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On Monday, September 15, 2003, we left Krakow for the 200-mile drive to Prague in the Czech Republic with a lunch stop in Cieszyn near the border.
Prague is in the heart of the Czech Republic on both banks of the Vltava River. Prague's position at the crossroads of Europe contributed to its development by the 10th century into a major town with a large marketplace. Since the 14th century, Prague has been a political, intellectual, artistic, scientific and cultural center. Prague grew into a magnificent city during the reign of King Charles IV. Many institutions were founded with his support including the University of Central Europe. Most of Prague's Baroque churches and palaces are from the 18th century. Several public monuments were built in the 19th century. Despite historic upheavals and enormous changes, Prague is a leading European cultural capital. The city covers 200 square miles and has over one million residents.
It was not until 1918 that Prague became the capital of an independent republic. German occupation during World War II was followed by over 40 years of Communist control. It was not until after the emergence of Czechoslovakia as a free republic that the strong differences between the Czech region and the Slovak region became apparent. Two separate republics were formed on January 1, 1993.
Our seven-night stay in Prague was at the Park Hotel on the edge of Stromovka Park, the former royal hunting enclosure and deer park established in the late 16th century. Bordering the park since the 1890's is an Exhibition Grounds used for trade fairs, sports, and artistic events.
On Tuesday, September 16, following a lecture on the "History and Geography of the Czech Republic and Post-Communist Countries" and lunch at the hotel, we began the first of several excursions in and near Prague.
In the part of Prague known as Little Quarter hardly any construction has occurred since the late 1700's. Several embassies occupy grand Baroque palaces from the past.
Little Quarter Square has been the center of activity since its founding in 1257. It began as a large marketplace, but buildings later divided it in half.
In the center of the square St. Nicholas Church stands next to a Jesuit college. The facade of Liechtenstein Palace faces the church. Construction of St. Nicholas Church took 58 years with completion in 1761. The statues, frescoes, and paintings are by leading artists of that time. Extensive renovations in the 1950's reversed the damage caused by leaks and condensation during more than 200 years. The church's organ was built in 1746 and played by Mozart in 1787. The cupola and bell tower of the church are the best known landmarks of the Little Quarter.
Part of Little Quarter is Kampa Island formed by a branch of the Vltava River called the Devil's Stream. For hundreds of years the stream was used as a millrace, and from the island the remains of three old mills can be seen. The wheel of the Grand Priory's Mill has been restored. The stream goes under the Charles Bridge and flows between rows of houses. The area has become known as the "Venice of Prague." After the 1541 fire in the Little Quarter, the banks of Kampa Island were reinforced with the rubble from the ruins which made building on the island safer. In the 17th century the island became known for its pottery markets. One row of houses about the same level as the Devil's stream was pointed out because of a dark mark on the end of the residences about even with the top of the windows. The water reached that mark during the summer of 2002 when it also reached the bottom of the Charles Bridge.
During our walk in the Little Quarter, we saw a wall of the garden of the Grand Priory Palace which has been decorated since former Beatle John Lennon's death with a painting of him and graffiti asking the world to give peace a chance. John Lennon was never in Prague.
Many residences and businesses had house signs as well as numbers. The signs date from the 1700's when pictures rather than numbers were used on buildings. The picture related to the use of the building such as Three Ostriches for a trader of ostrich plumes and Three Little Fiddles denoting a home of violin makers.
As we left the Little Quarter to cross Charles Bridge, we passed under the Little Quarter Bridge Tower which was built in the 12th century in Romanesque style. The tower with both indoor and outdoor viewing galleries is topped by a wedge-shaped roof common in Prague.
Now a haven for craft and trinket stalls, the Charles Bridge is Prague's most well-known monument. King Charles IV commissioned the bridge in 1357 to replace an earlier one. A pedestrian crossing now, the bridge could accommodate four carriages abreast. The bridge is 1706 feet long and built of sandstone blocks which may have been strengthened by mixing mortar with eggs. Until 1741 the bridge was the only crossing over the Vltava River.
The bridge's original decoration was a cross. In 1683 the first statue, that of St. John Nepomuk who was canonized in 1729, was added. In 1393 Jan Nopomucky was tortured and killed when a king was displeased over the election of an abbot. His body was thrown off Charles Bridge. St. John Nepomuk's statue has been touched on the relief at his feet so many times for good luck that there is a shiny spot. There are now 30 statues along both sides of the bridge. Most of the statues erected in the 1700's and 1800's have been moved to the National Museum with modern copies now being exposed to the elements.
