The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The Czech Republic has a hilly landscape that covers an area of 78,871 square kilometers (30,452 sq mi) with a mostly temperate continental and oceanic climate. The capital and largest city is Prague; other major cities and urban areas include Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň and Liberec.
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate oceanic climate, with relatively warm summers and chilly winters.
Václav Havel was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and former dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia on 31 December 1992 and then as the first president of the Czech Republic from 1993 to 2003. He was the first democratically elected president of either country after the fall of communism. As a writer of Czech literature, he is known for his plays, essays, and memoirs.
The Czech Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in Prague. It belongs to the oldest and most important world orchestras and is appreciated for its specific warm tone. The main stage of the orchestra is the Rudolfinum concert hall.
Miloš Zeman is a Czech politician who served as the third president of the Czech Republic and eleventh president since the Czechoslovak declaration of independence from 2013 to 2023. He also previously served as the prime minister of the Czech Republic from 1998 to 2002. As leader of the Czech Social Democratic Party during the 1990s, he is credited with the revival of the party into one of the country's major political forces. Zeman briefly served as the President of the Chamber of Deputies from 1996 to 1998.
Mladá fronta Dnes, also known as MF DNES or simply Dnes (Today), is a daily newspaper in the Czech Republic. Its name could be translated into English as Youth Front Today. As of 2016, it is the second-largest Czech newspaper, after the Czech tabloid Blesk.
Blesk is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Prague, the Czech Republic. Its name translates as lightning.
Lidové noviny is a daily newspaper published in Prague, the Czech Republic. It is the oldest Czech daily still in print, and a newspaper of record. It is a national news daily covering political, economic, cultural and scientific affairs, mostly with a centre-right, conservative view. It often hosts commentaries and opinions of prominent personalities from the Czech Republic and from abroad.
The Czech Republic has offered registered partnerships for same-sex couples since 1 July 2006. Registered partnerships grant several of the rights of marriage, including inheritance, the right to declare a same-sex partner as next of kin, hospital visitation rights, jail and prison visitation rights, spousal privilege, and alimony rights, but do not allow joint adoption, widow's pension, or joint property rights. The registered partnership law was passed in March 2006 and went into effect on 1 July 2006. The country also grants unregistered cohabitation status to "persons living in a common household" that gives couples inheritance and succession rights in housing.
In August 2002, a week of intense rainfall produced flooding across a large portion of Europe. It reached the Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Ukraine and Russia. The event killed 232 people and left €27.7 billion (US$27.115 billion) in damage. The flood was of a magnitude expected to occur roughly once a century. Flood heights unknown since St. Mary Magdalene's flood were recorded.
The Club of Committed Non-Party Members is a small liberal party in the Czech Republic co-founded by Rudolf Battěk.
Jiří Gruša was a Czech poet, novelist, translator, diplomat and politician.
There are small number of resident Koreans in the Czech Republic, primarily citizens of South Korea.
The Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes is a Czech government agency and research institute. It was founded by the Czech government in 2007 and is situated at Siwiecova street, Prague-Žižkov.
Jaromír Drábek is a Czech politician, who served as the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs from July 2010 to October 2012. He was also the Deputy Leader of the TOP 09.
The VIZE 97 Prize is an international prize awarded to significant thinkers by the Dagmar and Václav Havel Foundation VIZE 97. Starting in 1999, it has been awarded annually to people who through their work "cross the traditional framework of scientific knowledge, contribute to the understanding of science as an integral part of general culture, and in an unconventional way deal with the fundamental questions of knowledge, being and human existence." The prize is awarded in Prague, Czech Republic, and the laureates receive the "crosier of St. Adalbert of Prague."
Bohuslav Svoboda is a Czech politician and physician who has been serving as the mayor of Prague since 16 February 2023. He previously served as the mayor of Prague from 30 November 2010 to 23 May 2013.
Events from the year 2017 in the Czech Republic
Eduard Zeman was a Czech politician. He served on the Czech National Council from 1992 to 1993, and its succeeding legislative body, the Chamber of Deputies, until 2006. From 1998 to 2002, Zeman was the minister of Education, Youth and Sports.
