Czech Republic

From Imakoopedia

The Czech Republic (also known as Czechia) is a small landlocked country in Eastern Europe, situated south-east of Germany and bordering with Austria to the south, Poland to the north and Slovakia (with which it used to form one country of Czechoslovakia) to the south-east.

Table of contents

1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 4.1 Habits and Customs 4.2 Tourist Traps 5 Get in 5.1 By air 5.2 By train 6 Get around 7 By train 7.1 By boat 7.2 By bus 8 Talk 9 Buy 10 See 10.1 Panelaks 11 Eat 12 Drink 13 Sleep 14 Stay safe 15 External Links

Regions

• Bohemia - the western part of the Czech Republic
• Moravia - the eastern part of the country
• Slezia

Cities

• Prague (Praha) - the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic

• Brno: Major city of the Moravia region
• Ceské Budejovice: Attractive main city of South Bohemia
• Ostrava
• Plzen: Industrial city, birthplace of "Pilsner" beer
• Ceský Krumlov: Beautiful old town and castle
• Karlovy Vary aka "Carlsbad", historic spa resort
• Tábor: Historic Hussite capital
• Trebon: Cute old town
• Terezín: Old fortress, Jewish ghetto during WW2.
• Jicin: Gateway to the "Czech Paradise"

Other destinations

• Krkonoše: (Giant Mountains) The biggest mountains in the Czech Republic

Understand

Following the First World War, the closely related Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar years, the new country's leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the Sudeten Germans and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). 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 Communist 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. In December 2002, the Czech Republic was invited to join the European Union (EU) and acceded in April 2004.

The Czech Republic is not a large country but however small, it has a rich and eventful history. From time immemorial Czechs, Germans, Jews and Slovaks, as well as Italian stonemasons and stuccoworkers, French tradesmen and deserters of Napoleon`s army, have all been living and working here, and all influencing one another. For centuries they have jointly cultivated their land, creating works, the majority of which still command our respect and admiration today. It is thanks to their inventiveness and skill that this small country is graced with hundreds of ancient castles, monasteries and stately chateaux, and even entire towns that give the impression of comprehensive artefacts.

Habits and Customs

• Easter: All women simply love Czech Easter. Must see!

Tourist Traps

• Prague old downtown: mostly horribly expensive in comparison with the rest

Get in

Inhabitants of EU, USA and Canada do not need a visa. Specific details for all countries can be found at Ministry of Foreign Affairs (http://www.mzv.cz). Check czechembassy.org (http://www.czechembassy.org) for more current information

By air

Ruzyne Airport - located about 10km west from the center of Prague. Other international airports are in Brno and Ostrava.

By train

International train service runs from most points in Europe. If you are in Bavaria, the cheapest way to go to Czech republic is to take a "Bayernticket" (up to 5 persons per ticket, which costs 22 EUR; only regional trains) to the border and then buy a Czech group ticket there.

Get around

Apart from renting a car, you can get around using train or bus. Time table for almost all intra-city and inter-city transport can be found at www.idos.cz (http://www.idos.cz/ConnForm.asp?tt=c&cl=E5) .

By train

Ceské dráhy (http://www.cdrail.cz/) operates the Czech Republic's train services.

By boat

Traveling by boat is an interesting way to get between Budapest and Prague. (but prepare to take it some time because you have go around the whole Europe, Vltava (Elbe) mouths into the North sea, Danube mouths to the Black Sea)

By bus

A cheap and excellent mean of travelling between Prague and Brno are the busses from http://www.studentagency.cz. They leave in Prague from Florenc Bus Station and arrive in Brno in front of Grand Hotel.

Talk

The main language spoken is, not surprisingly, Czech. Czech people are very proud of their language, and thus, even in Prague you will not find many signs written in English (outside of the super-tourist areas).

German is probably the most widely spoken second language. People born before 1980 speak some Russian. Younger people speak often English, and sometimes French. Other languages are not so common, although people understand Slovak and may understand other Slavic languages.

Buy

The republic of the Czech republic is the koruna (crown), plural koruny. The currency code CZK is often used internationally, but the local symbol is Kc (for Koruna Ceská). 1 koruna is made up of 100 halér, abbreviated to h. The exchange rate is approximately 40Kc = €1, or 25Kc = $1 (US).

Coins are issued in 50h, 1Kc, 2Kc, 5Kc, 10Kc, 20Kc and 50Kc. Notes are issued in 20Kc, 50Kc, 100Kc, 200Kc, 500Kc, 1000Kc, 2000Kc and 5000Kc. See some banknote samples (http://www.cnb.cz/en/plat_bankovky.php).