We continued across Charles Bridge looking at the statues and enjoying the views of Old Town with the castle in the distance. The Old Town Bridge Tower is a Gothic-style structure built at the end of the 14th century which looks across the bridge at the Little Quarter Bridge Tower. It was also part of Old Town's fortifications.
Many views of Old Town Bridge Tower include the former Jesuit Church of the Holy Savior built in 1601. After gaining a monopoly on higher education in Prague and expanding their headquarters adjacent to Holy Savior Church, the order was dissolved in 1773 and the Jesuits had to leave Prague. Education was secularized and the monastery of the Jesuits became the Prague University library. Also near the end of the Charles Bridge is St. Francis Church, once part of a monastery.
We continued our walk through Old Town. Houses and churches were built in the 1100's in a random network around Old Town Square, many of which have survived. The area became a town in the 13th century surrounding Old Town Square, a marketplace since the late 11th century. Old Town is considered a living museum and an architectural treasure. We returned to Old Town Square on subsequent days in Prague with the emphasis then on the important sites there.
We proceeded to the Vltava River where we boarded a boat for dinner and sightseeing. The sun was shining on the right bank of the river that has developed into the busy Commercial center. The left river bank was never as developed, and it is still an oasis of parks and gardens.
By the early 1900's technology had solved some of the structural problems to relieve Prague of the heavy flooding by the Vltava, a problem during Prague's entire existence. Eight dams and a canal were built to make the river navigable. In 1912 a large hydroelectric power plant was built which supplies one-third of the city's electricity.
Our boat ride included locking through one of the dams. By the time dinner was finished, the illuminated buildings made the ride very enjoyable. (At this point we did not know the boat ride in Budapest would be so much more outstanding and, for me, perhaps the No. 1 highlight of the trip.)
A building we saw from both our boat and bus was the Dancing House also referred to as Fred and Ginger. The building was created in 1996 by architect Frank Gehry who designed the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. A wasp-waisted glass-and-steel-tower sways into the main structure as if they were a couple dancing.
On Wednesday, September 17, we first visited the Jewish Quarter. During the middle ages in Prague, there were two Jewish communities in Old Town. The two settlements gradually merged and were confined in an enclosed ghetto. For centuries Prague's Jews suffered from oppressive laws. Discrimination was somewhat relaxed in the late 1700's, and the ghetto was incorporated into the city. In the 1890's the ghetto was razed on the basis of its being a health hazard. The Town Hall, some synagogues, and the Old Jewish Cemetery were left standing.
The original Jewish Town Hall built in the 1570's is the core of a pink and white building in Baroque style renovated in 1763. A wing was added in the early 1900's. In addition to the Town Hall's wooden clock tower with a green steeple on the roof, another clock with Hebrew figures turns in a counterclockwise direction because Hebrew is read from right to left. The Town Hall is now the seat of the Council of Jewish Religious Communities in the Czech Republic.
We walked through the Old Jewish Cemetery, which was the only burial ground open to Jews. Founded in 1478 it was enlarged only slightly over the years. Because of the lack of space, people had to be buried on top of each other, up to 12 layers deep. More than 12,000 gravestones can be seen crammed into the small area, but about 100,000 people are thought to be buried there. The last burial was in 1787. The most-visited grave (and one of the largest tombstones) is that of Rabbi Low (1520-1609). Visitors have left hundreds of pebbles on his tombstone as a sign of respect. Other graves had lesser numbers of pebbles.
We visited Ceremonial Hall adjacent to the cemetery, which is used for special exhibitions.
When the Old Jewish Quarter was rebuilt about 1900, Architects experimented with new styles of architecture. Although the Art Nouveau style was the most popular, there are some examples of the Cubist style--a plain facade with a few simple repeated geometrical shapes. It was popular in Austria and Bohemia about the time of World War I. Bohemia is a region generally incorporated by the present borders of the Czech Republic.
We continued walking to Old Town Square where we joined hundreds of people looking upward toward the Old Town Hall Tower clock.
