Our last European vacation was to Prague and the Czech Republic countryside. While there, we saw a lot of Bohemia Crystal that is handcrafted and made in the Czech Republic.
By the way, the significance of this page to Squidoo lensmasters? Oh, simple! This was one of my first instances of writing in a series of related topics! In March 2006 I initiated the "Made in" series of lenses to celebrate all that is Eastern European. I initially wrote about Made in Hungary and Made in Romania to celebrate my Eastern European heritage.
It's art glass, crystal, glass beads, pottery, china and a 16" amber glass fishing float, of all things! It's Bohemia Crystal, Puma, and Royal Dux! I hope you enjoy your visit today. Thanks for dropping by.
By the way, YOU may be surprised. Check out my "Made in" series of pages. Made in Bulgaria, Made in Czech Republic, Made in Hungary , Made in Poland, and Made in Romania.
Image Credit: Graphic design of Czech Republic flag-inspired image by JaguarJulie.
Made in Czech Republic Poll
Please answer our question: What is your favorite Made in Czech Republic item?
- I love Czech beer!
- I love Czech foods.
Designer brands that are "made in Czech Republic"
Doing a search of "made in Czech Republic" on eBay resulted in some 1,091 items on eBay auctions and an additional 3,041 items in eBay stores! Perhaps a bit more than I expected. When I did my search, I used the search terms of "made in Czech*" to include Czechoslovakia.
Some of the brands include Bohemia Crystal, Bonroy, Carl Fischer Reliable, Cebo, Ditmar Urbach (Teplitz), Dunham, Escada, Eskandar, Fenzia, Frances & Walter Nelkin, Godinger, International Scene, Kralik, Laurel Escada, Linden Clothes, Meopta Mikroma, Moser Artistic Glass, Olsen Europe, Oska, Petit Point, Puma, Romika, Royal Dux, Strunal, Suzanne, and Ultrabasque.
The "expected" for items "made in Czech Republic" is #1--Czech glass! How many times have you seen jewelry that says it's Czech glass beads? Probably more times than you realize! In addition to the glass in jewelry, there is the Czech glassware.
What the heck is "made in Czech Republic" anyways?
Here are a few of the categories and number of items listed as made in Czech Republic.
- Collectibles: 226
- Jewelry & Watches: Loose Beads: 190
- Pottery & China: 163
- Glass: 138
- Jewelry & Watches: Vintage, Antique: 111
- Live Auctions: 96
- Antiques: 45
- Crafts: 33
- Clothing, Shoes & Accessories: 30
- Home & Garden: 30
- Toys & Hobbies: 25
- Musical Instruments: 23
As you undoubtedly know, I am a great fan of Wikipedia and also the The World Factbook! You can find great information there.
Following the First World War, the closely related Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia.
During the interwar years, the new country's leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the Sudeten Germans and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians).
After World War II, a truncated Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize Communist party rule and create "socialism with a human face."
Anti-Soviet demonstrations the following year ushered in a period of harsh repression. With the collapse of Soviet authority in 1989, Czechoslovakia regained its freedom through a peaceful "Velvet Revolution."
On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a "velvet divorce" into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.
Czech Republic FAQs
- The Czech Republic is slightly smaller than South Carolina.
- The total area is 78,866 sq km, of which land is 77,276 sq km and water is 1,590 sq km.
- It borders 4 countries for a total of 2,290.2 km.Austria 466.3 km, Germany 810.3 km, Poland 761.8 km, Slovakia 251.8 km.
- Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country and is great wine country!
- Environmental issues include air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid rain damaging forests; efforts to bring industry up to EU code should improve domestic pollution.
- Population as of July 2007's estimate is 10,228,744.
- Ethnic groups, from the 2001 census, include Czech 90.4%, Moravian 3.7%, Slovak 1.9%, other 4%.
- Languages, from the 2001 census, fairly well match the ethnic groups: Czech 94.9%, Slovak 2%, other 2.3%, unidentified 0.8%.
The History of the Czech Republic
Historical books on Czech Republic:
A History of Slovakia: The Struggle for Survival. I have this book! This classic book offers the most comprehensive and up-to-date history of Slovakia, from its establishment on the Danubian Plain to the present.
While paying tribute to Slovakia's resilience and struggle for survival, it describes contributions to European civilization in the Middle Ages; the development of Slovak consciousness in response to Magyarization; its struggle for autonomy in Czechoslovakia after the Treaty of Versailles; its resistance, as the first Slovak Republic, to a Nazi-controlled Europe; its reaction to Communism; and the path that led to the creation of the second Slovak Republic.
Now fully updated to the present day, the book examines the vagaries of Slovak post-Communist politics that led to Slovakia's membership in NATO and the European Union.
The Coasts of Bohemia: A Czech History - Sayer describes how Bohemia's ambiguities and contradictions are those of Europe itself, and he considers the ironies of viewing Europe, the West, and modernity from the vantage point of a country that has been too often ignored.
The Coasts of Bohemia draws on an enormous array of literary, musical, visual, and documentary sources ranging from banknotes to statues, museum displays to school textbooks, funeral orations to operatic stage-sets, murals in subway stations to censors' indexes of banned books.
Sayer shows that Bohemia has long been a theater of European conflict. It has been a cradle of Protestantism and a bulwark of the Counter-Reformation; an Austrian imperial province and a proudly Slavic national state; the most easterly democracy in Europe; and a westerly outlier of the Soviet bloc.
Under a Cruel Star: A Life in Prague 1941-1968 - Heda Margolius Kovaly's steady gaze at the lives caught up in Czechoslovakia's tragic fate under the Nazis and then during the Stalin era illuminates the chaotic life of a nation.
Kovaly was deported to concentration camps, escaped from a death march, nearly starved in the post-war years, only to be shattered by her husband's conviction (in the infamous 1952 Slansky trial) and his execution.
Resonant with lyricism, this gripping memoir is uplifting even in the midst of horror.
Czech Republic Travel Tips
- Take along a good travel guide book!
- Pack some GOOD walking shoes.
- Don't rent a car in Prague.
- Buy transit tickets from the cigar shops.
- Plan one day for visiting the Jewish quarter.
- Plan one day to walk around the Charles Bridge area.
- Plan one day to visit the other sites of your choice.
- Take time out and do a little shopping!
Prague Travel Guide - Attractions, Eating, Drinking, Shopping, Places To Stay will help you!
Thanks for visiting!
Have you had the opportunity to visit the Czech Republic or Prague? Do you have any special travel stories that you would like to share or recommended places to visit? I hope you have enjoyed my article and found it informative.
History: Made in Czech Republic: You May Be Surprised was originally created on Squidoo by JaguarJulie on August 27, 2007. Highest lensrank ever achieved: #1,343 overall. Lens #86 in the quest for Giant Squid 100 Club Charter Member 2007.
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