The traditional English name "Bohemia" derives fromLatinBoiohaemum, which means "home of theBoii" (aGallic tribe). The current English name ultimately comes from the Czech wordČech.[20][21][22] The name comes from the Slavic tribe (Czech:Češi, Čechové) and, according to legend, their leaderČech, who brought them to Bohemia, to settle onŘíp Mountain. The etymology of the wordČech is uncertain, but according to the most common derivation can be traced back to theProto-Slavic root*čel-, meaning "member of the people; kinsman", thus making itcognate to the Czech wordčlověk (a person).[23][24][25][26]
The country has been traditionally divided into three lands, namelyBohemia (Čechy) in the west,Moravia (Morava) in the east, andCzech Silesia (Slezsko; the smaller, south-eastern part of historicalSilesia, most of which is located within modern Poland) in the northeast.[27] Known as thelands of the Bohemian Crown since the 14th century, a number of other names for the country have been used, includingCzech/Bohemian lands,Bohemian Crown,Czechia,[28] and thelands of the Crown ofSaint Wenceslaus. When the country regained its independence after the dissolution of theAustro-Hungarian empire in 1918, the new name ofCzechoslovakia was coined to reflect the union of the Czech and Slovak nations within one country.[29]
After Czechoslovakia dissolved on the last day of 1992,Česko was adopted as the Czech short name for the new state and theMinistry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic recommendedCzechia for the English-language equivalent.[30] This form was not widely adopted at the time, leading to the long nameCzech Republic being used in English in nearly all circumstances. The Czech governmentdirected use ofCzechia as the official English short name in 2016.[31] The short name has been listed by theUnited Nations[32] and is used by other organizations such as theEuropean Union,[33]NATO,[34] theCIA,[35]Google Maps,[36] and theEuropean Broadcasting Union.[37] In 2022, the AmericanAP Stylebook stated in its entry on the country that "both [Czechia and the Czech Republic] are acceptable. The shorter name Czechia is preferred by the Czech government. If using Czechia, clarify in the story that the country is more widely known in English as the Czech Republic."[38]
Left:Venus of Dolní Věstonice, dated to 29,000–25,000BCE, is the oldest ceramic figurine in the world.[39] Right: thestone head of a Celt is the most valuable Celtic sculpture in Europe and dates to the 3rd century BCE.[40]
Archaeologists have found evidence of prehistoric human settlements in the area, dating back to thePaleolithic era.[citation needed]
In theclassical era, as a result of the 3rd century BCCeltic migrations, Bohemia became associated with theBoii.[41] The Boii founded anoppidum near the site of modern Prague.[42] Later in the 1st century, the Germanic tribes of theMarcomanni andQuadi settled there.[43]
Slavs from theBlack Sea–Carpathian region settled in the area (their migration was pushed by an invasion of peoples fromSiberia and Eastern Europe into their area:[44]Huns,Avars,Bulgars andMagyars).[45] In the sixth century, the Huns had moved westwards into Bohemia, Moravia, and some of present-day Austria and Germany.[45]
During the 7th century, the Frankish merchantSamo, supporting the Slavs fighting against nearby settledAvars,[46] became the ruler of the first documented Slavic state in Central Europe,Samo's Empire. The principality ofGreat Moravia, controlled byMoymir dynasty, arose in the 8th century.[47] It reached its zenith in the 9th (during the reign ofSvatopluk I of Moravia), holding off the influence of the Franks. Great Moravia was Christianized, with a role being played by theByzantine mission ofCyril and Methodius. They codified theOld Church Slavonic language, the first literary and liturgical language of theSlavs, and theGlagolitic script.[48]
TheCrown of Bohemia within theHoly Roman Empire (1600). The Czech lands were part of the Empire in 1002–1806, and Prague was the imperial seat in 1346–1437 and 1583–1611.
Efforts for areform of the church in Bohemia started already in the late 14th century.Jan Hus' followers seceded from some practices of theRoman Church and in theHussite Wars (1419–1434) defeated five crusades organized against them bySigismund. During the next two centuries, 90% of the population in Bohemia and Moravia were consideredHussites. The pacifist thinkerPetr Chelčický inspired the movement of theMoravian Brethren (by the middle of the 15th century) that completely separated from the Roman Catholic Church.[54]
On 21 December 1421,Jan Žižka, a successful military commander and mercenary, led his group of forces in theBattle of Kutná Hora, resulting in a victory for the Hussites. He is honoured to this day as anational hero.
After 1526, Bohemia came increasingly underHabsburg 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 EmperorRudolf II and his court.
