Destination : Czech Republic

The Czech republic is one of the parts of the country that most knew under the name of Czechoslovakia. The landlocked country (it doesn't border on any sea) is situated in the geographic centre of Europe and consists of three historical areas – Bohemia, Moravia and the Czech part of Silesia. The Czech Republic is called the roof of Europe since all the rivers which have their source in the area drain into neighbouring countries. After World War II, Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize party rule and create "socialism with a human face." Anti-Soviet demonstrations the following year ushered in a period of harsh repression. With the collapse of Soviet authority in 1989, Czechoslovakia regained its freedom through a peaceful "Velvet Revolution." On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a "velvet divorce" into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia . Now a member of NATO, the Czech Republic has moved toward integration in world markets, a development that poses both opportunities and risks. here are about 10 million people in the Czech Republic (1.3 million in Prague).

Tourism in the Czech Republic really dates from the 1989 Velvet Revolution and has largely focused on Prague (near the middle of Bohemia), with its great museums, galleries, concerts and other attractions. Many day trips are possible from Prague, including the great western spa towns of Karlovy Vary and Mariánské Láznì, early settlements like Kutná Hora and castles like Karlstejn. However, the rest of the country has much to offer to the independent traveller. The country possesses an immense number of fascinating castles, churches and other architectural gems. It has always been known for its musicians, and there are an enormous number of all types of concerts and festivals to choose from..

The territory of the Czech Republic was historically one of the most economically developed and industrialised parts of Europe. As the only country in central Europe to remain a democracy until 1938, the then Czechoslovakia was among the ten most developed industrial states of the world before the second world war. Coal and lignite are in abundant supply. There are also deposits of mercury, antimony, tin, lead, zinc and iron ore, and a number of major European uranium deposits. Processing industries (machinery, steel, chemicals, glass, and agri-food) are the most highly developed. Cereals, sugar beet and hops are intensively cultivated, although agriculture plays a comparatively small role alongside the traditional engineering and other industries.

The attractiveness of the Czech Republic and especially of its capital city, Prague, lies in a remarkable historical and architectural heritage stretching back over 1 000 years, and brings over 10 million visitors a year to the Czech Republic. Throughout the centuries, Prague preserved its unrivalled richness of historical monuments of different styles. Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Art Nouveau and cubism form a unique aesthetic unit.

The Czechs love traveling, both abroad and inside their own country, visiting  plenty of castles built in the past centuries which still dominate the Czech landscape. Many monuments of folk architecture, picturesque villages and living traditions of folk music and local folk costumes are typical for the Moravian region.

Goethe called this country ‘a continent within a continent’ because, he said, it has everything a continent needs except a coastline. With hills, highlands and mountains covering more than 95 percent of the territory, it is ideal for skiing, mountain biking and hill-walking. Sport is very popular in the Czech Republic which is very famous for its ice hockey and tennis champions.

Czech beverages such as Czech beer (Pils) or mineral water from more than 900 natural springs (a world record) are extremely popular.