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Prague is a city of history and architecture; the architecture tells the history of the city in a beautiful way. Originally there were 4 separate cities and in 1784 they combined fortifications to become one. These 4 “quarters” as they are now known, each have their own story to tell. We came to hear those stories in July 2003 during our adventure motorcycle travels on our BMW motorcycles. With the help of a very knowledgeable walking-tour guide, we were able to better understand Prague and its history.
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One of the main natural features of Prague is the river Vltava that flows through the city. Seventeen bridges now span the river and are a major focal point of the city, as seen in the postcard photo above right. Charles Bridge (brick bridge in middle of photo) is the oldest, first built in 1357, was the only bridge until 1841. It has been reconstructed several times after the river overflowed. It still has structural problems today and will probably have to be rebuilt in the near future. Today it is closed to vehicle traffic, but can be jam-packed with pedestrians.
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From the Old Quarter, the Charles bridge leads the visitor to Mala Strana, the lesser town below the castle. Along the bridge there are 30 statues from the 18th century. As you approach Mala Strana, 2 towers of the gate greet you, welcoming you to this quarter (above left). The tower on the left is from the original 12th century bridge while the larger one on the right was added in the 14th century. Between the towers you can see the dome and towers of St. Nicholas (1755), the biggest baroque church in Prague.
Below left is the busy street scene in Mala Strana, full of grand homes from the 17th and 18th centuries, built by the victorious Catholic clerics and nobility after the defeat of their Protestant predecessors.
After climbing the steep stairs up the hill (above, right)), you come upon the Prague Castle, originally conceived in the 9th century, then extended and rebuilt numerous times over the centuries. Today it is the official residence of the president.
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The castle is actually a complex of several buildings including the old Royal Palace, the Basilica of St. George, Powder Gate and the striking St. Vitus Cathedral. Above is the towering St. Vitus Cathedral with the Royal Palace in the foreground. The entire complex is huge and it is easy to spend all day up here, especially if you visit all the exhibits.
For more pictures of the castle area, click here.
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To the southwest of the castle and Mala Strana is a large hillside park. A funicular can be ridden up to the top (or you can walk) where there is a miniature version of the Eiffel Tower, a mirror maze, several churches and acres of grass and trees for pleasant strolls. Here too are the remaining bits of the fortress walls. We climbed the tower for a great view of the city (below). Thankfully it was a clear day so it seemed like we could see forever. On the left of the photo is the castle complex with Mala Strana about in the center of the photo. Across the river on the right side of the photo is the old quarter. The green park in the center of the photo just to the left of the river was where Mick Jagger celebrated his 60th birthday with a concert in the park (and yes, you could hear it all over the city).
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The old quarter of the city is centered around the old town square, Staromĕstské nám. Here you will find the Astronomical clock (1410) on the old city hall tower (right). The upper dial shows the phases of the day (blue for daytime, black for night, orange for sunrise/sunset). One hand displays the moon in its current phase while the smaller dial depicts the signs of the zodiac. Immediately below the clock face is another face (below) that was added in the 1800’s.
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The 12 circles inside the dial display events occurring in the 12 months of the year. In the center is the coat of arms of Prague while the outer white circle identifies the day of the week as well as identifying the “name days” from the 1800s. Name days are celebrated like birthdays by everyone with the same name. On the hour, the skeleton to the right of the upper dial chimes the hour by pulling on a chain - supposedly “calling” the others to death. The other satues shake their heads, signifying “not yet.”
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All around the square there are beautiful houses, carefully restored (right). At the far right of the photo is an example of a typical Renaissance house. The painting on the house was found in the 1930s when restorations were undertaken. A baroque facade had been put up over the original, thereby preserving it. Writer Franz Kafka once lived for a short while in this house.
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The original town square was 4 to 5 meters lower than the level today. Because it is near the Vltava which floods regularly, the level of the ground was raised to keep it above water. The houses were built before this time, so they all now have cellars. In the latest flooding (August, 2002) the square was not flooded, though many parts of the city were severely damaged.