TheDefenestration of Prague and subsequent revolt against the Habsburgs in 1618 marked the start of theThirty Years' War. In 1620, the rebellion in Bohemia was crushed at theBattle of White Mountain and the ties between Bohemia and the Habsburgs' hereditary lands in Austria were strengthened. The leaders of theBohemian Revolt wereexecuted in 1621. The nobility and the middle class Protestants had to either convert to Catholicism or leave the country.[55]
The following era of 1620 to the late 18th century became known as the "Dark Age". During the Thirty Years' War, the population of theCzech lands declined by a third through the expulsion of Czech Protestants as well as due to the war, disease andfamine.[56] The Habsburgs prohibited all Christian confessions other thanCatholicism.[57] The flowering ofBaroque culture shows the ambiguity of this historical period.Ottoman Turks andTatars invaded Moravia in 1663.[58] In 1679–1680 the Czech lands faced theGreat Plague of Vienna and an uprising of serfs.[59]
There were peasant uprisings influenced by famine.[60]Serfdom was abolished between 1781 and 1848. Several battles of theNapoleonic Wars took place on the current territory of the Czech Republic.
The end of theHoly Roman Empire in 1806 led to degradation of the political status of Bohemia which lost its position of anelectorate of the Holy Roman Empire as well as its own political representation in theImperial Diet.[61] Bohemian lands became part of theAustrian Empire. During the 18th and 19th century theCzech National Revival began its rise, with the purpose to reviveCzech language, culture, and national identity. TheRevolution of 1848 in Prague, striving for liberal reforms and autonomy of the Bohemian Crown within the Austrian Empire, was suppressed.[62]
It seemed that some concessions would be made also to Bohemia, but in the end, the EmperorFranz Joseph I affected a compromise with Hungary only. TheAustro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 and the never realized coronation of Franz Joseph as King of Bohemia led to a disappointment of some Czech politicians.[62] The Bohemian Crown lands became part of the so-calledCisleithania.
The Czech Social Democratic and progressive politicians started the fight for universal suffrage. The first elections underuniversal male suffrage were held in 1907.[63]
TheFirst 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.[64] 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.[67] Czechoslovakia was the only country in Central and Eastern Europe to remain a liberal democracy throughout the entire interwar period.[68] Although the First Czechoslovak Republic was aunitary state, it provided certain rights to its minorities, the largest beingGermans (23.6% in 1921), Hungarians (5.6%) and Ukrainians (3.5%).[69]
Western Czechoslovakia wasoccupied by Nazi Germany, which placed most of the region into theProtectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. The Protectorate was proclaimed part of the Third Reich, and the president and prime minister were subordinated to Nazi Germany'sReichsprotektor.One Nazi concentration camp was located within the Czech territory atTerezín, north of Prague. The vast majority of the Protectorate's Jews were murdered inNazi-run concentration camps. The NaziGeneralplan Ost called for the extermination, expulsion,Germanization or enslavement of most or all Czechs for the purpose of providing moreliving space for the German people.[70] There wasCzechoslovak 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 thePrague uprising.[71] 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" confirmed by the Soviet Union, the United States, and Great Britain at thePotsdam Conference.[72]
In the1946 elections, theCommunist Party gained 38%[73] of the votes and became the largest party in the Czechoslovak parliament, formed a coalition with other parties, and consolidated power. Acoup d'état came in 1948 and a single-party government was formed. For thenext 41 years, the Czechoslovak Communist state conformed toEastern Bloc economic and political features.[74] ThePrague Spring political liberalization was stopped by the 1968Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia. Analysts believe that the invasion caused the communist movement to fracture, ultimately leading to the Revolutions of 1989.
Václav Havel, one of the most important figures in Czech history during the 20th century—leader of theVelvet Revolution, the last president ofCzechoslovakia and the first president of the Czech Republic
In November 1989, Czechoslovakia again became a liberal democracy through theVelvet Revolution. However, Slovak national aspirations strengthened (Hyphen War) and on 31 December 1992, thecountry peacefully split into the independentcountries of the Czech Republic andSlovakia. Both countries went through economic reforms andprivatizations, with the intention of creating amarket economy, as they have been trying to do since 1990, when Czechs and Slovaks still shared the common state. This process was largely successful; in 2006 the Czech Republic was recognized by the World Bank as a "developed country",[75] and in 2009 theHuman Development Index ranked it as a nation of "Very High Human Development".[76]
From 1991, the Czech Republic, originally as part of Czechoslovakia and since 1993 in its own right, has been a member of theVisegrád Group and from 1995, theOECD. The Czech Republic joinedNATO on 12 March 1999 and theEuropean Union on 1 May 2004. On 21 December 2007 the Czech Republic joined theSchengen Area.[77]
Until 2017, either the centre-leftCzech Social Democratic Party or the centre-rightCivic Democratic Party led the governments of the Czech Republic. In October 2017, the populist movementANO 2011, led by the country's second-richest man,Andrej Babiš, won theelections with three times more votes than its closest rival, the Civic Democrats.[78] In December 2017, Czech presidentMiloš Zeman appointed Andrej Babiš as the new prime minister.[79]
The Czech Republic lies mostly between latitudes48° and51° N and longitudes12° and19° E.
