Czechs

The Czechs (Czech: Češi), or the Czech people (Český lid), are a West Slavic ethnic group and a nation who live mainly in the Czech Republic in Central Europe. They share a common ancestry, culture, history, and language.

In the past, ethnic Czechs were often called Bohemians in English. This name comes from the old name of their country, Bohemia, which was named after a Celtic tribe called the Boii.

Today, many Czechs live outside of the Czech Republic. This is called the Czech diaspora. Large groups of Czechs can be found in countries such as the United States, Germany, Canada, and many others.

Ethnology

See also: Name of the Czech Republic

The Czech ethnic group is part of the West Slavic subgroup. They live in Central Europe. The West Slavic tribe of Czechs formed the Duchy of Bohemia in the 9th century. This was part of Great Moravia.

The Czechs are closely related to the Slovaks. Together, they once formed the country Czechoslovakia. The Czech–Slovak languages are very similar. Czech culture influenced Slovak culture. In the 17th century, German was used more in official work, but Czech identity stayed strong. Later, the Czech National Revival helped bring back the Czech language and culture. The Czechs also supported ideas called Pan-Slavism.

Genetics

Further information: Genetic history of Europe

Czechs, like most Europeans, come from three main groups: ancient hunters, farmers from Anatolia, and herders from the Pontic–Caspian steppe. Many different people moved through the Czech lands over time, mixing with the local people.

The people of the Czech Republic have ancestors from Slavic, Celtic, and Germanic groups. West Slavs arrived in the 6th century and settled in places like Bohemia and Moravia. Later, in the 13th century, many Germans moved into the Czech lands.

Big events changed the population, but today Czechs have a rich mix of histories from many cultures.

Notable people

See also: List of Czechs

Historical figures

The last five Přemyslids were kings: Ottokar I of Bohemia, Wenceslaus I of Bohemia, Ottokar II of Bohemia, Wenceslaus II of Bohemia and Wenceslaus III of Bohemia. The most successful Czech king was Charles IV, who also became the Holy Roman Emperor. The Luxembourg dynasty marked the peak of Czech influence and progress in many areas.

Many people are considered national heroes and cultural icons. Jan Hus was a religious reformist from the 15th century and inspired the Hussite Movement. Jan Žižka and Prokop the Great led the Hussite army, and George of Poděbrady was a Hussite king. Albrecht von Wallenstein was a notable military leader during the Thirty Years' War. The teacher of nations Jan Amos Komenský is also a notable figure in Czech history. Joseph Radetzky von Radetz was an Austrian general during the Napoleonic Wars. Josef Jungmann helped expand the modern Czech language. The most famous Czech historian was František Palacký, called "father of nation".

Modern politicians

Key figures include founders of Czechoslovakia, Presidents Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and Edvard Beneš, who led the government in exile during World War II. Ludvík Svoboda led Czechoslovak military units on the Eastern Front during World War II and later became president of Czechoslovakia. Notable politicians after the fall of the communist regime include Václav Havel, the last President of Czechoslovakia and first President of the Czech Republic, and the first directly elected president, Miloš Zeman.

The Czech Republic has had many Prime Ministers, including future presidents Václav Klaus and Miloš Zeman. Other Prime Ministers have been conservative politicians like Mirek Topolánek and Petr Nečas, and social democrats such as Vladimír Špidla, Jiří Paroubek, and Bohuslav Sobotka.

Diplomat Madeleine Albright was of Czech origin and spoke Czech. Other well-known Czech diplomats were Jan Masaryk and Jiří Dienstbier.

Science

Czechs have made contributions mainly in Biology, Chemistry, Philology, and Egyptology.

