How do people live in the Czech Republic?
Most Czechs live in a city. There are large prefabricated housing estates there, but there are also pretty old-style apartments in the centers and newer, modern houses on the outskirts. People like to eat hearty and typically Bohemian food, but kebab shops have also found their way, as you can see in the photo.
What are the names of the people in the Czech Republic?
As in many Slavic languages, women have different surnames than men. A -ová is usually added to the male surname. Maybe you know the former tennis player Martina Navrátilová? However, names that end in -ý only become -á. That is why Mr Černý’s wife is called Mrs Černá. Only names ending in -ů are not changed.
By the way, this rule is also applied to foreign names. If one speaks of Angela Merkel in the Czech Republic, it becomes Angela Merkelová. Or Steffi Graf becomes Steffi Grafová.
The most common surnames are Novák (in German that would be Neumann), Svoboda (freedom), Novotny (also Neumann), Dvořák (Hoffmann), Černý (black) and Procházka (walk).
Typical Czech Republic
The little mole
Do you know the little mole? He experiences little adventures on television with his friends rabbits, hedgehogs and mice. It’s a Czech invention. It was invented by the draftsman Zdeněk Miler as early as 1957. In Czech the mole is called Krtek. The little mole became so successful that the cartoons with him were shown in 80 countries. In order to be understood everywhere, the mole does not speak.
Carlsbad wafers
Wafers are very flat baked goods. You may be familiar with baking wafers or edible paper. In the Czech Republic, two large, round wafers are filled sweetly and thus with the delicious Karlovy Vary wafers. Their diameter is 19 centimeters. The filling consists for example of sugar and almond slivers or of chocolate. The seal impression is also typical of the wafers.
The ride of the kings
The Ride of the Kings is a traditional parade. It takes place in spring in four places in the south-east of the Czech Republic, i.e. in Moravia. It is held every year in Skoronice and Vlčnov, every two years in Kunovice and every three years in Hluk.
A boy from the village is made king. He wears a traditional costume and holds a paper flower in his mouth. This should prevent him from speaking, because he traditionally has to be silent for 24 hours. He is accompanied on his ride by his entourage with pages and singers. They call out verses and collect donations for their performance. Everyone is wearing traditional costumes and the horses are also decorated. There is a festival in the evening at the king’s house.
The Vltava
The Vltava is the longest river in the Czech Republic. It flows in the southwest to the Elbe and also comes through Prague. There, together with the sights of the city, it offers a wonderful backdrop. The Czechs also love their river because they can canoe on it – a popular sport in the country. The Moldau also became known because the composer Smetana dedicated a work to it in 1874. By the way, the Vltava is called Vltava in Czech.
Eating in Czech Republic
What do you eat in the Czech Republic?
The most famous side dish of the Czech Republic is dumplings. Traditionally they are made from flour with eggs and milk. You can also use grated potatoes or quark for the dumpling dough. If you add pieces of bread to it, they become bread dumplings.
The dough is shaped into an elongated roll, cooked and then cut into slices. So Bohemian dumplings are very different from our potato dumplings or dumplings. By the way, quark dumplings are often filled with fruit, which is how they become plum dumplings or cherry dumplings.
Hearty with meat
The dumplings are also hearty: roast pork with dumplings and cabbage is called Vepřo-knedlo-zelo and is a national dish. A typical beef dish is Svíčková na smetaně: sirloin on cream. Other meat dishes are goulash, meatloaf or meatballs. Fish is rarely eaten, but the Bohemian carp, which is popular for Christmas, is known.
In addition to dumplings, you can also find fleky, square noodles or potato salad. By the way, there are few vegetables. Sauerkraut, white cabbage and red cabbage are most often found on the plates, as well as mushrooms. One also likes berries, such as cranberries.
Stuffed peppers can also be found on the Czech menus. Potato pancakes are called Bramboráky here. Baked cheese is also meatless. Cheese is breaded for this, you may know baked camembert. In the Czech Republic, the cheese is sometimes still filled, for example with Prague ham.
Sweet pastries
Flour dishes are very popular and are often eaten as a sweet variant for dessert. In addition to plum dumplings, this also includes kolatschen. These are round pieces of dough that are prepared with yeast. They can come unfilled or filled with poppy seeds or plums. Buchteln are similar, but they are baked in a baking dish.
