The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a
landlocked country
A landlocked country is a country that does not have territory connected to an ocean or whose coastlines lie on endorheic basins. There are currently 44 landlocked countries and 4 landlocked de facto states. Kazakhstan is the world's largest ...
in
Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
to the south,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
to the west,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
to the northeast, and
Slovakia to the southeast. The Czech Republic has a hilly landscape that covers an area of with a mostly temperate
continental
Continental may refer to:
Places
* Continent, the major landmasses of Earth
* Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US
* Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US
Arts and entertainment
* ''Continental'' ( ...
and
oceanic climate. The capital and largest city is
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
; other major cities and urban areas include
Brno,
Ostrava,
Plzeň and
Liberec.
The
Duchy of Bohemia
The Duchy of Bohemia, also later referred to in English as the Czech Duchy, ( cs, České knížectví) was a monarchy and a principality of the Holy Roman Empire in Central Europe during the Early and High Middle Ages. It was formed around 870 b ...
was founded in the late 9th century under
Great Moravia. It was formally recognized as an
Imperial State of the
Holy Roman Empire in 1002 and became
a kingdom in 1198.
Following the
Battle of Mohács
The Battle of Mohács (; hu, mohácsi csata, tr, Mohaç Muharebesi or Mohaç Savaşı) was fought on 29 August 1526 near Mohács, Kingdom of Hungary, between the forces of the Kingdom of Hungary and its allies, led by Louis II, and thos ...
in 1526, the whole
Crown of Bohemia
The Lands of the Bohemian Crown were a number of incorporated states in Central Europe during the medieval and early modern periods connected by feudal relations under the Bohemian kings. The crown lands primarily consisted of the Kingdom of Bo ...
was gradually integrated into the
Habsburg monarchy. The
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
Bohemian Revolt
The Bohemian Revolt (german: Böhmischer Aufstand; cs, České stavovské povstání; 1618–1620) was an uprising of the Bohemian estates against the rule of the Habsburg dynasty that began the Thirty Years' War. It was caused by both relig ...
led to the
Thirty Years' War. After the
Battle of White Mountain
The Battle of White Mountain ( cz, Bitva na Bílé hoře; german: Schlacht am Weißen Berg) was an important battle in the early stages of the Thirty Years' War. It led to the defeat of the Bohemian Revolt and ensured Habsburg control for the n ...
, the Habsburgs consolidated their rule. With the dissolution of the Holy Empire in 1806, the Crown lands became part of the
Austrian Empire.
In the 19th century, the
Czech lands became more industrialized, and in 1918 most of it became part of the
First Czechoslovak Republic following the collapse of
Austria-Hungary after
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. Czechoslovakia was the only country in Central and Eastern Europe to remain a
parliamentary democracy during the entirety of the
interwar period.
[Timothy Garton Ash '' The Uses of Adversity'' Granta Books, 1991 p. 60] After the
Munich Agreement in 1938,
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
systematically
took control over the Czech lands.
Czechoslovakia was restored in 1945 and 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 on 1 January 1993,
Czechoslovakia was 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
The social market economy (SOME; german: soziale Marktwirtschaft), also called Rhine capitalism, Rhine-Alpine capitalism, the Rhenish model, and social capitalism, is a socioeconomic model combining a free-market capitalist economic system alon ...
. It is a
welfare state with a
European social model
The European social model is a concept that emerged in the discussion of economic globalization and typically contrasts the degree of employment regulation and social protection in European countries to conditions in the United States. It is comm ...
,
universal health care and
free-tuition university education
Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...
. It ranks 16th in the
UN inequality-adjusted human development, 32nd in the
Human Development Index and 24th in the
World Bank Human Capital Index. It ranks as the
8th safest and most peaceful country and 29th in
democratic governance. The Czech Republic is a member of the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
,
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
, the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
, the
OECD, the
OSCE
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...
, and the
Council of Europe.
Name
The traditional English name "Bohemia" derives from la, Boiohaemum, which means "home of the
Boii" (
Gallic tribe). The current English name comes from the
Polish ethnonym associated with the area, which ultimately comes from the Czech word .
The name comes from the Slavic tribe ( cs, Češi, Čechové) and, according to legend, their leader
Čech, who brought them to Bohemia, to settle on
Říp Mountain. The etymology of the word can be traced back to the
Proto-Slavic
Proto-Slavic (abbreviated PSl., PS.; also called Common Slavic or Common Slavonic) is the unattested, reconstructed proto-language of all Slavic languages. It represents Slavic speech approximately from the 2nd millennium B.C. through the 6th ...
root , meaning "member of the people; kinsman", thus making it
cognate to the Czech word (a person).
The country has been traditionally divided into three lands, namely
Bohemia () in the west,
Moravia () in the east, and
Czech Silesia
Czech Silesia (, also , ; cs, České Slezsko; szl, Czeski Ślōnsk; sli, Tschechisch-Schläsing; german: Tschechisch-Schlesien; pl, Śląsk Czeski) is the part of the historical region of Silesia now in the Czech Republic. Czech Silesia is, ...
(; the smaller, south-eastern part of
historical Silesia, most of which is located within modern Poland) in the northeast. Known as the ''lands of the Bohemian Crown'' since the 14th century, a number of other names for the country have been used, including ''Czech/Bohemian lands'', ''Bohemian Crown'', ''Czechia'' and the ''lands of the Crown of
Saint Wenceslaus
Wenceslaus I ( cs, Václav ; c. 907 – 28 September 935 or 929), Wenceslas I or ''Václav the Good'' was the Duke ('' kníže'') of Bohemia from 921 until his death, probably in 935. According to the legend, he was assassinated by his younger ...
''. When the country regained its independence after the dissolution of the
Austro-Hungarian empire in 1918, the new name of ''Czechoslovakia'' was coined to reflect the union of the Czech and Slovak nations within one country.
After Czechoslovakia dissolved in 1992, the
Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommended ''Czechia'' for the English short name. This form was not adopted at the time, leading to the long name ''Czech Republic'' being used in all circumstances. The Czech government
approved ''Czechia'' as the official English short name in 2016. The short name has been listed by the United Nations and is used by other organizations such as the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
,
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
, the
CIA, and
Google Maps.
History
Prehistory
Archaeologists have found evidence of prehistoric human settlements in the area, dating back to the
Paleolithic era.
In the
classical era
Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ...
, as a result of the 3rd century BC
Celtic migrations, Bohemia became associated with the
Boii.
The Boii founded an
oppidum
An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretchi ...
near the site of modern Prague.
Later in the 1st century, the Germanic tribes of the
Marcomanni and
Quadi settled there.
Slavs from the
Black Sea–
Carpathian region settled in the area (their migration was pushed by an invasion of peoples from
Siberia and Eastern Europe into their area:
Huns,
Avars,
Bulgars and
Magyars).
In the sixth century, the Huns had moved westwards into Bohemia, Moravia, and some of present-day Austria and Germany.
During the 7th century, the Frankish merchant
Samo
Samo (–) founded the first recorded political union of Slavic tribes, known as Samo's Empire (''realm'', ''kingdom'', or ''tribal union''), stretching from Silesia to present-day Slovakia, ruling from 623 until his death in 658. According to ...
, supporting the Slavs fighting against nearby settled
Avars,
became the ruler of the first documented Slavic state in Central Europe,
Samo's Empire
Samo's Empire (also known as Samo's Kingdom or Samo's State) is the historiographical name for the West Slavic tribal union established by King (" Rex") Samo, which existed between 623 and 658 in Central Europe. The centre of the union was most ...
. The principality of
Great Moravia, controlled by
Moymir dynasty, arose in the 8th century.
It reached its zenith in the 9th (during the reign of
Svatopluk I of Moravia), holding off the influence of the Franks. Great Moravia was Christianized, with a role being played by the
Byzantine mission of
Cyril and Methodius. They codified the
Old Church Slavonic language, the first literary and liturgical language of the
Slavs, and the
Glagolitic alphabet
The Glagolitic script (, , ''glagolitsa'') is the oldest known Slavic alphabet. It is generally agreed to have been created in the 9th century by Saint Cyril, a monk from Thessalonica. He and his brother Saint Methodius were sent by the Byzan ...
.
Bohemia
The
Duchy of Bohemia
The Duchy of Bohemia, also later referred to in English as the Czech Duchy, ( cs, České knížectví) was a monarchy and a principality of the Holy Roman Empire in Central Europe during the Early and High Middle Ages. It was formed around 870 b ...
emerged in the late 9th century when it was unified by the
Přemyslid dynasty. Bohemia was from 1002 until 1806 an
Imperial State of the
Holy Roman Empire.
In 1212,
Přemysl Ottokar I extracted the
Golden Bull of Sicily from the emperor, confirming Ottokar and his descendants' royal status; the
Duchy of Bohemia was raised to a
Kingdom
Kingdom commonly refers to:
* A monarchy ruled by a king or queen
* Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy
Kingdom may also refer to:
Arts and media Television
* ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
.
German immigrants settled in the Bohemian periphery in the 13th century.
The
Mongols in the
invasion of Europe carried their raids into Moravia but were defensively defeated at
Olomouc
Olomouc (, , ; german: Olmütz; pl, Ołomuniec ; la, Olomucium or ''Iuliomontium'') is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 99,000 inhabitants, and its larger urban zone has a population of about 384,000 inhabitants (2019).
Located on t ...
.
After a series of dynastic wars, the
House of Luxembourg
The House of Luxembourg ( lb, D'Lëtzebuerger Haus; french: Maison de Luxembourg; german: Haus Luxemburg) or Luxembourg dynasty was a royal family of the Holy Roman Empire in the Late Middle Ages, whose members between 1308 and 1437 ruled as kin ...
gained the Bohemian throne.
Efforts for a
reform of the church in Bohemia started already in the late 14th century.
Jan Hus
Jan Hus (; ; 1370 – 6 July 1415), sometimes anglicized as John Hus or John Huss, and referred to in historical texts as ''Iohannes Hus'' or ''Johannes Huss'', was a Czech theologian and philosopher who became a Church reformer and the insp ...
's followers seceded from some practices of the Roman Church and in the
Hussite Wars (1419–1434) defeated five crusades organized against them by
Sigismund Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it '' Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...
. During the next two centuries, 90% of the population in Bohemia and Moravia were considered
Hussites
The Hussites ( cs, Husité or ''Kališníci''; "Chalice People") were a Czech proto-Protestant Christian movement that followed the teachings of reformer Jan Hus, who became the best known representative of the Bohemian Reformation.
The Huss ...
. The pacifist thinker
Petr Chelčický
Petr Chelčický (; c. 1390 – c. 1460) was a Czech Christian spiritual leader and author in the 15th century Bohemia, now the Czech Republic. He was one of the most influential thinkers of the Bohemian Reformation. Petr Chelčický inspire ...
inspired the movement of the
Moravian Brethren
, image = AgnusDeiWindow.jpg
, imagewidth = 250px
, caption = Church emblem featuring the Agnus Dei.Stained glass at the Rights Chapel of Trinity Moravian Church, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States
, main_classification = Proto-Prot ...
(by the middle of the 15th century) that completely separated from the Roman Catholic Church.
![Husité - Jenský kodex](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Husit%C3%A9_-_Jensk%C3%BD_kodex.jpg)
On 21 December 1421,
Jan Žižka
Jan Žižka z Trocnova a Kalicha ( en, John Zizka of Trocnov and the Chalice; 1360 – 11 October 1424) was a Czech general – a contemporary and follower of Jan Hus and a Radical Hussite who led the Taborites. Žižka was a successful milit ...
, a successful military commander and mercenary, led his group of forces in the
Battle of Kutná Hora, resulting in a victory for the Hussites. He is honoured to this day as a national hero.
