Czech Republic
La Czech Republic (in Czech, Česká republika, pronounced[шt integrating dimension to the discourse of the future](
listen)), also known abbreviously as Czech Republic (Česko, pronounced[^t procuring.), it is a sovereign country of landlocked Central Europe. It borders Germany to the west, Austria to the south, Slovakia to the east and Poland to the north. Its capital and largest city is Prague. The Czech Republic is made up of the historical territories of Bohemia and Moravia, in addition to a small part of Silesia.
The Czech state, formerly known as Bohemia, was formed in the 9th century as a small duchy around Prague within the then Great Moravian Empire. After its dissolution in 907, the center of power shifted from Moravia to Bohemia under the Premyslid dynasty and from 1002 the duchy was formally recognized as part of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1212 the duchy attained the status of a kingdom and during the rule of kings and dukes Premyslids and their successors, the Luxemburgs, the country reached its greatest territorial extent in the xiii and xiv. During the Hussite wars the kingdom had to suffer economic embargoes and the arrival of crusader knights from all over Europe.
After the Battle of Mohács in 1526, the Kingdom of Bohemia gradually became part of the Habsburg domain as one of its three main domains, along with the Archduchy of Austria and the Kingdom of Hungary. The defeat of the Bohemians in the Battle of the White Mountain, which meant the failure of the revolt of 1618-1620, led to the Thirty Years' War and a greater centralization of the monarchy, as well as the imposition of the Catholic faith and Germanization. With the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the kingdom of Bohemia was integrated into the Austrian Empire. During the 19th century the Czech lands rose up as the industrial center of the monarchy and later as the nucleus of the Republic of Czechoslovakia that was created in 1918, the result of the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the First World War. It was one of the few democratic governments in Europe
Following the Munich Agreements in 1938, the Polish annexation of the Zaolzie area and the German occupation of Czechoslovakia and the consequent disappointment of the Czechs with the West, the Soviets won their favor by liberating the country from Nazi rule during World War II. World War. The Czechoslovak Communist Party won the 1946 parliamentary elections and after the 1948 Prague Coup Czechoslovakia became a socialist state. However, the growing dissatisfaction of the people led to the application of several liberal reforms in 1968, something that would be harshly repressed with the invasion of the Warsaw Pact armed forces. This would become known as the Prague Spring, Soviet forces remained in the country until the Velvet Revolution of 1989, when the communist regime collapsed. On January 1, 1993, Czechoslovakia was peacefully divided into its two constituent states, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic.
In 2006, the Czech Republic became the first former Comecon member to achieve full developed country status according to the World Bank. In addition, the country has the highest human development index in all of Central Europe and therefore It is considered a State with “very high human development”. It is the ninth most peaceful country in Europe, ranks 31st in the democracy index, which is classified as "deficient" in the country, and it is the country with the lowest infant mortality in its region. The Czech Republic is a representative parliamentary democracy, a member of the European Union, NATO, OECD, OSCE, the Council of Europe and the Visegrad Group.
Etymology
The Czech Republic is called Česká republika or Česko, a name derived from the name of the largest region of the country, Čechy (Bohemia in Spanish) or the ethnonym Czechs, the name of one of the Slavic tribes that inhabited the current territory of the country after the time of migration and that dominated the area around 530. The origin of the name of the tribe is unknown. According to a legend, it comes from the leader Praotec Čech ("Czech father"). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic recommends the name "Czech" (in Czech Česko) for any situation except for official documents and wants the same pattern to be followed as with other States, for example, the Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China, the French Republic or the Kingdom of Spain, usually known as Russia, China, France and Spain, respectively. Even so, the term has not been recognized in cartographic form and the Spanish name ''Czech Republic'' as it appears in the RAE as ''official name''. The Dictionary of the Spanish language shows the following meaning of the Czech name: "natural from the Czech Republic", without also mention another term. However, it does appear in the Pan-Hispanic Dictionary of Questions, where it explains "Czech Republic. Official name of this European country. there are no reasons to censor, in non-official texts, the use of the form Czech Republic, which arose by analogy with Slovakia". ..
History
Middle Ages
Czech territory was unified at the end of the ix century by the přemyslitas dynasty (Czech Přemyslovci ; this name means those who think a lot). The Kingdom of Bohemia was a significant regional power, with the King of Bohemia as one of the seven electors of the Holy Roman Emperor. The gold mines made the kingdom a power that had no taxes, and could recruit mercenaries with almost no limit, as the wealth from the mines sustained the kingdom's power until it was exhausted.
For the next five hundred years it was a stable kingdom, center of culture and education in Central Europe. During the reign of Carlos IV of Luxembourg (1344-1378), Bohemia lived its golden age (always sponsored by the mines of the same metal). Charles IV made this monarchy the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. In the year 1348 he founded the Charles University in Prague, the oldest center of higher learning in Central Europe.
On the death of Carlos IV, a period of decline of the kingdom and political instability began. One factor was religious conflict, such as the Hussite wars sparked by the burning at the stake of the reformer Jan Hus in 1415 at the Council of Constance.
Modern Age
After the dynasty of the Polish Jagiellon kings, the Spanish Ferdinand I of Habsburg, grandson of the Catholic Monarchs and son of Juana I of Castile, was elected to the Czech throne in 1526. With this act, and for almost four hundred years, the Habsburgs occupied the Czech crown and, therefore, it became part of the Austrian Empire, later Austro-Hungarian.
Thereafter and throughout the 16th, 17th centuries and part of the xviii Czech-Spanish relations received a strong boost, mainly promoted by the Catholic population, which saw Spain as a protective power and guarantor of this religion. The Czech Catholic nobility oriented towards Spain through marriage links with members of the Spanish court that had arrived in Prague with Ferdinand I, made up of advisers, secretaries, ambassadors and also artists. These Czech-Spanish families were the origin of what has later been called the "Spanish faction." clergy, in which the Jesuits of the Clementinum stood out. The Spanish faction was small in number but very influential in political, economic and cultural terms, and they acted as transmitters of Spanish culture and customs, acquired as symbols of prestige and which they passed on to their descendants. Thus, the Spanish influence in Bohemia continued after the death of Ferdinand I. Spanish fashion dominated the Czech environment during the 16th and xvii, especially under the reign of Rudolf II (1576-1612), clinging to Spanish protocol and dress, and fond of collecting exotic objects from s of Spanish America. In Czech society, the Spanish tended to be identified with luxury and the Catholic religion. Non-Catholics called Czech Catholics "spanihelé" ('Spaniards'). Another very important means of expansion of Spanish influence in Bohemia was the action of religious orders, mainly from the Jesuits, who arrived from Spain in the 1520s, before the beginning of the reign of Ferdinand I. The Jesuits reformed the Czech universities and improved their standards. In some parts of the country it was common for the rectors of the universities to be Spanish figures. One of the most important Spanish figures in the Czech academic sphere was Rodrigo de Arriaga, the most important Jesuit philosopher of his time, frequently studied and quoted by Descartes and Leibniz and for which the saying "Videre Pragam et audire Arriagam " ('see Prague and listen to Arriaga') was born. Other religious orders also had a decisive influence on the cultural environment Czech, like the Benedictine order with the figure of Juan Caramuel, prior of the Emmaus monastery.