It is not illegal to use Euros in the Czech Republic and some major stores will accept them. It's also fairly common for accommodation providers to quote the price in Euros.

Never exchange money on the street. There is no "black market" with better rates, but there is a good chance you'll end up with a roll of worthless paper. Be very careful when you are exchanging money at a small exchange kiosk. They try to use tricks in order to give you a bad exchange rate. Ask for the total amount you will get and recompute it by yourself. Do not trust "0% commission" in big letters signs (usually there is "only on CZK buy" amendment in small letters).

Major stores throughout the country accept Visa and EC/MC, as do all the tourist stores in Prague.

See

Panelaks

Entering Prague on the train, particularly from the southeast, one sees the infamous panelaks, or giant concrete housing blocks. Czech and Slovak housing blocks have a very surreal quality to them - driving past the Brno suburbs late at night is visually reminiscent of the movie Blade Runner. Bratislava’s bloated, huge panelak complex, Petrzalka, was as infamous as Chicago’s Cabrini-Green for housing a virtual social underclass. Czech writer Iva Pekarkova’s novel Truck Stop Rainbows (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0679746757/) does an amazing job of expressing the particular sort of inhumanity panelaks are known for breeding. If someone lives in a building that is an exact copy of all the others for miles around, so alike that even residents get lost, what does that bode for the community living there? In a particularly ironic twist, the real-life panelaks are crumbling as quickly as the communist regime that built them: literally falling apart at the seams.

Eat

Try knedlíky. (It's very hard to translate it, usually it is translated as dumplings but it has only little common with them. Sometimes you can hear a German variation knödel but I wouldn't recommend using it.) Knedlo-zelo-vepro, the combination of knedlíky, pork and sauerkraut, is very tasty. Do not forget to drink Czech beer with it.

Other Czech dishes include roast duck, carp at Christmastime, palacinky, thin crepes, usually filled with fruit and topped with whipped cream; bramborak, garlicky potato pancakes); smazeny syr, fried cheese - like a giant mozzarella stick, except made of Edam - served with boiled potatoes; parek v rohliku, long, thin hot dogs with crusty rolls and mustard; svickova na smetane, beef sirloin with a creamy root vegetable sauce, served with a tablespoon of cranberry-like sauce and whipped cream, usually with the infamous Czech bread dumplings; and gulas, like Hungarian goulash, but thinner and served with knedlíky.

Spa wafers from Marianske Lazne and Karlovy Vary (major spa towns in Western Bohemia better known by their German names of Marienbad and Karlsbad) are meant to be eaten while "taking the waters" at a spa, but they're good on their own, too.

Don't expect many fresh vegetables unless in the countryside - peppers, tomatoes and cabbage are the most commonly seen side dishes, usually pickled.

Drink

Considered by some to be the finest source of beer in the world. Plzen and Budejovice are the namesakes of Pilsener and Budweiser beers. The Budweiser you get in America is Budweiser in name only - the real stuff is the Czech one! Get it on tap, better than the bottled versions.

The famous Pilsner Urquell (Plzensky Prazdroj) is at its best when consumed in Plzen. Most bottled Urquells in Prague are the not-as-good export variety. When in doubt, ask - it makes a difference. Gambrinus is another excellent brand from Plzen, and Staropramen is one of the more popular Prague brands. Budweiser or Budvar, made in Ceske Budejovice, can be good. Velkopopovicky Kozel and Radegast are also good. Tired of beer? Some Moravian wines like Frankovka (red) and Rulandske (white) are good. Stuffed silly yet? Drink some Becherovka, an herbal digestive liqueur somewhat like Jaegermeister, with a clove and orange scent. It will definitely burn a hole through that heavy meal. Buy a bottle to take home for post-Thanksgiving digestion assistance.

Beers are sometimes listed by their sugar content, which is measured in degrees. A 10 degree beer is lighter with less sugar, while a 12 degree beer is darker with more sugar. Therefore, don't expect a dark beer to be bitter, as it is in other countries. More sugar also implies a bit more alcohol.

Sleep

Stay safe

• Taxidrivers: warning - negotiate the price before you use taxi or use reputable call-taxi company (eg AAA taxi)
• Hookers: many of them are in fact skilled pickpockets.

External Links

• Czech Government site for visitors (http://www.czech.cz)
• Public transport in Prague (and other cities) (http://idos.cz/ConnForm.asp?tt=I&cl=E5)