Prague Czech Republic - United Senior Services: Fill & Download for Free

Well, these points are based mainly on my experiences with tourists and new expats…All stuff connected to Eastern Europe - Czech lands were never part of Eastern Europe except for 41 years of the USSR occupation and decline (1945/1948–1989). And It was mainly “just” in a political way, and trust me, Eastern Europe is probably as “exotic" for us as it is for you - more in my older answer: Vojta Rod's answer to Is it true Eastern Europeans don’t like to be called Eastern European?One of several Czech Gothic cathedralsMarked the country as “Eastern European" is cultural, historic, social, economic, geographic, natural, demographic, ethnographic nonsense. Even things such as architecture and urbanism are really different here…Connected to the previous point “communism/nazism is cool/It was better there during these periods!” - It's “fascinating” some foreigners with these ideas imagine they can find support there - No, and despite Czechs are extremely nice and peaceful ppl, we’ll tell you, “you are an id*ot” in better case (naturally, no literally like this), if you say something like this. Moreover, it's a very sensitive topic even after more than 30 years since the end of the USSR occupation, even on the family level.Moreover, both these periods had very tragic and often bizarre moments on a personal level of many Czechs… these periods not only caused the economic decline but especially the communist period can be described as the decline of civilization in the broadest sense.The queues became one of the symbols of gradual economic and social decline during the Soviet occupation.“You speak Russian.” - although, Czech is Slavic language, It's very far from the Russian language (It's probably the most different language from the Slavic language group compared to Russian).A small branch of the Prague City Library. The Czechia has the most libraries per capita in the world.Town library DěčínForeigners have not any agreement on how It sounds, I heard various comments such as “basta*d kid of German”, “weird French”, or a various mix of other languages. Frankly, It doesn't sound very good to most foreigners and It's a very complicated and complex language. Czech is considered by some sources like one of the hardest languages around the world. Finally, we use the Latin alphabet (you read Latin letters right now ;))“You wear the same clothes as ppl in Germany, not like ppl from Albania…”- wait! what? Albania? :O Look at map. Central Europe, no Balkan penisula…“Is it rice on the field? “ - yep, rice is very common in Central Europe… I just arrived on a water buffalo and got a malaria injection. Do you think that Germans living two hours by car from me get similar questions?Typical Czech countryside landscape. The municipal structure mainly dates back to Gothic medival or earlier periods, but the Czech landscape was mostly cultivated like this during Baroque period and although the last 200 years the industrial revolution and the construction of railways, roads and highways made a significant change. It still has a picturesque character in most of the country.Typical scenery of Czech countryside, flats or small hills, church tower,/chapel houses around, there will be small chateau somewhere and the other bigger building is highly probably a school + there is a castle/castle ruins or watch tower on the highest place somewhere around. Most land is covered by fields, but almost anyone work in agriculture anymore. Some bigger town is not so far about 10–20 minutes by car.Locals sometimes meet in events of volunteer firefighters, footballers, hunters or village club. There are probably other clubs for seniors and children.“Czechia? You mean Chechnya, the place full of terrorists in Russia, right?” - Yep, absolutely… (holínky vs. hodinky/ Wellington boot vs. watch) "similar" words do not mean similar things.The main square in small regional town Jičín (17 thousand ppl)Prague (Capital) is not like the rest of the Czechia/The rest of the Czechia is not like Prague…What a brilliant deduction! Do you think that people say this by analogy about Berlin, Paris, Washington or London? By the way, about a quarter of the state population lives in the Prague metropolitan area.“ It's very nice here, where does the government get the money for it?” - I would guess that in the cellars of the National Bank there are golden geese that lay golden eggs… btw, we were in a city park, so maybe a city has these geese…Czech National Bank from 1930s.I understand that this may work differently in some countries. But basicaly I pay taxes and the state/municipality uses them for everything from the universal health care to a town kid playground. And frankly, there' a lot of that money. For example, most larger Czech municipalities do not even manage to spend this income…“Do you know this brand? Do you know how to use a cellphone?” Or questions like this…No, I don't know, I just buy the same/very similar stuff like you (If you are from Europe) and I use a magic box, not a cellphone. Personally, I wonder what will happen to the hundreds of shopping centers around the country in the future, because Czechs like to shop online.