After 1526 Bohemia came increasingly under
Habsburg control as the Habsburgs became first the elected and then in 1627 the hereditary rulers of Bohemia. Between 1583 and 1611 Prague was the official seat of the Holy Roman Emperor
Rudolf II and his court.
The
Defenestration of Prague and subsequent revolt against the Habsburgs in 1618 marked the start of the
Thirty Years' War. In 1620, the rebellion in Bohemia was crushed at the
Battle of White Mountain
The Battle of White Mountain ( cz, Bitva na Bílé hoře; german: Schlacht am Weißen Berg) was an important battle in the early stages of the Thirty Years' War. It led to the defeat of the Bohemian Revolt and ensured Habsburg control for the n ...
and the ties between Bohemia and the Habsburgs' hereditary lands in Austria were strengthened. The leaders of the
Bohemian Revolt
The Bohemian Revolt (german: Böhmischer Aufstand; cs, České stavovské povstání; 1618–1620) was an uprising of the Bohemian estates against the rule of the Habsburg dynasty that began the Thirty Years' War. It was caused by both relig ...
were
executed in 1621. The nobility and the middle class Protestants had to either convert to Catholicism or leave the country.
The following era of 1620 to the late 18th century became known as the "Dark Age". During the Thirty Years' War, the population of the
Czech lands declined by a third through the expulsion of Czech Protestants as well as due to the war, disease and
famine
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompani ...
. The Habsburgs prohibited all Christian confessions other than
Catholicism. The flowering of
Baroque culture shows the ambiguity of this historical period.
Ottoman Turks and
Tatars invaded Moravia in 1663. In 1679–1680 the Czech lands faced the
Great Plague of Vienna and an uprising of serfs.
![Prager](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Prager.Fenstersturz.1618.jpg)
There were peasant uprisings influenced by famine.
Serfdom
Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which deve ...
was abolished between 1781 and 1848. Several battles of the
Napoleonic Wars took place on the current territory of the Czech Republic.
The end of the
Holy Roman Empire in 1806 led to degradation of the political status of Bohemia which lost its position of an
electorate of the Holy Roman Empire as well as its own political representation in the
Imperial Diet. Bohemian lands became part of the
Austrian Empire. During the 18th and 19th century the
Czech National Revival
The Czech National Revival was a cultural movement which took place in the Czech lands during the 18th and 19th centuries. The purpose of this movement was to revive the Czech language, culture and national identity. The most prominent figures o ...
began its rise, with the purpose to revive Czech language, culture, and national identity. The
Revolution of 1848 in Prague, striving for liberal reforms and autonomy of the Bohemian Crown within the Austrian Empire, was suppressed.
It seemed that some concessions would be made also to Bohemia, but in the end, the Emperor
Franz Joseph I affected a compromise with Hungary only. The
Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 and the never realized coronation of Franz Joseph as King of Bohemia led to a disappointment of some Czech politicians.
The Bohemian Crown lands became part of the so-called
Cisleithania.
The Czech Social Democratic and progressive politicians started the fight for universal suffrage. The first elections under
universal male suffrage
Universal manhood suffrage is a form of voting rights in which all adult male citizens within a political system are allowed to vote, regardless of income, property, religion, race, or any other qualification. It is sometimes summarized by the slo ...
were held in 1907.
Czechoslovakia
![Czechoslovakia I](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Czechoslovakia_I.png)
In 1918, during the collapse of the
Habsburg monarchy at the end of World War I, the independent republic of
Czechoslovakia, which joined the winning Allied powers, was created, with
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk in the lead. This new country incorporated the
Bohemian Crown.
The
First Czechoslovak Republic comprised only 27% of the population of the former Austria-Hungary, but nearly 80% of the industry, which enabled it to compete with Western industrial states.
[Stephen J. Lee. ''Aspects of European History 1789–1980''. Page 107. Chapter "Austria-Hungary and the successor states". ]Routledge
Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law ...
. 28 January 2008. In 1929 compared to 1913, the gross domestic product increased by 52% and industrial production by 41%. In 1938 Czechoslovakia held 10th place in the world industrial production. Czechoslovakia was the only country in Central and Eastern Europe to remain a democracy throughout the entire
interwar period. Although the First Czechoslovak Republic was a
unitary state, it provided certain rights to its minorities, the largest being
Germans (23.6% in 1921), Hungarians (5.6%) and Ukrainians (3.5%).
![Praga 11](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Praga_11.jpg)
Western Czechoslovakia was
occupied by Nazi Germany, which placed most of the region into the
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. The Protectorate was proclaimed part of the Third Reich, and the president and prime minister were subordinated to Nazi Germany's ''
Reichsprotektor
This is a list of rulers of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, which from 15 March 1939 until 5 May 1945 comprised the German- occupied parts of Czechoslovakia. It includes both the representatives of the recognized Czech authorities as w ...
''.
One Nazi concentration camp was located within the Czech territory at
Terezín
Terezín (; german: Theresienstadt) is a town in Litoměřice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,800 inhabitants. It is a former military fortress composed of the citadel and adjacent walled garrison town ...
, north of Prague. The vast majority of the Protectorate's Jews were murdered in
Nazi-run concentration camps. The Nazi ''
Generalplan Ost
The ''Generalplan Ost'' (; en, Master Plan for the East), abbreviated GPO, was the Nazi German government's plan for the genocide and ethnic cleansing on a vast scale, and colonization of Central and Eastern Europe by Germans. It was to be under ...
'' called for the extermination, expulsion,
Germanization
Germanisation, or Germanization, is the spread of the German language, people and culture. It was a central idea of German conservative thought in the 19th and the 20th centuries, when conservatism and ethnic nationalism went hand in hand. In ling ...
or enslavement of most or all Czechs for the purpose of providing more
living space
Housing, or more generally, living spaces, refers to the construction and assigned usage of houses or buildings individually or collectively, for the purpose of shelter. Housing ensures that members of society have a place to live, whether ...
for the German people. There was
Czechoslovak resistance to Nazi occupation as well as reprisals against the Czechoslovaks for their anti-Nazi resistance. The German occupation ended on 9 May 1945, with the arrival of the Soviet and American armies and the
Prague uprising. Most of Czechoslovakia's German-speakers were forcibly expelled from the country, first as a result of local acts of violence and then under the aegis of an "organized transfer" sanctified by the Soviet Union, the United States, and Great Britain at the
Potsdam Conference.
In the
1946 elections, the
Communist Party gained 38% of the votes and became the largest party in the Czechoslovak parliament, formed a coalition with other parties, and consolidated power. A
coup d'état came in 1948 and a single-party government was formed. For the
next 41 years, the Czechoslovak Communist state is characterized by certain
Eastern Bloc's economic and political features. The
Prague Spring political liberalization was stopped by the 1968
Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia. Analysts believe that the invasion caused the communist movement to fracture, ultimately leading to the Revolutions of 1989.
Czech Republic
![Václav Havel cut out](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/V%C3%A1clav_Havel_cut_out.jpg)
In November 1989, Czechoslovakia became a liberal democracy through the
Velvet Revolution. However, Slovak national aspirations strengthened (
Hyphen War) and on 1 January 1993, the
country peacefully split into the independent
countries of the Czech Republic and
Slovakia. Both countries went through economic reforms and
privatizations, with the intention of creating a
market economy. This process was largely successful; in 2006 the Czech Republic was recognized by the World Bank as a "developed country",
and in 2009 the
Human Development Index ranked it as a nation of "Very High Human Development".
From 1991, the Czech Republic, originally as part of Czechoslovakia and since 1993 in its own right, has been a member of the
Visegrád Group
The Visegrád Group (also known as the Visegrád Four, the V4, or the European Quartet) is a cultural and political alliance of four Central European countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. The alliance aims to advance co-op ...
and from 1995, the
OECD. The Czech Republic joined
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
on 12 March 1999 and the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
on 1 May 2004. On 21 December 2007 the Czech Republic joined the
Schengen Area.
Until 2017, either the
Czech Social Democratic Party
The Czech Social Democratic Party ( cs, Česká strana sociálně demokratická, ČSSD, ) is a social-democratic political party in the Czech Republic. Sitting on the centre-left of the political spectrum and holding pro-European views, it is a ...
or the
Civic Democratic Party led the governments of the Czech Republic. In October 2017, the populist movement
ANO 2011
ANO 2011, often shortened to simply ANO ("Yes" in English), the initials meaning Action of Dissatisfied Citizens ( cs, Akce nespokojených občanů), is a populist political party in the Czech Republic. The party was founded by Andrej Babiš.
Hi ...
, led by the country's second-richest man,
Andrej Babiš, won the
elections with three times more votes than its closest rival, the centre-right Civic Democrats. In December 2017, Czech President
Miloš Zeman
Miloš Zeman (; born 28 September 1944) is a Czech politician serving as the third and current President of the Czech Republic since 2013. He previously served as the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from 1998 to 2002. As leader of the Cze ...
appointed Andrej Babiš as the new prime minister.
After the results of the
elections in October 2021,
Petr Fiala became the new Prime Minister. He formed a government coalition of the Alliance
SPOLU (
Civic Democratic Party,
KDU-ČSL
KDU-ČSL (In Czech, the initials of the Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party; cs, Křesťanská a demokratická unie – Československá strana lidová), often shortened to ('the populars') is a Christian-democrati ...
and
TOP 09) and the Alliance of
Pirates and Mayors
Pirates and Mayors ( cs, Piráti a Starostové) was a liberal progressive centrist political alliance in the Czech Republic, formed for the 2021 legislative election, consisting of the Czech Pirate Party (Piráti) and Mayors and Independents (S ...
. In the election the
ANO movement was narrowly defeated.
Geography
![CzechRepublic-geographic map-en](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/CzechRepublic-geographic_map-en.svg)
The Czech Republic lies mostly between latitudes
48° and
51° N and longitudes
12° and
19° E.
Bohemia, to the west, consists of a basin drained by the
Elbe ( cs, Labe) and the
Vltava rivers, surrounded by mostly low mountains, such as the
Krkonoše
The Giant Mountains, Krkonoše or Karkonosze (Czech: , Polish: , german: Riesengebirge) are a mountain range located in the north of the Czech Republic and the south-west of Poland, part of the Sudetes mountain system (part of the Bohemian Massif ...
range of the
Sudetes. The highest point in the country,
Sněžka at , is located here. Moravia, the eastern part of the country, is also hilly. It is drained mainly by the
Morava River, but it also contains the source of the
Oder River ( cs, Odra).
Water from the Czech Republic flows to three different seas: the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...
,
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...
, and
Black Sea. The Czech Republic also leases the
Moldauhafen
Moldauhafen is a lot in the port of Hamburg, Germany that Czechoslovakia acquired on a 99-year lease in 1929 pursuant to the Treaty of Versailles. In 1993, the Czech Republic succeeded to the rights of Czechoslovakia. The lease will expire in 202 ...
, a
lot
Lot or LOT or The Lot or ''similar'' may refer to:
Common meanings Areas
* Land lot, an area of land
* Parking lot, for automobiles
*Backlot, in movie production
Sets of items
*Lot number, in batch production
*Lot, a set of goods for sale togethe ...
in the middle of the
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
Docks, which was awarded to Czechoslovakia by Article 363 of the
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...
, to allow the landlocked country a place where goods transported down river could be transferred to seagoing ships. The territory reverts to Germany in 2028.
Phytogeographically
Phytogeography (from Greek φυτόν, ''phytón'' = "plant" and γεωγραφία, ''geographía'' = "geography" meaning also distribution) or botanical geography is the branch of biogeography that is concerned with the geographic distribution o ...
, the Czech Republic belongs to the Central European province of the
Circumboreal Region
The Circumboreal Region in phytogeography is a floristic region within the Holarctic Kingdom in Eurasia and North America, as delineated by such geobotanists as Josias Braun-Blanquet and Armen Takhtajan.
