Hradcÿany
Hradcÿany, the residential area around the west gate of Prague
Castle, was made a town in its own right in 1320. Before it became
a borough of Prague in 1598 it suffered heavy damage in the Hussite
wars, and in the Great Fire of 1541. Nevertheless, the area is
an outdoor museum of well-kept antiquities.
Hradcÿany N‡meÿst’ has kept its shape since the Middle Ages.
At its centre is a column by Ferdinand Brokoff (1726) commemorating
Prague's struggle against the plague. Startling Scwartzenburg
Palace and other examples of baroque- and rococo-style residences
make the area an architecture buff's dream.
A short walk west will bring you to Loret‡nsk’ N‡meÿst’, created
in the 18th century when Cernin Palace (now home to the foreign
ministry) was built. The square's main attraction is the Loreta
(1626), an extraordinary baroque place of pilgrimage designed
to resemble the house of the Virgin Mary. It's surrounded by
several lovely chapels and an eye-popping treasury, which features
the tasteful Prague Sun, made of solid silver and plenty of gold
and inlaid with 6222 diamonds.
Another worthwhile destination in the Hradcÿany is Strahov Monastery
(1140, completed in the 18th century), which features a baroque
church where Mozart is said to have tickled the ivories, and
the Strahov Library, with its unreal collection of tomes and
education-themed frescos. It was a functioning monastery until
the communist government closed the doors (and imprisoned most
of the monks); monks have been trickling back in over the past
few years.
Nebozizek
A visit to Nebozizek will ensure the finest view of the whole
city, and ideal photo opportunity not to be missed. Use the Pet¿in
Funicular - Lanouka Dr‡ha - the funicular railway or, if you
are fit enough, the path up Pet¿in Hill. There is a restaurant
- previously a vineyard cottage - with a terrace garden and a
cafe serving the best waffles with fruit and cream.
Josefo
The Old - New Synagogue (the oldest in Europe) and still used
for worship as well as the Old Jewish Cemetary is fascinating
- the oldest tombstone is dated 1439. The novelist Frans Kafka
is the most famous person associated with Josefov. He spent most
of his short life in the area. Children's artwork from the concentration
camp is on display in the 19th century House of Ceremonies. In
Josehof, a small corner of Prague, you will find a wealth of
history.
Jewish Quarter)
This slice of Star? Meÿsto contains the remains of the once-thriving
neighbourhood of Josefov, Prague's former Jewish ghetto.
The half-dozen old synagogues, a ceremonial hall and the powerfully
melancholic Old Jewish Cemetery were perversely preserved by
Nazi leaders, who declared them to be a 'museum of an extinct
race'. Instead, all have survived as a memorial to seven centuries
of oppression.
The Old-New Synagogue (1270) is Europe's oldest working synagogue;
you step down into it because it predates the raising of Star? Meÿsto's
streets against floods. Men must wear hats (conveniently for
sale at the entrance), while women are relegated to an anteroom
where they can observe male-only services. It's worth the trouble.
The Pinkas Synagogue (1535) is a handsome place of worship inscribed
with the names, birth dates and dates of disappearance of 77,297
Bohemian and Moravian Holocaust victims, while the 1868 Spanish
Synagogue, named for its striking Moorish interior, offers an
exhibit on Jews in the Czech Republic from emancipation to the
present day.
Perhaps the most visceral of Prague's memorials, the Old Jewish
Cemetery, Europe's oldest surviving Jewish burial ground, has
been a monument to dignity in the face of persecution and suffering
since the 15th century. Thousands of crumbling stones from other,
long-razed cemeteries are heaped atop as many as 100,000 graves;
in contrast are the elaborate bas-relief markers from the 17th
and 18th centuries. The oldest marker (1439; now replaced with
a replica) is that of Avigdor Karo, a chief rabbi and court poet
to Wenceslas IV.