“Czechs don't have many cars (or anything really common -Yep there are not, for example, many sea yachts…because there is not a sea) so they have to use public transport” - Well, more than 1 car per 2 ppl in pppulation is probably just a decoration of the streets here… but you are right, some don't have a car. For example me and trust me or not - money is not a problem. We live in the 21st century in the country with one of the best transport systems on the planet. But let's be honest I have a driver's license ;). I could easily rent a shared car or scooter but I don't need it… “shocking” for many ppl.Moreover, public transport does not have the negative stigma of "transport for the poor" as in many other countries. You will usually meet ppl from senior high managers to a foreign migrant who is a salesman in a local supermarket.Other “expert” social and cultural comments are “funny” too, mostly absolutely crazy nonsenses… If you know just the name of the capital, you could better ask us or get some facto before you make some “deep” statements… ;).Check the comment sections, some ppl made my day XD“Do you have democracy/freedom?” - I don't like the current government, because some of them behave like crazies, but yes, we have and we have a high democratic performance too.Thank God we have a parliamentary democracy, so our “Central European Trump” has almost no power and ppl could ignore his trump style comments.Meeting room of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic“Is the Czechia a developed country?” - No, it isn't. It's just in the top 30 most developed countries around the world with high rankings in all metrics…Shopping street in Pardubice.In other words, there are not many countries with similar or better living standards worldwide. And I'm often a very critic of my country and my fellow citizens as well as most Czechs. On the other hand, without critique (and often constructive critics) we do not live in a safe, prosperous, and pleasant land…Brno, the second largest Czech city located near Vienna (Austria)For your better imagination, Czechia is at the level of Israel, Spain, Italy. Moreover, Spain and Italy have rather stagnated/failing since the last crisis, while the Czechia is still growing quite fast, there is very low unemployment, small social differences and a very small number of ppl under the poverty line, etc.“Czechia is highly dependent on tourism" - I have no idea where people got this. Yes, Prague is the 4th/5th most visited city in Europe and yes, the country is visited by over 30 million foreign tourists a year, and many municipalities think about how to better regulate tourism because it´s too much.Older data for comparison. The current number is about 2,9 % of GDP, in other words. If you scroll a little bit up and check macroeconomic statistics. Yes, it is true that tens of millions of people come to the country (with 10,7 mil. ppl) every year and that number increases every year too, but we are not really highly dependent on tourism,Although the Czechs talk about themselves as the worst people on the planet. We believe in the "Live and let live" approach, which means that if you do not bother others / break the law with your behavior, no one cares. The moment you break this intermediate symbiosis, your neighbors will call the police at 3 in the morning, because you are breaking the night calm, mowing the grass on Sundays, when it is forbidden, etc. And I have to say personally, it's so right and It's one of the main reasons why this is one of the most peaceful countries around the world with very low criminality.We probably all agree that world news is full of violence, disasters, and other tragedies. How often do you notice our country in the news? Almost never. Even local news has had troubles with some dramatic info :)Typical suburban houses from the 1990s“It´s very dangerous there, right?” - Czechia has long been one of the safest and most peaceful countries in the world. We are currently in the eighth position in the Global Peace Index. Czechia has low crime, very low violent crime. You can walk the streets at night and nothing will happen to you. There has been no terrorist attack in modern history (thank you secret services). Sometimes only foreign hackers try to disrupt our lives (Greetings to Russia and China, yes the majority of attacks come from these two states), and they are mostly stopped by our IT units.University Hospital Brno. Hackers attacked it during the corona crisis. Thank you, gentlemen, I hope Interpol finds you soon.Panslavism/Slavism/pan-Germanism/Germanism and other nonsenses like these. It seriously bothers us.Various studies and genetic researches have also shown that Czechs are a genetic / migration mix from all over the continent. It has even been proved that in our genome we bear the marks of the Neanderthals living here before the arrival of modern humans to Europe. So don't come up with various crazy theories where we do/don't belong.“Are all of these historical houses modern inside? “ Nope, I use centuries-old Renaissance furniture and I have painting gallery of my ancestors in the entrance hall. Flushing toilet or electricity? Such awful modernity…(Irony)Although hundreds of Czech museums and galleries literally overflow with unique objects from all over the world and Czechs like to collect various things. We are still pragmatic and practical people.