Prague stretches out before me.
I see it as I always imagined bewitched cities to be.
I see it as a dream of builders caught in flights of fancy.
I see it as a throne, as magic's residential city.
I see it as a volcanic citadel carved in stone by a feverish madman.
With these verses, Vitaslav Nezval recalls the pervading influence of Prague's magic
that already existed during Rodolphe II's reign.
Throughout the 16th century, many an alchemist made his way to the castle, or to the street
of gold.
In reality, nothing more than the district where gold beaters worked.
In 1916, Franz Kafka lived here at number 22.
According to legend, here on the street of gold, against a wall, was a house known as
At the Last Lantern, which was impossible to see except on certain nights.
It is said the cornerstone to Prague's more secret side lies here, a doorway between the
visible and invisible worlds.
André Breton said, Prague, magical capital of Europe.
Indeed, Charles IV of Bohemia had been initiated in esoteric principles in France, and wished
to develop Prague following astronomical laws.
He designed the streets to run in the same direction as the solstices, integrating many
celestial phenomenon in his plan at the same time.
Prague has traditionally been the crossroads between the East and West, an important stop
on the north-south axis, which links Berlin, Budapest, and Vienna.
Western tourists come here to gaze between two baroque domes, up towards the foothills
of the Russian steppes.
It's only a short trip to Paris or Munich.
The buildings on the square of the old city fascinate the visitor with their great diversity
of styles, including Gothic, Baroque, Renaissance, and Art Nouveau.
The ever-present cobblestones ring out under the hooves of horses who draw carts along
the small streets.
It's difficult to determine where the center of Prague is.
The Old Town Square is the most visited place in the city.
This is Prague's urban center.
The town hall and the main church, the Tin Church, which is accessed by the Tin School,
are both located here.
The vaulted ceiling on the ground floor dates from the 13th century.
The tax collector bought this house in 1560.
The tin, or closed space, dates from the 11th century, a time when merchants paid a tax
in exchange for storing their merchandise.
The turrets were actually used as observation posts.
After the town hall, one house, covered with graffiti, catches the eye.
It's known as the Dume u Minute, or Minute House.
Scenes from antiquity and the Bible, as well as those portraying allegorical tales of virtue,
are depicted on this upper-class home, which dates from the end of the Renaissance period.
Here, Prague suddenly takes on the air of a peaceful country village.
The town hall's tower is without doubt the most commonly visited medieval structure.
Hundreds of people gather at its base every hour to enjoy the ringing of the astronomical
clock.
Two small doors open above the clock's face, and for a few moments, figures of the apostles
parade by.
Other figures on the side turn their heads, vanity and greed, on the left, represented
by a mirror and a purse, and paganism on the right, represented by a Turk next to death
who turns over an hourglass.
When the doors close, a golden rooster begins to crow.
This mechanism dates from the 19th century, but a clock is mentioned as early as 1410.
The upper dial indicates the rotations of the sun and moon, and tells the hour.
The Arabic numerals tell time, and the signs of the zodiac determine the month and position
of the stars.
The lower dial, two and a half meters in diameter, is a calendar.
Its images illustrate the pleasures of country life.
It was on this square, so weighted down by its past, that the communists addressed the
crowds on a snowy day in February 1948.
This post-war takeover forced a new foreign regime on the country.
It was also on this square that 27 Bohemian lords were decapitated in 1621 after the fall
of the White Mountain, which put the country into the hands of the Habsburgs.
Music is a tradition here.
In every family, at least one person plays some type of instrument, whether the violin,
the piano, the guitar, or the cymbal, a corded trapezoid-shaped instrument used in Moravian
and Slovakian folkloric music.
The chords are played by striking them with wooden sticks.
The
end of the 14th century saw the birth of a revolutionary movement led by Jean Huss, the
rector of the Charles University in Prague and a symbol of freedom.
Leader of the Ussite reformist movement, he taught about citizens' rights in the rebellion
against the lords.
He insisted that God's law was the same for everyone.
