Czechia
Prague is one of Europe's quiet tech capitals. Czechia builds Škoda (under VW now), Avast (Prague-born, NortonLifeLock-owned), and JetBrains — the IDE most European developers actually use. Plus the brewing tradition that gave the world Pilsner, and Bohemian glass that still defines premium tableware.
Below: Czech brands worth choosing over their US or Chinese alternatives.
Software Nation
Wave of dev tools. Czechia punches far above its weight in software.
Photopea
Pricing: Free with ads, $5/month
Known for: Web-based raster editor; Photoshop format compatible; works on Linux via browser.
Beer & Spirits
The home of pilsner, the world's most-copied beer style.
Pilsner Urquell
Known for: The original lager. Every pale, golden, bottom-fermented beer in the world traces its lineage to this brewery. Urquell means "original source."
Budweiser Budvar
Known for: The original Budweiser. A century-long trademark battle with Anheuser-Busch. Czech national brewing sovereignty.
Bernard
Known for: The independent Czech lager that didn't sell out. Brewed without pasteurisation. Cult status among Czech beer drinkers who think Pilsner Urquell has gone too commercial.
Kofola
Known for: Czechoslovak cola made from KOFO syrup — 14 herbs and fruits, less sweet than Coke, served on tap in pubs like beer. Invented as a use for surplus caffeine extracted from coffee beans by a state research institute. The communist-era cola that outlived communism.
Shops, Cars & Tyres
Alza
Based in: Czechia
Known for: Central Europe’s leading electronics and general retailer
Available in: Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Germany
Skoda Elroq
Manufactured in: Czechia
Compact crossover SUV, successor to the Škoda Karoq.
Battery (likely 58–77 kWh): ~500–580 km WLTP
Although a bit larger, it's positioned as a small family EV with long range.
Barum
Known for: Czech brand founded in 1932 in Otrokovice, with heritage tracing back through the Bata, Rubena, and Matador industrial names. Positioned as an honest budget tyre for Central European drivers, offering Continental-standard manufacturing at a lower price point. Produces around 17 million tyres per year, making the Otrokovice plant one of the largest tyre factories in Europe.
Craft & Design
Petrof
Known for: Europe's largest piano maker — grand pianos, upright pianos, plus the more accessible Petrof Highlights and the entry-level Weinbach sub-brand. ~3,000 pianos produced annually. The largest piano maker in continental Europe outside Steinway-Hamburg. Family-controlled for 160 years. A Petrof concert grand is the serious-but-affordable alternative to a Steinway D — same craftsmanship lineage, half the price.
Tilak
Known for: Rožnov pod Radhoštěm-based, founded 1991 by Roman Kamler. Premium technical outdoor clothing — hard-shell jackets, mid-layers, alpine and military lines. Manufacturing in the Czech Republic with Gore-Tex Pro and Polartec materials. Supplies Czech Army Special Forces. The Eastern European Arc'teryx — the same uncompromising technical construction, made in the Czech Republic rather than shifted offshore. The serious choice for alpine and expedition use if you've outgrown the Arc'teryx/Patagonia marketing tier.
Vasky
Known for: Manufacturing in Zlín (the historic Czech shoemaking capital, home of Baťa). Direct-to-consumer model, no wholesale. Modern Czech footwear made in the city that invented mass shoe manufacturing. DTC pricing keeps the leather-shoe-with-real-construction story affordable. Excellent alternative to Solovair, Crockett & Jones or Loake at half the price.
Festka
Known for: Czech bespoke frame-maker that competes at the very top of the custom-cycle market; every Festka is hand-laid in Prague to the rider's geometry and aesthetic preferences. A genuine European answer to American boutique brands like Moots and Argonaut.
Customisation: Every frame is custom-geometry, custom-paint, hand-laid in Prague
Voices & Causes
People in Need (Člověk v tísni)
Focus: Humanitarian aid, education, human rights, development
Known for: The deepest Ukraine track record in Central Europe, operating inside the country continuously since 2014.
