June 6-13, 2008:
Prague, capital city of the Czech Republic, is bisected by the Vltava River. Nicknamed “the City of a Hundred Spires,” it’s known for its Old Town Square, the heart of its historic core, with colorful baroque buildings, Gothic churches and the medieval Astronomical Clock, which gives an animated hourly show. Completed in 1402, pedestrian Charles Bridge is lined with statues of Catholic saints.
OLD TOWN, PRAGUE:
Old Jewish Cemetery:
The Old Jewish Cemetery is among the oldest surviving Jewish burial grounds in the world and along with the Old-New Synagogue, it is the most important site in the Prague Jewish Town.
Old Jewish Cemetery
Old-New Synagogue:
The Old New Synagogue, also called the Altneuschul, is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Josefov, Prague, in the Czech Republic. The synagogue is Europe’s oldest active synagogue. Completed in 1270, it is also the oldest surviving medieval synagogue of twin-nave design.
Old-New Synagogue
Spanish Synagogue:
The Spanish Synagogue is a former Conservative Jewish synagogue, located in the area of the so-called Jewish Town, Prague, in the Czech Republic. The synagogue was completed in 1868 in the Moorish Revival style on the site of the presumably oldest synagogue, Old School.
Spanish Synagogue
St. Nicholas Church – Old Town Square:
The Church of Saint Nicholas is a Late-Gothic and Baroque church in the Old Town of Prague. It was built between 1732-1737 on the site of a Gothic church from the 13th century which was also dedicated to Saint Nicholas. The church was formerly used by the Czech and Slovak Orthodox Church.
St. Nicholas Church – Old Town Square
Jan Hus Memorial – Old Town Square:
The Jan Hus Memorial (Czech: Pomník mistra Jana Husa) stands at one end of Old Town Square, Prague in the Czech Republic. The huge monument depicts victorious Hussite warriors and Protestants who were forced into exile 200 years after Hus in the wake of the lost Battle of the White Mountain during the Thirty Years’ War, and a young mother who symbolises national rebirth.
Jan Hus Memorial – Old Town Square
Art Noveau – Old Town:
Prague became one of the major centers of Art Nouveau design. Alphonse Mucha, a Czech national, was one the style’s most prolific figures.
Art Noveau – Old Town
Church of Our Lady before Týn:
The Church of the Mother of God before Týn, or Church of Our Lady before Týn, is a Gothic church and a dominant feature of the Old Town of Prague, Czech Republic. It has been the main church of this part of the city since the 14th century.
Church of Our Lady before Týn
Kinsky Palace – Old Town Square:
Kinský Palace was built in 1755–1765 on the site of three houses with early medieval foundations.
Kinsky Palace – Old Town Square
Astronomical Clock Tower – Old Town Square:
The Prague astronomical clock or Prague Orloj is a medieval astronomical clock attached to the Old Town Hall. The clock was first installed in 1410, making it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest clock still in operation.
Astronomical Clock Tower – Old Town Square
Houses – Old Town Square:
The Old Town Square is surrounded with houses, that are mostly of medieval origin. Many of them have Romanesque or Gothic cores and mainly Baroque facades.
Houses – Old Town Square
Enjoying a “Real Beer”:
The Czech are known for their beer making prowess.
Enjoying Czech Beer
Black Madonna House – Museum of Czech Cubism:
The House of the Black Madonna is a cubist building in the Old Town of Prague, Czech Republic. It was designed by Josef Gočár.
Black Madonna House – Museum of Czech Cubism
Nancy and Pinocchio:
You’re a little stiff…
Nancy and Pinocchio
NEW TOWN, PRAGUE:
A busy commercial hub, New Town centers on Wenceslas Square, ringed by hotels, cafes and chain stores. The art nouveau Municipal House classical concert venue sits opposite the upscale Palladium mall on Republic Square. Bars dot the Náplavka riverbank, near the curved, Frank Gehry-designed Dancing House building. Also overlooking the river, the grand National Theatre hosts plays, opera and ballet.
Municipal House:
The Municipal House is a civic building that houses Smetana Hall, a celebrated concert venue, located on Náměstí Republiky next to the Powder Gate in the center of the city.