Despite the king's promise of protection, he was burned alive in 1415.
An imposing statue of him dominates the square in the old city.
In a corner of the square, a structure was built in the 13th century.
It was a sanctuary placed under the protection of St. Nicholas.
Many other structures would be built on this spot over the centuries, ending with one designed
by the famous architect Tietzenhofer in 1735.
The Baroque statues were sculpted by Antoine Brown, nephew of the renowned Matthias Brown.
Originally a Russian Orthodox church, today it is a Protestant house of worship, belonging
to the Czech brothers.
Peter Krall wrote,
Unpredictable, Prague is innately baroque.
An ephemeral city, where the streets overlap like voices.
A sensual city, which offers its curves to the caress of one's gaze.
At the edge of the old city is the Clementinum.
This structure spreads across two hectares.
It was built by the priest Canisius, rector of the Jesuit College of Vienna.
He was considered by Emperor Ferdinand I to be the best leader of the Counter-Reform.
This school rivaled the mainly Protestant Charles University.
Today it houses the State Technical Library.
The observation tower, housing a weather station, can be accessed through the courtyard.
Daily weather statistics have been taken here since 1725.
It's crowned by a metal figure of Atlas.
On Crusader Square, nicknamed the Prague Salon, rises the impressive figure of Charles IV.
He would rule supreme over Bohemia and Prague for more than 30 years during the 14th century.
His father, Jean of Luxembourg, had taken him to Paris at the age of three.
There he received an excellent education and was named captain of Bohemia in Margrave of Moravia.
After succeeding to the German throne, he was crowned emperor of Rome in 1355.
He developed construction on the left bank of the Valdva.
Starting in 1360, he had the structure we know today as the Little Side built.
But the most outstanding structure which characterizes the city is, without a doubt, this arched
stone bridge, the Charles Bridge, built by the architect Peter Parler.
It's a link between the old city and Malastrana.
This bridge is another of Prague's centers.
The Czech poet, Jean Neruda, spoke of the Charles Bridge in the last century as a veritable
church, which, like a sacred path, leads towards eternal happiness.
In many ways, Prague is the Nordic replica of Rome.
This can best be seen between these two towers, among the statues which were visibly influenced
by those on the San Arcangelo Bridge.
It's the most beautiful fortified bridge in Europe.
No tour is complete without it.
In the 12th century, one of the first bridges to be built in stone was constructed.
Named for the wife of King Vladislav II, Judah, it became famous throughout Europe.
But the floods of 1342 seriously damaged it.
Charles IV decided to rebuild it in 1370.
It took 30 years to complete this sandstone structure, which is 10 meters wide and 520
meters long.
16 arches support its monumental weight.
At the beginning of the 18th century, evening concerts were given between the third and
fourth arches.
Musicians played throughout the night on anchored rafts, accompanied by the lapping of the river.
In fact, the bridge was built in the shape of an S. If one stands in the middle of the
bridge, it's impossible to see the two far ends below.
This was initially intended to fool invading enemies.
Towers, marking the entrance of the two cities, rise at the ends of the bridge.
The bridge tower by the old city bears witness to the influence of Gothic architecture.
It was initially an important part of the city's fortifications and survived the Swedish
army's attack in 1648.
The bridge is equally famous for its 30 statues, which rise on parapets.
The bases of the sculptures are engraved with famous names, such as Braun, Brokaw, and Rauchmiller.
St. John Nepomucene was the first to be immortalized on the bridge in 1683.
Popular legend has it that St. John Nepomucene fell victim to arguments between the archbishop
and King Wenceslas IV.
The heretic king is said to have thrown him from the top of the bridge into the voltava
for not divulging the confessions of the king's wife.
Extremely jealous, the king wished to know if his wife had been unfaithful to him.
Today, passersby touch a figure of St. John, located at the base of the statue, on a plaque
which tells about his life.
Prague is transformed into an almost rural setting, on a small village bridge where other
gracious statues rise.
