Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Al
z
beta Királ'ová
Introduction
in 2003, with unemployment around 8% (Czech
Statistical Office, 2005). The Czech Republic
joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union
in 2004. Economic growth in 2000-2004 was
supported by exports to the EU (87% of the
total in 2004), primarily to Germany, and strong
foreign and domestic investment.
The
The nature and impacts of tourism activity in
the Czech Republic have gained great signifi-
cance. After 1989 tourism became an important
social and economic force in several regions of
the country. This chapter discusses tourism
development in the Czech Republic within the
context of the decade and a half of the state's
existence, through post-Communist transition
to EU accession, and beyond.
The Czech Republic is a land-locked
country with a total area of 78,866 km
2
(land,
77,276 km
2
; water, 1590 km
2
), and boundaries
totalling 1881 km (bordering Austria 362 km,
Germany 646 km, Poland 658 km, and Slovakia
215 km). The country's climate is temperate,
affected by the interaction of oceanic and conti-
nental effects.
The Czech Republic has a population of
10.23 million, with Czechs comprising the lar-
gest ethnic group (81.2%). Other groups pre-
sent in the country include Moravians (13.2%),
Slovaks (3.1%), Poles (0.6%), Germans (0.5%),
Silesians (0.4%), Roma (0.3%) and Hungarians
(0.2%). Since Czechoslovakia divided into two
national components, the Czech and Slovak
Republics on 1 January, 1993 (the 'Velvet
Divorce'), the Czech Republic has become one
of the most stable and prosperous of the post-
Communist CEE states (CIA, 2005; see also
Table 1.1). Per capita GDP reached US$15,700
natural
and
cultural
resources
for
tourism development are well developed:
twelve historic monuments on the UNESCO
World Heritage list: the historic centre of
Prague,
D
eský Krumlov, Tel
E
,andKutná
Hora, the pilgrimage church of St John of
Nepomuk on Zelená Hora at
Y
d'ár nad
Sázavou, South Moravia's Lednice-Valtice
Chateau and landscape area, the Arch-
bishop Chateau in Krom
fr
í
y
with Kv
f
tná
and Podzámecká gardens, South Bohemian
village of Holašovice, Litomyšl Castle, the
Baroque Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc,
Villa Tugendhat in Brno, and the Jewish
Quarter and cemetery and the St Prokop
Basilica in T
r
ebí
E
;
●
over 2000 castles, chateaux and monuments;
●
more than 40 protected historic towns and
cities;
●
four national parks (Krkonoše, Šumava,
Dyje and
D
eské Švýcarsko), eight moun-
tain ranges, and over 1200 protected land-
scape areas and nature reserves cover
more than 10% of the country's territory;
●