Bohemia suffered devastating wars in the 17th and 18th centuries, such as the Thirty Years' War and the Seven Years' War during the reign of Maria Theresa in 1756-1763, but it also benefited from the economic and social impulse that the monarchy experienced during the centuries xviii and xix, which made Bohemia the industrial heart of the Monarchy.
Contemporary Age
After the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I, the Czechs along with their neighbors the Slovaks and Ruthenians united to form the independent republic of Czechoslovakia in 1918. This new country contained a large German minority, which it led to the dissolution of Czechoslovakia when Germany annexed this minority under the Munich Agreements in 1938 and Slovakia declared its independence. The remaining Czech state was occupied by the Germans in 1939.
At the end of World War II, Czechoslovakia became a socialist state aligned with the Soviet Union. In 1968, an armed intervention by the forces of the Warsaw Pact ended a series of reforms promoted by the then Prime Minister Alexander Dubček, known as the Prague Spring, tending according to its supporters to create a « socialism with a human face”. In 1989, Czechoslovakia adopted multi-partyism and began to gradually abandon the socialist economy, known as the Velvet Revolution. On January 1, 1993, Czechoslovakia was divided in two by parliamentary decision. Since then, the Czech Republic, on the one hand, and Slovakia, on the other, are two independent countries.
The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.
Government and politics
The Czech Republic is a parliamentary democracy, whose Constitution and the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms (an integral part of the Magna Carta of the Czech Republic) were ratified on December 16, 1992 and entered into force on January 1 from 1993.
Civil law is based on the Austro-Hungarian legal system. The legal system is currently in the final stage of harmonization with the legislation of the European Union.
The President of the Czech Republic is the person who exercises the functions of Head of State. The President of the Republic was elected in indirect elections by the two chambers of Parliament in joint session, until 2013 when a president was elected for the first time by direct vote; the presidential term is five years.
Foreign Policy
Membership of the European Union is the lynchpin of the Czech Republic's foreign policy. The Czech Republic took over the presidency of the European Union for the first half of 2009.
The Czech Republic has been ranked as one of the safest or most peaceful countries for the last few decades. It is a member of the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, the OECD, the Council of Europe and is an observer of the Organization of American States. The embassies of most countries with diplomatic relations with the Czech Republic are located in Prague, while consulates are located throughout the country.
The Czech passport is restricted by visas. According to the Henley & Partners of 2018, Czech citizens have visa-free access to 173 countries, ranking them 7th along with Malta and New Zealand. The World Tourism Organization ranks the Czech passport 24th. USA visa applies to Czech citizens.
The prime minister and the foreign minister have the main responsibility for foreign policy, although the president also has influence and represents the country abroad. Membership in the European Union and NATO is central to the foreign policy of the Czech Republic. The Office of Foreign Relations and Information (ÚZSI) is the foreign intelligence agency responsible for espionage and information on foreign policy, as well as for the protection of the embassies of the Czech Republic abroad.
The Czech Republic maintains ties with Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary as a member of the Visegrad Group, as well as with Germany, Israel, the United States, and the European Union and its members.
Czech officials have supported dissidents in Belarus, Moldova, Myanmar and Cuba.
Famous Czech diplomats of the past include Count Philipp Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau, Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg, Edvard Beneš, Jan Masaryk, Jiří Dienstbier and Prince Karel Schwarzenberg.
Defense
The Czech armed forces consist of the Czech Ground Forces, the Czech Air Force and specialized support units. The armed forces are managed by the Ministry of Defence. The President of the Czech Republic is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. In 2004 the army became a fully professional organization and conscription was abolished. The country has been a member of NATO since March 12, 1999. Defense spending is approximately 1.28% of GDP (2021). The armed forces are tasked with protecting the Czech Republic and its allies from promote global security interests and contribute to NATO requests.
As a member of NATO, the Czech military has participated in Resolute Support and KFOR operations and has deployed soldiers to Afghanistan, Mali, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Egypt, Israel and Somalia. The Czech Air Force also served in the Baltic countries and Iceland. The main equipment of the Czech military includes JAS 39 Gripen multirole fighters, Aero L-159 Alca fighter jets, Mi-35 attack helicopters, armored vehicles (Pandur II, OT-64, OT-90, BVP-2) and tanks (T-72 and T-72M4CZ).
The most famous Czech, and therefore Czechoslovak, soldiers and military leaders of the past were Jan Žižka, Albrecht von Wallenstein, Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg, Joseph Radetzky von Radetz, Josef Šnejdárek, Heliodor Píka, Ludvík Svoboda, Jan Kubiš, Jozef Gabčík, František Fajtl and Petr Pavel.
Justice
The Czech Republic is a unitary state, with a continental-type civil law system, rooted in Germanic legal culture. The basis of the legal system is the Constitution of the Czech Republic adopted in 1993. The Criminal Code has been in force since 2010. In 2014 a new Civil Code entered into force. The judicial system includes district, county, and supreme court courts, and is divided into civil, criminal, and administrative branches.
The Czech judiciary consists of a triumvirate of supreme courts. The Constitutional Court is made up of 15 constitutional judges and oversees violations of the Constitution by the legislature or the government. The Supreme Court is made up of 67 judges and is the highest court of appeal for most legal cases that are heard. air in the Czech Republic. The Supreme Administrative Court decides on issues of administrative procedure and property. 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 individuals to run for public office. The Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court have their headquarters in Brno, like the Supreme Prosecutor's Office.
Human Rights
In terms of human rights, regarding membership of the seven bodies of the International Bill of Human Rights, which include the Human Rights Committee (HRC), the Czech Republic has signed or ratified:
 Czech Republic | International treaties | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CESCR | CCPR | CERD | CED | CEDAW | CAT | CRC | MWC | CRPD | |||||||||
| CESCR | CESCR-OP | CCPR | CCPR-OP1 | CCPR-OP2-DP | CEDAW | CEDAW-OP | CAT | CAT-OP | CRC | CRC-OP-AC | CRC-OP-SC | CRPD | CRPD-OP | ||||
| Pertenence |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | |  | | | |
 Signed and ratified,  signed, but not ratified,  neither signed nor ratified,  without information,  it has agreed to sign and ratify the body concerned, but also recognizes the competence to receive and process individual communications from the competent bodies. | |||||||||||||||||
Status of major international human rights instruments
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Human rights in the Czech Republic are guaranteed by the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms and international human rights treaties. However, there have been cases of human rights violations such as discrimination against Roma children, for which the European Commission even asked the Czech Republic for an explanation, or the illegal sterilization of Roma women, for which The government has apologized. According to the Ombudsman Stanislav Křeček's 2020 comment, discrimination against Roma is currently minimal, as evidenced by the statistics of notifications sent. Human rights violations have also been reported in some centers for the elderly and in psychiatric hospitals.
In 2000, the Office of the Ombudsman was created to protect fundamental rights and freedoms. However, the authority of the Ombudsman is rather informal.
According to the Index of Economic Freedom, compiled by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal, the Czech Republic is the 24th freest country in the world in terms of trade. According to the World Press Freedom Index, compiled by Reporters Without Borders, the Czech Republic has the 21st freest media environment in the world. (Both data are valid as of 2016.)
