145-480: Václav Havel ( Czech pronunciation: [ˈvaːtslav ˈɦavɛl] ; 5 October 1936 – 18 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author , poet , playwright , and dissident . Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until 1992, prior to the dissolution of Czechoslovakia on 31 December, before he became the first president of the Czech Republic from 1993 to 2003. He
290-725: A Cro-Magnon population that arrived in Europe about 45,000 years ago, Neolithic farmers who migrated from Anatolia during the Neolithic Revolution 9,000 years ago, and Yamnaya steppe pastoralists who expanded into Europe from the Pontic–Caspian steppe in the context of Indo-European migrations 5000 years ago. The population of the Czech lands has been influenced by different human migrations that wide-crossed Europe over time. In their Y-DNA haplogroups , which are inherited along
435-644: A Public Private Partnership wherein Adani Group , the operator pays Airports Authority of India , the owner of the airports, a predetermined sum of money based on the number of passengers handled by the airports. The rest of India's airports are managed by the Airports Authority of India . In Pakistan nearly all civilian airports are owned and operated by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority except for Sialkot International Airport which has
580-419: A chain smoker for a long time, was diagnosed with lung cancer . The disease reappeared two years later. He quit smoking. In 1997, he remarried, to actress Dagmar Veškrnová . Havel was among those influential politicians who contributed most to the transition of NATO from being an anti- Warsaw Pact alliance to its present form. Havel advocated vigorously for the inclusion of former-Warsaw Pact members, like
725-610: A gymnasium . He completed his secondary education in 1954. For political reasons, he was not accepted into any post-secondary school with a humanities program; therefore, he opted for studies at the Faculty of Economics of the Czech Technical University in Prague but dropped out after two years. On 9 July 1964, Havel married Olga Šplíchalová . The intellectual tradition of his family was essential for Havel's lifetime adherence to
870-591: A political prisoner , the longest of his imprisoned terms being nearly four years, between 1979 and 1983. Havel's Civic Forum party played a major role in the Velvet Revolution that toppled the Communist system in Czechoslovakia in 1989. He assumed the presidency shortly thereafter, and was re-elected in a landslide the following year and after Slovak independence in 1993. Havel was instrumental in dismantling
1015-564: A Pig , which was premiered in Brno at Theatre Goose on a String and had its English language premiere at the 3LD Art & Technology Center in New York, in a production from Untitled Theater Company No. 61, in a production workshopped in the Ice Factory Festival in 2011 and later revived as a full production in 2014, becoming a New York Times Critic's Pick. In 2008, Havel became a Member of
1160-469: A base typically includes a stretch of open water for takeoffs and landings , and seaplane docks for tying-up. An international airport has additional facilities for customs and passport control as well as incorporating all the aforementioned elements. Such airports rank among the most complex and largest of all built typologies, with 15 of the top 50 buildings by floor area being airport terminals. Smaller or less-developed airfields, which represent
1305-460: A contributor to famous Czechs especially tennis , football , hockey , and athletics : Czech music had its first significant pieces created in the 11th century. The great progress of Czech artificial music began with the end of the Renaissance and the early Baroque era , concretely in works of Adam Václav Michna z Otradovic , where the specific character of Czech music was rising up by using
1450-602: A crisis after being removed from political power." The play had its English language premiere at the Orange Tree Theatre in London and its American premiere at The Wilma Theater in Philadelphia . Havel subsequently directed a film version of the play, which premiered in the Czech Republic on 22 March 2011. Other works included the short sketch Pět Tet , a modern sequel to Unveiling , and The Pig, or Václav Havel's Hunt for
1595-494: A different place, and in a different way, than has been the case so far. If it is to be more than just a slogan mocked by half the world, it cannot be expressed in the language of departing era, and it must not be mere froth floating on the subsiding waters of faith in a purely scientific relationship to the world." Havel was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1995. In 1997, Havel received ex aequo
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#17328799772421740-1170: A geologist Karl von Terzaghi , musicologists Eduard Hanslick and Guido Adler , chemist Johann Josef Loschmidt , biologists Heinrich Wilhelm Schott and Georg Joseph Kamel , the founder of the dermatology Ferdinand Ritter von Hebra , peace activist Bertha von Suttner (Nobel Peace Prize), the composers Gustav Mahler , Heinrich Biber , Viktor Ullmann , Ervin Schulhoff , Pavel Haas , Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Ralph Benatzky , writers Franz Kafka , Reiner Maria Rilke , Max Brod , Karl Kraus , Franz Werfel , Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach , Leo Perutz , Tom Stoppard and Egon Erwin Kisch , painters Anton Raphael Mengs and Emil Orlik , architects Adolf Loos , Peter Parler , Josef Hoffmann , Jan Santini Aichel and Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer , cellist David Popper , violist Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst , pianists Alice Herz-Sommer and Rudolf Serkin , president of Austria Karl Renner , Prime Minister of Poland Jerzy Buzek , industrialist Oskar Schindler , or chess player Wilhelm Steinitz . People with Czech ancestry include
1885-478: A legal dispute with his sister-in-law Dagmar Havlová (wife of his brother Ivan M. Havel), Havel decided to sell his 50% stake in the Lucerna Palace on Wenceslas Square in Prague, built from 1907 to 1921 by his grandfather, also named Václav Havel (spelled Vácslav,) one of the multifunctional "palaces" in the center of the once booming pre-World War II Prague. In a transaction arranged by Marián Čalfa , Havel sold
2030-453: A lie" under the Communist regime. In describing his role as a dissident, Havel wrote in 1979: "we never decided to become dissidents. We have been transformed into them, without quite knowing how, sometimes we have ended up in prison without precisely knowing how. We simply went ahead and did certain things that we felt we ought to do, and that seemed to us decent to do, nothing more nor less." Samuel Beckett 's 1982 short play, Catastrophe ,
2175-474: A mark in modern Czech history. The most successful Czech erotic actress is Silvia Saint . The first Czech models have made a breakthrough in the international modeling were Paulina Porizkova or Ivana Trump . After the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia many other models succeeded: Karolína Kurková , Eva Herzigová , Taťána Kuchařová , Petra Němcová and Daniela Peštová . Czech culture involves many saints, most notably St. Wenceslaus (Václav) , patron of
2320-528: A mistake in handling of the passenger, such as unreasonable delays or mishandling of checked baggage. Airline lounges frequently offer free or reduced cost food, as well as alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Lounges themselves typically have seating , showers, quiet areas, televisions, computer, Wi-Fi and Internet access, and power outlets that passengers may use for their electronic equipment. Some airline lounges employ baristas, bartenders and gourmet chefs. Airlines sometimes operate multiple lounges within
2465-634: A new American classical music style, using the richness of ethnic music of that country during his mission in the US . The contribution of Alois Hába to microtonal music in the 20th century must be also mentioned. Czech music reached as far as Qing China . Karel Slavíček was a Jesuit missionary, scientist and sinologist who was introduced to the Kangxi Emperor on 3 February 1717, in Beijing . The emperor favored him and employed him as court musician. (Slavíček
2610-536: A new biography by Michael Žantovský , Yale historian Marci Shore summarized his challenges as president: "Havel's message, 'We are all responsible, we are all guilty,' was not popular. He enacted a general amnesty for all but the most serious criminals, apologized on behalf of Czechoslovakia for the post-World War II expulsion of the Sudeten Germans and resisted demands for a more draconian purge of secret police collaborators. These things were not popular either. And as
