The French about us Tovačov • • • • • • • Tovacov is a Czech town located about 250 kms East of Prague in the Czech Republic (pop: about 3,000) t has a beautiful castle built in the middle of the Morava River at an altitude of 200 meters, in the heart of the fertile Hane plain. It is the center of the imaginary square, the top form in the north county town of Olomouc, in the eastern city of Prerov, in the southern city of Kromeriz, and to the west of Prostejov. Tovačov's castle was built in the11th century as a refuge for hunters, and it was changed later into a protected water fortress. This important strategic position has been established shortly after the city became an important crossroads of trade routes, linked to the confluence of the rivers Morava and Bečva. The town is the oldest Renaissance in urban form in the country. The Square was founded in 1475 and one of the oldest in the Czech lands. The Town Hall with its Renaissance portal is one of the most valuable historical monuments along with a fountain from 1694. The high tower of the local castle is 96 meters, and is the symbol of the town. It was completed in 1492. The entrance portal of the tower was completed in the same year and is the oldest Renaissance monument north of the Alps. In recent years, Tovačov has gradually changed from a small village into a modern town, which is worth a visit to familiarize yourself with interesting and rich history. Welcome to Tovacov! Simon P and Leon, College Emile Loubet, Valence Our class School starts at 7:50 o´clock. Their school building is 118 years old. They have 6 up to 8 lessons. There are about 300 students. They don´t have a lot of homework during the week. There is a cafeteria in the school. They go to school for 9 years. Summer holidays last two months (July and August) × Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 1 English Czech Maths Biology English 2 Maths Geography Czech English History 3 Physics Maths PE Czech Art 4 Czech History PE Maths Art 5 Work Lunch × Civics Geography Russia 6 Biology Health Education German German ICT 7 × Music Russian × × 8 × Physics × × 7.B class- Photo History of Czech Republic • • • • • • • • • • • The Czech Republic was created from the Boheme and the Moravie provinces. The Czech Republic became independent at the end of World War One (WW1) . Between WW1 and WW2, the name of the country was Czechoslovakia and it was composed of two different parts : The Czech Republic and Slovakia. Czechoslovakia disappeared when the German Nazis invaded Bohemia and Moravia.The country reappeared in 1945. During the Cold War, the country was communist like the URSS. In November 1989, the communist government collapsed and Vaclav Havel was nominated to the presidency of the Czech Republic. In 1993, the Czech Republic and the European Union signed an agreement which was applied in 1996. On April 16th, 2003, the adhesion treaty was signed. On May 1st, 2004, the Czech Republic officially became a member of the European Union. President Vaclav Klaus appointed Prime Minister Stanislav Gross in 2004 who resigned in 2005 and was replaced by Jiri Paroubek . The Czech Republic is a parliamentary Republic .The parliament is constituted by the Chamber of Representatives and the Senate. The President is elected for five years, but he hasn't got a lot of power .The government is appointed by the Prime Minister. The current president is Vaclav Klaus. He is the second President of the country after Vaclav Havel. From January 1st, 2009 to July 30th, 2009, the Czech Republic is succeeding France at the presidency of the European Union Council. Antoine and Raphael, College Emile Loubet, Valence Conversation about CR • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • A conversation about Czech literature Lamia :Hello, and welcome to our TV show “Literature Worldwide” . Célia : Good evening. Thanks for having me. Lamia : So you are going to tell us about Czech literature. Célia : Yes, that’s correct. Lamia : Ok. How important is Czech literature in Europe? Célia : It isn’t the most influential literature , however some writers are world famous. Lamia : Very well, therefore please tell us about the most well known writers from the Czech Republic. Célia : Ok, there are several of them like Vladimír Holan, Bohumil Hrabal, Milan Kundera or Pavel Hak but Milan Kundera is obviously the most renowned in Europe and on the world stage. Lamia : What are the titles of some of the books he wrote? Célia : Well, Kundera wrote famous books like “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” and “Immortality”. Lamia : Yes, and he was awarded the foreign Medicis prize for his novel “Life is Elsewhere” Célia : Yes, exactly. Lamia : And what books were written by Pavel Hak or Vladimir Holan? Célia : Well, Pavel Hak wrote “Safari” and “Sniper”, and Vladimir Holan wrote “Answer to France” and “A Night with Hamlet”, which are very popular in Europe. Lamia : All right. Now, how about a few words about the world famous Prague