Prague is the headquarters of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. Today, the station is located in Hagibor. In the early 1990s, Václav Havel personally invited her to Czechoslovakia.
People of the same sex can establish a registered partnership in the Czech Republic.
Political-administrative organization
The Czech Republic consists of thirteen regions (kraje in Czech) and one capital city (hlavní město), marked with an *:
Each region has its own elected regional assembly and a regional governor. In Prague, the assembly and the presidential powers are executed by the city council and the mayor.
The former seventy-six districts (okresy, singular okres), including three "statutory cities" (without Prague, which had a special status), lost most of their importance in 1999 in an administrative reform; They are maintained as territorial divisions and headquarters of various branches of the state administration.
The smallest administrative units are the obce (municipalities). In 2021, the Czech Republic is divided into 6,254 municipalities. Cities and towns are also municipalities. The capital, Prague, is a region and a municipality at the same time.
| Shield | Region | Capital | Inhabitants (2005) | Area (km2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Prague* (Hlavní město Praha) | Prague | 1 176 592 | 496 |
 | Southern Bohemia (Jihočeský kraj) | České Budějovice | 626 870 | 10 057 |
 | Southern Moravia (Jihomoravský kraj) | Brno | 1 130 620 | 7067 |
 | Karlovy Vary (Krlovarský kraj) | Karlovy Vary | 304 644 | 3315 |
 | Hradec Králové (Královéhradecký kraj) | Hradec Králové | 547 903 | 4758 |
 | Liberec (Liberecký kraj) | Liberec | 428 291 | 3163 |
 | Moravia-Silesia (Moravskoslezský kraj) | Ostrava | 1 251 883 | 5535 |
 | Olomouc (Olomoucký kraj) | Olomouc | 639 033 | 5159 |
 | Pardubice (Pardubický kraj) | Pardubice | 505 584 | 4519 |
 | Pilsen (Plzeňský kraj) | Pilsen | 550 369 | 7561 |
 | Central Bohemia (Středočeský kraj) | Prague | 1 150 040 | 11 014 |
 | I used nad Labem (Ustecký kraj) | I used nad Labem | 823 020 | 5335 |
 | Vysočina (Kraj Vysočina) | Jihlava | 510 032 | 6926 |
 | Zlin (Zlinský kraj) | Zlin | 590 484 | 3964 |
Geography
Located in Central Europe, at about 50 degrees North latitude and 15 degrees East longitude. With an area of 78,867 km², comparable to that of Portugal, Austria or Ireland, this state has a population density of 131 inhabitants per square kilometer.
In the interior of the country there are plains and slightly undulating plateaus, while along the border, with the exception of the southeast of the country, there are mountain ranges that historically formed the natural border of the so-called Czech Countries. The lowest point is the outlet of the Elbe River from Czech territory, while the highest is Mount Sněžka, with an altitude of 1,602 metres.
The dominant biome is temperate broadleaf forest, although temperate coniferous forest is also present in the Carpathians. WWF divides the territory of the Czech Republic into four ecoregions:
- Forest of hardwoods in Western Europe, in the Highlands of the West
- Mixed forest of Panonia, southeast
- Mountain forest of the Carpaths, on the east end
- Mixed forest of Central Europe, in the rest of the country.
Geomorphology
The Czech Republic is surrounded by mountain ranges on its edges. On the southwestern border of the Czech Republic is the Šumava (1,000 to 1,400 meters), in the northwest the Krušné hory (1,244 meters) and in the north the Krkonoše and Hrubý Jeseník. The eastern border with Slovakia is formed by the White and Beskydy Carpathians and the Morava River. Only the southern border with Lower Austria runs largely through a river, the Dyje, with strong meanders.
The geomorphological structure of the Czech Republic divides the country into two systems based on the formation of mountains. The Bohemian Massif, which occupies about three quarters of the country, is part of the Central European Variscides. The Czech part of the Carpathians, in the southeast, belongs to the alpine mountain system. The sub-provinces are composed of basin landscapes surrounded and subdivided by mountains. The Bohemian-Moravian Highlands (between 600 and 800 meters) separate the Bohemian Basin from the South Moravian Lowlands. The Moravian Karst is rich in limestone caves. Moravia shares the foothills of the Carpathians in the east and the Vienna Basin in the south.
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Hydrography
Europe's main watershed runs along the ridges of the Upper Palatinate and Bohemian Forests, the Bohemian-Moravian Uplands, the Beskids and the Western Carpathians.
The Elbe (Labe) drains a large part of the Czech Republic into the North Sea. Its tributary, the Vltava, is the longest river in the Czech territory with 433 kilometers.
In Silesia, the Oder (Odra) empties with the Opava into the Baltic Sea.
The Morava flows south through the Danube into the Black Sea. Its largest tributary is the Dyje (Thaya).
There are relatively few natural lakes in the Czech Republic, the largest being Černé jezero in Šumava. However, pond farming has been practiced since the 12th century. The largest system of fish ponds is located in Třeboňsko in South Bohemia. In the 20th century, the construction of dams created numerous artificial lakes for flood protection, power generation and leisure. The largest reservoirs are found along the Vltava waterfall.
Climate
The Czech Republic has a temperate climate, situated in the transition zone between oceanic 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 altitude. In general, at higher altitudes, temperatures decrease and precipitation increases. The wettest part of the Czech Republic is around Bílý Potok in the Jizera Mountains, and the driest region is the Louny district, northwest of Prague. Another factor is the distribution of the mountains.
At the highest peak of Sněžka (1,603 m or 5,259 ft), the average temperature is -0.4 °C (31 °F), while in the lowlands of the South Moravian region, the temperature average reaches 10 °C (50 °F). The country's capital, Prague, has a similar average temperature, although it is influenced by urban factors.
The coldest month is usually January, followed by February and December. During these months, there is snow in the mountains and sometimes in the cities and lowlands. During March, April and May, the temperature tends to increase, especially in April, when the temperature and weather tend to vary during the day. Spring is also characterized by a higher water level in the rivers, due to melting ice, with occasional floods.
The warmest month of the year is July, followed by August and June. On average, summer temperatures are 20-30 °C (36-54 °F) higher than winter. Summer is also characterized by rains and storms.
Autumn usually begins in September, which is still warm and dry. During the month of October, temperatures often drop below 59 °F (15 °C) or 50 °F (10 °C) and deciduous trees begin to shed their leaves. At the end of November, temperatures are usually around freezing point.
The coldest temperature that has been measured was in Litvínovice, near České Budějovice, in 1929, with -42.2 °C (-44.0 °F) and the warmest, with 40.4 °C (104.7 °F) in Dobřichovice in 2012.
Most of the rain falls during the summer. Sporadic precipitation occurs throughout the year (in Prague, the average number of days per month with at least 0.1 mm of rain varies from 12 in September and October to 16 in November), but concentrated precipitation (days with more than 10 mm (0.39 in) per day) are more frequent in the months of May to August (an average of about two such days per month) Severe thunderstorms occur, producing straight-line winds damaging, hail and occasional tornadoes, especially during the summer period.
