Q. Name of area
Czech Republic (Czechia)
Q. Current status:
Republic; nation state.
The Czech state's development
CZECH REPUBLIC: (Česká republika) – political name
CZECHIA : (Česko) – geographical name of Czech Republic (especially suitable for recent situation), its territory is settled mainly by Czechs
CZECH LANDS: (České země ) – composed of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech part of Silesia, so-called Czech Silesia) – historic geographical name, suitable for all historical periods
Geographical names of territorial parts of Czechia :
BOHEMIA – (Čechy) – historical land and territory, geographical unit
MORAVIA – (Morava) – historical land and territory, geographical unit
SILESIA – (Slezsko) – Czech part of Silesia („Czech Silesia"), historical land and territory
830 – 907: Great Moravian Empire
– Moravia, western Slovakia, Bohemia, Silesia, Pannonia, Lower Austria885 – 1306: „
Přemyslides’s State" – (this name is neologism being used from 19th century by historians): Bohemia, Moravia, part of Silesia. 1306–1437 Luxemburgs dynasty rulled.1348 – 1918: Lands of Crown of Bohemia
(political name – historically less exactly „Bohemian" or „Czech state"), or „Crowlands of Bohemia"This state as confederation of states has been composed of:
I – Kingdom of Bohemia – until 1212 „Principality of Bohemia", 1212 – 1918 "Kingdom of Bohemia" or „Bohemian Kingdom" and of to Kingdom of Bohemia „adjacent lands":
II – Moravian Margraviate from 10th c. until 1918
III – Principality of Silesia – from 14th c. until 1742 (1742 – 1945 part of Germany, since 1945 part of Poland, the smaller rest 1742 became part of Czech state as „Czech Silesia")
IV – Upper and Lower Lusatia – from 14th c. until 1635, since 1635 part of Germany (Saxony)
From 967 until 1806 the Czech state was a member of the Central European personal union of states called Holy Roman Empire (abbr. HGR - from 1497 called Holly Roman Empire of German Nation, terminated in 1806) which has been existed in this period. From 1526 until 1806 the Habsburgs were also coronated as Roman Emperors and their monarchy was member of HRE. From 1804 until 1918 the Habsburgs were less powerfull sovereigns as Emperors of Austria (of Habsburg Monarchy).
1526 – 1867: part of confederational state called Habsburg Monarchy. The Habsburgs ruled over Lands of Bohemian Crown (Czech lands) as Kings of Bohemia (less exact Czech kings)
1867 – 1918: part of Austria-Hungary, its western part called Cis-Lithuania.
1871 arising of unified German state, German Empire, under leading rule of Prussia (not of Habsburg’s Austria)
1918 – 1992: Czechoslovakia
(geographical name)1918 – 1938: Czechoslovak Republic (composed of Bohemia, Moravia, Czech Silesia, Slovakia, and Subcarpathian Ruthenia)
1938 – 1945: Munich „Agreement" – more exactly dictate (30. 9. 1938), loss of border regions
1939: splittering into Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, (Bö hmen und Mä hren) as part of Germany and an „independent" Slovak State
1945 – 1960: Czechoslovak Republic, 1945 loss of Subcrapatian Ruthenia (incorporated into Soviet Union)
1960 – 1990: Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
1968 – 1990: federation of Czech Socialist Republic (Czechia) and Slovak Socialist Republic (Slovakia)
1990 – 1992: Czech and Slovak Federal Republic – federation of Czech Republic and Slovak Republic
1. 1. 1993: Czech Republic
– Czechia (likewise appeared an independent Slovak Republic - Slovakia), Czechia is composed of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia as territorial and historic geographical units.internal boundaries:
to 1849: between feudal administrative units (purishes) and historical lands (to 1949)
since 1850: hierarchie of basic teritorial units: municipality, judical district, political district, (1850 – 1855 region), historical land
since 1949: municipality, political district, region, state
since 1968: municipality, political district, region, republic, federal republic
since 1990: municipality, political district, republic (to 1993 federal republic)
since 2000: municipality, political district, region (self-government), republic
Q. Describe the MODERN hierarchy of geographical areas used for civil administration:
Bottom layer: cadasters (14,500)
Next layer: municipalities – 6,500 (NUTS V)
Next layer: districts – 76 (NUTS IV)
Next layer: regions - 14 (NUTS III)
Q. How long has this system existed?
Q. Describe earlier administrative geographies:
see the description of the development of Czech boundaries
Q. Can we identify a hierarchy of broadly similar units that exist for all countries?
Q. When was the first national census of population carried out?
There was an abortive attempt to organise a census between 1850. The first census to be successfully completed took place in 1869.
