Czech Republic Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! == Culture == {{Main|Culture of the Czech Republic}} {{refimprove section|date=May 2023}} === Art === {{main|Czech art}} {{multiple image | footer = ''Spring'', ''Summer'', ''Autumn'' and ''Winter'' (1896) by [[Art Nouveau]] artist [[Alphonse Mucha]] | width = 90 | image1 = Alfons Mucha - 1896 - Spring.jpg | alt1 = Painting of a woman | image2 = Alfons Mucha - 1896 - Summer.jpg | alt2 = Painting of a woman | image3 = Alfons Mucha - 1896 - Autumn.jpg | alt3 = Painting of a woman | image4 = Alfons Mucha - 1896 - Winter.jpg | alt4 = Painting of a woman }} [[Venus of Dolní Věstonice]] is an important example of prehistoric art unearthed in the Czech Republic. [[Theodoric of Prague]] was a painter in the Gothic era who decorated the castle [[Karlštejn]]. In the Baroque era, there were painters [[Wenceslaus Hollar]], [[Jan Kupecký]], [[Karel Škréta]], [[Anton Raphael Mengs]] and [[Petr Brandl]] and sculptors [[Matthias Braun]] and [[Ferdinand Brokoff]]. In the first half of the 19th century, [[Josef Mánes]] joined the romantic movement. In the second half the so-called "National Theatre generation" rose to prominence: sculptor [[Josef Václav Myslbek]] and painters [[Mikoláš Aleš]], [[Václav Brožík]], [[Vojtěch Hynais]] and [[Julius Mařák]]. At the end of the century came [[Art Nouveau]], with [[Alphonse Mucha|Alfons Mucha]] becoming its main representative. He is known for his Art Nouveau posters and a cycle of 20 large canvases named [[the Slav Epic]], which depicts the history of Czechs and other [[Slavs]]. {{As of|2012}}, it can be seen in the Veletržní Palace of the [[National Gallery in Prague]], which manages the largest collection of art in the Czech Republic. [[Max Švabinský]] was another Art Nouveau painter. The 20th century brought an [[avant-garde]] revolution, represented in the Czech lands mainly by expressionists and cubists: [[Josef Čapek]], [[Emil Filla]], [[Bohumil Kubišta]] or [[Jan Zrzavý]]. Surrealism emerged particularly through the work of [[Toyen]], [[Josef Šíma]] and [[Karel Teige]]. In the world, however, the most well-known Czech avant-garde artist might be [[František Kupka]], a pioneer of abstract painting. Illustrators and cartoonists to gain fame in the first half of the 20th century include [[Josef Lada]], [[Zdeněk Burian]] or [[Emil Orlík]]. Art photography became a new field represented by [[František Drtikol]], [[Josef Sudek]], later [[Jan Saudek]] and [[Josef Koudelka]]. The Czech Republic is also known for its individually made, mouth-blown, and decorated [[Bohemian glass]]. === Architecture === {{Main|Czech architecture}} [[File:Prague 07-2016 View from Old Town Hall Tower img3.jpg|thumb|[[Old Town (Prague)|Historic center of Prague]]]] The earliest preserved stone buildings in Bohemia and Moravia date back to the time of the [[Christianization]] in the 9th and 10th centuries. Since the Middle Ages, the Czech lands have been using the same architectural styles as most of [[Western Europe|Western]] and Central Europe. The oldest still standing churches were built in the [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque style]]. During the 13th century, it was replaced by the [[Czech Gothic architecture|Gothic style]]. In the 14th century, Emperor Charles IV invited architects from France and Germany, [[Matthias of Arras]] and [[Peter Parler]], to his court in Prague. During the Middle Ages, some fortified castles were built by the king and aristocracy, as well as some monasteries. The [[Renaissance architecture|Renaissance style]] penetrated the Bohemian Crown in the late 15th century when the older Gothic style started to be mixed with Renaissance elements. An example of pure Renaissance architecture in Bohemia is the [[Queen Anne's Summer Palace]], which was situated in the garden of [[Prague Castle]]. Evidence of the general reception of the Renaissance in Bohemia, involving an influx of Italian architects, can be found in spacious chateaus with arcade courtyards and geometrically arranged gardens.<ref name=architecture>{{cite web|title=History of Czech Architecture|url=http://eu2009.cz/en/czech-republic/architecture-and-design/history/history-of-czech-architecture-2461/|website=eu2009.cz|publisher=Czech Presidency of the European Union|access-date=20 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015211407/http://eu2009.cz/en/czech-republic/architecture-and-design/history/history-of-czech-architecture-2461/|archive-date=15 October 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Emphasis was placed on comfort, and buildings that were built for entertainment purposes also appeared.