Any Travels

This landlocked country, nestled in between Poland, Slovakia, Austria and Germany, has long played a pivotal role in the history of Central Europe. Its location and history have formed the national character and culture, which have both Germanic and Slavic elements.

Prague, the capital, has through the centuries acquired an unrivalled richness of architectural treasures which have earned a place on UNESCO's world culture heritage list. The romanesque, gothic, renaissance, baroque and art nouveau styles form a unique aesthetic blend. In this way the city represents well the successive phases of Czech history; as a capital of the Holy Roman Empire, as an important cultural centre of the Habsburg Empire and, in the first half of the twentieth century, as the capital of an independent and democratic republic between the two world wars.

Yet the country has much more to offer than the beauties of its capital. The Czech Republic consists of three historic regions - Bohemia, Moravia and the Czech part of Silesia. The varied landscape of hills and plains boasts an impressive array of castles and chateaux as well as picturesque villages where folklore traditions still live on. Towns like Cesky Krumlov, Tabor and Karlovy Vary for example, all offer a rich cultural and historical heritage attracting millions of visitors every year. The "Czech lands" are well known for their long-established tradition of making high quality beer and in the cities of Plzen (Pilsen) and Ceske Budejovice one can find some of the country's most famous breweries. There is also a rich culinary tradition with influences from other countries in the Central European region, such as the German, Hungarian and Polish cuisine.

Sport is taken seriously and the country has produced many successful sportsmen and women, among them Martina Navratilova, Ivan Lendl and Emil Zatopek. Ice hockey is the most popular team sport and the national team has had great success in recent years, winning the World Championships in 1999, 2000 and 2001, along with Olympic gold in 1998.

The Czech Republic has made a significant contribution to European culture. In the sphere of music, the works of Antonin Dvorak, Bedrich Smetana and Leos Janacek are often played around the world. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived and worked in Prague for some time, holding the world premier of the opera Don Giovanni there in 1787. In literature, Franz Kafka, Jaroslav Hasek and Milan Kundera provide examples of a rich Czech literary tradition. Well-known Czech artists include the early eighteenth century painter Petr Brandl and the Art Nouveau painter and poster artist Alfons Mucha, while Czech cinema has produced names like Milos Forman, Jan Sverak and Jiri Menzel.

After the fall of the Berlin wall millions of people from the west sped to the Czech republic and specially its capital Prague. And with some reason. This central European country really has a lot to show and Prague is definitely one of the most beautiful cities in the whole world. The ancient tradition of brewing beer (Budweiser was originally a czech beer) makes your stay in the country an even more enjoyable one.

The Czech Republic is situated approximately in the geographical center of Europe and has an area of 78,866 sq. km. It is a landlocked country 326 km from the Baltic and 322 km from the Adriatic. It shares borders with Germany (810 km), Poland (762 km), Austria (466 km) and Slovakia (265 km). The highest point of elevation is the peak of Mt. Snezka (1,602 m above sea level) and the lowest point of elevation is near Hrensko where the River Labe leaves Czech territory (117 m above sea level).

The Czech Republic is still all things to all people. From the pulsing capital Prague to the back-in-time villages of Moravia, from toiling up mountains to lounging in spas, from the world-famous Pilsner to the strains of Smetana and Dvorak, there's an experience to suit every taste.

Cyclists will appreciate the undulating Bohemian plateau, drained by the Vltava, the republic's longest river, and its parent river, the Labe, and dotted with castles and modest villages. A natural pathway through Moravia is the 'Moravian Gate', the linked valleys of the Morava, Beava and Odra rivers, the only lowland corridor across the Czech Republic. Though this is the most densely populated part of the republic, the hills to both sides offer some of its most peaceful travelling.

How fast can you drive?
Entrance the towns in the Czech Republic you can see the label with name of each town. But that label doesn't mean only the name for this or that town.It also says, that you should slow-down. If traffic signs don't display another speed limit, the speed in town is boardered max. 50 km/h (31 mph). I don't wonder, why there are so many serious crash accidants on the higways. Drivers don't axcept the speed limit 130 km/h (81 mph). Many times driving a car by this speed I was overtaken. Why? what do other drivers want to say? - Let me go, beuase my car is better - or - Let me go, because I don't have the time.