Geography

The Czech Republic, as a part of Central Europe, is squeezed between Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Poland. The country is bordered by mountains. Its area is almost 79 000 sqare km (30 000 square miles), the same size as the island of Ireland. The highest point is Snezka, 1602 m (5222 ft). The capital Prague is right in the center of the western part of the country, 300 m above sea level.

People

About 10,3 million people live in the Czech Republic (1.3 million in Prague). Most of them are Czechs and they speak Czech language. They tend to be polite, mild-mannered with a good sense of humor, not incline to argue or fight. They are intelligent, creative, well educated and can be quite conservative. If you are invited to their home, you will find them friendly and very hospitable (do bring flowers for your host and remember to remove your shoes when you enter the house). The largest Church is Roman Catholic one. However, Czechs are mostly atheists because of the systematic oppression of religion during Communism.

Recently there are about 40000 young Americans living in Prague. For reference check US Consular Information Sheet.

economy

Czech industries include power engineering, metallurgy, car manufacture, glass, leather, plastics, chemicals, ceramics and beer. Unemployment in the country is about 8%, in Prague about 3.5%. Inflation is about 3 - 4%. The average wage is about 20.000 CZK a month.

Climate

Czech Republic is a four-seasoned country with a continental climate. The summers tend to be sunny and quite hot, the winters cold, spring and fall mild but changeable. Weather forecast available at CNN.

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Temperature [°C]	-5	0	8	12	19	22	25	24	19	12	5	0
Temperature [°F]	28	37	46	54	66	72	77	75	66	54	41	32
Rainfall [mm]	20	20	25	40	60	70	65	55	40	25	25	20
Humidity [%]	70	63	57	49	49	48	51	49	57	63	78	81

There is a nice weather from May through September. The most recommended month visiting is June. The weather is nice and there are less tourists than in July, August or September.

Local Time

The Czech Republic is in the Central European Time Zone: GMT +1. Summertime (GMT +2) is in effect from the last Sunday in March till the last Sunday in October. At noon in Prague it is 03:00 in San Francisco, 06:00 in New York, 11:00 in London, 12:00 in Paris, 13:00 in Bucharest and 14:00 in Moscow.

Money

The national currency is the Czech crown, CZK in written. One crown is equal to 100 hellers. There are 50 heller coins, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 crown coins and 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1 000, 2 000 and 5 000 crown bills. Credit cards are widely accepted.

Price Index

Approximate exchange rates: 1 EUR = 30.00 CZK, 1 USD = 24.00 CZK

Item	CZK	USD	EUR
1 kg of beef	140	5.20	4.44
1 kg of potatoes	20	0.74	0.63
10 eggs	30	1.10	0.95
Mars bar	14	0.50	0.44
McDonald's Big Mac	56	2.00	1.77
Dinner in restaurant	cca 150	5.60	4.80
Loaf of white bread	15	0.60	0.48
Litre of vodka	140	5.20	4.44
Bottle of local beer (1/2 litre)	12	0.45	0.38
20 Marlboros	53	1.97	1.70
100 km by train, 2nd class	130	4.80	4.12
Public transport ticket	12	0.45	0.38
Cinema ticket	150	5.60	4.80

Lost credit cards

In case of lost credit cards call:

• 22 80 01 11 for American Express
• 67 19 74 50 for Eurocard/Mastercard and VISA
• 24 24 50 41 for Diners Club

Newspapers

One of the most informative English language paper is the weekly paper The Prague Post, written by English and American staff. An excellent source of local information on concerts, galleries, museums, cinema, theater, club schedules as well as restaurant reviews and trip ideas.

STATE AND PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

January 1st Independent Czech State Renewal Day, New Year
Variable Easter Monday
May 1st Labour Day
May 8th National Holiday - Liberation Day (1945)
July 5th National Holiday - Cyril and Methodius Day - the Slavic Christianity Day
July 6th National Holiday - Master John Hus burning at the stake (1415)
September 28th National Holiday - Czech Statehood Day
October 28th National Holiday - Independent Czechoslovak State Proclamation Day (1918)
November 17th National Holiday - Day of Fight for Freedom and Democracy
December 24th Christmas Eve
December 25th Christmas Day
December 26th St. Stephen's Day

History

Czechs

Czechs are West Slavs, as are Poles and Slovaks. The capital Prague is often said to be The Heart of Europe. There are about 10,3 million people living in the Czech Republic and about 1.3 million people in Prague. The western part of the Czech Republic is called Bohemia, the eastern part Moravia.

History of the Kingdoms

Before the arrival of the Slavs in the 6th century this area was inhabited by Germanic and Celtic tribes. A lot of rulers and kings ruled the people in Bohemia from the 7th to the 19th century. The most significant ones were emperor Charles IV and emperor Rudolf II. During the reign of Charles IV (1346 - 78), as king of Bohemia and Holy Roman emperor, Prague grew into one of the largest cities in Europe. It acquired its fine Gothic face and landmarks including Charles University, Charles Bridge and St. Vitus Cathedral. In the second half of the 16th century the city experienced great prosperity under emperor Rudolf II and was made the seat of the Habsburg Empire. Rudolf II established great art collections and famous artists and scholars were invited to his court.

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 Tomáš 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 liberalisation under the reformist general secretary of the Czechoslovak Communist Party, Alexander Dubček. But this short period was crushed by the Warsaw Pact forces occupation with the exception of Romania, which refused to participate, in August 1968. In 1969 the reformist Dubček was replaced by the orthodox Gustáv Husák and Czechoslovakia remained 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 Václav 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.