WACRA 2005WACRA 2005Brno, Czech Republic

July 3 - 6, 2005

Capital

Conference site

Where we areWhere we are

Czech Republic - historyCzech Republic - history

rich, complicated, and ancient4th century B.C. – CeltsEnd of the 5th and beginning of the 6th

century - arrival of Slavs First unified „state“ - 7th century – Frankish

merchant Samo (Greater Moravian Empire)1346-1378 - the peak in the prestige and

power of the kingdom of Bohemia during the reign of Charles IV

Beginning of the 15th century – crisis of state, Hussite movement

1526 - the Habsburg dynasty – formation of a multi-national empire

1620 – defeat of Bohemian Estates (Battle of White Mountain), continued centralization

28th October, 1918 – foundation of an independent state of Czechs and Slovaks

March 1939 – May 1945 – German occupation

February 1948 – Communist takeover

Czech Republic - historyCzech Republic - history

Czech Republic - historyCzech Republic - history

August 1968 – Soviet-led invasion by Warsaw Pact countries brings an end to the "Prague Spring" and an attempt to build "Socialism with a human face"

Czech Republic - historyCzech Republic - historyNovember 1989 - fall of the Communist regime1.1. 1993 Czech Republic founded after the split

of Czechoslovakia

Czech Republic - geographyCzech Republic - geography landlocked; strategically located astride some of

oldest and most significant land routes in Europe; (traditional military corridor between the North European Plain and the Danube)

Area - 78,866 sq km (slightly smaller than South Carolina)

Elevation extremes: – lowest point: Elbe River 115 m

highest point: Snezka 1,602 m (5 254 ft)Land use:

– arable land: 40% permanent crops: 3.04% other: 56.96% (1998 est.)

Czech Republic - climateCzech Republic - climate

Weather: continental influences marked by large fluctuations in both temperature and precipitation, – The mean annual temperature 45º F (7º C) to

48º F (9º C).– High temperatures (July) can reach 91º F

(33ºC),– Low temperatures (February) may drop to 1º F

(-17º C).

Czech Republic - peopleCzech Republic - people

Population: 10,249,216Median age: 38.4 yearsLife expectancy: 75.18 yearsPopulation growth rate: -0.08 %Ethnic groups: Czech (Bohemian) 81.2%,

Moravian 13.2%

Bohemians

Moravians

Czech Republic - Czech Republic - governmentgovernmentCapital: PragueGovernment type: parliamentary

democracySuffrage: 18 years of age, universalchief of state: President Vaclav KLAUS

(since March 2003) note: the Czech Republic's first president Vaclav HAVEL stepped down from office in February 2003 having served 10 years;cabinet: coalition of Social democrats, Cristian democrats and Liberty union

Czech Republic - Czech Republic - economyeconomy

GDP per capita: $ 15,500– agriculture: 3.8%

industry: 41%services: 55.2%

Inflation rate: 0.6%Unemployment: 10 %Currency: CZK (Czech koruna)Exchange rate: USD 1.00 = CZK 26.00

Famous Czechs – sportsmenFamous Czechs – sportsmen

Ice-hockey

Jaromir Jagr Dominik Hasek

Famous Czechs – sportsmenFamous Czechs – sportsmen Tennis

Martina Navratilova Ivan Lendl

Famous Czechs – sportsmenFamous Czechs – sportsmen

Athletics

Emil Zatopek

Famous Czechs – sportsmenFamous Czechs – sportsmen

Gymnastics

Vera Caslavska

Famous Czechs – Nobel PrizeFamous Czechs – Nobel Prize

Jaroslav Heyrovsky – polarography (chemistry)

Jaroslav Seifert – poet (literature)

Famous Czechs – writersFamous Czechs – writers

Milan Kundera (Unbearable lightness of being, The joke)

Fanz Kafka (The Trial, The Castle)

Famous Czechs – composersFamous Czechs – composers

Bedrich Smetana (My fatherland)

Antonin Dvorak (Slavonic dances, From the New World)

BrnoBrno

400,000 inhabitants6 universities, almost 40,000 studentsTwo dominants:

– Gothic castle from the 13th century - Spilberk– St. Peter and Paul’s Cathedral built in the 14th

century (Petrov Hill)

Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul

Spilberk Castle

Mendel UniversiyMendel Universiyfounded in 1919Faculties:

– Agriculture (*1950);– Forestry and Wood Technology (*1950);– Horticulture (*1985);– Business and Economics (*1959).

Faculty of Business and Economics:– Currently 88 teachers and 2150 students– Three-level education (Bc., MSc., PhD)– 3 study programmes: Management and Economics,

Economic policy and public administration, System engineering and informatics.

Conference placesConference places

Lednice

Conference placesConference places

AusterlitzOlomouc

TourTour

Moravian karst (caves)

Telc

Namest nad OslavouUNESCO

heritage

sites

Hluboka

Karlstejn

PRAGUE

Brno – ideal site for WACRABrno – ideal site for WACRA