Czech Republic

Area code 420Common abbreviation CZLast updated 7-2-2009
Road classSyntax explanationAdministrative subordinationSub classesZonesSystemRemarks
European roadE[0-9]<2-3>EuropeSee Europe-
Motorway (dalnice)D[0-9]<1-2>nationalIntegrated systemExit numbers by kilometers
Dual carriageway with motorway characteristics(R)[0-9]<1-2>national1-/2-d
National road (silnice I./II. trídy)[0-9]<1-3>{[a-e]}nationaldetermined by first digit of 3-d numbers
3-d
Local road (silnice III. trídy) ([0-9]<4-5>)national4-dderivation
5-d
Ring road I<1-3>cityincreasing from centre
General description: Routes 1-12 are the main arterial roads from Praha. Other main roads have numbers 13-99. So far, the only motorways are the D1, D2, D3, D5, D8, D11 and D35. All these roads are European routes.
D, R and national roads form one integrated system. For example, route 35 begins as just '35' in Liberec, it is the R35 between Mohelnice and Olomouc, there it is 35 again, then it continues as D35, and the last section is 35 again. There is one exception: the D2 is independent of the (new) route 2, see History. Disregarding the new route 2, routes 1-12 form a spiderweb with centre Praha. Route 1 is the D1 to the east (it will continue to the Polish border in future), the D2 branches off the D1 at Brno (towards Bratislava), and route 3 branches off the D1 towards Linz in Austria. Numbers increase further in clockwise direction. Route 12 is to the east.
When a new road is built (generally D or R), the number of the old road is increased by 600. There has always been one exception to this: route 602 runs approximately parallel to the D1. However, originally this was route 2, see below. Recent changes violate this system. For example, the section of route 5 west of Plzen was replaced by 501 instead of 605, possibly because it is not linked to the rest of 605, though this should only be a temporary situation (until the D5 is completed).
Roads with 1- and 2-digit numbers are known as First class roads (silnice I. trída), 3-digit numbers as Second class roads (silnice II. trída) and local roads with 4- or 5-digit numbers as Third class roads (silnice III. trída).
Exit numbers are derived from kilometer values, except for the first exit which always has number 1 instead of 0.
Ring roads appear only in Praha, Brno, Hradec Kralové and Ostrava.
Local road numbers sometimes have one or more trailing zeroes, e.g. 00317.
Road signs:
Road/destination typeBackgroundTextRoad numbers
ClassShapeBackgroundText
MotorwaysGreenWhiteDRectangleRed White
All roadsBlueWhiteNationalRectangleBlueWhite
Local destinationsWhiteBlackRingWhiteBlack
History: There was a different road numbering system in the 1930's. Examples of numbers:
During World War II, German road numbers were extended throughout the Czech Republic. Examples can be seen on the fragment of a 1952 Michelin map below.

Later, a new numbering system was devised: number 1 was for a planned Prague ring road, and numbers 2-12 formed a spider-web around Prague. The section of route 2 between Prague and Brno was later changed to 1, as the D1 was built.
The Czech Republic and Slovakia used to have one road numbering system (when they formed Czechoslovakia). However, there was one important difference:
In the Czech republic, D, R and other roads formed an integrated system. The 'add 600' rule was applied. In Slovakia, routes x and Dx could be parallel, though there was a D1 of which sections existed though there was no route 1. This system was retained until the late 1990's, when numbers in the Czech Republic were replaced by numbers that also exist in Slovakia (59 - 70). Many other numbers were also changed. Below is a list of most of the changes (^ = Hacek on next letter, ú = u with circle on top).
Old number New numberSection
5 501Plze^n - D
17 339Stipoklasy - ^Cáslav
18 35Vala^sské Mezi^rí^cí - SK
18 150Votice - Vala^sské Mezi^rí^cí
19 602Pelh^rimov - Jihlava
21 230Planá - Nepomuk
23 159Písek - Sobeslav
23 164Jindrichúv Hradec
24 230Be^cov nad Teplou - Mariánské Lázn^e
29 600Praha ring road II between 4 and 601
30 66P^ríbram - Milín
30 118Litome^rice - P^ríbram
33 2Kutná Hora - P^relou^c
33 29Písek - Oltyn^e
33 126Zru^c nad Sázavou - Kutná Hora
33 137Tábor - Na^ceradec
33 324Lázn^e Bohdane^c - Hradec Králové
33 333P^relou^c - Lázn^e Bohdane^c
33 336Bezd^ekov - Zru^c nad Sázavou
40 23Brno - D1 (exit 190)
42 23Brno ring road III between (former) 40 and 43
47 436Kojetín - P^rerov
51 480Brno - SK
54 53Znojmo - Poho^relice
54 381Poho^relice - Násedlovice
101 61Kladno - 6
141 39Volary - 4
150 24Veselí nad Lu^znicí - T^rebo^n - A
159 39^Cerná - ^Ceský Krumlov - Kamenný Újezd
163 39Volary - ^Cerná
200 21Planá - D5 (exit 128)
215 64Franti^skovy Lázn^e - A^s
253 62Ústí - D^e^cín
261 62D^e^cín - D
271 35Chrastava - Hrádek nad Nisou - PL
278 65Hodkovice nad Mohelkou - Jablonec nad Nisou
299 37Jarom^e^r - Choustníkovo Hradi^st^e
300 37Kocbe^re - Trutnov
322 2P^relou^c - Pardubice
333 2Praha - Kutná Hora
367 47Kojetín - Krom^e^rí^z
414 40Mikulov - B^reclav
419 54Slavkov u Brna - Zaro^sice
426 70Petrov - SK
432 47Krom^e^rí^z - Hulín
453 60Jeseník - Javorník - PL
466 56Opava - Ostrava
468 67Bohumín - ^Ceský T^e^sín
472 59Ostrava - Karviná
476 68Horní To^sanovice - T^rinec
484 56Frydek-Místek - Bílá
485 56Bílá - 18
488 69Vizovice - Vsetín
613 63Teplice - D8
The new route 2 is the biggest eyesore because it is not really a main route, it does not fit into the spider-web (it is between the D1 and route 12) and it is independent of the D2 Brno-Bratislava.
Also, instead of following route 33 from Písek to Hradec Králové one now has to follow 9 different routes: 29, 19, 137, 150, 336, 126, 2, 333 and 324.
Recently, motorway numbers have been starting to appear on signs. Before, only E numbers were signposted along motorways. On R roads, there was also a preference for E numbers, though the R numbea (without the letter 'R') were usually also indicated.
Sources and links: Personal experience, various maps and atlases

    Official sites:
  1. Ministerstvo dopravy a spojů Ceské republiky
  2. Reditelství silnic a dálnic CR
    Other links:
  3. Motorways
  4. Ceskedalnice.cz Information on motorways and other main highways
  5. mapy.cz
  6. Motorways and expressways news
  7. Toll roads
  8. D11
  9. R43
  10. Silnice v Cesku on Wikipedia
  11. R52
    Other pages within this site:
  12. Road sign colours
  13. Europe

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