Czech Republic - Tsjechië

Czech Republic, formally the Czech Republic, [1], [2] is a small country in Central Europe, located southeast of Germany and adjacent to Austria in the south, Poland in the north, and Slovakia, which it used to join together with a country called Czechoslovakia, in the southeast.

Info

History

In the Middle Ages, the two main parts of the Czech Republic, Bohemia and Moravia, were part of the Holy Roman Empire. The Kingdom of Bohemia was an important power, but religious conflicts such as the Hussite Wars in the 15th and the Thirty Years' War in the 17th century tore the empire apart. Later the area came under the control of the Habsburgs and became part of the great Austria-Hungary.

After World War I ended the existence of Austria-Hungary, the Czechs and the Slovaks banded together, and in 1918 established the independent republic of Czechoslovakia. A quarter of the population of the new republic - especially in the border areas of the present Czech lands - was German-speaking, they were generally referred to as Sudeten Germans. In 1918 they wanted to join Austria, but after the Treaty of Saint-Germain they finally joined Czechoslovakia. The subordination of this group of Germans by Czechoslovakia was the reason for Nazi Germany to annex this area after the Munich Agreement in 1938. Slovakia also decided to secede. The remaining area was occupied by Germany in 1939 (Protectorate Bohemia and Moravia).

After the liberation by American and Soviet armies in 1945, the Czech territory was in chaos; although the damage to buildings was not too bad, Nazi repression had increased sharply, especially in recent years. In accordance with the Košice program and the Beneš decrees of 1945, the Sudeten Germans and to a lesser extent the Hungarians were expelled from the restored Czechoslovakia. In particular, the expulsion of the German population in the present-day Czech lands was accompanied by much bloodshed, although after 1947 the deportations were less violent.

After the Second World War, the Czechoslovak state was fully restored and the country became increasingly part of the Eastern Bloc, partly due to the increasing influence of the communists since July 1945, especially in the Czech Republic. Czechoslovakia was a parliamentary democracy in the interwar period and until 1948. In 1948 a communist coup took place and the country became a communist dictatorship. In 1968 a short-lived liberalization of official socialism began during the so-called Prague Spring. Warsaw Pact troops put a bloody end to this. The Velvet Revolution (1989) ended the communist party's rule and restored democracy in Czechoslovakia.

On January 1, 1993, the Czech Republic also broke away from the abolished state of Czechoslovakia, after Slovakia had peacefully left the union with the Czech Republic. In 1999, the Czech Republic joined NATO and on May 1, 2004, the European Union; there was a more rapid strengthening of western influences and more far-reaching liberalization of the market system. In the first half of 2009, the Czech Republic held the presidency of the European Union for the first time.

Geography

The Czech Republic is located in Central Europe and is bordered to the west by Germany (810 km), to the north by Poland (762 km), to the east by Slovakia (252 km) and to the south by Austria (466 km). Historically, the country consists of three sub-regions; Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia. Most borders are formed by mountain ranges. Along the southwestern border of the country is the Bohemian Forest, in the northwest lies the Ore Mountains and in the north the Sudeten including the Giant Mountains. Moravia's eastern border with Slovakia consists of the Beskids and White Carpathians. Only the southern border with Lower Austria consists mainly of a river, the Thaya. The Bohemian-Moravian Plateau is located on the border between Bohemia and Moravia.

A number of major rivers have their source in the Czech Republic. The Elbe, for example, has its source in the Giant Mountains. Some other major rivers in Bohemia are the Vltava (Vltava), the Berounka and the Sázava. A major river in Moravia is the Morava, and the Oder also has its source there. For an overview of the rivers in the Czech Republic, see the list of rivers in the Czech Republic.

The lowest point in the Czech Republic with a height of 115 meters is Hřensko, where the Elbe leaves the country. The highest point is Snow Head. The 1602 meter high peak of this mountain is located in the Giant Mountains on the border of the Czech Republic and Poland. For an overview of the highest mountains in the Czech Republic, see the list of mountains in the Czech Republic.

climate

The climate of the Czech Republic belongs to the Central European type in which the climate from west to east takes on an increasingly continental character. Regions in the valleys of Bohemia have a low precipitation figure. Still other areas in Bohemia have a more unstable climate, which resembles the Dutch climate. The wind is less strong and there is a lot more snow. The average precipitation in the valleys is 450 to 650 mm per year and in the mountains 1000 to 2000 mm.