Bohemia, to the west, consists of a basin drained by theElbe (Czech:Labe) and theVltava rivers, surrounded by mostly low mountains, such as theKrkonoše range of theSudetes. The highest point in the country,Sněžka at 1,603 m (5,259 ft), is located here. Moravia, the eastern part of the country, is also hilly. It is drained mainly by theMorava River, but it also contains the source of theOder River (Czech:Odra).
Water from the Czech Republic flows to three different seas: theNorth Sea,Baltic Sea, andBlack Sea. The Czech Republic also leases theMoldauhafen, a 30,000-square-meter (7.4-acre)lot in the middle of theHamburg Docks, which was awarded to Czechoslovakia by Article 363 of theTreaty of Versailles, 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.
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).
The Czech Republic has a temperate climate, situated in the transition zone between theoceanic andcontinental 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.[85]
Temperatures vary depending on the elevation. In general, at higher altitudes, the temperatures decrease andprecipitation increases. The wettest area in the Czech Republic is found aroundBílý Potok inJizera Mountains and the driest region is theLouny District to the northwest ofPrague. Another factor is the distribution of the mountains.
At the highest peak ofSněžka (1,603 m or 5,259 ft), the average temperature is −0.4 °C (31 °F), whereas in the lowlands of theSouth Moravian Region, the average temperature is as high as 10 °C (50 °F). 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 issnow 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 20–30 °C (36–54 °F) 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 15 °C (59 °F) or 10 °C (50 °F) anddeciduous trees begin to shed their leaves. By the end of November, temperatures usually range around the freezing point.
The coldest temperature ever measured was inLitvínovice nearČeské Budějovice in 1929, at −42.2 °C (−44.0 °F) and the hottest measured, was at 40.4 °C (104.7 °F) inDobřichovice in 2012.[86]
Mostrain falls during the summer. Sporadic rainfall is throughout the year (in Prague, the average number of days per month experiencing at least 0.1 mm (0.0039 in) of rain varies from 12 in September and October to 16 in November) but concentrated rainfall (days with more than 10 mm (0.39 in) per day) are more frequent in the months of May to August (average around two such days per month).[87] Severethunderstorms, producing damaging straight-line winds,hail, and occasionaltornadoes occur, especially during the summer period.[88][89]
The Czech Republic is a pluralist multi-partyparliamentaryrepresentative democracy. TheParliament (Parlament České republiky) is bicameral, with theChamber of Deputies (Czech:Poslanecká sněmovna, 200 members) and theSenate (Czech:Senát, 81 members).[93] Themembers of the Chamber of Deputies are elected for a four-year term byproportional representation, with a 5%election threshold. There are 14 voting districts, identical to the country's administrative regions. The Chamber of Deputies, the successor to theCzech National Council, has the powers and responsibilities of the now defunct federal parliament of the former Czechoslovakia. The members of the Senate are elected in single-seatconstituencies by two-roundrunoff voting for a six-year term, with one-third elected every even year in the autumn. This arrangement is modeled on theU.S. Senate, but each constituency is roughly the same size and the voting system used is a two-round runoff.
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, thePresident 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 (Václav Havel andVáclav Klaus were both elected twice). Since 2013, the president has been elected directly.[94] 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 asemi-presidential one.[95] TheGovernment's exercise of executive power derives from theConstitution. The members of the government are thePrime Minister, Deputy prime ministers and other ministers. The Government is responsible to theChamber of Deputies.[96] ThePrime Minister 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.[97]
The Czech Republic is aunitary state,[98] with acivil law system based on the continental type, rooted in Germanic legal culture. The basis of the legal system is theConstitution of the Czech Republic adopted in 1993.[99] ThePenal Code is effective from 2010. A newCivil 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 atriumvirate of supreme courts. TheConstitutional Court consists of 15 constitutional judges and oversees violations of theConstitution by either the legislature or by thegovernment.[99] TheSupreme Court is formed of 67 judges and is the court of highest appeal for mostlegal cases heard in the Czech Republic. TheSupreme 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.[99] The Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court are both based inBrno, as is the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office.[99]
The Czech Republic has ties withSlovakia,Poland andHungary as a member of theVisegrád Group,[104] as well as with Germany,[105]Israel,[106] the United States[107] and theEuropean Union and itsmembers. After 2020, relations with Asian democratic states, such asTaiwan, are being strengthened.[108] Conversely, the Czech Republic has long had bad relations withRussia; from 2021, the Czech Republic appears on Russia's official list of enemy countries.[109] The Czech Republic also has problematic relations withChina.
