Abstract
This chapter focuses on the Czech-German ethnic boundary from interwar Czechoslovakia (census 1930) and its possible persistence in the religious landscape since the fall of communism after 1989 and tries to explore the concept of relict (phantom) borders in geography. The research question is: can we measure this relict border for example in electoral behaviour in post-1989 elections or in the case of regional identity? How strong is the former Czech-German ethnic border regarding religious belief (share and structure of religiosity) in current Czechia as a social-cultural divide? The research problem will primarily be analysed by using GIS or cartographic outputs, both at the level of administrative districts (Municipalities with Extended Competence, MEC) and at the municipal level in Czechia.
The chapter compares among others the situation of relict borders with its presence in neighbouring countries like Poland or Germany. The summarized results of the research point to a regional differentiation of this phenomenon in Czechia.
In the northern and north-western regions, the relict border regarding religiosity is less visible than in the South and Southeast. Generally, we can summarize that the Czech-German ethnic border is still present in the religious behaviour of the Czech population.