Portal:Czech Republic

Panoramic view of Prague from Petřín Tower

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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Topography of the Bohemian Forest

The Bohemian Forest (known in Czech as Šumava (pronounced [ˈʃumava] ^ⓘ) and in German as Böhmerwald) is a low mountain range in the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria. The mountains extend from the Plzeň and South Bohemian regions into Upper Austria and Bavaria, and form the highest truncated uplands of the Bohemian Massif, up to 50 kilometres (31 mi) wide. They create a natural border between the Czech Republic on one side and Austria and Germany on the other. (Full article...)

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Slender mongoose at Prague Zoo

Photographer: Karelj; License: Dual (GNU Free Documentation License and Creative Commons CC-BY-SA)

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In this month

2 June 1541 – A fire destroys much of Malá Strana and the northern part of Prague Castle
10 June 1348 – The foundation stone of Karlštejn Castle (pictured) is laid
20 June 1976 – The Czechoslovakia national football team win UEFA Euro 1976
23 June 1955 – The first national Spartakiad is held, marking ten years after the nation's liberation at the end of World War II
30 June 1945 – State security service StB is established

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Alfred Hirsch (Hebrew: פרדי הירש; (1916-02-11)11 February 1916 – (1944-03-08)8 March 1944) was a German-Jewish athlete, sports teacher, and Zionist youth movement leader, notable for helping thousands of Jewish children during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in Prague, Theresienstadt concentration camp, and Auschwitz. Hirsch was the deputy supervisor of children at Theresienstadt and the supervisor of the children's block at the Theresienstadt family camp at Auschwitz II-Birkenau.

Because of his German extraction, charisma, and careful appearance, he was able to convince SS guards to grant privileges to the children, including exemptions from deportation and extra rations, which saved their lives at least temporarily. Hirsch and his assistants maintained clandestine education under the difficult circumstances. Hirsch's insistence on exercise, discipline, and strict hygiene reduced death rates among the children. (Full article...)

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Did you know?