“Czechs are too poor to demolish old houses and build something more modern, such as skyscrapers.” - This is a typical especially for Asians and people from developing countries. Many investors would love to demolish the hundreds of years old Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque, Neo-style houses, but it is not possible because we have (sometimes absurdly) strict legislation to protect historic buildings, streets, details. Although we do not live in any museum, the general unwritten consensus is that the demolition of a historic building is the last option.Some ppl claim that Czechs do not need a European architecture textbooks ;).This is also one of the reasons why Czech locations very often play in movies, series, commercials "good old Europe" or, for example, British/German/French/Polish towns/villages, which were badly damaged/rebuilt in the last century. Do you remember, for example, the film Rabbit JoJo from last year, which takes place in a small picturesque German town during the Second World War? Guys, this is a small district town of Žatec in Northern Bohemia, JoJo's home town ;).Welcome in Oslo, capital of Norway!Wait a second! This is the entrance to the Town Hall Cellar restaurant and The Town Theatre in Liberec.Without exaggeration, the way the world imagines Europe is largely based on Czechia…Temporary traffic sign: No entry “Except movie and transport service” - You see this traffic signs often…Prague Barrandov movie studios are one of the most important in Europe, quite ironically there was shoot Nazi and communist propaganda movies too. CZ is popular thanks to local top experts.Well, It's quite huge…Czechia is quite a small country but for your better imagination. This is the map of town/city protected reservations (strict protection) and zones (little bit less strict protection). These are not just a single building or complex but whole urban areas.There are more than 600 cities, towns, villages, landscapes, and archeological areas with this special type of extra protection… 40 thousands buildings and complexes have special individual protection too.When I was a child, I thought, it is quite common everywhere. But we belong to exceptional countries in this way even in Europe.Random example - Manětín (Pilsen region, Western Bohemia)General description: A unique document of the baroque concept of the town with landscape connections. An untouched composition of a terraced square, the south side of which forms the chateau. Significant are the untouched Baroque and late Baroque buildings, sacral architecture, and rich sculptural decoration.This was shoot near Manětín, on the historical bridge from the first half of the 14th century...One of many…try to guess where this Apple commercial was filmed ... I know some locations very well ;).And naturally clips too. It's quite interesting when you know these places on daily basis. No Church in The Wild from Kanye West was shoot about 40 meters from my former office.Yep, Linkin Park. Loreta Square, one of the calmest places near the Prague Castle.Or if you prefer something faster(Naturally, just “European” scenes)Yep, all movie from here…When you get question like this…I had a lot of moments when I felt like I was in the sequel of the movie Borat, you don't just say. Ok, ppl from different cultures/continents, It was just. “Wtf is this?!”Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006) - IMDb.(Finally, every tourist or expant could read at least a wiki article about Czechia. It could “save us” from most moments like this - Czech Republic - Wikipedia*all pics (except facepalm) are naturally from CzechiaThis could be very ironic and kind of funny version of the wiki article ;) Vojta Rod's answer to How bad is it to live in Czechia?If you have any questions about the Czech Republic/Czechia, the Czechs or life there, write it in the comment section.P.s.: By the way, the Czech Republic has not changed its name. All countries have long and short names, the short one is used for ordinary/informal communication. The only "problem" was that there was no general agreement on a short name in English, which was officially codified only a few years ago on the basis of the historical naming of the Czech lands. Finally, in Czech the equivalent of Czechia is Česko. ;)

Newly elected members and their affiliations at the time of election are:Aeppli, Gabriel; professor of physics, ETH Zurich and EPF Lausanne, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, SwitzerlandAndrews, Nancy C.; vice chancellor and dean, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, N.C.Balbus, Steven A.; Savilian Professor of Astronomy and head of astrophysics, department of astrophysics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United KingdomBass, Brenda L.; distinguished professor, department of biochemistry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake CityBates, Robert H.; Eaton Professor of the Science of Government, department of government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.Behrmann Cohen, Marlene; professor, department of psychology, and director, Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, PittsburghBerry, Joseph A.; faculty member, department of global ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, Calif.Betzig, Eric; group leader, Janelia Farm Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, Va.Biggins, Sue; full member and associate director, division of basic sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, SeattleBowring, Samuel A.; professor, department of earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, CambridgeBronner, Marianne E.; Albert Billings Ruddock Professor of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, PasadenaBurrows, Adam; professor of astrophysical sciences, department of astrophysical sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.Chakravarti, Aravinda; professor of medicine, pediatrics, molecular