DAY 6 / SUNDAY / MAY 16
PRAGUE CITY TOUR
OVERNIGHT IN PRAGUE
Prague has been the political, cultural, and economic centre of the Czech state
for more than 1100 years.
Capital of the Czech Republic, the Bohemian city of
Prague (Praha in Czech) is located on the river Vltava, also known as the
Moldava or Moldau.
It is the geographical “heart of Europe” and one of the
most beautiful cities in the world.
Prague is a remarkably preserved city that combines medieval, renaissance,
baroque, and modern influences. It stands at the crossroads of Europe, where
East meets West.
Here the past meets the present: a city of current-day political
excitement and historical imagery. It combines the legacy of three cultures
of Europe: Czech, German, and Jewish.
The city proper is home to more than 1.2 million people, while its metropolitan
area is estimated to have a population of over 1.9 million.
Since 1992, the extensive historic center of Prague has been included in
the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Nicknames for Prague have included
"the mother of cities" (Praga mater urbium, or Praha matka mest in Czech),
"city of a hundred spires" and "the golden city".
Established as a trading centre for amber and salt at a ford on the Vltava
around five thousand years ago, the city of Prague developed out of six independent
districts which were unified in the eighteenth century: Stare Mesto (Old Town),
Josefov (Jewish Quarter), Nove Mesto (New Town), Mala Strana (Lesser Town),
Hradcany (Prague Castle) and Vysehrad (High Castle).
Prague's thousand years of architectural and artistic history are reflected in
its stone facades and cobblestone streets.
Glen Hansen ~ Praha – Trilogy (Homage to Agnes Martin) - 2005
In the mid-14th century, Bohemia's "Golden Age," the Czech King and Holy Roman
Emperor Charles IV made Prague his Imperial capital after adding the New Town,
which transformed Prague into one of Europe's largest cities.
Under the reign of Charles IV, Prague became the capital of the Holy
Roman Empire and had more inhabitants than London or Paris.
Prague flourished during this time, as Gothic churches and monasteries were
built, the first university in Central Europe was established in its capital
and monuments such as the Charles Bridge were erected.
Since this "Golden Age," Prague has endured a turbulent history fraught with
religious wars and cultural and economic decline.
It was under the rule of the Hapsburgs on and off from 1526-1620 and then
continuously from 1620-1918. During World War II, the Nazis occupied Prague
and after the war, until 1989, it endured Soviet occupation.
Prague suffered little damage during World War II and the communists didn't
build high-rise buildings in the historical center of Prague, so there is almost
no modern construction in the historical center.
Watercolor of Charles Bridge by Thomas W. Schaller
The heart of Prague's historical center is the Old Town Square, which has been
beautifully restored. The Gothic spires of the Týn Church tower over the square and
the statue of reformer Jan Hus, and the Astronomical Clock on the Old Town Hall on
the opposite side of it.
Charles Bridge is a stone Gothic bridge that connects the Old Town and Malá Strana.
It is said to be the finest example of medieval bridge construction.
It was actually called the Stone Bridge (Kamenný Most) during the first several centuries.
Its construction was commissioned by Czech king and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV and
began in 1357.
In charge of the construction was architect Petr Parlér whose other works include
the St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle. It is said that egg yolks were mixed
into the mortar to strengthen the construction of the bridge.
Charles Bridge is one of the many monuments that were built during Charles' reign
but it is not the first bridge that ever connected the Prague banks of the Vltava.
Another bridge used to stand in its place - the Judith Bridge, which was the first
stone bridge over the river. It was built in 1172 and collapsed in a flood in 1342.
Unlike its predecessor, Charles Bridge has survived many floods, most recently in
August 2002 when the country experienced the worst flood in the past 500 years. So
perhaps the egg yolks were not such a crazy idea.
There are towers standing on each end of the bridge. Both the Staromestská vež on
the Old Town end and the Malostranská vež on the Malá Strana end can be climbed for
a view of Prague and the bridge from above.
Baroque statues began to be placed on either side of Charles Bridge in the 17th
century. Now many of them are copies.
The most popular statue is probably the one of St. John of Nepomuk, a Czech martyr
saint who was executed during the reign of Wenceslas IV by being thrown into the
Vltava from the bridge. The plaque on the statue has been polished to a shine by
countless people having touched it over the centuries. Touching the statue is supposed
to bring good luck and ensure your return to Prague.
Our hotel is around the corner from
Wenceslas Square, dominated at one end
by the grand neoclassical
Czech National Museum.
On January 16, 1969, student
Jan Palach set himself on fire in Wenceslas Square to protest the invasion of
Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union in 1968.
In 1989, during the
Velvet Revolution, large demonstrations with hundreds of thousands
of people or more were held here.
On November 17, 1989, a Friday, riot police suppressed a peaceful student demonstration
in Prague. That event sparked a series of popular demonstrations from November 19
to late December.
By November 20 the number of peaceful protesters assembled in Prague
had swollen from 200,000 the previous day to an estimated half-million.
A two-hour general strike, involving all citizens of Czechoslovakia, was
held on November 27.
With the collapse of other Communist governments and increasing street protests,
the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia announced on November 28 that it would
relinquish power and dismantle the single-party state.
Housed in a fin-de-sičcle building which is itself a work of art, Prague's
Museum of Decorative Arts was founded in 1885 to display exquisite examples of
European decorative arts that tread a fine line between fine and applied art.
Only a fraction of the museum's collection is exhibited, but the pieces on
display are superb, including a range of beautiful Bohemian glass and ceramics.
The impressive interior of the permanent exhibition “Stories of Materials” offers visitors
an excursion into the history and development of decorative arts: glass and ceramics,
graphic art and design, objects made in metal, wood and other materials, jewellery,
clocks and watches, textiles, fashion, toys and furniture.
Museum of Decorative Arts Website
DAY 7 / MONDAY / MAY 17
ST. VITUS CATHEDRAL & PRAGUE CASTLE
OVERNIGHT IN PRAGUE
St.Vitus Cathedral is considered to be an architectural and spiritual dominant of Czech
lands. St.Wenceslas, the main Czech patron saint, is buried there and the cathedral
contains the underground tombs of Czech kings.
This Gothic cathedral was founded by Jan Lucembursky (John of Luxembourg) and his
sons Karel and Jan Jindrich. It took nearly six centuries to build. Begun in 1344 by
Mathias Arras and Petr Parler upon the site of a 10th century rotunda, the final phase
of construction only ended during 1873-1929.
Parler also built St Wenceslas Chapel where
the coronation jewels are deposited. The chapel is decorated with frescoes and semi-precious
stones.
Beautiful stained glass adorns the interior of St Vitus Cathedral
Prague Castle is the seat of the President of the Czech Republic and it serves
as the historical and political center of both the city and the nation.
It is one of the biggest castles in the world (according to Guinness
Book of Records the biggest ancient castle) at about 570 meters in
length and an average of about 130 meters wide.
Prague Castle (Pražský hrad) was founded around 880 by prince Borivoj of the Premyslid
dynasty.
The first stone building in the castle area was the Church of the Virgin Mary of which
only remnants can be seen today. In the 10th century, St. George's Basilica was founded and
the first Czech convent was established there - St. George's Convent, which now houses a
gallery.
St. Vitus Rotunda, also from the 10th century, was replaced by St. Vitus Basilica in the
11th century, and it is where St. Vitus Cathedral stands today.
Starting in the 10th century, Prague Castle served as the seat of Czech princes and
later kings, and the seat of the Prague bishop.
The ceremony of the Changing of the Guard
takes place every hour at The Prague Castle.
Visit to Prague Castle
