Editing Central Europe (section)

==Culture and society==
{{See also|Magdeburg rights}}

===Research===
Research centres of Central European literature include [[Harvard University]] (Cambridge, MA),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://static.fas.harvard.edu/registrar/ugrad_handbook/current/chapter4/slavces.html|title=Central European Studies|author=Faculty of Arts and Sciences Harvard College|publisher=Static.fas.harvard.edu|access-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304075439/http://static.fas.harvard.edu/registrar/ugrad_handbook/current/chapter4/slavces.html|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> Purdue University,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Totosy de Zepetnek |first1=Steven |title=Comparative Central European Culture |date=2002 |publisher=Purdue University Press |isbn=978-1-61249-017-5 |id={{Project MUSE|4130|type=book}} }}{{page needed|date=October 2023}}</ref> and Central European Studies Programme (CESP), [[Masaryk University]], [[Brno]], Czech Republic.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://czs.muni.cz/en/student-from-abroad/exchange-non-degree-studies/cesp|title=Central European Studies Programme (CESP)|access-date=20 May 2021}}</ref>

===Architecture===
{{Further|List of Central European countries by development indexes}}

===Religion===
{{multiple image
 | align = right
 | total_width = 450
 | image1 = Percent of Catholics in Europe by Country–Pew Research 2011 (no legend).svg
 | alt1 = 
 | caption1 = Adherence to Catholicism in Europe
 | image2 = European_countries_by_percentage_of_Protestants_(2010).svg
 | alt2 =
 | caption2 = Adherence to Protestantism in Europe
 | footer = Central European major Christian denomination is Catholicism as well as large [[Protestant]] populations. Click map to see legend.
}}

Central European countries are mostly [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] (Austria, Croatia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Poland and Slovenia) or historically both Catholic and [[Protestant]] (the [[Czech Republic]], Germany, Hungary, Slovakia and Switzerland). Large Protestant groups include [[Lutheran]], [[Calvinism|Calvinist]], and the [[Moravian Church|Unity of the Brethren]] affiliates. Significant populations of [[Eastern Catholicism]] and [[Old Catholic]]ism are also prevalent throughout Central Europe. [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] Christianity is a minority denomination observed to varying extents across Central Europe.

Central Europe has been the center of the [[Protestant]] movement for centuries, with the majority of Protestants suppressed and annihilated during the [[Counterreformation]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wps.ablongman.com/wps/media/objects/262/268312/art/figures/KISH_13_309.gif|title=Map: The Religious Divisions of Europe ca. 1555|publisher=Pearson|access-date=16 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emersonkent.com/map_archive/europe_religion_1560.htm|title=Map of Europe in 1560: Religion|publisher=Emersonkent.com |access-date=24 September 2015}}</ref>

Historically, people in [[Bohemia]] in today's Czech Republic were some of the first Protestants in Europe. As a result of the [[Thirty Years' War]] following the [[Bohemian Revolt]], many [[Czechs]] were either killed, executed (see for [[Old Town Square execution]]), forcibly turned into Roman Catholics, or emigrated to [[Scandinavia]] and the [[Low Countries]]. In the aftermath of the [[Thirty Years' War]], the number of inhabitants in the [[Kingdom of Bohemia]] decreased from three million to only 800,000 from multiple factors, including devastating ongoing battles such as the significant [[Battle of White Mountain]] and the [[Battle of Prague (1648)]]. However, in recent years, most Czechs report as overwhelmingly non-religious, with some describing themselves as Catholic (10.3%).

Before the [[Holocaust]] (1941–45), there was also a sizeable [[Ashkenazi Jewish]] community in the region, numbering approximately 16.7&nbsp;million people.<ref>{{cite book|title=American Jewish Year Book|publisher=[[American Jewish Committee]]|url=http://www.ajcarchives.org/main.php?GroupingId=10142|access-date=31 May 2017|archive-date=5 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505002513/http://www.ajcarchives.org/main.php?GroupingId=10142|url-status=dead}}</ref> Poland and Lithuania had the largest Jewish populations in Europe as a percentage of their total populations, with Jews constituting 9.5% of the Polish population and 7.6% of the Lithuanian population in 1933.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jewish Population of Europe in 1933: Population Data by Country |url=https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/jewish-population-of-europe-in-1933-population-data-by-country |access-date=2024-02-18 |website=encyclopedia.ushmm.org}}</ref>

Certain countries in Central Europe, particularly the Czech Republic, Germany and Switzerland have sizeable [[atheist]] and [[irreligion|non-religious]] populations. In 2021, 48% of the Czech population declared that they had no religion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Czech Republic |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/czech-republic/ |access-date=2024-02-18 |website=United States Department of State}}</ref> In 2022, 43.8% of the German population declared that they had no religion.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-25 |title=Religionszugehörigkeiten 2022 |url=https://fowid.de/meldung/religionszugehoerigkeiten-2022 |access-date=2024-02-18 |website=fowid.de |language=de}}</ref> Meanwhile, 33.5% of the Swiss population stated that they were not affiliated with any religion.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Office |first=Federal Statistical |title=Religions |url=https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/en/home/statistiken/bevoelkerung/sprachen-religionen/religionen.html |access-date=2024-02-18 |website=bfs.admin.ch}}</ref>

===Cuisine===
[[Central European cuisine]] has evolved over centuries because of social and political change and is generally diverse. However, the national cuisines of western Central Europe share notable similarities, as do the cuisines of eastern Central Europe. Sausages, salamis and cheeses are popular in most of Central Europe, with the earliest evidence of cheesemaking in the archaeological record dates back to 5,500 BCE ([[Kuyavia]] region, Poland).<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.nature.com/news/art-of-cheese-making-is-7-500-years-old-1.12020|title=Art of cheese-making is 7,500 years old|journal=Nature News & Comment|year=2012|doi=10.1038/nature.2012.12020|last1=Subbaraman|first1=Nidhi|s2cid=180646880}}</ref> Other popular food items in Central Europe include soups, stews, pickled and fermented vegetables. [[Schnitzel]], [[goulash]] and [[cabbage roll]]s are popular in the region.

