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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Sněžka seen from the Sněžka Plateau

Sněžka (Czech pronunciation: [ˈsɲɛʃka] ^ⓘ) or Śnieżka (Polish pronunciation: [ˈɕɲɛʂka], German: Schneekoppe, Slovak: Snežka) is a mountain on the border between the Czech Republic and Poland, the most prominent point of the Silesian Ridge in the Giant Mountains. At 1,603.3 metres (5,260 ft), its summit is the highest point in the Czech Republic, in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in the Giant Mountains and in the entire Sudetes. (Full article...)

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A Saab JAS 39 Gripen of the Czech Air Force taking off in Čáslav

Photographer: Milan Nykodym, Czech Republic; License: Creative Commons CC-BY-SA

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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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Gustav Mahler (German: [ˈɡʊstaf ˈmaːlɐ] ^ⓘ; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism of the early 20th century. While in his lifetime his status as a conductor was established beyond question, his own music gained wide popularity only after periods of relative neglect, which included a ban on its performance in much of Europe during the Nazi era. After 1945 his compositions were rediscovered by a new generation of listeners; Mahler then became one of the most frequently performed and recorded of all composers, a position he has sustained into the 21st century.

Born in Bohemia (then part of the Austrian Empire) to Jewish parents of humble origins, the German-speaking Mahler displayed his musical gifts at an early age. After graduating from the Vienna Conservatory in 1878, he held a succession of conducting posts of rising importance in the opera houses of Europe, culminating in his appointment in 1897 as director of the Vienna Court Opera (Hofoper). During his ten years in Vienna, Mahler—who had converted to Catholicism to secure the post—experienced regular opposition and hostility from the anti-Semitic press. Nevertheless, his innovative productions and insistence on the highest performance standards ensured his reputation as one of the greatest of opera conductors, particularly as an interpreter of the stage works of Wagner, Mozart, and Tchaikovsky. Late in his life he was briefly director of New York's Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic. (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 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 2005 UNESCO proclaimed the Moravian male recruit dance verbuňk as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Mankind?
... 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 Josef Jiří Kolár was the first to begin a systematic translation of Shakespeare's plays into Czech?

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General images

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

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

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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