Portal:Czech Republic

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.

During the 19th century, the Czech lands underwent significant industrialization. Following the collapse of Austria-Hungary after World War I, most of the region became part of the First Czechoslovak Republic in 1918. 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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View of the bridge, 2016

Charles Bridge (Czech: Karlův most [ˈkarluːf ˈmost] ^ⓘ, German: Karlsbrücke [kaʁlsˌbʁʏkə] ^ⓘ) is a medieval stone arch bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the early 15th century. The bridge replaced the old Judith Bridge built 1158–1172 that had been severely damaged by a flood in 1342. This new bridge was originally called Stone Bridge (Kamenný most) or Prague Bridge (Pražský most), but has been referred to as "Charles Bridge" since 1870.

As the only means of crossing the river Vltava until 1841, Charles Bridge was the most important connection between Prague Castle and the city's Old Town and adjacent areas. This land connection made Prague important as a trade route between Eastern and Western Europe. The bridge is located on the historic coronation route of the Bohemian kings. (Full article...)

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Dancing House in Prague

Photographer: Matteo Piotto; License: Creative Commons CC-BY-SA

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In this month

14 August 2002 – Water in the Vltava reaches peak level during the 2002 European floods, in which 17 people in the country die and around 200,000 are evacuated from their homes
15 August 1744 – Frederick the Great leads a Prussian invasion of Bohemia as part of the War of the Austrian Succession
20 August 1968 – The Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia takes place in response to the Prague Spring reform movement
26 August 1992 – Václav Klaus and Vladimír Mečiar meet at Villa Tugendhat and agree to the Dissolution of Czechoslovakia
28 August 1867 – The Bohemian Crown Jewels (replica of the Crown of Saint Wenceslas pictured) are returned to Prague from Vienna

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Kvitová with the winner's trophy at the 2018 Birmingham Classic

Petra Kvitová (Czech: [ˈpɛtra ˈkvɪtovaː]; born 8 March 1990) is a Czech former professional tennis player. Known for her powerful left-handed groundstrokes and variety, Kvitová won 31 WTA Tour-level career singles titles, including two major titles at Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014. She also won the 2011 WTA Championships, and claimed a bronze medal in singles representing the Czech Republic at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Her career-high ranking of world No. 2 was achieved on 31 October 2011.

Kvitová first gained notice by defeating then-world No. 1 Dinara Safina in the third round of the 2009 US Open. This was followed by her first major semifinal appearance at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. Then, during her breakthrough season in 2011, Kvitová won her first major title at Wimbledon over Maria Sharapova in the final, becoming the first player of either gender born in the 1990s to win a major. At the end of the season, she won the WTA Championships on her debut. She also led the Czech Republic to victory in the Fed Cup that same year, the country's first such title as an independent nation. (Full article...)

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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 World War II idea of Polish-Czechoslovakian confederation was eventually discarded by the Czechs, whose leader chose instead to believe in the Soviet Union promises of alliance?
... that footballer Petr Vrabec won six Czechoslovak league titles with Sparta Prague?
... that Miroslav Tyrš, the founder of Czech national sport movement Sokol, was born into a German family?

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General images

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

Image 1Territories ruled by Ottokar II of Bohemia in 1273 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 2Cubist lamp by Emil Králíček, Jungmannovo náměstí, next to the Gothic Church of Our Lady of the Snows (Prague) (from Czech architecture)
Image 3Prague-style beef goulash (from Czech cuisine)
Image 4Korozluky Castle (from Czech architecture)
Image 5Václav Havel, playwright, dissident and president from 1989 to 2003 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 6John Amos Comenius (1592–1670), Czech philosopher and school reformer (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 7Bohemia as the heart of Europa regina; Sebastian Münster, Basel, 1570 (from Bohemia)
Image 8Beheading of 27 Bohemian nobles at the Old Town Square in Prague, 1621 (contemporary illustration) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 9Europe after the Congress of Vienna in 1815 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 10Stone sculpture of a Celtic man, found in Mšecké Žehrovice (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 11Svíčková na smetaně (marinated tenderloin), served here with dumplings and cream (from Czech cuisine)
Image 12Copper engraving of the Second Defenestration of Prague from Theatrum Europaeum by Matthäus Merian. (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 13A panorama of Kłodzko, the capital city of Kłodzko Land, which is referred to as "Little Prague" (from Bohemia)
Image 14Christmas cookies (vánoční cukroví) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 15Fried hermelín (Smažený hermelín) with tartar sauce (from Czech cuisine)
Image 16Obložené chlebíčky, a type of snack or appetizer (from Czech cuisine)
Image 17Fried bramboráky (potato pancakes) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 18Pilsner Urquell in a branded mug (from Czech cuisine)
Image 19Řežabinec National Nature Monument (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 20St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague Castle, John of Luxembourg laid the foundation stone in 1344 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 21Svíčková na smetaně served with dumplings, whipped cream and cranberries (from Czech cuisine)
Image 22The extent of the Protestant Reformation (1545–1620) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 23Municipal House (from Czech architecture)
Image 24Iconic brutalist Transgas building, demolished in 2019 (from Czech architecture)
Image 25Kačina Castle in Chotkov (from Czech architecture)
Image 26Great Moravia during the reign of Svatopluk I (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 27Bohemia (westernmost area) in Czechoslovakia 1918–1938 (from Bohemia)
Image 28Adria Palace (Prague) (from Czech architecture)
Image 29A "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 30Buděticko Nature Park with Rabí Castle (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 31Russian occupation in 1968 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 32Czech kings Ottokar II, Wenceslas II and Wenceslas III from the Přemyslid dynasty (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 33Dacian Influence over Bohemia (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 34Hroby Nature Monument in Radenín (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 35An 1892 map showing Bohemia proper outlined in pink, Moravia in yellow, and Austrian Silesia in orange (from Bohemia)
Image 36Nakládaný hermelín (marinated cheese) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 37Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, philosopher, Czechoslovak president in the years 1918–1935 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 38Apple strudel with raisins (from Czech cuisine)
Image 39Writer Božena Němcová (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 40Vladislaus Hall at the Prague Castle, built from 1490 to 1502 by Benedikt Rejt (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 41The radical Hussites became known as Taborites, after the town of Tábor that became their center. (from Bohemia)
Image 42A panorama of Zittau (from Bohemia)
Image 43Saint Wenceslas, Czech prince (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 44Territory under the control of the Přemyslids, c. 1301 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 45Metro dessert (from Czech cuisine)
Image 46Baroque St. Nicholas Church in Malá Strana, built between 1704 and 1755 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 47Entrance to Moravian Karst PLA (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 48Bohemian city Karlovy Vary (from Bohemia)
Image 49The coat of arms of the Přemyslid dynasty (until 1253–1262) (from Bohemia)
Image 50Zelňačka (cabbage soup) (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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