TheCzech armed forces consist of theCzech Land Forces, theCzech Air Force and of specialized support units. The armed forces are managed by theMinistry of Defence. ThePresident of the Czech Republic isCommander-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 ofNATO since 12 March 1999. Defence spending is approximately 1.28% of the GDP (2021).[111] The armed forces are charged with protecting the Czech Republic and its allies, promoting global security interests, and contributing to NATO.
Human rights in the Czech Republic are guaranteed by theCharter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms andinternational treaties on human rights. Nevertheless, there were cases of human rights violations such as discrimination against Roma children,[113] for which theEuropean Commission asked the Czech Republic to provide an explanation,[114] or the illegal sterilization of Roma women,[115] for which the government apologized.[116]
Since 2000, the Czech Republic has been divided intothirteen regions (Czech:kraje, singularkraj) and the capital city ofPrague. 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-sixdistricts (okresy, singularokres) 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.[118]
The smallest administrative units areobce (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.
Map of the Czech Republic with traditional regions and current administrative regions
Real GDP per capita in the Czech Republic from 1973 to 2018The Czech Republic is part of theEuropean Single Market and theSchengen Area (dark and light blue on the map above), but uses its own currency, theCzech koruna.
Škoda Transportation is the fourth largesttram producer in the world; nearly one third of all trams in the world come from Czech factories.[139] The Czech Republic is also the world's largestvinyl records manufacturer, withGZ Media producing about 6 million pieces annually inLoděnice.[140]Česká zbrojovka is among the ten largestfirearms producers in the world and five who produce automatic weapons.[141]
Production of Czech electricity exceeds consumption by about 10TWh per year, the excess being exported.Nuclear power 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 isTemelín Nuclear Power Station, with another nuclear power plant inDukovany.
The Czech Republic is reducing its dependence on highly polluting low-gradebrown coal as a source of energy. Natural gas is purchased fromNorwegian companies and as liquefied gas LNG from theNetherlands andBelgium. In the past, three-quarters of gas supplies came fromRussia, but after the start of the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the government gradually stopped these supplies.[142] Gas consumption (approx. 100 TWh in 2003–2005) is almost double electricity consumption. South Moravia has smalloil and gas deposits.
As of 2020,[update] the road network in the Czech Republic is 55,768.3 kilometers (34,652.82 mi) long, out of which 1,276.4 km (793.1 mi) are motorways.[143] Thespeed limit is 50 km/h (31 mph) within towns, 90 km/h (56 mph) outside of towns and 130 km/h (81 mph) on motorways.[144]
The Czech Republic has one of thedensest rail networks in the world. As of 2020,[update] the country has 9,542 kilometers (5,929 mi) of lines. Of that number, 3,236 km (2,011 mi) is electrified, 7,503 km (4,662 mi) are single-line tracks and 2,040 km (1,270 mi) are double and multiple-line tracks.[145] The length of tracks is 15,360 km (9,540 mi), out of which 6,917 km (4,298 mi) is electrified.[146]
České dráhy (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 (99 mph).
Russia (via pipelines through Ukraine) and, to a lesser extent, Norway (via pipelines through Germany) supply the Czech Republic with liquid and natural gas.[150]
The Czech Republic ranks in the top 10 countries worldwide with the fastest average internet speed.[151] By the beginning of 2008, there were over 800 mostly localWISPs,[152][153] with about 350,000 subscribers in 2007. Plans based on eitherGPRS,EDGE,UMTS orCDMA2000 are being offered by all three mobile phone operators (T-Mobile,O2,Vodafone) and internet provider U:fon. Government-ownedČeský Telecom slowed down broadband penetration. At the beginning of 2004,local-loop unbundling began and alternative operators started to offerADSL and alsoSDSL. 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 nameTelefónica O2 Czech Republic. As of 2017[update], 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.
