The Czech Republic celebrates its birthday: 100 years! Is it an old or a young lady? How did „she“ come into existence? What happened in hundred years? And do you know any of the famous Czech people?

Table of Contents

Czech Republic history in a nutshell

At beginning of the Czech history

Czech history begins in the 9th century. The Czech kingdom existed till the beginning of the 20th century but it was a part of the Habsburg Monarchy from the 17th century. In 1918, world war I ended. The Austro-Hungarian Empire (the Habsburg Monarchy) suffered a defeat and new states originated on its territory. Czech and Slovak people had similar languages, cultures, and histories. They arranged to establish one state – Czechoslovakia (CSR). And France, the USA, and Great Britain accepted this new state and promised to help.

The Czechoslovak Republic

Československo do roku 1928 (Wikipedie)

The Czechoslovak Republic was founded on 28th October 1918. It was a democratic republic where the Czechs, Slovaks, Germans, Polish, Hungarians, Jewish, and Russians lived. Did you know that the Zakarpattya region was a part of the Czechoslovak Republic?

Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk became the first Czechoslovak president. Edvard Beneš helped him a lot and started to work as the head of the Ministry of External Affairs. In 1935 Beneš became the second Czechoslovak president.

Watch a short film about the Czechoslovak formation.

Would you like to know more about Czechoslovakia from 1918–1938? Read an article The First Republik and „Daddy“ Masaryk

The war

Czechoslovakia quickly stabilized politically and economically. But in the ’30s economical crises started in the world and CSR as well. Adolf Hitler became a German chancellor. In 1938 he wanted Czechoslovakia to give him Sudety – a part around Czechoslovak-German borders because Germans lived there and some of them wanted to be a part of Germany. He threatened the war when Czechoslovakia wouldn´t accept his demands.

CSR was a small country, had a small army and no other country wanted to help in the fight against Germany. That´s why Czechoslovakia agreed and Hitler took over Sudety. It happened on 30th September 1938. This year Slovakia separated, Slovak people wanted to have their state. But Hitler wanted the whole of Czechia – he started to occupy all countries from 15th March 1939. The existence of Czechoslovakia stopped, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was established – until the end of the war in 1945.

Modern history

After the war, democratic Czechoslovakia was re-created but without the Zakarpattya region. In 1948 the communists staged a coup and the communist era of Czechoslovakia started. It ended with the Velvet Revolution in 1989, on 17th November. Czechs and Slovaks were living together till 1992. Then each of them wanted to have its state so from 1st January 1993 the independent Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic have been existing.

Read also an article It was before the Velvet Revolution.

Do you know Czech symbols?

Czech flag

Red, blue, and white

are Czech state colors.

Czech anthem

Listen to the Czech anthem which tells about Czech land beauty. In the video, you can see the text in English and German.

Czech nation emblem

Czechs have a lion in their emblem. But the lion doesn´t live in CR! Do you know a legend about Bruncvík? Watch this video and you grasp.

The big national emblem looks like this. Each part of the country (Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia) has its part there.

Czech standard

The Czech president has his flag-calling standard. There is a Czech emblem, linden tree leaves, and the title „The truth always wins“. When the president is „at home“ = in Prague Castle, you can see the standard. When he travels it is down.

Czech national tree

Linden is a Czech and also Slavic national tree. It symbolizes protection (it is big), help (its fruit heals), and love.

Some famous Czech men and women

Karel IV. – Czech king and Roman emperor (14th century)
Jan Amos Komenský – teacher, creator of modern pedagogy. He said first: Education should be a game. (17th century)
Emma Destinová – opera singer, she was singing in Germany, the USA, and all over the world
Antonín Dvořák – composer (e.g. opera Rusalka/ Water nymph)
Bedřich Smetana – composer (e.g. symfonie Má vlast/My country)
František Kupka – painter, abstract painting co-creator, „the most expensive“ Czech artist (his pictures have been sold for 60 million CZK)
Franz Kafka – a writer, who wrote in German, accented existentialism, influenced many other writers from all over the world
Tomáš Baťa – businessman, and founder of shoe brand Baťa, his shops are around the world
Alfons Mucha – painter, active also in France
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk – first president of CSR
Edvard Beneš – politician, second president of CSR
Václav Havel – drama writer, president of CSR and CR 1989–2003 (Photo: Flickr.com)
Otto Wichterle – contact lenses inventor
Jaroslav Heyrovský – chemist, Nobel Prize in chemistry, polarography founder
Jaroslav Seifert – poet, Nobel Prize in Literature
Karel Čapek – writer
Eliška Junková – automobile female racer, in the ’20s of the 20th century the world’s fastest woman in the Grand Prix
Miloš Forman – director, two Oscar Prizes for Amadeus and One Flew Over the Cuckoo´s Nest
Madeleine Albright – first female United States Secretary of State, she is of Czech origin (Photo: Flickr.com)
Eva Jiřičná – architect-designer, active mainly in London and CR
Milan Kundera – writer living in France

Some famous Czech products

Škoda car
Czech beer
Czech crystal
Jawa motorbike
Remoska – mini electric oven

Modern Czech history

28th October 1918 – the democratic Czechoslovak Republic was founded
1938–1945 – Czechoslovakia was occupied by Germany
1945–1948 – democratic Czechoslovakia again
1948–1989 – communist Czechoslovakia
17th November 1989 – the Velvet Revolution
since December 1990 – democratic Czechoslovakia again
1st January 1993 – Czechoslovakia divided into the independent Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic

Read also:

And what about preparing some easy Czech dishes?

This article in the Czech version

23rd October 2018

Photo: Pixabay.com, Wikipedia.cz, Flickr.com

The Czech Republic celebrates 100 years!