Several names for a European country, but the same Pilsener beer, good food and the golden capital of Prague, and major tourism destination.
A lot has changed from Czechoslovakia as a loyal Soviet run behind the iron curtain country to a new EU and NATO member nation in Europe, named the Czech Republic, to a friendly tourism destination known by the cute name of Czechia.
Today, the Czechia Tourism Board in New York released a press release explaining what this means to Czech Tourism or, better, Czechia Tourism. Who is now confused?
Czechoslovakia (Czech and, Česko-Slovensko) was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918 when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland became part of Germany, while the country lost other territories to Hungary and Poland.
Czechoslovakia formally became a federal republic comprising the Czech Socialist Republic and the Slovak Socialist Republic. In late 1989, communist rule came to an end.
Now part of the European Union and years of debate by the government, language experts, international organizations, and the public have landed on one conclusion:
Czechia and the Czech Republic are synonyms, two official names for one Central European country. Using the full name or shortened version depends on the context and official guidance.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), the longer name Czech Republic must only be used in official government documents, embassy names, official correspondence, contracts and powers of attorney, instruments of ratification, and memoranda. This is based in part on the MFA’s embassy guidelines.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends Czechia (Česko) be used in all other cases based on two perks: it’s less formal and more practical for production.
The shorter name may appear on everything from signage for official meetings at the highest political levels to promotional materials at international trade fairs. Czechia (Česko) works best for informal communication and correspondence, literary works, and newspaper articles and brings a relaxed tone to non-ceremonial political speeches for the general public.
The shorter name already adorns jerseys and uniforms for teams representing the country in culture, science, sports, and other areas, including the Czech Olympic Committee. In summary: the Czechia (Česko) brand should be used for all press and materials presenting the country’s domestic achievements, history, and personalities on promotional materials and by private entities.
Consensus on a country’s designation goes far beyond tourism. The MFA’s Commission for a unified presentation of the Czech Republic abroad includes representatives of relevant ministries, Czech Centres, the House of Foreign Cooperation, the Czech Olympic Committee, CzechInvest, CzechTrade, CzechTourism, and other agencies. This collective group will address ambiguity and create a unified presentation of the Czech Republic, especially abroad.
One prominent place you’ll see this change is in the Czech Tourist Board (Česká centrála cestovního ruchu), switching from “Visit Czech Republic” to “Visit Czechia.”
After the mutual agreement between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Regional Development, this should be followed up with an efficient and budget-friendly rebranding of promotional and information materials, including future trade fair presentations.
Now, to avoid any misleading headlines claiming that “The Czech Republic is changing its name!” let us reiterate that the shortened name, Czechia, has been part of UN databases since 2016 (United Nations) – including the UNGEGN (United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names) and UNTERM (United Nations Terminology Database) – as well as in the European Union database since September 2022, including the language options below. We’re just ensuring people know when and where to use each version.
Czechoslovakia was an original Member of the United Nations from 24 October 1945.
In a letter dated 10 December 1992, its Permanent Representative informed the Secretary-General that the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic would cease to exist on 31 December 1992 and that the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic, as successor States, would apply for membership in the United Nations.
Following the receipt of their application, the Security Council, on 8 January 1993, recommended to the General Assembly that the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic be admitted to United Nations membership. Both the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic were thus admitted on 19 January of that year as Member States.
On 17 May 2016, the Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the United Nations informed the UN that the short name to be used for the country is Czechia, adding to global confusion about a name for a great European country.
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