Twocomputer security companies,Avast andAVG, were founded in the Czech Republic. In 2016, Avast led byPavel Baudiš bought rival AVG forUS$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.[154][155] Avast is the leading provider of antivirus software, with a 20.5% market share.[156]
Prague is the fifth most visited city in Europe after London, Paris, Istanbul and Rome.[157] In 2001, the total earnings from tourism reached 118 billionCZK, making up 5.5% of the country'sGNP and 9% of its overall export earnings. The industry employs more than 110,000 people – over 1% of the population.[158]Guidebooks and tourists reporting overcharging by taxi drivers and pickpocketing problems talk mainly about Prague, though the situation has improved recently.[159][160] Since 2005, Prague's mayor,Pavel Bém, has worked to improve this reputation by cracking down on petty crime[160] and, aside from these problems, Prague is a "safe" city.[161] The Czech Republic's crime rate is described by the United States State department as "low".[162]
The Czech lands have a long and well-documented history of scientific innovation.[165][166] Today, the Czech Republic has a highly sophisticated, developed, high-performing, innovation-oriented scientific community supported by the government,[167] industry,[168] and leadinguniversities.[169] Czech scientists are embedded members of the global scientific community.[170] They contribute annually to multiple international academic journals and collaborate with their colleagues across boundaries and fields.[171][172][173][174] The Czech Republic was ranked 24th in theGlobal Innovation Index in 2020 and 2021, up from 26th in 2019.[175][176][177]
Historically, most scientific research was recorded in Latin, but from the 18th century onwards increasingly in German and Czech, archived in libraries supported and managed by religious groups and other denominations as evidenced by historical locations of international renown and heritage such as theStrahov Monastery and theClementinum inPrague. Increasingly, Czech scientists publish their work and that of their history in English.[188][189]
Thetotal fertility rate (TFR) in 2020 was estimated at 1.71 children per woman, which is below the replacement rate of 2.1.[190] The Czech Republic's population has an average age of 43.3 years.[191] The life expectancy in 2021 was estimated to be 79.5 years (76.55 years male, 82.61 years female).[192] About 77,000 people immigrate to the Czech Republic annually.[193]Vietnamese immigrants began settling in the country during the Communist period, when they were invited asguest workers by the Czechoslovak government.[194] In 2009, there were about 70,000 Vietnamese in the Czech Republic.[195] Most decide to stay in the country permanently.[196]
According to results of the 2021 census, the majority of the inhabitants of the Czech Republic areCzechs (57.3%), followed byMoravians (3.4%),Slovaks (0.9%),Ukrainians (0.7%),Viets (0.3%),Poles (0.3%),Russians (0.2%),Silesians (0.1%) andGermans (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%).[4] According to some estimates, there are about 250,000Romani people in the Czech Republic.[197][198] ThePolish minority resides mainly in theTrans-Olza region.[199]
There were 658,564 foreigners residing in the country in 2021,[200] according to theCzech Statistical Office, with the largest groups beingUkrainian (22%),Slovak (22%),Vietnamese (12%),Russian (7%) andGerman (4%). Most of the foreign population lives in Prague (37.3%) and Central Bohemia Region (13.2%).[201]
TheJewish population of Bohemia and Moravia, 118,000 according to the 1930 census, was nearly annihilated by the Nazi Germans duringthe Holocaust.[202] There were approximately 3,900 Jews in the Czech Republic in 2021.[203] The former Czech prime minister,Jan Fischer, is of Jewish faith.[204]
Nationality of residents, who answered the question in the Census 2021:[205][206]
About 75%[209] to 79%[210] of residents of the Czech Republic do not declare having any religion or faith in surveys, and the proportion of convincedatheists (30%) is the third highest in the world behind those ofChina (47%) andJapan (31%).[211][unreliable source?] TheCzech people have been historically characterized as "tolerant and even indifferent towards religion".[212] The religious identity of the country has changed drastically since the first half of the 20th century, when more than 90% ofCzechs were Christians.[213]
Christianization in the 9th and 10th centuries introducedChristianity. After theBohemian Reformation, most Czechs becamefollowers ofJan Hus,Petr Chelčický and other regionalProtestant Reformers.Taborites andUtraquists wereHussite groups. Towards the end of theHussite Wars, the Utraquists changed sides and allied with the Roman Catholic Church. Following the joint Utraquist—Roman Catholic victory, Utraquism was accepted as a distinct form of Christianity to be practiced inBohemia by the Roman Catholic Church while all remaining Hussite groups were prohibited. After theReformation, some Bohemians went with theteachings of Martin Luther, especiallySudeten Germans. In the wake of the Reformation, Utraquist Hussites took a renewed increasinglyanti-Catholic stance, while some of the defeated Hussite factions were revived. After theHabsburgs regained control of Bohemia, the whole population was forcibly converted to Roman Catholicism—even the Utraquist Hussites. Going forward, Czechs have become more wary and pessimistic of religion as such. A history of resistance to the Roman Catholic Church followed. It suffered a schism with the neo-HussiteCzechoslovak Hussite Church in 1920, lost the bulk of its adherents during the Communist era and continues to lose in the modern, ongoingsecularization. Protestantism never recovered after theCounter-Reformation was introduced by theAustrian 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,The Old New Synagogue and the second largest Synagogue in Europe, theGreat Synagogue (Plzeň). The Holocaust decimated Czech Jewry and the Jewish population as of 2021 is 3,900.[214]