<ref name=czecharchitecture>{{cite web|title=The History of Architecture|url=http://www.czech.cz/en/66608-the-history-of-architecture|website=www.czech.cz|access-date=18 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923212429/http://www.czech.cz/en/66608-the-history-of-architecture|archive-date=23 September 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> In the 17th century, the Baroque style spread throughout the Crown of Bohemia.<ref name=kotalik>{{cite book|last=Kotalík|first=Jiří|title=Architektura barokní|year=2002|publisher=Správa Pražského hradu a DaDa|location=Prague|isbn=978-80-86161-38-9|page=13|edition=Deset století architektury|language=cs}}</ref> In the 18th century, Bohemia produced an architectural peculiarity – the ''Baroque Gothic style'', a synthesis of the Gothic and Baroque styles.<ref name=architecture /> [[File:Prag Kubismus Schwarze Madonna 1.jpg|thumb|left|Czech artists developed a [[Czech Cubism|distinct cubist style]] in architecture and applied arts. It later evolved into national Czechoslovak style, ''[[rondocubism]]''.]] During the 19th century stands the [[Revival architecture|revival architectural styles]]. Some churches were restored to their presumed medieval appearance and there were constructed buildings in the [[Romanesque Revival architecture|Neo-Romanesque]], [[Gothic Revival architecture|Neo-Gothic]] and [[Renaissance Revival architecture|Neo-Renaissance]] styles. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the new art style appeared in the Czech lands – [[Art Nouveau]]. Bohemia contributed an unusual style to the world's architectural heritage when Czech architects attempted to transpose the [[Cubism]] of painting and sculpture into architecture. Between World Wars I and II, [[Functionalism (architecture)|Functionalism]], with its sober, progressive forms, took over as the main architectural style.<ref name=architecture /> After World War II and the Communist coup in 1948, art in Czechoslovakia became Soviet-influenced. The Czechoslovak avant-garde artistic movement is known as the ''[[Brussels style]] came up'' in the time of political liberalization of Czechoslovakia in the 1960s. [[Brutalism]] dominated in the 1970s and 1980s. The Czech Republic is not shying away from the more modern trends of international architecture, an example is the [[Tančící dům|Dancing House (Tančící dům)]] in Prague, [[Golden Angel]] in Prague or Congress Centre in Zlín.<ref name=architecture /> Influential Czech architects include [[Peter Parler]], [[Benedikt Rejt]], [[Jan Santini Aichel]], [[Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer]], [[Josef Fanta]], [[Josef Hlávka]], [[Josef Gočár]], [[Pavel Janák]], [[Jan Kotěra]], [[Věra Machoninová]], [[Karel Prager]], [[Karel Hubáček]], [[Jan Kaplický]], [[Eva Jiřičná]] or [[Josef Pleskot]]. === Literature === {{Main|Czech literature}} [[File:Kafka.jpg|thumb|right|180px|[[Franz Kafka]]]] The literature from the area of today's Czech Republic was mostly written in Czech, but also in [[Latin]] and German or even [[Old Church Slavonic]]. [[Franz Kafka]], although a competent user of Czech, wrote in his mother tongue, German.{{sfn|Hawes|2008|p = 29}}{{sfn|Sayer|1996|pp = 164–210}} His works include ''[[The Trial]]'' and ''[[The Castle (novel)|The Castle]]''. In the second half of the 13th century, the royal court in Prague became one of the centers of German [[Minnesang]] and courtly literature. The Czech German-language literature can be seen in the first half of the 20th century. [[Bible translations into Czech|Bible translations]] played a role in the development of Czech literature. The oldest Czech translation of the [[Psalms]] originated in the late 13th century and the first complete Czech translation of the Bible was finished around 1360. The first complete printed Czech Bible was published in 1488. The first complete Czech Bible translation from the original languages was published between 1579 and 1593. The [[Codex Gigas]] from the 12th century is the largest extant medieval manuscript in the world.