Czech Republic

*"what would czech style pizza be like"*

*--Cam Cain*

## Eulogy 1

*By Cam Cain (Prague Spring section by Gregory Severin)*

The Czech Republic is a country in Central Europe

It was once the territory of the kingdoms of Moravia, Bohemia, and Silesia, among others

Its capital Prague is known for its culture and political history. It was ranked the 69th most livable city in the world last year

Throughout much of the 20th century it was one half of the powerhouse Czechoslovakia, which was the region’s only democracy in the interwar period

The national soccer team finished second in Euro 1996 and third in 2004, although they have only once qualified for the World Cup since the breakup. Their most notable player is goalie Petr Čech, who retired in 2019 as one of the greatest of all time

prague spring was a series of protests in 1968 in, wait for it, prague. a bunch of party leaders wanted a more "human" touch to the hardline communism that had been the norm, and instead of thinking that it was a great idea Brezhnev shipped Warsaw pact troops to brutally crush the movement

## Eulogy 2

*By Gregory Severin*

The Czech Republic is a central European country that consists of three regions: Bohemia in the west, Moravia in the east, and Silesia in the northeast (much of Silesia is in today's Poland)

Bohemia has historically been the most influential of these regions. The Duchy of Bohemia (essentially the Czech lands plus a little something extra) was a major player in the Holy Roman Empire, and for a little over 100 years the city of Prague was the seat of the imperial court

On at least three different occasions, the people of Prague got so pissed off at something or someone (the Emperor, the Church, both the Emperor and the Church) that they'd throw some fools out the window. The third time this happened it incited the Thirty Years' War, the outcome of which weakened the Holy Roman Empire, set in place rules and principles that still guide the nature of modern international relations, and invented Switzerland

After the HRE fell apart in the 1800s Czechia became a part of Austria-Hungary, united with Slovakia to briefly form a democratic republic following World War I, got annexed by Germany, reunited with Slovakia to briefly form a democratic republic following World War II, got forcibly pulled into the Soviet sphere of influence, stayed united with Slovakia to briefly form a democratic republic following the Cold War, and became fully independent following the Velvet Divorce of 1993

In 1968 the leader of Czechoslovakia wanted to reform the communist system, so naturally the USSR invaded Prague. This political movement coincided with a cinema movement called the Czech New Wave, which gave rise to a whole lot of super influential films that you'll see popping up on my Letterboxd profile soon enough

The Czech capital of Prague is so cool. I was there last week and it's just, like, the best. It's home to the oldest functioning astronomical clock in the world, the castle where the President lives, and a whole bunch of other UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Notable Czech people include directors Věra Chytilová and Miloš Forman, author Franz Kafka, tennis legend Martina Navratilova, and hockey legends Dominik Hašek and Jaromir Jagr. Fun fact, Jagr wears 68 in remembrance of the Prague Spring

The entirety of the 2005 cult classic EuroTrip was filmed in Prague

## Tournament

The Czech Republic was defeated by Estonia in Round 4 Matchup 14 of FlagVote. As the 124 seed, it was defeated by Alaska in Round 3 Matchup 17 of FlagVote 2. As the 227 seed, it was defeated by Duluth in Round 3 Matchup 101 of FlagVote 3 after previously defeating the Isle of Man.

## Results

### FlagVote

**Round 1:** Win over Poland 6-1

**Round 2:** Win over Tanzania 4-2

**Round 3:** Win over Denmark 5-2

**Round 4:** Loss to Estonia 4-3

### FlagVote 2

**Round 1:** Win over (389) Dnipropetrovsk Oblast 7-0

**Round 2:** Win over (133) China 5-2

**Round 3:** Loss to (5) Alaska 7-0

### FlagVote 3

**Round 1:** BYE

**Round 2:** Win over (286) Isle of Man 6-5

**Round 3:** Loss to (30) Duluth 8-3