According to the 2011 census, 34% of the population stated they had no religion, 10.3% were Roman Catholic, 0.8% wereProtestant (0.5%Czech Brethren and 0.4%Hussite),[215] and 9% followed other forms of religion both denominational or not (of which 863 people answered they arePagan). 45% of the population did not answer the question about religion.[208] From 1991 to 2001 and further to 2011 the adherence to Roman Catholicism decreased from 39% to 27% and then to 10%; Protestantism similarly declined from 3.7% to 2% and then to 0.8%.[216] The Muslim population is estimated to be 20,000 representing 0.2% of the population.[217]
In the first half of the 19th century,Josef Mánes joined the romantic movement. In the second half the so-called "National Theatre generation" rose to prominence: sculptorJosef Václav Myslbek and paintersMikoláš Aleš,Václav Brožík,Vojtěch Hynais andJulius Mařák. At the end of the century cameArt Nouveau, withAlfons Mucha becoming its main representative. He is known for his Art Nouveau posters and a cycle of 20 large canvases namedthe Slav Epic, which depicts the history of Czechs and otherSlavs. As of 2012[update], it can be seen in the Veletržní Palace of theNational Gallery in Prague, which manages the largest collection of art in the Czech Republic.Max Švabinský was another Art Nouveau painter.
The earliest preserved stone buildings in Bohemia and Moravia date back to the time of theChristianization in the 9th and 10th centuries. Since the Middle Ages, the Czech lands have been using the same architectural styles as most ofWestern and Central Europe. The oldest still standing churches were built in theRomanesque style. During the 13th century, it was replaced by theGothic style. In the 14th century, Emperor Charles IV invited architects from France and Germany,Matthias of Arras andPeter 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.
TheRenaissance 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 theQueen Anne's Summer Palace, which was situated in the garden ofPrague 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.[224] Emphasis was placed on comfort, and buildings that were built for entertainment purposes also appeared.[225]
In the 17th century, the Baroque style spread throughout the Crown of Bohemia.[226]
In the 18th century, Bohemia produced an architectural peculiarity – theBaroque Gothic style, a synthesis of the Gothic and Baroque styles.[224]
Czech artists developed adistinct cubist style in architecture and applied arts. It later evolved into national Czechoslovak style,rondocubism.
During the 19th century stands therevival architectural styles. Some churches were restored to their presumed medieval appearance and there were constructed buildings in theNeo-Romanesque,Neo-Gothic andNeo-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 theCubism of painting and sculpture into architecture.
Between World Wars I and II,Functionalism, with its sober, progressive forms, took over as the main architectural style.[224]
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 theBrussels 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 theDancing House (Tančící dům) in Prague,Golden Angel in Prague or Congress Centre in Zlín.[224]
The literature from the area of today's Czech Republic was mostly written in Czech, but also inLatin and German or evenOld Church Slavonic.Franz Kafka, although a competent user of Czech, wrote in his mother tongue, German.[227][228] His works includeThe Trial andThe Castle.
In the second half of the 13th century, the royal court in Prague became one of the centers of GermanMinnesang and courtly literature. The Czech German-language literature can be seen in the first half of the 20th century.
Bible translations played a role in the development of Czech literature. The oldest Czech translation of thePsalms 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. TheCodex Gigas from the 12th century is the largest extant medieval manuscript in the world.[229]
Czech-language literature can be divided into several periods: the Middle Ages; the Hussite period; theRenaissance 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 novelThe Good Soldier Švejk is the most translated Czech book in history.
The international literary award theFranz Kafka Prize is awarded in the Czech Republic.[230]
The Czech Republic has the densest network of libraries in Europe.[231]
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.[232]
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: "Lord, Have Mercy on Us" and thehymn "Saint Wenceslaus" or "Saint Wenceslaus Chorale".[233] The authorship of the anthem "Lord, Have Mercy on Us" is ascribed by some historians toSaint Adalbert of Prague (sv.Vojtěch), bishop ofPrague, living between 956 and 997.[234]
The wealth of musical culture lies in the classical music tradition during all historical periods, especially in theBaroque,Classicism, Romantic,modern classical music and in thetraditional folk music of Bohemia, Moravia andSilesia. Since the early era of artificial music, Czech musicians and composers have been influenced the folk music of the region and dance.
A music festival in the country isPrague Spring International Music Festival of classical music, a permanent showcase for performing artists, symphony orchestras and chamber music ensembles of the world.