It is the largest floristic region i ...
, within the
Boreal Kingdom
The Boreal Kingdom or Holarctic Kingdom (Holarctis) is a floristic kingdom identified by botanist Ronald Good (and later by Armen Takhtajan), which includes the temperate to Arctic portions of North America and Eurasia. Its flora is inherit ...
. According to the
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wor ...
, the territory of the Czech Republic can be subdivided into four
ecoregion
An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...
s: the
Western European broadleaf forests
The Western European broadleaf forests is an ecoregion in Western Europe, and parts of the Alps. It comprises temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, that cover large areas of France, Germany and the Czech Republic and more moderately sized parts ...
,
Central European mixed forests
The Central European mixed forests ecoregion (WWF ID: PA0412) is a temperate hardwood forest covering much of northeastern Europe, from Germany to Russia. The area is only about one-third forested, with pressure from human agriculture leaving the r ...
,
Pannonian mixed forests
The Pannonian mixed forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion in Europe. It covers an area of 307,720 km2 in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, and Croatia.
...
, and
Carpathian montane conifer forests
The Carpathian montane conifer forests, also known as Carpathian montane forests, is a temperate coniferous forests ecoregion in the Carpathian Mountains of the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine, and Romania.
Geography
The ecoregion cove ...
.
There are four
national parks in the Czech Republic. The oldest is
Krkonoše National Park
Krkonoše National Park ( cs, Krkonošský národní park, often abbreviated as KRNAP) is a national park in the Liberec and Hradec Králové regions of the Czech Republic. It lies in the Krkonoše Mountains which is the highest range of the c ...
(
Biosphere Reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...
), and the others are
Šumava National Park
The Šumava National Park ( cs, Národní park Šumava, usually shortened as NP Šumava), or Bohemian Forest National Park,
is a national park in the South Bohemian regions of the Czech Republic along the border with Germany (where the smaller ad ...
(Biosphere Reserve),
Podyjí National Park
Podyjí National Park ( cs, Národní park Podyjí) is a national park in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Adjacent to Austria's Thayatal National Park on the border, together they are referred to as the Inter-National park. Podyj ...
, and
Bohemian Switzerland
Bohemian Switzerland ( cs, České Švýcarsko; german: Böhmische Schweiz), also known as Czech Switzerland, is a picturesque region in the north-western Czech Republic.
It has been a protected area (as Elbe Sandstone Mountains Protected Landscap ...
.
The three historical lands of the Czech Republic (formerly some countries of the Bohemian Crown) correspond with the river basins of the Elbe and the Vltava basin for Bohemia, the Morava one for Moravia, and the Oder river basin for Czech Silesia (in terms of the Czech territory).
Climate
![Czech Republic Köppen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Czech_Republic_K%C3%B6ppen.svg)
The Czech Republic has a temperate climate, situated in the transition zone between the
oceanic
Oceanic may refer to:
*Of or relating to the ocean
*Of or relating to Oceania
**Oceanic climate
**Oceanic languages
**Oceanic person or people, also called "Pacific Islander(s)"
Places
* Oceanic, British Columbia, a settlement on Smith Island, ...
and
continental climate types, with warm summers and cold, cloudy and snowy winters. The temperature difference between summer and winter is due to the landlocked geographical position.
Temperatures vary depending on the elevation. In general, at higher altitudes, the temperatures decrease and
precipitation
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...
increases. The wettest area in the Czech Republic is found around
Bílý Potok in
Jizera Mountains
Jizera Mountains ( cz, Jizerské hory), or Izera Mountains ( pl, Góry Izerskie; german: Isergebirge), are part of the Western Sudetes on the border between the Czech Republic and Poland. The range got its name from the Jizera River, which rises a ...
and the driest region is the
Louny District
Louny District ( cs, okres Louny) is one of seven districts ('' okres'') located within the Ústí nad Labem Region in the Czech Republic. Its administrative center is the town of Louny.
Louny is the largest district in the Ústí nad Labem regi ...
to the northwest of
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
. Another factor is the distribution of the mountains.
At the highest peak of
Sněžka (), the average temperature is , whereas in the lowlands of the
South Moravian Region
The South Moravian Region ( cs, Jihomoravský kraj; , ; sk, Juhomoravský kraj) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the south-western part of its historical region of Moravia (an exception is Jobova Lhota which trad ...
, the average temperature is as high as . The country's capital, Prague, has a similar average temperature, although this is influenced by urban factors.
The coldest month is usually January, followed by February and December. During these months, there is
snow
Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes.
It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...
in the mountains and sometimes in the cities and lowlands. During March, April, and May, the temperature usually increases, especially during April, when the temperature and weather tends to vary during the day. Spring is also characterized by higher water levels in the rivers, due to melting snow with occasional flooding.
The warmest month of the year is July, followed by August and June. On average, summer temperatures are about higher than during winter. Summer is also characterized by rain and storms.
Autumn generally begins in September, which is still warm and dry. During October, temperatures usually fall below or and
deciduous
In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...
trees begin to shed their leaves. By the end of November, temperatures usually range around the freezing point.
The coldest temperature ever measured was in
Litvínovice near
České Budějovice
České Budějovice (; german: Budweis ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 93,000 inhabitants. It is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše.
České Budějovice is t ...
in 1929, at and the hottest measured, was at in
Dobřichovice
Dobřichovice is a town in Prague-West District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Au ...
in 2012.
Most
rain
Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water ...
falls during the summer. Sporadic rainfall is throughout the year (in Prague, the average number of days per month experiencing at least of rain varies from 12 in September and October to 16 in November) but concentrated rainfall (days with more than per day) are more frequent in the months of May to August (average around two such days per month). Severe
thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are some ...
s, producing damaging straight-line winds,
hail, and occasional
tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
es occur, especially during the summer period.
Environment
As of 2020, the Czech Republic ranks as the 21st most environmentally conscious country in the world in
Environmental Performance Index
A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scal ...
. It had a 2018
Forest Landscape Integrity Index
The Forest Landscape Integrity Index (FLII) is an annual global index of forest condition measured by degree of anthropogenic modification. Created by a team of 48 scientists, the FLII, in its measurement of 300m pixels of forest across the globe ...
mean score of 1.71/10, ranking it 160th globally out of 172 countries.
The Czech Republic has four National Parks (
Šumava National Park
The Šumava National Park ( cs, Národní park Šumava, usually shortened as NP Šumava), or Bohemian Forest National Park,
is a national park in the South Bohemian regions of the Czech Republic along the border with Germany (where the smaller ad ...
,
Krkonoše National Park
Krkonoše National Park ( cs, Krkonošský národní park, often abbreviated as KRNAP) is a national park in the Liberec and Hradec Králové regions of the Czech Republic. It lies in the Krkonoše Mountains which is the highest range of the c ...
,
České Švýcarsko National Park,
Podyjí National Park
Podyjí National Park ( cs, Národní park Podyjí) is a national park in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Adjacent to Austria's Thayatal National Park on the border, together they are referred to as the Inter-National park. Podyj ...
) and 25 Protected Landscape Areas.
Government
The Czech Republic is a pluralist multi-party
parliamentary
A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...
representative democracy
Representative democracy, also known as indirect democracy, is a type of democracy where elected people represent a group of people, in contrast to direct democracy. Nearly all modern Western-style democracies function as some type of represe ...
. The
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
(''Parlament České republiky'') is bicameral, with the
Chamber of Deputies ( cs, Poslanecká sněmovna, 200 members) and the
Senate ( cs, Senát, 81 members). The
members of the Chamber of Deputies are elected for a four-year term by
proportional representation
Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
, with a 5%
election threshold
The electoral threshold, or election threshold, is the minimum share of the primary vote that a candidate or political party requires to achieve before they become entitled to representation or additional seats in a legislature. This limit can ...
. There are 14 voting districts, identical to the country's administrative regions. The Chamber of Deputies, the successor to the
Czech National Council
The Czech National Council ( cs, Česká národní rada, ČNR) was the legislative body of the Czech Republic since 1968 when the Czech Republic was created as a member state of Czech-Slovak federation. It was legally transformed into the Cham ...
, has the powers and responsibilities of the now defunct federal parliament of the former Czechoslovakia. The members of the Senate are elected in single-seat
constituencies
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...
by two-round
runoff voting Runoff voting can refer to:
* Two-round system, a voting system used to elect a single winner, whereby only two candidates from the first round continue to the second round, where one candidate will win.
* Instant-runoff voting, an electoral system ...
for a six-year term, with one-third elected every even year in the autumn. This arrangement is modeled on the
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
, but each constituency is roughly the same size and the voting system used is a two-round runoff.
![Slib poslanců 8](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Slib_poslanc%C5%AF_8._listopadu_2021.jpg)
The president is a formal head of state with limited and specific powers, who appoints the prime minister, as well the other members of the cabinet on a proposal by the prime minister. From 1993 until 2012, the
President of the Czech Republic was selected by a joint session of the parliament for a five-year term, with no more than two consecutive terms (2x
Václav Havel
Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and former dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 and then ...
, 2x
Václav Klaus
Václav Klaus (; born 19 June 1941) is a Czech economist and politician who served as the second president of the Czech Republic from 2003 to 2013. From July 1992 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in January 1993, he served as the second ...
). Since 2013 the presidential election is direct. Some commentators have argued that, with the introduction of direct election of the President, the Czech Republic has moved away from the parliamentary system and towards a
semi-presidential
A semi-presidential republic, is a republic in which a president exists alongside a prime minister and a cabinet, with the latter two being responsible to the legislature of the state. It differs from a parliamentary republic in that it has a ...
one. The
Government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...
's exercise of executive power derives from the
Constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these princ ...
. The members of the government are the
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
, Deputy prime ministers and other ministers. The Government is responsible to the
Chamber of Deputies. The
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
is the head of government and wields powers such as the right to set the agenda for most foreign and domestic policy and choose government ministers.
,
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
,
Miloš Zeman
Miloš Zeman (; born 28 September 1944) is a Czech politician serving as the third and current President of the Czech Republic since 2013. He previously served as the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from 1998 to 2002. As leader of the Cze ...
,
SPOZ
, 8 March 2013
, -
,
President of the Senate
,
Miloš Vystrčil
Miloš Vystrčil (, born 10 August 1960) is a Czech politician serving as the President of the Senate and Senator from Jihlava district. Vystrčil previously served as Mayor of Telč and governor of Vysočina Region.
Biography
He was born in ...
,
ODS
, 19 February 2020
, -
,
President of the Chamber of Deputies President of the Chamber of Deputies may refer to:
* List of presidents of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies
* List of presidents of the Chamber of Deputies of Bolivia
* President of the Chamber of Deputies (Brazil)
* President of the Chamber of Dep ...
,
Markéta Pekarová Adamová
Markéta Pekarová Adamová (born 2 October 1984) is a Czech politician who is the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies since 2021 and leader of TOP 09 since 2019.
She graduated with a bachelor's degree from the Faculty of Arts, Charles Universit ...
,
TOP 09
, 10 November 2021
, -
,
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
,
Petr Fiala
,
ODS
, 28 November 2021
Law
![Ústavní soud, Brno Joštova 4277 sněmovna](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/%C3%9Astavn%C3%AD_soud%2C_Brno_Jo%C5%A1tova_4277_sn%C4%9Bmovna.jpg)
The Czech Republic is a
unitary state,
with a
civil law system
Civil law is a legal system originating in mainland Europe and adopted in much of the world. The civil law system is intellectualized within the framework of Roman law, and with core principles codified into a referable system, which serves as t ...
based on the continental type, rooted in Germanic legal culture. The basis of the legal system is the
Constitution of the Czech Republic
The Constitution of the Czech Republic ( cs, link=no, Ústava České republiky) is the supreme law of the Czech Republic. The current constitution was adopted by the Czech National Council on 16 December 1992. It entered into force on 1 Januar ...
adopted in 1993.
