Czechia

Where the name comes from

Czechia means “land of the Czechs”, the West Slavic people whose Přemyslid rulers united Bohemia around AD 900; their name’s origin is uncertain.

First people

Celtic Boii gave Bohemia its name, and West Slavic peoples settled here in the 500s.¹

Known for

Czechia is known for Prague’s medieval old town and for pilsner, the pale lager first brewed in Plzeň in 1842.²

Outside contact

The Habsburg era began in 1526, and Bohemia, Moravia and part of Silesia were long ruled from Vienna.³

The modern country

They joined Slovakia as Czechoslovakia in 1918. Nazi Germany occupied the country in 1939–1945, and the two parts separated peacefully in 1993.³