Portal:Czech Republic

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Vítejte na Českém portálu!

The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it 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 State of the Holy Roman Empire in 1002 and became a kingdom in 1198. Following the Battle of Mohács in 1526, all of the Crown lands of Bohemia 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, and in 1918 most of it 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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Goral men's choir from Jablunkov during the parade of the Jubileuszowy Festiwal PZKO 2007 in Karviná

The Polish minority in the Czech Republic is a Polish national minority living mainly in the Trans-Olza region of western Cieszyn Silesia. The Polish community is the only national (or ethnic) minority in the Czech Republic that is linked to a specific geographical area. Trans-Olza is located in the north-eastern part of the country. It comprises Karviná District and the eastern part of Frýdek-Místek District. Many Poles living in other regions of the Czech Republic have roots in Trans-Olza as well.

Poles formed the largest ethnic group in Cieszyn Silesia in the 19th century, but at the beginning of the 20th century the Czech population grew. The Czechs and Poles collaborated on resisting Germanization movements, but this collaboration ceased after World War I. In 1920 the region of Trans-Olza was incorporated into Czechoslovakia after the Polish–Czechoslovak War. Since then the Polish population demographically decreased. In 1938 it was annexed by Poland in the context of the Munich Agreement and in 1939 by Nazi Germany. The region was then given back to Czechoslovakia after World War II. Polish organizations were re-created, but were banned by the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. After the Velvet Revolution Polish organizations were re-created again and Trans-Olza had adopted bilingual signs. (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

1 May 2004 – The Czech Republic joins the European Union
9 May 1974 – The Prague Metro begins operation
14 May 1855 – The book The Grandmother by Božena Němcová is released
27 May 1942 – An assassination attempt (pictured) on acting Reichsprotektor Reinhardt Heydrich in Prague as part of Operation Anthropoid results in him dying on 4 June – the villages of Lidice and Ležáky are razed to the ground in response
29 May 1975 – Gustáv Husák becomes President of Czechoslovakia, remaining in office until 1989

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Zdeňka Wiedermannová-Motyčková (17 April 1868 – 16 October 1915) was a Moravian teacher, journal editor, and women's rights activist. Born into a family of progressive educators, she studied to become a teacher, graduating in 1886. Her Catholic education led her to more conservative values than her family's, but after teaching for several years, she began to recognize the disparities between women and men teachers, as well as those of their students. By 1898, she was publicly calling for equal pay for equal work and campaigning for equal education for boys and girls. In 1902, Wiedermannová founded and became chair of the Moravian Teachers Union, whose focus was to professionalize teaching standards. The following year, she opened a Girls' Academy in Brno, hoping later to include secondary education there. As the Austro-Hungarian Empire provided little funding for girls' education, she held lectures to provide for the operating costs of the academy. Finally in 1908, she successfully established the first girls' secondary school in Moravia.

That year, Wiedermannová founded and became the editor for Ženská revue (Women's Review), a magazine publishing articles on developments in the international women's movement. Also in 1908, she began an informal marriage with fellow teacher Vincenc Motyčka. As he was Catholic and unable to divorce his first wife, the two were not able to formalize their union, but she added his surname to her own. In 1909, she retired as a teacher to focus on activism. She became one of the most visible Czech feminists, presenting over a hundred lectures during her career. She founded numerous women's associations and in 1910 was instrumental in the creation of a regional umbrella organization, the Progressive Organization of Women in Moravia, actively committed to women's suffrage and the integration of women into all segments of public life. (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 Vojtěch Jarník Markéta Vondroušová

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Did you know?

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