2755-557: A number of regulations and safety measures have been implemented in airports, in order to reduce hazards. Additionally, airports have major local environmental impacts, as both large sources of air pollution , noise pollution and other environmental impacts, making them sites that acutely experience the environmental effects of aviation . Airports are also vulnerable infrastructure to extreme weather , climate change caused sea level rise and other disasters. The terms aerodrome , airfield , and airstrip also refer to airports, and
2900-572: A phrase. An online petition organized by one of the best-known Czech and Slovak film directors, Fero Fenič , calling on the government and the Parliament to rename Prague Ruzyně Airport to Václav Havel International Airport attracted—in a week after 20 December 2011—support of over 80,000 Czech Republic and foreign signatories. It was announced that the airport would be renamed the Václav Havel Airport Prague on 5 October 2012. Reviewing
3045-490: A plane of 100,000 pounds and the price increases with weight. Non-aeronautical revenue is gained through things other than aircraft operations. It includes lease revenue from compatible land-use development, non-aeronautical building leases, retail and concession sales, rental car operations, parking and in-airport advertising. Concession revenue is one big part of non-aeronautical revenue airports makes through duty free , bookstores, restaurants and money exchange. Car parking
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#17328799772423190-424: A political identity ( Landespatriotismus ), while Czech ethnic identity survived among the lower and lower-middle classes. The Czech National Revival took place in the 18th and 19th centuries aiming to revive Czech language, culture and national identity. The Czechs were the initiators of Pan-Slavism . The Czech ethnonym (archaic Čechové ) was the name of a Slavic tribe in central Bohemia that subdued
3335-693: A public intellectual after his presidency, launching several initiatives including the Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism , the VIZE 97 Foundation, and the Forum 2000 annual conference. Havel's political philosophy was one of anti-consumerism , humanitarianism , environmentalism , civil activism , and direct democracy . He supported the Czech Green Party from 2004 until his death. He received numerous accolades during his lifetime, including
3480-460: A retail store upon exiting security. Airport planners sometimes incorporate winding routes within these stores such that passengers encounter more goods as they walk towards their gate. Planners also install artworks next to the airport's shops in order to draw passengers into the stores. Apart from major fast food chains, some airport restaurants offer regional cuisine specialties for those in transit so that they may sample local food without leaving
3625-409: A series of gates , which provide passengers with access to the plane. Passenger facilities typically include: Links between passenger facilities and aircraft include jet bridges or airstairs . Baggage handling systems transport baggage from the baggage drop-off to departing planes, and from arriving planes to the baggage reclaim. The area where the aircraft parks to load passengers and baggage
3770-506: A sweeping victory for Civic Forum and its Slovak counterpart, Public Against Violence . Between them, they commanded strong majorities in both houses of the legislature, and tallied the highest popular vote share recorded for a free election in the country. Havel retained his presidency. Despite increasing political tensions between the Czechs and the Slovaks in 1992, Havel supported the retention of
3915-629: A unanimous vote of the Federal Assembly . He had long insisted that he was not interested in politics and had argued that political change in the country should be induced through autonomous civic initiatives rather than through the official institutions. In 1990, soon after his election, Havel was awarded the Prize For Freedom of the Liberal International . In 1990, Czechoslovakia held its first free elections in 44 years , resulting in
4060-483: Is a growing source of revenue for airports, as more people use the parking facilities of the airport. O'Hare International Airport in Chicago charges $ 2 per hour for every car. Many airports are local monopolies. To prevent them from abusing their market power, governments regulate how much airports may charge to airlines, using price-cap regulation . Airports are divided into landside and airside zones. The landside
4205-412: Is a legal term of art reserved exclusively for those aerodromes certified or licensed as airports by the relevant civil aviation authority after meeting specified certification criteria or regulatory requirements. That is to say, all airports are aerodromes, but not all aerodromes are airports. In jurisdictions where there is no legal distinction between aerodrome and airport , which term to use in
4350-486: Is a series of highly complex operations that requires managing frequent traffic that moves in all three dimensions. A "towered" or "controlled" airport has a control tower where the air traffic controllers are based. Pilots are required to maintain two-way radio communication with the controllers, and to acknowledge and comply with their instructions. A " non-towered " airport has no operating control tower and therefore two-way radio communications are not required, though it
4495-581: Is also common to connect an airport and a city with rapid transit , light rail lines or other non-road public transport systems. Some examples of this would include the AirTrain JFK at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York , Link light rail that runs from the heart of downtown Seattle to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport , and the Silver Line T at Boston 's Logan International Airport by
Václav Havel - Misplaced Pages Continue
4640-594: Is characterized by the Czech National Revival , focusing to revive Czech culture and national identity. Since the turn of the 20th century, Chicago is the city with the third largest Czech population, after Prague and Vienna . During World War I, Czechoslovak Legions fought in France, Italy and Russia against the Central Powers . In 1918 the independent state of Czechoslovakia was proclaimed. Czechs formed
4785-648: Is common for airports to provide moving walkways , buses, and rail transport systems. Some airports like Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport and London Stansted Airport have a transit system that connects some of the gates to a main terminal. Airports with more than one terminal have a transit system to connect the terminals together, such as John F. Kennedy International Airport , Mexico City International Airport and London Gatwick Airport . Airport operations are made possible by an organized network of trained personnel , specialized equipment, and spatial data . After thousands of ground operations staff left
4930-472: Is good operating practice for pilots to transmit their intentions on the airport's common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) for the benefit of other aircraft in the area. The CTAF may be a Universal Integrated Community (UNICOM), MULTICOM, Flight Service Station (FSS), or tower frequency. The majority of the world's airports are small facilities without a tower. Not all towered airports have 24/7 ATC operations. In those cases, non-towered procedures apply when
5075-649: Is known as an apron or ramp (or incorrectly, "the tarmac"). Airport security normally requires baggage checks, metal screenings of individual persons, and rules against any object that could be used as a weapon. Since the September 11 attacks and the Real ID Act of 2005 , airport security has dramatically increased and gotten tighter and stricter than ever before. Most major airports provide commercial outlets for products and services. Most of these companies, many of which are internationally known brands, are located within
5220-489: Is subject to fewer special laws and is part of the public realm, while access to the airside zone is tightly controlled. Landside facilities may include publicly accessible airport check-in desks, shops and ground transportation facilities. The airside area includes all parts of the airport around the aircraft, and the parts of the buildings that are restricted to staff, and sections of these extended to travelling, airside shopping , dining, or waiting passengers. Depending on
