Nejvetší Cech
Encyclopedia
Největší Čech is the Czech
spin-off of the BBC Greatest Britons show
; a television poll of the populace to name the greatest Czech in history. The series was broadcast by the national public-service broadcaster, Česká televize
. The moderator of the programme was Marek Eben
, who was also nominated to be in the Top 100; however, since he was moderating the show he was not eligible to be included in the final list.
The counting and ranking of the nomination votes took place during January 2005; the top 100 were announced on 5 May; and the final rankings were announced on 10 June 2005. Many voices received the fictional genius Jára Cimrman
but he was disqualified.
created by Czech humourists Jiří Šebánek, Zdeněk Svěrák
(who himself took the 25th place) and Ladislav Smoljak
(79th). The fact that he isn't a real person disqualified him from taking the title. Česká televize
disregarded the rules, which clearly stated, that "it is only possible to vote for someone who was either born on, lived on, or in any way acted on the soil of Bohemia
, Moravia
or Czech Silesia
."
While Cimrman neither lived, nor was born in any of these countries, he indisputably acted (since 1966) and acts on the mentality
of local people.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
spin-off of the BBC Greatest Britons show
Greatest Britons spin-offs
The following is a list of spin-offs of the 2002 100 Greatest Britons program produced by the BBC.- External links :* *...
; a television poll of the populace to name the greatest Czech in history. The series was broadcast by the national public-service broadcaster, Česká televize
Ceská televize
Česká televize is the public television broadcaster in the Czech Republic, broadcasting four channels.- Czechoslovak Television :Television in Czechoslovakia started to take its first steps before World War II. However, before visible results could be achieved, all activities were interrupted by...
. The moderator of the programme was Marek Eben
Marek Eben
Marek Eben is a Czech actor, singer, composer, writer and television host. He studied music and drama at the Prague Conservatory...
, who was also nominated to be in the Top 100; however, since he was moderating the show he was not eligible to be included in the final list.
The counting and ranking of the nomination votes took place during January 2005; the top 100 were announced on 5 May; and the final rankings were announced on 10 June 2005. Many voices received the fictional genius Jára Cimrman
Jára Cimrman
Jára Cimrman or Jára da Cimrman is a Czech fictional character created by Jiří Šebánek, Ladislav Smoljak and Zdeněk Svěrák. He is presented as one of the greatest Czech playwrights, poets, composers, teachers, travellers, philosophers, inventors, detectives, mathematicians and sportsmen of the...
but he was disqualified.
List of Greatest Czechs
- King Charles IVCharles IV, Holy Roman EmperorCharles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
, Bohemian king (1346–1378) and Emperor (1355–1378), founder of Charles Bridge and Charles University – 68,713 votes - Tomáš Garrique MasarykTomáš MasarykTomáš Garrigue Masaryk , sometimes called Thomas Masaryk in English, was an Austro-Hungarian and Czechoslovak politician, sociologist and philosopher, who as an eager advocate of Czechoslovak independence during World War I became the founder and first President of Czechoslovakia, also was...
– first Czechoslovak president (1918–1935) – 55,040 votes - Václav HavelVáclav HavelVáclav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...
– last Czechoslovak (1989–1992) and first Czech president (1993–2003) – 52,233 votes - Jan Amos KomenskýComeniusJohn Amos Comenius ; ; Latinized: Iohannes Amos Comenius) was a Czech teacher, educator, and writer. He served as the last bishop of Unity of the Brethren, and became a religious refugee and one of the earliest champions of universal education, a concept eventually set forth in his book Didactica...
– 17th century "Teacher of nations" - Jan ŽižkaJan ŽižkaJan Žižka z Trocnova a Kalicha , Czech general and Hussite leader, follower of Jan Hus, was born at small village Trocnov in Bohemia, into a gentried family. He was nicknamed "One-eyed Žižka"...
– 14th/15th century HussiteHussiteThe Hussites were a Christian movement following the teachings of Czech reformer Jan Hus , who became one of the forerunners of the Protestant Reformation...
general, leader of Czech resistance to the Roman Empire and Catholic Church - Jan WerichJan WerichJan Werich was a Czech actor, playwright and writer.-Life:Between 1916 to 1924 he attended "reálné gymnasium" in Křemencová Street in Prague...
