Lesson 8: Czech Republic

This week we travel to the Czech Republic — now also known as Czechia — which is somewhere you should find a way to go one of these days in real life. The Czech capital, Prague is an extraordinarily vibrant city, but the Czech Republic has even more to offer than that. Historically, you’ll enjoy a thousand years of churches and still-medieval towns and villages. Musically, you’ll find everything from early Moravian polka to klezmer/neo-folk to raucous Romani hip hop. So why wait? Ditch class this week and go to the Czech Republic now!

OVERVIEW: Over a millennium of history the Czech people have ruled and been ruled, acting as a constant force in the ebb and flow of Central Europe.

MUSIC: Though there has always been an interplay in Czech music between classical “high culture” and traditional folk, more recently Czech musicians have embraced international genres to forge new territory.

LANGUAGE: At more than a thousand years old, the Czech language connects today’s Czechs with centuries of generations past.

WHEN YOU GO THERE: Prague is phenomenal, but when you visit make sure to meet Czechs in the countryside.

POLKA: Though associated internationally with Poland, this crowd-pleasing dance originated in the Bohemian region of Czechia.

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