5365-719: The Battle of White Mountain brought radical religious changes and started a series of intense actions taken by the Habsburgs in order to bring the Czech population back to the Roman Catholic Church. After the Habsburgs regained control of Bohemia, Czech people were forcibly converted to Roman Catholicism . All kinds of Protestant communities including the various branches of Hussites, Lutherans and Reformed were either expelled, killed, or converted to Catholicism. The Catholic Church lost
5510-633: The Czech and Slovak Federative Republic prior to the dissolution of the country . Havel sought re-election in 1992. Although no other candidate filed, when the vote came on 3 July, he failed to get a majority due to a lack of support from Slovak deputies. The largest Czech political party, the Civic Democratic Party , let it be known that it would not support any other candidate. After the Slovaks issued their Declaration of Independence, he resigned as president on 20 July, saying that he would not preside over
5655-601: The Czech people ( Český lid ), are a West Slavic ethnic group and a nation native to the Czech Republic in Central Europe , who share a common ancestry , culture , history , and the Czech language . Ethnic Czechs were called Bohemians in English until the early 20th century, referring to the former name of their country, Bohemia, which in turn was adapted from the late Iron Age tribe of Celtic Boii . During
5800-689: The European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation . He met U.S. President Barack Obama in private before Obama's departure after the end of the European Union (EU) and United States (US) summit in Prague in April 2009. Havel was the chair of the Human Rights Foundation 's International Council and a member of the international advisory council of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation . Havel
5945-617: The European Theatrical Convention . Havel went on a hunger strike in 2007 to support Kurdish doctor and human rights activist Yekta Uzunoglu in his legal battle. A former president going on a hunger strike to support the legal battle of a foreigner in his country was a first in world history. Havel's first new play in almost two decades, Leaving , was published in November 2007, and was to have had its world premiere in June 2008 at
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6090-721: The Gottlieb Duttweiler Prize for his outstanding contributions to the well-being of the wider community. In the same year he received the Freedom medal . In 1993, he was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature . On 4 July 1994, Václav Havel was awarded the Philadelphia Liberty Medal . In his acceptance speech, he said: "The idea of human rights and freedoms must be an integral part of any meaningful world order. Yet I think it must be anchored in
6235-545: The Holy Roman Emperor . The Luxembourg dynasty represents the heights of Czech (Bohemian) statehood territorial and influence as well as advancement in many areas of human endeavors. Many people are considered national heroes and cultural icons, many national stories concern their lives. Jan Hus was a religious reformist from the 15th century and spiritual father of the Hussite Movement. Jan Žižka and Prokop
6380-487: The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). Such a connection lowers risk of missed flights due to traffic congestion . Large airports usually have access also through controlled-access highways ('freeways' or 'motorways') from which motor vehicles enter either the departure loop or the arrival loop. The distances passengers need to move within a large airport can be substantial. It
6525-587: The Migration Period , West Slavic tribes settled in the area, "assimilated the remaining Celtic and Germanic populations", and formed a principality in the 9th century, which was initially part of Great Moravia , in form of Duchy of Bohemia and later Kingdom of Bohemia , the predecessors of the modern republic. The Czech diaspora is found in notable numbers in the United States , Canada , Israel , Austria , Germany , Slovakia , Switzerland , Italy ,
6670-557: The Potsdam Conference and Yalta Conference . The Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 was followed by a wave of emigration, unseen before and stopped shortly after in 1969 (estimate: 70,000 immediately, 300,000 in total), typically of highly qualified people. Tens of thousands of Czechs had repatriated from Volhynia and Banat after World War II. Since the 1990s, the Czech Republic has been working to repatriate Romania and Kazakhstan 's ethnic Czechs. Following
6815-868: The Presidential Medal of Freedom , the Gandhi Peace Prize , the Philadelphia Liberty Medal , the Order of Canada , the Four Freedoms Award , the Ambassador of Conscience Award , and the Hanno R. Ellenbogen Citizenship Award . The 2012–2013 academic year at the College of Europe was named in his honour. He is considered by some to be one of the most important intellectuals of the 20th century. The international airport in Prague
6960-777: The Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities and the Prix mondial Cino Del Duca . In 1998, the jury of the Europe Theatre Prize awarded him a special prize by the President Jack Lang . In 2001, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . In 2002, he was the third recipient of the Hanno R. Ellenbogen Citizenship Award presented by the Prague Society for International Cooperation . In 2003, he
7105-608: The Russian Liberation Army . The post-war expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia and the immediate reprisals against Germans and Nazi collaborators by Czech resistance and the Czechoslovak state authorities, made Czechs—especially in the early 1950s—settle alongside Slovaks and Romani people in the former lands of the Sudeten Germans , who had been deported to East Germany , West Germany and Austria according to
7250-592: The United Kingdom , Australia , France , Russia , Argentina , Romania and Brazil , among others. The Czech ethnic group is part of the West Slavic subgroup of the larger Slavic ethno-linguistical group. The West Slavs have their origin in early Slavic tribes which settled in Central Europe after East Germanic tribes had left this area during the migration period . The West Slavic tribe of Czechs settled in
7395-521: The Velvet Revolution (and following another two amnesties declared by Havel), criminality had more than tripled since 1989. According to Havel's memoir To the Castle and Back , most of those who were released had less than a year to serve before their sentences ended, but statistics contradict Havel's claims. In an interview with Karel Hvížďala (included in To the Castle and Back ), Havel expressed his feeling that it
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#17328799772427540-595: The Václav Havel Tribute Concert was held in Prague's Palác Lucerna . Within hours Havel's death was met with numerous tributes, including from U.S. President Barack Obama , British Prime Minister David Cameron , German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former Polish President Lech Wałęsa . Merkel called Havel "a great European", while Wałęsa said he should have been given the Nobel Peace Prize . The Russian Embassy sent an official condolence on behalf of
7685-500: The Warsaw Pact and enlargement of NATO membership eastward. Many of his stances and policies, such as his opposition to Slovak independence, condemnation of the treatment of Sudeten Germans and their mass expulsion from Czechoslovakia after World War II , as well as granting of general amnesty to all those imprisoned under the Communist era, were very controversial domestically. By the end of his presidency, he enjoyed greater popularity abroad than at home. Havel continued his life as
7830-516: The abstract art movement. Other well-known painters are Josef Čapek , Josef Lada , Theodoric of Prague , Wenceslaus Hollar , Toyen , Jan Kupecký , Petr Brandl , Vladimír Vašíček , Václav Brožík , Josef Mánes , Karel Škréta or Max Švabinský . Renowned sculptors were Josef Václav Myslbek or Matyáš Bernard Braun , photographers Jan Saudek , Josef Sudek , František Drtikol or Josef Koudelka , illustrators Zdeněk Burian or Adolf Born , architects Jan Kotěra or Josef Gočár . Jiří Kylián
7975-429: The 6th century during the Migration Period has been documented on the Czech territory. Slavs settled in Bohemia , Moravia and Austria sometime during the 6th or 7th centuries, and "assimilated the remaining Celtic and Germanic populations". According to a popular myth , the Slavs came with Forefather Čech who settled at the Říp Mountain. During the 7th century, the Frankish merchant Samo , supporting
