Portal:Czech Republic

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Vítejte na Českém portálu!

The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The Czech Republic has a hilly landscape that covers an area of 78,871 square kilometers (30,452 sq mi) with a mostly temperate continental and oceanic climate. The capital and largest city is Prague; other major cities and urban areas include Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň and Liberec.

The Duchy of Bohemia was founded in the late 9th century under Great Moravia. It was formally recognized as an Imperial Estate of the Holy Roman Empire in 1002 and became a kingdom in 1198. Following the Battle of Mohács in 1526, all of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown were gradually integrated into the Habsburg monarchy. Nearly a hundred years later, the Protestant Bohemian Revolt led to the Thirty Years' War. After the Battle of White Mountain, the Habsburgs consolidated their rule. With the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the Crown lands became part of the Austrian Empire.

During the 19th century, the Czech lands underwent significant industrialization. Following the collapse of Austria-Hungary after World War I, most of the region became part of the First Czechoslovak Republic in 1918. Czechoslovakia was the only country in Central and Eastern Europe to remain a parliamentary democracy during the entirety of the interwar period. After the Munich Agreement in 1938, Nazi Germany systematically took control over the Czech lands. Czechoslovakia was restored in 1945 and three years later became an Eastern Bloc communist state following a coup d'état in 1948. Attempts to liberalize the government and economy were suppressed by a Soviet-led invasion of the country during the Prague Spring in 1968. In November 1989, the Velvet Revolution ended communist rule in the country and restored democracy. On 31 December 1992, Czechoslovakia was peacefully dissolved, with its constituent states becoming the independent states of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The Czech Republic is a unitary parliamentary republic and developed country with an advanced, high-income social market economy. It is a welfare state with a European social model, universal health care and free-tuition university education. It ranks 32nd in the Human Development Index. The Czech Republic is a member of the United Nations, NATO, the European Union, the OECD, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the Visegrád Group. (Full article...)

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Bedřich Fritta's drawing of the barracks

Theresienstadt Ghetto was established by the SS during World War II in the fortress town of Terezín, in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (German-occupied Czechoslovakia). Theresienstadt served as a waystation to the extermination camps. Its conditions were deliberately engineered to hasten the death of its prisoners, and the ghetto also served a propaganda role. Unlike other ghettos, the use of slavery was not economically significant.

The ghetto was established by the transportation of Czech Jews in November 1941. The first German and Austrian Jews arrived in June 1942; Dutch and Danish Jews came in 1943, and prisoners of a wide variety of nationalities were sent to Theresienstadt in the last months of the war. About 33,000 people died at Theresienstadt, mostly from malnutrition and disease. More than 88,000 people were held there for months or years before being deported to extermination camps and other killing sites; the role of the Jewish Council (Judenrat) in choosing those to be deported has attracted significant controversy. The total number of survivors was around 23,000, including 4,000 deportees who survived. (Full article...)

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The town of Litoměřice with the cathedral of St Stephen, in the Ústí nad Labem Region

Photographer: Karelj; License: Public domain

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In this month

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

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Lokvenc in 2013

Vratislav Lokvenc (Czech pronunciation: [ˈvracɪslaf ˈlokvɛnts], born 27 September 1973) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a forward. After playing youth football for Náchod and Hradec Králové, he began his senior club career with the latter team. After moving to Sparta Prague he won five league titles and one cup, as well as the 1999–2000 league top scorer award. He subsequently played abroad, playing club football in Germany, Austria and Switzerland for 1. FC Kaiserslautern, VfL Bochum, Red Bull Salzburg, FC Basel and FC Ingolstadt 04. He retired in 2009.

Lokvenc played international football for the Czech Republic. He played at the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup before going on to take part in three major competitions. He made three substitute appearances at Euro 2000 and played in one game at Euro 2004. His last international tournament was the 2006 World Cup, where he played in two group matches before missing the third through suspension. The Czech Republic did not qualify for the next round of the competition and Lokvenc subsequently retired from international football in 2006. (Full article...)

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John Amos Comenius Petr Čech Dominik Hašek Jaromír Jágr Pavel Nedvěd Gregor Mendel Tomáš Rosický Franz Kafka Bedřich Smetana Emanuel Moravec Gustav Mahler Fredy Hirsch Antonín Kinský Vlastimil Koubek Petra Kvitová Martin Miller (actor) Vladimír Remek Leoš Janáček Libor Michálek Vojtěch Jarník Markéta Vondroušová Zdeňka Wiedermannová-Motyčková

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Did you know?

...that in 1990, Czech and Slovak politicians "fought" the Hyphen War, a political battle over whether "Czechoslovakia" should be spelled with a hyphen?
... that the Cross of Merit of the Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic is the highest award presented by the Czech Minister of Defence?
... that Czech international footballer Jan Suchopárek dislocated his shoulder while attempting a bicycle kick?
... that a 1926 voyage to Java inspired Czech poet Konstantin Biebl for the remainder of his life?

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General images

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

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

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Topics

Czech lands: Bohemia • Moravia • Czech Silesia

History: Únětice culture • Boii • Marcomanni • Samo • Great Moravia • Přemyslid dynasty • Lands of the Bohemian Crown • Czech lands (1526–1648) • 1648–1867 • 1867–1918) • Czechoslovakia • Czech Republic

Geography: Lakes • Protected areas • Regions • Rivers

Law: Judiciary • Law enforcement • Supreme Court of the Czech Republic

Politics: Administrative divisions • Government • Constitution • Elections • Foreign relations • Army • Parliament • Political parties • President • Prime Minister

Economy: Banks • Czech koruna • Energy • Oil and gas deposits • Stock Exchange • Tourism • Transport

Culture: Architecture • Art • Cinema • Cuisine • Demographics • Education • Language • Literature • Media • Music • Philosophy • Prostitution • Public holidays • Religion • Sport • Television • Video games

Symbols: Flag • Coat of arms • National anthem (Kde domov můj)

Lists: Outline of the Czech Republic • List of Czech Republic–related topics

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WikiProjects

WikiProject Czech Republic

WikiProject Europe

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Featured and good content

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