The Czech Republic in Central Europe has decided to change its official name to Czechia. There are many reasons for this. One is that Czechs are fed up with people always trying to shorten their country’s name to Czecho or Czechland.
The new name will be similar to its neighbour Slovakia – that is also known as the Slovak Republic. Some people might say that Czechia is too similar in name to the Russian Republic of Chechnya.
Czechia is shorter than its former name of Czechoslovakia - before the country split in 1993 into two countries – namely The Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Central Europe has been rocked recently by an alcohol poisoning scandal.
The government of the Czech Republic was forced to ban the sale of hard
liquor with more than 20% alcohol following the death of 17 people who
drank bootleg spirits containing poisonous methanol. Hard spirits across the
Czech Republic were cleared from shelves. Exports of hard liquor were also
halted. Sales of Czech spirits were also banned in nearby Slovakia after
some of its citizens were affected by the poisoning.
Category: Czech Republic / Alcohol poisoning / Economic
An interesting article in Britain’s Daily Telegraph recently was about a family feud between the Czech Foreign Minister and his sister for their castles and palaces in the Czech Republic. Elizabeth von Pezold is the daughter of one of Central Europe’s most aristocratic families. She has begun a legal battle for the castles and palaces worth hundreds of millions of euros that were expropriated by the Czechoslovakian state in 1947. However, her adopted brother, Karl Schwarzenberg, the Czech Foreign Minister, apparently does not.
The homes include the Czech Krumlov castle, a jewel in the crown of Czech tourism, which towers over an ancient town in southern Bohemia. But Mrs von Pezold claims her brother has blocked her case. She argues that the Prince of Schwarzenberg, to use his formal title, has failed to the wishes of their father, whose will asked that his successor should fight to get the property back.
“It is a question of justice,” said Mrs von Pezold. “After the end of communism he kept promising that he would claim property restitution but then at the last minute he changed his mind. Maybe he thought a big restitution was incompatible with his political career.”
Category: Czech Republic / Castles and Palaces / Restitution
What’s the difference between a Czech and a Slovak? This is not a joke! It could be but for now it is a question for you to think about.
Generally speaking the Czechs, who live in the ‘heart of Europe’, are culturally assertive, more dynamic and are mostly atheist. Their men more ‘cunning’. Having formerly lived under Austrian rule they are regarded as rational good administrators. They look to Germany as a role model, preferring to distance themselves from Eastern Europe.
The Slovaks who had been a part of the Hungarian Empire are regarded as more friendly, proud of their nationality, and are more hospitable. Slovaks are more temperamental, mostly Catholic and are regarded as more romantic. Slovak men are more aggressive. It is said that Slovak women are the most beautiful in the world. They are certainly more beautiful than Czech women.
Czechs have a different mind set and different habits to Slovaks. Czechs like to regard themselves as more superior than Slovaks. This of course is absolute rubbish as both are equal. But it is known the Czechs like to look down on the Slovaks as the poorer class. Czechs are a bit snobbish about their Slovak neighbours...
Hands up those of you that have been to Prague. I can’t think of anyone who hasn’t - such is its popularity with visiting tourists. So why do people go there?
There are undoubtedly a 101 reasons why you should visit Prague - such is its charm. For those who haven’t, it might just be worth booking a trip there. For those not exactly sure where Prague is - let me inform you that it is in the Czech Republic, which is in ‘Central Europe – The Heart of Europe!’ It is the capital city.
Without further ado let me take you on a leisurely stroll around Prague… Known as ‘the Paris of the East’ and as ‘the city of 100 steeples’, its crowded old cobblestone streets serve tourists 365 days a year. It constantly tops other top European cities to visit - like London, Paris, Budapest and Vienna.
Dozens of airlines fly to Prague, often with cheap airfares, making it a bargain place to visit. From children to old age pensioners, the city is a huge hit with all ages. Prague offers tourists so much more than people expect.
Category: Holidays / Czech Republic / Prague
A Czech travel agency has come up with a novel idea for a holiday. It is offering holidaymakers “retro” holidays where punters are given the opportunity to turn back the clock and re-live the past. These ‘communist’ holidays are package holidays for people nostalgic for the trade union perks of communist Czechoslovakia, when factory workers were bussed off to recuperate from the daily grind.
For a modest sum guests can stay at a grim-looking hotel in Slovakia’s Tatra Mountains, to relive the sights, sounds and smells of pre 1989 holidays the BBC recently reported. These ‘retro’ holidays are being offered in the style of the workers’ breaks that used to be organised by the Communist Revolutionary Trade Union Movement – or ROH – to use a Czech acronym.
The holidays were a reward for a year of toil in the offices, factories and coal mines of socialist Czechoslovakia. Most visitors today are middle age or elderly Slovaks or Czechs – coming to rekindle fond memories of times gone by. Why not?