8120-639: The AATF, as well as pays for the FAA's Operation and Maintenance (O&M) account. The funding of these accounts are dependent on the taxes the airports generate of revenues. Passenger tickets , fuel , and cargo tax are the taxes that are paid by the passengers and airlines help fund these accounts. Airports revenues are divided into three major parts: aeronautical revenue, non-aeronautical revenue, and non-operating revenue. Aeronautical revenue makes up 50% in 2021 (from 54% and 48% in 2019 and 2020, non-aeronautical revenue makes up 34% (40%, 39% in previous years), and non-operating revenue makes up 16% (6%, 14%) of
8265-475: The Communist era. Havel felt that many of the decisions by the previous regime's courts should not be trusted, and that most of those in prison had not received fair trials. However, critics claimed that this amnesty led to a significant increase in the crime rate: the total number of crimes doubled, as did the number of murders. Several of the worst crimes in the history of the Czech criminology were committed by criminals released in this amnesty. Within four years of
8410-428: The Communist system. After participating in the Prague Spring and being blacklisted after the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia , he became more politically active and helped found several dissident initiatives, including Charter 77 and the Committee for the Defense of the Unjustly Prosecuted . His political activities brought him under the surveillance of the StB secret police, and he spent multiple periods as
8555-433: The Czech Green Party . A week before his death, he met with his longtime friend, the Dalai Lama , in Prague; Havel appeared in a wheelchair. Havel died in the morning of 18 December 2011, at the age of 75, at his country home in Hrádeček . Prime Minister Petr Nečas announced a three-day mourning period from 21 to 23 December, the date announced by President Václav Klaus for the state funeral . The funeral Mass
8700-419: The Czech psychedelic rock band The Plastic People of the Universe ; Havel had attended their trial, which centered on the group's non-conformity in having long hair, using obscenities in their music, and their overall involvement in the Prague underground movement. Havel co-founded the Committee for the Defense of the Unjustly Prosecuted in 1979. His political activities resulted in multiple imprisonments by
8845-409: The Czech Republic's entry into the European Union in May 2004, Czechs gradually gained the right to work in EU countries without a work permit. The last five Přemyslids were kings: Ottokar I of Bohemia , Wenceslaus I of Bohemia , Ottokar II of Bohemia , Wenceslaus II of Bohemia and Wenceslaus III of Bohemia . The most successful and influential of all Czech kings was Charles IV , who also became
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#17328799772428990-450: The Czech Republic, into the Western alliance. Havel was re-elected president in 1998. He had to undergo a colostomy in Innsbruck when his colon ruptured while he was on holiday in Austria. On 30 January 2003, Havel signed The letter of the eight supporting planned U.S. invasion of Iraq . Havel left office after his second term as Czech president ended on 2 February 2003. Václav Klaus , one of his greatest political adversaries,
9135-411: The Czech nation, St. John of Nepomuk (Jan Nepomucký) , St. Adalbert (Vojtěch) , Saint Procopius or St. Agnes of Bohemia (Anežka Česká) . Although not a Christian, rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel of Prague, a 16th Century scholar and one of the most influential figures of Jewish history, is considered to be part of the country's religious legacy as well. The modern Czech nation was formed through
9280-403: The FAA under the Code of Federal Regulations Title 14 Part 139, "Certification of Commercial Service Airports" but maintained by the local airport under the regulatory authority of the FAA. Despite the reluctance to privatize airports in the US (contrary to the FAA sponsoring a privatization program since 1996), the government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) arrangement is the standard for
9425-425: The Great were leaders of hussite army, George of Poděbrady was a hussite king. Albrecht von Wallenstein was a notable military leader during the Thirty Years' War. The teacher of nations Jan Amos Komenský is also considered a notable figure in Czech history. Joseph Radetzky von Radetz was an Austrian general staff during the later period of the Napoleonic Wars. Josef Jungmann is often credited for expanding
9570-416: The Habsburg family. The German language was made equal to the Czech language. Czech patriotic authors tend to call the following period, from 1620 to 1648 until the late 18th century, the "Dark Age". It is characterized by devastation by foreign troops; Germanization ; and economic and political decline. It is estimated that the population of the Czech lands declined by a third. The 18th and 19th century
9715-428: The Prague Vinohrady Theatre , but the theater withdrew it in December as it felt it could not provide the technical support needed to mount the play. The play instead premiered on 22 May 2008 at the Archa Theatre to standing ovations. Havel based the play on King Lear , by William Shakespeare , and on The Cherry Orchard , by Anton Chekhov ; "Chancellor Vilém Rieger is the central character of Leaving , who faces
9860-422: The President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin . Slovakia declared December 23 a day of national mourning. At the news of his death, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright , a native of Czechoslovakia, said, "He was one of the great figures of the 20th Century", while Czech expatriate novelist Milan Kundera said, "Václav Havel's most important work is his own life." Communists took
10005-448: The Protestants. While these religious wars were taking place, the Czech estates revolted against Habsburg from 1546 to 1547 but were ultimately defeated. North America South America Oceania Defenestrations of Prague in 1618, signaled an open revolt by the Bohemian estates against the Habsburgs and started the Thirty Years' War . After the Battle of White Mountain in 1620, all Czech lands were declared hereditary property of
10150-492: The Slavs fighting against nearby settled Avars , became the ruler of the first known Slav state in Central Europe, Samo's Empire . The principality Great Moravia , controlled by the Moymir dynasty , arose in the 8th century and reached its zenith in the 9th (during the reign of Svatopluk I of Moravia ) when it held off the influence of the Franks. Great Moravia was Christianized, the crucial role played Byzantine mission of Cyril and Methodius . The Duchy of Bohemia emerged in
10295-735: The Spanish Ferrovial consortium in 2006, has been further divested and downsized to operating just Heathrow. Germany's Frankfurt Airport is managed by the quasi-private firm Fraport . While in India GMR Group operates, through joint ventures, Indira Gandhi International Airport and Rajiv Gandhi International Airport . Bengaluru International Airport is controlled by Fairfax . Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport , Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport , Mangalore International Airport , Thiruvananthapuram International Airport , Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport , Jaipur International Airport , Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport are operated by Adani Group through
10440-531: The Theatre on Balustrade. In 1968, The Memorandum was also brought to The Public Theater in New York, which helped to establish Havel's reputation in the United States. The Public Theater continued to produce his plays in the following years. After 1968, Havel's plays were banned from the theatre world in his own country, and he was unable to leave Czechoslovakia to see any foreign performances of his works. During
10585-502: The US in particular, airports also typically have one or more fixed-base operators , serving general aviation . Airport operations are extremely complex, with a complicated system of aircraft support services, passenger services, and aircraft control services contained within the operation. Thus airports can be major employers, as well as important hubs for tourism and other kinds of transit. Because they are sites of operation for heavy machinery,