Municipal House
Wenceslas Square:
Wenceslas Square is one of the main city squares and the center of the business and cultural communities in the New Town.
Wenceslas Square
Wenceslas riding an upside-down horse – Lucera Gallery
Grand Hotel Europa – Wenceslas Square
Dancing House:
The Dancing House, or Ginger and Fred, is the nickname given to the Nationale-Nederlanden building on the Rašínovo nábřeží in Prague, Czech Republic. It was designed by the Croatian-Czech architect Vlado Milunić in cooperation with Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry on a vacant riverfront plot.
Dancing House
CASTLE QUARTER:
The hilltop Castle Quarter looms above the city and dominates the skyline. Filled with high art and grand buildings from the past 1,200 years, this area is packed with history.
Prague Castle:
A UNESCO World Heritage site, it consists of a large-scale composition of palaces and ecclesiastical buildings of various architectural styles, from the remains of Romanesque-style buildings from the 10th century through Gothic modifications of the 14th century.
Prague Castle – Photo: praguecastletickets.com
Castle Square Gate
Royal Gardens (trained birds)
Josef – Prague Castle Orchestra Member
St. Vitus Cathedral:
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saints Vitus, Wenceslaus and Adalbert is a Catholic metropolitan cathedral in Prague, and the seat of the Archbishop of Prague. Until 1997, the cathedral was dedicated only to Saint Vitus, and is still commonly named only as St. Vitus Cathedral.
St. Vitus Cathedral
Gargoyles
Nave
Mucha Window
Relief of Prague
Circular Stairway
St. John Silver Tomb
Stained Glass Windows
“Men in Suits” Window
King’s Box
Loreta Monastery and Church:
Loreta, also known as Loreto, is one of the most important places of pilgrimage in Prague. In the center of the cloister can be found a replica of the Virgin Mary’s house.
Strahov Monastery and Library:
Strahov Monastery is a Premonstratensian abbey founded in 1143 by Jindřich Zdík, Bishop John of Prague, and Vladislaus II, Duke of Bohemia.
Strahov Monastery
Strahov Library
View of Prague from Strahov Monastery
Schwarzenberg Palace:
The palace was built between 1545 and 1576 for the Prague Count Jan Lobkowicz the Younger. Hence, it was originally known as the Lobkowicz Palace.
Schwarzenberg Palace
Basilica of St. George:
St. George’s Basilica is the oldest surviving church building within Prague Castle, Prague, Czech Republic. The basilica was founded by Vratislaus I of Bohemia in 920. It is dedicated to Saint George.
Basilica of St. George
CHARLES BRIDGE:
Charles Bridge is a medieval stone arch bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the early 15th century.
Charles Bridge
LESSER TOWN (LESSER QUARTER/LITTLE QUARTER):
The Lesser Town (Lesser Quarter/Little Quarter), founded officially in 1257, is one of the central areas of Prague. It nestles around the foothills of Prague Castle, on the opposite side of the Vltava River to the Old Town.
St. Nicholas Church:
The Church of Saint Nicholas (Czech: Kostel svatého Mikuláše) is a Baroque church in the Lesser Town of Prague. It was built between 1704 and 1755 on the site where formerly a Gothic church from the 13th century stood, which was also dedicated to Saint Nicholas. It has been described as the greatest example of Prague Baroque.
St. Nicholas Church
Monument to Victims of Communism:
The Memorial to the victims of Communism is a series of statues in Prague commemorating the victims of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia between 1948 and 1989. It is located at the base of Petřín hill, Újezd street in the Malá Strana or the Lesser Town area.
Memorial to Victims of Communism
Petřín Hill :
The Petřín Lookout Tower is a steel-framework tower 63.5 meters tall on Petřín Hill in Prague, built in 1891. It resembles the Eiffel Tower and was used as an observation tower as well as a transmission tower.
Petrin Tower
Wall – Petřín Hill
Museum of Jara Cimrman – Petřín Hill
The Old Catholic Church of the Czech Republic – Cathedral of Sts. Lawrence – Petřín Hill
TRAIN FROM PRAGUE:
We took trains (two – we had to switch trains mid-trip) to our next destination: Český Krumlov, Czech Republic.
Train from Prague to Český Krumlov