The Old Town Hall was established in 1338 after an agreement was reached to set up a town council. Over the centuries as the Old Town Hall expanded, a number of old houses were interconnected. It now consists of a row of Gothic and Renaissance buildings, most of which were restored after heavy damage was inflicted by the Nazis in 1945. In 1364 a tower was added to one of the houses comprising Old Town Hall. The tower is 228 feet high and has a viewing gallery which I enjoyed later in the week.
A clock was first placed on the Town Hall Tower in the early 1400's. In 1490 it was rebuilt and even though it has been repaired many times, the current mechanism of the clock was perfected about 1560. Each time the clock strikes the hour, Death (the skeleton on the right side of the clock) pulls the rope in his right hand and his left hand inverts a raised hourglass. Two windows open and 11 Apostles make an appearance led by St. Paul. A rooster crows and the clock chimes. Other moving figures are a Turk shaking his head, Vanity who looks at himself in a mirror, and Greed who appears as a medieval Jewish moneylender. An astronomical clock and calendar are below the mechanical clock.
We had a few minutes to admire the architecture and watch the people in the square. Later in the week with more time available, I returned to the square.
Lunch was at Hotel Petr operated by Tomas Brychta, who is the managing director of Scantravel, the site coordinator for our Prague stay. Tomas then talked regarding "Privatization and Transformation of the Czech Economy." He used his family as an example throughout the talk to explain and emphasize how the hotel and the travel agency had been affected by the Czech economy as well as Czech's changing situation in world events.
Dinner was at the Park Hotel.
On Thursday, September 18, we left Prague at 8:00 A.M. for an all-day excursion to Karlsbad about 85 miles west of Prague.
According to a legend King Charles IV discovered one of the sources of water which later made the town rich when one of his staghounds fell into a hot spring. This occurred about 1350 during a hunt. By 1522 a medical description of the springs had been published. By the end of the 16th century over 200 spa-related buildings existed. Numerous fires and floods have destroyed most of the city from time to time, but it has always been rebuilt and is still popular. Royal visitors to Karlsbad have included Russias Peter the Great in 1711 and Englands Edward VII in 1907. Beethoven and Chopin have also visited.
From the bus parking lot we walked to the older section of Karlsbad where traffic is strictly limited. The Grand Hotel Pupp was the first of many 19th-century buildings lining the old street along the Tepla River. Many hotels, restaurants, and other businesses have developed to serve the tourists and those there for the spa benefits. Structures called colonnades have been built around the springs to provide all types of service to those using the spas. There are now 12 hot mineral springs. The best known one is 40 feet high. It is also the hottest at 162 degrees F. The water is good for digestive disorders. It can be taken in the form of salts; the water does not have to be drunk.
After decades of neglect under the Communists that left many buildings crumbling behind their beautiful facades, the town leaders now face the daunting task of carving out a new role for the town since few Czechs can afford to spend time and money for a leisurely cure. Some spas have turned to offering short-term accommodations to foreign visitors at expensive rates to raise some quick cash. A large number of Russians have purchased property in the town in the last few years, and many German visitors are there for laser treatments, plastic surgery and acupuncture.
Karlsbad is also known for its china and Moser glass. We visited the Moser Glass Museum, Retail Shop, and Factory. The Moser company was established in 1857. Moser has made glass pieces for royal courts and presidential palaces as well as for individuals. The museum had creations from the end of the 19th century decorated with painting, enamel and gold as well as modern pieces. In the factory, we watched glassblowers using a glassblower's pipe to turn molten glass into pieces shaped on wooden molds. Then the shaping of the stem and bottom of each piece was done manually. We were required to wear safety glasses as we walked among the workers. At times a glassblower with a piece still hot would wend his way through the group as he proceeded through the steps required to finish the piece. Few safety precautions were used in the factory, and we saw actual glassblowers working. We were not seeing a demonstration of one aspect of the process. The workers usually worked in groups of three--a master glassblower, a younger less experienced glassblower who finished the piece, and a woman who handled the piece after it cooled.
We returned to Prague for a quick dinner at the hotel. Lunch had been at a restaurant in Karlsbad. We then went by bus to a small theater for a performance of folk music and dancing.
On Friday, September 19, we spent the morning at Prague Castle. (On Sunday afternoon I went back to the castle to have more time for looking and taking pictures at a different time of day.)
