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General information
The Czech Republic lies at the very heart of Europe, covering an
area of 78,864 square kilometres. It borders Slovakia to the East, Poland to the
North, Germany to the North and West and Austria to the South. In most of the
territory, the broad, flat mountain ranges of the Bohemian Massif and the
Carpathian Mountains provide the natural frontier of the country. The highest
peak of the Czech Republic, Sněžka (1602), is in the Giant Mountains where the River
Elbe also originates. Other major Czech rivers include the Vltava, Odra and
Morava. The Czech Republic is a fairly densely populated country with
approximately 10 million inhabitants.
History
At the territory of the Czech Republic we
can find remains of the Stone Age. A number of discoveries and excavations of
Celtic keeps prove the existence of a settlement in present-day Czech territory
already in this ancient time. One of the Celtic tribes – Boii – also attached
the Latin name “Bohemum – Bohemia” to the land. In about 6th century
AD, the Slavs settled here. At the turn of the 9th and 10th
centuries, an independent territory emerged in the present Czech land – The
Czech Principality, which became the sovereign Kingdom of Bohemia. The Premyslid
Dynasty headed this kingdom, which covered the area from the Baltic Sea up to the
Alps in the time of its greatest glory. The Premyslid Dynasty died in male tail
in early 14th century, but the most eminent monarchy Charles IV of Luxemburg,
Roman Emperor, was matrilateral from the Premyslid stock. The Premyslids
successfully fought for a prominent position in Central Europe against the Habsburgs
in their time, but the Czech Kingdom came under Habsburg rule in the 16th
century and they never regained their sovereignty. The Czech Kingdom became
part of the Habsburg Monarchy and the Czechoslovak Republic won its
independence in 1918, after World War I. Germany annexed the territory of Bohemia
and Moravia in 1939 and established the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. In
1945, Czechoslovakia regained democracy for a short time, but after World War
II, the political system was under the great influence of the Soviet Communist System
just as applied to other countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The
power structure was transformed and democracy was replaced by a Communist
dictatorship. This system prevailed for 40 years. Since February 1948, the
Communist party was the sole autonomous political party. The existence of some
other parties was otherwise admitted within the framework of the, so-called, National
Front; indeed, these political parties did not have real political power, but
only helped present Czechoslovakia as a democratic state on the international
front. After the revolutionary events of November 1989, which culminated in the
fall of the Communist regime, the country embarked on the road to recovery of the
democratic tradition and construction of a free market economy. Czechoslovakia was
divided into two independent states in December 1992 - the Czech Republic and
the Slovak Republic, which appeared on the map of Europe on 1st January
1993. The Constitution of the Czech Republic guarantees fundamental human rights
and freedoms and also defines the relations between legislative and executive
power and independence of the judiciary.
Czech Food and Drink
Although Czech cuisine is not the best choice for vegetarians,
everybody will most likely find at least a couple of meals "to die
for". This may be potato soup, traditional roast pork with dumplings and
sauerkraut, fruit filled dumplings, or apple strudel. Czech cooking and eating
habits have in general been shifting toward a healthier lifestyle, but
traditional Czech recipes are still extremely popular - and those tend to be
high in calories, fat and sugar.
A Czech meal often starts with soup
(polévka). Some popular Czech soups are:
- potato soup (bramborová polévka or bramboračka)
- garlic soup (česneková polévka or česnečka)
- chicken noodle soup (kuřecí polévka s nudlemi)
- beef soup with liver dumplings (hovězí polévka s játrovými knedlíčky)
- sauerkraut soup (zelná polévka or zelňačka)
- dill soup, made from sour milk (koprová polévka or koprovka)
 The
main course (hlavní chod) usually consists of meat (maso) and a side dish
(příloha). The most popular meats are chicken (kuře) and pork (vepřové), followed by beef
(hovězí), usually served with some kind of sauce (omáčka). Fish is not very
common although trout (pstruh) or cod (treska) are sometimes served. Salmon
(losos) and seafood (plody moře) are served in higher category restaurants. The
mackerel (makrela) is a popular fish to grill over open fire in summer. Carp
(kapr) is traditionally served on Christmas Eve.
The most common side dishes are:
- boiled potatoes (vařené brambory)
- roasted potatoes (opékané brambory)
- mashed potatoes (bramborová kaše)
- French fries (bramborové hranolky)
- rice (rýže)
- bread dumplings (houskové knedlíky) or potato dumplings
- (bramborové knedlíky) with sauce (omáčka)
- bread or potato dumplings with sauerkraut (zelí)
- potato salad (bramborový salát)
 Desserts (moučníky) come in many varieties
and tend to be heavy and fatty because butter (máslo) and whipped cream
(šlehačka) are often used. Some popular desserts are:
- typical Czech pies (koláče)
- pancakes (palačinky) filled with jam (džem) or strawberries (jahody)
- and whipped cream
- honey cake called Medovník
- blueberry dumplings (borůvkové knedlíky)
- strudel (jablečný závin)
- ice cream sundae (zmrzlinový pohár)
As far as drinks and beverages (nápoje) go,
a Czech meal is often accompanied by the national beverage, which is beer
(pivo). If you're not in the mood for beer, you can take mineral water
(minerálka), orange juice (pomerančový džus), apple juice (jablečný džus), or
soda (specify its name because soda in Czech means "soda water").
Czechs also like to drink tea (čaj) with sugar (cukr) and lemon (citrón), and
coffee (káva) with or without milk (mléko) or cream (smetana).
Encyclopaedia
If you are interested in some details, refer to the Wikipedia - Open Encyclopaedia About Czech Republic.
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