Traditional business in the Czech Republic

…..up to 1989

An appreciation of dates• Pre 1914

– Austro-Hungarian empire; Czechoslovakia created 1918

• 1918-1939• 1939-1945

– German occupation

• 1945-1989– Communist regime (Influenced by Russia)– “Prague spring” 1968– “Velvet revolution” November 1989

• Post 1989

Traditional industries (1)

“Heavy industry”

• Engineering• Skoda• Tesla

• Mining• “Black” coal• “Soft” coal

“Open-cast” coal miningat Doly Bilina

Traditional industries (1)

“Heavy industry”• Engineering

• Skoda• Tesla

• Mining• “Black” coal• “Soft” coal• Clay• Graphite (Portuguese: “argila”)• Silver Uranium

Traditional industries (2)

• Specialised– Shoes– Glassware and Porcelain

• Cut glass (glass with a decorative pattern cut into the surface)

• Glass crystal (transparent glass of very high quality, usually with its surface cut into delicate patterns)

14th century glassmaking

18th century glassmaking areas

Traditional industries (2)• Specialised

– Shoes– Glassware

• Cut glass (glass with a decorative pattern cut into the surface)

• Glass crystal (transparent glass of very high quality, usually with its surface cut into delicate patterns)

– Contact lenses

Prof. Otto WichterleInventor of the “soft” contact lens

On this home-built apparatus, Prof.

Wichterle produced his first “soft” contact lens in

his kitchen in 1961

Traditional industries (2)• Specialised

– Shoes– Glassware

• Cut glass (glass with a decorative pattern cut into the surface)

• Glass crystal (transparent glass of very high quality, usually with its surface cut into delicate patterns)

– Contact lenses– Films

A selection of traditional Czech films

Traditional industries (2)• Specialised

– Shoes– Glassware

• Cut glass (glass with a decorative pattern cut into the surface)

• Glass crystal (transparent glass of very high quality, usually with its surface cut into delicate patterns)

– Contact lenses– Films– Chemical– Medical– Musical instruments

etc, etc, etc………

Traditional industries (3)

• Other– Brewing

…….also, wines and spirits

– Agribusiness• Livestock milk/cheese/meat• Timber• Fruit/vegetables

etc, etc, etc………

Thank you!

You can find this presentation at

http://www.richardinprague.eu