Czech Republic

General

Czech Republic Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia – these regions lie deep in the heart of Europe, in the Czech Republic with a surface area of 78 thousand square kilometres and a population of over 10 million inhabitants. The Czech Republic is young, but the history of the Slav ancestors dates back thousands of years. According to an ancient legend, the origins of this settlement began on the mountain of Říp in the highlands of central Bohemia. On arriving here with his followers, the great leader Čech, entranced by the unspoilt nature, the beauty and fertility of the land swarming with bees and rich with honey, declared, “I have chosen this place for you to be your homeland forever...”. That is the legend, but the reality is rather more prosaic. Archaeologists have found that in the 5th century Slav peoples arrived in Bohemia from the east and settled in an area which had already been inhabited much earlier, indeed since the Palaeolithic age. The first inhabitants of the Czech Republic were the Celts, who made the first roads, built fortified settlements on the hills and struck the first coins. The Latin name of the country – Bohemia – is derived from the Celtic peoples known as the Boii who were living there at the beginning of the Christian era. The oldest autonomous administrative body was the empire of Greater Moravia and in the 9th century, as a result of the influence of Cyril and Methodius, the alphabet and Christianity were adopted. When Greater Moravia was divided and then dismantled by the warring Hungarian peoples, the centre of economic and cultural development shifted from Moravia to Bohemia where the royal dynasty of the Přemyslreunited the separated families. At first the Přemysl chose to rule from Levý Hradec but from 900 onward they transferred their centre of power to the fortress that stood above the river Vltava– Prague. The Přemysl governed for four centuries. In 1212 the Přemysl duke Otakar I took the hereditary title of king and Přemysl Otakar II made the Kingdom of Bohemia the most powerful state in Europe, its borders reaching from the Adriatic sea to the Baltic sea, while exploitation of the silver mines at the city of Kutná Hora made him the richest sovereign in Europe. His son, Wenceslas II, introduced a single coinage for all of Bohemia and founded the state mint at Kutná Hora. When Wenceslas III was killed in 1306 the male line of the Přemyslid dynasty ended and the Luxembourgs reigned for over one hundred years. The first of the family to accede to the throne of Bohemia was a famous knight and fearless warrior, John of Luxembourg, and under his rule all of Europe enjoyed a lengthy period of peace. The state of Bohemia reached the height of prosperity with the son of John and Elisabeth of Přemyslid - Charles IV, king of Bohemia and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. It was during his time that Bohemia enjoyed the golden age of its history. In 1348 Charles IV founded the university, the first school at this level of teaching and scholarship north of the Alps. During the reign of Charles IV, Prague was transformed into a splendid Gothic city. The bishop’s cathedral, Saint Vitus, was planned by Charles’ architects, Mathieu of Arras and Petr Parléř, on such a magnificent scale that it was only finally completed in the 20th century. The movement of the Hussites represents, however, a sad and dramatic event in the history of Bohemia. Under the influence of the preacher Jan Hus a radical movement, demanding a more equal social system, came into being. When Hus was burnt at the stake on 6 July 1415 at Constance, the revolutionary Hussite movement spread rapidly through the entire land. The Hussites even founded their own city – Tábor – and created a powerful army with a rigid military organization commanded by the Captain of southern Bohemia, Jan Žižka of Trocnov. The period of the Hussite wars, which lasted 20 years, signalled the beginning of Bohemia’s progressive decline. In the post-Hussite era, however, the reign of king Jiří of Poděbrady brought a happier period. This astute European diplomat and politician attempted to bring a peaceful union of European countries into existence, based on equal rights for individual members. Jiří’s inspired idea of Europe was never realised however, and Bohemia found itself in a period of economic and cultural decline. At the end of the 16th century Prague became the imperial residence of Rudolph II and once again grew in magnificence, restored to the splendour enjoyed at the time of Charles IV. Rudolph II of Hapsburg, an enthusiast of art, alchemy, magic, astrology and astronomy, transformed Prague into the political centre of the empire and of Europe, inviting important European artists to the capital. Famous scientists came to work at his court, amongst whom the astronomers Tycho Brahe and Jan Kepler. In 1620 the fateful Battle of White Mountain took place leading to the defeat of the rebellious anti-Catholic General States of Bohemia. The subsequent violent period when Catholicism and the Hapsburg’s absolute rule were reinforced was only offset by the fact that the states of Bohemia became showpieces of the very finest art in the baroque style. Not until the time of Maria Theresa, and during the reign of her son, Joseph II, did the ideas of the Enlightenment begin to have some influence and the economic, and especially the religious, situations underwent liberalization. Under Joseph, reforms concerning religious tolerance, the abolition of serfdom and of censorship finally paved the way for a national Renaissance. After the end of the First World War and disintegration of the Hapsburg monarchy, the Republic of Czechoslovakia came into being on 28 October 1918. The first president of the Republic, T. G. Masaryk, was primarily responsible for its formation. The united state of Czechs and Slovaks enjoyed immense prosperity both economically and culturally, to the extent that in the 1920s and ’30s Czechoslovakia was one of the most highly developed nations in the world. The Second World War and occupation by the Nazis brought this well-being to an end. After the war, Czechoslovakia became part of the Soviet block and was dominated by the USSR consequently losing both its democracy and its identity. It was only when the communist block disintegrated that liberty was regained. In 1993 the Czechs and the Slovaks peaceably decided to go their own ways and two new states appeared on the map of Europe. On 1 May 2004 the Czech Republic became part of the European Union.