OLD TOWN PRAGUE

                                   A Beautiful Ancient City

       Crooked 11^th century roads wind around ancient Bohemian architectural relics. The town square is the oldest in Europe and the town hall dates to 1338 and today  is used only for ceremonial purposes. In front of the town hall sits the 1410 astronomical clock which attracts

large crowds on the hour when the clock chimes (9AM to 9 PM). Various characters appear representing the miser, vanity and skeleton. The clock also shows the year, month, day and hour, the rising and setting of the sun and moon and the signs of the zodiac.  We made a point of being on the square, to join the gathering crowd, later in the day. It was worth the effort!

      The Charles Bridge dominates the city. The 1700-foot bridge with 16 arches ends (or starts) at Old Town. Thirty 17^th century sculptures top each of its supports. On the other end of the bridge is Lesser Town. The first bridge was a wooden one and was destroyed by a flood. The second bridge was built of stone (then called Judith Bridge), but also was destroyed by floods.  The 3^rd and present bridge, built in 1357, is of stone and concrete. The pedestrian part of it becomes an art gallery on certain days, and is a good place to find a nice souvenir painting. Charles‘s mother was Czech and there is a larger than life statue of him on the Old Town side. The bridge has been called the Charles Bridge since 1870.    

      Surrounding Charles Square is a Jesuit complex with five different architectural styles.  The tower gate was part of an 11-meter high fortification wall of the medieval city. Above the arch of the gate are three statues: one of Charles IV, one of St Vitus and one of Prince Wenceslas. Below the statues is a lion, the symbol of Bohemia.

      The gate on the Lesser Town side was finished a century later and  has two towers.

      New To The 14^th century Cathedral of Our Lady of Tyn is also on the square. It is a very different style and once you’ve seen it you’ll always remember it.  Established in 1348 it was built around Old Town that today is the industrial and commercial center of Prague with public buildings, banks and museums. The 1630 Wallenstein Palace now houses the Senate of the Czech Republic.

      The city is full of castles, palaces, and churches. There are too many for me to try to list here, and It would be hard to see them all, but each can make his own decision on which ones to visit.

    

PRAGUE

                         Czech Republic's Prized City

     Our hotel in Prague, in a quiet residential area, was in the process of restoration. Built in 1910, it was owned by the owner’s grandmother. When the Communists took over the house they allowed the lady to live in a small two room apartment. She died in 1985. When the country was free from the communists the grandson put in for repatriation and regained the home. He was restoring the home as time and money permitted. In the beginning he had as many employees as guests and quickly learning that was not profitable, he made changes and was progressing. It was a lovely home and by now I suspect he has finished the restoration.

      Our lectures, all by college professors, were excellent and so interesting that we didn’t mind sitting generally for three hours!  The Czech Republic consists of Bohemia, Monrovia and Silesia. The rest of what once was Czechoslovakia in now Slovakia.  The Czech Republic is landlocked by Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Poland. In spite of heavy deforestation, one-third of the country remains forest. However, in northern Bohemia the forest is damaged from acid rain from burning low grade brown coal and presents a problem for the country.

      Prague is a huge city and so our local guide split our sightseeing into four full half days. The city is built on seven hills and on both sides of the Vltava River. It is often referred to as the City of a Hundred Spires. The city of stone and limestone dates back to 965, and is now a UNESCO site.

     The city is a living museum and an architectural treasure. Although occupied by Germans during WW II, fortunately it received no major damage. The Gothic architecture dates to the Romans and the Baroque to the Hapsburg era. Prague, the country’s largest city is the center of cultural and intellectual life as well as the main commercial and industrial center. Prague University,1348, dates to Charles IV and is the oldest in central Europe. It is also a city of castles, manors, and museums.

     The Vltava River runs through the city in the shape of a question mark separating Mala Strana—Lesser Town on the west bank—from Stare Mesto—Old Town on the east bank..  Eighteen bridges span the river, the Charles Bridge being the most famous.

     Prague is a wonderful city, loaded with history and with much to see and do.

Much more to come.