Checked content

Czech Republic

Related subjects: Europe; European Countries

About this schools Wikipedia selection


Czech Republic
Česká republika
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: " Pravda vítězí" ( Czech)
"Truth prevails"
Anthem:  Kde domov můj?  (Czech)
Where is my home? a
Location of the  Czech Republic  (dark green)

– in Europe  (green & dark grey)
– in the European Union  (green)  —  [Legend]

and largest city
Prague (Praha)
50°05′N 14°28′E
Official languages Czech
Officially recognized
minority languages
  • Slovak
  • German
  • Polish
  • Bulgarian
  • Croatian
  • Greek
  • Hungarian
  • Romani
  • Russian
  • Rusyn
  • Serbian
  • Ukrainian
Ethnic groups (2011)
  • 63.7% Czechs
  • 4.9% Moravians
  • 1.4% Slovaks
  • 29.9% others / unspecified
Demonym Czech
Government Parliamentary republic
 -  President Miloš Zeman
 -  Prime Minister Petr Nečas
Legislature Parliament
 -  Upper house Senate
 -  Lower house Chamber of Deputies
 -  Principality of Bohemia c. 870 
 -  Kingdom of Bohemia 1198 
 -  Czechoslovakia 28 October 1918 
 -  Czech Socialist Republic 1 January 1969 
 -  Czech Republic 1 January 1993 
 -  Total 78,866 km2 ( 116th)
30,450 sq mi 
 -  Water (%) 2
 -  Sep 2012 estimate 10,513,209 ( 81st)
 -  2011 census 10,436,560
 -  Density 134/km2 ( 84th)
341/sq mi
GDP ( PPP) 2012 estimate
 -  Total $286.952 billion
 -  Per capita $27,190
GDP (nominal) 2012 estimate
 -  Total $196.072 billion
 -  Per capita $18,579
Gini (2008) 26
low · 4th
HDI (2013) Increase 0.873
very high · 28th
Currency Czech koruna ( CZK)
Time zone CET ( UTC+1)
 -  Summer ( DST) CEST ( UTC+2)
Drives on the right
Calling code +420b
ISO 3166 code CZ
Internet TLD .czc
b. Code 42 was shared with Slovakia until 1997.

The Czech Republic ( / ˈ ɛ k / CHEK; Czech: Česká republika, pronounced  [ˈtʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka], short form Česko Czech pronunciation:  [ˈtʃɛsko]), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Germany to the west, Austria to the south, Slovakia to the east and Poland to the north. Its capital and largest city, with 1.3 million inhabitants, is Prague. The Czech Republic includes the historical territories of Bohemia and Moravia and a small part of Silesia.






The country has been traditionally divided into lands, namely Bohemia proper (Čechy) in the west, Moravia (Morava) in the southeast, and Czech Silesia (Slezsko; the smaller, south-eastern part of historical Silesia, most of which is located within modern Poland) in the northeast. Known officially as the "Crown of the Kingdom of Bohemia" since the 14th century, a number of other names for the country have been used, including the Lands of the Bohemian Crown, Czech/Bohemian lands, Bohemian Crown, and the Lands of the Crown of Saint Wenceslas. When the country regained its independence after the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian empire in 1918, the new name of Czechoslovakia was coined to reflect the union of the Czech and Slovak nations within the one country.

Following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the Czech part of the former nation found itself without a common single-word name in English. In 1993, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggested the name Czechia / ˈ ɛ k i ə / (Česko Czech pronunciation:  [ˈtʃɛsko] in Czech) as an official alternative in all situations other than formal official documents and the full names of government institutions; however, this has not become widespread in English.



Great Moravia during the reign of Svatopluk I


Czech lion with a double tail from the Small coat of arms first time appeared in the 13th century

Slavic people from the Black Sea- Carpathian region settled in the area (a movement that was also stimulated by the onslaught of peoples from Siberia and Eastern Europe: Huns, Avars, Bulgars and Magyars). In the sixth century they moved southwards into Bohemia, Moravia and some of present day Austria. During the 7th century, the Frankish merchant Samo, supporting the Slavs fighting their Avar rulers, became the ruler of the first known Slav state in Central Europe. The Moravian principality arose in the 8th century and reached its zenith in the 9th, when it held off the influence of the Franks and won the protection of the Pope.


