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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Prague Castle

Prague Castle (Czech: Pražský hrad; [ˈpraʃskiː ˈɦrat]) is a castle complex in Prague, Czech Republic serving as the official residence and workplace of the president of the Czech Republic. Built in the 9th century, the castle has long served as the seat of power for kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman emperors, and presidents of Czechoslovakia. As such, the term "Prague Castle" or simply the "Castle" or "the Hrad" are often used as metonymy for the president and his staff and advisors. The Bohemian Crown Jewels are kept within a hidden room inside it.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle in the world, occupying an area of almost 70,000 square metres (750,000 square feet), at about 570 metres (1,870 feet) in length and an average of about 130 metres (430 feet) wide. The castle is among the most visited tourist attractions in Prague, attracting over 1.8 million visitors annually. (Full article...)

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Raduň Castle near Opava

Photographer: Multimotyl; License: Dual (GNU Free Documentation License and Creative Commons CC-BY-SA)

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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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Čech with Arsenal in 2019

Petr Čech (Czech pronunciation: [pɛtr̩ ˈtʃɛx] ^ⓘ; born 20 May 1982) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper and current ice hockey player who plays as a goaltender for Oxford City Stars. He has been described as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, and, by some, as the greatest goalkeeper, alongside Peter Schmeichel, in Premier League history.

Čech began his senior career at Chmel Blšany in 1999, where he played sporadically for two seasons prior to relocating to Sparta Prague in 2001. At age 19, Čech became a first team regular, and his single campaign with the club saw him register a league record of not conceding a goal in 903 competitive minutes. This led to his first move abroad, when he relocated to France to join Ligue 1 side Rennes for a fee of €5.5 million (£3.9 million) in 2002. (Full article...)

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John Amos Comenius 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 Vojtěch Jarník Markéta Vondroušová Zdeňka Wiedermannová-Motyčková

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Did you know?

...that in 1990, Czech and Slovak politicians "fought" the Hyphen War, a political battle over whether "Czechoslovakia" should be spelled with a hyphen?
... that in 2013, the Czech Republic plans to directly elect its president for the first time in its history?
... that Czech international footballer Patrik Gedeon went to play club football in Liechtenstein in the middle of his career?
... 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 1A panorama of Zittau (from Bohemia)
Image 2St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague Castle, John of Luxembourg laid the foundation stone in 1344 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 3Emperor Francis Joseph I. (reigned 1848–1916) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 4Buděticko Nature Park with Rabí Castle (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 5John Amos Comenius (1592-1670), Czech philosopher and school reformer (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 6Iconic brutalist Transgas building, demolished in 2019 (from Czech architecture)
Image 7The coat of arms of the Přemyslid dynasty (until 1253–1262) (from Bohemia)
Image 8Václav Havel, playwright, dissident and president from 1989 to 2003 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 9Vladislaus Hall at the Prague Castle, built from 1490 to 1502 by Benedikt Rejt (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 10Map of protected areas of the Czech Republic: national parks (grey) and protected landscape areas (green) (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 11The extent of the Protestant Reformation (1545–1620) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 12Stone sculpture of a Celtic man, found in Mšecké Žehrovice (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 13Fried cheese, served with tartar sauce and side salad (from Czech cuisine)
Image 14Great Moravia during the reign of Svatopluk I (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 15Bohemian city Karlovy Vary (from Bohemia)
Image 16Duchy of Bohemia, around 1029 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 17The Kingdom of Bohemia in 1618 with other Bohemian Crown lands within the Holy Roman Empire (1618). (from Bohemia)
Image 18Fried bramboráky (potato pancakes) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 19Bronze sword, Urnfield culture, c. 1200 BC (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 20Monument to the village of Lidice murdered by the Nazis (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 21Dacian Influence over Bohemia (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 22Korozluky Castle (from Czech architecture)
Image 23The First Czechoslovak Republic (1918-1938) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 24Russian occupation in 1968 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 25Writer Božena Němcová (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 26Svíčková na smetaně served with dumplings, whipped cream and cranberries (from Czech cuisine)
Image 27Řežabinec a Řežabinecké tůně National Nature Reserve (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 28Czech kings Ottokar II, Wenceslas II and Wenceslas III from the Přemyslid dynasty (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 29Bohemia (westernmost area) in Czechoslovakia 1918–1938 (from Bohemia)
Image 30Monument to Master Jan Hus, a religious reformer and philosopher in Prague (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 31Detailed map of Bohemia, 1742 (from Bohemia)
Image 32Kačina Castle in Chotkov (from Czech architecture)
Image 33Cubist architecture in Prague (from Czech architecture)
Image 34Territory under the control of the Přemyslids, c. 1301 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 35Prague-style beef goulash (from Czech cuisine)
Image 36Emperor and King Charles IV. Luxembourg (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 37Apple strudel with raisins (from Czech cuisine)
Image 38Linguistic map of interwar Czechoslovakia (c. 1930) (from Bohemia)
Image 39Obložené chlebíčky, a type of snack or appetizer (from Czech cuisine)
Image 40House of the Black Madonna (from Czech architecture)
Image 41Svíčková na smetaně (Marinated tenderloin), served here with dumplings and cream (from Czech cuisine)
Image 42The radical Hussites became known as Taborites, after the town of Tábor that became their center (from Bohemia)
Image 43The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Bohemia (from Bohemia)
Image 44Cubist lamp by Emil Králíček, Jungmannovo náměstí, next to the Gothic Church of Our Lady of the Snows (Prague) (from Czech architecture)
Image 45A "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 46Hroby Nature Monument in Radenín (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 47Saint Wenceslas, Czech prince (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 48Zelňačka (from Czech cuisine)
Image 49Rotunda of St. George from the beginning of the 12th century on Mount Říp (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 50Christmas cookies (vánoční cukroví) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 51Pilsner Urquell in a branded mug (from Czech cuisine)
Image 52Baroque St. Nicholas Church in Malá Strana, built between 1704 and 1755 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 53Church of Saint Agnes of Bohemia (Spořilov) (from Czech architecture)
Image 54Adria Palace (Prague) (from Czech architecture)
Image 55Nakládaný hermelín (marinated cheese) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 56Lands of the Bohemian Crown (until 1635), map by Josef Pekař, 1921 (from Bohemia)
Image 57A panorama of Kłodzko, the capital city of Kłodzko Land, which is referred to as "Little Prague" (from Bohemia)
Image 58Grand Café Orient in Prague (from Czech architecture)
Image 59Europe after the Congress of Vienna in 1815 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 60Library of Clementinum, a former Jesuit College, built in 1722 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 61Vepřo-knedlo-zelo (Roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 62King George of Podebrady, one of the first promoters of united Europe (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 63Territories ruled by Ottokar II of Bohemia in 1273 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 64Copper engraving of the Second Defenestration of Prague from Theatrum Europaeum by Matthäus Merian. (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 65Entrance to Moravian Karst PLA (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 66Empress Maria Theresa (reignet 1740–1780) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 67Venus of Dolní Věstonice, the oldest ceramic article in the world (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 68Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, philosopher, Czechoslovak president in the years 1918-1935 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 69Semi-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 70The National Theater from 1881 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 71Beheading of 27 Bohemian nobles at the Old Town Square in Prague, 1621 (contemporary illustration) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 72Frgál, a type of koláč baked in Moravian Wallachia (from Czech cuisine)
Image 73An 1892 map showing Bohemia proper outlined in pink, Moravia in yellow, and Austrian Silesia in orange (from Bohemia)
Image 74Bohemia as the heart of Europa regina; Sebastian Münster, Basel, 1570 (from Bohemia)

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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

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