Wrestling with the Culture and the Czechs

The cultural life in the Czech Republic holds many cultural treasures and this is reflected in the fact that the Czech Republic is on UNESCO's list of World Heritage with 12 localities, which considering the size of the country, is a nice representation.

Prague's historical centre with the many distinctive buildings forms the framework of a rich cultural life and a lot of small shops.

One of the most famous rendezvous is the Charles Bridge where the creativity blooms between the population, artists and tourists in a colourful trinity. This is the place for bringing home a funny caricature or having a family portrait with a view of the river Vltava in the background. Folk dancers and musicians perform here side by side with poets and writers who gather inspiration from the special atmosphere found here.

The tight reins during the Communism meant lack of freedom in the cultural area, but there is nothing wrong with the appetite today and even in the small towns, there is a large offer of cultural arrangements.

In the larger cities, there is summer entertainment as well as concerts and marionette theatres, which is very popular and which have also given rise to some world famous theatre groups. Folk-music is also very wide-spread and it particularly became this through the sixties when it became a way of expression one's frustrations towards the hard Communist regime, and today, the folk-music has almost become synonymous with the Czech identity.

Music and theatre are popular subjects of conversation among the Czechs but also sport is a popular subject of which in particular ice hockey and football arouse pride in the Czechs.

At first, the Czechs may appear slightly formal, it is for example rare to see people hug and kiss in public. However, a good solid handshake is the way to do it, as the Czechs always use this as a ‘see you later' and ‘goodbye' salute.