Přemysl Ottokar II, (c. 1233–1278), King of Bohemia and ruler of Austria, Styria, Carinthia and Carniola

The Duchy of Bohemia emerged in the late 9th century, when it was unified by the Přemyslid dynasty. In 10th century Boleslaus I, Duke of Bohemia conquered Moravia, Silesia and expanded farther to the east. The Kingdom of Bohemia was, as the only kingdom in the Holy Roman Empire, a significant regional power during the Middle Ages. It was part of the Empire from 1002 till 1806, with the exception of the years 1440–1526. In 1212, King Přemysl Ottokar I (bearing the title "king" since 1198) extracted the Golden Bull of Sicily (a formal edict) from the emperor, confirming Ottokar and his descendants' royal status; the Duchy of Bohemia was raised to a Kingdom. The bull declared that the Czech king would be exempt from all future obligations to the Holy Roman Empire except for participation in imperial councils. German immigrants settled in the Bohemian periphery in 13th century. Germans populated towns and mining districts and, in some cases, formed German colonies in the interior of Bohemia. In 1235, the Mongols launched an invasion of Europe. After the Battle of Legnica, the Mongols carried their raids into Moravia, but were beaten by the Czech royal army in the battle of Olomouc, where Genghis Khan's grandson Baidar was killed. The Mongols subsequently invaded and defeated Hungary.


Charles IV, 1316–78, eleventh king of Bohemia, elected as the Největší Čech (Greatest Czech) of all time.

The 14th century, in particular, the reign of the Czech king Charles IV (1316–1378), who also became the King of Italy, King of the Romans and Holy Roman Emperor, is considered the Golden Age of Czech history. Of particular significance was the founding of Charles University in Prague in 1348, Charles Bridge, Charles Square. Much of Prague Castle and the cathedral of Saint Vitus were completed during his reign. He unified Brandenburg (until 1415), Lusatia (until 1635), and Silesia (until 1742) under the Czech crown. The Black Death, which had raged in Europe from 1347 to 1352, decimated the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1380, killing about 10% of the population.

Czech lands during the reign of Charles IV.

In the 15th century, the religious and social reformer Jan Hus formed a movement later named after him. Although Hus was named a heretic and burnt in Constance in 1415, his followers seceded from the Catholic Church and in the Hussite Wars (1419–1434) defeated five crusades organized against them by the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund. Petr Chelčický continued with the Czech Hussite Reformation movement. During the next two centuries, 90% of the inhabitants became adherents of the Hussite Christian movement.


The following period, from 1620 to the late 18th century, has colloquially often been called the "Dark Age". The population of the Czech lands declined by a third through war, disease, famine and the expulsion of Protestant Czechs. The Habsburgs banned all religions other than Catholicism. Ottoman Turks and Tatars invaded Moravia in 1663. In 1679–1680 the Czech lands faced a devastating plague and an uprising of serfs.


After the fall of the Holy Roman Empire, Bohemia became part of the Austrian Empire and later of Austria–Hungary. Serfdom was not completely abolished until 1848. After the Revolutions of 1848, Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria instituted an absolute monarchy in an effort to balance competing ethnic interests in the empire.

Czechoslovak troops in Vladivostok, Siberia (1918).


An estimated 1.4 million Czech soldiers fought in World War I, of whom some 150,000 died. More than 90,000 Czech volunteers formed the Czechoslovak Legions in France, Italy and Russia, where they fought against the Central Powers and later against Bolshevik troops. Following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I, the independent republic of Czechoslovakia was created in 1918. This new country incorporated the Bohemian Crown (Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia) and parts of the Kingdom of Hungary (Slovakia and the Carpathian Ruthenia) with significant German, Hungarian, Polish and Ruthenian speaking minorities.

Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, first president of Czechoslovakia.