– 20th century actor, playwright and author - Jan HusJan HusJan Hus , often referred to in English as John Hus or John Huss, was a Czech priest, philosopher, reformer, and master at Charles University in Prague...
– 14th/15th century religious reformer - Antonín DvořákAntonín DvorákAntonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
– 19th century composer - Karel ČapekKarel CapekKarel Čapek was Czech writer of the 20th century.-Biography:Born in 1890 in the Bohemian mountain village of Malé Svatoňovice to an overbearing, emotional mother and a distant yet adored father, Čapek was the youngest of three siblings...
– 20th century writer, in his work R.U.R.R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots)R.U.R. is a 1920 science fiction play in the Czech language by Karel Čapek. R.U.R. stands for Rossum's Universal Robots, an English phrase used as the subtitle in the Czech original. It premiered in 1921 and introduced the word "robot" to the English language and to science fiction as a whole.The...
has popularized the word "robot" (invented by his brother Josef ČapekJosef CapekJosef Čapek was a Czech artist who was best known as a painter, but who was also noted as a writer and a poet. He invented the word robot, which was introduced into literature by his brother, Karel Čapek.- Biography :...
) - Božena NěmcováBožena NemcováBožena Němcová was a Czech writer of the final phase of the Czech National Revival movement.-Biography:...
– 19th century female writer (BabičkaThe GrandmotherThe Grandmother is a novel written by Czech writer Božena Němcová in 1855. It is her most popular work and is regarded as a classic piece of Czech literature. This most frequently read book of the Czech nation was published more than 300 times in the Czech language alone and translated into 21...
) - Bedřich SmetanaBedrich SmetanaBedřich Smetana was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style which became closely identified with his country's aspirations to independent statehood. He is thus widely regarded in his homeland as the father of Czech music...
– 19th century composer - Emil ZátopekEmil ZátopekEmil Zátopek was a Czech long-distance runner best known for winning three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He won gold in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres runs, but his final medal came when he decided at the last minute to compete in the first marathon of his life...
– 20th century olympic athlete - Karel GottKarel GottKarel Gott is a Czech Schlager singer, and an amateur painter. He is considered as the most successful male singer in former Czechoslovakia and currently in the Czech Republic; he has being voted the Most Favorite Male Singer in the annual national pool Český slavík in total thirty-six times...
– 20th century pop singer - George of PodebradyGeorge of PodebradyGeorge of Kunštát and Poděbrady , also known as Poděbrad or Podiebrad , was King of Bohemia...
– 15th century utraquist king - František PalackýFrantišek PalackýFrantišek Palacký was a Czech historian and politician.-Biography:...
– 19th century historian and politician - Přemysl Otakar II – 13th century king, known as "Iron and Gold King"
- Saint Wenceslas – duke (922–935) and patron saint of Bohemia
- Václav KlausVáclav KlausVáclav Klaus is the second President of the Czech Republic and a former Prime Minister .An economist, he is co-founder of the Civic Democratic Party, the Czech Republic's largest center-right political party. Klaus is a eurosceptic, but he reluctantly endorsed the Lisbon treaty as president of...
– second president of the Czech Republic (2003 to present) - Jaroslav HeyrovskýJaroslav HeyrovskýJaroslav Heyrovský was a Czech chemist and inventor. Heyrovský was the inventor of the polarographic method, father of the electroanalytical method, and recipient of the Nobel Prize in 1959...
– 20th century chemist, Nobel prizeNobel Prize in ChemistryThe Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outstanding contributions in chemistry, physics, literature,...
laureate - Saint Agnes of Bohemia – 13th century princess and saint, founder of first Prague hospital
- Tomáš BaťaTomáš BataTomáš Baťa was a Czech entrepreneur, founder of Bata Shoes company, one of the world's biggest multinational retailers, manufacturers and distributors of footwear and accessories.-Career:...
