Czech culture — centuries of history, baroque, art nouveau, Czech humour and beer. Prague — UNESCO. Smetana, Dvořák, Kafka, Kundera, Havel — global figures.
Language and Literature
Czech — Slavic language with 7 cases. Karel Hynek Mácha (Máj), Jaroslav Hašek (Švejk), Karel Čapek (coined the word robot 1920), Milan Kundera, Bohumil Hrabal, Václav Havel. 4 Nobel Prizes (Heyrovský chemistry 1959, Seifert literature 1984).
Music
Bedřich Smetana (Má vlast, Bartered Bride), Antonín Dvořák (New World Symphony), Leoš Janáček (Glagolitic Mass), Bohuslav Martinů, Jan Václav Stamic (founder of Mannheim school). Prague Conservatory — oldest in Central Europe (1811).
Visual Art and Architecture
Alfons Mucha — Art Nouveau, posters with Sarah Bernhardt. František Kupka — pioneer of abstract painting. Jan Kotěra, Josef Gočár — Cubist architecture (unique). Prague — 1000 years of architecture without bombing in WWII.
Film Culture
Czech New Wave of 1960s: Miloš Forman (Loves of a Blonde; Oscar-winning Amadeus), Jiří Menzel (Closely Watched Trains 1968 Oscar), Věra Chytilová, Ivan Passer. Krátký film Prague — animation studio of world significance.
Beer Culture
Plzeň 1842 — pilsner invented (pale bottom-fermented beer). 70% of world beers today are pilsner type. Czechs drink 142 L beer/person/year — world record. Breweries Pilsner Urquell, Budweiser Budvar, Staropramen.
Traditions and Folklore
Easter — pomlázka tradition. Christmas — carp and potato salad. All Souls Day. Carnival. Folk festivals, costumes, Moravian folk songs. Puppetry — UNESCO intangible heritage.
Modern Culture
Karlovy Vary Film Festival — one of oldest in Europe (1946). Prague National Theatre, Estates Theatre (premiered Don Giovanni 1787). Klementinum Library. Contemporary authors: Kateřina Tučková, Petra Soukupová.