Today, we continue on our virtual backpacking trip through Europe, and our next stop is... the Czech Republic! Even though this country borders Germany - where I currently live - I don't know very much about it, so I am excited to explore it this week. Let's dig in!
This country has been through a lot of transition over the years. In fact, a 100-year-old person who has spent their entire life in the same Czech village may have been a citizen of up to 6 different countries!
According to the Global Peace Index, in recent history, the Czech Republic has frequently been named one the 10 safest countries in which to live.
Modern Czechoslovakia was created via the 'Pittsburg Agreement' in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania in the US after World War II. Later, in 1992, the country again peacefully split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia as we know them today. This peaceful split was called the 'Velvet Divorce' and was one of very few peaceful such national divisions in the world in recent history.
The country can technically be called either Czechia or the Czech Republic. One is the informal name, and one is the formal, political name. Both are internationally recognized, and both are commonly used. As both are somewhat new, there is debate among Czech people as to which will become the more commonly used name for the country.
Today, this country has an advanced economy and a high standard of living.
The Czech Republic is home to a very large segment of foreign born people.
This is one of the least religious countries in the world.
The Czech Republic is home to the most hospital beds per capita in the European Union.
The population of the Czech Republic is highly educated.
This area that is roughly the Czech Republic today was at one time in history referred to as the Kingdom of Bohemia.
This country is home to the most castles in Europe, as well as the largest ancient castle in the world.
This country is a a great place to visit to explore architecture, as many historical styles exist here. Relatedly, the capital city, Prague, was the only major city in Europe that was not extensively bombed during World War II, so much of the historical architecture is still intact.
The word 'robot' was first coined to denote a fictional humanoid in a 1920 play R.U.R. written by the Czech writer, Karel Čapek. However, Josef Čapek, Karel's brother is the word's true inventor, who gave him the idea.
This country is at once both 'East' and 'West.' The region was generally considered part of the Eastern bloc countries, but at the same time, the capital city of Prague sits more west than Vienna.
Beer is very popular here, and in fact, Czech people consume the most beer per capita in the world.
On that note, it is the home of the world-wide beloved brew, Pilsner Urquell.
The Czech Republic has earned the unfortunate association as the 'defenestration capital of the world.' (Defenestration is the act of throwing someone out a window!) Over history, there have been some high profile such incidents here, including a particularly shocking one in 1419 when a mob stormed city hall in Prague and threw 7 members of the City Council out the window to their deaths!
Soft contact lenses were invented here in 1959 (and, are helping to bring you this blog post today!).
Eating and foraging for mushrooms are particularly popular here.
Tennis is a popular sport to play and to watch, and there is much pride around popular Czech tennis players, in particular the women, with Martina Naratilova leading that list in recent years.
Charles University is the oldest university in Central Europe.
The most popular sport in the Czech Republic is ice hockey.
Prague once earned the nickname, "The City of 100 Spires" and today has more than lived up to that name, as more than 500 dot the landscape.
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