biology, and genetics, and director, Center for Complex Disease Genomics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, BaltimoreCheney, Dorothy L.; professor of biology and member of the graduate group, departments of psychology and anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, PhiladelphiaCooks, R. Graham; Henry Bohn Hass Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, department of chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.Dalla-Favera, Riccardo; Uris Professor of Pathology, department of genetics and development, and director, Institute for Cancer Genetics, Columbia University, New York CityDeaton, Angus; Dwight D. Eisenhower Professor of Economics and International Affairs, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and department of economics, Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.Dell, Gary S.; professor, psychology department, University of Illinois, Urbana-ChampaignDulac, Catherine; investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and professor, department of molecular and cellular biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.Edwards, Scott V.; Alexander Agassiz Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, and curator of birds, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.Eskin, Alexander; professor, department of mathematics, University of Chicago, ChicagoFisher, Daniel S.; professor of applied physics, department of applied physics, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.Geman, Donald; professor, department of applied mathematics and statistics, Johns Hopkins University, BaltimoreGoldberg, Alfred L.; professor of cell biology, department of cell biology, Harvard Medical School, BostonGranick, Steve; director, Institute for Basic Science, Center for Soft and Living Matter, and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, South KoreaHa, Taekjip; investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and professor of physics, University of Illinois, Urbana-ChampaignHastings, Alan; distinguished professor, department of environmental science and policy, University of California, DavisHe, Sheng Yang; investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; and professor, MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East LansingHead-Gordon, Martin; Kenneth S. Pitzer Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, department of chemistry, University of California, BerkeleyHinnebusch, Alan G.; chief, Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Development, and director, program in cellular regulation and metabolism, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.Holloway, Ralph L.; professor of anthropology, Columbia University, New York CityHooper, Lora V.; investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and associate professor, department of immunology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, DallasIncandela, Joseph; professor, department of physics, University of California, Santa BarbaraJackson, Matthew O.; Eberle Professor, department of economics, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.Jacobs-Wagner, Christine; investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology; and director of the Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, New Haven, Conn.Jasin, Maria; member and William E. Snee Chair, developmental biology program, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York CityKahn, Robert E.; president and CEO, Corporation for National Research Initiatives, Reston, Va.Kapitulnik, Aharon; professor of physics, department of physics, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.Karten, Harvey J.; professor of neurosciences and psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La JollaKliewer, Steven A.; Nancy B. and Jake L. Hamon Distinguished Chair in Basic Cancer Research and professor, departments of molecular biology and pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, DallasKling, Catherine; Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of Agriculture and Life Sciences, professor of economics, and director, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, Iowa State University, AmesLande, Russell; Royal Society Research Professor, division of biology, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, United KingdomLee, Jeannie T.; investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and professor of genetics and pathology, department of molecular biology, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, BostonLeonard, Warren J.; NIH Distinguished Investigator and chief, Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, and director, Immunology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.Levi, Margaret; director, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, and professor, department of political science, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.Liao, James C.; Ralph M. Parsons Foundation Professor and chair, chemical and biomolecular engineering department, University of California, Los AngelesLis, John T.; Barbara McClintock Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics, department of molecular biology and genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.Lundblad, Victoria; professor, Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, Calif.MacDonald, Glen M.; UC Presidential Chair and distinguished professor, departments of geography and of ecology and evolutionary biology, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los