Destination Guidebook for Prague, Czech Republic
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Prague is a city of stunning physical beauty. The capitals of many other European nations were flattened or heavily damaged during World War II, but Prague survived intact. Thanks to Prague's role as a focal point of culture and commerce for nearly a millennium, it retains evidence of the many nationalities that have influenced and sometimes dominated its course in history. Gothic and baroque spires, art-nouveau facades and even cubist structures reflect a crucible of German, Italian, Flemish and Bohemian artistic movements. At one time the seat of the Holy Roman Empire and at another the citadel of the Hapsburgs, Prague sustains a reputation as a vital political, cultural and economic center. This is especially true since the 1989 bloodless Velvet Revolution swept out communism. Tourists and foreign expatriates continue to descend on the City of a Hundred Spires, although those hoping to see evidence of its totalitarian past may be disappointed to find that Prague has very much become a cosmopolitan Western capital. Gone are the days of standing in line for bananas in Spartan, Communist-style grocery stores; instead, expect to see people standing in line for the dressing room at the Swedish clothing-store chain, H&M.
Prague's old-world appeal has been steadfastly preserved despite its fast-food restaurants, cash machines and ubiquitous cellular phones. Thick river fogs, arched stone bridges, mysteriously lit alleyways and other charming scenes linger around almost every corner. If you slip away from the main tourist scene, you'll likely stumble upon a bakery offering freshly baked brown loaves from 200-year-old recipes, or a lively political debate in a Hapsburg-era hospoda (pub). For many, Prague carries on as it always has.
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Sights—The Charles Bridge; Old Town Square with its candy-colored buildings and spires; Prague Castle and its 1,000-year-old St. Vitus Cathedral; the cliff-top fortress of Vysehrad; Wenceslas Square, the commercial heart of New Town; the delightful cobblestoned streets of Mala Strana; the ancient synagogues and graveyard of the Jewish Quarter.
Museums—The old-masters exhibit at the baroque Sternberg Palace; the city's best collection of foreign and domestic modern art at Veltrzni Palace.
Memorable Meals—Views and venison with cranberry cream sauce at Bellevue; brunch on the terrace of Palffy Palac; chocolate souffle at Restaurant Flambee.
Late Night—Jazz at the cozy AghaRTA Jazz Centrum; hanging with the beautiful people at Radost; the down-to-earth Chateau Rogue bar.
Walks—A romantic afternoon in Stromovka Park; a stroll on Petrin Hill; the walk from Obecni Dum to Prague Castle.
Especially for Kids—Boat rides on the Vltava River; the Prague Zoo; Seaworld; the Hall of Mirrors. Prague is composed of 10 districts that stretch across seven hills, centered on the broad Vltava River (known as the Moldau in German). Each district's boundaries are printed on city maps, and Praguers will refer to them when giving directions.
The central district, Prague 1, includes the areas known as the Lesser Quarter (Mala Strana) on the west bank of the Vltava River, and the Old Town and New Town (Stare Mesto and Nove Mesto) on the east side of the river. These areas of Prague 1, along with portions of Prague 2, comprise what is often called the centrum, or city center. The centrum contains the main tourist attractions, most major businesses, many hotels and restaurants, and the banking district. The city now boasts several up-and-coming districts for residential life, business and, consequently, tourism, thanks to the top-flight bars, restaurants and shopping. These areas include Prague 3 (Zizkov), with its landmark television tower; Prague 5 (Andel), home to multiplexes and malls; and Prague 7, site of the lovely Letna Park.
Twelve bridges cross the Vltava River. Karluv Most, the oldest and most spectacular bridge, is known by visitors and natives alike as the Charles Bridge. It connects the Lesser Town's quaint streets with the Old and New towns and is for pedestrians only.
All addresses in this report include the district number in parentheses.
The first Slav settlements near Prague date back to the late sixth century, but it wasn't until about AD 880 that the ruling dukes built Prague Castle. During the following centuries, Prague became an important center for Christianity in the Czech state, and the monarchy began to take notice of the emerging town.
Shortly after coming to the throne in 1230, King Wenceslas I began fortifying an area in Stare Mesto (Old Town). His successor, King Otakar II, was responsible for fortifying what today is known as Nove Mesto (New Town). The two areas were not officially unified until 1287. The reign of Charles IV in the 14th century brought much construction to the city: Universities were established, the cathedral was erected, and work on the Charles Bridge began. The population also soared, making Prague the largest city in Central Europe.
Subsequent centuries brought busts and booms, conflicts and uprisings as the region came under the control of the Hapsburgs' Austrian empire for more than five centuries. One of Europe's first civic rebellions against Catholicism occurred early in the 15th century when priest Jan Hus delivered services in Czech instead of Latin and condemned the collection of payment for absolutions. He was burned at the stake in 1415, but his actions foreshadowed Martin Luther by two centuries. It was not until the early 19th century that support for the National Czech Movement arose. After the 1918 armistice of World War I, Czechoslovakia became an independent republic under the modern Czech hero, former president Thomas G. Masaryk.
But all was not settled with the new country. The 1938 Munich Agreement ceded one-third of Czechoslovakia's territory to Germany, and Hitler invaded soon after. Following World War II and the murder of thousands of Czechs by the Nazis, the territory was returned and Czechs of German descent were expelled. Communists won the 1946 elections, and in 1948 the party established totalitarian rule and came increasingly under Soviet influence. Emerging visions of democracy, known as Prague Spring, were crushed by a Soviet invasion in August 1968, and it wasn't until the late 1980s that communism was finally defeated. Vaclav Havel, a dissident, playwright and darling of Western politicians, became president in 1989. In 1993, the long-considered separation of Slovakia and the Czech Republic became official. After the peaceful split, Prague became the capital of the new Czech Republic. In 2003, Havel was replaced by his archrival, Vaclav Klaus. The country became a member of NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.
Overlooking the river and Old Town, Letna Park once held a gargantuan marble statue of Stalin and a few of his hardworking Communists, measuring 164 ft/50 m tall and weighing in at 17,000 tons. It was unveiled on 1 May 1955. A few years later Stalin was denounced by Nikita Khrushchev, and the statue was destroyed with 800 kilograms of explosives and 1,650 detonators. Today, the same spot features a metronome that ticks indecisively from west to east, as if looking at both the past and the future.
Prague is home to the largest ancient castle (construction began around 870) in the world and the second-largest stadium (construction started in 1926) in the world. The castle is still in use today, but the stadium is a decrepit pile of concrete, although it is used by Sparta Prague FC as a training center. It holds the equivalent of seven soccer pitches.
If you want to live like a local, you must drink the beer; it has been an institution in Prague since AD 900. In 2003, the annual beer consumption per person was 160 liters. During a relay in 2004, Czechs downed 2,662 half-liters of beer in less than 17 hours to earn the title of the fastest relay drinkers in the world. They chugged more than 156 beers per hour, or 2.6 mugs per minute.
The Czech Republic has more than 2,000 preserved castles and chateaus—more per square mile/kilometer than any other country in the world.
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Editor's Choice of Luxury, Deluxe, and Value priced hotels in Prague, Czech Republic:
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