– 19th/20th century first republic businessman - Edvard BenešEdvard BenešEdvard Beneš was a leader of the Czechoslovak independence movement, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the second President of Czechoslovakia. He was known to be a skilled diplomat.- Youth :...
– second Czechoslovak president (1935 – 1938, in exile 1940 – 1945, 1945 – 1948) - Otto WichterleOtto WichterleOtto Wichterle was a Czech chemist, best known for his invention of modern soft contact lenses.-Biography:His father Karel was co-owner of a successful farm-machine factory and small car plant but Otto chose science for his career...
– 20th century chemist, inventor of contact lenses - Jaroslav SeifertJaroslav SeifertJaroslav Seifert was a Nobel Prize winning Czech writer, poet and journalist.Born in Žižkov, a suburb of Prague in what was then part of Austria-Hungary, his first collection of poems was published in 1921...
– 20th century poet, Nobel PrizeNobel Prize in LiteratureSince 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
laureate - Zdeněk SvěrákZdenek SverákZdeněk Svěrák is a Czech actor, humorist and scriptwriter. He is one of the most popular Czech cultural personalities. In 1989, he was a member of the jury at the 39th Berlin International Film Festival....
– 20th century playwright, screenwriter, actor and "cimrmanologistJára CimrmanJára Cimrman or Jára da Cimrman is a Czech fictional character created by Jiří Šebánek, Ladislav Smoljak and Zdeněk Svěrák. He is presented as one of the greatest Czech playwrights, poets, composers, teachers, travellers, philosophers, inventors, detectives, mathematicians and sportsmen of the...
" - Ema DestinnováEmmy DestinnEmmy Destinn was a Czech operatic soprano with a strong and soaring lyric-dramatic voice. She had a career both in Europe and at the New York Metropolitan Opera.- Biography :...
– 19th/20th century opera singer - Jaromír JágrJaromir JagrJaromír Jágr is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League . Jágr formerly played with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers, serving as captain of the Penguins and the Rangers...
– 20th/21st century hockey player - Maria TheresaMaria Theresa of AustriaMaria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands and Parma...
– 18th century queen - Karel KrylKarel KrylKarel Kryl was a popular Czech singer-songwriter and performer of many protest songs in which he strongly criticized and identified the shortcomings and inhumanity of the Communist and later post-communist regime in his home country.-Biography:Kryl was born on April 12, 1944, in Kroměříž, in...
– 20th century dissident singer-songwriter - Miloš FormanMiloš FormanJan Tomáš Forman , better known as Miloš Forman , is a Czech-American director, screenwriter, professor, and an emigrant from Czechoslovakia. Two of his films, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus, are among the most celebrated in the history of film, both gaining him the Academy Award for...
– 20th/21st century film director - Vlasta BurianVlasta BurianJosef Vlastimil Burian, better known as Vlasta Burian, was a Czech stage and film actor, singer, comedian, footballer and a film director...
– 20th century actor, "king of comedians" - Roman ŠebrleRoman ŠebrleRoman Šebrle is an athlete from the Czech Republic. He is considered to be one of the best decathlon athletes of all time. Originally a high jumper, he competes in decathlon and heptathlon for team TJ Dukla Praha and is a world record holder in the decathlon...
– 20th/21st century decathlete, Olympic athlete - Ivan HlinkaIvan HlinkaIvan Hlinka was a Czech professional ice hockey player and coach. He was one of the most important figures in Czech ice hockey.-Playing career:...
– 20th century hockey player and coach - Karel Havlíček BorovskýKarel Havlícek BorovskýKarel Havlíček Borovský was a Czech writer, poet, critic, politician, journalist, and publisher. He lived and studied at the Gymnasium in Německý Brod , and his house on the main square is today the Havlíček Museum...
– 19th century journalist and writer - Daniel LandaDaniel LandaDaniel Landa is a Czech musician, actor and racer.Born in Prague, Landa began his musical career in 1987 when he along with David Matásek founded the oi! band Orlík. He graduated from the Prague Conservatory in the area of Music and Drama. After the breakup of the band in 1992 he began his solo...
– 20th/21st century singer - Milada HorákováMilada HorákováDr. Milada Horáková was a Czech politician executed by Communists on charges of conspiracy and treason.- Biography :...
