Fast Facts
Capital city Czech Republic (Česká republika)
Population 1,183,729 (31 March 2006)
Area 496 km²
Coordinates 50°05′ N 14°26′ E
Elevation 177-399 m AMSL
Founded 9th century
FALL TIME
The weather is cold in Prague, leaves have changed colors from green to pretty shades of yellow, brown and red. It is wonderful time for a walk around this romantic city. Sometimes it might be rainy or windy, good opportunity to go inside some gallery or exhibition hall. At night you could visit an opera, listen some classical music concert or see some black light theater performance. Enjoy colorful fall in Prague.
History of the Republic
At the beginning of the 20th century Bohemia was a part of Austrian Empire. After World War I in 1918 Czechoslovakia declared its independence. The new republic had three parts: Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia. The popular Tomas Garigue Masaryk became the first president. In October 1938 the Nazis occupied the Sudetenland, with the acquiescence of Britain and France, after the infamous Munich Agreement. In March 1939 Germany occupied Bohemia and Moravia. Slovakia proclaimed independence as a Nazi puppet state. After World War II in 1945 Czechoslovakia was reestablished as an independent state. In the 1946 elections, the Communists became the largest party with 36% of the popular vote and formed coalition government. In 1948 the Communist staged coup d'etat and Czechoslovakia became a communist country. In the 1960s Czechoslovakia enjoyed a gradual liberalization under the reformist general secretary of the Czechoslovak Communist Party, Alexander Dubcek. But this short period was crushed by a Soviet invasion in August 1968. In 1969 the reformist Dubcek was replaced by the orthodox Gustav Husak and Czechoslovakia stayed a communist country under the Soviet influence. The communist government resignated in November 1989 after a week of demonstrations known as the Velvet Revolution. The popular Vaclav Havel was elected president of the republic. At the end of 1992 Czechoslovakia split into Czech Republic (Bohemia and Moravia) and Slovak Republic (Slovakia). This peaceful splitting is called the Velvet Divorce. Twelve years later, on May 1, 2004 Czech Republic became a part of the European Union.
Unemployment in the Czech Republic is about 9,6%, inflation about 2,1%. The average wage is about 18.763 Kc ($763) a month.
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