A historic jewel hidden away at the heart of Europe, the
Czech Republic packs a lot of punch for such a small country. No bigger than Scotland or South Carolina, it’s crammed with fairytale
castles, medieval towns, elegant
spa resorts and scenic
national parks. And on top of all that, it’s the birthplace of the world’s finest
beer.
Part of Czechoslovakia until the ’Velvet Divorce’ of 1993, the Czech Republic encompasses the ancient lands of Bohemia and Moravia, and boasts a rich
cultural heritage represented by the likes
of classical composer
Antonin Dvorak and writer
Franz Kafka.
Almost everyone who visits the Czech Republic goes to
Prague, with its imposing castle, great museums and galleries, jazz clubs and concerts and other attractions. Many day trips are possible from here, including the
spa resort of Karlovy Vary, the
historic towns of Mělník and Kutná Hora, and
castles like Karlštejn and Konopiště.
But the rest of the country has just as much to offer the independent traveller, with no fewer than 11
UNESCO World Heritage sites including the picture-postcard town of
Český Krumlov, the chateaux and landscaped gardens of
Lednice-Valtice, and the Renaissance architecture of
Telč.
Among the most beautiful scenic areas are the
Šumava National Park in the southwest, which takes in the forested mountains and lakes around the headwaters of the Vltava River, the wierd and wonderful rock pinnacles and gorges of the
Adršpach-Teplice Rocks in the northeast, and the spectacular caves and underground rivers of the
Moravian Karst in the southeast.
The rich agricultural area of
Moravia in the eastern half of the country offers rolling ranges of wooded hills,
vineyards, folk art and yet more
castles. Here wine is more popular than beer - a specialty of Bohemia - and life moves at an even more relaxed pace.
GeographyThe Czech Republic is a landlocked country situated in central Europe, sharing frontiers with Germany in the west, Poland in the north, the Slovak Republic in the east and Austria in the south. Covering only about one-third of the area of the United Kingdom, the country is hilly and picturesque.
The western two-thirds of the country is known as Bohemia, and consists of a vast river basin fringed by hills and mountains. The Czech Republic’s longest river, the Labe, rises in the Krkonoše Mountains in the northeast, on the border with Poland, and flows south, then west, then north into Germany where it becomes the River Elbe. These mountains are also home to the country’s highest summit, Sněęka (1,602m/5,262ft).
Prague sits almost in the middle of Bohemia on the River Vltava, which flows into the Labe just to the north of the city. The Vltava rises in the forested Šumava hills that run along the country’s southern border with Austria. The plains to the north of Prague are bordered by the Krušné Hory (Ore Mountains, named for the iron ore and other minerals found there).
The eastern third of the Czech Republic is known as Moravia. This region is also based on a river basin, that of the Morava River, which rises in the northern hills near the Polish border and flows south to join the Danube at Bratislava. The main city of Moravia is Brno, the second-largest in the Czech Republic.
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