The
Penal Code is effective from 2010. A new
Civil code became effective in 2014. The court system includes district, county, and supreme courts and is divided into civil, criminal, and administrative branches. The Czech judiciary has a
triumvirate
A triumvirate ( la, triumvirātus) or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs ( la, triumviri). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are ...
of supreme courts. The
Constitutional Court
A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ...
consists of 15 constitutional judges and oversees violations of the
Constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these princ ...
by either the legislature or by the
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...
.
The
Supreme Court is formed of 67 judges and is the court of highest appeal for most
legal case
A legal case is in a general sense a dispute between opposing parties which may be resolved by a court, or by some equivalent legal process. A legal case is typically based on either civil or criminal law. In most legal cases there are one or mo ...
s heard in the Czech Republic. The
Supreme Administrative Court decides on issues of procedural and administrative propriety. It also has jurisdiction over certain political matters, such as the formation and closure of political parties, jurisdictional boundaries between government entities, and the eligibility of persons to stand for public office.
The Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court are both based in
Brno, as is the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office.
Foreign relations
![Visa requirements for Czech citizens](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Visa_requirements_for_Czech_citizens.png)
The Czech Republic has ranked as
one of the safest or most peaceful countries for the past few decades. It is a member of the United Nations, the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
,
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
,
OECD,
Council of Europe and is an observer to the
Organization of American States. The embassies of most countries with diplomatic relations with the Czech Republic are located in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
, while
consulates
A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth coun ...
are located across the country.
The Czech passport is
restricted by visas. According to the 2018
Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index
The Henley Passport Index ( abbreviation: HPI) is a global ranking of countries according to the travel freedom enjoyed by the holders of that country's ordinary passport for its citizens. It started in 2006 as Henley & Partners Visa Restrictio ...
, Czech citizens have visa-free access to 173 countries, which ranks them 7th along with
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
and
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. The
World Tourism Organization
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations specialized agency entrusted with the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. Its headquarters are in Madrid, Spain. UNWTO is the leading internati ...
ranks the Czech passport 24th. The US
Visa Waiver Program
The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) is a program of the United States federal government that allows nationals of specific countries to travel to the U.S. for tourism, business, or while in transit for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa. I ...
applies to Czech nationals.
The
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
and
Minister of Foreign Affairs
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...
have primary roles in setting foreign policy, although the
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
also has influence and represents the country abroad. Membership in the European Union and NATO is central to the Czech Republic's foreign policy. The
Office for Foreign Relations and Information
An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific dut ...
(ÚZSI) serves as the
foreign intelligence
Intelligence assessment, or simply intel, is the development of behavior forecasts or recommended courses of action to the leadership of an organisation, based on wide ranges of available overt and covert information (intelligence). Assessments d ...
agency responsible for
espionage
Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...
and foreign policy briefings, as well as protection of Czech Republic's embassies abroad.
The Czech Republic has ties with
Slovakia,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
and
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
as a member of the
Visegrád Group
The Visegrád Group (also known as the Visegrád Four, the V4, or the European Quartet) is a cultural and political alliance of four Central European countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. The alliance aims to advance co-op ...
, as well as with Germany,
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, the United States and the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
and its
members
Member may refer to:
* Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon
* Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set
* In object-oriented programming, a member of a class
** Field (computer science), entries in ...
.
Czech officials have supported dissenters in
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
,
Moldova
Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised state of Transnistr ...
,
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
and
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
.
Famous Czech diplomats of the past included
Count Philip Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau,
Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg
Karl Philipp, Fürst zu Schwarzenberg (or Charles Philip, Prince of Schwarzenberg; 18/19 April 1771 – 15 October 1820) was an Austrian Generalissimo. He fought in the Battle of Wagram (1809) but the Austrians lost decisively against Napole ...
,
Edvard Beneš
Edvard Beneš (; 28 May 1884 – 3 September 1948) was a Czech politician and statesman who served as the president of Czechoslovakia from 1935 to 1938, and again from 1945 to 1948. He also led the Czechoslovak government-in-exile 1939 to 194 ...
,
Jan Masaryk
Jan Garrigue Masaryk (14 September 1886 – 10 March 1948) was a Czech diplomat and politician who served as the Foreign Minister of Czechoslovakia from 1940 to 1948. American journalist John Gunther described Masaryk as "a brave, honest, turbul ...
,
Jiří Dienstbier
Jiří Dienstbier (20 April 1937 – 8 January 2011) was a Czech politician and journalist. Born in Kladno, he was one of Czechoslovakia's most respected foreign correspondents before being fired after the Prague Spring. Unable to have a livelih ...
and
Prince Karel Schwarzenberg.
Military
![Dejvice, generální štáb](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Dejvice%2C_gener%C3%A1ln%C3%AD_%C5%A1t%C3%A1b.jpg)
The
Czech armed forces consist of the
Czech Land Forces
The Czech Land Forces ( cs, Pozemní síly) are the land warfare force of the Czech Republic. The Land Forces consisting of various types of arms and services complemented by air and special operations forces constitute the core of the Czech Ar ...
, the
Czech Air Force
"The air is our sea"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, equipment =
, equipment_label =
, battles =
, decorations =
, battle_honours =
, battle_honours_label =
, flying_hours =
, websi ...
and of specialized support units. The armed forces are managed by the
Ministry of Defence. The
President of the Czech Republic is
Commander-in-chief of the armed forces. In 2004 the army transformed itself into a fully professional organization and compulsory military service was abolished. The country has been a member of
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
since 12 March 1999. Defence spending is approximately 1.28% of the GDP (2021). The armed forces are charged with protecting the Czech Republic and its allies, promoting global security interests, and contributing to NATO.
Currently, as a member of NATO, the Czech military are participating in the
Resolute Support and
KFOR operations and have soldiers in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
,
Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mal ...
,
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
,
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
,
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
and
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
. The Czech Air Force also served in the
Baltic states and
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
. The main equipment of the Czech military includes
JAS 39 Gripen
The Saab JAS 39 Gripen (; English: ''griffin'') is a light single-engine multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab AB. The Gripen has a delta wing and canard configuration with relaxed stabilit ...
multi-role fighters,
Aero L-159 Alca combat aircraft,
Mi-35
The Soviet and later Russian Mil Mi-24 helicopter has been produced in many variants, as described below.
History
In 1966, Soviet aircraft designer Mikhail Mil created a mock-up design of a new helicopter (derived from the Mil Mi-8) which was ...
attack helicopters, armored vehicles (
Pandur II
The Pandur II is an improved modular all-wheel-drive version of the Pandur 6x6 APC wheeled armoured vehicle. It was developed as a private venture by the Austrian company Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeuge. Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeuge is ...
,
OT-64
The OT-64 SKOT (Czech acronym for: ''Střední Kolový Obrněný Transportér'', and/or Polish Średni ''Kołowy Opancerzony Transporter'' – medium wheeled armoured transporter) is an amphibious, armored personnel carrier (8x8), developed joi ...
,
OT-90
This is a complete list of variants and designations of the BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV). It is sorted by country of origin.
Variants
Soviet Union
Infantry fighting vehicles
* BMP (Ob'yekt 764) – The original main prototype of the ...
,
BVP-2
The BMP-2 (''Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty'', , literally "combat machine/vehicle (of the) infantry") is an amphibious infantry fighting vehicle introduced in the 1980s in the Soviet Union, following on from the BMP-1 of the 1960s.
Development his ...
) and tanks (
T-72
The T-72 is a family of Soviet/Russian main battle tanks that entered production in 1969. The T-72 was a development of the T-64, which was troubled by high costs and its reliance on immature developmental technology. About 25,000 T-72 tanks h ...
and
T-72M4CZ
The T-72M4 CZ is an upgraded Czech version of the Soviet-designed, Czechoslovakia made main battle tank T-72. The only user of this tank is the Czech Army. Between 2003 and 2006, 30 tanks were produced. The main armament is a 125 mm gun 2A46 ...
).
The most famous Czech, and therefore Czechoslovak, soldiers and military leaders of the past were
Jan Žižka
Jan Žižka z Trocnova a Kalicha ( en, John Zizka of Trocnov and the Chalice; 1360 – 11 October 1424) was a Czech general – a contemporary and follower of Jan Hus and a Radical Hussite who led the Taborites. Žižka was a successful milit ...
,
Albrecht von Wallenstein
Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein () (24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein ( cs, Albrecht Václav Eusebius z Valdštejna), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Th ...
,
Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg
Karl Philipp, Fürst zu Schwarzenberg (or Charles Philip, Prince of Schwarzenberg; 18/19 April 1771 – 15 October 1820) was an Austrian Generalissimo. He fought in the Battle of Wagram (1809) but the Austrians lost decisively against Napole ...
,
Joseph Radetzky von Radetz
Johann Josef Wenzel Anton Franz Karl, Graf Radetzky von Radetz ( en, John Joseph Wenceslaus Anthony Francis Charles, Count Radetzky of Radetz; cz, Jan Josef Václav Antonín František Karel hrabě Radecký z Radče; sl, Janez Jožef Vencelj ...
,
Josef Šnejdárek,
Heliodor Píka
General Heliodor Píka (3 July 1897 – 21 June 1949) was a Czechoslovak army officer who was the first Victim of judicial murder of the Czechoslovak Communist show trials.
Early life
Heliodor Píka was born in a village of Štítina in Au ...
,
Ludvík Svoboda
Ludvík Svoboda (25 November 1895 – 20 September 1979) was a Czech general and politician. He fought in both World Wars, for which he was regarded as a national hero, ,
Jan Kubiš
Jan Kubiš (24 June 1913 – 18 June 1942) was a Czech soldier, one of a team of Czechoslovak British-trained paratroopers sent to eliminate acting Reichsprotektor (Realm-Protector) of Bohemia and Moravia, SS-Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydri ...
,
Jozef Gabčík
Jozef Gabčík (; 8 April 1912 – 18 June 1942) was a Slovak soldier in the Czechoslovak Army involved in the Operation Anthropoid, the assassination of acting ''Reichsprotektor'' (Imperial-Protector) of Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, ...
,
František Fajtl
Lieutenant General František Fajtl (20 August 1912 – 4 October 2006) was a Czech fighter pilot of World War II. He was a British Royal Air Force (RAF) squadron and wing commander and led a group of Czechoslovak fighter pilots who formed an ai ...
and
Petr Pavel
Petr Pavel (born 1 November 1961) is a retired Czech army general who served as the Chair of the NATO Military Committee from 2015 to 2018, and as Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Army from 2012 to 2015.
He is a candidate in the 2023 Cz ...
.
Human rights
Human rights in the Czech Republic are guaranteed by the
Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms
The Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms ( cs, Listina základních práv a svobod, sk, Listina základných práv a slobôd) is a document enacted in 1991 by the Czechoslovak Federative Republic and currently continued as part of the cons ...
and
international treaties
A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal pers ...
on human rights. Nevertheless, there were cases of human rights violations such as discrimination against Roma children, for which the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
asked the Czech Republic to provide an explanation,or the illegal sterilization of Roma women, for which the government apologized.
Administrative divisions
Since 2000, the Czech Republic has been divided into
thirteen regions (
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
:
''kraje'', singular ''kraj'') and the capital city of
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
. Every region has its own elected regional assembly and a regional governor. In Prague, the assembly and presidential powers are executed by the city council and the mayor.
The older seventy-six
districts (''okresy'', singular ''
okres'') including three "statutory cities" (without Prague, which had special status) lost most of their importance in 1999 in an administrative reform; they remain as territorial divisions and seats of various branches of state administration.
The smallest administrative units are
''obce'' (municipalities). As of 2021, the Czech Republic is divided into 6,254 municipalities. Cities and towns are also municipalities. The capital city of Prague is a region and municipality at the same time.
