Is it the Czech Republic or Czechia?

Last Updated on April 13, 2024 by Adam Watts

You may have heard that the Czech Republic is changing its name to Czechia. So now you may be wondering: is it the Czech Republic or Czechia? Here’s a quick post to explain why the change happened, and whether you’ll look a fool for still using the Czech Republic to refer to that place that sits neatly under Germany and Poland.

Like many of you, I heard headlines saying the Czech Republic was being renamed to Czechia. But in researching the whole “Czech Republic or Czechia” thing, I realized that this post was going to have to be more than 50 words long. I wish I was done writing this post and I could just tell you that you should always use Czechia in reference to what you formally knew as the Czech Republic.

But it’s more complicated.

Firstly, the official name of the Czech Republic is still the Czech Republic. But even that isn’t as straightforward, since the official name of Germany is the Federal Republic of Germany, France is the French Republic, and Luxembourg is the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. And those names aren’t really used anywhere, maybe with the exception of governmental legislation in those countries. You’ve never watched a World Cup match between the Hellenic Republic and the the United Mexican States. It’s shortened to Greece v Mexico.

So when determining Czech Republic or Czechia, think of Czechia as the common short (English) name.

But it’s also not that simple either. According to this Washington Post article, a spokesperson for the Czech embassy in Washington, Pavla Velickinova – i.e. the person that should be offering the most helpful information in this confused and troubled time – said the name Czechia should be used “whenever suitable”.

Thanks, Pavla. That clears everything up.

But let’s get to why we’re even in this sticky situation. Why did the country formerly – and maybe presently – known as the Czech Republic want us to start calling it Czechia?

Czechia as a name for what we know as the Czech Republic isn’t new. It’s been around since 1841 and was standardized by some UN resolution or other in 1993 as the official short English translation of Česko. Fans of geographical history will know 1993 was the year in which Czechoslovakia as a country was dissolved into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. But that standardization was only to standardize the translation of Česko into English. Nobody was like, “alright, we’re known as Czechia now”. Until 2013.

It was only in 2013 that Czech president Miloš Zeman said, “alright, let’s be called Czechia,” and then, governments being what they are, the Czech government faffed and flapped and eventually approved and registered the name by 5 July 2016.

The reason for the sudden declaration that “Czechia” should be the name? Branding. According to The Independent, “the change will improve the nation’s identity and make it easier for companies to use the new title on products, name tags and sports jerseys.” I’m down with that as a reason, but it will take time, and I’m really not the best at accepting name changes. It’s been more than twenty years since they changed their name, but I still call Starburst “Opal Fruits”.

Naturally not everyone likes the change. Some people just don’t like change at all and should be forced to live in deep holes away from everyone else, so let’s ignore their opinions (please forget my refusal to accept the name Starburst).

Other people point out that “Czechia” sounds a lot like “Chechnya”, which has a less than glowing history. Which is fair. It does sound a lot like it. All I ask is that you, person reading this light-hearted travel blog, you of great taste and interest in geography, never make that mistake. If you do, I’ll be very disappointed, okay?

So, now that we’ve been into a bit of history and the whys and why-fores, is it the Czech Republic or Czechia?

It’s Czechia. Get used to it. Embrace the change early because it’s only going to be more and more common. And know that Google already calls it Czechia. It’s here to stay.

Oh, and Prague is freaking beautiful so go visit if you haven’t already. And if you need a day trip from Prague, Czech out (sorry) the Chapel of Bones.