• Chemistry – Jaroslav Heyrovský (Nobel Prize 1959), Otto Wichterle, Zdenko Hans Skraup, Antonín Holý
• Biology – Johann Gregor Mendel, Jan Evangelista Purkyně, Carl Borivoj Presl, Jan Svatopluk Presl, Karel Domin, Kaspar Maria von Sternberg, Friedrich von Berchtold, Ferdinand Stoliczka, Wenceslas Bojer, Alberto Vojtěch Frič, August Carl Joseph Corda
• Mathematics – Bernard Bolzano, Eduard Čech, Miroslav Katětov, Petr Vopěnka, Václav Chvátal, Otakar Borůvka, Vojtěch Jarník, Kurt Gödel
• Physics and engineering – Ignaz von Born, František Běhounek, Jan Marek Marci, Josef Ressel, František Křižík, Vincenc Strouhal, Prokop Diviš, František Josef Gerstner, Ernst Mach
• Astronomy – Antonín Mrkos, Antonín Bečvář
• Astronautics – Vladimír Remek
• Philology – Bedřich Hrozný, Josef Dobrovský, Josef Jungmann, Vilém Mathesius, Julius Pokorny, René Wellek, Jan Mukařovský
• Medicine – Carl von Rokitansky, Joseph Škoda, Jan Janský
• Archeology – Pavel Pavel, Lubor Niederle, Karel Absolon, Miroslav Verner
• Anthropology and ethnography – Aleš Hrdlička, Emil Holub, Alois Musil
• History – František Palacký, Bohuslav Balbín, Konstantin Jireček, Max Dvořák, Miroslav Hroch
• Philosophy – Edmund Husserl, Jan Patočka, Karel Kosík, Egon Bondy, Ladislav Klíma
• Psychology – Max Wertheimer, Stanislav Grof, Sigmund Freud
• Theology – Jan Hus, Jerome of Prague, Petr Chelčický, Jan Rokycana, Tomáš Špidlík, Tomáš Halík
• Pedagogy – Jan Amos Komenský
• Folklorists – František Ladislav Čelakovský, Karel Jaromír Erben
• Literary theory – Karel Teige, Pavel Janáček

Sports

Sports have brought fame to many Czechs, especially in tennis, football, hockey, and athletics:

• Tennis – Jaroslav Drobný, Jan Kodeš, Martina Navrátilová, Ivan Lendl, Hana Mandlíková, Jana Novotná, Helena Suková, Petr Korda, Petra Kvitová, Tomáš Berdych, Karolína Plíšková, Barbora Krejčíková
• Football – Oldřich Nejedlý, Antonín Puč, František Plánička, Josef Bican, Josef Masopust, Ivo Viktor, Antonín Panenka, Zdeněk Nehoda, Tomáš Skuhravý, Pavel Nedvěd, Karel Poborský, Jan Koller, Milan Baroš, Marek Jankulovski, Vladimír Šmicer, Tomáš Rosický, Petr Čech
• Hockey – Jaromír Jágr, Dominik Hašek, Vladimír Růžička, Jiří Šlégr, Ivan Hlinka, Jiří Holeček, Jaroslav Pouzar, Jiří Hrdina, Petr Sýkora, Patrik Eliáš, Bobby Holík, Michal Rozsíval, Milan Hejduk, Petr Nedvěd, Martin Straka, Václav Prospal, Jakub Voráček, Tomáš Plekanec, František Kaberle, David Výborný, Pavel Patera, Martin Procházka, David Krejčí, David Pastrňák, Filip Chytil
• Athletics – Emil Zátopek, Dana Zátopková, Jarmila Kratochvílová, Roman Šebrle, Jan Železný, Barbora Špotáková
• Gymnastics – Věra Čáslavská, Eva Bosáková, Vlasta Děkanová, Hana Říčná, Věra Černá
• Chess – Wilhelm Steinitz, Věra Menčíková, Richard Réti, Salo Flohr, David Navara
• Others – Martina Sáblíková, Martin Doktor, Štěpánka Hilgertová, Josef Holeček, Kateřina Neumannová, Filip Jícha, Jiří Zídek Sr., Jan Veselý, Ester Ledecká

The arts

Music

Czech music began with significant pieces in the 11th century. Progress grew with the end of the Renaissance and early Baroque era, especially in works of Adam Václav Michna z Otradovic, where Czech music's unique character developed using folk music influences. This tradition continued in works by great Czech composers like Jan Dismas Zelenka and Josef Mysliveček in Baroque, Bedřich Smetana and Antonín Dvořák in Romanticism, Leoš Janáček, Bohuslav Martinů and Josef Suk in modern classical, and Petr Eben and Miloslav Kabeláč in contemporary classical music.