10730-490: The aircraft. Similarly, import cargo that is offloaded needs to be in bond before the consignee decides to take delivery. Areas have to be kept aside for examination of export and import cargo by the airport authorities. Designated areas or sheds may be given to airlines or freight forward ring agencies. Every cargo terminal has a landside and an airside. The landside is where the exporters and importers through either their agents or by themselves deliver or collect shipments while
10875-414: The airline's clubs. Premium services may sometimes be open to passengers who are members of a different airline's frequent flyer program. This can sometimes be part of a reciprocal deal, as when multiple airlines are part of the same alliance, or as a ploy to attract premium customers away from rival airlines. Sometimes these premium services will be offered to a non-premium passenger if the airline has made
11020-596: The airport that are available for rent by the hour. The smallest type is the capsule hotel popular in Japan. A slightly larger variety is known as a sleep box . An even larger type is provided by the company YOTEL . Some airports provide smoking areas and prayer areas. Airports may also contain premium and VIP services. The premium and VIP services may include express check-in and dedicated check-in counters. These services are usually reserved for first and business class passengers, premium frequent flyers , and members of
11165-551: The airport, passengers and staff must be checked by security or border control before being permitted to enter the airside zone. Conversely, passengers arriving from an international flight must pass through border control and customs to access the landside area, in which they exit, unless in airside transit. Most multi-terminal airports have (variously termed) flight/passenger/air connections buses, moving walkways and/or people movers for inter-terminal airside transit. Their airlines can arrange for baggage to be routed directly to
11310-446: The airport. Some airport structures include on-site hotels built within or attached to a terminal building. Airport hotels have grown popular due to their convenience for transient passengers and easy accessibility to the airport terminal. Many airport hotels also have agreements with airlines to provide overnight lodging for displaced passengers. Major airports in such countries as Russia and Japan offer miniature sleeping units within
11455-726: The airside is where loads are moved to or from the aircraft. In addition, cargo terminals are divided into distinct areas – export, import, and interline or transshipment. Airports require parking lots, for passengers who may leave the cars at the airport for a long period of time. Large airports will also have car-rental firms, taxi ranks, bus stops and sometimes a train station. Many large airports are located near railway trunk routes for seamless connection of multimodal transport , for instance Frankfurt Airport , Amsterdam Airport Schiphol , London Heathrow Airport , Tokyo Haneda Airport , Tokyo Narita Airport , Hamad International Airport , London Gatwick Airport and London Stansted Airport . It
11600-548: The area of Bohemia during the migration period, and assimilated the remaining Celtic and Germanic populations. In the 9th century the Duchy of Bohemia , under the Přemyslid dynasty , was formed, which had been part of Great Moravia under Svatopluk I. According to mythology , the founding father of the Czech people was Forefather Čech , who according to legend brought the tribe of Czechs into its land. The Czechs are closely related to
11745-890: The astronauts Eugene Cernan and Jim Lovell , film directors Chris Columbus and Jim Jarmusch , swimmer Katie Ledecky , politicians John Forbes Kerry and Caspar Weinberger , chemist and Nobel Prize laureate Thomas Cech , physicist Karl Guthe Jansky , economist Friedrich Hayek , painters Jan Matejko , Gustav Klimt , Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka , actors Ashton Kutcher , Sissy Spacek and Kim Novak , tennis players Richard Krajicek , Jakob Hlasek and Stan Wawrinka , singer Jason Mraz , Brazil president Juscelino Kubitschek , founder of McDonald's company Ray Kroc , writers Georg Trakl and Robert Musil , mayor of Chicago Anton Cermak and Ivanka Trump and her brother Donald Trump Jr. The Czechs live in three historical lands: Bohemia , Moravia , and Czech Silesia ; these regions make up
11890-490: The authorities, and constant government surveillance and questioning by the secret police ( Státní bezpečnost ). His longest period in prison, from May 1979 to February 1983, is documented in letters to his wife that were later published as Letters to Olga . He was known for his essays, most particularly The Power of the Powerless (1978), in which he described a societal paradigm in which citizens were forced to "live within
12035-713: The bulk of its adherents during the Communist era. Airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport . They usually consist of a landing area , which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface such as a runway for a plane to take off and to land or a helipad , and often includes adjacent utility buildings such as control towers , hangars and terminals , to maintain and monitor aircraft. Larger airports may have airport aprons , taxiway bridges , air traffic control centres, passenger facilities such as restaurants and lounges , and emergency services . In some countries,
12180-489: The country's breakup. However, when the Czech Republic was created as one of two successor states, he stood for election as its first president on 26 January 1993, and won. Although he was nominally the new country's chief executive, the framers of the Constitution of the Czech Republic intended to vest most of the real power in the prime minister. However, owing to his prestige, he still commanded great moral authority , and
12325-734: The country. The Czech language is spoken by approximately 12 million people around the world, but the vast majority are in the Czech Republic . It developed from the Proto-Slavic language in the 10th century and is mutually intelligible with the Slovak language . In 1977, Richard Felix Staar described Czechs as "tolerant and even indifferent towards religion as a rule". After the Bohemian Reformation , most Czechs (about 85%) became followers of Jan Hus , Petr Chelčický and other regional Protestant Reformers . Bohemian Estates' defeat in
12470-534: The departure areas. These include clothing boutiques and restaurants and in the US amounted to $ 4.2 billion in 2015. Prices charged for items sold at these outlets are generally higher than those outside the airport. However, some airports now regulate costs to keep them comparable to "street prices". This term is misleading as prices often match the manufacturers' suggested retail price (MSRP) but are almost never discounted. Many new airports include walkthrough duty-free stores that require air passengers to enter
12615-537: The development of European music. Jan Václav Antonín Stamic in 18th-century contributed to the creation of Classicism in music by innovations of compositional forms and the founding of the Mannheim school . Similarly, Antonín Rejcha 's experiments prefigured new compositional techniques in the 19th century. The influence of Czech musicians expanded beyond the borders of the European continent, when Antonín Dvořák created
12760-620: The distinction of being the first privately owned public airport in Pakistan and South Asia . In the US, commercial airports are generally operated directly by government entities or government-created airport authorities (also known as port authorities ), such as the Los Angeles World Airports authority that oversees several airports in the Greater Los Angeles area , including Los Angeles International Airport . In Canada,
12905-515: The end of the Prague Spring resulting from the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact armies. Another notable politician after the fall of the communist regime is Václav Havel , last President of Czechoslovakia and first President of the Czech Republic . The first directly elected president is Miloš Zeman . The Czech Republic has had multiple Prime Ministers the first of which
13050-585: The escalation of conflicts that have religion, culture or ethnicity as their primary components". In 2005, the former president occupied the Kluge Chair for Modern Culture at the John W. Kluge Center of the United States Library of Congress , where he continued his research on human rights. In November and December 2006, Havel spent eight weeks as a visiting artist in residence at Columbia University . The stay
