Page 19 - NEWNORMAL_ANIMATED

CZECH REPUBLIC

President
Václav Havel

There were many famous people born in the
Czech lands. Ferdinand Porsche was born here,
there is a family cemetery of the Riedel family
of glassmakers, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
fell in love with the Czech countess. The writer
Franz Kafka was a Czech Jew and Albert Ein-
stein taught at the University in Prague. Sexo-
logist Sigmund Freud and founder of genetics
Gregor Johann Mendel come from Moravia.
Czech music became famous thanks to Anto- mily company from Zlín. The Czechs are world
nín Dvořák, Leoš Janáček, Bedřich Smetana. champions in beer consumption; we drink
Famous names in fine arts include Wenceslaus about 160 liters a year, i.e. one pint a day for

Hollar Bohemus, Alfons Mucha, Emil Filla, Toy- every Czech inhabitant. Maybe that‘s why the
en, František Kupka; in literature it was Milan Czechs are known for their sense of humor -
Kundera or Karel Čapek, who gave the world after all, in the national vote, we unanimous-

the word „robot“, or Hollywood director Miloš ly chose a fictional theatrical character as the
Forman (Amadeus, Hair, One Flew over the most famous Czech. However, if taken serious-
Cuckoo‘s Nest, The People vs. Larry Flynt). ly, this title would be most deserved by Václav
And then there is Professor Heyrovský who Havel, a philosopher, writer, sensitive politici-
won the Nobel Prize for polarography, Dr. Jan- an, good man and a former president of Cze-
ský described all blood groups, Czech scientist choslovakia and the Czech Republic after the
and inventor, Professor of Macromolecular Or- fall of the Iron Curtain.
ganic Chemistry Otto Wicherle made life easier Wine also has a long tradition in Bohemia
for millions of people by inventing gel contact and Moravia. Archaeological fi ndings prove
lenses. the cultivation of the grapevine during the Ro-
Czechia became famous around the world man legions already but Slavic tribes did not
as a manufacturer of premium glass and crys- yet live here at that time, in fact the lives of the
tal. The Škoda car brand was founded 125 oldest Czech saints from the eighth and ninth
years ago in Czech Mladá Boleslav by Laurin centuries are also connected with wine. To-
and Klement. Additionally, we have long been day, the grapevine is grown on almost 20,000
a world power in shoes thanks to the Baťa fa- hectares here; it is a popular drink and the
19