AngelesMalhotra, Renu; professor, department of planetary sciences, University of Arizona, TucsonMalik, Jitendra; Arthur J. Chick Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, department of electrical engineering and computer sciences, University of California, BerkeleyMallouk, Thomas E.; Evan Pugh Professor of Materials Chemistry and Physics and professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, department of chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, University ParkMessing, Joachim; university professor of molecular biology, Selman A. Waksman Chair in Molecular Genetics, and director, Waksman Institute, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, PiscatawayMiller, Jeffery F.; M. Philip Davis Chair in Microbiology and Immunology and chair, department of microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics, University of California, Los AngelesMoon, Randall T.; investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and William and Marilyn Conner Chair and director, department of pharmacology, Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, SeattleMrowka, Tomasz; Singer Professor of Mathematics, department of mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, CambridgeMukamel, Shaul; distinguished professor of chemistry, department of chemistry, University of California, IrvineMurphy, Catherine J.; Peter C. and Gretchen Miller Markunas Professor of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana-ChampaignNeumark, Daniel M.; chair and Joel Hildebrand Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, department of chemistry, University of California, BerkeleyNogales, Eva; investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, University of California, BerkeleyPoterba, James; Mitsui Professor of Economics, department of economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, CambridgeRamakrishnan, Lalita; professor of immunology and infectious diseases and Wellcome Trust Principal, department of medicine, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of Cambridge, United KingdomReinberg, Danny; investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and professor, department of biochemistry and molecular pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, New York CityRichards-Kortum, Rebecca; Stanley C. Moore Professor of Bioengineering and professor of electrical and computer engineering, Rice University, HoustonRicheson, Jennifer A.; professor, department of psychology and department of African American studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.Rogers, John A.; Swanlund Chair Professor, department of materials science and engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-ChampaignRothstein, Rodney; professor of genetics and development, Columbia University Medical Center, New York CitySchoelkopf, Robert J.; Stirling Professor of Applied Physics and Physics, Yale University, New Haven, Conn.Schroeder, Julian I.; full professor and Novartis Chair in Plant Sciences, division of biological sciences, University of California, San Diego, La JollaSeager, Sara; professor of planetary science and physics and Class of 1941 Professorship Chair, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, CambridgeSeveringhaus, Jeffrey P.; professor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La JollaShen, Zhi-Xun; Paul Pigott Professor in Physical Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.Shenker, Stephen; Richard Herschel Weiland Professor, department of physics, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.Steinman, Lawrence; professor, departments of neurology and neurological sciences, pediatrics, and genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, Calif.Svoboda, Karel; group leader, Janelia Farm Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, Va.Tauxe, Lisa; distinguished professor of geophysics, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La JollaTaylor, Richard; Robert and Luisa Fernholz Professor, School of Mathematics, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, N.J.Thorner, Jeremy; professor, division of biochemistry and molecular biology, University of California, BerkeleyVardi, Moshe Y.; George Distinguished Service Professor in Computational Engineering, department of computer science, Rice University, HoustonVosshall, Leslie B.; investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and Chemers Family Professor and head, Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior, Rockefeller University, New York CityWard, William R.; institute scientist, department of space studies, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colo.Western, Bruce; professor of sociology and Daniel and Florence Guggenheim Professor of Criminal Justice, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.Wu, Hao; Asa and Patricia Springer Professor, department of biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, and program in cellular and molecular medicine, Boston Children's HospitalZhang, Shoucheng; J.G. Jackson and C.J. Wood Professor of Physics, department of physics, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.Newly elected foreign associates, their affiliations at the time of election, and their country of citizenship are:Agrawal, Manindra; N. Rama Rao Chair Professor, department of computer science and engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India (India)Baillargeon, Renée; Alumni Distinguished Professor, psychology department, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (Canada)Carrasco, Nancy; professor of cellular and molecular physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn. (Mexico)Casanova, Jean-Laurent; investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and professor and senior attending physician, St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, Rockefeller University, New York City (France)Gianotti, Fabiola; research physicist and director general designate, ATLAS Department, European Organization for Nuclear Research, Geneva, Switzerland (Italy)Halliday, Alex N.; head of the mathematical, physical and life sciences division, department of earth sciences, University of Oxford, United Kingdom (United Kingdom)Ip, Nancy Y.; dean of science, the Morningside Chair Professor of Life Science, and director of the State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong (People's Republic of China)Jahn, Reinhard; director, department of neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany (Germany)Jones, Jonathan D.G.; staff scientist, John Innes Science Center, Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich, United Kingdom (United Kingdom)Kontsevich, Maxim; professor of mathematics, Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques, Bures-sur-Yvette, France (France/Russia)Mayor, Satyajit; director, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, India (India)Mehlhorn, Kurt; director, Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Saarbrücken, Germany (Germany)Nagata, Shigekazu; professor of medical chemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan (Japan)Nitzan, Abraham; director, Sackler Institute of Advanced Studies; and professor of chemistry, School of Chemistry, Tel Aviv University, Israel (Israel)Nobre, Carlos A.; director of the Center for Earth System Science and senior scientist, National Institute for Space Research-INPE, São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil (Brazil)Radi, Rafael; professor and chair, department of biochemistry, University of the Republic, Montevideo, Uruguay (Uruguay)Segev, Mordechai; Robert J. Shillman Distinguished Professor of Physics, department of physics, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel (Israel)Sonenberg, Nahum; full professor, department of biochemistry, Goodman Cander Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (Canada)Stenseth, Nils C.; founding chair, Centre for Ecology and Evolutionary Synthesis, and professor and chair, department of ecology and evolution, University of Oslo, Norway (Norway)Svoboda, Jan; professor in molecular biology, Institute of Molecular Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic (Czech Republic)Tirole, Jean; scientific director, Institut d'Économie Industrielle, Toulouse School of Economics, Toulouse, France (France)(from NAS Members and Foreign Associates Elected)

Just a note that I am just going to briefly cover the ‘transition’ periods between major events to help answer how we got from then to now. However, even though my answer may seem long, I will most definitely not be covering ALL the history of these tribes, for to do that would take far too long and would turn into more of a book than an answer :)The Celtic Boii are much older than the tales of the Slavic brothers. Although first mentioned in writing in 390 B.C., they, as a people, are even much older than that. For simplicity sake, they can just be thought of as the indigenous inhabitants or first tribe of the region. Before the foundation of Prague, the Boii left ruins behind of a settlement on the exact same site/location that may be visited today.The Mšecké Žehrovice Head (150 B.C.-50 B.C.)During the 1st century B.C., many Germanic tribes, including the Marcomanni, began migrating south from Scandinavia. In 9 B.C., during a Roman expedition, the Germanic Cherusci and Langobards, led by the Marcomanni, were attacked and defeated by Drusus between the Weser and lower Ebe Rivers. You see, at this point in time the Marcomanni were situated between the Boii and the Rhine. To deal with the threat of Roman expansion into the Rhine-Danube basin, between 8 and 6 B.C., the Marcomanni moved east from northern Bavaria through the Bohemian/Šumava Forests of Bohemia where they subdued the remaining Celtic Boii. During these times, it was actually not too terribly uncommon for Germanic tribes of this period to be led by Celtic chieftains, such as Boiorix of the Cimbri. In the case of the Marcomanni, they were lead by Maroboduus, a Celtic name meaning ‘Great Raven’. Evidence for this invasion can be found in archaeological evidence in the Czech Republic from Germanic pottery found right outside of Oppida (fortified settlements) that the Boii created and inhabited.However, after the migration of the Marcomanni, these Oppida would be abandoned. Any remaining Boii would have changed their language and religion under the new administration. However, unlike their other Germanic neighbors, the Marcomanni would at least take up the same building practices of the Celts, building round houses instead of square. It was during this time in the first century A.D. that we get the name Bohemia for the first time from Tacitus. In this case the name was Boiohaemum, with Boi coming from the Boii and haemum being Latinized German from the old German word haimaz or home, to create the name meaning ‘Boii home’.After much more history and time past, one of the last direct references of the Marcomanni is mentioned in 396 when