13195-498: The estate to Václav Junek , a former Communist spy in France and head of the soon-to-be bankrupt conglomerate Chemapol Group, who later openly admitted that he bribed politicians of the Czech Social Democratic Party . His close friend was Ivan Medek , who became the chief of the president's office. In January 1996, Olga Havlová , his wife of 32 years, died of cancer at 62. In December 1996, Havel who had been
13340-466: The facilities used on a flight like water, food, wifi and shows which is paid while paying for an airline ticket . Aircraft parking is also a major revenue source for airports. Aircraft are parked for a certain amount of time before or after takeoff and have to pay to park there. Every airport has its own rates of parking, for example, John F Kennedy airport in New York City charges $ 45 per hour for
13485-606: The federal authority, Transport Canada, divested itself of all but the remotest airports in 1999/2000. Now most airports in Canada are operated by individual legal authorities, such as Vancouver International Airport Authority (although still owned by Transport Canada); some airports, such as Boundary Bay Airport and Pitt Meadows Airport, are municipally owned. Many US airports still lease part or all of their facilities to outside firms, who operate functions such as retail management and parking. All US commercial airport runways are certified by
13630-707: The first time in 2016 when singer Gabriela Gunčíková finished in 25th place. In 2018 the singer Mikolas Josef reached the 6th place in the contest being the best result of the Czech Republic until today. Other important names: Franz Benda , Rafael Kubelík , Jan Ladislav Dussek , Vítězslav Novák , Zdeněk Fibich , Jan Kubelík , Jiří Antonín Benda , Julius Fučík , Karel Svoboda , Karel Kryl , Václav Neumann , Václav Talich , František Xaver Richter , Jan Křtitel Vaňhal , Vojtěch Živný , Josef Bohuslav Foerster , Magdalena Kožená , Karel Ančerl , Ema Destinnová , Maria Jeritza , František Xaver Brixi , Jiří Bělohlávek , Oskar Nedbal , Karel Gott . Jaroslav Seifert
13775-589: The first week of the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968, Havel assisted the resistance by providing an on-air narrative via Radio Free Czechoslovakia station (at Liberec ). Following the suppression of the Prague Spring in 1968, he was banned from the theatre and became more politically active. He took a job at Krakonoš brewery in Trutnov , an experience he wrote about in his play Audience . This play, along with two other "Vaněk" plays (so-called because of
13920-628: The founder of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud , the founder of genetics Gregor Mendel , logician and mathematician Kurt Gödel , the philosopher Edmund Husserl , scientists Gerty Cori , Carl Cori and Peter Grünberg (all Nobel Prize winners) and Ernst Mach , economists Joseph Schumpeter and Eugen Böhm von Bawerk , philosophers Bernard Bolzano , Ernest Gellner , Vilém Flusser and Herbert Feigl , Marxist theoretician Karl Kautsky , astronomer Johann Palisa , legal theorist Hans Kelsen , inventors Alois Senefelder and Viktor Kaplan , automotive designer Ferdinand Porsche , psychologist Max Wertheimer ,
14065-533: The gene pool through admixture with Central Asian nomadic tribes in the early Middle Ages. A group of scientists suggested that the high frequency of a gene mutation causing cystic fibrosis in Central European (including Czech R.) and Celtic populations supports the theory of some Celtic ancestry among the Czech population. The population of the Czech Republic descends from diverse peoples of Slavic , Celtic and Germanic origin. Presence of West Slavs in
14210-598: The government undertook privatization and restitution, Havel confronted pyramid schemes, financial corruption and robber baron capitalism. He saw his country fall apart (if bloodlessly), becoming in 1993 the Czech Republic and Slovakia." Havel was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1983. In 1986, Havel received the Erasmus Prize , in 1989 the Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels , and in 1990, he received
14355-445: The highest point of Prague—next door to which his uncle, Miloš Havel , built one of the largest film studios in Europe. Havel's mother, Božena Vavrečková, also came from an influential family; her father was a Czechoslovak ambassador and a well-known journalist. In the early 1950s, because of his class background , Havel entered into a four-year apprenticeship as a chemical laboratory assistant and simultaneously took evening classes at
14500-462: The humanitarian values of the Czech culture. After finishing his military service (1957–59), Havel had to bring his intellectual ambitions in line with the given circumstances, especially with the restrictions imposed on him as a descendant of a bourgeois family. He found employment in Prague's theatre world as a stagehand at Prague's Theatre ABC – Divadlo ABC , and then at the Theatre on Balustrade – Divadlo Na zábradlí . Simultaneously, he
14645-484: The industry during the COVID-19 pandemic , there have been discussions on the need for systemic improvements in three primary areas: The surfaces where ground operations occur are generally divided into three regions: runways , taxiways , and aprons . Air traffic control (ATC) is the task of managing aircraft movements and making sure they are safe, orderly and expeditious. At the largest airports, air traffic control
14790-599: The influence of genuine folk music . This tradition determined the development of Czech music and has remained the main sign in the works of great Czech composers of almost all eras – Jan Dismas Zelenka and Josef Mysliveček in Baroque , Bedřich Smetana and Antonín Dvořák in Romanticism , Leoš Janáček , Bohuslav Martinů and Josef Suk in modern classical or Petr Eben and Miloslav Kabeláč in contemporary classical music . Czech musicians also played an important role in
14935-490: The landed concept (a Czech is someone who was born in the historic Czech territory), which in Jungmann's time primarily denoted nobility , and the ethnic concept. Definition by territory is still discussed alternative, from time to time is indicated for Czechs number of natives (speaking mostly German, English or otherwise) – these include US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright , film director Karel Reisz , actor Herbert Lom ,
15080-581: The late 9th century. In 880, Prague Castle was constructed by Prince Bořivoj , founder of the Přemyslid dynasty and the city of Prague was established. Vratislav II was the first Czech king in 1085 and the duchy was raised to a hereditary kingdom under Ottokar I in 1198. The second half of the 13th century was a period of advancing German immigration into the Czech lands . The number of Czechs who have at least partly German ancestry today probably runs into hundreds of thousands. The Habsburg Monarchy focused much of its power on religious wars against
15225-771: The leading class in the new state emerging from the remnants of the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy . After 1933, Czechoslovakia remained the only democracy in central and eastern Europe. However, in 1938 the Munich Agreement severed the Sudetenland , with a considerable Czech minority, from Czechoslovakia, and in 1939 the German Nazi regime established the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia for Resttschechei (the rump Czech state ). Emil Hácha became president of
15370-589: The male line, Czechs have shown a mix of Eastern and Western European traits. According to a 2007 study, 34.2% of Czech men belong to R1a . Within the Czech Republic, the proportion of R1a seems to gradually increase from west to east. According to a 2000 study, 35.6% of Czech men have haplogroup R1b , which is very common in Western Europe among Germanic and Celtic nations, but rare among Slavic nations. A mtDNA study of 179 individuals from Western Bohemia showed that 3% had East Eurasian lineages that perhaps entered
15515-454: The modern Czech Republic. However, the country is now divided into 14 administrative regions. The local culture varies somewhat in each of the historical regions. Moravians are usually more nationalistic regional patriots of Moravia, but they also speak Czech . Local dialects (such as Central Bohemian , the Chod dialect , Moravian dialects , Cieszyn Silesian , etc.) are found in various parts of
15660-457: The modern Czech language, and preventing its extinction. The most famous Czech historian was František Palacký , often called "father of nation". One of the most notable figures are founders of Czechoslovakia, modern state of independence of Czech and Slovak nations, Presidents Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and Edvard Beneš , who was also leader of exile government in World War II . Ludvík Svoboda