<ref>{{cite web|date=19 October 2005|title=Codex Gigas: The Devil's Bible|url=https://www.praguepost.com/culture/codex-gigas|access-date=5 January 2021|website=Prague Post}}</ref> [[File:Jaroslav Seifert 1981 foto Hana Hamplová crop.jpg|left|thumb|220x220px|[[Jaroslav Seifert]], winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature]] Czech-language literature can be divided into several periods: the Middle Ages; the Hussite period; the [[Renaissance humanism]]; the Baroque period; the Enlightenment and Czech reawakening in the first half of the 19th century, modern literature in the second half of the 19th century; the avant-garde of the interwar period; the years under Communism; and the Czech Republic. The antiwar comedy novel ''[[The Good Soldier Švejk]]'' is the most translated Czech book in history. The international literary award the [[Franz Kafka Prize]] is awarded in the Czech Republic.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.franzkafka-soc.cz/cena-franze-kafky/|title=Společnost Franze Kafky – Cena Franze Kafky|website=www.franzkafka-soc.cz|access-date=9 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113073540/http://www.franzkafka-soc.cz/cena-franze-kafky|archive-date=13 January 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The Czech Republic has the densest network of libraries in Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.praguemorning.cz/the-czech-republic-has-the-densest-library-network-in-the-world/|title=The Czech Republic Has The Densest Library Network In The World|first=Dave|last=Patterson|date=21 July 2016|access-date=9 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211161305/http://www.praguemorning.cz/the-czech-republic-has-the-densest-library-network-in-the-world/|archive-date=11 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Czech literature and culture played a role on at least two occasions when Czechs lived under oppression and political activity was suppressed. On both of these occasions, in the early 19th century and then again in the 1960s, the Czechs used their cultural and literary effort to strive for political freedom, establishing a confident, politically aware nation.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hqNKzuQ1N70C&q=Czech+culture+and+literature+in+political+activity&pg=PP9|title=The Struggle for the Soul of the Nation: Czech Culture and the Rise of Communism|last=Abrams|first=Bradley F.|date=2005|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-0-7425-3024-9}}</ref> === Music === {{Main|Music of the Czech Lands|Moravian traditional music}} [[File:Dvorak.jpg|thumb|left|180px|[[Antonín Dvořák]]]] The musical tradition of the Czech lands arose from the first church hymns, whose first evidence is suggested at the break of the 10th and 11th centuries. Some pieces of Czech music include two chorales, which in their time performed the function of anthems: "[[Hospodine pomiluj ny|Lord, Have Mercy on Us]]" and the [[hymn]] "Saint Wenceslaus" or "[[Saint Wenceslas Chorale|Saint Wenceslaus Chorale]]".<ref>The chronicles of Beneš Krabice of Veitmil – the hymn "Svatý Václave" mentioned there as old and well-known at the end of the 13th century [http://www.clavmon.cz/clavis/FRRB/chronica/CRONICA%20ECCLESIAE%20PRAGENSIS.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305061942/http://www.clavmon.cz/clavis/FRRB/chronica/CRONICA%20ECCLESIAE%20PRAGENSIS.htm|date=5 March 2012}}</ref> The authorship of the anthem "Lord, Have Mercy on Us" is ascribed by some historians to [[Saint Adalbert of Prague]] (sv.Vojtěch), bishop of [[Prague]], living between 956 and 997.<ref>Dějiny české hudby v obrazech (History of Czech music in pictures); in Czech</ref> The wealth of musical culture lies in the classical music tradition during all historical periods, especially in the [[Baroque music|Baroque]], [[Classical period (music)|Classicism]], Romantic, [[Modernism (music)|modern classical]] music and in the [[traditional music|traditional]] folk music of Bohemia, Moravia and [[Silesia]]. Since the early era of artificial music, Czech musicians and composers have been influenced the folk music of the region and dance. Czech music can be considered to have been "beneficial" in both the European and worldwide context, several times co-determined or even determined a newly arriving era in musical art,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.expats.cz/prague/article/czech-culture/czech-music-history/|title=Czech