The Czech Republic is a Central European country, a member of the European Union, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the United Nations. It entertains diplomatic relations with 191 countries of the world, around half of which maintain a resident embassy in the Czech capital city, Prague.
Václav Havel was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until 1992, prior to the dissolution of Czechoslovakia on 31 December, before he became 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.
Věra Čáslavská was a Czechoslovak artistic gymnast and Czech sports official. She won a total of 22 international titles between 1959 and 1968 including seven Olympic gold medals, four world titles and eleven European championships. Čáslavská is the most decorated Czech gymnast in history and is one of only three female gymnasts, along with the Soviet Larisa Latynina and American Simone Biles, to win the all-around gold medal at two Olympics. She remains the only gymnast, male or female, to have won an Olympic gold medal in each individual event. She was also the first gymnast to achieve a perfect 10 at a major competition in the post-1952 era. She held the record for the most individual gold medals among all female athletes in Olympic history as well until it was surpassed by swimmer Katie Ledecky in 2024 after 56 years.
Wesley Kanne Clark is a retired United States Army officer. He graduated as valedictorian of the class of 1966 at West Point and was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford, where he obtained a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. He later graduated from the Command and General Staff College with a master's degree in military science. He commanded an infantry company in the Vietnam War, where he was shot four times and awarded a Silver Star for gallantry in combat. Clark served as the Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO from 1997 to 2000, commanding Operation Allied Force during the Kosovo War. He spent 34 years in the U.S. Army, receiving many military decorations, several honorary knighthoods, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Dominik Jaroslav Duka, O.P. is a Czech prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Prague from 2010 to 2022. He was made a cardinal in 2012.
Ken'ichiro Kobayashi is a Japanese conductor and composer. In Japan he is known among his fans as “Kobaken.”
Milan Kňažko is a Slovak actor and politician. He was one of the leading personalities of the Public against Violence movement in November 1989 and one of the most popular faces of the Velvet Revolution in Slovakia.
Relations between the Czech Republic and the United States were officially established in 1918, but has been cut throughout the history, exactly between 1948-1989 when the Czech Republic was under the soviet influence.
Markus Meckel is a German theologian and politician. He was the penultimate foreign minister of the GDR and a member of the German Bundestag.
Vladimír Válek is a Czech conductor.
Czech Republic–Russia relations are the bilateral foreign relations between the Czech Republic and the Russian Federation. Relations have substantially deteriorated in recent years due to events such as the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russian sabotage of Czech ammunition depot in Vrbětice in 2014, poisoning of Sergei Skripal in 2018 and Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The Hanno R. Ellenbogen Citizenship Award is a civil decoration given annually to honor individuals who have dedicated their lives to public service. It was established in 2000 by the Prague Society for International Cooperation and the Global Panel Foundation. It is named in honor of the Prague Society's President Marc S. Ellenbogen's mother who grew up in war torn Europe. The award comes with a 150,000 crown cash prize, which the award recipient passes on to a young person or institution in the public realm. For instance when the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra won the award in 2000, the cash prize was given to Lukas Vondracek, an aspiring musician at the time, who is now recognized worldwide.
The Czech Republic and Slovakia established diplomatic relations on January 1, 1993. The Czech Republic has an embassy in Bratislava. Slovakia has an embassy in Prague. Both countries are full members of the European Union and of NATO.
Relations between Israel and the Czech Republic, and its predecessor state Czechoslovakia, have varied widely over time.
Jiří Dienstbier was a Czech politician and journalist.
Yevgeniya Sergeyevna Chirikova is a Russian environmental activist, primarily known for opposing the building of a motorway through Khimki Forest near Moscow. She has also played a prominent role in the 2011–2013 Russian protests following disputed parliamentary elections in Russia. Chirikova has also been credited with "stimulating nationwide interest in political reform". She is currently based in Estonia.
Marc S. Ellenbogen is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist and a diplomat. He is Chairman of the Global Panel Foundation and president of the Prague Society for International Cooperation.
Jiří Šedivý is a Czech politician and diplomat.
Ivan Miloš Havel was a Czech scientist and philosopher. He was the brother of President Václav Havel, with whom he was one of the founders of the Civic Forum.
