Know before you go
A quick orientation for first-time visitors — the facts, a thousand years of history in brief, and the culture that shaped the country you're about to explore.
European Union and Schengen
EU member since 1 May 2004 · Schengen member since 21 December 2007
Official sourceTime and calling code
CET (UTC+1), CEST in summer · country code +420
Official source 1Official source 29th c.
Great Moravia was a major Slavic state in the region. In 863, Constantine (later known as Cyril) and Methodius arrived from Byzantium and promoted Christian worship and writing in a Slavic language.
Official source10th–13th c.
The Přemyslid dynasty consolidated the medieval Czech state. Duke Wenceslas became the country's patron saint, and Bohemia developed into a hereditary kingdom within the Holy Roman Empire.
Official source1348
Under Charles IV, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor, Prague became an imperial centre. He founded Charles University in 1348, the oldest university in Central Europe, and reshaped the city with the New Town and major building projects.
Official source 1Official source 215th c.
Religious reformer and university rector Jan Hus was executed in 1415. His ideas helped inspire the Hussite movement and the conflicts that transformed Bohemian religious and political life.
Official source 1Official source 21526–1918
The Habsburg dynasty took the Bohemian crown in 1526. After Bohemian forces were defeated at the Battle of White Mountain in 1620, the crown lands were brought under tighter Habsburg control and remained within the monarchy until 1918.
Official source19th c.
Writers, scholars and artists strengthened the public use of Czech and renewed interest in Czech history and culture. The movement helped shape modern national identity and the political ambitions that followed.
Official source1918
Czechoslovakia was proclaimed on 28 October 1918 after Austria-Hungary collapsed. Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk became its first president, and the new state established a parliamentary democracy.
Official source1938–1945
The Munich Agreement of 1938 forced Czechoslovakia to cede its border regions to Nazi Germany. German occupation followed in March 1939 and lasted until liberation in 1945.
Official source1948–1989
The Communist Party seized power in February 1948. An attempt to reform the system during the Prague Spring of 1968 was ended by a Warsaw Pact invasion; communist rule continued until 1989.
Official source1989
A student demonstration on 17 November triggered mass protests and a rapid, largely non-violent transfer of power. Dissident playwright Václav Havel was elected president in December.
Official source 1Official source 21993
Following a political agreement, the Czech Republic and Slovakia became separate independent states on 1 January 1993. The negotiated separation is commonly known as the Velvet Divorce.
Official source2004–2007
The Czech Republic joined the European Union on 1 May 2004 and entered the Schengen area on 21 December 2007.
Official sourceCzechia leads the world in beer consumption per person. The first batch of the pale lager that gave the Pilsner style its name was brewed by Josef Groll in Plzeň on 5 October 1842. Beer remains an important part of Czech social culture, but the usual rules of responsible drinking still apply.
Official source 1Official source 2VisitCzechia counts almost 3,000 castles and châteaux across the country, ranging from medieval ruins to Baroque and Renaissance residences. Prague Castle has served Czech rulers for centuries and is now the seat of the president.
Official source 1Official source 2Czechia has 17 properties on the World Heritage List: 16 cultural and one natural. They include historic centres such as Prague, Český Krumlov and Telč, as well as the transnational Great Spa Towns of Europe property.
Official sourceKarel Čapek's play R.U.R. introduced the word “robot” to the world; his brother Josef suggested the term. Otto Wichterle developed a practical method for producing soft contact lenses, and Dačice commemorates the first sugar cube.
Official source 1Official source 2Official source 3Czech culture includes composers such as Bedřich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák and Leoš Janáček; writers including Franz Kafka, Karel Čapek, Bohumil Hrabal and Milan Kundera; artist Alfons Mucha; and playwright, dissident and president Václav Havel.
Official source 1Official source 2Official source 3A relatively small country contains border mountains, deep forests, river valleys and distinctive sandstone rock towns. South Moravia adds vineyards and wine villages, while a dense network of marked trails makes much of the landscape straightforward to explore.
Official source 1Official source 2Visitors should use normal precautions. Petty theft and pickpocketing are the main recurring problems in busy tourist areas and on some public-transport routes, so keep valuables secure and call 112 if you need emergency assistance.
Official sourcereviewed 2026-07-29
A quick orientation for first-time visitors — the facts, a thousand years of history in brief, and the culture that shaped the country you're about to explore.