Music|date=27 June 2007|access-date=3 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102152951/http://www.expats.cz/prague/article/czech-culture/czech-music-history/|archive-date=2 January 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> above all of [[Classical period (music)|Classical]] era, as well as by original attitudes in [[Baroque (music)|Baroque]], [[Romantic (music)|Romantic]] and [[modern classical]] music. Some Czech musical works are ''[[The Bartered Bride]]'', ''[[New World Symphony]]'', ''[[Sinfonietta (Janáček)|Sinfonietta]]'' and ''[[Jenůfa]]''. A music festival in the country is [[Prague Spring International Music Festival]] of classical music, a permanent showcase for performing artists, symphony orchestras and chamber music ensembles of the world. === Theatre === {{multiple image | align = right | footer = The [[National Theatre (Prague)|National Theatre]] (left) and the [[Estates Theatre]] (right) | width1 = 223 | image1 = Narodni Divadlo, National Theater, Prague - 8798.jpg | alt1 = Portrait | width2 = 100 | image2 = Narodni Divadlo, Estates Theater, Prague - 8604.jpg | alt2 = Portrait }}{{Main|Theatre of the Czech Republic}} The roots of Czech theatre can be found in the Middle Ages, especially in the cultural life of the [[Gothic period]]. In the 19th century, the theatre played a role in the national awakening movement and later, in the 20th century, it became a part of modern European theatre art. The original Czech cultural phenomenon came into being at the end of the 1950s. This project called [[Laterna magika]], resulting in productions that combined theater, dance, and film in a poetic manner, considered the first [[multimedia art]] project in an international context. A drama is [[Karel Čapek]]'s play ''[[R.U.R.]]'', which introduced the word "[[robot]]".<ref>{{cite web|title=The Origin Of The Word 'Robot'|url=https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/the-origin-of-the-word-robot/|access-date=5 January 2021|website=Science Friday}}</ref> The country has a tradition of [[Puppetry|puppet theater]]. In 2016, [[Puppetry#Czech Republic and Slovakia|Czech and Slovak Puppetry]] was included on the [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Puppetry in Slovakia and Czechia|url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/puppetry-in-slovakia-and-czechia-01202|website=unesco.org|publisher=[[UNESCO]]|access-date=29 November 2021}}</ref> === Film === {{Main|Cinema of the Czech Republic}} [[File:Filmový uzel Zlín, Hermína Týrlová (1).jpg|thumb|[[Hermína Týrlová]], animator and film director]] The tradition of Czech cinematography started in the second half of the 1890s. Peaks of the production in the era of silent movies include the historical drama ''The Builder of the Temple'' and the social and erotic drama ''Erotikon'' directed by [[Gustav Machatý]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.openculture.com/2015/06/gustav-machatys-erotikon-1929-ekstase-1933-cinemas-earliest-explorations-of-womens-sensuality.html|title=Gustav Machatý's Erotikon (1929) & Ekstase (1933): Cinema's Earliest Explorations of Women's Sensuality|work=Open Culture|access-date=8 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125180430/http://www.openculture.com/2015/06/gustav-machatys-erotikon-1929-ekstase-1933-cinemas-earliest-explorations-of-womens-sensuality.html|archive-date=25 January 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The early Czech [[sound film]] era was productive, above all in mainstream genres, with the comedies of [[Martin Frič]] or [[Karel Lamač]]. There were dramatic movies sought internationally.{{cn|date=June 2023}} [[Hermína Týrlová]] was a prominent Czech animator, screenwriter, and film director. She was often called the mother of Czech animation. Over the course of her career, she produced over 60 animated children's short films using puppets and the technique of stop motion animation.{{cn|date=May 2023}} Before the German occupation, in 1933, filmmaker and animator {{ill|Irena Dodalová|cs}} established the first Czech animation studio "IRE Film" with her husband Karel Dodal.