Verstehen · Kapitel 6
By the HolidayGenie editorial team ·
A country in the heart of Europe — the setting of European history from the Přemyslids through the Habsburgs to the Velvet Revolution.
Early Times & Přemyslids
The area of today's Czech Republic was settled by Slavic tribes from the 6th century onwards. The Přemyslid dynasty unified the Bohemian region from the 9th century and ruled until 1306. Under King Ottokar II Přemysl (13th century), the Kingdom of Bohemia reached its greatest extent.
Christianity arrived in the 9th century through Cyril and Methodius. Prague became a bishopric, later an archbishopric.
Charles IV & the "Golden Age"
Charles IV (1316-1378) made Prague the capital of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, turning it into the most important city in Central Europe:
- 1348 founding of the Charles University — the oldest university in Central Europe
- Construction of the Charles Bridge (from 1357)
- Laying the foundation stone of St. Vitus Cathedral
- Elevation of the Prague bishopric to an archbishopric
- Founding of the New Town of Prague (Nové Město)
During this time, Charles IV and his son Wenceslas IV significantly shaped the city — Prague has since been known as the "Golden City".
Hussite Wars & Habsburgs
The execution of the reformer Jan Hus in 1415 in Konstanz led to the Hussite Wars (1419-1436) — a religious uprising against Rome, considered a precursor to the Reformation.
From 1526, the Habsburgs became the kings of Bohemia, and Bohemia became part of the Habsburg monarchy. The Defenestration of Prague in 1618 triggered the Thirty Years' War, and the Bohemian defeat in the Battle of White Mountain (1620) led to the Counter-Reformation and re-Catholicization. The baroque splendor of many Czech cities dates from this period.
National Revival & CSR
In the 19th century, the "Czech National Revival" emerged — a revival of the Czech language, culture, and nation (composers like Smetana and Dvořák, poet Jungmann). In 1918, after the end of the Danube Monarchy, the Czechoslovak Republic (ČSR) was established under President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk.
The Munich Agreement of 1938 ceded the Sudetenland to the German Reich; in 1939, the remaining Czech lands were occupied as the "Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia," and Slovakia became formally independent.
Communism & Velvet Revolution
After 1945, the restored Czechoslovakia came under Soviet influence; in 1948, there was a communist takeover. The Prague Spring of 1968 — an attempt to establish "socialism with a human face" — was suppressed by the invasion of Warsaw Pact troops.
The Velvet Revolution in November 1989 peacefully ended communist rule; Václav Havel, playwright and dissident, became the first president of the post-revolution era.
On January 1, 1993, Czechoslovakia peacefully split into Czechia and Slovakia ("Velvet Divorce"). In 2004, Czechia joined the EU, in 2007 the Schengen Area, and in 1999 NATO.
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