Below the bridge, a forgotten arm of the voltava is spanned by another small bridge.
There are a total of four bridges connecting Campa Island with Malastrana.
The Sertovka, nicknamed the Devil's River, washes up against shores bordered by colorful
houses, which give on to the water.
This spot is aptly named Little Venice.
Prague is a secret place, a waterwheel turns on the canal as if by mistake.
Enclave of freedom, nobly ignoring the proximity of the castle, it is the anteroom to the void.
We are forever lost in its waters.
More recently, the poet Vladimir Hollande and the actor Jan Berech protested against the injustices
of the regime by isolating themselves in a house here.
With its wealth of markets and romantic gardens, Campa has always been a meeting place for
the flower merchants of Prague.
The French embassy occupies the baroque buildings of the old Bukhoi Palace at the Velprovorsk
Palace.
The young people of Prague chose a wall of the Palace of the Great Prior of the Order
of Malta, which dates back hundreds of years, to honor the memory of John Lennon, their
deceased idol.
An eye-grabber, these houses have kept their signs, which were used as landmarks before
the advent of street numbers.
Many of the house fronts and courtyards make us think we've suddenly been transported
to Italy.
One must pass through the main door to enter the courtyards, where it seems that time has
stood still.
The houses gaily display their ochre-colored fronts and their white architectural decorations
so typical of Prague's Baroque period.
By the same token, the red terracotta brick is the color of the Roman Baroque style.
Not so long ago, the lamp-lighters still made their rounds, lighting the old gas lamps with
their flame.
These two towers are directly linked to the bridge's history.
In the 12th century, the smallest Roman tower was used for defensive purposes.
In 1257, it was integrated into the city's fortifications.
In the 16th century, it was rebuilt in the Renaissance style, which we see today.
The highest tower was built in 1464 by King George de Podobrady.
We enter one of Prague's historic cities, Monastrana, or Little Side.
In the 12th century, Monastrana existed essentially for military reasons.
The castle's defenses were guaranteed by controlling who passed over the old Judith bridge.
Designed by the imposing dome of St. Nicholas, Monastrana grew up in the shadow of the castle
and of the clerical institutions.
Borrowing from ancient urban principles, an enormous rectangular square was established
in the middle of the city.
Today it's known as Malotranska Square.
Dietzenhofer began the church's construction in 1673.
The volute, the pilasters, the pediments, the capitals, and the alcoves all blend together
in perfect harmony.
The interior is sumptuous.
The fathers of the Greek church, St. Basil, St. Gregory of Nazianz, St. Christostom, and
St. Cyril are all represented in the chancel.
They correspond to the ancient virtues, courage, intelligence, justice, and moderation.
The cold colors of the Cupola's fresco failed to arouse much enthusiasm in its representation
of the exaltation of the Holy Trinity.
This black Madonna and child is a copy of the one found in the Cathedral of Foix in Belgium.
The pulpit is decorated with the Christian virtues, faith, hope, and charity.
Mozart enjoyed playing here when he visited Prague.
Along Nerudeva Street, which leads to the castle, the charming Baroque houses have kept
their signs, indicating the owners' names or trades.
The three violins at number 12 designate the address of the famous lootmaker, Edlinger.
The Romanian embassy is located in the Cernan Morzen Palace, whose balconies are held up
by two famous black atlases.
Because coach and car drivers had to apply their brakes when going down this slanted
cobblestone street, it became known as Brake Street.
A legend tells of the time long ago when the Swedes occupied the left bank and pillaged
the riches of the church.
One of the scoundrels was caught and beheaded by the people of Malastrana, and since that
time his ghost, carrying his head under his arm, comes back to haunt the area.
A rich drunk man asked the ghost if he couldn't put his head back on correctly, and the ghost
delivered a huge slap to the man's face.
The man came too, feeling the swelling in his cheek.
From that time on, he was persuaded the dead could leave signs from beyond the grave.
The Pororalec district has seen its fair share of fires since 1375.
Today a ramp in this area leads to the Strahov Convent.