Queen Fritigil of the Marcomanni corresponded with Ambrose of Milan to bring about their conversion to Christianity. Queen Fritigil was supposed to then send a messenger to Milan who could accompany a priest back to the Marcomanni. Unfortunately, this messenger arrived only to find that Ambrose of Milan had died by the time he arrived. Afterwards, assumed after their conversion to Christianity, many Marcomanni, included the King himself, decided to accept military service in the Roman army on the Pannonian frontier of the Empire. Additionally, there were records of three units in Italy, ‘Marcomanni seniores’ and ‘Marcomanni iuniores, commanded by the ‘magister peditum’ or a ‘magister equitum’, wearing the emblem of a bifurcated pitchfork set on a pole or an ouroboros emblem. There were also detachments of Marcomanni as ‘axilia palatine intra Italiam’ and ‘quites Marcomanni’ as ‘comitia intra Africam’, as well as a referred rank of ‘tribunus gentis Marcomannorum’ subordinated to the ‘Dux Panonniae primae et Norici ripensis’. Likewise, their eastern neighbor sister tribe, the Quadi, likely still settled east of them in Moravia, had a unit stationed in Egypt under command of the ‘dux Thebaides’. Therefore, it seems to be that some of the Marcomanni warriors received military training in Pannonia and while some of them remained stationed on the border, others were transferred to garrisons in Italy and Africa.After this, written history of the tribe becomes a bit more fuzzy as this is when the Huns attacked and caused much chaos. After gaining independence from the Huns after the Battle of Nedao, Hunimund, a Quadi Chieftain, established a Suebic Kingdom in the areas of the Marcomanni and Quadi, allying himself with Edeko, Chieftain of the Scirii. Therefore, this is likely where any remaining Marcomanni would have remained as well. To the east of this Suebic Kingdom, the Heruli established a Kingdom under King Rodulf in southern Moravia near the March and Theiss Rivers. They then began to subdue their neighbors, including the Longobards to the east, turning them into vassals. Additionally, between 456 and 457 the Rugii under King Flaccitheus moved north of the Danube and began settling south of the Suebic Kingdom in the lands of Lower Austria north of the Danube and in Southern Bohemia to avoid the expansion of the Ostrogoths, establishing the Kingdom of Rugiland. After plotting against the Ostrogoths in an attempt to weaken their power, King Hunimund quickly united his troops and formed alliances with the Huruli, Scirii, Sarmatians, Gepids, and Rugii. He then marched into Gothic Pannonia to confront the Ostrogoths at the Battle of Bolia. However, after the Eastern Roman Emperor, who was supposed to attack the rear of the Goths, failed to arrive in time, Hunimund’s alliance was defeated and upon hearing of the results, the Roman army turned back. Upon defeat, Hunimund returned home back across the Danube only for Ostrogothic King Theodemir to unexpectedly cross the frozen Danube that winter and lay waste to Hunimund’s Kingdom in the Alpine forests of Bohemia. Following this devastation and the departure of the Ostrogoths from Pannonia in 473, with no leaders to turn to, the Suebic Kingdom of the Marcomanni and Quadi soon fell under pagan Huruli control as they gradually expanded west. Additionally, after the defeat, Hunimund is said to have fled to the Harz Mountains in ‘Suavia’ or Saxony-Anhalt, which was then under Lombard control. According to legend, he then may have become part of the nobility of Saxony, giving birth to a son named Agilulf who initiated the Agilolfinger dynasty of Bavaria.In 489, after Odacer’s troops vacated Rugiland and the Heruli took over, their Lombard vassals must have passed through Bohemia from the north and took over the Rugii’s territory. In around 508 King Rodulf’s brother was murdered by the Lombard Chieftain Tato’s daughter, Remetruda, after a fall-out between the two during the brother’s return home after he concluded a peace treaty. After which, despite the Lombards wishing to maintain the peace treaty, the Heruli chose war. In the soon to follow battle, the Heruli suffered a crushing defeat when Theodoric and the Ostrogoths failed to intervene in time. The Heruli were split up as a result of the battle and Rodulf was killed.After the battle, the Lombards gained control of the Danube region. However, shortly after in around 510, King Tato would be assassinated by his nephew, Wacho. After Tato’s death, although rule passed on to his son Walthari, as an infant, the Kingdom was most likely under the administration of Audoin who in 546 killed Walthari to gain the throne for himself before leading the Lombards to Pannonia after signing a treaty with the Eastern Roman Emperor/Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. After the Lombard migration to Pannonia, Bohemia would then continue to receive increased pressure from Slavic tribes who were already starting to press into the territory by 530, perhaps even related to the earlier mentioned ‘Sarmatians’ who fought with Hunimund at the Battle of Bolia.In 567 the Avars then formed an alliance with the Lombards of Pannonia to destroy the Gepid Kingdom to the southeast. The Avars then persuaded the Longobards to migrate to and attack northern Italy. However, what is particularly interesting is that accompanying the Longobards on their invasion of Italy was a contingent who called themselves ‘Bohemi’, thus proving that during the en masse arrival of the Slavs, the