Vz is an abbreviation of the Czech (as well as Slovak) term "vzor" meaning model.

After the Second World War, Czechoslovakia's Ministry of the Interior requested a new pistol design from Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod.

The resulting gun was chambered in .32 ACP and designed by two brothers Jan and Jaroslav Kratochvíl.

[2] The pistol is fed from an 8-round single-stack magazine, located within the bakelite paneled grip.

After it reaches the end of its rearward travel, the recoil spring returns the slide to its forward position, stripping and chambering a new round from the magazine as it does so, rendering the gun ready to fire again.