A statue of St. Norbert, founder of the Premont Order, is located above the door.
In the 12th century it was the location of a Roman basilica.
A transept and two lateral chapels were later added.
The interior of the church is in the purest Baroque style.
The added vaulted ceilings are decorated with painted cartouche.
The paintings depicting the legend of St. Norbert and the frescoes illustrating the
Virgin's life contribute to the opulence of the decor.
The
marble altars are from different periods, as are the pulpits of Johann Lowermann.
The gable on the front side of the library is embellished with a medallion of Joseph
II, who authorized the Framasson priest, Ventureslas Meyer's project, to build a philosophical
and theological library.
And so this ancient granary was transformed into an opulent building, which housed not
only a magnificent collection of books, but many unique cabinet and carpentry works.
The
ceiling frescoes are the work of the famous painter Franz Anton Molpecht.
In 73 years he completed a veritable history of philosophy, which portrayed humanity's
struggle to obtain true wisdom.
The period of the Old Testament is represented by people gathered around the Ark of the Covenant.
Molpecht faithfully followed the text from the second book of Moses.
Black literature played an important role in the development of the country's national
identity.
Once again Peter Krall writes, Prague is at once a city of rivers and hills.
Without fail we are always going up or down, always approaching or moving away from the
shores of the Vltava.
Prague rises above herself in order to plunge her gaze to the bottom of the streets.
We climb the little streets of the Malastrana to lean over them, pressed against a little
wall from the Esplanade to the castle.
Then we climb all the way to the Strahov Monastery to take a wider view, to see, rising above
the blossoming crater of a huge garden, a wall of grey-green domes and tiled roofs,
Stairways are scattered throughout this city of hills.
They offer shortcuts which reduce walking distances and enlarge the spirit.
According to one legend, Prague sits on the site of a fire.
It's said to have been founded on the left bank of the Vltava, or Moldau, on a hill
known as the Sea Cow Promontory.
The back of this hill does in fact resemble a dolphin or a sea cow.
The young king, the Dauphin, needed a place to reside.
No doubt the dolphin-shaped hill appealed to him because of its tranquillity.
The cow's tail became the path that would lead to the castle.
A miniature Eiffel Tower dominates the Strahov convent on Petron Hill.
The bishop of Olomouc called the spot the Zion Hill.
He wrote that he had never seen a city that resembled Jerusalem as much as Prague did.
The hills in Jerusalem are the same.
Amazingly enough, there is even a convent on Zion Hill in Jerusalem that corresponds
with the Strahov convent on the hill in Prague.
In the Middle Ages, the small St. George's Square was at the center of the castle.
It's impossible to miss the ochre and red-faced basilica of the same name.
A large collection of medieval and Renaissance Bohemian art, especially the first painted
wood panels of the 14th century, can be found at the painting museum of St. George's convent.
In 1344, a procession made its way towards a trench near the basilica.
The papal staff had arrived.
Prague had become an archdiocese.
The archbishop, King Jean of Luxembourg, and his sons, Charles and Jean-Henri, all celebrated
the setting of the first stone of the St. Guy Cathedral.
Charles had summoned Mathieu d'Arras from France to build this new cathedral, and plans
for the structure brought to mind churches from the south of France, in Toulouse, Narbonne,
Rhodes, and the cathedral at Reims.
Peter Parle, a creator of the Charles Bridge, would be the one to complete the structure.
The equestrian statue of St. George found on the church's square is remarkably light
and natural.
The late Gothic-style cathedral, whose majestic bell tower rises to almost 100 meters, was,
in the eyes of Charles IV, one of the symbols of Prague.
Tulips are grown in the royal gardens.
These flowers of Turkish origin appeared here long before the Dutch made them famous throughout
Europe.
The honor guard is changed every hour.
At President Vaclav Havel's request, the honor guard's costumes were redesigned by cinematographer
Milos Forman's decorator.
Beyond the north door, Powder Keg Bridge spans the Deer Hollow.