Flora and Fauna
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The flora and fauna of the Czech Republic testify to the intertwining of the main directions by which flora and fauna spread in Europe. Forests cover 33% of the total land area. Mixed oak, fir and spruce forests are typical of the Czech Republic. The species composition, however, is dominated by conifers (about two-thirds) compared to deciduous trees, although the original natural proportion was reversed. This change is mainly due to the massive planting of fir trees, which began in the territory in the XVIII century. Czech forests there are animals typical of the mixed forest biome of the temperate climate zone.
Approximately 3.5 thousand plant species grow in the Czech Republic, of which more than 2.5 thousand are native. The most common 500 tree species and approximately 2,000 tree taxa are cultivated. The most common species of wild animals are hares, otters, and martens. Pheasants, partridges, wild boars, deer, ducks and geese predominate in the woods and fields. Eagles and herons are rarer. Wolves and brown bears are also found in northeast Moravia, although rarely. The total number of animal species in the Czech Republic is estimated at 40,000, of which at least 28,124 species are invertebrates.
Economy
The Czech Republic has a highly developed economy, with a GDP per capita of 82% of the European Union average. The Czech Republic is also one of the most stable and prosperous economies within the former Soviet bloc countries, with economic growth of over 6% per year during the years prior to the 2008 crisis, mainly driven by exports to the rest of the European Union countries, especially Germany, and by domestic demand. The sale of 7% of the shares of the energy producer, CEZ group (Skupina ČEZ) has recently been agreed. A 2009 study found that most economists favor continued liberalization in most sectors of the economy.
Industry
In 2018 the largest companies by revenue in the Czech Republic were: car manufacturer Škoda Auto, utility company ČEZ Group, conglomerate Agrofert, energy trading company EPH, oil processing company Unipetrol, electronics manufacturer Foxconn CZ and steel producer Moravia Steel. Other Czech transport companies include: Škoda Transportation (trams, trolleybuses, metro), Tatra (heavy trucks, second oldest car manufacturer in the world), Avia (medium trucks), Karosa and SOR Libchavy (buses), Aero Vodochody (military aircraft), Let Kunovice (civilian aircraft), Zetor (tractors), Jawa Moto (motorcycles) and Čezeta (electric scooters).
Škoda Transportation is the fourth largest producer of trams in the world; almost a third of all trams in the world come from Czech factories. The Czech Republic is also the world's largest manufacturer of vinyl records, with GZ Media producing some 6 million pieces a year in Loděnice. Česká zbrojovka is among the ten largest producers of firearms in the world and five that produce automatic weapons.
Tourism
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In 2015, Prague was the fifth most visited city in Europe, after London, Paris, Istanbul and Rome. In 2001, total tourism revenue reached CZK 118 billion, which was 5.5% of GNP and 9% of total export earnings. The sector employs more than 110,000 people, more than 1% of the population. Tour guides and some tourists complain about overpricing by taxi drivers and pickpocketing problems, mainly in Prague, although the situation has recently improved. Since 2005, the mayor of Prague, Pavel Bém, has worked to improve this reputation by taking action against petty crime, and apart from these problems, Prague is a "safe" city. State of the United States rates the crime rate of the Czech Republic as "low".
The architectural heritage is an object of interest for visitors - it includes castles and palaces from different historical periods, such as Karlštejn Castle, Český Krumlov and the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape. There are 12 cathedrals and 15 churches raised to the rank of basilica by the pope, quiet monasteries.
Away from the cities, areas like the Bohemian Paradise, the Bohemian Forest and the Giant Mountains attract visitors looking for outdoor activities. Numerous beer festivals are held.
The country is also known for its various museums. Puppet and puppet shows take place throughout the country. Aquapalace Prague in Čestlice is the largest water park in the country.
Agriculture
The landscapes of the Czech Basin are very fertile. Agriculture produces in this country mainly wheat, corn, barley, sugar beet, potatoes, beets, rapeseed, vegetables and fruits. Hop production is especially important, especially in the Saaz basin, as the basis of Czech beer culture. Bohemia is traditionally a brewing region, while wine is grown in southern Moravia. Cattle, mainly the Fleckvieh, pigs and chickens make up the bulk of the livestock. Freshwater fish farming, especially carp, is also important. 54% of the total area of the Czech Republic is devoted to agriculture. One third of the surface is covered by forests, which also produce timber for export.
Agriculture in the Czech Republic is organized on an exceptionally large scale. On average, a farm occupies 152 hectares, while the EU average is only 14 hectares. The main reason is the cooperative system (JZD) and the forced collectivization of the 1950s. The proportion of rented land is also above average, although the proportion of land ownership is constantly increasing (2014: 22%). The proportion of employees in agriculture is about 3% of the population.
Demographics
At the end of 2019, the Czech Republic had a population of 10,693,939. Life expectancy in 2020 was 78.3 years. 99% of the population is literate. The average number of children per woman is 1.71, with a generally upward trend since 1999.
Most of its inhabitants (80%) are ethnically native to the country and speak Czech, a language belonging to the Slavic languages, specifically the West Slavic languages. Other ethnic groups present are Germans, Czech Gypsies, Hungarians, Ukrainians, Vietnamese and Poles. After the 1993 partition, some Slovaks remained on Czech territory and make up 2% of the current population. The border between the Czech Republic and Slovakia was completely closed to citizens of the former Czechoslovakia. In 2004, the Czech Republic joined the Schengen Agreement.
The current ethnic composition is as follows:
- 88.4 % Czech
- 2 % Gypsies
- 8.6 % Slovak, Ukrainian, Polish, German
- 1 % Asian
| Classification | City | Region | Population | Metropolitan Area | Plzeň |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prague | Prague, Capital City | 1,268,796 | 2,300,000 | ||
| 2 | Brno | Southern Moravia | 385.913 | 729.510 | ||
| 3 | Ostrava | Moravia-Silesia | 296,224 | 1,164,328 | ||
| 4 | Pilsen | Pilsen | 170,322 | 380,000 | ||
| 5 | Liberec | Liberec | 102.754 | 270,000 | ||
| 6 | Olomouc | Olomouc | 101,003 | 480,000 | ||
| 7 | Hradec Králové | Hradec Králové | 94.314 | - | ||
| 8 | České Budějovice | Southern Bohemia | 93.715 | 190,000 | ||
| 9 | I used nad Labem | I used nad Labem | 93,000 | - | ||
| 10 | Pardubice | Pardubice | 90.767 | - | ||
| 11 | Havířov | Moravia-Silesia | 76.694 | - | ||
| 12 | Zlin | Zlin | 75.318 | 450 000 | ||
| 13 | Kladno | Central Bohemia | 68.103 | - | ||
| 14 | Most | I used nad Labem | 65,193 | 95.316 | ||
| 15 | Opava | Moravia-Silesia | 58.351 | - | ||
| 16 | Karviná | Moravia-Silesia | 56.897 | - | ||
| 17 | Frýdek-Místek | Moravia-Silesia | 56,356 | - | ||
| 18 | Jihlava | Vysočina | 50.075 | - | ||
| 19 | Děčín | I used nad Labem | 49.106 | - | ||
| 20 | Karlovy Vary | Karlovy Vary | 48.639 | - |
Religion
| Czech Republic (2011) |
|---|
| Irreligion and atheism 79.2% Catholic Church 10.5% Protestant 1% Believers, not members of other religions 6.6% Other religions 1.6% Orthodox Church 1.1% |
The Czech Republic has one of the most irreligious populations in the world, being the third most irreligious population behind China and Japan. According to the 2011 census, 34% of the population declared having no religion, 10, 4% were Catholic, 0.8% were from some Protestant group (0.5% Czech Brothers and 0.4% Hussite) and 9% followed other forms of religion, both denominational and non-denominational (of which 863 people they answered that they are pagans). 45% of the population did not answer the question about religion. From 1991 to 2001, and even more for 2011, adherence to Catholicism decreased from 39% to 27% and then to 10%; Protestantism also dropped from 3.7% to 2% and then to 0.8%. Later in the 2019 census, 27.5% of the population declared that they had no religion, 6% were Catholic, 0.9% were Protestants (0.5% Czech Brethren and 0.4% Hussites), and 4% followed other forms of religion (of which 863 people responded that they are pagans). 61% of the population did not answer the question about religion.
