Slavic tribes arrived in modern-day Czech Republic in the 5th century. “Good King” Wenceslas, the country’s patron saint, ruled for five years in the 10th century before he was assassinated by his brother. The 14th century saw Charles IV elevate Prague to a political and social center rivaling Paris. John Huss, a Czech national hero, jumpstarted the Protestant Reformation and was burned at the stake in 1415.

For four hundred years, Czech was part of the Hapsburg Empire. During that time, Rudolph II made Prague the capitol of the empire, attracting artists, scholars and scientists to his court.

The 20th century is marked by the “years of eight.” In 1918, Czech and Slovakia united to form Czechoslovakia. Hitler sparked World War II by seizing control of the western border of the country in 1938. A coup in 1948 threw it into four decades of Communism. In 1968, the Soviets crushed attempted reforms and purged the communist party of liberals.

However, in 1989, the Velvet Revolution, a week of peaceful demonstrations, brought an end to Communist rule. Under a new constitution, Czechoslovakia held multi-party elections in 1992. Slovakia desired autonomy and with the Velvet Divorce, the two countries separated peacefully on January 1, 1993. Since then, the Czech Republic has developed its economy and joined the European Union in 2004.

Source: Czech Republic CultureGram 2009