In 1993, when Czechoslovakia split into two nations, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the music was divided up, as well. Despite enduring decades of communist rule, the multi-ethnic residents of the nation always had at least one thing in common: their national anthem. Combining Czech and Slovak verses, the anthem was called "Kde domov můj," which ironically enough means "Where is my home" -- a question no doubt on many people's minds at the time. The so-called Velvet Divorce ended up being like any other messy breakup, with both sides taking what was originally theirs. In this case, the national anthem was divided. Only the Czech verses were kept by the Czech Republic and only the Slovak parts were kept by Slovakia. The new anthems are now surprisingly short -- so short, in fact, that the Czech Republic's Olympic Committee recently commissioned several new versions in the hopes of establishing a new anthem to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Czechoslovakia's founding.
Inside the Czech Republic and Slovakia:
- The Czech Republic has the most castles in the world, including the largest, Prague Castle, which spans approximately 750,000 square feet (70,000 square meters).
- Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, is the only world capital to border two independent countries (Austria and Hungary).
- Czechs drink more beer per capita than anyone else in the world, at a rate almost double that of Slovaks.