Although Czechoslovakia was a unitary state, it provided what were at the time rather extensive rights to its minorities and remained the only democracy in this part of Europe in the interwar period. The effects of the Great Depression including high unemployment and massive propaganda from Nazi Germany, however, resulted in discontent and strong support among ethnic Germans for a break from Czechoslovakia. Adolf Hitler took advantage of this opportunity and, using Konrad Henlein's separatist Sudeten German Party, gained the largely German speaking Sudetenland (and its substantial Maginot Line-like border fortifications) through the 1938 Munich Agreement (signed by Nazi Germany, France, Britain and Italy), despite the mobilization of 1.2 million-strong Czechoslovak army and the Franco-Czech military alliance. Poland annexed the Zaolzie area around Český Těšín. Hungary gained parts of Slovakia and the Subcarpathian Rus as a result of the First Vienna Award in November 1938.


The remaining Czech territory was occupied by Germany, which transformed it into the so-called Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. The protectorate was proclaimed part of the Third Reich, and the president and prime minister were subordinate to the Nazi Germany's Reichsprotektor ("imperial protector"). Subcarpathian Rus declared independence as the Republic of Carpatho-Ukraine on 15 March 1939 but was invaded by Hungary the same day and formally annexed the next day. Approximately 345,000 Czechoslovak citizens, including 277,000 Jews, were killed or executed while hundreds of thousands of others were sent to prisons and concentration camps or used as forced labour. Perhaps two–thirds of the Czech nation was destined either for extermination or removal. A Nazi German concentration camp existed at Terezín, north of Prague.

A memorial to 82 Lidice children murdered by the Nazi Germans in Chelmno.



Czechoslovakia uneasily tried to play the role of a "bridge" between the West and East. However, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia rapidly increased in popularity, with a general disillusionment with the West, because of the pre-war Munich Agreement, and a favourable popular attitude towards the Soviet Union, because of the Soviets' role in liberating Czechoslovakia from German rule. In the 1946 elections, the Communists gained 38% of the votes and became the largest party in the Czechoslovak parliament. They formed a coalition government with other parties of the National Front and moved quickly to consolidate power. The decisive step took place in February 1948, during a series of events characterized by Communists as a "revolution" and by anti-Communists as a "takeover", the Communist People's Militias secured control of key locations in Prague, and a new all-Communist government was formed.


The Czech Republic became a member of the European Union in 2004, signed the Lisbon Treaty in 2007 and ratified it in 2009 as the last EU member.


Velvet revolution and independence

In November 1989, Czechoslovakia returned to a liberal democracy through the peaceful " Velvet Revolution". However, Slovak national aspirations strengthened and on 1 January 1993, the country peacefully split into the independent Czech Republic and Slovakia. Both countries went through economic reforms and privatisations, with the intention of creating a capitalist economy. This process was largely successful; in 2006 the Czech Republic was recognised by the World Bank as a "developed country", and in 2009 the Human Development Index ranked it as a nation of "Very High Human Development".

From 1991, the Czech Republic, originally as part of Czechoslovakia and since 1993 in its own right, has been a member of the Visegrád Group and from 1995, the OECD. The Czech Republic joined NATO on 12 March 1999 and the European Union on 1 May 2004. It held the Presidency of the European Union for the first half of 2009.


Václav Havel, the first President of the Czech Republic


The President of the Czech Republic was being selected by a joint session of the parliament for a five-year term, with no more than two consecutive terms. This system was practised between years 1993–2012. Since 2013 the presidential election is direct. The president is a formal head of state with limited specific powers, most importantly to return bills to the parliament, nominate constitutional court judges for the Senate's approval and dissolve the parliament under certain special and unusual circumstances. He also appoints the prime minister, as well the other members of the cabinet on a proposal by the prime minister. From 2013 on, the president is elected by the public, not the parliament. Miloš Zeman was the first directly elected Czech President.




Foreign relations

Membership in the European Union is central in Czech Republic's foreign policy. The Czech Republic held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first half of 2009.


