Tourist Information Czech Republic in Brief The Czech Republic is a democratic, politically, economically and socially stable country, situated in Central Europe. With its area 78 864 km2 and population 10.3 million, it belongs to middle-sized European countries. It is rich in natural beauties and cultural monuments, which is confirmed by a list of the world cultural and natural heritage UNESCO (see e.g. www.unesco-czech.cz), including already 12 places from the whole Czech Republic (Praha, Český Krumlov, Kroměříž, Olomouc and other). This is also one of the reasons why the Czech Republic is a sought-after tourist destination. Capital city: Praha (Prague) Administrative division: 13 districts + Praha Language: Czech Currency: Czech crown (Kč, CZK) = 100 halers State form: parliamentary democracy, republic President of the republic: Václav Klaus The Czech Republic has been a member of the NATO since March 1999 and a member of the European Union since May 2004. In addition, it is a member of a lot of international organizations: CERN, EBRD, IBRD, OECD, UN, IMF, UNESCO, WHO, WTO and other. Prague   The capital of the Czech Republic, is our most valuable historical city reserve. In 1992 the historical core of the city covering 866 hectares was listed in the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage Register.   "Praga caput regni" has been inscribed in Prague's coat of arms. And rightly so. Since its beginning Prague has always played an important role in the history of the nation, and Europe. Since the Middle Ages Prague has been known as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with adjectives such as "golden", "hundred-spired", "the crown of the world" and "a stone dream". Throughout the centuries prominent personalities paid homage to it. W. A. Mozart, L. van Beethoven, G. Apollinaire, P. I. Tchaikovsky, F. M. Dostoyevsky, A. Rodin, O. Kokoschka, as well as the British Queen Elizabeth II and Pope John Paul II all professed their beguilement by its attractiveness and architectural beauty.   The native town is reflected in the works of Jan Neruda, Jaroslav Hašek, Jaroslav Seifert, Franz Kafka, Max Brod or Egon Erwin Kisch. Prague represents a unique collection of historical monuments dominated by the Prague Castle the which towers high above the city. The city embraces all artistic style and movements. The historical core of the city is situated on both banks of the Vltava river and consists of 6 districts – formerly independent urban units unified in the 18th century. They are as follows: Staré Město (Old Town), Josefov (the preserved part of the former Jewish Town – today a part of Old Town), Nové Město (New Town), Malá Strana (Lesser Town) Hradčany and Vyšehrad. Naturally most of the historical monuments, museums and galleries are concentrated in these places.