Czech Republic: Culture & Lifestyle

Czechia has an exceptionally strong literary tradition — especially in the 20th century:

• Franz Kafka (1883-1924) — born in Prague, writing in German; „The Metamorphosis", „The Trial", „The Castle"
• Jaroslav Hašek — „The Good Soldier Švejk" (satirical anti-war novel)
• Karel Čapek — introduced the word „robot" into world literature (play „R.U.R.", 1920)
• Milan Kundera — „The Unbearable Lightness of Being"
• Bohumil Hrabal — „I Served the King of England"
• Václav Havel — playwright, dissident, and first president after the revolution
• Jaroslav Seifert — Nobel Prize in Literature 1984

„Co Čech, to muzikant" — „Every Czech a musician" — goes an old saying. Classical composers:

• Bedřich Smetana — „The Moldau" (from the cycle Má vlast / My Fatherland)
• Antonín Dvořák — „From the New World", Slavonic Dances, opera „Rusalka"
• Leoš Janáček — operas „Jenufa", „Katja Kabanowa"
• Bohuslav Martinů — 20th century, modern

Annual festivals: Prague Spring (classical, May-June, since 1946) and Colours of Ostrava (Pop/Rock).

Czechs drink more beer per capita than any other nation in the world — and have for decades. Beer is everyday life, an economic factor, and cultural heritage all at once.

The Czech beer has been recognized EU-wide as a protected geographical indication since 2008. The dominance of Pilsner styles dates back to the founding of the Bürgerbrauerei in Plzeň in 1842, where Bavarian brewmaster Josef Groll brewed the first pale, bottom-fermented lager.

Important varieties:

• Světlý ležák — pale lager (the classic Pilsner style)
• Tmavý ležák — dark lager
• Polotmavé — „semi-dark", medium brown
• Řezané — „cut" beer: half pale, half dark

In traditional pubs, beer is usually refilled immediately once the glass is empty — those who don't want more place a coaster on the glass.

Hearty, filling, meat-heavy — Czech cuisine resembles that of southern Germany and Austria. Many dishes originated in winter and are accordingly high in calories.

Main Dishes

• Svíčková na smetaně — marinated beef sirloin in cream sauce with bread dumplings and cranberries (unofficial national dish)
• Vepřo-knedlo-zelo — roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut
• Guláš — Czech goulash (usually without sauce in the soup)
• Smažený sýr — fried Edam/Hermelin with fries and tartar sauce
• Řízek — schnitzel, often with potato salad
• Ryba — baked carp (traditionally on Christmas Eve)

Sides & Dumplings

Dumplings (Knedlíky) — usually bread or potato dumplings, served sliced — accompany almost every main dish.

Sweets

• Buchteln (Buchty) — yeast dough dumplings with jam, poppy seeds, or plums
• Ovocné knedlíky — sweet fruit dumplings, filled with strawberries or plums
• Větrník — choux pastry ring with caramel

Beverages

Besides beer: Becherovka (herbal liqueur from Karlovy Vary), Slivovitz (plum brandy, especially in Moravia), wines from South Moravia.