In winter there is regular snow in the mountain areas, in the lower areas snow and rain alternate. The average January temperature over the period 1961 to 1990 varies from about minus 6°C in the mountain areas to just below freezing in the large, lower-lying cities such as Prague. In the mountains, the snow usually remains until mid-spring. In this period the rivers are at their maximum height, because of the melting snow. In summer (especially July) temperatures can rise above 30 degrees. However, the average temperature in the mountains is only about 11 degrees, in the cities it is around 19. The average temperature usually dips back below the 10-degree limit in early October.

On the right are the climate diagrams of the Ruzyně district in Prague and the mountain Lysá hora in the northeast of the Czech Republic. It can be seen that the temperature on the mountain is lower than in the city, and that there is much more precipitation. More climate diagrams from other locations in the Czech Republic can be found in the Climate diagrams of the Czech Republic category on Wikimedia Commons.

Population

According to the Czech Statistical Office, the Czech Republic had a population of 10,349,372 on September 30, 2007. At the last census, the country had a population of 10,230,060 (2001). By far the largest part of the population (about 95%) belongs to the ethnic group of Czechs. The Moravians (3.8%) are usually also counted among the Czechs. The largest groups of minorities consist of Slovaks, Germans, Poles and Roma. According to the last census of 2001, there are 11,746 Roma living in the Czech Republic. The actual Roma population is probably much higher than the last census indicates. For various reasons (weak national consciousness, discrimination, identification as Czechs), many Roma state a different ethnicity from their actual ethnicity.

According to the CIA World Factbook, life expectancy at birth in the Czech Republic is 76.42 years. Life expectancy is higher for women than for men, 79.88 years compared to 73.14 years.

Religion

The Czech Republic seemed to have one of the most infidel populations in Europe. (Like what came from 2001 census). It seemed that way because they said it consciously because of communism. Many people were afraid of possible arrests. According to a recent survey in 2010, 70.6% of the population is Roman Catholic, 2.5% Protestant and 26.9% had another or no religion.

In 1950, 76.4% of the Czech population still adhered to the Catholic Church. A small proportion of Catholics belong to the Byzantine Apostolic Exarchate.

About 2.5% of Czechs are Protestant, of which almost half (about 100,000 inhabitants) adhere to the Czechoslovak Hussite Church. In 1950 this Church still had ten times the number of adherents.

The Czech Republic also has about 7000 Buddhists, 5000 Jews and 3700 Muslims.

In 2005, the European Union conducted a survey among the then 25 member states. It found that 30% of Czechs "don't think that any kind of god or spirit exists", 50% of the Czech population believes that "some kind of spirit or supernatural power exists" and 19% of the Czech Republic believes there is a god. The latter percentage was the second lowest in Europe at the time of the survey. Only in Estonia a smaller part of the population thinks that a god exists (16%).

The most famous church buildings in the Czech Republic are St. Vitus Cathedral and Týn Church in Prague, as well as the Pilgrim Church of St. John of Nepomuk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The most famous Jewish place of worship in the country is the Great Synagogue in Pilsen. The Josefov district has traditionally been the Jewish quarter of Prague.

Regions

The Czech Republic can be divided into roughly eight regions:

Towns

• Prague — the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic with a beautiful historic center
• brno — the largest city in Moravia; the Moto GP Grand Prix is ​​held here every year
• Cesky Krumlov — beautiful old town with an impressive castle
• Carlsbad — beautiful city on the banks, one of the most famous spas in the world
• Kutna Hora — medieval city with the famous St. Barbora Cathedral and old silver mines
• Olomouc — vibrant university town; the second largest historical center in the Czech Republic after Prague
• Ostrava — a largely industrial city, where the "Colours of Ostrava" world music festival takes place in summer; "Stodolni Street" is the biggest nightlife in the Czech Republic
• Pilsen — industrial city, birthplace of "Pilsner" beer (pilsner)
• phone — is known as the Venice of Moravia

Other destinations

• Bohemian Paradise — a region of towering rock formations and lonely castles northeast of Prague

Arrive

Passport and visa

Czech Republic belongs to the Schengen zone.

There are no border controls between countries that have signed and implemented the Schengen Agreements. These are the member states of the European Union (except Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania and the United Kingdom), Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. In addition, a visa issued for a member state of the Schengen zone is valid for all member states that have signed the treaties and have implemented. But beware: not all EU Member States have signed the Schengen Agreements, and there are also Member States of the Schengen Area that are not members of the European Union. This means that there may be customs checks but no immigration checks (if you are traveling within Schengen but to/from a non-EU country) or there may be immigration checks but no customs checks (if you are traveling within the EU but to/from a non-EU country). -Schengen country).