Economy
![Schengenzone](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Schengenzone.svg)
The Czech Republic has a
developed,
high-income export-oriented social market economy
The social market economy (SOME; german: soziale Marktwirtschaft), also called Rhine capitalism, Rhine-Alpine capitalism, the Rhenish model, and social capitalism, is a socioeconomic model combining a free-market capitalist economic system alon ...
based in services, manufacturing and innovation, that maintains a
welfare state and the
European social model
The European social model is a concept that emerged in the discussion of economic globalization and typically contrasts the degree of employment regulation and social protection in European countries to conditions in the United States. It is comm ...
.
The Czech Republic participates in the
European Single Market as a member of the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
and is therefore a part of the
economy of the European Union
The economy of the European Union is the joint economy of the member states of the European Union (EU). It is the third largest economy in the world in nominal terms, after the United States and China, and the third one in purchasing power p ...
, but uses its own currency, the
Czech koruna
The koruna, or crown, (sign: Kč; code: CZK, cs, koruna česká) has been the currency of the Czech Republic since 1993. The koruna is one of the European Union's 9 currencies, and the Czech Republic is legally bound to adopt the euro currenc ...
, instead of the
euro
The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
. It has a per capita GDP rate that is 91% of the EU average and is a member of the
OECD.
Monetary policy
Monetary policy is the policy adopted by the monetary authority of a nation to control either the interest rate payable for very short-term borrowing (borrowing by banks from each other to meet their short-term needs) or the money supply, often a ...
is conducted by the
Czech National Bank
The Czech National Bank, ( cs, Česká národní banka, ČNB) is the central bank and financial market supervisor in the Czech Republic, headquartered in Prague. It is and a member of the European System of Central Banks. It was established on ...
, whose independence is guaranteed by the
Constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these princ ...
. The Czech Republic ranks 12th in the
UN inequality-adjusted human development and 24th in
World Bank Human Capital Index. It was described by ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' as "one of Europe's most flourishing economies".
, the country's
GDP per capita at
purchasing power parity is $40,793 and $22,942 at
nominal value. According to Allianz A.G., in 2018 the country was an MWC (mean wealth country), ranking 26th in net financial assets. The country experienced a 4.5%
GDP growth
Economic growth can be defined as the increase or improvement in the inflation-adjusted market value of the goods and services produced by an economy in a financial year. Statisticians conventionally measure such growth as the percent rate of ...
in 2017. The 2016
unemployment
Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the refere ...
rate was the lowest in the EU at 2.4%,
[Unemployment rates, seasonally adjusted, September 2016](_blank)
. Eurostat. and the 2016 poverty rate was the second lowest of OECD members.
[Federica Cocco]
Israel and the US have the highest poverty rates in the developed world
. ''Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...
''. Published on 19 October 2016. Czech Republic ranks 27th in the 2021
Index of Economic Freedom, 30th in the 2022
Global Innovation Index
The Global Innovation Index is an annual ranking of countries by their capacity for, and success in, innovation, published by the World Intellectual Property Organization. It was started in 2007 by INSEAD and ''World Business'', a British ma ...
, down from 24th in the 2016,
29th in the
Global Competitiveness Report
The ''Global Competitiveness Report'' (GCR) is a yearly report published by the World Economic Forum. Since 2004, the ''Global Competitiveness Report'' ranks countries based on the Global Competitiveness Index, developed by Xavier Sala-i-Martin an ...
,
and 25th in the
Global Enabling Trade Report
The ''Global Enabling Trade Report'' was first published in 2008 by the World Economic Forum.
The 2008 report covers 118 major and emerging economies. At the core of the report is the Enabling Trade Index which ranks the countries using data from ...
.
The Czech Republic has a diverse economy that
ranks 7th in the 2016
Economic Complexity Index.
[Economic Complexity Rankings (ECI)](_blank)
. The Atlas of Economic Complexity
''The Atlas of Economic Complexity: Mapping Paths to Prosperity'' is a 2011 economics book by Ricardo Hausmann, Cesar A. Hidalgo, Sebastián Bustos, Michele Coscia, Sarah Chung, Juan Jimenez, Alexander Simoes and Muhammed A. Yıldırım. A revis ...
. Access date 3 October 2017. The industrial sector accounts for 37.5% of the economy, while services account for 60% and agriculture for 2.5%. The largest trading partner for both export and import is
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and the EU in general. Dividends worth CZK 270 billion were paid to the
foreign owners of Czech companies in 2017, which has become a political issue. The country has been a member of the
Schengen Area since 1 May 2004, having abolished border controls, completely opening its borders with all of its neighbors on 21 December 2007.
Industry
![Skoda Octavia IV RS IMG 4250](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Skoda_Octavia_IV_RS_IMG_4250.jpg)
In 2018 the
largest companies by revenue in the Czech Republic were: automobile manufacturer
Škoda Auto
Škoda Auto a.s. (), often shortened to Škoda, is a Czech automobile manufacturer established in 1925 as the successor to Laurin & Klement and headquartered in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic. Škoda Works became state owned in 1948. After 1 ...
, utility company
ČEZ Group
ČEZ Group ( cs, 'Skupina ČEZ' České Energetické Závody) is a Conglomerate (company), conglomerate of 96 companies (including the parent company ČEZ, Joint stock company, a.s.), 72 of them in the Czech Republic. Its core business is the gene ...
, conglomerate
Agrofert, energy trading company
EPH, oil processing company
Unipetrol
Orlen Unipetrol is a Czech joint stock company owned by a Polish oil company PKN Orlen. The company is engaged in crude oil processing and the production, distribution and sales of fuels and petrochemical products – mainly plastics and fertili ...
, electronics manufacturer
Foxconn CZ and steel producer
Moravia Steel. Other Czech transportation companies include:
Škoda Transportation
Škoda Transportation a.s. is a Czech engineering company that continues the legacy of Škoda Works' rolling stock manufacturing that started at the end of 19th century in Plzeň. Following the first world war, the Works commenced locomotive p ...
(tramways, trolleybuses, metro),
Tatra (heavy trucks, the second oldest car maker in the world),
Avia (medium trucks),
Karosa
Karosa ( cs, Továrna na Kočáry, Automobily, Rotory, Obráběcí stroje, Sekací stroje a Autobusy, en, Factory for carriages, cars, rotors, machine tools, cutting machines and buses) was a bus manufacturer in Vysoké Mýto in the Czech Republ ...
and
SOR Libchavy
SOR Libchavy (Sdružení Opravárenství a Rozvoje) is a Czech manufacturer of buses for urban, intercity and tourist traffic and trolleybuses. It was established in Libchavy in 1991.
History
Until 1990, the company produced and repaired agricul ...
(buses),
Aero Vodochody (military aircraft),
Let Kunovice
Aircraft Industries, a.s.,[Contacts]
" Let Kunovice. Retrieved on 19 May 2011. "Aircraft Industries, a.s. Na Záhonech 1177 ...
(civil aircraft),
Zetor
Zetor (since January 1, 2007, officially Zetor Tractors a.s.) is a Czech agricultural machinery manufacturer. It was founded in 1946. The company is based in Brno, Czech Republic. Since June 29, 2002, the only shareholder has been a Slovak co ...
(tractors),
Jawa Moto
() is a motorcycle and moped manufacturer founded in Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1929 by František Janeček,[Jawa ...](_blank)
(motorcycles) and
Čezeta (electric scooters).
Škoda Transportation is the fourth largest
tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
producer in the world; nearly one third of all trams in the world come from Czech factories. The Czech Republic is also the world's largest
vinyl records
A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts near ...
manufacturer, with
GZ Media
GZ Media, named for the Czech Gramofonové Závody, which translates to Gramophone Record Factory, employs nearly 2,000 people, and runs its major operations in Loděnice in the Czech Republic. GZ Media is known as the world's largest vinyl manufa ...
producing about 6 million pieces annually in
Loděnice.
Česká zbrojovka is among the ten largest
firearms producers in the world and five who produce automatic weapons.
In the
food industry succeeded companies
Agrofert,
Kofola
Kofola () is a carbonated soft drink produced by the eponymous Czech company, which is headquartered in Ostrava, Czech Republic. It is the principal rival of Coca-Cola and Pepsi in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The company is one of the leading ...
and
Hamé
Mohamed Bourokba, aka Hamé (born 1975, Perpignan, France) is a French filmmaker and rapper. He has been involved in a series of legal proceedings since 2002, which have been covered by the international press.
Early life
Bourokba was the fifth ...
.
Energy
![Nuclear](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Nuclear.power.plant.Dukovany.jpg)
Production of Czech electricity exceeds consumption by about 10
TWh TWH or twh could refer to:
* Tai Dón language, a language of Vietnam, Laos, and China
* Tai Wo Hau station, Hong Kong; MTR station code
* Tennessee Walking Horse, a breed of horse
* Toronto Western Hospital, a hospital in Toronto, Canada
* Tun ...
per year, the excess being exported.
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced b ...
presently provides about 30 percent of the total power needs, its share is projected to increase to 40 percent. In 2005, 65.4 percent of electricity was produced by steam and combustion power plants (mostly coal); 30 percent by nuclear plants; and 4.6 percent came from renewable sources, including hydropower. The largest Czech power resource is
Temelín Nuclear Power Station
Temelín Nuclear Power Station ( cs, Jaderná elektrárna Temelín, abbreviation ''JETE'') is located near Temelín, a small village in the Czech Republic. Temelín NPP is owned by ČEZ Group, which employs 1000 workers at this site. The adjac ...
, with another nuclear power plant in
Dukovany
Dukovany is a municipality and village in Třebíč District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 900 inhabitants. It is known for the Dukovany Nuclear Power Station.
Geography
Dukovany is located about southeast of Tř ...
.
The Czech Republic is reducing its dependence on highly polluting low-grade
brown coal
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat ...
as a source of energy. Natural gas is procured from Russian
Gazprom, roughly three quarters of domestic consumption, and from Norwegian companies, which make up most of the remaining quarter. Russian gas is imported via Ukraine, Norwegian gas is transported through Germany.
Gas consumption (approx. 100 TWh in 2003–2005) is almost double electricity consumption. South Moravia has small
oil and gas deposits.
Transportation infrastructure
![Prague Václav Havel Airport in 2019](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Prague_V%C3%A1clav_Havel_Airport_in_2019.02.jpg)
As of 2020, the road network in the Czech Republic is long, out of which are motorways. The
speed limit
Speed limits on road traffic, as used in most countries, set the legal maximum speed at which vehicles may travel on a given stretch of road. Speed limits are generally indicated on a traffic sign reflecting the maximum permitted speed - expre ...
is 50 km/h within towns, 90 km/h outside of towns and 130 km/h on motorways.
The Czech Republic has one of the
densest rail networks in the world. As of 2020, the country has of lines. Of that number, is electrified, are single-line tracks and are double and multiple-line tracks. The length of tracks is , out of which is electrified.
České dráhy
České dráhy (English: ''Czech Railways''), often shortened to ČD, is the major railway operator in the Czech Republic providing regional and long-distance services.
Overview
The company was established in 1993, after the dissolution of Czec ...
(the Czech Railways) is the main railway operator in the country, with about 180 million passengers carried yearly. Maximum speed is limited to 160 km/h.
Václav Havel Airport Václav () is a Czech male first name of Slavic origin, sometimes translated into English as Wenceslaus or Wenceslas. These forms are derived from the old Slavic/Czech form of this name: Venceslav.
Nicknames are: Vašek, Vašík, Venca, Venda
For ...
in Prague is the main international airport in the country. In 2019, it handled 17.8 million passengers. In total, the Czech Republic has
91 airports, six of which provide international air services. The public international airports are in
Brno,
Karlovy Vary,
Mnichovo Hradiště
Mnichovo Hradiště (; german: Münchengrätz) is a town in Mladá Boleslav District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,700 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monum ...
