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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Covid-19 map by municipalities with extended jurisdiction

The COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.

The first three confirmed cases in the Czech Republic were reported on 1 March 2020. On 12 March, the government declared a National state of emergency for the first time in the country's modern history. On 16 March, the country closed its borders, forbade the entry of foreigners without residence permits, and issued a nationwide curfew. While originally planned to be in effect until 24 March, the measures were later extended until 1 April and then again until the end of the state of emergency. This was extended by the Chamber of Deputies until 30 April 2020 and then again until 17 May 2020. (Full article...)

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Jindřichův Hradec castle in the South Bohemian Region

Photographer: Herbert Ortner; License: Multiple (GNU Free Documentation License, Creative Commons CC-BY-SA and Creative Commons CC-BY

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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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Janáček in 1914

Leoš Janáček (Czech: [ˈlɛoʃ ˈjanaːtʃɛk] ^ⓘ, 3 July 1854 – 12 August 1928) was a Czech composer, music theorist, folklorist, publicist, and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and other Slavic music, including Eastern European folk music, to create an original, modern musical style.

Born in Hukvaldy, Janáček demonstrated musical talent at an early age and was educated in Brno, Prague, Leipzig, and Vienna. He then returned to live in Brno, where he married his pupil Zdenka Schulzová and devoted himself mainly to folkloristic research. His earlier musical output was influenced by contemporaries such as Antonín Dvořák, but around the turn of the century he began to incorporate his earlier studies of national folk music, as well as his transcriptions of "speech melodies" of spoken language, to create a modern, highly original synthesis. The death of his daughter Olga in 1903 had a profound effect on his musical output; these notable transformations were first evident in the opera Jenůfa (often called the "Moravian national opera"), which premiered in 1904 in Brno. (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 Libor Michálek Vojtěch Jarník Markéta Vondroušová Zdeňka Wiedermannová-Motyčková

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Did you know?

...that in 1990, Czech and Slovak politicians "fought" the Hyphen War, a political battle over whether "Czechoslovakia" should be spelled with a hyphen?
... 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 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 1The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Bohemia (from Bohemia)
Image 2Obložené chlebíčky, a type of snack or appetizer (from Czech cuisine)
Image 3Entrance to Moravian Karst PLA (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 4House of the Black Madonna (from Czech architecture)
Image 5John Amos Comenius (1592-1670), Czech philosopher and school reformer (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 6Writer Božena Němcová (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 7Baroque St. Nicholas Church in Malá Strana, built between 1704 and 1755 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 8King George of Podebrady, one of the first promoters of united Europe (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 9Vepřo-knedlo-zelo (Roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 10The National Theater from 1881 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 11Grand Café Orient in Prague (from Czech architecture)
Image 12Semi-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 13Emperor and King Charles IV. Luxembourg (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 14Lands of the Bohemian Crown (until 1635), map by Josef Pekař, 1921 (from Bohemia)
Image 15Zelňačka (from Czech cuisine)
Image 16Linguistic map of interwar Czechoslovakia (c. 1930) (from Bohemia)
Image 17Iconic brutalist Transgas building, demolished in 2019 (from Czech architecture)
Image 18Duchy of Bohemia, around 1029 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 19Russian occupation in 1968 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 20Saint Wenceslas, Czech prince (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 21Fried cheese, served with tartar sauce and side salad (from Czech cuisine)
Image 22Europe after the Congress of Vienna in 1815 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 23Řežabinec a Řežabinecké tůně National Nature Reserve (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 24Detailed map of Bohemia, 1742 (from Bohemia)
Image 25The First Czechoslovak Republic (1918-1938) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 26The coat of arms of the Přemyslid dynasty (until 1253–1262) (from Bohemia)
Image 27A panorama of Zittau (from Bohemia)
Image 28Municipal House (from Czech architecture)
Image 29Pilsner Urquell in a branded mug (from Czech cuisine)
Image 30Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, philosopher, Czechoslovak president in the years 1918-1935 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 31Great Moravia during the reign of Svatopluk I (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 32Christmas cookies (vánoční cukroví) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 33Václav Havel, playwright, dissident and president from 1989 to 2003 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 34Bohemia (westernmost area) in Czechoslovakia 1918–1938 (from Bohemia)
Image 35A "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 36Monument to the village of Lidice murdered by the Nazis (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 37Territory under the control of the Přemyslids, c. 1301 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 38Bohemia as the heart of Europa regina; Sebastian Münster, Basel, 1570 (from Bohemia)
Image 39Apple strudel with raisins (from Czech cuisine)
Image 40Bronze sword, Urnfield culture, c. 1200 BC (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 41Fried bramboráky (potato pancakes) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 42Frgál, a type of koláč baked in Moravian Wallachia (from Czech cuisine)
Image 43The extent of the Protestant Reformation (1545–1620) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 44St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague Castle, John of Luxembourg laid the foundation stone in 1344 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 45Empress Maria Theresa (reignet 1740–1780) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 46Nakládaný hermelín (marinated cheese) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 47Hroby Nature Monument in Radenín (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 48Korozluky Castle (from Czech architecture)
Image 49Adria Palace (Prague) (from Czech architecture)
Image 50Stone sculpture of a Celtic man, found in Mšecké Žehrovice (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 51Svíčková na smetaně served with dumplings, whipped cream and cranberries (from Czech cuisine)
Image 52Church of Saint Agnes of Bohemia (Spořilov) (from Czech architecture)
Image 53Bohemian city Karlovy Vary (from Bohemia)
Image 54Czech kings Ottokar II, Wenceslas II and Wenceslas III from the Přemyslid dynasty (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 55Copper engraving of the Second Defenestration of Prague from Theatrum Europaeum by Matthäus Merian. (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 56Kačina Castle in Chotkov (from Czech architecture)
Image 57Monument to Master Jan Hus, a religious reformer and philosopher in Prague (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 58Emperor Francis Joseph I. (reigned 1848–1916) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 59Svíčková na smetaně (Marinated tenderloin), served here with dumplings and cream (from Czech cuisine)
Image 60Map of protected areas of the Czech Republic: national parks (grey) and protected landscape areas (green) (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 61Library of Clementinum, a former Jesuit College, built in 1722 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 62The radical Hussites became known as Taborites, after the town of Tábor that became their center (from Bohemia)
Image 63Territories ruled by Ottokar II of Bohemia in 1273 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 64An 1892 map showing Bohemia proper outlined in pink, Moravia in yellow, and Austrian Silesia in orange (from Bohemia)
Image 65Vladislaus Hall at the Prague Castle, built from 1490 to 1502 by Benedikt Rejt (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 66Dacian Influence over Bohemia (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 67A panorama of Kłodzko, the capital city of Kłodzko Land, which is referred to as "Little Prague" (from Bohemia)
Image 68Venus of Dolní Věstonice, the oldest ceramic article in the world (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 69Prague-style beef goulash (from Czech cuisine)
Image 70Cubist architecture in Prague (from Czech architecture)
Image 71Cubist lamp by Emil Králíček, Jungmannovo náměstí, next to the Gothic Church of Our Lady of the Snows (Prague) (from Czech architecture)
Image 72Buděticko Nature Park with Rabí Castle (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 73Beheading of 27 Bohemian nobles at the Old Town Square in Prague, 1621 (contemporary illustration) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 74Rotunda of St. George from the beginning of the 12th century on Mount Říp (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 75The Kingdom of Bohemia in 1618 with other Bohemian Crown lands within the Holy Roman Empire (1618). (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

	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