THE CZECH REPUBLIC

THE CZECH REPUBLIC AND ITS PLACES OF INTEREST

The Czech Republic is situated in the Central Europe. It is said that it lies exactly in the heart of Europe. The capital city of this inland country is Prague. Other major cities are Brno, Ostrava, Zlín, Plzeň, Hradec Králové.

In the 4th century BC Celtic tribes settled in the area (the Boii tribe gave the land its name: Bohemia). Later Germanic tribes and Slavic people came to the area. In the 7th century, the Frankish merchant Samo became the ruler of the first known Slavic state in Central Europe, which was partly situated in present-day Moravia. The importance of Moravia grew further, and in 833 Great Moravia was created. While Great Moravia declined at the end of the 9th century, the Czech state was unified by the Přemyslids (who ruled the country until 1306) and prospered. During the Middle Ages, it played an important role in Europe and was part of the Holy Roman Empire during its entire existence. The Czech King Charles IV even became the Holy Roman Emperor. In the 16th century the country came under the Habsburg reign. Twice in its history, the country was devastated by major political-religious conflicts: After the religious leader Jan Hus (1371–1415) was burnt to death, the Hussite Wars started in the 15th century, and two centuries later the Thirty Years War (1618 ‑ 1648) broke out. The country was strongly germanised. The Czech language was slowly driven away from state administration, business, and schools, and was not spoken by the upper classes. This process was finally stopped by the Czech National Revival, a cultural movement taking place in the 18th and 19th centuries. They managed to revive the Czech language, culture and national identity. After the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the end of WWI, Czechs and Slovaks joined together and formed the independent Czechoslovak Republic in 1918. During WWII, Slovakia broke away and the Czech state was occupied by the Germans (the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia). After the war, Czechoslovakia was restored, but soon it fell under the rule of the communist party and the influence of the Soviet Union. In 1989, it gained freedom through a peaceful revolution and in 1993 it split into two independent states. In 2004, both the Czech Republic and Slovakia joined the European Union.

The surface of our country is varied. The Western border is formed by the Krušné Mountains. The Šumava range, where we can find a lot of marshes, is in the south of our republic. Also, two glacial lakes can be found there – Černé and Čertovo. The highest mountains the Czech Republic are Giant mountains here Sněžka, the highest peak, can be found. The Jizerské mountains are situated on the border with Poland right next to the Orlické mountains. Other mountain ranges are Beskydy, Little Carpathians and Jeseník. Besides Beskydy, Bohemian Switzerland is my favourite place for hiking. It is home of the largest sandstone arch in Europe – Pravčická brána. Also, its the national park, everything is clean there and the rocks and sandstones are simply beautiful. I was there, and it was kind of adrenalin experience, because I am not a fan of wandering in hights without being secured. It is full of ladders and chasms. Despite it, I enjoyed it a lot. When it comes to nature, other interesting places are – Sandy Rocks in Český ráj or stalactite caves in Moravský kras (Macocha – the greatest chasm is here – 138m). The longest river is the Labe, other important rivers are Odra, Morava and Vltava for example. The lowlands are important for agriculture – the largest one is Polabská.