,
Mošnov (near
Ostrava),
Pardubice and Prague. The non-public international airports capable of handling airliners are in
Kunovice and
Vodochody
Vodochody is a municipality and village in Prague-East District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 700 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
The village of Hoštice is an administrative part of Vodochody.
Economy
In t ...
.
Russia, via pipelines through Ukraine and to a lesser extent, Norway, via pipelines through Germany, supply the Czech Republic with liquid and natural gas.
Communications and IT
The Czech Republic ranks in the top 10 countries worldwide with the fastest average internet speed. By the beginning of 2008, there were over 800 mostly local
WISPs, with about 350,000 subscribers in 2007. Plans based on either
GPRS,
EDGE
Edge or EDGE may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Edge computing, a network load-balancing system
* Edge device, an entry point to a computer network
* Adobe Edge, a graphical development application
* Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed ...
,
UMTS
The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a third generation mobile cellular system for networks based on the GSM standard. Developed and maintained by the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), UMTS is a component of the In ...
or
CDMA2000 are being offered by all three mobile phone operators (
T-Mobile
T-Mobile is the brand name used by some of the mobile communications subsidiaries of the German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom AG in the Czech Republic ( T-Mobile Czech Republic), Poland ( T-Mobile Polska), the United States (T-Mobil ...
, O2,
Vodafone
Vodafone Group plc () is a British multinational telecommunications company. Its registered office and global headquarters are in Newbury, Berkshire, England. It predominantly operates services in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania.
, Vod ...
) and internet provider U:fon. Government-owned
Český Telecom
O2 Czech Republic (operating under the O2 brand) is a major integrated operator in the Czech Republic. It is now operating more than six million lines, both fixed and mobile, making it one of the Czech Republic’s leading providers of fully co ...
slowed down broadband penetration. At the beginning of 2004,
local-loop unbundling
Local loop unbundling (LLU or LLUB) is the regulatory process of allowing multiple telecommunications operators to use connections from the telephone exchange to the customer's premises. The physical wire connection between the local exchange an ...
began and alternative operators started to offer
ADSL
Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) is a type of digital subscriber line (DSL) technology, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional voiceband modem can provide. ...
and also
SDSL. This and later privatization of Český Telecom helped drive down prices.
On 1 July 2006, Český Telecom was acquired by globalized company (Spain-owned) Telefónica group and adopted the new name
Telefónica O2 Czech Republic
O2 Czech Republic (operating under the O2 brand) is a major integrated operator in the Czech Republic. It is now operating more than six million lines, both fixed and mobile, making it one of the Czech Republic’s leading providers of fully co ...
. , VDSL and ADSL2+ are offered in variants, with download speeds of up to 50 Mbit/s and upload speeds of up to 5 Mbit/s. Cable internet is gaining more popularity with its higher download speeds ranging from 50 Mbit/s to 1 Gbit/s.
Two
computer security
Computer security, cybersecurity (cyber security), or information technology security (IT security) is the protection of computer systems and networks from attack by malicious actors that may result in unauthorized information disclosure, t ...
companies,
Avast and
AVG, were founded in the Czech Republic. In 2016, Avast led by
Pavel Baudiš
Pavel Baudiš (born 15 May 1960) is a Czech software engineer, entrepreneur and the co-founder of Avast along with Eduard Kučera. As of 2022, he is the 8th wealthiest person in the Czech Republic, with a net worth of more than 54.5 billion Czech ...
bought rival AVG for
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
1.3 billion, together at the time, these companies had a user base of about 400 million people and 40% of the consumer market outside of China. Avast is the leading provider of antivirus software, with a 20.5% market share.
Tourism
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
is the fifth most visited city in Europe after London, Paris, Istanbul and Rome.
In 2001, the total earnings from tourism reached 118 billion
CZK
The koruna, or crown, ( sign: Kč; code: CZK, cs, koruna česká) has been the currency of the Czech Republic since 1993. The koruna is one of the European Union's 9 currencies, and the Czech Republic is legally bound to adopt the euro curre ...
, making up 5.5% of
GNP
The gross national income (GNI), previously known as gross national product (GNP), is the total domestic and foreign output claimed by residents of a country, consisting of gross domestic product (GDP), plus factor incomes earned by foreign ...
and 9% of overall export earnings. The industry employs more than 110,000 people – over 1% of the population.
Guidebooks and tourists reporting overcharging by taxi drivers and pickpocketing problems are mainly in Prague, though the situation has improved recently.
Since 2005, Prague's mayor,
Pavel Bém
Pavel Bém (born 18 July 1963) is a Czech physician and politician. Between 28 November 2002 and 30 November 2010 he served as the Mayor of the Capital City of Prague, and re-elected in 2006. On 19 November 2006 he was elected Deputy Leader o ...
, has worked to improve this reputation by cracking down on petty crime
and, aside from these problems, Prague is a "safe" city. The Czech Republic's crime rate is described by the United States State department as "low".
One of the tourist attractions in the Czech Republic is the
Nether district Vítkovice in Ostrava.
The Czech Republic boasts
16 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 3 of them are transnational. , further 14 sites are on the tentative list.
![Český Krumlov, historické jádro](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/%C4%8Cesk%C3%BD_Krumlov%2C_historick%C3%A9_j%C3%A1dro.jpg)
Architectural heritage is an object of interest to visitors – it includes
castles and châteaux from different historical epoques, namely
Karlštejn
Karlštejn Castle ( cs, hrad Karlštejn; german: Burg Karlstein) is a large Gothic castle founded in 1348 by Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor-elect and King of Bohemia. The castle served as a place for safekeeping the Imperial Regalia as well as ...
Castle,
Český Krumlov
Český Krumlov (; german: Krumau, , or ''Böhmisch Krumau'') is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. The historic centre with the Český Krumlov Castle complex is protected by law as an urban monument reservation, and sin ...
and the
Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape
The Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape (also Lednice–Valtice Area or Lednice–Valtice Complex, cs, Lednicko-valtický areál) is a cultural-natural landscape complex of in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It comprises the mu ...
. There are 12
cathedrals and 15 churches elevated to the rank of
basilica
In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's Forum (Roman), forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building ...
by the Pope, calm monasteries.
Away from the towns, areas such as
Bohemian Paradise
Bohemian Paradise ( cs, Český ráj) is a Protected Landscape Area and a region in Bohemia in the Czech Republic. It was declared in 1955, as the first nature reserve in the country. At first, it was 95 square kilometres in area; today it is a ...
,
Bohemian Forest
The Bohemian Forest, known in Czech as Šumava () and in German as Böhmerwald, is a low mountain range in Central Europe. Geographically, the mountains extend from Plzeň Region and South Bohemia in the Czech Republic to Austria and Bavaria ...
and the
Giant Mountains
The Giant Mountains, Krkonoše or Karkonosze (Czech: , Polish: , german: Riesengebirge) are a mountain range located in the north of the Czech Republic and the south-west of Poland, part of the Sudetes mountain system (part of the Bohemian Massi ...
attract visitors seeking outdoor pursuits. There is a number of
beer festival
A beer festival is an event at which a variety of beers are available for purchase. There may be a theme, for instance beers from a particular area, or a particular brewing style such as winter ales.
Asia
* Singapore holds an annual Beer Festiva ...
s.
The country is also known for its various
museums
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
.
Puppetry and
marionette
A marionette (; french: marionnette, ) is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a marionettist. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed ...
exhibitions are with a number of puppet
festivals
A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...
throughout the country.
Aquapalace Prague in
Čestlice
Čestlice is a municipality and village in Prague-East District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 700 inhabitants. It lies on the D1 motorway.
History
The first written mention of Čestlice is from 1227. In 1457, ...
is the largest
water park
A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...
in the country.
Science
![Heyrovsky Jaroslav](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Heyrovsky_Jaroslav.jpg)
The
Czech lands have a long and well-documented history of scientific innovation. Today, the Czech Republic has a highly sophisticated, developed, high-performing, innovation-oriented scientific community supported by the government, industry, and leading
Czech Universities. Czech scientists are embedded members of the global scientific community. They contribute annually to multiple international academic journals and collaborate with their colleagues across boundaries and fields. The Czech Republic was ranked 24th in the
Global Innovation Index
The Global Innovation Index is an annual ranking of countries by their capacity for, and success in, innovation, published by the World Intellectual Property Organization. It was started in 2007 by INSEAD and ''World Business'', a British ma ...
in 2020 and 2021, up from 26th in 2019.
Historically, the
Czech lands, especially
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
, have been the seat of scientific discovery going back to early modern times, including
Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe ( ; born Tyge Ottesen Brahe; generally called Tycho (14 December 154624 October 1601) was a Danish astronomer, known for his comprehensive astronomical observations, generally considered to be the most accurate of his time. He was ...
,
Nicolaus Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus (; pl, Mikołaj Kopernik; gml, Niklas Koppernigk, german: Nikolaus Kopernikus; 19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was a Renaissance polymath, active as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic canon, who formulated ...
, and
Johannes Kepler. In 1784 the scientific community was first formally organized under the charter of the
Royal Czech Society of Sciences
Royal Bohemian Society of Sciences ( la, Regia Societas Scientiarum Bohemica; german: Königliche böhmische Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften; cs, Královská česká společnost nauk) was established in 1784 – originally without the adjective " ...
. Currently, this organization is known as the
Czech Academy of Sciences
The Czech Academy of Sciences (abbr. CAS, cs, Akademie věd České republiky, abbr. AV ČR) was established in 1992 by the Czech National Council as the Czech successor of the former Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences and its tradition goes back ...
. Similarly, the
Czech lands have a well-established history of scientists, including Nobel laureates biochemists
Gerty and
Carl Ferdinand Cori, chemist
Jaroslav Heyrovský
Jaroslav Heyrovský () (December 20, 1890 – March 27, 1967) was a Czech chemist and inventor. Heyrovský was the inventor of the polarographic method, father of the electroanalytical method, and recipient of the Nobel Prize in 1959 for his ...
, chemist
Otto Wichterle
Otto Wichterle (; 27 October 1913 – 18 August 1998) was a Czech chemist, best known for his invention of modern soft contact lenses.
Wichterle is the author or co-author of approximately 180 patents and over 200 publications. The studie ...
, physicist
Peter Grünberg
Peter Andreas Grünberg (; 18 May 1939 – 7 April 2018) was a German physicist, and Nobel Prize in Physics laureate for his discovery with Albert Fert of giant magnetoresistance which brought about a breakthrough in gigabyte hard disk d ...
and chemist
Antonín Holý
Antonín Holý (1 September 1936 – 16 July 2012) was a pioneering Czech scientist. He specialised in the field of chemistry and cooperated on the development of important antiretroviral drugs used in the treatment of HIV and hepatitis B. He ...
.
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud ( , ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating pathologies explained as originating in conflicts ...
, the founder of
psychoanalysis
PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: + . is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a body of knowledge. In what might b ...
, was born in
Příbor
Příbor (; german: Freiberg n Mähren}) is a town in Nový Jičín District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,300 inhabitants. The historic centre of Příbor is well preserved and is protected by law as an u ...
,
Gregor Mendel
Gregor Johann Mendel, OSA (; cs, Řehoř Jan Mendel; 20 July 1822 – 6 January 1884) was a biologist, meteorologist, mathematician, Augustinian friar and abbot of St. Thomas' Abbey in Brünn (''Brno''), Margraviate of Moravia. Mendel was ...
, the founder of
genetics
Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...
, was born in Hynčice (Vražné), Hynčice and spent most of his life in
Brno.
