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About Czech Republic

     The Czech Republic (IPA: /ˈtʃɛk riˈpʌblɨk/) (officially Czech: Česká republika (help·info), short form in Czech: Česko, IPA: [ʧɛsko]) is a landlocked country in Central Europe and a member state of the European Union. The country has borders with Poland to the north, Germany to the northwest and west, Austria to the south, and Slovakia to the east. The capital and largest city is Prague (Czech: Praha), a major tourist destination. The country is composed of the historic regions of Bohemia and Moravia, as well as parts of Silesia.

     The Czech lands were under Habsburg rule from 1526, later becoming part of the Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary. The independent republic of Czechoslovakia was created in 1918, following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire after World War I. After the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, disillusion with the Western response and occupation by the Red Army, the Communist party gained the majority in 1946 elections. Czechoslovakia was a Communist state from 1948 until the 1989 Velvet Revolution. On 1 January 1993, the country peacefully split into the Czech and Slovak republics.

     The Czech Republic is a pluralist multi-party parliamentary representative democracy. President Václav Klaus is the current head of state. The Prime Minister is the head of government (currently Mirek Topolánek). The Parliament has two chambers — the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. It is also a member of the OECD, the Visegrád group and the Council of Europe.

About Most

     Most (IPA: [ˈmost]; German: Brüx) is a city in the northwest of the Czech Republic, in the Ústí nad Labem Region. It is situated between the Czech Central Mountains (Czech: České středohoří) and the Ore Mountains (Czech: Krušné hory), approximately 77 km (48 miles) northwest of Prague along the Bílina River and southwest of Ústí nad Labem.

     The name Most means "bridge" in Czech. The town was named after the system of bridges over swamps which lay in this area in 10th century. The German name for Most is Brüx (derived from the German word for "bridge", Brücke).

     Most is the heart of the northern Bohemia lignite-mining region and serves as an important industrial railway junction. Other industries in Most include textile, ceramics, steel, and chemicals.

     During the second half of 20th century Most turned to a dusty and dirty miner town and in the communist era it was said to be one of the darkest cities of Czechoslovakia.

     The mining itself has long tradition in the area. Extensive mining operations are continuing after the year 2000, but now completely under control of foreign companies. Many surrounding villages are planned to be abandoned due to surface mining.

     Unsurprisingly, heavy industry has shaped the image and development of postwar Most.

     As environmental conditions have improved in recent years, the growing of apples and grape vines has developed.