Czech soldier in Afghanistan


The Czech armed forces consist of the Army, Air Force and of specialized support units. The president of the Czech Republic, is Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. In 2004 the army transformed itself into a fully professional organization and compulsory military service was abolished. The country has been a member of NATO since 12 March 1999. Defense spending is around 1.8% of the GDP (2006). Currently, as a member of NATO, the Czech military are participating in ISAF and KFOR operations and have soldiers in Afghanistan and Kosovo. Main equipment includes: multi-role fighters JAS-39 Gripen, combat aircraft Aero L-159 Alca, attack helicopters Mi-24, armored vehicles Pandur II, OT-64, OT-90, BVP-2 and Czech modernized tanks T-72 (T-72M4CZ).

Administrative divisions



Map of the Czech Republic with traditional regions and current administrative regions
Map with districts.
( Lic. plate) Region Administrative seat Population (2004 est.) Population (2010 est.)
A Praha CoA CZ small.svg Prague, the Capital City (Hlavní město Praha) 1,170,571 1,251,072
S Central Bohemian Region CoA CZ.svg  Central Bohemian Region (Středočeský kraj) offices located in Prague (Praha) 1,144,071 1,256,850
C South Bohemian Region CoA CZ.svg  South Bohemian Region (Jihočeský kraj) České Budějovice 625,712 637,723
P Plzen Region CoA CZ.svg  Plzeň Region (Plzeňský kraj) Plzeň 549,618 571,831
K Karlovy Vary Region CoA CZ.svg  Karlovy Vary Region (Karlovarský kraj) Karlovy Vary 304,588 307,380
U Usti nad Labem Region CoA CZ.svg  Ústí nad Labem Region (Ústecký kraj) Ústí nad Labem 822,133 835,814
L Liberec Region CoA CZ.svg  Liberec Region (Liberecký kraj) Liberec 427,563 439,458
H Hradec Kralove Region CoA CZ.svg  Hradec Králové Region (Královéhradecký kraj) Hradec Králové 547,296 554,370
E Pardubice Region CoA CZ.svg  Pardubice Region (Pardubický kraj) Pardubice 505,285 516,777
M Olomouc Region CoA CZ.svg  Olomouc Region (Olomoucký kraj) Olomouc 635,126 641,555
T Moravian-Silesian Region CoA CZ.svg  Moravian-Silesian Region (Moravskoslezský kraj) Ostrava 1,257,554 1,244,837
B South Moravian Region CoA CZ.svg  South Moravian Region (Jihomoravský kraj) Brno 1,123,201 1,152,819
Z Zlin Region CoA CZ.svg  Zlín Region (Zlínský kraj) Zlín 590,706 590,527
J Vysocina Region CoA CZ.svg  Vysočina Region (Kraj Vysočina) Jihlava 517,153 514,805


Satellite image of the Czech Republic
Czech Switzerland is one of four Czech national parks







Šance Dam, part of the Moravian-Silesian Beskids



Rolling hills of Králický Sněžník



The warmest month of the year is July, followed by August and June. On average, summer temperatures are about 20 °C higher than during winter. Temperatures above 30 °C (86 °F) are not unusual. Summer is also characterized by rain and storms.



Dukovany Nuclear Power Station



Graphical depiction of The Czech Republic's product exports in 28 colour-coded categories.
Headquarters of the Czech National Bank in Prague
Škoda Auto is one of the largest car manufacturers in Central Europe. In 2012, sold a record number of 949,000 cars and said it aimed to double sales by 2018


Most of the economy has been privatised, including the banks and telecommunications. The current centre-right government plans to continue with privatisation, including the energy industry and the Prague airport. It has recently agreed to the sale of a 7% stake in the energy producer, CEZ Group, with the sale of the Budějovický Budvar brewery also mooted. A 2009 survey in cooperation with the Czech Economic Association found that the majority of Czech economists favour continued liberalization in most sectors of the economy.

The country is part of the Schengen Area from 1 May 2004, having abolished border controls, completely opening its borders with all of its neighbours, Germany, Austria, Poland and Slovakia, on 21 December 2007. The Czech Republic became a member of the World Trade Organisation.