region was inhabited by people who still referred to themselves by a name taken from the land they inhabited.Finally, I won’t explain the legend of the Slavic brothers too much as you probably know it. However, I will note that according to legend, before Cech died, he tried to pass over rule of the Czech people to his brother Lech, who refused, and recommended Crocco or Krok in his place. Duke Krok therefore became the first duke of the Czech people. He would father three daughters: Libuše, Kazi, and Teta. With no sons, Libuše would then marry Přemysl the Ploughman to start the Přemysl dynasty, going: Přemysl, Nezamysl, Mnata, Vojen, Vnislav, Křesomysl, Neklan, Hostivít, and then Bořivoj I. Although not much precedence should be placed on such legends, as they are often fantasized, what actually may be of particular interest is that the first written form of this legend in the Chronica Boëmorum does list the name of the duke as Crocco, which is a Celtic name rather than a Slavic one. Culturally being passed down, this name was picked up by other southern Germanic tribes who had contact with the Celts as well, such as the Alemanni.Přemysl & LibušeTo finish this off, I can share some of my DNA results with you from a site that compares it with collected archaeological samples. Although there are many ‘pre-Celtic’ samples, unfortunately there was only one sample from the Boii and rather then Bohemia, it was from the southern portion or contingent of the tribe located in Switzerland in 597 B.C. before they crossed the Alps to invade Italy. Likewise, there are no Marcomanni samples. However, there is a sample from the Lugii tribe (300 AD) who were situated just north of the Marcomanni, were part of the Marcomanni confederation under the Kingdom of Maroboduus, and fought with the Marcomanni during the later Marcomanni Wars against Rome. Most of my ancestors (but not all) were located either in the southern parts of Bohemia/Moravia or in Domažlice district of Western Bohemia. Additionally, as you may have noticed, even though I have a Germanic sounding last name, I traced them to the late 1600s and they ONLY married people with Czech/Slavic last names. Based on the high Celtic-like nature of my DNA compared to the Czech average (estimated at about 30% of my genome), it makes me think that instead of migrating to one specific region, the Pre-Slav inhabitants must have instead simply dispersed to the nearest southern or western boarder regions closer to neighboring Germanic tribes. Therefore, (weather from the Czech Republic, Bavaria, or Austria) the closer your ancestors are to the boarder regions (or the more you have), likely the genetically closer you are to the Pre-Slav inhabitants of Bohemia. However, this is just a hypothesis based on my results. One of my closest direct matches is a woman from Unetice Bohemia from 1,875 B.C. As you will see, I share over 4,000 exact SNP matches with her spread out over many of my chromosomes, meaning they didn’t just come from one ancestor or region, but came from multiple, different regions in the Czech Republic. Genetically, the closest population to the Czech Republic is Austria with a genetic distance of 7.372. This is followed by East Germany (7.704), Hungary (8.9), Croatia (10.59), Southwest-Finish (10.65), and then South Polish (10.83).Genetically Closest Ancient Ancestors of the Lugii:Closest Average Modern Populations to the Lugii: The greater impact of the Slavic migrations, especially in northern Moravia, seems to have shifted the Czech average a bit lower than Austria and East Germany. However, my closest population for some reason is listed as Austria (10.65), Czech (12.05), then East Germany (12.85). Therefore, there must be quite a bit of genetic diversity in the Czech Republic. Additionally, as you may have noticed, I am strangely enough genetically closer to the Lugii then the average of any specific country. If you did a comparison with the Lugii as their own population + Scythian/Early Slav then you would probably get a genetic distance very, very small or close to mine. However, this of course really should come at no surprise given Bohemia’s history.For some reason the most similar population to the Boii is Southwest France. Although some Boii migrated to central France and some Suebi migrated to Western Spain, both don’t add up to this location. However, there is another sample from the Bell Beaker Culture in Haunstetten Germany from 1873 B.C. that I am also a top 99% match with vs all users that has its closest ancient populations as Vascones+Boii (8.6316), Celt+Boii (8.9), Aquitani+Boii (10.19), and Iberian+Boii (10.27). Therefore, I think this is somehow where that relationship comes from. Since the Bell Beaker Culture originated in Iberia, it is likely that the genetics slowly spread from there to Bohemia.PCA (Principal Component Analysis) Plots used to graph genetic distance:p.s. Although this might not sound like a lot for a modern genetic comparison, this is a lot for a sample that is almost 4,000 years old. I was told in a GEDmatch video that most related matches this old only start showing up at 3-2 cM, with 5 cM being a very good match, compared to my shared combined 103.62 cM and longest single chain of 9.68 cM. (1 cM=about 1 million base pairs). I will also note that Czechs are likewise more predisposed than average to Haemochromatosis, which is a genetic disease closely associated with the Celts that typically takes place more in major areas where the Celts settled or were located.