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According to a 2010 Eurobarometer survey, 16% of Czech citizens answered that they "believe there is a God" (the lowest rate among the countries of the European Union), while 44% answered that they "believe that there is some kind of spirit or life force" and 37% said they "do not believe there is any kind of spirit, God or life force".
Christianization in the IX and X introduced Catholicism to the region. After the Bohemian Reformation, most Czechs became followers of Jan Hus, Petr Chelčický, and other regional Protestant reformers. The Taborites and the Utraquists were the main Hussite groups. During the Hussite wars, the Utraquists sided with the Catholic Church. After the joint Utraquisto-Catholic victory, the Catholic Church accepted Utraquism as a Bohemian variant of Christianity, unlike the other Hussite groups, which were banned. After the Reformation, some Bohemians accepted the teachings of Martin Luther, especially the Sudeten Germans.
In the aftermath of the Reformation, the Utraquist Hussites took a renewed, increasingly anti-Catholic stance, while some of the defeated Hussite factions (particularly the Taborites) revived. After the Habsburgs recaptured Bohemia, the entire population forcibly converted to Catholicism, including the Utraquist Hussites. The Czechs became more cautious and pessimistic about religion. The Catholic Church suffered a schism with the separation of the small Czechoslovak Neo-Hussite Church in 1920. It also lost most of its followers during the communist era that promoted atheism as a state policy, a process that was followed by uninterrupted secularization. Protestantism never recovered from the Counter-Reformation, introduced by the Habsburgs from 1620.
Languages
The Czech language (divided into three dialects in Bohemia, four dialects in Moravia and two dialects in Czech Silesia) is the official language of the state. There is also the transient Cieszyn Silesian dialect, as well as the Polish language in Cieszyn Silesia, both of which are spoken in Czech Silesia. Various Sudeten German dialects are now virtually extinct after the forced expulsion of most Germans following Germany's defeat in World War II. Today's Czech Germans mainly speak Czech or Standard German. Czech Sign Language is the language of the majority of the deaf community.
There are also several officially recognized minorities including those who "traditionally and long-term live on the territory of the Czech Republic" and therefore enjoy some privileges. By 2022 there are 14 of these officially recognized minorities, which are (in alphabetical order) Belarusians, Bulgarians, Croats, Germans, Greeks, Hungarians, Poles, Roma, Russians, Ruthenians, Serbs, Slovaks, Ukrainians and Vietnamese.
Citizens belonging to officially recognized minorities have the right to "use their language in communication with authorities and in court". Article 25 of the Czech Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms establishes the right of national and ethnic minorities to education and to communicate with the authorities in their own language. Law No. 500/2004 (Administrative Regulations), in its section 16 (4) (Language of proceedings), provides that a citizen of the Czech Republic belonging to a national or ethnic minority living traditionally and permanently in the territory of the Czech Republic, has the right to address an administrative body and to proceed before it in the language of the minority. In the event that the administrative agency does not have an employee with knowledge of the language, the agency is obliged to obtain a translator at its expense. In accordance with paragraph 9 of Law 273/2001 (on the rights of members of minorities) (right to use the language of a national minority in relations with the authorities and in the courts of justice), the same is applies to members of national minorities in courts of law.
Education
Education in the Czech Republic is organized in primary, secondary, higher vocational and higher education establishments.
The oldest and most important is Charles University in Prague, which is also the oldest in Central Europe (founded in 1348). The second oldest university in the Czech Republic is the Palacký University of Olomouc, founded in 1573. The oldest university of the artistic type is the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, which dates back to 1799. Other important universities are the Czech Technical University of Prague (founded in 1707), the Technical University of Brno (founded in 1899) and the Masaryk University (founded in 1919).
The Academy of Performing Arts was founded in 1945. Many personalities of Czech and Slovak cinema, as well as well-known foreign filmmakers such as Agnieszka Holland, Emir Kusturica, Lordan Zafranović and Goran Paskaljević studied at FAMU. The largest universities in terms of number of students are Charles University (49,094 students in 2009) and Masaryk University (38,216 students in 2009).
According to the 2014 QS World University Rankings, Charles University is the 244th best university in the world. The Czech Technical University is ranked 411-420. Brno Masaryk University ranks 551-600, Brno University of Technology ranks 651-700, and Prague University of Economics ranks in the 701+ group (below rank 700, without further distinction). Other Czech universities are not included in the QS ranking.
The best-known system for measuring and comparing the quality of universities is the so-called Shanghai Ranking (ARWU), which annually identifies the 500 best universities in the world. The only Czech university that has appeared in it so far is Charles University. In 2014, he was ranked 201-300. According to the ARWU, Charles University is among the top 2% of universities in the world.
There are also less formalized comparisons, more journalistic in nature, occasionally identifying, for example, Brno's Masaryk University as the best university in the Czech Republic.
According to the 2011 census, the proportion of the population with university studies is 10.7%; By cities, Prague (20.7%), Brno (20.6%) and Olomouc (17.9%) have the highest proportion.
Among the most famous secondary schools is the Prague Conservatory, the second such school in the world (founded in 1808). Antonín Dvořák, Josef Suk, Vítězslav Novák and Josef Bohuslav Foerster also ran the school.
According to a 2012 study by Pearson, the Czech Republic has the 22nd highest quality education system among so-called developed countries.
According to 2007 OECD data, the Czech Republic allocates 10% of its public spending to education, placing it next to last in the comparative ranking, along with Japan. As a percentage of GDP, it is about 4.6%, which is significantly lower than the OECD average of 6.1%. At the same time, Czech educators receive the fourth lowest salary of the more than thirty countries studied by the OECD
Infrastructure
Energy
Czech electricity production exceeds consumption by about 10 TWh per year, with the excess being exported. Nuclear power currently provides about 30% of total energy needs, and its share is expected to increase to 40%. In 2005, 65.4% of electricity was produced by steam and combustion plants (mainly coal); 30% by nuclear power plants; and 4.6% came from renewable sources, including hydropower. The largest Czech energy resource is the Temelín nuclear power plant, with another nuclear power plant at Dukovany.
The Czech Republic is reducing its reliance on highly polluting lignite as an energy source. Natural gas is purchased from the Russian company Gazprom, which accounts for about three-quarters of national consumption, and from Norwegian companies, which account for most of the remaining quarter. Russian gas is imported through Ukraine, and Norwegian gas is transported through Germany. Gas consumption (approximately 100 TWh in 2003-2005) is almost double electricity consumption. South Moravia has small oil and gas deposits.