– 20th century victim of Nazism and later communism (hanged in 1950) - Vladimír MenšíkVladimír MenšíkVladimír Menšík was a popular Czech actor and entertainer, born in Ivančice, Moravia, Czechoslovakia. Both comedian and serious actor, he created a wide range of lively characters...
– 20th century actor - Jaroslav HašekJaroslav HašekJaroslav Hašek was a Czech humorist, satirist, writer and socialist anarchist best known for his novel The Good Soldier Švejk, an unfinished collection of farcical incidents about a soldier in World War I and a satire on the ineptitude of authority figures, which has been translated into sixty...
– 19th/20th century writer (author of The Good Soldier ŠvejkThe Good Soldier ŠvejkThe Good Soldier Švejk , also spelled Schweik or Schwejk, is the abbreviated title of a unfinished satirical/dark comedy novel by Jaroslav Hašek. It was illustrated by Josef Lada and George Grosz after Hašek's death...
) - Alfons MuchaAlfons MuchaAlfons Maria Mucha , known in English as Alphonse Mucha, was a Czech Art Nouveau painter and decorative artist, known best for his distinct style. He produced many paintings, illustrations, advertisements, postcards, and designs.-Early years:...
– 19th/20th century art nouveau painter - Jan Evangelista PurkyněJan Evangelista PurkyneJan Evangelista Purkyně was a Czech anatomist and physiologist. He was one of the best known scientists of his time. His son was the painter Karel Purkyně...
– 19th century biologist and physician - Pavel NedvědPavel NedvedPavel Nedvěd is a retired Czech football midfielder. He is one of the most successful Czech players to emerge from the newly formed Czech Republic, winning numerous accolades with Lazio and Juventus, including the last ever Cup Winners' Cup...
– football player (European footballer of the year 2003) - Jan JanskýJan JanskýProf. MUDr. Jan Janský was a Czech serologist, neurologist and psychiatrist. He is credited with the first classification of blood into the four types of the ABO blood group system.Janský studied medicine at Charles University in Prague. From 1899 he worked in a psychiatric clinic in Prague...
– 19th/20th century neurologist and psychiatrist, discoverer of four blood types - František KřižíkFrantišek KrižíkFrantišek Křižík was a Czech inventor, electrical engineer and entrepreneur. The main belt asteroid 5719 Křižík was named in his honor....
– 19th/20th century inventor, engineer and industrialist - Jan ŽeleznýJan ŽeleznýJan Železný is a Czech javelin thrower, world and Olympic champion and world record holder in javelin throw...
– 20th/21st century Olympic athlete - Jan PalachJan PalachJan Palach was a Czech student who committed suicide by self-immolation as a political protest.- Death :...
– protester against Soviet invasion of 1968 (self-immolated) - Věra ČáslavskáVera CáslavskáVěra Čáslavská is a Czech gymnast. Blonde, cheerful and possessing impressive stage presence, she was generally popular with the public and won a total of 22 international titles...
– 20th century Olympic athlete - Leoš JanáčekLeoš JanácekLeoš Janáček was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and all Slavic folk music to create an original, modern musical style. Until 1895 he devoted himself mainly to folkloristic research and his early musical output was influenced by...
– 19th/20th century composer - Alois JirásekAlois JirásekAlois Jirásek was a Czech writer, author of historical novels and plays. Jirásek was a secondary-school teacher until his retirement in 1909. He wrote a series of historical novels imbued with faith in his nation and in progress toward freedom and justice...
– 19th/20th century playwright and author - Jaromír NohavicaJaromír NohavicaJaromír Nohavica or Jarek Nohavica is a Czech songwriter, lyricist, and poet.He was born in Ostrava and has played guitar since he was 13. He began studying at the Technical University of Ostrava but eventually left the school. He tried various jobs and eventually ended up working as a freelance...
– 20th/21st century musician - Jan MasarykJan MasarykJan Garrigue Masaryk was a Czech diplomat and politician and Foreign Minister of Czechoslovakia from 1940 to 1948.- Early life :...
