1. Central Europe A common history?

2. What does it look like? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YsAZHlg0RA
Czech Republic
What does it look like?

3. Czech Republic Where is it?

4. Czech Republic Czechs and their historical experience
● important mediaeval kingdom under Charles IV (14th century)
● Czech invented protestantism in early 15th century (Jan Hus)
● The Hussite Revolution (wars in the first half of the 15th century, then a compromise)
● A century of religious tolerance (16th century)
● Defeat at the White Mountain (1620) – protestant nation absorbed by Catholic Habsburg, Austrian Empire – until 1918!

5. Czech Republic Czechs and their historical experience
● The Czech National Revival – cultural emancipation – 19th century
● The independent Czechoslovak Republic – 1918 – 1938
● Nazi occupation: 1939 – 1945
● democratic interregnum 1945 – 1948
● the communist era: 1948 – 1989:
● postcommunism:
2004: entry into the European Union

6. The Czech Republic is a country of computer games developers:
Other companies: Bohemia Interactive (the creators of Army and DayZ), Madfinger Games, Warhorse nebo Cinemax. SCS Software, the creators of the prize-winning Euro Truck Simulator 2

7. Based on an illustrious tradition of Czech animation:
Czech Republic
Based on an illustrious tradition of Czech animation:

8. Czech Republic Weird cult nonsense: Jožin z bažin

9. Film in the hot Czech summer:
Czech Republic
Film in the hot Czech summer:

10. Czech Republic Education in the Czech Republic is completely free
A pint of beer costs less than a pound
There is free health service and the longest maternity leave in the world – four years
Czechs drink most beer in the world and invented it – Pilsner comes from Pilsen
The Czechs are total atheists
They have a weird sound “ř” of which they are very proud:
“TŘI STA TŘICET TŘI STŘÍBRNÝCH STŘÍKAČEK STŘÍKALO PŘES TŘISTA TŘICET TŘI STŘÍBRNÝCH STŘECH

11. Tongue twisters: STRČ PRST SKRZ KRK
Czech Republic
Tongue twisters:
STRČ PRST SKRZ KRK

12. Czech Republic
One of the oldest universities in the world: Charles University, founded in 1348
Currently the lowest unemployment in the EU (2,2%) Current annual economic growth 4,5%

13. Job opportunities for native speakers of English with Czech
Czech Republic
Job opportunities for native speakers of English with Czech
Translating and interpreting jobs in Brussels – salary: 4000 euros per month

14. Czech Republic
Slavonic Studies at Glasgow - 1
Slavonic Studies at Glasgow - 2
Slavonic Studies at Glasgow 3
Now within the Comparative Literature programme
School of Modern Languages and Cultures

15. Czech Republic Further reading:
Modern history: Mary Heimann, Czechoslovakia, the State that Failed, Yale, 2007
20th century Czech literature: Jiří Holý, Writers under Siege, Sussex Academic Press, 2008, 2010
Czech feature film: Jan Čulík, A Society in Distress, Sussex Academic Press, 2014, 2015

16. Czech Republic
Online resources on Czech literature, politics and culture in English:
Articles on recent Czech politics in The Conversation: