Czech Life and Institutions Exam flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Sněžka

The highest peak in the Czech Republic, 1,603 metres, located in the Krkonoše mountains on the border with Poland.

Vltava

The longest river in the Czech Republic, flowing north through Prague and joining the Labe (Elbe), which drains to the North Sea.

Four national parks

Krkonoše, Šumava, Podyjí and České Švýcarsko are the four national parks of the Czech Republic, protecting mountain and river-valley ecosystems.

Fourteen regions

Since 2000 the Czech Republic is divided into 14 self-governing regions (kraje), with Prague forming both a municipality and a region.

Charles University 1348

Founded by Charles IV in 1348, Charles University in Prague is the oldest university in Central Europe and a major Czech cultural symbol.

Jan Hus 1415

Czech religious reformer burned at the Council of Constance in 1415; his death sparked the Hussite wars and made him a national symbol.

Battle of White Mountain

A 1620 battle near Prague in which Habsburg forces defeated the Bohemian Protestant estates, leading to re-Catholicisation and loss of Bohemian autonomy.

Velvet Revolution 1989

A peaceful protest movement in November 1989 that ended communist rule in Czechoslovakia and brought Václav Havel to the presidency.

Chamber of Deputies

The lower house of the Czech Parliament, with 200 members elected for four-year terms by proportional representation; it holds the government's confidence.

Czech Senate

The upper house of Parliament with 81 members; one third is elected every two years for a six-year term, mostly in two-round majority districts.

Direct presidential election

Since 2013 Czech presidents are elected directly by citizens for a five-year term, with a maximum of two consecutive terms.

Constitutional Court Brno

The Czech Constitutional Court sits in Brno with 15 judges appointed by the president with Senate consent for ten years; it reviews constitutionality.

NATO accession 1999

The Czech Republic joined NATO on 12 March 1999, together with Poland and Hungary, as part of the alliance's eastern enlargement.

EU accession 2004

The Czech Republic became a member of the European Union on 1 May 2004 in the largest enlargement, together with nine other states.

EU Council Presidency 2022

The Czech Republic held the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2022, its second presidency after 2009.

Visegrád Group

A regional cooperation format of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary, focused on EU and security policy coordination.

Czech koruna

The currency of the Czech Republic (CZK), issued by the Czech National Bank; the country has not adopted the euro.

Pay-as-you-go pensions

Czech pensions are financed from current contributions of workers and employers, not from individual investment accounts, with a voluntary supplementary scheme.

Statutory health insurance

Health insurance in the Czech Republic is compulsory for residents and administered by health insurance funds, with care largely free at the point of use.

Maturita examination

The school-leaving exam concluding secondary education in the Czech Republic, including Czech language, a foreign language or mathematics, and optional subjects.

Czech Academy of Sciences

The main public research institution in the Czech Republic, coordinating institutes across natural sciences, social sciences and humanities.

Karel Čapek

Czech writer and playwright whose 1920 drama R.U.R. introduced the word 'robot'; he also wrote War with the Newts and travel books.

28 October

Czech public holiday marking the founding of independent Czechoslovakia in 1918; it is a national holiday with official ceremonies.

Mikuláš

A Czech tradition on 5 December when Saint Nicholas, accompanied by an angel and a devil, distributes sweets to children.

Christmas Eve carp

On 24 December Czech families eat fried carp with potato salad; carp are often bought live and kept in a bathtub before cooking.

Seven grammatical cases

Czech nouns and adjectives decline in seven cases: nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, vocative, locative and instrumental, with gender agreement.

Babička by Němcová

Božena Němcová's 1855 novel Babička (The Grandmother) is a classic of Czech National Revival literature depicting rural life.

Czech Television

Česká televize is the public-service broadcaster in the Czech Republic, funded by licence fees and required to provide balanced programming.

Motorway vignette

A paid sticker or electronic permit required to drive on Czech motorways and expressways; sold for 10 days, one month or one year.

Employee card

A combined Czech residence and work permit for non-EU nationals, issued for employment and allowing residence for the duration of the job.

Permanent residence five years

Non-EU foreigners may generally apply for permanent residence in the Czech Republic after five years of continuous legal temporary residence.

Dobrý den

The standard formal Czech greeting meaning 'good day', used in shops, offices and with strangers; 'ahoj' is the informal alternative.