Czechs withdraw from Eurovision

The Czech Republic has announced it is quitting the Eurovision Song Contest, saying there is a lack of interest at home in the musical event.

The country, which made its debut in 2007, came last with no points in one of the semi-finals in May. Its previous two attempts failed to reach the final, with rock band Kabat also coming last in the qualifying round two years ago.

A spokesman for Czech Television said that poor viewing figures for the show also prompted the decision. This year's Czech entry was performed by Roma group Gipsy.cz, with its lead singer dressed as comic character Supergipsy.

It was the first time in five years that a country had failed to make a mark on the scoreboard. Slovakia, the Czech Republic's closest neighbour, returned to Eurovision this year after a gap of 11 years.

Czech Television told Eurovision website ESC Today that the contest had proved a success in Slovakia, despite their failure to make the final.

Czech History - Background to Prague

Prague is the capital and also the largest city in the Czech Republic. Prague’s initial settlement was founded in 973 as a castle on the right, bank of the Vltava, this is now known as Vysehrad. A later castle was built on the opposite bank now known as Prague Castle.

In ancient times it was an important seat for trading and as a result merchants visited and settled from all Europe. The city flourished during the 14th century and became the third largest city in Europe. Many pieces of architecture from this period can be seen today such as the Charles Bridge, the Charles University and Saint Vitus Cathedral.

In 1335 Prague became the capital of the Holy Roman Empire.