The last Czech government led by social democrats had expressed a desire to adopt the euro in 2010, but the current centre-right government suspended that plan in 2007. An exact date has not been set up, but the Finance Ministry described adoption by 2012 as realistic, if public finance reform passes. However, the most recent draft of the euro adoption plan omits giving any date. Although the country is economically better positioned than other EU Members to adopt the euro, the change is not expected before 2019, due to political reluctance on the matter.

The Programme for International Student Assessment, coordinated by the OECD, currently ranks the Czech education system as the 15th best in the world, higher than the OECD average. The Czech Republic is ranked 30th in the 2012 Index of Economic Freedom.

Transportation infrastructure

Double deck trains called CityElefant made by Škoda Works operate near larger cities
Václav Havel Airport Prague

Václav Havel Airport in Prague is the main international airport in the country. In 2010, it handled 11.6 million passengers, which makes it the busiest airport in Central and Eastern Europe. In total, Czech Republic has 46 airports with paved runways, six of which provide international air services in Brno, Karlovy Vary, Mošnov (near Ostrava), Pardubice, Prague and Kunovice (near Uherské Hradiště).

Expressway R1 bypassing Prague

České dráhy (the Czech railways) is the main railway operator in the Czech Republic, with about 180 million passengers carried yearly. Its cargo division, ČD Cargo, is the fifth largest railway cargo operator in the European Union. With 9,505 km (5,906.13 mi) of tracks, the Czech Republic has one of the densest railway networks in Europe. Of that number, 2,926 km (1,818.13 mi) is electrified, 7,617 km (4,732.98 mi) are single-line tracks and 1,866 km (1,159.48 mi) are double and multiple-line tracks. In 2006 the new Italian tilting trains Pendolino ČD Class 680 entered service. They have reached a speed of 237 km/h setting a new Czech railway speed record.

In 2005, according to the Czech Statistical Office, 65.4 percent of electricity was produced by steam, combined and combustion power plants (mostly coal); 30 percent in nuclear plants; and 4.6 percent from renewable sources, including hydropower. Russia, via pipelines through Ukraine and to a lesser extent, Norway, via pipelines through Germany, supply the Czech Republic with liquid and natural gas.

Electric multiple unit Pendolino at Prague main railway station


The road network in the Czech Republic is 55,653 km (34,581.17 mi) long. and 738,4 km of motorways and 439,1 km of expressways. The speed limit is 50 km/h within towns, 90 km/h outside of towns and 130 km/h on expressways.


The Czech Republic ranks in the top 10 countries worldwide with the fastest average internet speed. The Czech Republic has the most Wi-Fi subscribers in the European Union. By the beginning of 2008, there were over 800 mostly local WISPs, with about 350,000 subscribers in 2007. Plans based on either GPRS, EDGE, UMTS or CDMA2000 are being offered by all three mobile phone operators ( T-Mobile, Vodafone, Telefónica O2) and internet provider U:fon. Government-owned Český Telecom slowed down broadband penetration. At the beginning of 2004, local-loop unbundling began and alternative operators started to offer ADSL and also SDSL. This and later privatisation of Český Telecom helped drive down prices.

On 1 July 2006, Český Telecom was acquired by globalized company (Spain owned) Telefónica group and adopted new name Telefónica O2 Czech Republic. As of April 2012, VDSL and ADSL2+ are offered in many variants, without with speeds up to 25 Mbit/s. Cable internet is gaining popularity with its higher download speeds beginning at 2 Mbit/s up to 120 Mbit/s.


Academy of Sciences building in Prague

The Czech lands have a rich scientific tradition. Important inventions include the modern contact lens, the separation of modern blood types, and the production of the Semtex plastic explosive. Prominent scientists who lived and worked in historically Czech lands include:

