Praha (Prague - Czech Republic)
Map of Czech Republic
Built on seven hills and divided by the pretty Vltava (Moldau) River, this capital city of 1,216,000 is unique among Eastern European capitals: It survived World War II nearly intact. As a result, it has beautiful architecture, ranging from Romanesque and Gothic to Renaissance and baroque. For younger travellers, Prague is very much the place to be in Europe, and many foreigners have moved in, attracted by the city’s beauty and commercial opportunities.
Most of the city’s attractions are in the centre known as Stare Mesto, or Old Town, and can easily be seen on foot. There is also a trolley service and a clean, efficient subway.
Prague Castle, once the home of Bohemian royalty, overlooks the city from the ancient quarter of Hradcany. While construction began in the 14th century, St. Vitus’ Cathedral wasn’t finished until 1929. The cathedral has beautiful stained-glass windows and a southern gate with bucolic scenes of workmen at their craft. Behind the cathedral is the Basilica of St. George, a well-preserved (and restored) Romanesque structure.
Cross the 14th-century Charles Bridge, a footbridge alive with musicians, street vendors, artists and trinket sellers and lined with statues (don’t miss the base of the statue of St. John of Nepomuk—it shows him being tossed off the bridge into the water). Visit the span several times during your stay—its character changes throughout the day (best early in the morning and at night). The towers at either end of the bridge offer a great view of the hustle and bustle below.
Old Town Square you will find rows of well-preserved historic buildings, large sidewalk cafes and churche. Also on the Old Town Square is the Kinsky Palace, where Klement Gottwald proclaimed the beginning of the Communist state.
Don't miss the huge astronomical clock on the side of the town hall, just before the main square. As the minute hand on the giant clock passes 12, a short morality play is mechanically performed: Windows open to show a parade of Christ and the Disciples, a skeleton rings a bell calling mortals to their death and the figures of three men on the edges of the clock shake their heads no—they’re not ready to die yet.
In the middle of the square is a large monument to Jan Hus, the martyred Protestant reformer. Another resident of the square was writer Franz Kafka, who was born in the building on the corner of Maiselova and Kaprova. The building now has a small museum, filled mostly with pictures depicting the artist’s life. (Kafka fans should also make the pilgrimage to his grave in the New Jewish Cemetery in the Zizkov district.)
Continue beyond the Kafka Museum and you will run into the ancient Josefov (the Jewish ghetto). While most of it was torn down at the end of the 1800s, some buildings do remain—be sure to see the old town hall (its clock runs counterclockwise and has Hebrew letters instead of numbers) as well as the haunting Jewish Cemetery: Because of a land shortage, Jews were buried up to 12 deep per grave site, so there are up to 12 grave markers jammed into an area where there would normally be one. The wall-to-wall tombstones, coming up from the ground at every angle, form a surreal picture. Another moving sight is the Ceremonial Hall, which displays drawings made by children while they were in Nazi concentration camps. These simple drawings of everyday life in the camps are overpowering. On a note of grim irony, the artifacts on display in the State Jewish Museum were actually collected by Hitler for a museum devoted to an extinguished race.
The center of modern Prague can be found at Wenceslas Square, which was the site of the demonstrations that led to the overthrow of the Communists.
Prague has dozens of other sights, including the Mozart Museum (it’s in the villa where he wrote Don Giovanni—not a great collection of material, but interesting nonetheless), the Museum of the City of Prague (which has a miniature model of the city circa 1827) and many branches of the National Gallery.
THE SITES
The Astrological Clock - on the hour, every hour, since the 11th century
The Cathedral at Prague Castle
View from the top of the Cathedral
My girlfriend for the weekend in Praha
The Soviet style Communications Tower
The Bellevue - the poshest restaurant in town
Charity bricks- Kr100 for a brick that goes to Charity :)
The Tram ride to the outskirts of Prague
Phallus pulling her normal face...hehehe
The first Club: Karlovy Lazne
The Second Club: Akropolis
The Gang at the Akropolis Nightclub - downtown Jirihio z Podebrad
Team Escalator- Snatch and Just
Snatch, drunk and up a Statue - naughty boy
Massage Seat at the airport
A beer dispenser - the only country where bottled water costs more than beer
Off Home- sunset at the airport
THE CLOWN AND BARD
The Clown and Bard - front
The Mullet Head who runs the place
The Dorm I stayed in with 35 other people
The bar area - smelt of wet bricks, eerie music and uneven light