Airports in Europe are divided between "Schengen" and "no Schengen" sections, which correspond to the "domestic" and "foreign" sections in other countries. If you fly from outside Europe to a Schengen country and then travel on to another Schengen country, you can complete the customs and immigration checks in the first country and then proceed directly to the second country without any further checks. Traveling between a Schengen country and a non-Schengen country will result in the usual border controls. Please note that whether or not you travel within the Schengen zone, many airlines require you to always present a passport or identity card. Nationals of Member States of the European Union or of the EFTA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) only need to carry a valid passport or identity card to enter the Schengen zone — they never need a visa, no matter how long the visit takes. Nationals of other countries must carry a valid passport and, depending on nationality, need a visa.

Only nationals of the following non-EU/EFTA countries have no Visa required to enter the Schengen zone: Albania*, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina*, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chili, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Croatia, North Macedonia*, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro*, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, San Marino, Serbia*/**, Seychelles, Singapore, Taiwan*** (Republic of China), United States, Uruguay, Vatican CITY, Venezuela, South Korea, as well as persons with a British National (Overseas) passport, a Hong-Kong-SAR passport or a Macau-SAR passport.

Visitors to these visa-free countries are not allowed to stay longer than 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen zone as a whole, and in principle are not allowed to work during the stay (although there are some Schengen countries that allow nationals of certain nationalities to work — see below). The counter starts when you enter a member state of the Schengen zone and does not expire when you leave a certain Schengen country for another Schengen country or vice-versa. However, New Zealand nationals may stay longer than 90 days if they are only visiting certain Schengen countries - see [3] for an explanation from the New Zealand Government (in English).

If you are a non-EU/EFTA national (even from a visa-free country, with the exception of Andorra, Monaco or San Marino), make sure that your passport is stamped when entering and leaving the Schengen zone. Without a stamp upon entry, you can be treated as having exceeded the length of stay on departure; without a stamp on departure, you can be denied entry to the Schengen zone the next time because of exceeding the length of stay in a previous trip. If you can't get a stamp, keep documents such as boarding passes, transport tickets and receipts from ATMs, as they can help convince border police that you have stayed legally in the Schengen zone.

Be aware that:

(*) Nationals of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia require a biometric passport to benefit from visa-free travel;

(**) nationals of Serbia with passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate (residents of Kosovo with Serbian passports) must apply for a visa;

(***) Taiwanese nationals must have their ID number registered in their passport in order to enjoy visa-free travel.

By plane

From Schiphol is it possible to get to the capital in about an hour and a half Prague to fly. Prague is currently the only Czech destination to which Schiphol flies. However, if you want to go to Moravia, in the eastern part of the Czech Republic, it is absolutely not necessary to first fly to Prague and continue from there. From Eindhoven Airport do you fly directly to brno.

By train

Despite the rise of budget airlines, train travel can still be a cheap, fast and certainly more convenient option for transportation. Because train stations are often located in the city centres, the train on the medium distance (for example Enschede - Paris or Bruges - Wolfsburg) can compete very well with the plane.

Currently in Belgium and at the Deutsche Bahn online only to order tickets for the neighboring countries of Belgium, resp. Germany and a number of easily accessible cities further on. Other tickets can only be purchased by telephone or at the counter, or of course in the country concerned. The latter is often much cheaper. Also keep an eye out for the many Sparpreis offers at the Deutsche Bahn, which can be very advantageous for a travel route to or via Germany.

However, it is quite possible to train journey map out from home. The two sites listed immediately below provide information not only about journeys from the Benelux, but also about all train connections throughout Europe and in the Russian part of Asia, e.g. between Moscow and Madrid. It is about this the site of the Belgian railways and the Dutch site of the Deutsche Bahn.

NS Hispeed only offers information about travel between the Netherlands and a few large foreign cities. As a rule, this information is also limited to trains that run directly to or from abroad (i.e. no connections between Utrecht and Paris or between Rotterdam and Germany, because there is always a transfer within the Netherlands). To plan trips within the Netherlands, it is best this website use.

NS Hispeed sells online a small range of journeys departing from the Netherlands to other countries (one-way and return journeys), and a very limited number of routes from abroad to (other) foreign countries (one-way and return journeys). You can reserve other trips by telephone via the Telesales department (0900-9296, €0.35 p.m.) and at the counters in the Tickets and Service shops at the (medium) large stations. This is the online International counter of the Dutch railways.

