Portal:Czech Republic

Portal topics: Activities; Culture; Geography; Health; History; Mathematics; Nature; People; Philosophy; Religion; Society; Technology; Random portal

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...)

View new selections below (purge)

Selected article - show another

The Holocaust in Bohemia and Moravia: Czech Initiatives, German Policies, Jewish Responses (German: Judenverfolgung im Protektorat Böhmen und Mähren. Lokale Initiativen, zentrale Entscheidungen, jüdische Antworten, "Persecution of Jews in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia: Local Initiatives, Central Decisions, Jewish Responses") is a book by the German historian Wolf Gruner on the Holocaust in Bohemia and Moravia, the Czech-majority parts of Czechoslovakia partially annexed into Nazi Germany during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia. Beginning before the Munich Agreement, Gruner's book covers the various stages of persecution of Jews which led to their deportation and murder. He argues that the role of Czech collaboration and local initiatives was greater than has been conventionally assumed, and also that Jewish resistance to persecution was substantial. The book has received mixed reviews; some Czech historians have disagreed with Gruner's conclusions while other reviewers generally praised the book with some reservations. The book was published in German in 2016 and in English and Czech in 2019. It received the 2017 Sybil Halpern Milton Memorial Book Prize of the German Studies Association. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

edit

Selected picture

Satellite image of the Czech Republic

Photographer: NASA; License: Public domain

More pictures...

edit

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

More anniversaries...

edit

Selected biography - show another

Martin Miller (born Johann Rudolph Müller; 2 September 1899 – 26 August 1969), was a Czech-Austrian character actor. He played many small roles in British films and television series from the early 1940s until his death. He was best known for playing eccentric doctors, scientists and professors, although he played a wide range of small, obscure roles—including photographers, waiters, a pet store dealer, rabbis, a Dutch sailor and a Swiss tailor. On stage he was noted in particular for his parodies of Adolf Hitler and roles as Dr. Einstein in Arsenic and Old Lace and Mr. Paravicini in The Mousetrap.

Miller appeared in several notable films, including Squadron Leader X (1943), English Without Tears (1944), The Third Man (1949), The Gamma People (1956), Peeping Tom (1960), 55 Days at Peking (1963), The V.I.P.s (1963), The Pink Panther (1963), and The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964). His most substantial roles include George II of Great Britain in Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948) and Kublai Khan in the Doctor Who serial Marco Polo. In the 1960s, he appeared in several ITC Entertainment cult television programmes, including Ghost Squad, Danger Man, The Saint, The Avengers and The Prisoner. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies
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 Vratislav Lokvenc Vladimír Remek Leoš Janáček Libor Michálek Vojtěch Jarník Markéta Vondroušová Zdeňka Wiedermannová-Motyčková

edit

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 leftist Czechoslovak Chemical Workers' Union was expelled from the OSČ trade union centre in 1922?
... 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?

More did you know facts

Read more...

General images

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

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

Related portals

edit

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

edit

WikiProjects

WikiProject Czech Republic

WikiProject Europe

edit

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