Czech and Slovac Republics Eyewitness Travel

[...]...INTRODUCING THE CZECH REPUBLIC DISCOVERING THE CZECH REPUBLIC 1011 PUTTING THE CZECH REPUBLIC ON THE MAP 1213 A PORTRAIT OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC 1427 THE CZECH REPUBLIC THROUGH THE YEAR 2831 THE HISTORY OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC 3247 10 I N T R O D U C I N G T H E C Z E C H R E P U B L I C DISCOVERING THE CZECH REPUBLIC W ith its fortresses and and spa towns testify to the nation’s... country’s highlands and forested areas are tacular natural beauty a haven for outdoor enthusiasts and vibrant nightlife, the Czech and offer a plethora of hiking Republic has plenty to offer trails, while the museums, Located to the east of Germany, the country has been at the Madonna, galleries and vibrant nightlife of crossroads of Europe for centuries Wenceslas Prague and other towns will and its ancient... OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC T he Czech Republic has blossomed into a vibrant and fascinating place to visit in the post-Communist era Bohemia and Moravia, neglected under the Communists, now delight visitors with their picturesque towns and cities, wellpreserved palaces and castles, and magnificent scenery Situated in the centre of Since the Velvet Revolution Europe, the Bohemian Basin of 1989, the Czech. .. practice Czechs are welleducated, and are often well- in the last decade or so have not informed about foreign events and entirely removed the Czech penchant politics It is rare, however, to be for retrospection and a nostalgic cult invited into a Czech home, which is of old things An attachment to regarded as a person’s oasis of privacy favourite clothes, places and customs The dualism of Czech society... a group of prominent authors and artists, including the writers Milan Kundera and Bohumil Hrabal and film director Miloš Forman 18 I N T R O D U C I N G T H E C Z E C H R E P U B L I C Landscape and Wildlife The Czech Republic’s western region of Bohemia is basically a high plateau surrounded by modest mountains, while Moravia is a largely lowland region with just a handful of mountains A depression... Bohemian-Moravian Highlands plateau (Českomoravská Vysočina), which consists of schist and granite and is furrowed by the valleys of the Vltava and Morava, the Czech Republic’s two main rivers, and their tributaries Its upper sections are covered in forest, while the lower parts are where crops such as rye are cultivated and cattle are bred Meadows catch the eye in the late spring and summer with their... and chipmunk It lives underground in colonies, usually in meadows The gyrfalcon, a bird of prey found primarily in mountain areas, is the world’s largest falcon The otter, a predatory mammal, inhabits the shores of reservoirs and feeds on fish, frogs and crayfish AGRICULTURAL LAND Some 40 per cent of the Czech Republic is cultivated land Besides cereals and root crops, a particular feature of the Czech. .. January and February WINTER The snowy landscapes of the Czech Republic in winter are stunning, and the Czechs make the most of the snow and ice Ice hockey is played on frozen ponds throughout the country, and cross-country skiing is another popular activity Tourist centres in the Krkonoše (Bohemia’s highest mountains) stage international sports events, including the prestigious ski-jumping and ski-flying... artistic life and traditions in the Czech Republic is shown by its magnificent works of painting and sculpture and a wide range of decorative arts Artists that made a lasting contribution to the arts in Europe range from the 14th-century painter Master Theodoric and the great sculptor of the Baroque era, Matthias Bernhard Braun, to Alfons Mucha, the undisputed master of the Czech Art Nouveau style Czech artists... flourish and young writers could work unrestrained THEATRE REPRESSION AND LITERARY RESURGENCE R E P U B L I C Czech theatre, which has a long and worthy tradition, hit a peak in the 1950s and ’60s with the emergence of many small theatres One such was the Theatre on the Balustrade, which staged Václav Havel’s first play in 1963 Havel tackled the issue of life under totalitarianism and was typical of the Czech .