Telecommunications
The Czech Republic is among the 10 countries in the world with the highest average Internet speed. At the beginning of 2008 there were more than 800 WISPs, mostly local, with about 350,000 subscribers in 2007. The three mobile phone operators (T-Mobile, O2 and Vodafone) and the Internet provider U:fon offer plans based on GPRS, EDGE, UMTS or CDMA2000. The state company Český Telecom has slowed down the penetration of broadband. At the beginning of 2004 the unbundling of the local loop began and alternative operators began to offer ADSL and also SDSL. This and the subsequent privatization of Český Telecom helped lower prices.
On July 1, 2006, Český Telecom was acquired by the globalized group (Spanish-owned) Telefónica and adopted the new name of Telefónica O2 Czech Republic. As of 2017, variants of VDSL and ADSL2+ are offered, 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 companies, Avast and AVG, were founded in the Czech Republic. In 2016, Avast, led by Pavel Baudiš, bought rival AVG for $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.
Transportation
The Czech Republic has a total of 55,653 km of roads. It has 1,247 km of highways. The 1980s and 1990s saw a significant increase in passenger transport by road in the Czech Republic, which was associated with a sharp increase in the accident rate. Between 2007 and 2013, the death rate declined in every year, with a record low of 583 deaths in 2013, compared to a 1994 high of 1,473 victims. However, the per capita mortality rate is moderately high, comparable to that of the United States.
Roads in the Czech Republic are no longer divided into motorways and dual carriageways as of 2016.
These highways are managed by the state-owned Directorate of Roads and Motorways of the Czech Republic - ŘSD, created in 1997. Among the first modern highways in the Czech Republic was the highway from Prague to the Slovak border via of Brno, whose construction began on May 2, 1939.
The ŘSD currently manages and maintains 1,247 km of highways (dálnice).
Railroads
Rail transport in the Czech Republic moved 193.5 million passengers in 2019, and 68.37 million tons of cargo in 2009. Most of the passenger services currently provided are operated by the state company České dráhy (Czech Railways), which until 2007 also managed freight services that are now managed by ČD Cargo. In 2009, the country had 9,420 km of standard gauge tracks, of which 3,153 km are electrified.
There are two main electrification systems in the Czech Republic, 3 kV DC in the northern part, and 25 kV 50 Hz AC in the south (in addition, a historical 24 km long line uses 1.5 kV DC; and since 2009 a short local line to Austria uses 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC). Locomotives had to be changed at the limits in the past, two-system locomotives have been introduced in 1974. The network has equal gauge links with the four countries bordering the Czech Republic (Slovakia, Austria, Germany and Poland) with passenger services to all four countries in operation. The network's main international passenger service hubs are located in Prague, Ostrava, Brno and Břeclav, and the busiest station (by number of passengers) is Praha hlavní nádraží. The maximum speed on Czech roads is 160 km/h.
Airports
In 2006, the Czech Republic had a total of 121 airports. 46 of these airports had paved runways, while 75 had unpaved runways. The largest and busiest airport in the Czech Republic is Václav Havel Airport in Prague, opened in 1937 when it replaced Kbely Airport (founded in 1918). It was rebuilt and expanded in 1956, 1968, 1997 and 2006. In 2012, it was renamed after the last president of Czechoslovakia and the first president of the Czech Republic, Václav Havel. It is located on the edge of the Prague-Ruzyně area, next to the village of Kněževes, 12 km (7 mi) west of the center of Prague and 12 km (7 mi) southeast of the town of Kladno.
Other international airports are Brno-Tuřany airport, Karlovy Vary airport, Ostrava Leoš Janáček airport, Pardubice airport, Kunovice airport and the public and private international airport is, for example, the airport from Hradec Kralové.
Science and Technology
The Czech lands have a long and well-documented history of scientific innovation. Today, the Czech Republic has a highly sophisticated, developed, high-performing, and innovation-oriented scientific community, supported by the government, industry, and leading Czech universities. Czech scientists are integrated members of the global scientific community, contribute annually to multiple international academic journals, and collaborate with their colleagues across borders and fields. The Czech Republic ranked ranked 24th in the Global Innovation Index in 2020 and 2021, up from 26th in 2019.
Historically, the Czech lands, especially Prague, have been the site of scientific discoveries dating back to early modern times, including Tycho Brahe, Nicolaus Copernicus and Johannes Kepler. In 1784, the scientific community was formally organized for the first time under the charter of the Royal Czech Society of Sciences. Today this organization is known as the Czech Academy of Sciences. The Czech lands also have a well-established history of scientists, including Nobel Prize-winning biochemists Gerty and Carl Ferdinand Cori, chemist Jaroslav Heyrovský, chemist Otto Wichterle, physicist Peter Grünberg and chemist Antonín Holý. Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, was born in Příbor, Gregor Mendel, the founder of genetics, was born in Hynčice and spent most of his time part of his life in Brno.
Most scientific research was recorded in Latin or German and archived in libraries supported and managed by religious groups and other denominations, as evidenced by renowned and international heritage sites such as the Strahov Monastery and the Clementinum of Prague. Increasingly, Czech scientists publish their works and their history in English.
The most important current scientific institution is the already mentioned Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, the 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, which operates the European Galileo navigation system, and of the European Union Agency for the Space Programme.
Culture
Prague is a city where culture and the arts shine with special intensity. The poster of cultural activities is rich and varied. Art lovers can find a cultural paradise in this city. The locations for the various events are usually sold out quickly, so it is advisable to reserve them well in advance (through travel agencies and at the ticket offices of the place where the event is held).
The culture of this republic is rich and varied. Twelve of its historical monuments are registered on the Unesco World Heritage List.
Art
The Venus of Dolní Věstonice is a treasure trove of prehistoric art. Theodoric of Prague was a painter from the Gothic era who decorated Karlstejn Castle. In the Baroque era, it was Wenceslao Hollar, Jan Kupecký, Karel Škréta, Anton Raphael Mengs or Petr Brandl, the 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 XIX century, the so-called "National Theater generation" had the main word: the 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 his Art Nouveau posters and for his cycle of 20 large canvases called the Slavic Epic, which depicts the history of the Czechs and other Slavs.
Since 2012, the Slavic Epic can be seen in the Veletržní Palace of the National Gallery in Prague, which manages the largest art collection in the Czech Republic. Max Švabinský was another Art Nouveau painter. The 20th century brought with it an avant-garde revolution. In the Czech lands mainly expressionists and cubists: Josef Čapek, Emil Filla, Bohumil Kubišta, Jan Zrzavý. Surrealism emerged above all in the work of Toyen, Josef Šíma and Karel Teige. However, above all, he encouraged František Kupka, a pioneer of abstract painting. As illustrators and cartoonists in the first half of the XX century, Josef Lada, Zdeněk Burian and Emil Orlík gained fame. Art photography became 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
The first surviving stone buildings in Bohemia and Moravia date back to the time of Christianization, in the 9th and 10th centuries. Since the Middle Ages, the Czech lands have used the same architectural styles as most of Europe Western and Central. The oldest surviving churches were built in the Romanesque style. During the 13th century, it was replaced by the Gothic style. In the XIV century , Emperor Charles IV invited architects from France and Germany, Matías de Arras and Pedro Parler, to the court of him in Prague. During the Middle Ages, the king and the aristocracy built some fortified castles, as well as some monasteries.
