At the close of World War I, the Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar years, having rejected a federal system, the new country’s predominantly Czech leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the increasingly strident demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the Slovaks, the Sudeten Germans, and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). On the eve of World War II, Nazi Germany occupied the territory that today comprises Czechia, and Slovakia became an independent state allied with Germany. After the war, a reunited but truncated Czechoslovakia (less Ruthenia) fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country’s leaders to liberalize communist rule and create “socialism with a human face,” ushering in a period of repression known as “normalization.” The peaceful “Velvet Revolution” swept the Communist Party from power at the end of 1989 and inaugurated a return to democratic rule and a market economy. On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a nonviolent “velvet divorce” into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. The country changed its short-form name to Czechia in 2016.
Tourism Information...
www.czech.cz/en/Tourism
www.czechtourism.com
www.myczechrepublic.com
The Best of the Czech Republic...
Czechia's Most Popular Sights...
Here is a list of some of the most interesting and visited places. Cities or areas listed will always have more than just one thing see and do. With the popular cities or areas we list some of the best known, which should go on everyone’s, must see list when they visit.
Brno
Cesky Krumlov
Karlovy Vary
Olomouc
Ostrava
Pilsen
Prague
Charles Bridge
Lobkowicz Palace
New Town
Municipal House Hall
Powder Tower
Prague
Old Town
Square
Stare Mesto
Town Hall Clock
Spanish Synagogue
Petrin Hill
Prague Castle
St. Vitus Cathedral
Terezin
St. Barbara Cathedral -Kutna Hora
Regions of the Czech Republic …
Central Bohemian
Hradec Králové
Karlovy Vary
Liberec
Moravia-Silesia
Olomouc
Pardubice
Plzeň
Prague
South Bohemia
South Moravia
Ústi nad Labem
Vysocina
Zlin
Country Information...
Capital
Prague
Largest City
Prague
Government
parliamentary democracy
Currency
Czech crown (CZK) – “koruna”
Area
total: 78,866 km² ranked 116th water: 2%
Population
10,644,842 (July 2016 est.) ranked 87th
Language
Czech (official) 95.4%, Slovak 1.6%, other 3% (2011 census)
Regions of the Czech Republic …
