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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Moravia (Czech: Morava [ˈmorava] ^ⓘ; German: Mähren [ˈmɛːʁən] ^ⓘ) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.

The medieval and early modern Margraviate of Moravia was a crown land of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown from 1348 to 1918, an imperial state of the Holy Roman Empire from 1004 to 1806, a crown land of the Austrian Empire from 1804 to 1867, and a part of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. Moravia was one of the five lands of Czechoslovakia founded in 1918. In 1928 it was merged with Czech Silesia, and then dissolved in 1948 during the abolition of the land system following the communist coup d'état. (Full article...)

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Satellite image of the Czech Republic

Photographer: NASA; License: Public domain

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In this month

14 November 1960 – The deadliest rail disaster in Czech history takes place in Eastern Bohemia, resulting in 118 deaths
14 November 1918 – Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (pictured) becomes the first President of Czechoslovakia
17 November 1939 – Nazi Germany storms Czech universities, executing nine students and professors, later commemorated as International Students' Day
17 November 1989 – The Velvet Revolution starts in Prague, culminating in the end of 41 years of Communist rule in Czechoslovakia
24 November 1966 – The deadliest air disaster in Czechoslovakia takes place near Bratislava, killing all 82 on board

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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 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 the report Public Finance Balance of Smoking in the Czech Republic found that the "effect of smoking on the public finance balance in the Czech Republic in 1999 was positive"?
... that Jan Maroši scored directly from a corner for Sigma Olomouc in a 1992–93 UEFA Cup match against Juventus?
... 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 1A "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 2Prague-style beef goulash (from Czech cuisine)
Image 3The Kingdom of Bohemia in 1618 with other Bohemian Crown lands within the Holy Roman Empire (1618). (from Bohemia)
Image 4Semi-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 5Map of protected areas of the Czech Republic: national parks (grey) and protected landscape areas (green) (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 6House of the Black Madonna (from Czech architecture)
Image 7Beheading of 27 Bohemian nobles at the Old Town Square in Prague, 1621 (contemporary illustration) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 8John Amos Comenius (1592-1670), Czech philosopher and school reformer (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 9Czech kings Ottokar II, Wenceslas II and Wenceslas III from the Přemyslid dynasty (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 10Pilsner Urquell in a branded mug (from Czech cuisine)
Image 11Territory under the control of the Přemyslids, c. 1301 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 12Václav Havel, playwright, dissident and president from 1989 to 2003 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 13Řežabinec a Řežabinecké tůně National Nature Reserve (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 14Monument to Master Jan Hus, a religious reformer and philosopher in Prague (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 15Entrance to Moravian Karst PLA (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 16A panorama of Zittau (from Bohemia)
Image 17Linguistic map of interwar Czechoslovakia (c. 1930) (from Bohemia)
Image 18An 1892 map showing Bohemia proper outlined in pink, Moravia in yellow, and Austrian Silesia in orange (from Bohemia)
Image 19Buděticko Nature Park with Rabí Castle (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 20Monument to the village of Lidice murdered by the Nazis (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 21Copper engraving of the Second Defenestration of Prague from Theatrum Europaeum by Matthäus Merian. (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 22The radical Hussites became known as Taborites, after the town of Tábor that became their center (from Bohemia)
Image 23Bohemia as the heart of Europa regina; Sebastian Münster, Basel, 1570 (from Bohemia)
Image 24The National Theater from 1881 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 25Hroby Nature Monument in Radenín (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 26Russian occupation in 1968 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 27Church of Saint Agnes of Bohemia (Spořilov) (from Czech architecture)
Image 28Lands of the Bohemian Crown (until 1635), map by Josef Pekař, 1921 (from Bohemia)
Image 29Dacian Influence over Bohemia (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 30Apple strudel with raisins (from Czech cuisine)
Image 31Fried bramboráky (potato pancakes) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 32Frgál, a type of koláč baked in Moravian Wallachia (from Czech cuisine)
Image 33Obložené chlebíčky, a type of snack or appetizer (from Czech cuisine)
Image 34Zelňačka (from Czech cuisine)
Image 35Grand Café Orient in Prague (from Czech architecture)
Image 36The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Bohemia (from Bohemia)
Image 37Bronze sword, Urnfield culture, c. 1200 BC (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 38Saint Wenceslas, Czech prince (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 39Detailed map of Bohemia, 1742 (from Bohemia)
Image 40Iconic brutalist Transgas building, demolished in 2019 (from Czech architecture)
Image 41Vladislaus Hall at the Prague Castle, built from 1490 to 1502 by Benedikt Rejt (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 42Bohemia (westernmost area) in Czechoslovakia 1918–1938 (from Bohemia)
Image 43Adria Palace (Prague) (from Czech architecture)
Image 44Rotunda of St. George from the beginning of the 12th century on Mount Říp (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 45Christmas cookies (vánoční cukroví) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 46A panorama of Kłodzko, the capital city of Kłodzko Land, which is referred to as "Little Prague" (from Bohemia)
Image 47Baroque St. Nicholas Church in Malá Strana, built between 1704 and 1755 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 48The First Czechoslovak Republic (1918-1938) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 49Nakládaný hermelín (marinated cheese) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 50Stone sculpture of a Celtic man, found in Mšecké Žehrovice (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 51Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, philosopher, Czechoslovak president in the years 1918-1935 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 52Great Moravia during the reign of Svatopluk I (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 53Empress Maria Theresa (reignet 1740–1780) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 54Bohemian city Karlovy Vary (from Bohemia)
Image 55Library of Clementinum, a former Jesuit College, built in 1722 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 56Svíčková na smetaně served with dumplings, whipped cream and cranberries (from Czech cuisine)
Image 57Emperor and King Charles IV. Luxembourg (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 58St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague Castle, John of Luxembourg laid the foundation stone in 1344 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 59The extent of the Protestant Reformation (1545–1620) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 60Territories ruled by Ottokar II of Bohemia in 1273 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 61Venus of Dolní Věstonice, the oldest ceramic article in the world (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 62Svíčková na smetaně (Marinated tenderloin), served here with dumplings and cream (from Czech cuisine)
Image 63Cubist lamp by Emil Králíček, Jungmannovo náměstí, next to the Gothic Church of Our Lady of the Snows (Prague) (from Czech architecture)
Image 64Duchy of Bohemia, around 1029 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 65The coat of arms of the Přemyslid dynasty (until 1253–1262) (from Bohemia)
Image 66Emperor Francis Joseph I. (reigned 1848–1916) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 67Writer Božena Němcová (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 68Cubist architecture in Prague (from Czech architecture)
Image 69Korozluky Castle (from Czech architecture)
Image 70Kačina Castle in Chotkov (from Czech architecture)
Image 71Europe after the Congress of Vienna in 1815 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 72King George of Podebrady, one of the first promoters of united Europe (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 73Fried cheese, served with tartar sauce and side salad (from Czech cuisine)
Image 74Vepřo-knedlo-zelo (Roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut) (from Czech cuisine)

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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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