 1344 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 8The Kingdom of Bohemia in 1618 with other Bohemian Crown lands within the Holy Roman Empire (1618). (from Bohemia)
Image 9Cubist architecture in Prague (from Czech architecture)
Image 10House of the Black Madonna (from Czech architecture)
Image 11King George of Podebrady, one of the first promoters of united Europe (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 12Kačina Castle in Chotkov (from Czech architecture)
Image 13Grand Café Orient in Prague (from Czech architecture)
Image 14Buděticko Nature Park with Rabí Castle (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 15Beheading of 27 Bohemian nobles at the Old Town Square in Prague, 1621 (contemporary illustration) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 16Apple strudel with raisins (from Czech cuisine)
Image 17Iconic brutalist Transgas building, demolished in 2019 (from Czech architecture)
Image 18Hroby Nature Monument in Radenín (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 19The radical Hussites became known as Taborites, after the town of Tábor that became their center (from Bohemia)
Image 20Cubist lamp by Emil Králíček, Jungmannovo náměstí, next to the Gothic Church of Our Lady of the Snows (Prague) (from Czech architecture)
Image 21The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Bohemia (from Bohemia)
Image 22Empress Maria Theresa (reignet 1740–1780) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 23John Amos Comenius (1592-1670), Czech philosopher and school reformer (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 24Territories ruled by Ottokar II of Bohemia in 1273 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 25The First Czechoslovak Republic (1918-1938) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 26Czech kings Ottokar II, Wenceslas II and Wenceslas III from the Přemyslid dynasty (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 27Library of Clementinum, a former Jesuit College, built in 1722 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 28Řežabinec a Řežabinecké tůně National Nature Reserve (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 29Rotunda of St. George from the beginning of the 12th century on Mount Říp (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 30Obložené chlebíčky, a type of snack or appetizer (from Czech cuisine)
Image 31Nakládaný hermelín (marinated cheese) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 32Svíčková na smetaně served with dumplings, whipped cream and cranberries (from Czech cuisine)
Image 33Zelňačka (from Czech cuisine)
Image 34Venus of Dolní Věstonice, the oldest ceramic article in the world (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 35An 1892 map showing Bohemia proper outlined in pink, Moravia in yellow, and Austrian Silesia in orange (from Bohemia)
Image 36Prague-style beef goulash (from Czech cuisine)
Image 37Christmas cookies (vánoční cukroví) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 38Emperor and King Charles IV. Luxembourg (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 39Detailed map of Bohemia, 1742 (from Bohemia)
Image 40Baroque St. Nicholas Church in Malá Strana, built between 1704 and 1755 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 41Adria Palace (Prague) (from Czech architecture)
Image 42Russian occupation in 1968 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 43Fried bramboráky (potato pancakes) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 44Václav Havel, playwright, dissident and president from 1989 to 2003 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 45Bohemia as the heart of Europa regina; Sebastian Münster, Basel, 1570 (from Bohemia)
Image 46Copper engraving of the Second Defenestration of Prague from Theatrum Europaeum by Matthäus Merian. (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 47Church of Saint Agnes of Bohemia (Spořilov) (from Czech architecture)
Image 48A panorama of Zittau (from Bohemia)
Image 49Vladislaus Hall at the Prague Castle, built from 1490 to 1502 by Benedikt Rejt (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 50Semi-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 51Linguistic map of interwar Czechoslovakia (c. 1930) (from Bohemia)
Image 52Writer Božena Němcová (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 53A "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 54Entrance to Moravian Karst PLA (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 55Saint Wenceslas, Czech prince (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 56Svíčková na smetaně (Marinated tenderloin), served here with dumplings and cream (from Czech cuisine)
Image 57Great Moravia during the reign of Svatopluk I (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 58Pilsner Urquell in a branded mug (from Czech cuisine)
Image 59Monument to the village of Lidice murdered by the Nazis (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 60Map of protected areas of the Czech Republic: national parks (grey) and protected landscape areas (green) (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 61Bohemian city Karlovy Vary (from Bohemia)
Image 62Vepřo-knedlo-zelo (Roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 63Korozluky Castle (from Czech architecture)
Image 64The coat of arms of the Přemyslid dynasty (until 1253–1262) (from Bohemia)
Image 65A panorama of Kłodzko, the capital city of Kłodzko Land, which is referred to as "Little Prague" (from Bohemia)
Image 66Lands of the Bohemian Crown (until 1635), map by Josef Pekař, 1921 (from Bohemia)
Image 67Fried cheese, served with tartar sauce and side salad (from Czech cuisine)
Image 68Frgál, a type of koláč baked in Moravian Wallachia (from Czech cuisine)
Image 69Duchy of Bohemia, around 1029 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 70Emperor Francis Joseph I. (reigned 1848–1916) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 71Stone sculpture of a Celtic man, found in Mšecké Žehrovice (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 72Territory under the control of the Přemyslids, c. 1301 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 73Bohemia (westernmost area) in Czechoslovakia 1918–1938 (from Bohemia)
Image 74Bronze sword, Urnfield culture, c. 1200 BC (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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Featured and good content

	Featured articles		Dominik Hašek • Earth-grazing meteoroid of 13 October 1990 • Franz Kafka • Gustav Mahler • Bedřich Smetana • The Bartered Bride
	Good articles		Patrik Berger • FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 • Reinhard Heydrich • Leoš Janáček • Vlastimil Koubek • Libor Michálek • Pavel Nedvěd • Panzer 35(t) • Polish minority in the Czech Republic • Prague Spring • Punch-up in Piestany • Randy Blythe manslaughter case • The Brothers Grimm (film) • Winton Train • Zaolzie