{{cn|date=May 2023}} After the period of Nazi occupation and early communist official dramaturgy of socialist realism in movies at the turn of the 1940s and 1950s with fewer exceptions such as ''[[Krakatit]]'' or ''Men without wings'' (awarded by {{Lang|fr|[[Palme d'Or]]|italic=no}} in 1946), an era of the Czech film began with animated films, performed in anglophone countries under the name "The Fabulous World of Jules Verne" from 1958, which combined acted drama with animation, and [[Jiří Trnka]], the founder of the modern puppet film.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.czech.cz/en/About-CZ/Facts-about-the-Czech-Republic/History-of-Czech-cinematography|title=History of Czech cinematography|access-date=8 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128180327/http://www.czech.cz/en/About-CZ/Facts-about-the-Czech-Republic/History-of-Czech-cinematography|archive-date=28 January 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> This began a tradition of animated films (''[[Mole (Zdeněk Miler character)|Mole]]'' etc.). [[File:Milos Forman.jpg|left|thumb|180px|Oscar-winning director [[Miloš Forman]]]] In the 1960s, the hallmark of [[Czechoslovak New Wave]]'s films were improvised [[dialogue]]s, [[Black comedy|black]] and [[absurdity|absurd]] humor and the occupation of non-actors. Directors are trying to preserve natural atmosphere without refinement and artificial arrangement of scenes. A personality of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s with original manuscript and psychological impact is [[František Vláčil]]. Another international author is [[Jan Švankmajer]], a filmmaker and artist whose work spans several media. He is a self-labeled [[surrealism|surrealist]] known for animations and features.<ref>{{cite news|title= Brooding Cartoons From Jan Svankmajer|newspaper= LA Times|date= 19 July 1991|url= https://articles.latimes.com/1991-07-19/entertainment/ca-2291_1_political-cartoon|access-date= 24 August 2010|first= Charles|last= Solomon|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120715025024/http://articles.latimes.com/1991-07-19/entertainment/ca-2291_1_political-cartoon|archive-date= 15 July 2012|url-status=live|df= dmy-all}}</ref> The [[Barrandov Studios]] in Prague are the largest film studios with film locations in the country.<ref>{{cite web|title=KFTV|url=http://www.kftv.com/country/Czech_Republic/guide/general|publisher=Wilmington Publishing and Information Ltd|access-date=26 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116234358/http://www.kftv.com/country/Czech_Republic/guide/general|archive-date=16 January 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Filmmakers have come to [[Prague]] to shoot scenery no longer found in Berlin, Paris and Vienna. The city of [[Karlovy Vary]] was used as a location for the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale.<ref>{{cite web|title=Czech Film Commission – Karlovy Vary |url=http://www.filmcommission.cz/news/detail/id/85 |publisher=Czech Film Commission |access-date=26 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116234400/http://www.filmcommission.cz/news/detail/id/85 |archive-date=16 January 2013}}</ref> The [[Czech Lion]] is the highest Czech award for film achievement. [[Karlovy Vary International Film Festival]] is one of the film festivals that have been given competitive status by the [[FIAPF]]. Other film festivals held in the country include [[Febiofest]], [[Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival]], [[One World Film Festival]], [[Zlín Film Festival]] and [[Fresh Film Festival]]. === Media === [[File:Kavčí hory areál ČT 4.jpg|thumb|Headquarters of [[Czech Television]]]] Czech journalists and media enjoy a degree of [[Freedom of the press|freedom]]. There are restrictions against writing in support of [[Nazism]], racism or violating [[Czech law]]. The Czech press was ranked as the 40th most free press in the World Press Freedom Index by [[Reporters Without Borders]] in 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title=2021 World Press Freedom Index|url=https://rsf.org/en/ranking/2021|publisher=[[Reporters Without Borders]]|access-date=30 November 2021}}</ref> [[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]] has its headquarters in Prague. [[Czech Television]] is the country's national public television broadcaster. It operates a number of channels, including [[ČT1]], [[ČT2]], and the 24-hour news channel [[ČT24]], as well as the news website [https://ct24.ceskatelevize.cz/ ct24.cz]. As of 2020, it is the most watched broadcaster, followed by the private [[TV Nova (Czech Republic)|TV Nova]] and [[Prima televize|Prima TV]]. However, TV Nova features the most watched main [[news program]] and [[prime time]] program.