The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia (which is not the same as Chechnya), is a landlocked country in central Europe that was part of Czechoslovakia through most of the 1900s until it was dissolved in 1992.
Czech Republic Basics
The Czech Republic is bordered by Austria, Germany, Poland and Slovakia and is 30,452 square miles, or 78,871 square kilometers. The population is almost 11 million, and the capital and largest city is Prague.
The official language is Czech, but there are many unofficially recognized languages spoken there, including Belarusian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Russian and Slovak, among others.
It was historically known as Bohemia, for a Latin word meaning home of the Boii (a Gallic tribe that lived there). The current name comes from a Slavic tribe that settled there.
The government is a unitary parliamentary republic, with a president, prime minister and parliament.
The name Czechia was suggested as the English language equivalent for the Czech name for the country (Česko) when it was founded in 1992, and while it is a term used in some contexts, Czeck Republic is still more commonly used in English.
It is a member of the European Union and has a European social model that includes universal health care and free college tuition. Its main industries are automobile manufacturing, utilities, energy trading and oil processing, as well as electronics and steel production.
Czechia produces more electricity than it needs so it exports energy to other countries.
Tourism is also an important industry, as Prague is the fifth-most-visited city in Europe (behind London, Paris, Istanbul and Rome).
Czech Republic National Symbols
The flag of the Czech Republic features a white stripe and a red stripe with a blue triangle on the left hand side of the flag. It’s the same flag that the former Czechoslovakia used. Originally that country had a flag that was just a white and red stripe, but that was almost the same as the flag of Poland, so they added the triangle and this version of the flag was first used in 1920.
The Czech national anthem is “Kde domov můj,” or “Where is My Home.” It was first performed as part of a play in 1834 and the first verse of that song and the second verse of another song were adopted as the national anthem in 1918. Czech Republic kept the first verse and Slovakia took the second verse as its national anthem when the new nations were formed in 1992.
The rose is the national flower of Czech Republic, and Prague has a rose garden that is around 15 acres and home to more than 12,000 roses.
The linden tree is the national tree, which was apparently adopted back in 1848 to establish a Slavic identity apart from the Germans.
Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia, is the patron saint of the country. He was a Bohemia prince who was said to have been murdered by his brother and was declared a king and patron the Czech state after his death. (The holiday song “Good King Wenceslas” is about him.)
Czech Republic Activities for Kids
Making Friends has a little printable fact sheet about the Czech Republic, and you can download a worksheet with landmarks from Education.com.
There are lots of cute resources on Etsy including a printable placemat activity sheet, a full Czech Republic country study and another country study with coloring pages. You can also find plenty of downloadable resources at Teachers Pay Teachers.
Learn about kroj, the Czech national costume, and how the clothing has been used in social events through the centuries.
Play some polka! Polka originated in Bohemia in 1830, and was originally named pulka for half because the dance is done in 2/4 time, which is half of the more standard 4/4 time. Check out this video of a traditional Czech polka.
Virtually visit Mount Říp, a mound that is said to be where the original Slavs first settled in the area with the forefather Čech. And don’t miss Prague castle, estimated to have been built around 880 and considered the largest coherent castle complex in the world.
Learn about Bohemian glass, which is one of the first places to produce glass for church stained glass windows. You can also learn more about the companies that are still making Bohemian glass in the Czech Republic.
One of the most common Czech meals is Svíčková, which is a cut of beef served with a creamy vegetable sauce. Learn more about it and how to make it at Cook like Czechs.
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