Czech musicians have influenced European music. Jan Václav Antonín Stamic helped shape Classicism in music in the 18th century and founded the Mannheim school. Antonín Rejcha previewed new techniques in the 19th century. Czech influence reached beyond Europe when Antonín Dvořák developed a new American classical style during his time in the US. Alois Hába also contributed to microtonal music in the 20th century.

Czech music reached Qing China. Karel Slavíček was a Jesuit missionary, scientist, and sinologist introduced to the Kangxi Emperor in Beijing in 1717. The emperor employed him as a court musician. Slavíček played the Spinet.

Some modern Czech musicians include US-based composer and guitarist Ivan Král, musician and composer Jan Hammer, and the rock band The Plastic People of the Universe, important in the underground movement during the communist regime.

The Czech Republic first entered the Eurovision Song Contest in (/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest_2007). The Czech performer qualified for the grand final for the first time in (/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest_2016) with singer Gabriela Gunčíková, finishing 25th. In (/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest_2018), singer Mikolas Josef reached 6th place, the best result for the Czech Republic so far.

Other notable names include: Franz Benda, Rafael Kubelík, Jan Ladislav Dussek, Vítězslav Novák, Zdeněk Fibich, Jan Kubelík, Jiří Antonín Benda, Julius Fučík, Karel Svoboda, Karel Kryl, Václav Neumann, Václav Talich, František Xaver Richter, Jan Křtitel Vaňhal, Vojtěch Živný, Josef Bohuslav Foerster, Magdalena Kožená, Karel Ančerl, Ema Destinnová, Maria Jeritza, František Xaver Brixi, Jiří Bělohlávek, Oskar Nedbal, Karel Gott.

Literature

Jaroslav Seifert won the Nobel Prize in Literature for his poetry. Božena Němcová became famous for her book Babička (The Grandmother). Other important Czech writers include Milan Kundera, Karel Čapek, Jaroslav Hašek, Jan Neruda, Franz Kafka, Bohumil Hrabal, Viktor Dyk, Kosmas, Pavel Kohout, Alois Jirásek, Josef Škvorecký, Karel Jaromír Erben, Jiří Wolker, Karel Hynek Mácha, Vítězslav Nezval, Arnošt Lustig, Jaroslav Vrchlický, Karel Havlíček Borovský, Ivan Klíma, Egon Erwin Kisch, Vladimír Holan, Julius Zeyer and Svatopluk Čech. Contemporary writers include Jáchym Topol, Patrik Ouředník, Michal Viewegh and Daniela Hodrová. Important playwrights were Karel Čapek, František Langer and Josef Kajetán Tyl. Strong was also the theatrical avant-garde (Jan Werich, Jiří Voskovec, Emil František Burian). Known journalists were Julius Fučík, Milena Jesenská and Ferdinand Peroutka.

Visual arts

Mikoláš Aleš was a painter known for redesigning the Prague National Theater. Alphonse Mucha was a key artist in the Art Nouveau movement of the Edwardian period. František Kupka helped start the abstract art movement. Other famous painters include Josef Čapek, Josef Lada, Theodoric of Prague, Wenceslaus Hollar, Toyen, Jan Kupecký, Petr Brandl, Vladimír Vašíček, Václav Brožík, Josef Mánes, Karel Škréta and Max Švabinský. Renowned sculptors were Josef Václav Myslbek and Matyáš Bernard Braun. Photographers include Jan Saudek, Josef Sudek, František Drtikol and Josef Koudelka. Illustrators include Zdeněk Burian and Adolf Born. Architects include Jan Kotěra and Josef Gočár. Jiří Kylián was an important ballet choreographer.

Film

Film director Miloš Forman, famous for One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, is of Czech origin and began his career in Czechoslovakia. Forman was part of the Czech New Wave. Others in this movement included Jiří Menzel (Oscar 1967), Ivan Passer, Věra Chytilová and Elmar Klos (Oscar 1965). The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film went to Jan Svěrák in 1996. The influential surrealist filmmaker and animator Jan Švankmajer was born in Prague and lives in the Czech Republic. In animation and puppet film, famous names include Zdeněk Miler, Karel Zeman and Jiří Trnka.

Actors such as Zdeněk Svěrák, Vlastimil Brodský, Vladimír Menšík, Libuše Šafránková and Karel Roden have made their mark in Czech history.