  • John Amos Comenius (1592–1670), teacher, educator and the founder of modern education.
  • Václav Prokop Diviš (1698–1765), inventor of the first grounded lightning rod.
  • Bernard Bolzano (1781–1848), noted mathematician, logician, philosopher, and pacifist.
  • Jan Evangelista Purkyně (1787–1869), anatomist and physiologist responsible for the discovery of Purkinje cells, Purkinje fibres and sweat glands, as well as Purkinje images and the Purkinje shift.
  • Josef Ressel (1793–1857), inventor of the screw propeller and modern compass.
  • Jakub Kryštof Rad (1799–1871), inventor of the sugar cubes.
  • Gregor Mendel (1822–1884), often called the "father of genetics", is famed for his research concerning the inheritance of genetic traits.
  • Jakub Husník (1837–1916), inventor of the improved photolithography.
  • Karel Klíč (1841–1926), painter and photographer, inventor of the photogravure.
  • František Křižík (1847–1941), electrical engineer, inventor of the arc lamp.
  • Jan Janský (1873–1921), serologist and neurologist, discovered classification of blood into the four types.
  • Bedřich Hrozný (1879–1952), deciphered the Hittite language.
  • Josef Čapek (1887–1945) and Karel Čapek (1890–1938), brothers who originated the word robot.
  • František Burian and Arnold Jirásek, founded the first plastic surgery in 1927.
  • Jaroslav Heyrovský (1890–1967), inventor of the polarography, electroanalytical chemistry and recipient of the Nobel Prize.
  • Otto Wichterle (1913–1998) and Drahoslav Lím (1925–2003), Czech chemists responsible for the invention of the modern contact lens and silon ( Synthetic fibre).
  • Stanislav Brebera (1925–2012), inventor of the plastic explosive Semtex.
  • Oldřich Homuta, inventor of Remoska owen in 1957.
  • Ladislav Mareš, inventor of the first machine producing nanofibres, "Nanospider".
  • Antonín Holý (1936–2012), scientist and chemist, in 2009 was involved in creation of the most effective drug in the treatment of AIDS.

A number of other scientists are also connected in some way with the Czech Lands, including astronomers Johannes Kepler and Tycho Brahe, the founder of the psychoanalytic school of psychiatry Sigmund Freud, physicists Ernst Mach, Nikola Tesla, Albert Einstein, engineer Viktor Kaplan and logician Kurt Gödel.


Since the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, Prague has become one of the most visited cities in Europe

The Czech economy gets a substantial income from tourism. In 2011, Prague was the sixth most visited city in Europe. In 2001, the total earnings from tourism reached 118.13 billion CZK, making up 5.5% of GNP and 9.3% of overall export earnings. The industry employs more than 110,000 people – over 1% of the population. In 2008, however, there was a slump in tourist numbers in Prague, possibly due to the strong Czech koruna (crown) making the country too expensive for visitors, compared to the level of services that were available.

The country's reputation has also suffered with guidebooks and tourists reporting overcharging by taxi drivers and pickpocketing problems. Since 2005, Prague's mayor, Pavel Bém, has worked to improve this reputation by cracking down on petty crime and, aside from these problems, Prague is a safe city. Also, the Czech Republic as a whole generally has a low crime rate. For tourists, the Czech Republic is considered a safe destination to visit. The low crime rate makes most cities and towns safe to walk around even after dark.

There are several centres of tourist activity. The spa towns, such as Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně and Františkovy Lázně, are particularly popular holiday destinations. Other popular tourist sites are the many castles and chateaux, such as those at Karlštejn Castle, Český Krumlov and the Lednice–Valtice area. There are 15 churches elevated to the rank of basilica by the Pope. Away from the towns, areas such as Český ráj, Šumava and the Krkonoše Mountains attract visitors seeking outdoor pursuits.

The country is also famous for its love of puppetry and marionettes with a number of puppet festivals throughout the country.