Long ago, this narrow valley with its steep sides formed a perfect natural defense.
Your deer would be raised here, hence the name.
The main entrance to the castle is through an enormous gate bearing the name of the Austrian
Empress Marie-Thérèse.
The president of the republic governs from this castle.
Ignaz Platza, the elder, created a group of statues in 1768.
The principal statues represent the Battle of the Giants.
Over 1,000 years of history, Prague was in turn the capital of Bohemian Moravia, a province
in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, then a province of the Soviet Empire.
A republic since 1918, Czechoslovakia would once again fall under German rule during the
Second World War.
The spring in Prague in 1968 witnessed the Czech and Slovak federalization.
Since January 1, 1993, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic separated at the end
of what was known as the Velvet Revolution, forming two independent republics.
The bridges span the river like so many iron and stone staples.
Hours could be spent comparing their beauty.
The black lace of the railway bridge, the stone bed of the Charles Bridge, and the modern
nudity of the Manus Bridge.
In the 19th century, the political situation inspired composer Bedrich Smetana to create
his greatest masterpiece, the symphonic cycle, My Vlast, My Homeland, which includes the
famous Moldau.
His well-known contemporary, Anton Dvorak, also composed a major work which would influence
modern American music, Symphony No. 9, which is also known as the New World Symphony.
The House of Artists, or Dom Amelkü, was once known as the Rudolfinum.
This name didn't come from Rudolf II, but from an archduke from the 19th century.
This hall is used for musical gatherings held during the Spring in Prague Festival.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart visited Prague frequently.
Here he performed his Marriage of Figaro during his first trip in 1787.
It was a huge success.
He made friends with the composer pianist Frantisek Zevordusek and his wife, an opera
singer.
He stayed with them in the Bertramka Villa, which was later bought in 1838 by a fervent
admirer of Mozart.
Now, owned by the Museum of Czech Music, it houses different documents and instruments
from that great composer's time.
Mozart chose this summer residence to complete the musical score of his opera Don Giovanni,
which he would present for the first time at the Tick Theatre on August 29, 1787.
I'm going to go with the
first sonet excerpt of the world, in the minimum baritone major, in E flat minor.
Prague sleeps. The tramways rattle along. A light fog rises from the Gltava. Seated
in a pivnis, it's the hour of the last pilsen. Driving through Prague at night, one can understand
that the last European capital from which the Milky Way can be seen was a haven for
astronomers such as Tycho Brahe and Kepler.
The old Jewish cemetery was established at the beginning of the 15th century in the middle
of the ghetto in the Josefov district. According to tradition, visitors may write their wishes
on a piece of paper and place them, weighted with a stone, on a stel. The cemetery's limited
area made it impossible to add any more graves. As Jewish religion forbids the disruption
of tombs, new burial sites could only be created by covering the old sites with large quantities
of earth in which to dig new graves. Certain parts of the cemetery hold up to ten layers
of bones. The trade of the deceased is indicated by a tulle in bas-relief on the stel. A bunch
of grapes symbolizes fertility, and the pine cone symbolizes eternal life.
The most commonly visited funeral monument is that of Yehuda ben Bakatel, known as Rabbi
Lo and his wife. In literature, he's considered the creator of the golem, the artificial man
and seed of the earth, who alone with the most secret magical practices will wake the
creature of evil. The oldest synagogue was built at the end of the 13th century, originally
called the Nub. When another synagogue was built in the Jewish quarter, this synagogue
was rebaptized the Old Nub. Next to the synagogue, a lovely baroque structure houses the Jewish
town hall. The gabled clock is marked with numbers in Hebrew, and the hands turn counter-clockwise.
Another religious community was established here in the 13th century. The sister of Ventress
Las I, King of Bohemia, a truly remarkable woman of her time, decided to build a convent.