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pro ČT byl rok 2020 rokem rekordů, Nova kralovala sledovanosti|url=https://www.idnes.cz/zpravy/mediahub/sledovanost-2020-ceska-televize-nova.A210105_104955_mediahub_jpl|publisher=iDnes|language=cs|date=5 January 2021|access-date=30 November 2021}}</ref> Other public media services include the [[Czech Radio]] and the [[Czech News Agency]]. The best-selling daily national newspapers in 2020/21 are [[Blesk]] (average 703,000 daily readers), [[Mladá fronta DNES]] (average 461,000 daily readers), [[Právo]] (average 182,000 daily readers), [[Lidové noviny]] (average 163,000 daily readers) and [[Hospodářské noviny]] (average 162,000 daily readers).<ref>{{cite web |title=Kdo vlastní v Česku noviny? Babiš, Křetinský, Bakala a další|url=https://www.finance.cz/523825-vlastnici-novin/|publisher=Finance.cz|language=cs|date=2 July 2021|access-date=30 November 2021}}</ref> Most Czechs (87%<ref>{{Cite web|title=Digital News Report: Češi získávají zprávy z internetu a TV, věří ČT a ČRo|url=https://www.mediaguru.cz/clanky/2021/06/digital-news-report-cesi-ziskavaji-zpravy-z-internetu-a-tv-veri-ct-a-cro/|access-date=15 January 2022|website=MediaGuru.cz|language=cs}}</ref>) read their news online,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Digital News Report 2021|url=https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2021|access-date=15 January 2022|website=Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism}}</ref> with [[Seznam.cz]], [[iDNES.cz]], [[Novinky.cz]], [[Prima televize|iPrima.cz]] and [[Seznam Zprávy|Seznam Zprávy.cz]] being the most visited as of 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Online data (OLA) {{!}} SPIR|url=https://www.netmonitor.cz/en/node/376|access-date=15 January 2022|website=netmonitor.cz}}</ref> === Cuisine === {{Main|Czech cuisine}} {{refimprove section|date=July 2023}} [[File:Pilsner urquell mug.jpg|thumb|A mug of [[Pilsner Urquell]], the first [[pilsner]] type of [[pale lager]] beer, brewed since 1842]] Czech cuisine is marked by an emphasis on meat dishes with pork, beef, and chicken. Goose, duck, rabbit, and venison are served. Fish is less common, with the occasional exception of fresh [[trout]] and [[carp]], which is served at Christmas.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Purkrábek |first1=Jan |title=Why do Czechs eat carp for Christmas? |url=https://www.expats.cz/czech-news/article/why-do-czechs-eat-carp-for-christmas |website=Expats.cz |date=24 December 2020 |publisher=Howlings s.r.o. |access-date=25 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Czech Food and Drink |url=http://www.myczechrepublic.com/czech_culture/czech_cuisine.html |website=myCzechRepublic |publisher=Local Lingo s.r.o. |access-date=25 February 2023}}</ref> One popular Czech menu item is ''smažený vepřový řízek'' (fried breaded pork filet), served with boiled potatos.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Roberts |first=Andrew |title="řízek." From Good King Wenceslaus to the Good Soldier Švejk: A Dictionary of Czech Popular Culture. |publisher=Central European University Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-4237-3585-4 |location=Budapest, Hungary |publication-date=2005 |pages=143 |language=English |jstor=}}</ref> There is a variety of local sausages, wurst, pâtés, and smoked and cured meats. Czech desserts include a variety of whipped cream, chocolate, and fruit pastries and tarts, crêpes, creme desserts and cheese, poppy-seed-filled and other types of traditional cakes such as ''[[Buchteln|buchty]]'', ''[[Kolach (cake)|koláče]]'' and [[Apple strudel|''štrúdl'']].