Rank City Region Population Metropolitan area


1 Prague Prague, the Capital City 1,272,690 2,300,000
2 Brno South Moravian 378,965 729,510
3 Ostrava Moravian-Silesian 310 464 1,164,328
4 Plzeň Plzeň 172,932 380,000
5 Liberec Liberec 104,946 270,000
6 Olomouc Olomouc 102,004 480,000
7 Ústí nad Labem Ústí nad Labem 100,003 -
8 Hradec Králové Hradec Králové 94,242 -
9 České Budějovice South Bohemian 93,883 190,000
10 Pardubice Pardubice 91,073 -
11 Havířov Moravian-Silesian 82,679 -
12 Zlín Zlín 76,010 450 000
13 Kladno Central Bohemian 70,178 -
14 Most Ústí nad Labem 67,058 95,316
15 Karviná Moravian-Silesian 59,627 -
16 Opava Moravian-Silesian 58,643 -
17 Frýdek-Místek Moravian-Silesian 58,193 -
18 Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary 53,737 -
19 Jihlava Vysočina 50,760 -
20 Děčín Ústí nad Labem 50,620 -
Historical population
Year Pop.   ±%  
1857 7,016,531 —    
1869 7,617,230 +8.6%
1880 8,222,013 +7.9%
1890 8,665,421 +5.4%
1900 9,372,214 +8.2%
1910 10,078,637 +7.5%
1921 10,009,587 −0.7%
1930 10,674,386 +6.6%
1950 8,896,133 −16.7%
1961 9,571,531 +7.6%
1970 9,807,697 +2.5%
1980 10,291,927 +4.9%
1991 10,302,215 +0.1%
2001 10,230,060 −0.7%
2011 10,436,560 +2.0%


There were 436,116 foreigners residing in the country in October 2009, according to the Czech Interior Ministry, with the largest groups being Ukrainian (132,481), Slovak (75,210), Vietnamese (61,102), Russian (29,976), Polish (19,790), German (14,156), Moldovan (10,315), Bulgarian (6,346), Mongolian (5,924), American (5,803), Chinese (5,314), British (4,461), Belarusian (4,441), Serbian (4,098), Romanian (4,021), Kazakh (3,896), Austrian (3,114), Italian (2,580), Dutch (2,553), French (2,356), Croatian (2,351), Bosnian (2,240), Armenian (2,021), Uzbek (1,969), Macedonian (1,787) and Japanese (1,581).

A footpath on Wenceslas Square

The Jewish population of Bohemia and Moravia, 118,000 according to the 1930 census, was virtually annihilated by the Nazi Germans during the Holocaust. There were approximately 4,000 Jews in the Czech Republic in 2005. The former Czech prime minister, Jan Fischer, is of Jewish origin and faith.

Estimates of Czech fertility rate in 2012 are among the lowest in the world at 1.27 children per woman. Immigration increased the population by almost 1% in 2007. About 77,000 new foreigners settle down in the Czech Republic every year. Vietnamese immigrants began settling in the Czech Republic during the Communist period, when they were invited as guest workers by the Czechoslovak government. In 2009, there were about 70,000 Vietnamese in the Czech Republic. In contrast to Ukrainians, Vietnamese come to the Czech Republic to live permanently.

At the turn of the 20th century, Chicago was the city with the third largest Czech population, after Prague and Vienna. According to the 2006 US census, there are 1,637,218 Americans of full or partial Czech descent.


Religion in the Czech Republic (2011)
Roman Catholicism
Other religions

The Czech Republic has one of the least religious populations in the world. Historically, the Czech people have been characterised as "tolerant and even indifferent towards religion". According to the 2011 census, 34.2% of the population stated they had no religion, 10.3% was Roman Catholic, 0.8% was Protestant (0.5% Czech Brethren and 0.4% Hussite), and 9.4% followed other forms of religion both denominational or not (of which 863 people answered they are Pagan) 45.2% of the population did not answer the question about religion. From 1991 to 2001 and further to 2011 the adherence to Roman Catholicism decreased from 39.0 to 26.8 and then to 10.3; Protestantism similarly declined from 3.7% to 2.1% and then to 0.8%.

According to a Eurobarometer Poll in 2010, 16% of Czech citizens responded that "they believe there is a God" (the lowest rate among the countries of the European Union), whereas 44% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 37% said that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God or life force".


The Statue of famous composer Antonín Dvořák in Prague
The Barrande sign near Barrandov Studios
The Slav Epic from Alphonse Mucha (1912)


Music in the Czech Republic has its roots in more than 1,000 year old sacred music (the first surviving references come from the end of the 10th century), in the traditional folk music of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia and in the long-term high-culture classical music tradition. Since the early eras of artificial music, Czech musicians and composers have often been influenced by genuine folk music. Notable Czech composers include Antonín Dvořák, Bedřich Smetana, Gustav Mahler (he was born and grew up in the Czech lands), Adam Michna, Jan Dismas Zelenka, Josef Mysliveček, Leoš Janáček, Josef Suk, Bohuslav Martinů, Erwin Schulhoff and Petr Eben.


