Following its liberation from communist rule through the “velvet revolution” of 1989, the central European country of Czechoslovakia went through the “velvet divorce” in 1993. This peaceful splitting of the state yielded the creation of Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Today, the regions of Bohemia to the west and Moravia to the east comprise the two main regions and ethnic groups of the Czech Republic. The capital, Prague, is a historic city with castles, palaces and spas along the Vltava (Moldau) River.

This densely populated country of small cities, towns and villages, has one of the most stable economies of the post-communist states in central and Eastern Europe. Before the separation from communism, the Czech Republic was highly industrialized. Its openness to foreign investment, a fairly low cost structure, and a well-qualified labor force have helped the post revolution economy to prosper.

The freedom of religion that came along with the fall of communism removed the resistance to church affiliation and practice, but a degree of complacency exists that has hurt the Church. Today more that 40 percent of the population profess atheism, with an additional 16 percent uncertain whether there is a God. The Catholic Church has a stronger standing in the Czech Republic than any protestant denomination, but its priests and laity are both aging. Protestant churches are enjoying religious freedom for only the second time since 1620.