![ELI Beamlines building in Dolní Břežany](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/ELI_Beamlines_building_in_Doln%C3%AD_B%C5%99e%C5%BEany.jpg)
Most of the scientific research was recorded in Latin or in German and archived in libraries supported and managed by religious groups and other denominations as evidenced by historical locations of international renown and heritage such as the Strahov Monastery and the Clementinum in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
. Increasingly, Czech scientists publish their work and that of their history in English.
The current important scientific institution is the already mentioned Czech Academy of Sciences, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, the Central European Institute of Technology, CEITEC Institute in
Brno or the HiLASE and Eli Beamlines centers with the most powerful laser in the world in Dolní Břežany. Prague is the seat of the administrative center of the GSA Agency operating the European navigation system Galileo (satellite navigation), Galileo and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme.
Demographics
The total fertility rate (TFR) in 2020 was estimated at 1.71 children per woman, which is below the replacement rate of 2.1. The Czech Republic's population has an average age of 43.3 years. The life expectancy in 2021 was estimated to be 79.5 years (76.55 years male, 82.61 years female).
About 77,000 people immigrate to the Czech Republic annually. Vietnamese people in the Czech Republic, Vietnamese immigrants began settling in the country during the Communist period, when they were invited as guest workers by the Czechoslovak government. In 2009, there were about 70,000 Vietnamese in the Czech Republic. Most decide to stay in the country permanently.
According to results of the 2021 census, the majority of the inhabitants of the Czech Republic are Czechs (57.3%), followed by Moravians (ethnic group), Moravians (3.4%), Slovaks (0.9%), Ukrainians (0.7%), Vietnamese people, Viets (0.3%), Poles (0.3%), Russians (0.2%), Silesians (0.1%) and Germans (0.1%). Another 4.0% declared combination of two nationalities (3.6% combination of Czech and other nationality). As the 'nationality' was an optional item, a number of people left this field blank (31.6%).
According to some estimates, there are about 250,000 Romani people in the Czech Republic. The Polish minority in the Czech Republic, Polish minority resides mainly in the Zaolzie region.
There were 496,413 foreigners (4.5% of the population) residing in the country in 2016, according to the Czech Statistical Office, with the largest groups being Ukrainians in the Czech Republic, Ukrainian (22%), Slovaks in the Czech Republic, Slovak (22%), Vietnamese people, Vietnamese (12%), Russians, Russian (7%) and Germans in the Czech Republic, German (4%). Most of the foreign population lives in Prague (37.3%) and Central Bohemia Region (13.2%).
The History of the Jews in the Czech Republic, Jewish population of Bohemia and Moravia, 118,000 according to the 1930 census, was nearly annihilated by the Nazi Germans during the Holocaust. There were approximately 3,900 Jews in the Czech Republic in 2021. The former Czech prime minister, Jan Fischer (politician), Jan Fischer, is of Jewish faith.
Nationality of residents, who answered the question in the Census 2021:
Largest cities
Religion
About 75% to 79%
of residents of the Czech Republic do not declare having any religion or faith in surveys, and the proportion of convinced Atheism, atheists (30%) is the third highest in the world behind those of China (47%) and Japan (31%).
[Global Index of Religion and Atheism](_blank)
Press Release
. 2012. secularpolicyinstitute.net The Czech people have been historically characterized as "tolerant and even indifferent towards religion".
![Saint WEnceslaus](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Saint_WEnceslaus.jpg)
Christianization in the 9th and 10th centuries introduced
Catholicism. After the Bohemian Reformation, most Czechs became Hussites, followers of
Jan Hus
Jan Hus (; ; 1370 – 6 July 1415), sometimes anglicized as John Hus or John Huss, and referred to in historical texts as ''Iohannes Hus'' or ''Johannes Huss'', was a Czech theologian and philosopher who became a Church reformer and the insp ...
,
Petr Chelčický
Petr Chelčický (; c. 1390 – c. 1460) was a Czech Christian spiritual leader and author in the 15th century Bohemia, now the Czech Republic. He was one of the most influential thinkers of the Bohemian Reformation. Petr Chelčický inspire ...
and other regional Protestant Reformers. Taborites and Utraquists were Hussite groups. Towards the end of the
Hussite Wars, the Utraquists changed sides and allied with the Catholic Church. Following the joint Utraquist—Catholic victory, Utraquism was accepted as a distinct form of Christianity to be practiced in Kingdom of Bohemia, Bohemia by the Catholic Church while all remaining Hussite groups were prohibited. After the Reformation, some Bohemians went with the Lutheranism, teachings of Martin Luther, especially Sudeten Germans. In the wake of the Reformation, Utraquist Hussites took a renewed increasingly anti-Catholic stance, while some of the defeated Hussite factions were revived. After the Habsburgs regained control of Bohemia, the whole population was forcibly converted to Catholicism—even the Utraquist Hussites. Going forward, Czechs have become more wary and pessimistic of religion as such. A history of resistance to the Catholic Church followed. It suffered a schism with the neo-Hussite Czechoslovak Hussite Church in 1920, lost the bulk of its adherents during the Communist era and continues to lose in the modern, ongoing secularization. Protestantism never recovered after the Counter-Reformation was introduced by the Habsburg monarchy, Austrian Habsburgs in 1620. Prior to the Holocaust, the Czech Republic had a sizable Jewish community of around 100,000. There are many historically important and culturally relevant Synagogues in the Czech Republic such as Europe's oldest active Synagogue, Old New Synagogue, The Old New Synagogue and the second largest Synagogue in Europe, the Great Synagogue (Plzeň). The Holocaust decimated Czech Jewry and the Jewish population as of 2021 is 3,900.
According to the 2011 census, 34% of the population stated they had no religion, 10.3% was Catholic, 0.8% was Protestant (0.5% Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren, Czech Brethren and 0.4% Czechoslovak Hussite Church, Hussite), and 9% followed other forms of religion both denominational or not (of which 863 people answered they are Neopaganism, Pagan). 45% of the population did not answer the question about religion.
From 1991 to 2001 and further to 2011 the adherence to Catholicism decreased from 39% to 27% and then to 10%; Protestantism similarly declined from 3.7% to 2% and then to 0.8%. The Muslim population is estimated to be 20,000 representing 0.2% of the population.
The proportion of religious believers varies significantly across the country, from 55% in Zlín Region to 16% in Ústí nad Labem Region.
Education and health care
![156 Univerzita Karlova, o Karolinum (Universitat Carolina)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/156_Univerzita_Karlova%2C_o_Karolinum_%28Universitat_Carolina%29.jpg)
Education in the Czech Republic is compulsory for nine years and citizens have access to a
free-tuition university education
Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...
, while the average number of years of education is 13.1.
Additionally, the Czech Republic has a "relatively equal" educational system in comparison with other countries in Europe.
Founded in 1348, Charles University was the first university in
Central Europe. Other major universities in the country are Masaryk University, Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Technical University, Palacký University, Olomouc, Palacký University, Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, Academy of Performing Arts and University of Economics, Prague, University of Economics.
The Programme for International Student Assessment, coordinated by the
OECD, currently ranks the Czech education system as the 15th most successful in the world, higher than the OECD average. The UN Education Index ranks the Czech Republic 10th (positioned behind Denmark and ahead of South Korea).
Health care in the Czech Republic is similar in quality to that of other developed nations. The Czech universal health care system is based on a Health insurance mandate, compulsory insurance model, with fee-for-service care funded by mandatory employment-related insurance plans.
According to the 2016 Euro health consumer index, a comparison of healthcare in Europe, the Czech healthcare is 13th, ranked behind Sweden and two positions ahead of the United Kingdom.
Culture
Art
Venus of Dolní Věstonice is the treasure of prehistoric art. Theodoric of Prague was a painter in the Gothic era who decorated the castle Karlstejn. In the Baroque era, there were Wenceslaus Hollar, Jan Kupecký, Karel Škréta, Anton Raphael Mengs or Petr Brandl, sculptors Matthias Braun and Ferdinand Brokoff. In the first half of the 19th century, Josef Mánes joined the romantic movement. In the second half of the 19th century had the main say the so-called "National Theatre generation": sculptor Josef Václav Myslbek and painters Mikoláš Aleš, Václav Brožík, Vojtěch Hynais or Julius Mařák. At the end of the century came a wave of Art Nouveau. Alfons Mucha became the main representative. He is known for Art Nouveau posters and his cycle of 20 large canvases named the Slav Epic, which depicts the history of Czechs and other
Slavs.
, the Slav Epic can be seen in the Veletržní Palace of the National Gallery in Prague, which manages the largest collection of art in the Czech Republic. Max Švabinský was another Art nouveau painter. The 20th century brought an avant-garde revolution. In the Czech lands mainly expressionist and cubist: Josef Čapek, Emil Filla, Bohumil Kubišta, Jan Zrzavý. Surrealism emerged particularly in the work of Toyen, Josef Šíma and Karel Teige. In the world, however, he pushed mainly František Kupka, a pioneer of abstract painting. As illustrators and cartoonists in the first half of the 20th century gained fame Josef Lada, Zdeněk Burian or Emil Orlík. Art photography has become a new field (František Drtikol, Josef Sudek, later Jan Saudek or Josef Koudelka).
The Czech Republic is known for its individually made, mouth-blown, and decorated Bohemian glass.
Architecture
![Prague 07-2016 View from Old Town Hall Tower img3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Prague_07-2016_View_from_Old_Town_Hall_Tower_img3.jpg)
The earliest preserved stone buildings in Bohemia and Moravia date back to the time of the Christianization in the 9th and 10th centuries. Since the Middle Ages, the Czech lands have been using the same architectural styles as most of Western Europe, Western and Central Europe. The oldest still standing churches were built in the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque style. During the 13th century, it was replaced by the Czech Gothic architecture, Gothic style. In the 14th century, Emperor Charles IV invited architects from France and Germany, Matthias of Arras and Peter Parler, to his court in Prague. During the Middle Ages, some fortified castles were built by the king and aristocracy, as well as some monasteries.
The Renaissance architecture, Renaissance style penetrated the Bohemian Crown in the late 15th century when the older Gothic style started to be mixed with Renaissance elements. An example of pure Renaissance architecture in Bohemia is the Queen Anne's Summer Palace, which was situated in the garden of Prague Castle. Evidence of the general reception of the Renaissance in Bohemia, involving an influx of Italian architects, can be found in spacious chateaus with arcade courtyards and geometrically arranged gardens.
Emphasis was placed on comfort, and buildings that were built for entertainment purposes also appeared.
In the 17th century, the Baroque style spread throughout the Crown of Bohemia.
In the 18th century, Bohemia produced an architectural peculiarity – the ''Baroque Gothic style'', a synthesis of the Gothic and Baroque styles.
![Prag Kubismus Schwarze Madonna 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Prag_Kubismus_Schwarze_Madonna_1.jpg)
During the 19th century stands the Revival architecture, revival architectural styles. Some churches were restored to their presumed medieval appearance and there were constructed buildings in the Romanesque Revival architecture, Neo-Romanesque, Gothic Revival architecture, Neo-Gothic and Renaissance Revival architecture, Neo-Renaissance styles. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the new art style appeared in the Czech lands – Art Nouveau.
Bohemia contributed an unusual style to the world's architectural heritage when Czech architects attempted to transpose the Cubism of painting and sculpture into architecture.
Between World Wars I and II, Functionalism (architecture), Functionalism, with its sober, progressive forms, took over as the main architectural style.
After World War II and the Communist coup in 1948, art in Czechoslovakia became Soviet-influenced. The Czechoslovak avant-garde artistic movement is known as the ''Brussels style came up'' in the time of political liberalization of Czechoslovakia in the 1960s. Brutalism dominated in the 1970s and 1980s.
The Czech Republic is not shying away from the more modern trends of international architecture, an example is the Tančící dům, Dancing House (Tančící dům) in Prague, Golden Angel in Prague or Congress Centre in Zlín.