The Renaissance style penetrated the Bohemian Crown in the late 15th century, when the old Gothic style began to blend with renaissance elements. An example of purely Renaissance architecture in Bohemia is the Summer Palace of Queen Anne, located in the garden of the Prague Castle. The general reception of the Renaissance in Bohemia, with the influx of Italian architects, manifests itself in the vast palaces with arcaded courtyards and geometrically arranged gardens. The emphasis was on comfort, and buildings built for entertainment purposes also appeared.
In the 17th century, the Baroque style spread throughout the Bohemian Crown.
In the 18th century, Bohemia produced an architectural peculiarity: the Gothic-Baroque style, a synthesis of Gothic and Gothic styles. baroque.
During the XIX century, the renaissance of architectural styles stands out. Some churches were restored to their presumed medieval appearance and buildings in neo-Romanesque, neo-Gothic and neo-Renaissance styles were built. Late 19th century and XX, a new artistic style appeared in the Czech lands: Art Nouveau.
Bohemia brought an unusual flair to the world's architectural heritage when Czech architects tried to translate cubism from painting and sculpture into architecture.
Between the First and Second World Wars, functionalism, with its sober and progressive forms, became the main architectural style.
After World War II and the communist coup of 1948, art in Czechoslovakia became influenced by the Soviets. At the time of the political liberalization of Czechoslovakia in the 1960s, the Czechoslovak avant-garde art movement known as the Brussels style emerged. Brutalism dominated in the 1970s and 1980s.
The Czech Republic does not shy away from the most modern trends in international architecture, examples being the Dancing House (Tančící dům) in Prague, the Golden Angel in Prague or the Congress Center 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.
Music
The musical tradition of the Czech lands arose from the first ecclesiastical hymns, the first hints of which are suggested around the edge of the 10th and 11th centuries. Some pieces of Czech music include two chorales, which in their day served as hymns: "Lord, have mercy on us" and the hymn "San Wenceslao" or "Choral of Saint Wenceslaus". The authorship of the hymn "Lord, have mercy on us" It is attributed by some historians to Saint Adalbert of Prague (sv.Vojtěch), Bishop of Prague, who lived between 956 and 997.
The richness of musical culture lies in the tradition of classical music during all historical periods, especially in Baroque, Classicism, Romanticism, modern classical music and in the traditional folk music of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. Since the early days of artificial music, Czech musicians and composers have been influenced by the region's folk music and dance.
Czech music can be considered to have been "beneficial" both in the European and in the world context, it several times co-determined or even determined a newly arrived era in musical art, especially from the classical period, as well as original attitudes in baroque, romantic and modern classical music. Some Czech musical works are The Sold Bride, New World Symphony, Sinfonietta and Jenůfa.
A music festival in the country is the Prague Spring International Music Festival of classical music, a permanent showcase for performing artists, symphony orchestras and chamber music ensembles from around the world.
Literature
The literature of the area of what is now the Czech Republic was written mostly in Czech, but also in Latin and German or even Old Slavonic. Franz Kafka, although he was bilingual in Czech and German, wrote his works (The Trial, 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. In the first half of the 20th century, German-language Czech literature made itself felt.
Bible translations played a role in the development of Czech literature. The oldest Czech translation of the Psalms originated in the late XIII century and the first complete Czech translation of the Bible was completed. around 1360. The first complete printed Czech Bible was published in 1488. The first complete Czech translation of the Bible from the original languages was published between 1579 and 1593. The Gigas Codex, 18th century XII, is the largest extant medieval manuscript in the world.
Czech-language literature can be divided into several periods: the Middle Ages; the Hussite period; Renaissance humanism; the baroque period; the Enlightenment and the Czech awakening in the first half of the XIX century, modern literature in the second half of the XIX; the vanguards of the interwar period; the years under communism; and the Czech Republic.
The anti-war comic novel The Good Soldier Švejk is the most translated Czech book in history.
The Franz Kafka International Literary 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 occasions, in the early 19th century and again in the 1960s, the Czechs used their cultural and literary effort to fight for political freedom, establishing a secure and politically conscious nation.
Theater
The roots of the Czech theater lie in the Middle Ages, especially in the cultural life of the Gothic period. In the 19th century, theater played a role in the national awakening movement, and later in the XX, became part of modern European theater art. The original Czech cultural phenomenon emerged in the late 1950s. This project called Laterna magika, which gave rise to productions that combined theater, dance and cinema in a poetic way, is considered the first multimedia artistic project in an international context.
A drama is the play R.U.R. by Karel Čapek, who introduced the word "robot".
The country has a tradition of puppet theater. In 2016, the Czech and Slovak Puppet Theater was included in UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Cinema
The Czech film tradition began in the second half of the 1890s. Among the high points of production in the silent era were the historical drama The Builder of the Temple and the erotic and social drama Erotikon, directed by Gustav Machatý. The early days of Czech talkies were productive, especially in conventional genres, with comedies by Martin Frič or Karel Lamač. There were then internationally sought after dramatic films.
Hermína Týrlová (December 11, 1900 in Březové Hory - May 3, 1993 in Zlín) was a prominent Czech animator, screenwriter, and film director. She was often called the mother of Czech animation. Throughout her career, she has produced more than 60 animated short films for children using puppets and stop motion techniques.
Before the German occupation, in 1933, filmmaker and animator Irena Dodalová created the first Czech animation studio "IRE Film" with her husband Karel Dodal.
After the period of Nazi occupation and the first official communist dramaturgy of socialist realism in cinema at the end of the 1940s and 1950s, with few exceptions such as Krakatit or Men Without Wings (awarded with the Palme d'Or in 1946), an era of animated Czech cinema began, represented in English-speaking countries under the name "The Fabulous World of Jules Verne" from 1958, which combined acting drama with animation, and Jiří Trnka, the founder of modern puppet cinema. This started a tradition of animated films (Mole, etc.).
In the 1960s, the hallmarks of Czechoslovak New Wave films were improvised dialogue, black and absurd humor and the occupation of non-actors. The directors try to preserve the natural atmosphere without refinement and the artificial arrangement of the scenes. A personality from the 1960s and early 1970s with an original script and psychological impact is František Vláčil. Another international author is Jan Švankmajer, a filmmaker and artist whose work spans various media. He calls himself a surrealist and is known for his animations and feature films.
The Barrandov Studios in Prague are the largest film studios with film locations in the country. Filmmakers have flocked to Prague to shoot locations no longer found in Berlin, Paris and Vienna. The city of Karlovy Vary was used as the location for the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale.
The Czech Lion is the highest Czech award for film achievement. The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is one of the film festivals that have received competitive status from the FIAPF. Other film festivals taking place in the country include Febiofest, Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival, One World Film Festival, Zlín Film Festival and Fresh Film Festival.
Media
Czech journalists and media enjoy a considerable degree of freedom. There are, however, some restrictions against writing in support of Nazism, racism, or violation of Czech law. The Czech press was ranked the 40th freest in the World Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders in 2021. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is also based in Prague.
