Prague

Prague Old Town Square
The Astronomical Clock on the left and The Church of Our Lady before Tyn straight ahead with it's 80 meter high spires
This has been the city's main church since the 14th century!

Prague is one of those places we have held on our list of must sees for some time. Several of our friends have shared with us their great experiences visiting the old city and its skyline of a thousand spires. When a landmark birthday came along we were off...and we loved it! What a great place!

Prague is the historical capital of Bohemia and today serves as the capital of the Czech Republic. They are particularly proud of the beer here in Bohemia, for good reason. This is a beautiful city situated on the Vltava River with an expansive old town. The city was founded during the Romanesque era and also reflects Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque influences. Its history includes a prominent role in the Habsburg Monarchy, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Protestant Reformation, and the Thirty Years War.

In more modern times when World War I ended with the defeat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Czechoslovakia was formed and Prague became its capital.  Later, running up to World War II,  Nazi Germany annexed Prague along with large portions of Czechoslovakia as a provision of the Munich Agreement, an ill fated negotiation aimed at keeping the peace. The Nazi's then occupied Prague, devastating its Jewish population. Prague was liberated at the end of World War II by the Russian Red Army and became the territory of the Soviet Union.

Today many fantastic structures stand having survived time and two World Wars. We walked all over the old city beginning with the Old Town Square and the Prague Astronomical Clock, and then on to Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, the Jewish Quarter and even some old canals. We enjoyed a boat ride up and down the Vltava and had some great meals in some really fun locations.

A climb up the clock tower
to view the city.

views from the top

The view of the old town square from the top of the clock tower.

Jan Hus Memorial erected in the Old Town Square in 1915 to commemorate 500th anniversary of martyrdom of the Protestant activist.

The Clock Tower that houses the famous Astronomical Clock, and a great observation deck
...and yes Scott climbed up to take a look - really good!

Prague hosts the Orioj, the oldest astronomical clock in the world, dating back to 1410.  It is mounted on the side of what remains of the Old Town Hall. Most of the town hall was destroyed in an errant  US bombing raid at the end of World War II but the tower, while severely damaged, survived. The clock has three main parts; the astronomical dial, a really big clock, and a movement of large figures depicting the apostles. Crowds of people gather at the clock each hour to hear it strike and watch the figures appear through doors which open.

This is the astronomic dial, a portion of the clock which shows the movements of the sun, the moon

Figures of the apostles in motion at the strike of the hour.

Seemed as if something goes on in the square at all times!

Church of Saint Nicholas

A bit of fun...

Just had to take a boat ride on the Vltava River.

We enjoyed a great meal here where one of the canals enters the river. 

The Prague Castle and the Cathedral of Saint Vitus

The canals

The Charles Bridge

The Charles Bridge has been here as a way to cross the Vltava since construction began in 1357, under the direction of King Charles IV, to serve as a trade route uniting Eastern and Western Europe.  The bridge is 10 meters wide (33 feet) and 621 meters (2000 feet) long. The bridge consists of 16 graceful stone arches topped with 30 statues and statuaries. At each end of the bridge there are large and impressive towers.  You can climb up to the top of these towers to get some great views, so Scott did that of course. We worked our way across the bridge to explore things on both sides several times, both day and night. The bridge seems to always be full of people, local craftspeople selling their wares and entertainers of every description -a happening place!

from the tower

The Charles Bridge walk

Supposed to bring good luck

Some singers on the bridge

The Crucifix statuary on the bridge

Another statue on the bridge

Wallenstein Palace currently home of the Czech Senate
was built by Albrecht von Wallenstein in 1623 after the 30 years war.

The home of the House of the Senate 

We rode a street car up the massive hill to explore Prague Castle. The Castle is a very large complex, recognized as the largest ancient castle in the world with a footprint of about 70,000 square meters. The complex includes the official residence of the President of the Czech Republic. The castle has been the seat of power for kings of Bohemia, and Holy Roman Emperors. Within the caste walls is a remarkable cathedral, the Cathedral of St Vitus.

There have been three churches on this site beginning in 930 when Wencuesleslaus I, Duke of Bohemia, founded a church here to house a holy relic of Saint Vitus. The structure standing today is a 12th century expansion of a large church building from 1060. The cathedral is big and impressive.

The Royal Gardens

Some of the Royal Gardens at the castle

The Presidents Residence 

The main gate to Prague Castle

Courtyard at the Prague Castle

Cathedral of Saint Vitus

Mosaic that adorns the Cathedral

We did a bit of walking around old town and over the Charles Bridge after our evening meals. The views of the castle, the bridge, and the Old Town Square, all lit up are very nice.

The castle at night from the Charles Bridge

Charles Bridge and its stone arches. Took this from our dinner table...really nice

Old Town Square and the Church of Our Lady before Tyn

We really enjoyed our visit to Prague. The old town and the treasures from the past are second to none.  The city is full of energy, the people are great, and the food and beer are pretty good as well! Cheers!!