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Basic information

• situated at „heart of Europe”
• established in 1993 by peaceful divorce of Czechoslovakia
• little more than 10 million of citizens
• capital city is Praha (Prague)
• neighbour countries are Poland (nord), Slovakia (east), Austria (south), Germany (west)
• district town Náchod lies at state border with Poland
• Náchod has more than 23 thousand of citizens.

Czech republic, neighbour countries, Náchod

Czech flag

Brief introduction to the Czech language (by BBC)

Science & technology

• Prof. MuDr. Jan Jánský (1873-1921) was author of blood-groups
• Jan Evangelista Purkyně (1787-1869) was famous physiologist
• MuDr. Peter Safar (*1924 czech family in Wien, +2003 Pittsburgh) was author of resuscitation technique
• lighting conductor was invented in Bohemia by Prokop Diviš
• contact lens were invented in Czechoslovakia by Otto Wichterle
• Johann Gregor Mendel was biologist and founder of genetics
• author of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, was born at Příbor
• radar locators „Tamara” and „Věra” are the once locators, which can detect American „invisible” (=invisible for US radars) Stealth bombers
• one house only survived after American nuclear air attack on Japanese city Hiroshima in the epicenter – its author was Czech constructor Jan Letzel (born 1880 in Náchod), who was trying to build houses earthquake resistant
• Czechoslovak cosmonaut Vladimír Remek was first non-russian and non-american man in the cosmos. Third nation in the space was Czech. First after Russian and American.
• trucks „Tatra ” and buses „Karosa ”(later bought by Renault, Irisbus, Iveco and renamed) are one of few vehicles, which can be used at freezy conditions of Siberia.
• cars „Škoda” are recently favourite at whole Europe
• beer „Pilsner Urquell” and „Budweisser - Budvar” is popular at whole world.
• at years 1987-1990 Czechoslovak truck Tatra 815 Grand Tourist Caravan „Around the world” managed journey around the Earth (almost 150 000 km)

You can see more in short movie Czech inventions on YouTube

Sport

• czech bicycle traveler Vítězslav Dostál managed journey around the world in three years and three days, length was 59 460 km (1994-1997)
• czech bicycle travelers Lucie Kovaříková and Michal Jon managed their route around the world in 1st May 2002 to 1st May 2005 (68175 km through 34 countries and all continents)
• national ice-hockey team contest for the best prizes every championship (and have won lot of gold)
• lot of Czech hockey-players played at NHL
• football team is good too (you can know e.g. players P.Nedvěd, Baroš, Koler)
• czech tennis-player Martina Navrátilová is the eldest successful player in history of world tennis
• czech trucks Tatra are good at Rallye Paris Dakar
• czech speed skater Martina Sáblíková has changed style of riding on skates of competitors from whole world

Literature and music

• very known czech book is „The Good Soldier Schweik”, written by Jaroslav Hašek
• marionettes of Theatre Spejbl & Hurvínek play their comedies in whole world, puppeteers speak in 8 world languages
• When Czech writer Karel Čapek wrote drama „R.U.R. – Rosum's universal robots”, he first used neologism „robot”. It's originaly Czech word, invented by writer's brother. Later this word expanded to lot of world languages.
• very known classic composers are e.g. Bedřich Smetana (he is being called „Fridrich Smetana” in german language), Leoš Janáček and Antonín Dvořák
• Antonín Dvořák is author of symphony „Novosvětská”(The New World Symphony) or opera „Rusalka”. Novosvětská is 2nd most often played symphonic music in whole world. It was used when astronauts of Apollo 11 were landing on the Moon.
• you can know historian writer František Palacký
• Jan Ámos Komenský (Comenius) is called as „teacher of nations”

Czech song „Škoda lásky” (Wasted Love)

is very known in whole world. Author of music is Jaromír Vejvoda. Name of song is various in different languages:

Author of the song was born on 28 March 1902, he wrote music in 1927. Lyric was added by Vašek Zeman in 1934. The song was used as alarm clock at space shuttle Discovery, in 1995. Naturally, it was played in Carnegie Hall too. It has near to 30 lyrics in foreign languages.

Song Škoda lásky on YouTube – orchestra band + singer

Song Škoda lásky on YouTube – accordion only

More

Some more information you can find in free encyclopedia Wikipedia