...that the Sedlec Ossuary is a chapel decorated with the bones of 40,000 people?
... that the Cross of Merit of the Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic is the highest award presented by the Czech Minister of Defence?
... that footballer Petr Vrabec won six Czechoslovak league titles with Sparta Prague?
... 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 1Apple strudel with raisins (from Czech cuisine)
Image 2Stone sculpture of a Celtic man, found in Mšecké Žehrovice (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 3Cubist architecture in Prague (from Czech architecture)
Image 4Fried bramboráky (potato pancakes) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 5King George of Podebrady, one of the first promoters of united Europe (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 6The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Bohemia (from Bohemia)
Image 7Svíčková na smetaně (marinated tenderloin), served here with dumplings and cream (from Czech cuisine)
Image 8Bronze sword, Urnfield culture, c. 1200 BC (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 9Church of Saint Agnes of Bohemia (Spořilov) (from Czech architecture)
Image 10Bohemian city Karlovy Vary (from Bohemia)
Image 11Library of Clementinum, a former Jesuit College, built in 1722 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 12Emperor and King Charles IV. Luxembourg (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 13John Amos Comenius (1592–1670), Czech philosopher and school reformer (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 14Adria Palace (Prague) (from Czech architecture)
Image 15Bohemia (westernmost area) in Czechoslovakia 1918–1938 (from Bohemia)
Image 16Linguistic map of interwar Czechoslovakia (c. 1930) (from Bohemia)
Image 17Grand Café Orient in Prague (from Czech architecture)
Image 18A panorama of Zittau (from Bohemia)
Image 19Territory under the control of the Přemyslids, c. 1301 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 20A "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 21Venus of Dolní Věstonice, the oldest ceramic article in the world (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 22Metro dessert (from Czech cuisine)
Image 23Řežabinec National Nature Monument (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 24Entrance to Moravian Karst PLA (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 25Semi-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 26The extent of the Protestant Reformation (1545–1620) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 27Saint Wenceslas, Czech prince (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 28Emperor Francis Joseph I. (reigned 1848–1916) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 29Lands of the Bohemian Crown (until 1635), map by Josef Pekař, 1921 (from Bohemia)
Image 30Russian occupation in 1968 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 31Svíčková na smetaně served with dumplings, whipped cream and cranberries (from Czech cuisine)
Image 32Korozluky Castle (from Czech architecture)
Image 33A panorama of Kłodzko, the capital city of Kłodzko Land, which is referred to as "Little Prague" (from Bohemia)
Image 34Obložené chlebíčky, a type of snack or appetizer (from Czech cuisine)
Image 35Czech kings Ottokar II, Wenceslas II and Wenceslas III from the Přemyslid dynasty (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 36The National Theater from 1881 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 37Prague-style beef goulash (from Czech cuisine)
Image 38Europe after the Congress of Vienna in 1815 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 39St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague Castle, John of Luxembourg laid the foundation stone in 1344 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 40Large-scale protected areas of the Czech Republic: national parks (brown) and protected landscape areas (green) (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 41Duchy of Bohemia, around 1029 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 42Bohemia as the heart of Europa regina; Sebastian Münster, Basel, 1570 (from Bohemia)
Image 43Writer Božena Němcová (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 44Baroque St. Nicholas Church in Malá Strana, built between 1704 and 1755 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 45Vepřo knedlo zelo (roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 46Václav Havel, playwright, dissident and president from 1989 to 2003 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 47Great Moravia during the reign of Svatopluk I (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 48The radical Hussites became known as Taborites, after the town of Tábor that became their center. (from Bohemia)
Image 49Nakládaný hermelín (marinated cheese) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 50Iconic brutalist Transgas building, demolished in 2019 (from Czech architecture)
Image 51The Kingdom of Bohemia in 1618 with other Bohemian Crown lands within the Holy Roman Empire (1618) (from Bohemia)
Image 52Zelňačka (cabbage soup) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 53Pilsner Urquell in a branded mug (from Czech cuisine)
Image 54Frgál, a type of koláč baked in Moravian Wallachia (from Czech cuisine)
Image 55Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, philosopher, Czechoslovak president in the years 1918–1935 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 56House of the Black Madonna (from Czech architecture)
Image 57Buděticko Nature Park with Rabí Castle (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 58Christmas cookies (vánoční cukroví) (from Czech cuisine)
Image 59Vladislaus Hall at the Prague Castle, built from 1490 to 1502 by Benedikt Rejt (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 60Hroby Nature Monument in Radenín (from Protected areas of the Czech Republic)
Image 61Territories ruled by Ottokar II of Bohemia in 1273 (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 62Beheading of 27 Bohemian nobles at the Old Town Square in Prague, 1621 (contemporary illustration) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 63An 1892 map showing Bohemia proper outlined in pink, Moravia in yellow, and Austrian Silesia in orange (from Bohemia)
Image 64Monument to the village of Lidice murdered by the Nazis (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 65Municipal House (from Czech architecture)
Image 66Kačina Castle in Chotkov (from Czech architecture)
Image 67Monument to Master Jan Hus, a religious reformer and philosopher in Prague (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 68Dacian Influence over Bohemia (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 69The coat of arms of the Přemyslid dynasty (until 1253–1262) (from Bohemia)
Image 70Rotunda of St. George from the beginning of the 12th century on Mount Říp (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 71Detailed map of Bohemia, 1742 (from Bohemia)
Image 72Fried hermelín (Smažený hermelín) with tartar sauce (from Czech cuisine)
Image 73Empress Maria Theresa (reignet 1740–1780) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 74The First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–1938) (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 75Copper engraving of the Second Defenestration of Prague from Theatrum Europaeum by Matthäus Merian. (from History of the Czech lands)
Image 76Fried Edam cheese (Smažený sýr) with potatoes and tartar sauce (from Czech cuisine)
Image 77Cubist lamp by Emil Králíček, Jungmannovo náměstí, next to the Gothic Church of Our Lady of the Snows (Prague) (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 • Emanuel Moravec • Siegfried Lederer's escape from Auschwitz • Bedřich Smetana • The Holocaust in Bohemia and Moravia • The Bartered Bride • UEFA Euro 1976 final
	Good articles		Arijský boj • Milan Baroš • Beer • Patrik Berger • Bohemia Interactive • The Brothers Grimm (film) • Soňa Červená • Czech language • FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 • Flossenbürg concentration camp • Elena Gorolová • Government Army (Bohemia and Moravia) • Green Cadres • Gun law in the Czech Republic • Reinhard Heydrich • Fredy Hirsch • The Holocaust in Bohemia and Moravia (book) • ISU Junior Grand Prix in the Czech Republic • Leoš Janáček • Vojtěch Jarník • Jojo Rabbit • Antonín Kinský (footballer, born 1975) • Vlastimil Koubek • Lada (mythology) • Ladronka • Leitmeritz concentration camp • Letov Š-10 • Vratislav Lokvenc • Lubricating tram 5572 • Pavel Mareš • Libor Michálek • Martin Miller (actor) • Pavel Nedvěd • Normandy landings • Panzer 35(t) • Prague uprising • The Precious Legacy • Randy Blythe manslaughter case • Vladimír Remek • Tomáš Rosický • Maurice Rossel • Škoda 26 T • Solomon, King of Hungary • Squat Milada • Squatting in the Czech Republic • Tatra K5 • The Holocaust in the Sudetenland • Theresienstadt (1944 film) • Theresienstadt Ghetto • Theresienstadt Ghetto and the Red Cross • Trans-Olza • Uherský Brod shooting • Emil Utitz • Antonín Vězda • Markéta Vondroušová • Wanted (2008 film) • Zdeňka Wiedermannová-Motyčková • Winton Train • World War II • Zbrojovka Z 4