Another common feature among Central European cuisines, particularly Austrian, Croatian, Lithuanian, Slovenian and Swiss cuisine, is the use of wild ingredients in traditional dishes, spanning from wild herbs to mushrooms and berries. Beer consumption is also prominent in parts of Central Europe, where the Czech Republic has the highest [[list of countries by beer consumption per capita|beer consumption per capita]] globally, followed by Austria, with Germany coming 4th. The cuisines of Central European countries that are included in broader definitions of Eastern Europe share similarities and traditions with other Eastern European cuisines. This is particularly evident in the cuisines of Lithuania and Poland, which feature dishes like [[borscht]], [[pierogi]] and [[sour rye soup]]. 

===Human rights===
Generally, the countries in the region have been progressive on the issue of human rights: death penalty is illegal in all of them, corporal punishment is outlawed in most of them and people of both genders can vote in elections. However, Central European countries are divided on the subject of [[same-sex marriage]] and abortion. Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Poland also have a history of participation in the CIA's extraordinary rendition and detention program, according to the [[Open Society Foundations]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/projects/globalizing-torture|title=CIA Secret Detention and Torture|work=Open Society Foundations|access-date=24 September 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925221248/https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/projects/globalizing-torture|archive-date=25 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.transcend.org/tms/2013/02/the-latin-american-exception-how-a-washington-global-torture-gulag-was-turned-into-the-only-gulag-free-zone-on-earth/|title=Transcend Media Service|access-date=24 September 2015}}</ref>

===Literature===
Regional writing tradition revolves around the turbulent history of the region, as well as its cultural diversity.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/in-praise-of-writers-bloc-how-the-tedium-of-life-under-communism-gave-rise-to-a-literature-alive-1964099.html|title=In praise of writers' bloc: How the tedium of life under Communism gave rise to a literature alive with surrealism and comedy|work=The Independent|access-date=24 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thepress.purdue.edu/titles/format/9781557532404|title=Comparative Central European Culture|publisher=Thepress.purdue.edu|access-date=24 September 2015}}</ref> Its existence is sometimes challenged.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/books/2010/05/central-european-cioran-czech|title=Czech mates|work=New Statesman|access-date=24 September 2015}}</ref> Specific courses on Central European literature are taught at [[Stanford University]],<ref>[https://undergrad.stanford.edu/courses/central-european-literature] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150223160430/https://undergrad.stanford.edu/courses/central-european-literature|date=23 February 2015}}</ref> [[Harvard University]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://slavic.fas.harvard.edu/pages/secondary-fields|title=Secondary Fields|publisher=Slavic.fas.harvard.edu|access-date=24 September 2015}}</ref> and [[Jagiellonian University]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usosweb.uj.edu.pl/kontroler.php?_action=actionx:katalog2/przedmioty/pokazPrzedmiot(kod:WSM.IE-S33D)|title=Literatura Środkowoeuropejska w poszukiwaniu tożsamości|publisher=Usosweb.uj.edu.pl|access-date=24 September 2015}}</ref> as well as cultural magazines dedicated to regional literature.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://literalab.com/|title=literalab|access-date=24 September 2015}}</ref> Angelus Central European Literature Award is an award worth 150,000.00 PLN (about $50,000 or £30,000) for writers originating from the region.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://angelus.com.pl/english/regulations/|title=Regulations|publisher=Angelus.com.pl|access-date=24 September 2015|archive-date=15 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015211148/http://angelus.com.pl/english/regulations/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Likewise, the [[Vilenica International Literary Festival|Vilenica International Literary Prize]] is awarded to a Central European author for "outstanding achievements in the field of literature and essay writing".<ref name=vilenica>{{cite web |url= http://vilenica.si/en/about-vilenica/|title= About Vilenica|author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher= Vilenica Literary Festival|access-date= 14 February 2018}}</ref>

===Media===
{{Further|List of central European countries by development indexes#Media}}

===Sport===
There is a number of Central European Sport events and leagues. They include:

*[[Central European Tour Miskolc GP]] (Hungary)*
*[[Central European Tour Budapest GP]] (Hungary)
*[[2008 Central Europe Rally]] (Romania and Hungary)*
*[[2023 Central Europe Rally]] (Germany, Austria and Czech Republic)
*[[Central European Football League]] (Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey)
*[[Central European International Cup]] (Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Switzerland and Yugoslavia; 1927–1960)
*Central Europe Throwdown*<ref>{{cite web|url=http://centraleuropethrowdown.com/#?aboutUs|title=Central Europe Throwdown 2015|access-date=24 September 2015|archive-date=8 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908063635/http://centraleuropethrowdown.com/#?aboutUs|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Football is one of the most popular sports. Countries of Central Europe hosted several major competitions. Germany hosted two FIFA World Cups ([[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]] and [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]]) and two UEFA European Championships ([[UEFA Euro 1988|1988]] and [[UEFA Euro 2024|2024]]). Yugoslavia hosted the [[UEFA Euro 1976]] before the competition expanded to 8 teams. Recently, the [[UEFA Euro 2008|2008]] and [[UEFA Euro 2012|2012]] [[UEFA European Championship]]s were held in Austria & Switzerland and Poland & Ukraine respectively.