At left is another focal point of the Staromĕstské nám, the Gothic Tyn Church with its twin spires. In front of the church is a renaissance house and the house to the left of that is a Gothic house from the 14th century. The mother of Charles IV lived in this house.
The history of Prague cannot be fully understood without speaking about the role of the Jewish people who lived here. The Jews first arrived in Prague in the 10th century. They were merchants and money lenders and therefore many were wealthy. But the townspeople did not welcome to them because they were different; Jews were attacked and their homes were burned. In 1215 the Catholic church built the Jewish ghetto as a means of both protecting the Jews and humiliating them; they had to wear a yellow hat whenever they left the ghetto to come into town.
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But the king needed these business people in his kingdom (the richer you are the more taxes you pay) and decided to protect them . He decreed that the Jews “belonged” to him so that no one would harm them. On top of the Misel synagogue (from the 16th century) shown at left is the Star of David with a crown, signifying the king’s protection. A golden (yellow) hat is depicted in the center of the star.
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At right is the Old-New Synagogue from 1270, the oldest working synagogue in Central Europe. Beside it (at right in the photo) is the Jewish Town Hall with the clock tower built in the 16th century. Usually the Jews didn’t have their own town hall, so this is an indication of how well they prospered in Prague, even though they lived in the ghetto.
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From the 1400s to the 18th century, there was only one cemetery where the Jews were allowed to bury their dead. Because of lack of space, they bodies were buried in layers, up to 12 layers deep. New grave markers were added next to the old and the result is a tumultuous mix of markers from 4 centuries, totaling over 10,000 (below, right). The 1848 Revolution brought human rights to all people, including Jews and thus the golden era began for the Jewish people. Sadly, this lasted less than a hundred years as W.W.II saw widespread atrocities directed at the Jewish people. During the war, 80,000 Czech Jews were killed. Today only about 1,000 Jews remain in Prague (6,000 in the Czech Republic).
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We found beautiful old houses in Prague - and there were lots of them. Whether it was the architectural lines of the of buildings or the decorations on them, they were all wonderful to see, especially in this quantity. It didn’t seem to matter what part of the city we were in, we kept finding gorgeous buildings. Below, left is a particularly captivating painted facade on a building on the Wenceslas Square. Most of the houses, thankfully, were in a very good state. It appears that the Czech people and government have put a lot of time, effort and money into keeping these treasures restored and we hope they continue.
For more pictures of the old town area of Prague, click here.
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The flooding of the Vltava is still a problem, even to this day. In fact, in August of 2002 it overflowed causing great havoc and destruction in the city. Now, a year later, work is still being done to restore buildings to their former state.
Right near the river, the level rose more than 12 feet. The picture below shows the current (normal) level. The level it rose to is evident on the buildings where the finish coat on the buildings was removed (light green building at left with the bricks showing on its lower part). Many buildings still show the water stains while others are still being repaired. In the hotel where we stayed (about 3 blocks from the river, one street was still closed as they are in the process of completely rebuilding the tram tracks and the street. The nearby underground metro station had already been totally rebuilt and the corrosion on the escalators is still evident. In the hotel lobby there was a sign indicating the high water level and it was well above Jim’s head (he’s 6’2”). And the lobby sits more than three feet above street level. As we walked by the neighboring buildings, basements were still being aired out and many had holes punched in the walls to help dry them out while others had the upper levels braced from below as the water had weakened the structure. We cannot imagine the level of disruption this event had on the residents and businesses alike. Hundreds of small neighborhood shops were simply put out of business.
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We found Prague to be a beautiful, lively city worth spending several days to enjoy properly. It was full of tourists in July, but it was never overwhelming. Accommodation was available a few days in advance, the beer was cheap and good and the variety of food available was fantastic. It was a bit more expensive than the rest of the country, but that is to be expected in any large European city. |
