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Czechs
Czechs ( , archaic []) are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, U.S., Brazil, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries. They speak the Czech language, which is closely related to the Slovak and Upper Sorbian language.[1] Among the ancestors of the Czechs are ancient Slavic tribes who inhabited the regions of Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia from the 6th century onwards.
HistoryThe Czechs are descended from ancient Slavic tribes, with some Celtic and Germanic admixtures.[2] The Slavic tribes have inhabited the regions of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia since the 6th century. According to a popular myth, the Czechs come from a certain Forefather ?ech who settled at ?íp Mountain. In 880, Prague castle was constructed by Prince Bo?ivoj and the city of Prague was established. Vratislav II was the first Czech king in 1085, but was still under the control of The Holy Roman Empire and the Germans.[3] The 13th century was a period of large-scale German immigration into Czech lands. The number of Czechs who have at least partly German ancestry probably runs into hundreds of thousands.[4] The Habsburg Monarchy focused much of its power on religious wars against the protestants. While these religious wars were taking place, the Czech estates revolted against Habsburg from 1546 to 1547 but were ultimately defeated by the Duke of Saxony. The wars between the Catholics and the Protestants finally ended in 1555 with the legalization of the Protestant faith.[5] Czechs call the following period, from 1620 to 1648 until the late 18th century, the "Dark Age". It is characterized by devastation by foreign troops; Germanization; and economic and political decline. The population of the Czech lands declined by a third due to the Thirty Years' War and the expulsion of Protestant Czechs. At the turn of the 20th century, Chicago was the third-largest Czech city in the world, after Prague and Vienna.[6][7] Tens of thousands of Czechs had repatriated from Volhynia and Banat after World War II. Since 1990s, the Czech Republic has been working to repatriate Romania and Kazakhstan's ethnic Czechs.[8][9] The Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 was followed by a wave of emigration, unseen before and stopped shortly after (estimate: 70,000 immediately, 300,000 in total),[10] typically of highly qualified people. Following Czech Republic's entry into the European Union in May 2004, Czechs gained the right to work in some other EU countries. Many young Czechs have come to work in UK since then.[11] Notable figuresHistorical figuresThe most successful and influential of all Czech kings was Charles IV (Karel IV.), who also became the Holy Roman Emperor.[12] The Luxembourg dynasty represents the heights of Czech (Bohemian) statehood territorial and influence as well as advancement in many areas of human endeavors.[13] Many people are considered national heroes and cultural icons, many national stories concern their lives. Jan Hus was a religious reformist from the 1400s.[14] The teacher of nations Jan Amos Komenský is also considered a notable figure in Czech history.[15] Josef Jungmann is often credited for expanding the modern Czech language, and preventing its extinction.[16] MythologyThere are also ancient folk stories about the Czech people, such as the Forefather ?ech, who according to legend brought the tribe of Czechs into its land,[17] or P?emysl, the Ploughman,[18] who started the dynasty that ruled for 400 years until 1306. Modern politiciansOne of the most notable Velvet Revolution figures is Václav Havel, who became the first president of the independent Czech Republic.[19] The current president (2nd) is Václav Klaus.[20] 
First President of the Czech Republic Václav Havel SportsSports have also been a contributor to famous Czechs especially tennis, soccer, hockey and athletics.
The artsThe Czechs are accomplished in the field of literature, painting and music. Poet Jaroslav Seifert was awarded the Nobel Literature Prize.[24] Bo?ena N?mcová has become a cultural icon and gained much fame for her book Babi?ka.[27] Writer Franz Kafka (born in Prague) wrote most of his works in Prague (although in German).[28] 
Karel Gott, singer SaintsMany Bohemian saints benefited the Czech culture,[36] most notably St. Wenceslaus (Václav), patron of the Czech nation,[37] St. John of Nepomuk (Jan Nepomucký),[38] St. Adalbert (Vojt?ch)[39] or St. Agnes of Bohemia (Ane?ka ?eská).[40] Geography
Simple map of the Czech Republic Czech language
The Czech language is spoken by approximately 12 million people around the world including most of the people in the Czech Republic.[45] It developed from the Proto-Slavic language in the 10th century[46][45] and is mutually intelligible with the Slovakian language.[47] External linksSee also
Further reading
References
be:???? bg:???? cs:?e?i de:Tschechen es:Checos eo:?e?oj fr:Tchčques ko:??? hy:??? hr:?esi id:Bangsa Ceko it:Cechi ka:?????? hu:Csehek mk:???? nl:Tsjechen ja:???? pl:Czesi pt:Tchecos ro:Cehi ru:???? sk:?esi sl:?ehi sr:???? sh:?esi fi:T?ekit sv:Tjecker uk:???? zh:??? Source: Wikipedia | The above article is available under the GNU FDL. | Edit this article
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