Influential Czech architects include Peter Parler, Benedikt Rejt, Jan Santini Aichel, Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer, Josef Fanta, Josef Hlávka, Josef Gočár, Pavel Janák, Jan Kotěra, Věra Machoninová, Karel Prager, Karel Hubáček, Jan Kaplický, Eva Jiřičná or Josef Pleskot.
Literature
![Kafka](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Kafka.jpg)
The literature from the area of today's Czech Republic was mostly written in Czech, but also in Latin and German or even
Old Church Slavonic. Franz Kafka, while bilingual in Czech and German, wrote his works (''The Trial'', ''The Castle (novel), The Castle'') in German.
In the second half of the 13th century, the royal court in Prague became one of the centers of German Minnesang and courtly literature. The Czech German-language literature can be seen in the first half of the 20th century.
Bible translations into Czech, Bible translations played a role in the development of Czech literature. The oldest Czech translation of the Psalms originated in the late 13th century and the first complete Czech translation of the Bible was finished around 1360. The first complete printed Czech Bible was published in 1488. The first complete Czech Bible translation from the original languages was published between 1579 and 1593. The Codex Gigas from the 12th century is the largest extant medieval manuscript in the world.
Czech-language literature can be divided into several periods: the Middle Ages; the Hussite period; the Renaissance humanism; the Baroque period; the Enlightenment and Czech reawakening in the first half of the 19th century, modern literature in the second half of the 19th century; the avant-garde of the interwar period; the years under Communism; and the Czech Republic.
The antiwar comedy novel ''The Good Soldier Švejk'' is the most translated Czech book in history.
The international literary award the Franz Kafka Prize is awarded in the Czech Republic.
The Czech Republic has the densest network of libraries in Europe.
Czech literature and culture played a role on at least two occasions when Czechs lived under oppression and political activity was suppressed. On both of these occasions, in the early 19th century and then again in the 1960s, the Czechs used their cultural and literary effort to strive for political freedom, establishing a confident, politically aware nation.
Music
![Dvorak](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Dvorak.jpg)
The musical tradition of the Czech lands arose from the first church hymns, whose first evidence is suggested at the break of the 10th and 11th centuries. Some pieces of Czech music include two chorales, which in their time performed the function of anthems: "Hospodine pomiluj ny, Lord, Have Mercy on Us" and the hymn "Saint Wenceslaus" or "Saint Wenceslas Chorale, Saint Wenceslaus Chorale". The authorship of the anthem "Lord, Have Mercy on Us" is ascribed by some historians to Saint Adalbert of Prague (sv.Vojtěch), bishop of
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
, living between 956 and 997.
The wealth of musical culture lies in the classical music tradition during all historical periods, especially in the Baroque music, Baroque, Classical period (music), Classicism, Romantic, Modernism (music), modern classical music and in the traditional music, traditional folk music of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. Since the early era of artificial music, Czech musicians and composers have been influenced the folk music of the region and dance.
Czech music can be considered to have been "beneficial" in both the European and worldwide context, several times co-determined or even determined a newly arriving era in musical art, above all of Classical period (music), Classical era, as well as by original attitudes in Baroque (music), Baroque, Romantic (music), Romantic and modern classical music. Some Czech musical works are ''The Bartered Bride'', ''New World Symphony,'' ''Sinfonietta (Janáček), Sinfonietta'' and ''Jenůfa''.
A music festival in the country is Prague Spring International Music Festival of classical music, a permanent showcase for performing artists, symphony orchestras and chamber music ensembles of the world.
Theatre
The roots of Czech theatre can be found in the Middle Ages, especially in the cultural life of the Gothic period. In the 19th century, the theatre played a role in the national awakening movement and later, in the 20th century, it became a part of modern European theatre art. The original Czech cultural phenomenon came into being at the end of the 1950s. This project called Laterna magika, resulting in productions that combined theater, dance, and film in a poetic manner, considered the first multimedia art project in an international context.
A drama is Karel Čapek's play ''R.U.R.'', which introduced the word "robot".
The country has a tradition of Puppetry, puppet theater. In 2016, Puppetry#Czech Republic and Slovakia, Czech and Slovak Puppetry was included on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.
Film
![Fabworldofjulesverne](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Fabworldofjulesverne.jpg)
The tradition of Czech cinematography started in the second half of the 1890s. Peaks of the production in the era of silent movies include the historical drama ''The Builder of the Temple'' and the social and erotic drama ''Erotikon'' directed by Gustav Machatý. The early Czech sound film era was productive, above all in mainstream genres, with the comedies of Martin Frič or Karel Lamač. There were dramatic movies sought internationally.
Hermína Týrlová (11 December 1900 in Březové Hory – 3 May 1993 in Zlín) was a prominent Czech animator, screenwriter, and film director. She was often called the mother of Czech animation. Over the course of her career, she produced over 60 animated children's short films using puppets and the technique of stop motion animation.
Before the German occupation, in 1933, filmmaker and animator Irena Dodalová established the first Czech animation studio "IRE Film" with her husband Karel Dodal.
After the period of Nazi occupation and early communist official dramaturgy of socialist realism in movies at the turn of the 1940s and 1950s with fewer exceptions such as ''Krakatit'' or ''Men without wings'' (awarded by Palme d'Or in 1946), an era of the Czech film began with animated films, performed in anglophone countries under the name "The Fabulous World of Jules Verne" from 1958, which combined acted drama with animation, and Jiří Trnka, the founder of the modern puppet film. This began a tradition of animated films (''Mole (Zdeněk Miler character), Mole'' etc.).
![Milos Forman](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Milos_Forman.jpg)
In the 1960s, the hallmark of Czechoslovak New Wave's films were improvised dialogues, Black comedy, black and absurdity, absurd humor and the occupation of non-actors. Directors are trying to preserve natural atmosphere without refinement and artificial arrangement of scenes. A personality of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s with original manuscript and psychological impact is František Vláčil. Another international author is Jan Švankmajer, a filmmaker and artist whose work spans several media. He is a self-labeled surrealism, surrealist known for animations and features.
The Barrandov Studios in Prague are the largest film studios with film locations in the country. Filmmakers have come to
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
to shoot scenery no longer found in Berlin, Paris and Vienna. The city of Karlovy Vary was used as a location for the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale.
The Czech Lion is the highest Czech award for film achievement. Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is one of the film festivals that have been given competitive status by the FIAPF. Other film festivals held in the country include Febiofest, Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival, One World Film Festival, Zlín Film Festival and Fresh Film Festival.
Media
![Kavčí hory areál ČT 4](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Kav%C4%8D%C3%AD_hory_are%C3%A1l_%C4%8CT_4.jpg)
Czech journalists and media enjoy a degree of Freedom of the press, freedom. There are restrictions against writing in support of Nazism, racism or violating Czech law. The Czech press was ranked as the 40th most free press in the World Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders in 2021. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has its headquarters in Prague.
The national public television service is Czech Television that operates the 24-hour news channel ČT24 and the news website ct24.cz. As of 2020, Czech Television is the most watched television, followed by private televisions TV Nova (Czech Republic), TV Nova and Prima televize, Prima TV. However, TV Nova has the most watched main news program and prime time program. Other public services include the Czech Radio and the Czech News Agency.
The best-selling daily national newspapers in 2020/21 are Blesk (average 703,000 daily readers), Mladá fronta DNES (average 461,000 daily readers), Právo (average 182,000 daily readers), Lidové noviny (average 163,000 daily readers) and Hospodářské noviny (average 162,000 daily readers).
Most Czechs (87%) read their news online, with Seznam.cz, iDNES.cz, Novinky.cz, Prima televize, iPrima.cz and Seznam Zprávy, Seznam Zprávy.cz being the most visited as of 2021.
Cuisine
![Pilsner urquell mug](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Pilsner_urquell_mug.jpg)
Czech cuisine is marked by an emphasis on meat dishes with pork, beef, and chicken. Goose, duck, rabbit, and venison are served. Fish is less common, with the occasional exception of fresh trout and carp, which is served at Christmas.
There is a variety of local sausages, wurst, pâtés, and smoked and cured meats. Czech desserts include a variety of whipped cream, chocolate, and fruit pastries and tarts, crêpes, creme desserts and cheese, poppy-seed-filled and other types of traditional cakes such as ''Buchteln, buchty'', ''Kolach (cake), koláče'' and Apple strudel, ''štrúdl''.
Beer in the Czech Republic, Czech beer has a history extending more than a millennium; the earliest known brewery existed in 993. Today the Czech Republic has the highest List of countries by beer consumption per capita, beer consumption per capita in the world. The pilsner style beer (pils) originated in
Plzeň, where the world's first blond lager Pilsner Urquell is still produced. It has served as the inspiration for more than two-thirds of the beer produced in the world today. The city of
České Budějovice
České Budějovice (; german: Budweis ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 93,000 inhabitants. It is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše.
České Budějovice is t ...
has similarly lent its name to its beer, known as Budweiser Budvar.
The South Moravian region has been producing Czech wine, wine since the Middle Ages; about 94% of vineyards in the Czech Republic are Moravian. Aside from beer, slivovitz and wine, the Czech Republic also produces two liquors, Fernet Stock and Becherovka.
Kofola
Kofola () is a carbonated soft drink produced by the eponymous Czech company, which is headquartered in Ostrava, Czech Republic. It is the principal rival of Coca-Cola and Pepsi in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The company is one of the leading ...
is a non-alcoholic domestic cola soft drink which competes with Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
Sport
![JaromirJagr2010WinterOlympics](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/JaromirJagr2010WinterOlympics.jpg)
The two leading sports in the Czech Republic are Association football, football and ice hockey. The most watched sporting events are the Ice hockey at the Olympic Games, Olympic tournament and Ice Hockey World Championships, World Championships of ice hockey. Other most popular sports include tennis, volleyball, floorball, golf, ball hockey, Sport of athletics, athletics, basketball and skiing.
The country has won 15 gold medals in the Summer Olympic Games, Summer Olympics and nine in the Winter Olympic Games, Winter Games. (See All-time Olympic Games medal table, Olympic history.) The Czech Republic men's national ice hockey team, Czech ice hockey team won the gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics and has won twelve gold medals at the IHWC, World Championships, including three straight from 1999 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships, 1999 to 2001 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships, 2001.
The Škoda Motorsport is engaged in Motorsport, competition racing since 1901 and has gained a number of titles with various vehicles around the world. MTX (automobile), MTX automobile company was formerly engaged in the manufacture of Auto racing, racing and Formula racing, formula cars since 1969.
Hiking is a popular sport. The word for 'tourist' in Czech, ''turista'', also means 'trekker' or 'hiker'. For hikers, thanks to the more than 120-year-old tradition, there is a Czech Hiking Markers System of trail blazing, that has been adopted by countries worldwide. There is a network of around 40,000 km of marked short- and long-distance trails crossing the whole country and all the Czech mountains.
See also
* List of Czech Republic-related topics
* Outline of the Czech Republic
Notes
References
Citations
General sources
*
*
*
Further reading
* Hochman, Jiří (1998)
''Historical dictionary of the Czech State'' Scarecrow Press.
* Bryant, Chad. ''Prague: Belonging and the Modern City''. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, 2021
External links
Governmental websitePresidential websiteSenatePortal of the Public AdministrationCzech Tourismofficial tourism site of the Czech Republic
Czechia ''The World Factbook''. Central Intelligence Agency.
*
*
{{Coord, 49, 45, N, 15, 30, E, type:country_region:CZ_scale:9000000, display=title
Czech Republic,
Central Europe
Central European countries
Countries in Europe
Landlocked countries
Member states of NATO
Member states of the European Union
Member states of the United Nations
Member states of the Three Seas Initiative
Republics
Member states of the Council of Europe
States and territories established in 1993
OECD members