Modeling

The first Czech models to gain international success were Paulina Porizkova and Ivana Trump. After communism fell in Czechoslovakia, many others succeeded, including Karolína Kurková, Eva Herzigová, Taťána Kuchařová, Petra Němcová and Daniela Peštová.

Saints

Czech culture includes many saints, especially St. Wenceslaus (Václav), patron of the Czech nation, St. John of Nepomuk (Jan Nepomucký), St. Adalbert (Vojtěch), Saint Procopius and St. Agnes of Bohemia (Anežka Česká). Though not Christian, rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel of Prague, a 16th Century scholar, is also part of the country's religious history.

Natives

The modern Czech nation formed through the Czech national revival. This created the idea of a Czech person as someone who speaks Czech language as their first language. Czechs also discuss two concepts: the landed concept (someone born in historic Czech territory) and the ethnic concept. Some notable natives include US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, film director Karel Reisz, actor Herbert Lom, psychologist Max Wertheimer, geologist Karl von Terzaghi, musicologists Eduard Hanslick and Guido Adler, biologist Heinrich Wilhelm Schott, the founder of dermatology Ferdinand Ritter von Hebra, composers Gustav Mahler, Heinrich Biber, Viktor Ullmann, Ervin Schulhoff, Pavel Haas, Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Ralph Benatzky, writers Franz Kafka, Reiner Maria Rilke, Max Brod, Karl Kraus, Franz Werfel, Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Leo Perutz, Tom Stoppard and Egon Erwin Kisch, painters Anton Raphael Mengs and Emil Orlik, architects Adolf Loos, Peter Parler, Josef Hoffmann, Jan Santini Aichel and Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer, cellist David Popper, violist Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst, pianists Alice Herz-Sommer and Rudolf Serkin, president of Austria Karl Renner, Prime Minister of Poland Jerzy Buzek, industrialist Oskar Schindler, or chess player Wilhelm Steinitz.

Czech ancestry

People with Czech ancestry include astronauts Eugene Cernan and Jim Lovell, film directors Chris Columbus and Jim Jarmusch, swimmer Katie Ledecky, politicians John Forbes Kerry and Caspar Weinberger, chemist and Nobel Prize laureate Thomas Cech, physicist Karl Guthe Jansky, economist Friedrich Hayek, painters Jan Matejko, Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka, actors Ashton Kutcher, Sissy Spacek and Kim Novak, tennis players Richard Krajicek, Jakob Hlasek and Stan Wawrinka, singer Jason Mraz, Brazil president Juscelino Kubitschek, founder of McDonald's company Ray Kroc, writers Georg Trakl and Robert Musil, mayor of Chicago Anton Cermak and Ivanka Trump and her brother Donald Trump Jr.

Geography

The Czechs live in three historical lands: Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia. These areas make up the modern Czech Republic. The culture can be a little different in each of these places. Moravians often feel very proud of Moravia, but they also speak Czech. You can find local dialects such as Central Bohemian, the Chod dialect, Moravian dialects, and Cieszyn Silesian in different parts of the country.

Czech language

Main article: Czech language

See also: History of the Czech language

The Czech language is spoken by many people, mostly in the Czech Republic. It started to develop from the Proto-Slavic language a long time ago and is very similar to the Slovak language.

Religion

See also: Religion in the Czech Republic

Many Czechs were once followers of Jan Hus and other Protestant reformers. But after a battle called the Battle of White Mountain, leaders wanted everyone to join the Roman Catholic Church. During the Communist era, many Czechs stopped practicing religion.

Today, most people in the Czech Republic do not follow a religion. Many say they are not religious, while some are Christians, mostly Catholics, and a few follow other faiths.

Demographics

See also: Demographics of the Czech Republic and Czech diaspora

In the Czech Republic, most people are ethnic Czechs. In a census in 2011, about 6.7 million people, or 63.7%, said they were Czech. Many others did not say what their ethnicity was, and some said they were Moravians.

Czechs also live in many other countries. In the United States, about 1.7 million people have Czech or Czechoslovak ancestry. There are also Czech communities in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia, as well as smaller groups across Europe. Some people in Israel have Czech-Jewish ancestry.