Q. Outline the later history of the census. Have censuses been carried out at regular intervals, and if so with what frequency?
Censuses in Czechia were organised regularly, every 10 years, except in case of 1941 (1869, 1880, 1890, 1900, 1910, 1921, 1930, 1950, 1961, 1970, 1980, 1991)
Q. What are the main geographical units used in published reports? Have these changed over time?
Parishes, municipalities, districts and regions. The changes of the districts and regions during last 150 years were rather significant (we are going to present maps of changes in Florence).
|
1849 |
1855 |
1868 |
1928 |
1948 |
1949 |
1960 |
2000 |
|||||||||||||
|
PD |
JD |
PD |
JD |
PD |
JD |
PD |
JD |
PD |
JD |
D |
D |
D |
||||||||
|
Bohemia |
79 |
208 |
208 |
- |
89 |
208 |
105 |
228 |
115 |
227 |
- |
- |
- |
|||||||
|
Moravia |
25 |
76 |
76 |
- |
30 |
76 |
45 |
106 |
48 |
108 |
- |
- |
- |
|||||||
|
Silesia |
7 |
7 |
27 |
- |
7 |
7 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|||||||
|
Czechia |
131 |
291 |
311 |
- |
126 |
291 |
150 |
334 |
163 |
335 |
187 |
75 |
76 |
|||||||
|
km2 (avera-ge) |
602 |
271 |
254 |
- |
625 |
271 |
526 |
236 |
484 |
236 |
421 |
1052 |
1038 |
|||||||
PD – political district
JD – judical district
D - district
Q. Is there access to more detailed unpublished information? If so, what geographical units do these refer to? Here again, have these units changed over time?
Detailed land-use data was on the Czech territory first collected more than 180 years ago as part of cadastral records (initially called stable cadaster). It was necessary to create a base on which land tax - main source of the state budget – would be calculated. As a side result, precise triangulation network came into existence and cadastral maps (scale 1:2880) were created. Maps were later transformed to the scale 1:2000. The actual plot areas were calculated from these cadastral maps and all maps of medium scales were derived from them.
Q. What publications describe the history of the census, and of census geographies? Are any available in English?
Q. When was the recording of vital events (births, marriages and deaths) first required by law?
Vital events firstly appeared in church registers in 1781, from 1918 in civil registers.
Q. What organisation was responsible for recording vital events? How has this changed over time?
Parochial offices from 1781 till now. Besides from 1918 civil offices (municipalities).
Q. What geographical units were used in recording vital events?
Initially parishes under ecclesiastical registration and, from 1850 parishes as municipalities.
Q. What historical taxation records exist for your area?
Edict "Berní rula" – 1653-55
Stable cadaster from 1817.
Q. What geographical units do these use?
Cadasters and taxation districts.
Q. What other major sources exist, and what geographical units do they use?
manors, feudal administration
Q. When was the first computerised map of administrative units created?
Early 90-ieth.
Q. What does it show?
Cadasters, parishes, districts, regions and their modifications for administrative, fiscal, censual, electoral purposes.
Q. How easily is it to obtain a copy?
Some of the coverages are free available (cadastral, district, region leyers), other coverages are subject to copyright but they are available easily (cheaply) for the academic community.
Q. Who was responsible for changing boundaries? How has this changed over time?
Office of historical lands till 1850 and Cadastral office from 1850.
In present it is Czech Land Survey in Prague.
Q. Who was responsible for creating a legal record of boundary changes?
In present it is Czech Land Survey in Prague.
Q. What records have been preserved of boundary changes? Are they published or unpublished? How do they describe the old and new boundaries? How accurately do they give the dates of changes?
The changes are recorded in low collection.
Q. Who was responsible for mapping your area? When was this organisation created?
Czech Land Survey in Prague.
Q. When did systematic mapping of boundaries begin?
In 1824 at a scale 1:2880.
Q. What maps are available showing boundaries?
Theresians’ Cadaster - 1751-58
Josephs’ Cadaster - 1785-89
Cadaster of Real Estate - now
Q. For periods before maps are available, are there descriptions of boundaries in words? Where are they preserved? How easy are they to interpret?
None.
Q. What research projects have gathered information on HISTORICAL boundaries for your area?
Land Use/Land Cover: Development, consequences, perspectives. (project on Faculty of Science, Charles University Prague, supported by Czech grant agency)
Q. What historical gazetteers are available for your area, in published or unpublished form? How do they indicate the location of the places listed? Do they cover variant forms of names?
Low collection and Central gazetteers from 1850.
Q. Are more specialised geographical thesaurii available?
Unofficial geographical thesaurii are available from 1970.
© Lucie Kupkova (Prague, May 2000)