The roots of Czech theatre can be found in the Middle Ages, especially in the cultural life of theGothic 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 calledLaterna magika, resulting in productions that combined theater, dance, and film in a poetic manner, considered the firstmultimedia art project in an international context.
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 dramaThe Builder of the Temple and the social and erotic dramaErotikon directed byGustav Machatý.[238] The early Czechsound film era was productive, above all in mainstream genres, with the comedies ofMartin Frič orKarel Lamač. There were dramatic movies sought internationally.[citation needed]
Hermína Týrlová 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.[citation needed]
Before the German occupation, in 1933, filmmaker and animatorIrena Dodalová [cs] established the first Czech animation studio "IRE Film" with her husband Karel Dodal.[citation needed]
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 asKrakatit orMen without wings (awarded byPalme 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, andJiří Trnka, the founder of the modern puppet film.[239] This began a tradition of animated films (Mole etc.).
In the 1960s, the hallmark ofCzechoslovak New Wave's films were improviseddialogues,black andabsurd 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 isFrantišek Vláčil. Another international author isJan Švankmajer, a filmmaker and artist whose work spans several media. He is a self-labeledsurrealist known for animations and features.[240]
TheBarrandov Studios in Prague are the largest film studios with film locations in the country.[241] Filmmakers have come toPrague to shoot scenery no longer found in Berlin, Paris and Vienna. The city ofKarlovy Vary was used as a location for the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale.[242]
Czech journalists and media enjoy a degree offreedom. There are restrictions against writing in support ofNazism, racism or violatingCzech law. The Czech press was ranked as the 40th most free press in the World Press Freedom Index byReporters Without Borders in 2021.[243]Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has its headquarters in Prague.
Czech Television is the country's national public television broadcaster. It operates a number of channels, includingČT1,ČT2, and the 24-hour news channelČT24, as well as the news websitect24.cz. As of 2020, it is the most watched broadcaster, followed by the privateTV Nova andPrima TV. However, TV Nova features the most watched mainnews program andprime time program.[244] Other public media services include theCzech Radio and theCzech News Agency.
The best-selling daily national newspapers in 2020/21 areBlesk (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) andHospodářské noviny (average 162,000 daily readers).[245]
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 freshtrout andcarp, which is served at Christmas.[249][250] One popular Czech menu item issmažený vepřový řízek (fried breaded pork filet), served with boiled potatoes.[251]
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 asbuchty,koláče andštrúdl.[252]
Czech beer has a history extending more than a millennium; the earliest known brewery existed in 993. Today, the Czech Republic has the highestbeer consumption per capita in the world. Thepilsner style beer (pils) originated inPlzeň, where the world's first blond lagerPilsner 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 ofČeské Budějovice has similarly lent its name to its beer, known asBudweiser Budvar.
The South Moravian region has been producingwine since the Middle Ages; about 94% ofvineyards in the Czech Republic are Moravian. Aside from beer,slivovitz and wine, the Czech Republic also produces twoliquors,Fernet Stock andBecherovka.Kofola is a non-alcoholic domesticcola soft drink which competes withCoca-Cola andPepsi.
TheŠkoda Motorsport is engaged incompetition racing since 1901 and has gained a number of titles with various vehicles around the world.MTX automobile company was formerly engaged in the manufacture ofracing andformula cars since 1969.[259]
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 theCzech Hiking Markers System oftrail 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.[260][261]
^Citizens belonging to minorities, which traditionally and on a long-term basis live within the territory of the Czech Republic, enjoy the right to use their language in communication with authorities and in courts of law (for the list of recognized minorities seeNational Minorities Policy of the Government of the Czech RepublicArchived 7 June 2012 at theWayback Machine, Belarusian and Vietnamese since 4 July 2013, seeČesko má nové oficiální národnostní menšiny. Vietnamce a BělorusyArchived 8 July 2013 at theWayback Machine). Article 25 of the CzechCharter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms ensures the right of the national and ethnic minorities to education and communication with the authorities in their own language. Act No. 500/2004 Coll. (The Administrative Rule) in its paragraph 16 (4) (Procedural Language) ensures that a citizen of the Czech Republic who belongs to a national or an ethnic minority, which traditionally and on a long-term basis lives within the territory of the Czech Republic, has the right to address an administrative agency and proceed before it in the language of the minority. If the administrative agency has no employee with knowledge of the language, the agency is bound to obtain a translator at the agency's own expense. According to Act No. 273/2001 (Concerning the Rights of Members of Minorities) paragraph 9 (The right to use language of a national minority in dealing with authorities and in front of the courts of law) the same also applies to members of national minorities in the courts of law.