– Czechoslovak secretary of foreign affairs (1940–48) - Bohumil HrabalBohumil HrabalBohumil Hrabal was a Czech writer, regarded as one of the best writers of the 20th century.- Life and work :...
– 20th century writer - Jan NerudaJan NerudaJan Nepomuk Neruda was a Czech journalist, writer and poet, one of the most prominent representatives of Czech Realism and a member of "the May school".-Early life:...
– 19th century writer - Josef JungmannJosef JungmannJosef Jungmann was a Bohemian poet and linguist, and a leading figure of the Czech National Revival. Together with Josef Dobrovský, he is considered to be a creator of the modern Czech language.-Life:Jungmann was the sixth child of a cobbler. In his youth, he wanted to become a priest...
– 18th/19th century linguist and translator - Gregor MendelGregor MendelGregor Johann Mendel was an Austrian scientist and Augustinian friar who gained posthumous fame as the founder of the new science of genetics. Mendel demonstrated that the inheritance of certain traits in pea plants follows particular patterns, now referred to as the laws of Mendelian inheritance...
– 19th century geneticist, "father of genetics" - Franz KafkaFranz KafkaFranz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century...
– 19th/20th century writer - František TomášekFrantišek TomášekFrantišek Tomášek was a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church in Bohemia, the 34th Archbishop of Prague, and a Roman Catholic theologian...
– 20th century archbishop of Prague - Saint AdalbertAdalbert of PragueThis article is about St Adalbert of Prague. For other uses, see Adalbert .Saint Adalbert, Czech: ; , , Czech Roman Catholic saint, a Bishop of Prague and a missionary, was martyred in his efforts to convert the Baltic Prussians. He evangelized Poles and Hungarians. St...
– 10th century saint - Josef BicanJosef BicanJosef "Pepi" Bican was a Czech-Austrian football forward. It is estimated by respected footballing statistics page RSSSF that Bican scored around 800 goals in all competitive matches, not including friendly games...
– 20th century football player - Josef Kajetán TylJosef Kajetán TylJosef Kajetán Tyl was a significant Czech dramatist, writer and actor. He was a notable figure of the Czech National Revival movement and is best known as the author of the current national anthem of the Czech Republic titled Kde domov můj.-Life:Josef Kajetán Tyl was the first-born son of Jiří...
– 19th century playwright - Lucie BíláLucie BíláLucie Bílá is a Czech pop singer. With a powerful, distinctively intense voice and impressive range, she is one of the most famous and celebrated female artists in Czech Republic history...
– 20th/21st century pop singer - Karel Hynek MáchaKarel Hynek MáchaKarel Hynek Mácha was a Czech romantic poet.- Biography :Mácha grew up in Prague, the son of a foreman at a mill. He learned Latin and German in school...
– 19th century poet - Saint LudmilaSaint LudmilaSaint Ludmila is a Czech saint and martyr venerated by the Orthodox and the Roman Catholics. She was born in Mělník as daughter of a Slavic prince Slavibor...
– 9th/10th century grandmother of the Czech patron St. Wenceslas - Boleslav Polívka – 20th/21st century actor
- Rudolph II, Holy Roman Emperor – 16th/17th century king
- Josef DobrovskýJosef DobrovskýJosef Dobrovský was a Bohemian philologist and historian, one of the most important figures of the Czech national revival.- Life & Work :...
– 18th/19th century philologist - Josef LadaJosef LadaJosef Lada was a Czech painter and writer.He is best known as the illustrator of Jaroslav Hašek's World War One novel The Good Soldier Švejk...
– 20th century painter - Rudolf HrušínskýRudolf HrušínskýRudolf Hrušínský was an acclaimed Czech actor.-Biography:He was born in Nová Včelnice to Hermina Červičková and Rudolf Hrušinský . He was born, literally, back stage during a showing of the play Taneček panny Marinky...
– 20th century actor - Wenceslaus II of Bohemia – 13th/14th century king
- Madeleine AlbrightMadeleine AlbrightMadeleine Korbelová Albright is the first woman to become a United States Secretary of State. She was appointed by U.S. President Bill Clinton on December 5, 1996, and was unanimously confirmed by a U.S. Senate vote of 99–0...