15805-403: The name of an aerodrome may be a commercial decision. In US technical/legal usage, landing area is used instead of aerodrome , and airport means "a landing area used regularly by aircraft for receiving or discharging passengers or cargo". An airport solely serving helicopters is called a heliport . An airport for use by seaplanes and amphibious aircraft is called a seaplane base . Such
15950-675: The neighbouring Slovaks (with whom they constituted Czechoslovakia 1918–1992). The Czech–Slovak languages form a dialect continuum rather than being two clearly distinct languages. Czech cultural influence in Slovak culture is noted as having been much higher than the other way around. Czech (Slavic) people have a long history of coexistence with the Germanic people. In the 17th century, German replaced Czech in central and local administration; upper classes in Bohemia and Moravia were Germanized, and espoused
16095-558: The one airport terminal allowing ultra-premium customers, such as first class customers, additional services, which are not available to other premium customers. Multiple lounges may also prevent overcrowding of the lounge facilities. In addition to people, airports move cargo around the clock. Cargo airlines often have their own on-site and adjacent infrastructure to transfer parcels between ground and air. Cargo Terminal Facilities are areas where international airports export cargo has to be stored after customs clearance and prior to loading
16240-489: The operation of commercial airports in the rest of the world. The Airport & Airway Trust Fund (AATF) was created by the Airport and Airway Development in 1970 which finances aviation programs in the United States. Airport Improvement Program (AIP), Facilities and Equipment (F&E), and Research, Engineering, and Development (RE&D) are the three major accounts of Federal Aviation Administration which are financed by
16385-476: The opportunity to criticize Havel. The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia 's leader Vojtěch Filip stated that Havel was a very controversial person and that his words often conflicted with his deeds. He criticized Havel for having supported the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia , repeating the charge that Havel had called the event a "humanitarian bombing", although Havel had expressly and emphatically denied ever using such
16530-425: The passenger's destination. Most major airports issue a secure keycard , an airside pass to employees, to assist in their reliable, standardized and efficient verification of identity. A terminal is a building with passenger facilities. Small airports have one terminal. Large ones often have multiple terminals, though some large airports, like Amsterdam Airport Schiphol , still have one terminal. The terminal has
16675-608: The presidency acquired a greater role than the framers intended. For instance, largely due to his influence, the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM), successor to the KSC's branch in the Czech Lands, was kept on the margins for most of his presidency. Havel suspected that the KSCM was still an unreformed Stalinist party. Havel's popularity abroad surpassed his popularity at home, and he
16820-471: The process of the Czech national revival . Through this was created the linguistic concept of the Czech nation (particularly promoted by Jungmann), i.e. "a Czech = one who has the Czech language as their first language: naturally or by choice." (That is why Slovaks who have chosen Czech as their literary language, such as Ján Kollár or Pavel Jozef Šafařík , are often considered to be Czechs.) Like other nations, Czechs also speak of two alternative concepts:
16965-646: The protectorate under Nazi domination, which only allowed pro-Nazi Czech associations and tended to stress ties of the Czechs with the Bohemian Germans and other parts of the German people, in order to facilitate assimilation by Germanization . In Lidice , Ležáky and Javoříčko the Nazi authorities committed war crimes against the local Czech population. On 2 May 1945, the Prague Uprising reached its peak, supported by
17110-467: The recurring character Ferdinand Vaněk , a stand in for Havel), became distributed in samizdat form across Czechoslovakia, and greatly added to Havel's reputation of being a leading dissident (several other Czech writers later wrote their own plays featuring Vaněk). This reputation was cemented with the publication of the Charter 77 manifesto , written partially in response to the imprisonment of members of
17255-620: The surrounding tribes in the late 9th century and created the Czech/Bohemian state. The origin of the name of the tribe itself is unknown. According to legend, it comes from their leader Čech , who brought them to Bohemia. Research regards Čech as a derivative of the root čel- (member of the people, kinsman). The Czech ethnonym was adopted by the Moravians in the 19th century. Czechs, like most Europeans, largely descend from three distinct lineages: Mesolithic hunter-gatherers , descended from
17400-458: The terms heliport , seaplane base , and STOLport refer to airports dedicated exclusively to helicopters , seaplanes , and short take-off and landing aircraft. In colloquial use in certain environments, the terms airport and aerodrome are often interchanged. However, in general, the term airport may imply or confer a certain stature upon the aviation facility that other aerodromes may not have achieved. In some jurisdictions, airport
17545-470: The total revenue of airports. Aeronautical revenue are generated through airline rents and landing, passenger service, parking, and hangar fees. Landing fees are charged per aircraft for landing an airplane in the airport property. Landing fees are calculated through the landing weight and the size of the aircraft which varies but most of the airports have a fixed rate and a charge extra for extra weight. Passenger service fees are charges per passengers for
17690-664: The vast majority, often have a single runway shorter than 1,000 m (3,300 ft). Larger airports for airline flights generally have paved runways of 2,000 m (6,600 ft) or longer. Skyline Airport in Inkom, Idaho , has a runway that is only 122 m (400 ft) long. In the United States, the minimum dimensions for dry, hard landing fields are defined by the FAR Landing And Takeoff Field Lengths . These include considerations for safety margins during landing and takeoff. The longest public-use runway in
17835-546: The world is at Qamdo Bamda Airport in China. It has a length of 5,500 m (18,045 ft). The world's widest paved runway is at Ulyanovsk Vostochny Airport in Russia and is 105 m (344 ft) wide. As of 2009 , the CIA stated that there were approximately 44,000 "airports or airfields recognizable from the air" around the world, including 15,095 in the US, the US having the most in
17980-460: The world. Most of the world's large airports are owned by local, regional, or national government bodies who then lease the airport to private corporations who oversee the airport's operation. For example, in the UK the state-owned British Airports Authority originally operated eight of the nation's major commercial airports – it was subsequently privatized in the late 1980s, and following its takeover by
18125-533: Was a Spinet player). Some notable modern Czech musicians are US-based composer and guitarist Ivan Král , musician and composer Jan Hammer and the rock band The Plastic People of the Universe which played an important part in the underground movement during the communist regime. The Czech Republic first entered the Eurovision Song Contest in 2007 . Czech performer qualified for the grand final for
18270-527: Was a head of the Czechoslovak military units on the Eastern Front during the World War II (later president of Czechoslovakia ). The key figures of the Communist regime were Klement Gottwald , Antonín Zápotocký , Antonín Novotný (and Slovak Gustáv Husák ), the most famous victims of this regime were Milada Horáková and Rudolf Slánský . Jan Palach committed self-immolation as a political protest against
18415-631: Was a member of the World Future Society and addressed the Society's members on 4 July 1994. His speech was later printed in THE FUTURIST magazine (July 1995). Havel was greatly admired by Czech citizens. In the poll taken for the 2005 TV show Největší Čech (the Czech spin-off of the BBC 100 Greatest Britons ), Havel placed third. Havel's memoir of his experience as president, To the Castle and Back ,