Mal‡ Strana
Mal‡ Strana (the Small Quarter) clusters around the foot of
Prague Castle. Most visitors pass through on steep Royal Way,
as they climb to the castle, but the narrow side streets of this
baroque quarter are worth examining. Almost too picturesque for
its own good, the district is now a favourite for movie and commercial
sets.
Mal‡ Strana started up in the 8th or 9th centuries as a market
settlement, and was chartered in 1257 by Premysl Otakar II. Its
castle-front location has long attracted visitors, friends and
foes alike: It was all but destroyed in the Hussite wars of 1419.
Charming churches and palaces in the area date from the 17th
and 18th centuries, with Renaissance facades that were later
'baroquified'.
Along the Royal Way, Nerudova Ulice is the quarter's most architecturally
important street. Gems like the House of Two Suns, where poet
Jan Neruda penned Tales of the Little Quarter (along with
plenty of influential liberal essays and articles), and Bretfield
Palace are two great examples of Czech artistry.
Dominating the quarter is St Nicholas Church, not to be confused
with the eponymous chapel on Old Town Square. This exquisite
building, with its huge green cupola, houses the largest fresco
in Europe, Johann Kracker's 1770 Life of St Nicholas.
Also fine for strolling are the grounds of Wallestein Palace,
where summer concerts are often held, and quiet Vojan Park, established
in 1248.
Old Town Square
Old Town Square in Star? Mĕsto (Old Town) is the heart
of the Old City since the 11th century and the greatest sight
to see in Prague. Dominated by 18th century Baroque facades,
you can see the Gothic originals behind those facades if you
climb to the top of the Town Hall Tower and look down the steep
roofs. Townsfolk and tourists gather in the square a few minutes
before the hour to see the 15th century Astronomical Clock, in
the Old Town Hall, where the life size wooden statues of the
12 Apostles rotate in two windows above the main dial as the
clock strikes the hour. The great statue of Jan Hus is the epitome
of the Old Town Square where Praguers have congregated throughout
the centuries to demonstrate their feelings.
Petrin Hill
This 318m (1043ft) hill is topped with a network of eight parks,
comprising one of Prague's largest green spaces. It's great for
cool, quiet walks and postcard-perfect views of the 'City of
100 Spires.' Once upon a time, the hill was draped with vineyards,
and you can still see the quarry that provided stone for most
of Prague's Romanesque and Gothic buildings.
You can tone your thigh muscles hiking up from Hradcany or Strahov,
or take the funicular railway for the same price as a
tram ride. Just south of the cable-car terminus is Stefanik
Observatory, where anyone can enjoy an enhanced view of a
clear and starry night.
North of the terminus on the summit is Petrin Tower,
a 62m (203ft) copy of the Eiffel Tower, built for the 1891 Prague
Exposition. You can climb its 299 steps for a small fee. On a
clear day, you'll be able to take in sublime views of the central
Bohemian woodlands.
Prague Castle
With a magnificent cliff-top outlook, a 1000-year-old history
going back to a simple walled-in compound in the 9th century,
and a breathtaking scale that qualifies it as the biggest ancient
castle in the world, Prague Castle is the indisputable centrepiece
of the Czech capital. Spend at least half a day in awe here.
Prague Castle (Prazÿsky« Hrad, or just hrad to the Czechs)
claims its 'largest' title by the followin figures - 570m long,
an average of 128m wide and occupying 7.28 hectares. As the most
popular tourist attraction in Prague, at least there's plenty
of room to spread out.
The castle has been the seat of Czech government since Prince
Borÿivoj founded the first fortified settlement here in the 9th
century, though president V‡clav Havel chose to live in his smaller
(and less touristed) home on the outskirts of the city.
Some of the complex's highlights, like the Spanish Hall and
Rudolf Gallery, are only open one Saturday a year (usually in
early May). The rest of the castle's collection of architectural
and artistic marvels, created over the course of the last millennium,
is on exhibit.
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