– 20th century politician, US secretary of state - Aneta LangerováAneta LangerováAneta Langerová is a Czech pop singer. She first rose to fame at age 17 as the first winner of Česko hledá SuperStar, the Czech version of Pop Idol, in June 2004 and later that year released her first album, Spousta andělů, which would go on to become the best-selling record in Czech music history...
– 21st century pop singer, winner of the Pop star (Superstar in Czech) competition - Přemysl Otakar I – 12th/13th century king, conqueror
- Ludvík SvobodaLudvík Svobodathumb|Svoboda and [[I Corps |I Czechoslovak Army Corps]]Ludvík Svoboda was a Czechoslovak general and politician...
– 20th century communist president - Dominik HašekDominik HašekDominik Hašek is a Czech ice hockey goaltender who is currently with HC Spartak Moscow of the KHL.In his 16-season National Hockey League career, he played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and the Ottawa Senators. During his years in Buffalo, he became one of the...
– 20th/21st century hockey player (goaltender) - John of Luxemburg – 14th century king, father of Charles IV
- Milan BarošMilan BarošMilan Baroš is a Czech footballer who plays as a striker for Galatasaray and the Czech national football team.In the 2008–09 season, Baroš scored 20 goals in Turkish Süper Lig, the highest total in the league...
– 21st century football player - Karel Jaromír ErbenKarel Jaromír ErbenKarel Jaromír Erben was a Czech historian, poet and writer of the mid-19th century, best known for his collection Kytice , which contains poems based on traditional and folkloric themes....
– 19th century poet - Saint Zdislava – 13th century saint
- Jaroslav FoglarJaroslav FoglarJaroslav Foglar was a famous Czech author who wrote many novels about youths and their adventures in nature and dark city streets.-Early life:...
– 20th century writer - Ladislav SmoljakLadislav SmoljakLadislav Smoljak was a Czech film and theater director, actor and screenwriter. He was born in Prague.Smoljak tried to study at an art academy but failed the admission process. He went on to study physics and mathematics, and later worked as journalist and scriptwriter...
– 20th century actor and writer, actor and "cimrmanologist" - Olga HavlováOlga HavlováOlga Havlová, née Šplíchalová , was the first wife of Václav Havel, the last president of Czechoslovakia and first president of the Czech Republic....
– 20th century wife of Václav Havel, former Czechoslovak and Czech president - Martina Navrátilová – 20th/21st century tennis player
- Helena RůžičkováHelena RužickováHelena Růžičková was a Czech actress. Above all, Helena Růžičková was known for her comedic talents, and for films produced in the Czech Republic and East Germany. Her son, Jiří Růžička, was also an actor until his death in 1999...
– 20th century actress - Pavel TigridPavel TigridPavel Tigrid was a writer, publisher and author of Czech origin. He is considered one of the most important personalities of the exile Czech journalism.-Biography:He left Czechoslovakia as a young man to evade the Nazis...
– 20th century writer - Elisabeth of Bohemia (1292–1330) – queen
- Milan KunderaMilan KunderaMilan Kundera , born 1 April 1929, is a writer of Czech origin who has lived in exile in France since 1975, where he became a naturalized citizen in 1981. He is best known as the author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, and The Joke. Kundera has written in...
– 20th/21st century writer - Vladimír RemekVladimír RemekVladimír Remek is the first Czechoslovak in space and the first cosmonaut from a country other than the Soviet Union or the United States. As of 2004, with the entry of the Czech Republic into the European Union Vladimír Remek is considered to be the first astronaut from the EU...
– 20th/21st century cosmonaut and politician - Boleslav I of Bohemia – 10th century king
- Magdalena Dobromila RettigováMagdalena Dobromila RettigováMagdalena Dobromila Rettigová was Czech writer known for her famous cookery book.Rettigová, née Artmann, was born in German speaking family. Her childhood was not happy and her father died in 1792. In 1808 she got married to Jan Alois Sudiprav Rettig, Czech patriot from half-German speaking family...
