Czechia trivia: 47 questions and answers

Prague. Prague is the capital and by far the largest city, home to about 1.4 million people on the Vltava river.

The Czech koruna. The Czech koruna (Kč) has been the currency since 1993. Czechia is in the European Union but has not adopted the euro.

Sněžka. Sněžka, 1,603 m, in the Giant Mountains on the border with Poland, is the highest mountain in Czechia. Říp is a 461 m hill from the legend of forefather Čech, and Triglav is in Slovenia.

False. False. Czechia borders Germany, Poland, Slovakia and Austria. Slovakia lies between Czechia and Hungary.

The Vltava. The Vltava, about 430 km long, flows through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice and Prague before joining the Elbe.

Cyril and Methodius. Cyril and Methodius came from Byzantium at Prince Rastislav's request, bringing the Glagolitic alphabet and a church service in Slavic.

At the Council of Constance. Jan Hus was burned as a heretic at the Council of Constance on 6 July 1415. His followers, the Hussites, soon rose up in Bohemia.

True. True. Both governors and their secretary survived the fall of about 21 metres. The revolt that followed started the Thirty Years' War.

False. False. The rebels were crushed outside Prague on 8 November 1620, and Habsburg rule over the Czech lands grew much stronger.

Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk. Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk led the new state after independence was proclaimed on 28 October 1918. Havel became president only in 1989.

False. False. The agreement was signed by Germany, Britain, France and Italy only. Czechoslovakia was not at the table, although it lost the Sudetenland.

The Velvet Revolution. The Velvet Revolution began on 17 November 1989. The Prague Spring was the reform movement of 1968 crushed by a Soviet-led invasion.

Slovakia. The Czech Republic and Slovakia became independent on 1 January 1993, a split often called the Velvet Divorce.

Root vegetables blended with cream. The sauce is made of root vegetables blended with cream. It is served with bread dumplings, whipped cream, cranberry sauce and a slice of lemon.

Pork, dumpling and cabbage. Pork, dumpling and cabbage: roast pork with slices of dumpling and sweet-and-sour sauerkraut.

Plzeň. The pilsner style is named after Plzeň (Pilsen in German), where the Bavarian brewer Josef Groll first brewed it in 1842.

Edam. A thick slice of Edam is coated in flour, egg and breadcrumbs, fried and served with tartar sauce.

False. False. Its traditional home is the Slovak town of Skalica and nearby Moravia. It spread in Prague only from the early 2000s.

Carp. Fried carp with potato salad is the traditional Christmas Eve dinner.

Drowned men. Utopenci means 'drowned men'. The sausages are pickled in a sweet-and-sour vinegar with onion and spices.

Brno. Brno, with about 404,000 people, is the second-largest city after Prague. Ostrava is third and Plzeň fourth.

True. True. Karlovy Vary means 'Charles' Baths'. Charles IV founded the spa in the 14th century.

Liberec. Liberec had a thriving textile industry. Today its best-known landmark is the Ještěd Tower on the mountain above the city.

The Vltava. Charles Bridge crosses the Vltava in Prague. It was begun in 1357 and is 516 metres long.

The Old Town Hall. The clock is on the Old Town Hall on Old Town Square. It is first recorded in 1410.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich designed the villa, built between 1928 and 1930 and on the UNESCO list since 2001.

Keep the crown jewels and holy relics safe. Keep the crown jewels and holy relics safe: Karlštejn was built to guard the imperial regalia, the Bohemian crown jewels and holy relics.

True. True. Work stopped for decades during the Hussite Wars, and the church, dedicated to the patron saint of miners, was finished only in 1905.

True. True. Prague Castle has been the seat of kings, emperors and presidents, and the president still works there.

Robot. Robot comes from Čapek's play R.U.R. The Czech word robota means forced labour.

Soft contact lenses. Soft contact lenses go back to Otto Wichterle and Drahoslav Lím, who developed the soft gel material around 1960.

True. True. Its water reaches the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea.

Dačice. Jakub Kryštof Rad made the first sugar cubes in Dačice and patented them in 1843. A sugar cube monument stands there today.

2016. The government made 'Czechia' official in 2016. 'Czech Republic' is still widely used too.

Beer. Pivo means beer. Bread is chleba, water is voda and cheese is sýr.

True. True. Ano means yes and ne means no.

Děkuji. Děkuji (DYEH-koo-yih) means thank you. Prosím is please, ahoj is an informal hi or bye and promiňte is excuse me.

Open. Otevřeno means open. Closed is zavřeno.

Na zdraví!. Na zdraví (to your health) is the Czech 'cheers'.

Before starting to eat. Dobrou chuť means 'enjoy your meal' and is said before starting to eat.

Zaplatím, prosím. Zaplatím, prosím literally means 'I will pay, please'. Těší mě is 'nice to meet you', nerozumím is 'I don't understand' and dobré ráno is 'good morning'.

True. True. Dobrý den means 'good day'. Ahoj is the informal greeting for friends and family.

112. 112 is the number for all emergencies. 155 is the direct number for an ambulance, 158 for the police and 150 for the fire brigade.

False. False. Czechia has zero tolerance: it is illegal to drive with any amount of alcohol in your blood.

Take off your shoes. Take off your shoes: Czechs wear slippers indoors and hosts usually offer some to guests.

A vignette. A vignette (dálniční známka) is required on motorways and is bought online at edalnice.cz.

True. True. The daily menu is a two- or three-course lunch special that usually ends by about 13:00 or 14:00.