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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Panorama with Prague Castle

Prague (/ˈprɑːɡ/ PRAHG; Czech: Praha [ˈpraɦa] ^ⓘ) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Situated on the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.4 million people.

Prague is a political, cultural, and economic hub of Central Europe, with a rich history and Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architectures. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia and residence of several Holy Roman Emperors, most notably Charles IV (r. 1346–1378) and Rudolf II (r. 1575–1611). It was an important city to the Habsburg monarchy and Austria-Hungary. The city played major roles in the Bohemian and the Protestant Reformations, the Thirty Years' War and in 20th-century history as the capital of Czechoslovakia between the World Wars and the post-war Communist era. (Full article...)

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Jaroslav Hašek, Czech humorist and satirist

Creator: Dějiny Československa; 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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Vondroušová at the 2023 US Open

Markéta Vondroušová (Czech: [ˈmarkɛːta ˈvondrouʃovaː]; born 28 June 1999) is a Czech professional tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking of No. 6 by the WTA. Vondroušová was the Wimbledon champion in 2023, the first unseeded woman to win the singles title. She was also runner-up at the 2019 French Open where she became the first teenage major finalist since Jelena Ostapenko in 2017.

She has won two singles titles out of six finals on the WTA Tour and a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Vondroušová is a former junior world No. 1, having won two major doubles titles. She had a quick breakthrough on the WTA Tour, winning the 2017 Ladies Open Biel Bienne at age 17 in just her second career WTA Tour singles event. This helped her reach the top 100 of the WTA rankings before turning 18. Vondroušová struggled with injuries early in her career, most notably missing the second half of the 2019 season shortly after her French Open final. Her signature shot is the drop shot. She is one of the best returners on tour, having led the tour in percentage of return games won and percentage of return points won in 2019 among all players with at least ten matches. (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 Vojtěch Jarník Zdeňka Wiedermannová-Motyčková

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Did you know?

...that the Sedlec Ossuary is a chapel decorated with the bones of 40,000 people?
... 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 Miroslav Tyrš, the founder of Czech national sport movement Sokol, was born into a German family?

General images

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

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