– 19th century writer - Mikoláš AlešMikoláš AlešMikoláš Aleš , was a Czech painter.-Biography:Aleš was born in Mirotice near Písek, into a relatively rich family that was in debt at the time. He was taught history by his brother František until the latter's death in 1865; he expressed interest in painting at an early age...
– 19th/20th century painter - Emil HolubEmil HolubEmil Holub was a Czech physician, explorer, cartographer, and ethnographer in Africa. In a 2005 poll, he was voted #90 of the 100 greatest Czechs.-Early life:...
– 19th century physician, traveler and writer - František FajtlFrantišek FajtlLieutenant General František Fajtl was a Czech fighter pilot of World War II. He was a RAF squadron and wing commander and led a group of Czechoslovak fighter pilots who formed an air regiment under Soviet Air Force command, supporting the Slovak National Uprising in 1944...
– 20th century aircraft pilot in World War II - Klement GottwaldKlement GottwaldKlement Gottwald was a Czechoslovakian Communist politician, longtime leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia , prime minister and president of Czechoslovakia.-Early life:...
– First Communist president of Czechoslovakia (20th century) - Zdeněk MatějčekZdenek MatejcekZdeněk Matějček was a Czech children's psychologist and researcher. He placed ninety-third on Největší Čech. Among his other achievements he was known for studies of the effects on children of being held in prison camps during WW II...
– 20th century pediatrist - Jiří VoskovecJirí VoskovecJiří Voskovec was a Czech-American actor, playwright, dramatist, director, translator, and poet...
– 20th century actor - Marta KubišováMarta KubišováMarta Kubišová is a Czech singer of iconic significance. By the time of the Prague Spring of 1968, with her song "Modlitba pro Martu" , she was one of the most popular female singers in Czechoslovakia.In 1967 she won Zlatý slavík award...
– 20th/21st century singer and actress - Jiřina BohdalováJirina BohdalováJiřina Bohdalová is a Czech actress. She began acting in theatre and film at an early age. She was accepted to The Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague at her third attempt. She received an offer from Jan Werich to join the actor's troupe at “Divadlo ABC” theatre which she...
– 20th century actress - Miloslav ŠimekMiloslav ŠimekMiloslav Šimek was a Czech comedian. He was most famous for his cooperation with Jiří Grossmann on Návštěvní dny.He is the brother of Dutch television personality Martin Šimek.-External links:*...
– 20th/21st century actor - Sigmund FreudSigmund FreudSigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
– 19th/20th century psychiatrist, teacher of Carl Gustav Jung - SamoSamoSamo was a Frankish merchant from the "Senonian country" , probably modern Soignies, Belgium or Sens, France. He was the first ruler of the Slavs whose name is known, and established one of the earliest Slav states, a supra-tribal union usually called Samo's empire, realm, kingdom, or tribal...
– 7th century ruler of the so called Samo's Realm - Miloš ZemanMiloš ZemanMiloš Zeman is a well-known Czech politician. He was a member and leader of the Czech Social Democratic Party, former speaker of the chamber of deputies from 1996 until 1998, and the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from 1998 until 2002. He was a frequent rival of Václav Klaus...
– 20th/21st century politician
The Greatest Villain
At the same time as the nominations, an Internet vote for the greatest villain of Czech history was held. The top ten were:- Klement GottwaldKlement GottwaldKlement Gottwald was a Czechoslovakian Communist politician, longtime leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia , prime minister and president of Czechoslovakia.-Early life:...
– first Communist president of Czechoslovakia (1948–53) - Stanislav GrossStanislav GrossStanislav Gross is a Czech lawyer and former politician, member of the Czech Social Democratic Party . He served as minister of the interior and as Prime Minister of the Czech Republic .-Early political career:...
– 20th/21st century politician, Czech Republic PM - Václav KlausVáclav KlausVáclav Klaus is the second President of the Czech Republic and a former Prime Minister .An economist, he is co-founder of the Civic Democratic Party, the Czech Republic's largest center-right political party. Klaus is a eurosceptic, but he reluctantly endorsed the Lisbon treaty as president of...