Members of the Franciscan order were called to Prague. A community of minor brothers joined
the convent and formed the Bohemian Assisi. The church was used as a mausoleum for the
ruling dynasty. The convent was abandoned in 1420 during the Hussite War. After being
used by the Dominicans, then the Jesuits, the convent fell into ruins and became one
of the city's most poverty-stricken areas. Its restoration wouldn't begin until the
end of the 19th century.
The Habsburg's victory over the Czech troops at White Mountain near Prague in 1620 brought
about the construction of new churches, for at this time, the Bohemian population was
mostly non-Catholic. Notre Dame of Lorette thus became an important center for the counter-reform
and the promotion of Catholic ideology. As proof of the change, the builders wished to
construct something beautiful, decorated with cherubs, balusters, and columns, too many
to count. Notre Dame of Lorette was also renowned for its collection of prestigious artworks,
which demonstrated the richness and wealth of Czech sculpture and Baroque paintings.
The center of modern Prague is located at the site of the old horse market, known today
as Wenceslas Square, the center for banks and commerce, a lively pedestrian area. 750
meters long and 60 meters wide, this main thoroughfare is dominated by the statue of
Saint Wenceslas, King of Bohemia. He's surrounded by the country's other saints, Ludmila, Agnes
Prokop, and Adelbert. The slight upward incline of the square allows one's structure to rise
majestically, the National Museum. It's divided into five sections, three of which are located
in this building, the library, which houses over a million books, some of which date from
the Middle Ages, a history department, and a department of science and nature, which
houses mineral, palatological, and zoological collections.
Among the amazing animal displays, a whale skeleton impresses visitors with its 22 meter
A memorial to the national history is located under the cupola in the entry hall. The hall
is dedicated to the great man of the Czech nation, and because of its excellent acoustics,
is also used as a concert hall. The buildings of the 19th and 20th centuries
have contributed a unique architectural style to the city. In the new city, on Wenceslas
Square, the Caruna Palace, the Paterka House, and the Europa Hotel are without a doubt the
most famous examples of art nouveau. Not long ago, an old sign featuring two clowns could
be found on a house front on Vodikova Street. It was Jiri Voskovec and Jan Verec, who once
managed what was perhaps the world's best-loved establishment, the legendary Free Theatre.
Peter Crowell wrote,
The houses on and near Wenceslas Square in the center of the modern city are surrounded
by many small passages where echoes of pre-war life can still be heard. They say if only
the barrier could disappear, the cafes on the square would melt into one.
In the wings of the Lucena Passage, the floors are still linked by an old patternoster, a
kind of multi-compartment elevator with no doors. Its constant movement brings to mind
the spirit of free enterprise, with its notion of trade and the capital's ease in utilizing
its space.
Porcelain is another tradition known for its high quality. Karlovarsky, Bohemian, and Moser
porcelains, or yet again Sibylovi porcelains, known for their lovely shades of blue painted
by hand. But what comes alive with its vibrant tones and decorations are the world's most
beautiful tables and, without a doubt, the famous Bohemian crystal. Cut by hand or partially
by machine, with or without lead, it all depends on the price you wish to pay for these delicate
objects.
The municipal house is next to the powder keg tower. Constructed at the beginning of
the century, this building is alive with light. It was once the cultural house.
Alfons Moutja was one of the most famous of the many Art Nouveau artists who participated
in its creation. King Georges of Port-au-Brady made this the resonance of his court in the
15th century. Today, it's used for meetings, concerts, and balls.
A bar and a restaurant are located on the ground floor.
Prague is the capital for enchantment of every kind, where sights can take on the aura of
myth or quite simply provide a source of dreams.
While characters and legends travel through time, even the creation of the city is based
on a legend.
of the Czechs.
According to a popular legend, this lookout tower was used by Libus for her many amorous
affairs. When she tired of one man, she would arrange for him to disappear into a crevice
in the rock that led directly into the waters of the Vltava.
In a prophetic spell, Libus gazed at the river and saw a great city rise. Along one
curve of the river, servants found a man building a doorway for his house. Libus founded a
city on the spot and named it Prague. Since the 14th century, this town has become a great
European metropolis.