The national public television service is Czech Television, which operates the 24-hour news channel ČT24 and the news website ct24.cz. In 2020, Czech Television is the most watched, followed by the private televisions TV Nova and Prima TV. However, TV Nova has the most watched main news and prime time programme. Other public services are Czech Radio and Czech News Agency.
The best-selling national newspapers in 2020/21 are Blesk (with an average of 703,000 daily readers), Mladá fronta DNES (with an average of 461,000 daily readers), Právo (with an average of 182,000 daily readers), Lidové noviny (with an average of 163,000 daily readers) and Hospodářské noviny (with an average of 162,000 daily readers).
The majority of Czechs (87%) read the news on the Internet, with Seznam.cz, iDNES.cz, Novinky.cz, iPrima.cz and Seznam Zprávy.cz being the most visited as of 2021.
Gastronomy
Czech cuisine is characterized by an emphasis on meat dishes with pork, veal, and chicken. Goose, duck, rabbit and venison are also served. Fish is less common, with the occasional exception of fresh trout and carp, which are served at Christmas.
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There is a wide range of local sausages, wurst, pates and smoked and cured meats. Czech desserts include a variety of cream, chocolate and fruit cakes and tarts, crepes, cream and cheese desserts, poppy seed fillings, and other types of traditional pastries such as buchty, koláče, and štrúdl.
Soup (polévka, colloquially polívka) plays an important role in Czech cuisine. The most common soups in Czech restaurants are beef, chicken or vegetable broth with noodles, which can be served with liver or nutmeg dumplings; garlic soup (česnečka) with croutons, which can be served with minced sausage, raw egg or cheese; and cabbage soup (zelňačka) made with sauerkraut, sometimes served with minced sausage. Kyselica is a Walloon variety and contains sour cream, bacon, potatoes, eggs, and sausage.
Drinks
The history of Czech beer stretches back over a millennium; the first recorded brewery dates from 993. Today, the Czech Republic is the country with the highest per capita beer consumption in the world. Pilsner-style beer (pils) originated in Plzeň, where the world's first 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 town of České Budějovice has also lent its name to its beer, known as Budweiser Budvar.
The South Moravian region has been producing wine since the Middle Ages; about 94% of the vineyards in the Czech Republic are from Moravia. In addition to beer, slivovitz and wine, the Czech Republic also produces two spirits, Fernet Stock and Becherovka. Kofola is a non-alcoholic national cola soft drink that competes with the foreign Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
Festivals and shows
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Cultural and social events regularly culminate in various festivals and shows. Major classical music festivals include the Prague Spring, Smetana's Litomyšl and Janáček's Hukvaldy. In the field of jazz, the Jazz Goes to Town in Hradec Králové, the Bohemia JazzFest that is held in several cities simultaneously and the Prague Proms stand out.
The biggest dance festival is Tanec Praha. In the visual arts, it's the Prague Biennale. A great tradition is the quadrennial festival of scenery in Prague. A very special artistic event is the Festival of the Light of the Signals.
One of the main theater events is the traditional Jirásek Hronov amateur theater festival. The Chrudim puppet festival is the oldest puppet festival in the world. Puppets are also the focus of Skupova Plzeň, while Czech puppets have been listed as UNESCO intangible heritage since 2016. Modern circus and acrobatics They are the center of Letní Letná. The festival at the Mezi ploty psychiatric hospital in Bohnice combines theater and music with charity. The biggest book events are the World of Books and the Prague Writers' Festival.
In the field of rock and pop music, the biggest festivals are Rock for People, Colors of Ostrava, Trutnov Open Air Festival, Benátská noc, Hrady CZ, Votvírák, United Islands of Prague, Sázavafest, Rock for Churchill, Footfest, Keltská noc and Mácháč. In the realm of rap and hip hop the biggest event is Hip Hop Kemp near Hradec Králové, the biggest metal festivals are Masters of Rock in Vizovice and Brutal Assault in Josefov, in the realm of dance music Beats for Love in Vítkovice, Let It Roll and Mighty Sounds.
The largest and most traditional film festival is the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The Febiofest tries to compete with it for its breadth. Other festivals focus on more limited genres: Zlín Film Festival focuses on children's cinema, AniFest on cartoon and puppet cinema, One World and Jihlava on documentary cinema, and Finale Plzeň exclusively shows films. check. The international television festival Zlatá Praha has a long tradition.
Traditional industrial fairs are the Brno Engineering Fair and the Země živitelka agricultural exhibition in České Budějovice.
The social and cultural events also include the delivery of various prizes. The most prestigious are the Czech Lion Award for filmmakers, the Thalia Awards for theater artists, the Anděl Awards for musicians, the Sportsman of the Year Award, and the Czech Head Award for scientists.
Sports
The most popular sports are ice hockey (in which the Czechs have been proclaimed world and Olympic champions on several occasions) and soccer (with two world subtitles and a European runner-up in 1996). The now-defunct Czechoslovakia won an Olympic title (Moscow 1980) and a European championship in 1976.
In tennis, the country has produced many world-class players, such as Ivan Lendl (who became an American citizen during the final stretch of his career), Karel Nováček, Petr Korda, Radek Štěpánek or Tomáš Berdych, who won the Davis Cup as much as Czechoslovakia as well as the Czech Republic. Besides, tennis players born in other countries such as Richard Krajicek or Vasek Pospisil have Czech origins. Martina Navrátilová, a naturalized American but who began her career competing as a Czechoslovak, Hana Mandlíková, Helena Suková, Jana Novotná, Petra Kvitová and Karolína Plíšková are the most outstanding tennis players the country has produced.
There are also many outstanding Czech javelin athletes, such as world record holders Jan Železný and Barbora Špotáková and other javelin throwers such as Jakub Vadlejch, Petr Frydrych or Vítězslav Veselý.
The Czech Republic has almost monopolized the decathlon in the last Olympics, with Roman Šebrle holding the world record.
It also stands out in other sports, such as women's basketball or handball.
Football
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The Czechoslovakia, and later the Czech Republic, national soccer team won two World Cup silver medals, in 1934 and 1962. In 1976, Czechoslovakia won the 1976 European Soccer Championship in Yugoslavia, but only seven of the 22 players on the list were Czech. The national team won silver in this tournament in 1996, and bronze in 1960, 1980, and 2004.[265] In 1980, the Czechoslovak Olympic team won the gold medal at the Moscow Summer Olympics.
Before World War II, AC Sparta Prague and SK Slavia Prague were among the best clubs in Europe. Sparta twice won the Central European Cup (1927, 1935), the most prestigious club competition at the time, while Slavia won it once (1938). After the creation of the European Cups, organized from the 1950s, Sparta won the European Cup in the 1950s. Dukla Prague (PMEZ semi-final 1966/67, PVP semi-final 1985/86), Sparta (PMEZ semi-final 1991/92, PVP semi-final 1972/73), Baník Ostrava (PVP semi-final 1978/79), Bohemians Prague (UEFA semi-final 1982/83) and Slavia (UEFA semi-final 1995/ 96). The quarterfinals were played by SK Hradec Králové, Zbrojovka Brno, TJ Vítkovice, Sigma Olomouc and Slovan Liberec.