– 20th/21st century politician, president of Czech Republic - Vladimír ŽeleznýVladimír ŽeleznýVladimír Železný is a media businessman, politician and convicted criminal in the Czech Republic. He was the first CEO of TV NOVA, a popular Czech television station and was a member of the European Parliament between 2004 and 2009...
– 20th/21st century television businessman, founder of TV Nova, charged with an extensive tunnellingTunneling (fraud)Tunnelling, or tunneling, is a colloquial term for a specific kind of financial fraud. A group of major shareholders or the management of a publicly traded company orders that company to sell off its assets to a second company at unreasonably low prices. The shareholders or management typically...
fraud - Miroslav KalousekMiroslav KalousekMiroslav Kalousek is a Czech politician, who currently serves as the Finance Minister. He is also the First Deputy Chairman of the Tradition Responsibility Prosperity 09, the party he founded....
– 20th/21st century politician, leader of Christian Democratic party - Miroslav Grebeníček – leader of Communist Party of Moravia and Bohemia
- Viktor KoženýViktor KoženýViktor Kožený is a Czech-born fugitive financier. He graduated from Harvard in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in economics. Viktor Kožený is officially an Irish citizen imprisoned in the Bahamas in 2005 but released in 2007. Efforts to bring him to justice stem from both the Czech Republic and the...
– 20th/21st century financial figure, fugitive financier, nicknamed "the pirate of Prague" - Milouš JakešMilouš JakešMiloš Jakeš was General Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia from 1987 until 1989...
– 20th century politician, General Secretary of Czechoslovak Communist Party before and during Velvet Revolution - Zdeněk ŠkromachZdeněk ŠkromachZdeněk Škromach is a Czech politician, who currently serves as the Vice-President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. He is also the Deputy Chairman of the Czech Social Democratic Party. He has wife and two children.-External links: *...
– former minister of work and social affairs - Gustáv HusákGustáv HusákGustáv Husák was a Slovak politician, president of Czechoslovakia and a long-term Communist leader of Czechoslovakia and of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia...
– 20th century politician, last Communist president of Czechoslovakia
Jára Cimrman
The first round of official voting for Greatest Czech was won by the fictional character Jára CimrmanJára Cimrman
Jára Cimrman or Jára da Cimrman is a Czech fictional character created by Jiří Šebánek, Ladislav Smoljak and Zdeněk Svěrák. He is presented as one of the greatest Czech playwrights, poets, composers, teachers, travellers, philosophers, inventors, detectives, mathematicians and sportsmen of the...
created by Czech humourists Jiří Šebánek, Zdeněk Svěrák
Zdenek Sverák
Zdeněk Svěrák is a Czech actor, humorist and scriptwriter. He is one of the most popular Czech cultural personalities. In 1989, he was a member of the jury at the 39th Berlin International Film Festival....
(who himself took the 25th place) and Ladislav Smoljak
Ladislav Smoljak
Ladislav Smoljak was a Czech film and theater director, actor and screenwriter. He was born in Prague.Smoljak tried to study at an art academy but failed the admission process. He went on to study physics and mathematics, and later worked as journalist and scriptwriter...
(79th). The fact that he isn't a real person disqualified him from taking the title. Česká televize
Ceská televize
Česká televize is the public television broadcaster in the Czech Republic, broadcasting four channels.- Czechoslovak Television :Television in Czechoslovakia started to take its first steps before World War II. However, before visible results could be achieved, all activities were interrupted by...
disregarded the rules, which clearly stated, that "it is only possible to vote for someone who was either born on, lived on, or in any way acted on the soil of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
, Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
or Czech Silesia
Czech Silesia
Czech Silesia is an unofficial name of one of the three Czech lands and a section of the Silesian historical region. It is located in the north-east of the Czech Republic, predominantly in the Moravian-Silesian Region, with a section in the northern Olomouc Region...
."
While Cimrman neither lived, nor was born in any of these countries, he indisputably acted (since 1966) and acts on the mentality
Mindset
In decision theory and general systems theory, a mindset is a set of assumptions, methods or notations held by one or more people or groups of people which is so established that it creates a powerful incentive within these people or groups to continue to adopt or accept prior behaviors, choices,...
of local people.