^The Slovak language may be considered an official language in the Czech Republic under certain circumstances, as defined by several laws – e.g. law 500/2004, 337/1992. Source:http://portal.gov.czArchived 10 April 2005 at theWayback Machine. Cited: "Například Správní řád (zákon č. 500/2004 Sb.) stanovuje: "V řízení se jedná a písemnosti se vyhotovují v českém jazyce. Účastníci řízení mohou jednat a písemnosti mohou být předkládány i v jazyce slovenském ..." (§ 16, odstavec 1). Zákon o správě daní a poplatků (337/1992 Sb.) "Úřední jazyk: Před správcem daně se jedná v jazyce českém nebo slovenském. Veškerá písemná podání se předkládají v češtině nebo slovenštině ..." (§ 3, odstavec 1).http://portal.gov.cz
^Mlsna, Petr; Šlehofer, F.; Urban, D. (2010)."The Path of Czech Constitutionality"(PDF).1st edition (in Czech and English). Praha: Úřad Vlády České Republiky (The Office of the Government of the Czech Republic). pp. 10–11.Archived(PDF) from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved31 October 2012.
^Čumlivski, Denko (2012)."800 let Zlaté buly sicilské" (in Czech). National Archives of the Czech Republic (Národní Archiv České Republiky). Archived fromthe original on 28 November 2012. Retrieved31 October 2012.
^Dijk, Ruud van; Gray, William Glenn; Savranskaya, Svetlana; Suri, Jeremi; Zhai, Qiang (2013).Encyclopedia of the Cold War. Routledge. p. 76.ISBN978-1135923112.Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved13 December 2017.
^"The Cambridge economic history of Europe: The economic organization of early modern Europe". E. E. Rich, C. H. Wilson, M. M. Postan (1977). p.614.ISBN0-521-08710-4
^Hlavačka, Milan (2009). "Formování moderního českého národa 1815–1914".Historický Obzor (in Czech).20 (9/10): 195.
^Dijk, Ruud van; Gray, William Glenn; Savranskaya, Svetlana; Suri, Jeremi; Zhai, Qiang (2013).Encyclopedia of the Cold War. Routledge. p. 76.ISBN978-1135923112.Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved13 December 2017.
^Rothenbacher, Franz (2002).The European Population 1850–1945. Palgrave Macmillan, London. p. 145.ISBN978-1-349-65611-0.
^Brandmeir, Kathrin; Grimm, Michaela; Heise, Michael; Holzhausen, Arne."Allianz Global Wealth Report 2018"(PDF).Archived(PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved25 January 2021.
^Klicperová-Baker, M.; Hoskovcová, S.; Heller, D. (2020). "Psychology in the Czech lands: Bohemia, Czechoslovakia, and the Czech Republic".International Journal of Psychology.55 (2):133–143.doi:10.1002/ijop.12607.PMID31304980.S2CID196613980.
^"NÁBOŽENSKÁ VÍRA OBYVATEL PODLE VÝSLEDKŮ SČÍTÁNÍ LIDU". Czech Statistical Office. 27 February 2014.Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved27 December 2017.Chapter 1. "Změny struktury obyvatel podle náboženské víry v letech 1991, 2001 a 2011"; table "Struktura obyvatel podle náboženské víry (náboženského vyznání) v letech 1991 – 2011": believers 20,8%; non-believers 34,5%; no declared religion 44,7%
^"Czechia". World Jewish Congress. Retrieved16 May 2022.
^TheCzechoslovak Hussite Church contains mixed Protestant, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and national elements. Classifying it as either one is disputable. For more details and dispute about this, seeCzechoslovak Hussite Church.
^Kotalík, Jiří (2002).Architektura barokní (in Czech) (Deset století architektury ed.). Prague: Správa Pražského hradu a DaDa. p. 13.ISBN978-80-86161-38-9.
^The chronicles of Beneš Krabice of Veitmil – the hymn "Svatý Václave" mentioned there as old and well-known at the end of the 13th century[1]Archived 5 March 2012 at theWayback Machine
^Dějiny české hudby v obrazech (History of Czech music in pictures); in Czech
^"Czech Music". 27 June 2007.Archived from the original on 2 January 2016. Retrieved3 January 2016.
^Roberts, Andrew (2005)."řízek." From Good King Wenceslaus to the Good Soldier Švejk: A Dictionary of Czech Popular Culture. Budapest, Hungary: Central European University Press. p. 143.ISBN978-1-4237-3585-4.
Angi, János (1997). "A nyugati szláv államok" [Western Slavic states]. In Pósán, László; Papp, Imre; Bárány, Attila; Orosz, István; Angi, János (eds.).Európa a korai középkorban [Europe in the Early Middle Ages] (in Hungarian). Multiplex Media – Debrecen University Press. pp. 358–365.ISBN978-963-04-9196-9.
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