Prague
PRAGUE INTRODUCTION
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Most of all, however, as you’ll immediately realize, Prague is one of the world’s capitals of art: of Gothic art in the 14th century, during the reign of Charles IV; of Renaissance art in...
THE WONDERS OF LOCAL CUISINE
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The main ingredients in Bohemian cooking are meat, potatoes, and vegetables that grow on the hills around the city, especially mushrooms.
In addition to soups made with vegetables or mushrooms, the...
CASTLE
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This original settlement of Prague was made up of only wooden constructions, until, in 870, the first stone was laid of the Church of the Virgin Mary, the foundations of which can still be seen...
OLD TOWN SQUARE
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The square as we know it today is very different from the original square. Between 1893 and 1913, much of the Jewish ghetto was destroyed in order to reshape the city on the model of Paris, and...
CHARLES BRIDGE
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The moment of foundation of the bridge was established by the leading astrologists of the age: 9 July 1357, at 5.31 a.m., because 1 3 5 7 9 7 5 3 1 is a palindrome and considered magical.
The bridge...
MALA STRANA
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Here you’ll find a series of gardens, fine buildings and churches, featuring a delightful assortment of stairways, balconies, cupolas and spires, enhanced by the unusual perspectives offered by...
JEWISH QUARTER
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The opening of Parizska Street at the beginning of the 20th century radically altered the appearance of the Jewish quarter. The old homes disappeared, but six synagogues, the Jewish Town Hall and the...
DANCING HOUSE
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Among the most surprising contemporary buildings, located alongside the river at the Jiraskuv Bridge, is the “Dancing House”, designed by the Czech architect Vlado Milunic, and the...
WENCESLAS SQUARE
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At one end, it is dominated by the large National Museum building, and at the Mustek end (meaning little bridge, recalling the bridge that once crossed the medieval moat), by the statue of Saint...
MUNICIPAL HOUSE
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It is no coincidence that the palace and its decorations are the result of a collective effort from the finest Bohemian artists of the time, including the great Alfons Mucha, who designed the...
LORETO SANCTUARY
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On the stroke of every hour, you can hear a hymn played by the famous 27-bell carillon in the tower of the sanctuary. Also looking onto the square is the simple Capuchin Church, dating to 1601.
On...
PETRIN HILL
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The park was created by combining the vegetable gardens of the monasteries with the gardens of the local aristocrats, which over the centuries took the place of the thick forest that once stretched...
CONVENT OF SAINT AGNES
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Since Agnes was a princess, she had financial resources and political influence, and since she had grown up in a convent, she was familiar with the convent lifestyle. She therefore contributed to...
NATIONAL THEATRE
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The National Theatre was built thanks to a group of patriots, who raised the funds among the population of Prague through donations from the noble classes, groups of workers and thousands of...
VYSEHRAD HILL
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As a symbolic entrance to the capital, Libuse is said to have ordered a carpenter to build a threshold (“Praha” in the ancient Bohemian language), which is where the name of the city is...