Smoking is prohibited on the train in all European countries.

Budget tip for those with a lot of time: Take a ticket to the German border. The German Railways offer a 'Schönes Wochenende Ticket'. For €35, 5 people can travel through Germany all day long with the local trains.

It will take you a while, but it will cost you nothing. As an example, directly across the border in Germany starting at 05:00, you will be in Prague at 23:00. This was possible until June 2007. Nowadays you have to buy a new ticket at the Czech border. But more than € 35.00 you are not out.

By car

Driving through the Czech Republic by car is not much different than in the Netherlands and Flanders. The roads are of reasonable to very good quality. Today there are many road works to expand and improve the Czech road network.

Maximum speed (km/h)

Vehicle type	In residential area	Outside the built-up area	Motorways
Passenger car, motorcycle	50	90	130
Passenger car with trailer	50	80	80

• Motorways within the built-up area 80 km
• Minimum speed for highways is 50km
• A toll sticker is mandatory on motorways and motorways. The toll sticker must be affixed (seen from the inside) at the bottom right of the windscreen. The non-adhesive other part of the toll sticker must also be kept for inspections.

Traffic rules.

• Alcohol: 0.0%
• Equipment: Warning triangle, first-aid kit and mandatory
• Lighting: Low beam is during the day always obligated. When waiting for railway crossing only parking light
• Overnight stay: Overnight stay along the road is prohibited.
• Parking: Forbidden at white line along the road. And restrictions at yellow stripe.
• Turning: It is forbidden to turn at an intersection.
• Railway crossing: 50m before the crossing 30km, if a white light flashes 50km
• Winter: Winter tires from Nov 10 to Apr 30 mandatory on the D1 of Humpolec-Jihlava, use of winter tires elsewhere is recommended. It is mandatory to bring snow chains. Studded tires prohibited.

By bus

• The Eurolines company operates a daily bus line between Brussels and Prague

By boat

Travel around

Language

The Czech language is a West Slavic language. This one, like other Slavic languages, is very different from the Western European languages, making it not easy for the average tourist to learn. After you break the ice with dobrý den (hello), it is recommended that you try to switch to it English. Especially with younger Czechs, including students, you have a fair chance of getting along with English, especially in the tourist areas. However, be aware that there are not many Czechs who are really fluent in the English language. Even in Prague it can still be quite busy, so be prepared for the necessary hand and foot work.

It German is spoken less and less often, but in the tourist areas you should still be able to get by reasonably well. However, don't take it badly if the Czechs come across as grumpy when you speak German. They don't have a very good relationship with Germans. You shouldn't take that personally, but if you have the choice between approaching the Czechs in German or approaching English, then rather speak English.

To look at

To do

To buy

Cost

All in all, the Czech Republic is cheap, but there is a big difference between Prague and the rest of the country!

Tip: The Prague Casino hosts poker tournaments with rebuys for a whopping €5.00! A tip compared to Dutch prices.

Food

The Czech Republic is known for being a cheap country. It is. In smaller villages a glass of beer (standard 0.5 litre) costs a little more than €1.00, perhaps that's why the Czechs have the world record for drinking beer per capita, but it could also be that beer is more or less the first necessities of life are seen. Outside Prague, an average good quality main menu costs around €8.00: very cheap. Most employees eat at lunchtime in a company or regular restaurant that serves a very cheap oběd (lunch) for this purpose, with prices starting at around €3.00. Prague is slightly more expensive, but still much cheaper than the average Dutch or Belgian city.

Going out

The Czech Republic has a vibrant nightlife, especially in Prague there were many places, each with a cozy atmosphere. The Czech people like a drink and they don't look at fashion that way. There is hardly a dress code anywhere. Ostrava has with "Stodolni street" the largest entertainment area in the country.

stay overnight

To learn

To work

Safety

Health

respect

As already mentioned in the paragraph Language Czechs have a somewhat difficult relationship with Germans. If you have the choice between approaching the Czechs in German or approaching English, then rather speak English too. Furthermore, places like Karlovy Vary better known by the German name Carlsbad. For that reason, it is better not to use this name in the company of Czechs, but simply speak of Karlovy Vary.

Contact

This article incorporates information from the Czech Republic article on Wikipedia. See the page history there for the list of authors.

This article is still completely under construction . It contains a template, but not yet enough information to be useful to a traveler. Dive in and expand it!

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