Prague, which is the capital of the Czech Republic, impresses as much as possible. Each of us will find a reason why this city is unique and worth visiting. The magic of this city means that lovers of architecture and shopping, gourmets of good cuisine and amateurs of good fun come to it and quickly find themselves in it. The city has now acquired a real European character. In our opinion, this is where the cultural, architectural and culinary heart of Europe beats. At first glance, “lords on Hrad” invested well in Prague, bringing the best architects to it. Six-century history of architecture has written down in the Czech capital. We will tell about the Gothic cathedral of St. Vitus, Charles Bridge and cubist buildings from the early 20th century. Not everyone knows that Prague was the second center of cubism after Paris and the only place in the world where buildings in this style were built.
On both sides of the Vltava, the city’s four oldest districts are located on mild hills. At first they were separate cities. It was not until 1748 that they merged them into one organism. The oldest district of the city is Hradčany. The name, of course, comes from the Prague Castle, which dominates the entire city. From the 9th century, the castle hill was the seat of the Czech Republic. The widest initiative in the expansion was demonstrated by Charles IV of the Luxembourg dynasty, from which the place was given a new European character. The most associated place created on his initiative is the beautiful Gothic Charles Bridge, which was decorated with baroque sculptures. The bridge is 516 m long and 9.50 m wide. It is the oldest preserved stone bridge in the world with this span width. Initially, it was called the Stone Bridge or Prague Bridge. The name Charles Bridge was adopted around the year 1870. Today the bridge is open to pedestrians. Earlier on the bridge there was a horse-drawn tram, later electric 1905-1908, and until 1965 there was normal car traffic. Currently, it is the most associated building from the city on the Vltava River. This is an extraordinary place that fills up with the beautiful scenery of Hrad, buildings of the Old Town or Mała Strana.
While in Prague, remember to visit Josefov’s Jewish quarter. Jews had lived in this city since the tenth century. In the 16th century, Prague Jews experienced a golden age, while anti-Semitism was rampant in Europe. Many synagogues, the town hall and the bathhouse were established here. In 1765-1790, during the emperor Józef II, the edict ordering Jews to stand out and lifted the ghetto gates was opened. In his honor the name of the districts was given.
During the Second World War Josefova district survived thanks to … Hitler. It was decided to create the Extinct Race Museum here! During the war, items related to Jewish culture were imported. It is worth visiting the oldest active synagogue in Europe – the Staron synagogue. The district has a medieval cemetery and synagogues in which museums were established. This is not an easy history lesson. However, we think that each of us should redo it.
At this stage of visiting Prague, it’s worth going for a beer to the city’s most famous pivnica U Flekú, where you can drink a good, but quite expensive beer :). There is no shortage of cozy pubs in Prague, which will be a good alternative for those who prefer to try beer at slightly lower prices. A must visit is also the Hradčany district – the dignified and rich heart of the city. It is one of the most beautiful districts in Europe. The cathedral of St. Wit. Its construction began in 1344, then suspended for 450 years. It wasn’t until 1861 that the initiative to finish the cathedral in the neo-Gothic style appeared. It happened during the Czech national revival and the pursuit of an independent state. Thanks to the culture and art center developing in Prague, we can see all possible architectural styles in a very good way on the walls of architecture. Writing about Hradčany we cannot forget about the Golden Street, where Franz Kafka lived at number 22. Another interesting story related to this place is the Royal Gardens, where tulip bulbs imported from Turkey were planted for the first time in European history. We will add that beautiful tulips have grown out of them.
The Hradčany district was also a witness of the comical behavior of the inhabitants of Prague, for example, Czech Protestants threw the governors of the Catholic king Ferdinand II out the window into the pile of impurities. Nothing happened to the unfortunates, but the consequences of these behaviors were no longer so funny, because the whole event was the perfect excuse for the outbreak of the Thirty Years’ War. The beautiful district of Hradčany was the world of the emergence of a new state.
WORTH SEEING:
We also encourage you to visit the beautiful, extremely winding streets of Mała Strana. Some of them will lead us to the church of St. Nicholas. And so you can endlessly multiply places worth visiting, and the fact is that in Prague everything seems to delight. However, it is not the beauty of the building that makes this city special, but its inhabitants and people visiting it. Each street has an individual lifestyle, which creates an extremely nice picture. In the streets you can hear the voices and laughter of satisfied people, and in cafes there are conversations with beer and good food. Therefore, Prague is also an ideal place for people who prefer to choose hospitality in good company.
