The Czech Republic (or informally Czechia) is a small landlocked country in Central Europe, situated southeast of Germany and bordering Austria to the south, Poland to the north and Slovakia to the southeast.

The Czech Republic's turbulent history has left a legacy of hundreds of castles and chateaux - from grim Gothic ruins clinging into a dizzy pinnacle of rock, to majestic, baroque mansions filled with the finest furniture that Europe's artisans could provide. Since the fall of communism in 1989 and the opening of Central and Eastern Europe, Prague has evolved into one of Europe's most popular travel destinations.