Prague - Capital City of the Czech Republic
Area 496, 4 km2
Population 1 200 000
River Vltava
Since 1992 the historical centre (area 886 hectares) has been under the UNESCO Protection.
President Vaclav Klaus
Currency 1 Czech Crown
Language Czech
Places to see in Prague
The Prague Castle
The Prague Castle was founded during the reign of Prince Borivoj I. (880 – 890) at the place of today’s Old Royal Palace. The Prague Castle is made up by a complex of Palaces and several religious buildings built in various architectonical styles and historically it was the seat of the most important Czech rulers and religious representatives. The first monastery was established next to the St. George Church. During the Gothic period the Castle was rebuilt by Charles the IV., and during the Renaissance by Rudolf II. The next important reconstruction took place in the second half of the 18th century. Today, the Prague castle is the seat of the President of the Czech Republic.
St. Vitus Cathedral
Vaclav I. is the founder of the first Pre-roman rotunda. He became the first Czech Patron and is also buried on the premises. In 1344 the future king Charles IV. together with his father and his brother founded the new Cathedral. Inspired by the French Gothic Charles IV. decided to built a new Cathedral. Mathias from Arras an important French architect was invited to built the Cathedral and after his death Petr Parler from German Gmund continued in his work. The further construction of the Cathedral was interrupted by Hussite wars of 1419 and later was many times broken into during other wars. The Cathedral was finished in the second half of the 19th century during the period of Romanticism, which admired the time of Charles IV. In the Cathedral we can find crypts of famous Czech Kings and religious representatives. The Crown jewels are stored in the Crown Chamber , locked seven times.
Vysehrad
Vysehrad belongs to the most memorable and mythological places in Prague. It was supposed to be the place where Princess Libuse lived and from where she predicted Prague’s glamorous future. From the historical point of view, Vysehrad was founded in the 10th Century. As a prove of this time we have coins that were discovered which had been incused by Princes Boleslav II. and Boleslav III. During the reign of Charles the IV the coronation procession began its journey from here in order to show respect to their ancestors. In the 19th century Vysehrad went through its final reconstruction and at this time was also founded the Cemetery, where about 600 important Czech personalities have been buried.
The Charles Bridge
The second oldest bridge in the Czech Republic. It was built in 1357 by Charles the IV. , when the original Romanesque bridge was severely damaged by a great flood. Initially, there were no decorations on the bridge, later a wooden cross was placed on the bridge. Throughout time 30, mostly baroque statues were placed on the bridge. An old legend says that eggs were added to the mortar to make the bridge stronger. In 2008 the legend proved to be true.
The Old Town Square
It is the center of the historical city. Markets, public meetings and executions have been organized here since the 11th century. The most important buildings of the Old Town Square are the Old Town Hall with the astronomical clock. At the time of construction it was the third clock of its type in the world and these days it is one of the most famous clocks in the world. Furthermore there is the Art- Nouveau memorial to Mr. Jan Hus, Tyn Cathedral, the House at the Stone Bell and other.
The Jewish Town
Pinkas, Old New, Klaus, High, Spanish, Maisel synagogues and the Old Jewish cemetery are the remains of the original Jewish city. The most important personality is considered Mordechaj Maisel (1528 – 1601), the benefactor and primate of the Jewish town. He was an important financier and as such had the opportunity to meet the king and the aristocracy. He received great privileges from the Emperor Rudolf II. Many legends are told about the Jewish town. One of them is the legend about Golem – a clay figure that was brought to life. Golem was meant to be built around 1580 by Rabbi Löwe in order to protect the Jewish town and was later hidden to the garret in the Old New Synagogue.
