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.

PRAGUE HIGHLIGHTS

                                             A  Lovely Ancient City

            Prague is a huge city full of history and wonderful architecture and has required several posts to just scratch the surface. Here are a couple more highlights. Our local docent divided our city tour into four days so we could really see and appreciate the flavor of the city.

        Charles IV, whose mother was Czech, dominates the city, and is credited in transforming Prague into a modern city.

The stone Charles Bridge, nearly 1700 feet long, has sixteen arches, and sports thirty 17^th century sculptures, one on each of its supports. A photo favorite, it is the most famous of the bridges spanning the Vltava River. Tower gateways flank each end of the bridge, which connects Old Town and Lesser Town.

The present bridge is the third. The first wooden one was destroyed by a flood; the second was of 12^th century stone (Judith Bridge) and also was destroyed by a flood. The present bridge was built in 1357, after consulting an astronomer. It has been called Charles Bridge since 1870.

Charles Square, on the Old Town end of the bridge, has a larger than life statue of Charles IV in the center. Surrounding Charles Square is the Jesuit complex with five different architectural styles of buildings sitting side by side in a rather pleasing manner. The tower gate was part of an 11-meter high fortification wall around the medieval city.

Bertramka

            While in Prague, late one afternoon we visited the small Mozart museum, Bertramka. We had time to wander through the museum before we attended a private concert by a string quartet. It was a most enjoyable surprise.

    Afterward we gathered outside on the manicured lawn where we partook of some champagne while a docent told us a little about the house. A rich man from Lesser Town built Bertramka in 1743. The home has gone through many owners, but it always has been a summer home. Mozart visited in 1787 and wrote Don Giovanni on a table still on the hill behind the house. Mozart’s last visit here was in August 1791. He then returned to Vienna where he died four months later.

            I’m not a big champagne drinker and I’d certainly had better, so I watered the lawn before climbing up the hill to touch that famous table. It was more of a hike than it looked, but I had no problem and did it.

            Before leaving we enjoyed a wonderful dinner there at the restaurant. It all was a neat experience.

 

The Famous Church on the Square

Cathedral of Our Lady of Tyn dates to the14^th century. By the end of the ninth century, churches were the first buildings to be made of stone. Stone did not replace wood and earth in castles until the 11^th century.

This church has distinctive towers and every time I see a picture of it I know exactly where it is. In addition it is the site of the famous clock described in a previous post.