Czech literature is the literature written by Czechs, mostly in the Czech language, although other languages like Old Church Slavonic, Latin or German have been also used, especially in the past. Non-Czech inhabitants of the Czech lands who had written in German and other languages, such as Franz Kafka, are usually excluded from the corpus of Czech literature, regardless of their own national self-identification.







The Czech Republic is known worldwide for its individually made, mouth blown and decorated art glass and crystal. One of the best Czech painter and decorative artist was Alphonse Mucha (1860–1939) mainly known for art nouveau posters and his cycle of 20 large canvases named The Slav Epic, which depicts the history of Czechs and other Slavic peoples. The Slav Epic can be since 2012 seen in Veletržní Palace of National Gallery in Prague, which manages the largest collection of art in the Czech Republic.


Pilsner Urquell was the first " pilsner" type beer in the world and also the first lager
Svíčková na smetaně is a signature Czech dish, consisting of marinated beef with Czech dumplings (knedlíky)


Czech beer has a long and important history. The first brewery is known to have existed in 1118 and the Czech Republic has the highest beer consumption per capita in the world. The famous Pilsener style beer originated in the western Bohemian city of Plzeň, and further south the town of České Budějovice, known as Budweis in German, lent its name to its beer, eventually known as Budweiser Budvar. Apart from these and other major brands, the Czech Republic also boasts a growing number of top quality small breweries and mini-breweries seeking to continue the age-old tradition of quality and taste, whose output matches the best in the world: Štiřín, Chýně, Oslavany, Kácov. Tourism is slowly growing around the Southern Moravian region too, which has been producing wine since the Middle Ages; about 94% of vineyards in the Czech Republic are Moravian. Aside from Slivovitz, Czech beer and wine, the Czechs also produce two unique liquors, Fernet Stock and Becherovka. Kofola is a non-alcoholic domestic cola soft drink which competes with Coca Cola and Pepsi in popularity.

Unique Czech dishes include roast pork with bread dumplings and stewed cabbage Vepřo-knedlo-zelo, roast sirloin beef with steamed dumplings and cream-of-vegetable sauce Svíčková na smetaně, tomato sauce Rajská or dill sauce Koprovka, roast duck with bread or potato dumplings and braised red cabbage, a variety of beef and pork goulash stews Guláš, fried cheese Smažák or the famous potato pancakes Bramboráky, besides a large variety of delicate local sausages, wurst, pâtés and smoked meats and other traditional local foods. Czech desserts include a wide variety of whipped cream, chocolate and fruit pastries and tarts, crepes, creme desserts and cheese, poppy seed filled and other types of traditional cakes buchty and koláče.


Team Czech Republic beat Russia 1:0 at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano and won the gold medal.

Sports play a part in the life of many Czechs, who are generally loyal supporters of their favorite teams or individuals. The three leading sports in the Czech Republic are ice hockey, football and sport shooting, with the first two drawing the largest attention of both the media and supporters. Tennis is also a very popular sport in the Czech Republic. The many other sports with professional leagues and structures include basketball, volleyball, team handball, track and field athletics and floorball. The Czech ice hockey team won the gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics and has won six gold medals at the World Championships including three straight from 1999 to 2001. In total the country has won 14 gold medals in summer (plus 49 as Czechoslovakia) and five gold medals (plus two as Czechoslovakia) in winter Olympic history.


The Czech Republic also has great influence on tennis with such players as, Ivan Lendl, 8 times Grand Slam singles champion, 2010 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles finalist Tomáš Berdych, 2011 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles champion, Petra Kvitová, 1998 Wimbledon Women's Singles title Jana Novotná, 2011 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Doubles champion Květa Peschke and 18 time Grand Slam Champion Martina Navratilova.

Retrieved from ""