What Makes Czechia Special: Historic Towns, Music and Czech Pride

Czechia is a country of beautifully preserved towns and castles, great composers and writers, a beer tradition the world copied, and a love of the countryside that empties the cities every summer weekend. Here is what makes it special.

Seventeen World Heritage Sites

UNESCO lists 17 World Heritage properties in Czechia. Among them:

• Historic Centre of Prague, a city of spires, bridges and centuries of architecture
• Historic Centre of Český Krumlov, a medieval town around a castle on the Vltava
• Historic Centre of Telč, with its colourful Renaissance square
• Kutná Hora, a silver-mining town with remarkable churches
• Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape, palaces, parks and ponds in South Moravia

Prague Castle

Prague Castle, rising above the Vltava, is one of the largest castle complexes in the world and has been a seat of Czech rulers for more than a thousand years.

Music and literature

Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana are among the great composers of the nineteenth century, and Prague has inspired writers such as Franz Kafka.

The birthplace of pilsner

The pilsner style of beer was first brewed in the city of Plzeň in 1842, and Czech beer culture remains a source of national pride.

Castles across the country

Czechia has a remarkable number of castles and chateaux, from hilltop fortresses to grand country houses.

Weekend cottages and forests

Many Czech families spend weekends at a country cottage, and mushroom picking in the forest is a national pastime.

Traditions people keep

Czech Christmas has its own customs, including a carp for Christmas Eve dinner, and towns across the country celebrate their own festivals.

Carrying the pride with you

Historic towns, great music, castles and the countryside: Czechia gives its people a great deal to celebrate. That pride is what our Czechia designs are made for, and our guide to choosing a gift based on someone's home town shows how to make it personal.