PRAGUE
Capital of the CR, seat of the President, government and parliament and the political, cultural
and economic centre of the country. It spreads out on both banks of the river Vltava.
Covers an area of 500 sq. km.and has 1.2 million inhabitants
The whole city consists of administrative districts.
The oldest parts are the OLD TOWN, the LESSER TOWN, the NEW TOWN, JOSEFOV,
HRADČANY AND VYŠEHRAD.
A legend connects the foundation of Prague with Princess Libuše of the Přemyslid dynasty.
The oldest settlement – the Stone Age.
The Slavs came to the Prague valley in the 6 th century.
In the 9 th century princ Bořivoj founded a castle and it became the seat of princes of the
Přemyslid dynasty.
In the 10th century Vyšehrad was founded.
Prague became an imperial residence of Charles IV ( 1346- 1378) it flourished and grew.
Charles IV – established an ARCHBISHOPRIC(1344), founde CHARLES UNIVERSITY
(1348), and the NEW TOWN, and promoted the construction of CHARLES BRIDGE and ST.
VITUS CATHEDRAL.
In the 15 th century Prague was the centre of the Hussite Movement.
The end of the 16th century RUDOLF II invited artists and scientists ( Tycho de Brahe,
Johannes Kepler)
On 8 November, 1620the Czech estates rose up against th Hapsburgs and were defeated in the
Battle of the White Mountain.
In 1621 – 27 representatives of the uprising were executed in the Old Town Square.
The Thirty Years‘ War, re – catholization and germanization started .
The end of the 18 the century – national revival.
In 1939 occupied by German troops, in 1942 severalypersecutedafterthe assassinationof the
Nazi deputy protector Reinhardt Heydrich.
The town was liberated by the Russians in May 1945.
The August occupation of Prague in 1968 stopped the democratic reforms and began the
process of normalization.
On the 17 th November, 1989, the VELVET REVOLUTION began democratic changes in
our society.
HISTORICAL BUILDINGS:
1) THE PRAGUE CASTLE – the seat of the President. From the square outside the
castle tourists can admire roofs of ancient Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque
houses.The complex of the castle includes three courtyards and over 700 rooms.
VLADISLAV HALL – the election of the President takes place there
SPANISH HALL and RUDOLPH GALLERY – serve for ceremonial and cultural
Purposes.
2) ST. VITUS CATHEDRAL – was completed in 1929, a thousand years after its
foundation. The Gothic cathedral was founded by Charles IV. The cathedral was built
by Matthias of Arras and Petr Parléř. The most admired parts of the church are the
Gothic St Wencesslas Chapel, the coronation chamber where the coronation jewels are
kept and the Royal Crypt.
2) CONVENT OF ST. GEORGE
3) BASILICA OF ST. GEORGE – the best preserved relic of Romanesque architecture
4) In the castle gardens we can admire ROYAL SUMMER PALACE BELVEDERE- an
example of Italian Renaissance architecture
5) GOLDEN LANE – tiny houses originated in the 16th century when craftsmen settled
there.
6) In the Castle area too is graffito decorated SCHWARZENBERG PALACE which
houses the military history collection, the ARCHIBISHOP¨S PALACE.
7) STERNBERG PALACE – the seat of national gallery
8) The ČERNÍN PALACE – the seat of ministry of foreign affairs
On Petřín Hill the STRAHOV MONASTERY is located, founded in the 12th century.
.Nearby the PETRÍN OBSERVATION TOWER can be found.
Along Neruda street we can go from the castle to the LESSER QUARTER.
THE LESSER TOWN is a poetic quarter with picturesque crooked streets, palaces and
romantic gardens. The jewel of Baroque architecture is ST. NICOLAS CHURCH in the
Lesser Town Square, the masterpiece of Dientzenhofer
From the square we can easily get to CHARLES BRIDGE.The oldest (14th century)of Prague
bridges , decorated with 30 sculptures and groups of statues of Baroque origin.
OLD TOWN SQUARE
Surrounded by beautifully decorated houses. KINGSKÝ PALÁC.
THE OLD TOWN HALL – tourists come to see a horologe with the statues of the Apostles
on the tower.
The visual dominant of the square is the TÝN CHURCH where Danish astronomer Tycho de
Brahe was buried in 1601.
Not far from the square is the BETLEHEM CHAPEL – used to be centre of the Reformation
movement, where John Huss preached.
From the Old Town Square two well known streets lead: PARIS STREET – takes us to the
JEWISH TOWN. The Jewish community originated in Prague at the 10th century. Now only
a few synagogues and the cemetary have remained.
CELETNÁ STREET – leads to the POWDER TOWER.
The NA PŘÍKOPĚ STREET takes us to the bottom of WENCESLAS SQUARE.In the upper
end of the square there is the NATIONAL MUSEUM from the end of the 19th century.
ST. WENCESLAS MEMORIAL – the bronze equestrian statue ot Prince Wenceslas by J. V.
Myslbek.
From the bottom of the square we can go along NÁRODNÍ STREET to the river Vltava. On
its bank the most beautiful Neo- Renaissance building, the NATIONAL THEATRE, is
situated.
Along the river we come to VYŠEHRAD, once the seat of Czech princes. The Vyšehrad site
also contains the SLAVÍN CEMETARY, the burial place of famous personalities.
On the outskirts of Prague TROJA –Baroque chateau is worth seeing. ZBRASLAV
MONASTERY – whose church is a burial place of some of the Přemyslid kings.