18560-667: Was a student of dramatic arts by correspondence at the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (DAMU). His first own full-length play performed in public, besides various vaudeville collaborations, was The Garden Party (1963). Presented in a series of Theatre of the Absurd , at the Theatre on Balustrade, this play won him international acclaim. The play was soon followed by The Memorandum , one of his best known plays, and The Increased Difficulty of Concentration , all at
18705-687: Was a supporter of the Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly , an organisation which campaigns for democratic reformation of the United Nations, and the creation of a more accountable international political system. From the 1980s, Havel supported the green politics movement, partly due to his friendship with the co-founder of the German Alliance 90/The Greens party Milan Horáček . From 2004 until his death, he supported
18850-580: Was also the theatrical avant-garde ( Jan Werich , Jiří Voskovec , Emil František Burian ). Known journalists were Julius Fučík , Milena Jesenská or Ferdinand Peroutka . Mikoláš Aleš was a painter, known for redesigning the Prague National Theatre . Alphonse Mucha was an influential artist in the Art Nouveau movement of the Edwardian period. František Kupka was a pioneer and co-founder of
18995-524: Was an important ballet choreographer. Film director Miloš Forman , known best for his movie, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest is of Czech origin and started his career in Czechoslovakia. Forman was a member of the so-called Czech New Wave . Other members included Jiří Menzel ( Oscar 1967), Ivan Passer , Věra Chytilová and Elmar Klos (Oscar 1965). Also the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
19140-774: Was appointed as an honorary Companion of the Order of Canada . In 2008 he was also awarded the Giuseppe Motta Medal for support for peace and democracy. As a former Czech President , Havel was a member of the Club of Madrid . In 2009 he was awarded the Quadriga Award , but decided to return it in 2011 following the announcement of Vladimir Putin as one of the 2011 award recipients. Czech people The Czechs ( Czech : Češi , pronounced [ˈtʃɛʃɪ] ; singular Czech , masculine: Čech [ˈtʃɛx] , singular feminine: Češka [ˈtʃɛʃka] ), or
19285-933: Was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his poetry. Božena Němcová has become a cultural icon and gained much fame for her book Babička ( The Grandmother ) . Other important Czech writers include Milan Kundera , Karel Čapek , Jaroslav Hašek , Jan Neruda , Franz Kafka , Bohumil Hrabal , Viktor Dyk , Kosmas , Pavel Kohout , Alois Jirásek , Josef Škvorecký , Karel Jaromír Erben , Jiří Wolker , Karel Hynek Mácha , Vítězslav Nezval , Arnošt Lustig , Jaroslav Vrchlický , Karel Havlíček Borovský , Ivan Klíma , Egon Erwin Kisch , Vladimír Holan , Julius Zeyer or Svatopluk Čech . From contemporary Czech writers can be mentioned Jáchym Topol , Patrik Ouředník , Michal Viewegh or Daniela Hodrová . Important playwrights were Karel Čapek, František Langer or Josef Kajetán Tyl . Strong
19430-543: Was awarded the International Gandhi Peace Prize by the government of India for his outstanding contribution towards world peace and upholding human rights in most difficult situations through Gandhian means; he was the inaugural recipient of Amnesty International 's Ambassador of Conscience Award for his work in promoting human rights; he received the US Presidential Medal of Freedom ; and he
19575-416: Was awarded to Jan Svěrák (1996). The influential surrealist filmmaker and animator Jan Švankmajer was born in Prague and has resided in the Czech Republic throughout his life. In the field of animation and puppet film famous people include Zdeněk Miler , Karel Zeman and Jiří Trnka . Actors Zdeněk Svěrák , Vlastimil Brodský , Vladimír Menšík , Libuše Šafránková or Karel Roden have also made
19720-513: Was dedicated to Havel while he was held as a political prisoner in Czechoslovakia. Havel wrote the short play Mistake in response to Beckett. Both plays were published by Index on Censorship , which in 2022 requested a followup play on similar themes from the Iranian playwright Reza Shirmarz . On 29 December 1989, while he was leader of the Civic Forum , Havel became President of Czechoslovakia by
19865-444: Was elected his successor as president on 28 February 2003. Margaret Thatcher wrote of the two men in her foreign policy treatise Statecraft , reserving the greater respect for Havel. Havel's dedication to democracy and his steadfast opposition to communist ideology earned him admiration. Beginning in 1997, Havel hosted Forum 2000, an annual conference to "identify the key issues facing civilisation and to explore ways to prevent
20010-545: Was held at Saint Vitus Cathedral , celebrated by the Archbishop of Prague Dominik Duka and Havel's old friend Bishop Václav Malý . During the service, a 21 gun salute was fired in the former president's honour, and in accordance with the family's request, a private ceremony followed at Prague's Strašnice Crematorium . Havel's ashes were placed in the family tomb in the Vinohrady Cemetery in Prague. On 23 December 2011,
20155-630: Was his most important accomplishment as president to have contributed to the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact . According to his statement the dissolution was very complicated. The infrastructure created by the Warsaw Pact was part of the economies of all member states, and the Pact's dissolution necessitated restructuring that took many years to complete. Furthermore, it took time to dismantle the Warsaw Pact's institutions; for example, it took two years for Soviet troops to fully withdraw from Czechoslovakia. Following
20300-564: Was latter Presidents Václav Klaus and Miloš Zeman . Another Prime Ministers of the Czech Republic were conservative politicians such as Mirek Topolánek , Petr Nečas and social democratic such as Vladimír Špidla , Jiří Paroubek , Bohuslav Sobotka . Diplomat Madeleine Albright was of Czech origin and spoke Czech. Other well-known Czech diplomats were Jan Masaryk or Jiří Dienstbier . Czechs established themselves mainly in Biology, Chemistry, Philology and Egyptology. Sports have also been
20445-456: Was often the object of controversy and criticism. During his time in office, Havel stated that the expulsion of the indigenous Sudeten German population after World War II was immoral, causing a great controversy at home. He also extended general amnesty as one of his first acts as president, in an attempt to lessen the pressure in overcrowded prisons as well as to release political prisoners and persons who may have been falsely imprisoned during
20590-589: Was published in May 2007. The book mixes an interview in the style of Disturbing the Peace with actual memoranda he sent to his staff and modern diary entries and recollections. On 4 August 2007, Havel met with members of the Belarus Free Theatre at his summer cottage in the Czech Republic in a show of his continuing support, which has been instrumental in the theatre's attaining international recognition and membership in
20735-443: Was renamed Václav Havel Airport Prague in 2012. Havel was born in Prague on 5 October 1936 into a wealthy family celebrated in Czechoslovakia for its entrepreneurial and cultural accomplishments. His grandfather, Vácslav Havel, a real estate developer, built a landmark entertainment complex on Prague's Wenceslas Square. His father, Václav Maria Havel, was the real estate developer behind the suburban Barrandov Terraces , located on
20880-453: Was sponsored by the Columbia Arts Initiative and featured "performances, and panels centr[ing] on his life and ideas", including a public "conversation" with former U.S. President Bill Clinton . Concurrently, the Untitled Theater Company No. 61 launched a Havel Festival, the first complete festival of his plays in various venues throughout New York City, including The Brick Theater and the Ohio Theatre, in celebration of his 70th birthday. Havel
21025-484: Was the first democratically elected president of either country after the fall of communism . As a writer of Czech literature , he is known for his plays, essays and memoirs. His educational opportunities having been limited by his bourgeois background, when freedoms were limited by the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic , Havel first rose to prominence as a playwright. In works such as The Garden Party and The Memorandum , Havel used an absurdist style to criticize
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