Festival? Célia : The writers I spoke about went to this festival several times. Lamia : This year it is the 20th edition of “Prague Writers Festival”. Every year several internationally recognized writers are introduced to the Praguish public. The festival takes place in June and lasts four days. Célia : Absolutely. Lamia : Thank you so much for being with us today. Hope to see you again on our show soon. Célia : You're welcome, it was a pleasure! Bye Lamia and Célia, College Emile Loubet, Valence Sports in the Czech rep. Prague • In the Czech Republic, Prague, the capital city, is in a region called Central Boheme. The mayor of Prague, Mr Pavel, is popular because on May18th, 2007 at 7 o'clock (local time ), he climbed Mount Everest! • In Prague 479 mm of rain on average fall every year, it's not too much, but you can easily get wet! Prague can get quite chilly, the highest temperature is 23 °C in summer Prague- History • • • • • • • • • • • Before 965, slave people lived on the territory of Prague, but it wasn’t a real city. In 965, Princess Libuse and her husband built a castle. The place became an important crossroad where people could trade. So, people came to live around this place, but it wasn’t a city yet. During the 12th-13th centuries,the people who came to live here built ramparts all around their houses and then, it became a town. During the reign of prince Charles IV, Prague became very famous, the second capital of Christendom after Rome . The king built a bridge over the Vltava river, and that was the beginning of the gothic style. (VIIIs) The people of Prague made a crusade against an other people named the Hussite and they took over the city in 1419. In the XVIth century, a new style appeared called the Renaissance.That was a new way to see the world, and a religion was born: protestantism. But the catholics didn’t agree with this religion and there was a war which started in 1618 and ended in 1648 : the 30-year war. In the 19th century, a new style of houses,castle, gardens appeared … that was the beginning of the romantic period. We can say that Prague became the capital of Czechoslovakia on October 28th, 1918 when the country became independent. During the second world war (WW2), Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia and stayed in the castle of Prague ; the University and schools closed. The Jews were deported to the concentration camps. But at the end of the war, the city was freed. Today, Prague has become one of the European capitals of culture. In 2004, the city organized the Hockey World Cup and built a new stadium to welcome thousands of visitors. Vitha and Simon B., College Emile Loubet, Valence. . Prague - architecture • • • In Prague, sculpting, drawing, and painting are the post popular arts. There are lots of gothic and baroque monuments: the church St Nicolas church (baroque), the St Guy cathedral (gothic), and the royal palace. (see pictures below) the Royal Palace Cathedral St Guy (gothic architecture) a painting by Frantisek Kupka, a famous 20th century artist Everywhere in the center of Prague, you can admire some baroque places and facades as well as gothic churches and towers. You can also visit the Jewish Cultural Center and the oldest synagogue in Europe. a modern work of art by Otakar Kubin Ostrava • The city of Ostrava • Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic with a population of 320.000. • It is located ten kilometers away from the Polish border and about fifty kilometers from the Slovak border. • In Ostrava you can find four theatres, six museums and a zoological garden founded in 1951 and welcoming over 300,000 visitors every year. • The city has a strong history in industry and mining. It was even nicknamed “ the steel Heart of the Republic”. • Welcome to Ostrava! • Laura, Eloise and Camille, College Emile Loubet, Valence Diverse topics • • • • • • • Pets People in the Czech republic have got dogs,cats,parrots,hamsters,guinea pigs,mice,fish....some people breed amazing animals like snakes,spiders and lizards. Farmers have got cow,pigs, horses ( horses are too for sports and fun),goats,hens,sheep and some others. In zoos in the Czech Republic, you can lions,zebas,giraffes,tigers,bears,alligators,monkeys and many others... Sports Popular sports include football,ice hockey,tennis, biking,swimming, horse riding ,athletics …The best sportmen are football goalkeeper PetrČech, hockey player Jaromír Jágr, and javelin throwers Barbora Špotáková and Jan Železný, as well as athletes Roman Šebrle,football player Pavel Nedvěd, tennis player Tomáš Berdych and many others! Food Typical Czech food are sauces, pork and beef meat,cabbage,roasted pig,roasted duck,potatoes,dumplings.... Typical meals are :Breakfast: roll with butter and cheese , salami,tea. Lunch:chicken and mashed potatoes Dinner:bread and butter, eggs Sometimes they use strange names for food! Spanish bird, ox's eye, štramberk's ears... • This Presentation is by Michal and Pavel. • Materials are from the French Students