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Čiháková |first1=Jana |title=Hledá se skutečně český dezert. Uhádnete, který to je? |url=https://www.cz-test.cz/clanek/hleda-se-skutecne-cesky-dezert-uhadnete-ktery-to-je |website=CZ TEST |publisher=Granville |access-date=25 February 2023}}</ref> [[Beer in the Czech Republic|Czech beer]] has a history extending more than a millennium; the earliest known brewery existed in 993. Today the Czech Republic has the highest [[List of countries by beer consumption per capita|beer consumption per capita]] in the world. The [[pilsner]] style beer (pils) originated in [[Plzeň]], where the world's first blond lager [[Pilsner Urquell]] is still produced. It has served as the inspiration for more than two-thirds of the beer produced in the world today. The city of [[České Budějovice]] has similarly lent its name to its beer, known as [[Budweiser Budvar]]. The South Moravian region has been producing [[Czech wine|wine]] since the Middle Ages; about 94% of [[vineyard]]s in the Czech Republic are Moravian. Aside from beer, [[slivovitz]] and wine, the Czech Republic also produces two [[liquor]]s, [[Fernet Stock]] and [[Becherovka]]. [[Kofola]] is a non-alcoholic domestic [[cola]] soft drink which competes with [[Coca-Cola]] and [[Pepsi]]. === Sport === {{Main|Sport in the Czech Republic}} [[File:JaromirJagr2010WinterOlympics.jpg|thumb|right|Hockey player [[Jaromír Jágr]]]] The two leading sports in the Czech Republic are [[Association football|football]] and [[ice hockey]]. The most watched sporting events are the [[Ice hockey at the Olympic Games|Olympic tournament]] and [[Ice Hockey World Championships|World Championships]] of ice hockey.<ref>{{cite news|title=ČT sport vysílá deset let, nejsledovanější byl hokej|url=https://www.mediaguru.cz/clanky/2016/02/ct-sport-vysila-deset-let-nejsledovanejsi-byl-hokej/|work=MediaGuru.cz|language=cs|access-date=6 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507003526/https://www.mediaguru.cz/clanky/2016/02/ct-sport-vysila-deset-let-nejsledovanejsi-byl-hokej/|archive-date=7 May 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=21 October 2011|title=Prague's Most Popular Sports|url=http://www.prague.fm/11845/pragues-most-popular-sports/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413131643/http://www.prague.fm/11845/pragues-most-popular-sports/|archive-date=13 April 2014|access-date=14 May 2014|publisher=Prague.fm}}</ref> Other most popular sports include [[tennis]], [[volleyball]], [[floorball]], [[golf]], [[ball hockey]], [[Sport of athletics|athletics]], [[basketball]] and [[skiing]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Golf, florbal a hokejbal pronikly mezi nejoblíbenější české sporty |url=https://www.idnes.cz/sport/ostatni/golf-florbal-a-hokejbal-pronikly-mezi-nejoblibenejsi-ceske-sporty.A091011_125801_sporty_par |work=iDNES.cz |date=11 October 2009}}</ref> The country has won 15 gold medals in the [[Summer Olympic Games|Summer Olympics]] and nine in the [[Winter Olympic Games|Winter Games]]. (See [[All-time Olympic Games medal table|Olympic history]].) The [[Czech Republic men's national ice hockey team|Czech ice hockey team]] won the gold medal at the [[1998 Winter Olympics]] and has won twelve gold medals at the [[IHWC|World Championships]], including three straight from [[1999 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships|1999]] to [[2001 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships|2001]].{{cn|date=July 2023}} The [[Škoda Motorsport]] is engaged in [[Motorsport|competition racing]] since 1901 and has gained a number of titles with various vehicles around the world. [[MTX (automobile)|MTX]] automobile company was formerly engaged in the manufacture of [[Auto racing|racing]] and [[Formula racing|formula]] cars since 1969.{{cn|date=July 2023}} [[Hiking]] is a popular sport. The word for 'tourist' in Czech, ''turista'', also means 'trekker' or 'hiker'. For hikers, thanks to the more than 120-year-old tradition, there is the [[Czech Hiking Markers System]] of [[trail blazing]], that has been adopted by countries worldwide. There is a network of around 40,000 km of marked short- and long-distance trails crossing the whole country and all the Czech mountains.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.expats.cz/prague/article/czech-tourism/hiking-in-the-czech-republic/p1|title=Hiking in the Czech Republic|publisher=Expats|date=16 June 2011|access-date=23 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161023203911/http://www.expats.cz/prague/article/czech-tourism/hiking-in-the-czech-republic/p1|archive-date=23 October 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kct.cz/cms/turisticke-znaceni-kct|title=Turistické značení KČT|publisher=KČT|access-date=23 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215161119/http://www.kct.cz/cms/turisticke-znaceni-kct|archive-date=15 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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