The Prague Castle, founded in the 9th century, has a commanding location high above the Vltava River. The buildings enclosed by the castle walls include a palace, three churches, and a monastery. About 1320 a town called Hradcany was founded around the base of castle hill which later was incorporated into Prague. The castle has been rebuilt many times. After a disastrous fire in 1541, the buildings were rebuilt in Renaissance style, and the castle had its cultural heyday under King Rudolph II between 1583 and 1609. Later the controlling Hapsburgs lived in Vienna and used the castle only occasionally. Since 1918 it has been the seat of the president of the Czech Republic. Despite periodic fires and invasions, the castle has retained churches, chapels, halls, and towers from every period of its history.
The first courtyard of the castle is entered after passing by Czech soldiers on guard and under a wrought-iron gateway flanked by copies of two "Fighting Giants" created in 1786. Matthias Gate was built in 1614 as a free-standing western entrance to the castle. In 1760 the gate was linked with the new front wall of the castle. From the gate, steps lead up to the Czech President's private quarters. Matthias Gate leads to the Second Courtyard which has a lion fountain and a well.
The third courtyard is the center of castle life with St. Vitus's Cathedral overwhelming other structures there. Construction began on the cathedral in 1344 on orders of King Charles IV. The cathedral was not consecrated until 1929, although work continued even after that date. The church has several unusual attributes. It covers an area 407 feet long and 97 feet wide. Its steeple is 358 feet high. The nave is 108 feet high. Its rose window depicts scenes from the biblical story of the Creation. There are many examples of 20th-century Czech stained glass. Construction of the chancel began in 1372 and is remarkable for its height and counterpoint. The tomb of St. John Nepomuk was crafted from solid silver in 1736. The organ from 1757 has 6500 pipes. There are more than 20 side chapels.
The exterior of the south side of the cathedral has three gold arches above doors once used as the main entrance. Above the arches is a 14th-century often-restored mosaic of "The Last Judgment." I have found sources stating there are 40,000 pieces of glass and stone; others say there are more than one million pieces. It is extremely rare for an outdoor mosaic to be seen this far north.
The largest and best-known church in the country requires more than one visit to fully appreciate its beauty.
Overshadowed by the cathedral in the third courtyard, St. George's Basilica was founded between 915 and 920. The best preserved Romanesque church in Prague was enlarged in 973 and rebuilt after a fire in 1142. Its rusty red facade was added in the 1600's.
One way to exit the castle is via the Golden Lane, named after the goldsmiths living there in the 17th century. One side of the lane has tiny brightly-painted houses built into the arches of the castle wall. They were built in the late 1500's for 24 castle guards. A century later the goldsmiths moved in. By the 19th century the area had become a slum populated by Prague's poor and criminal community. In the 1950's the tenants were evicted and the area was restored. Now most of the houses are shops selling books, glass, and souvenirs to the many tourists visiting the castle.
As we descended 100 steps on a sloping sidewalk with the usual tourist merchandise sold by vendors perched on the level portions of the walkway, we had beautiful views of Prague. Lunch was at the Na Klarove Restaurant at the bottom of castle hill.
After returning to the hotel, many group members joined a guide for a visit to the Trade Fair Palace about one block from our hotel. The building, constructed in the late 1920's, was a landmark of modern architecture. Trade fairs were held there until 1951 after which several foreign trade companies occupied the building. In 1974 the structure was destroyed by fire. Reconstruction followed the original design, and in 1995 the National Gallery opened. It is one of several exhibition buildings holding the collections of the National Gallery.
Dinner that evening was at our hotel. There were many opportunities for individual pursuits during free time, and the site coordinator and our guide during the seven-night stay made arrangements for tickets and sometimes transportation for members of the group who wanted to attend an opera, ballet, chamber concert, puppet performance, etc.
On Saturday, September 20, we left the city center for a short drive to Brevnov to visit a former Benedictine abbey founded by St. Adalbert in 993 which is the oldest monastery in Bohemia. The courtyard of the complex, reached through a gateway designed in 1740, has a statue of St. Benedict. Construction of the Baroque style buildings began in 1708 and took seven years to complete.
St. Margaret's Church was completed in 1720. In front of the church is a statue of St. John of Nepomuk. The floor plan of the church is based on overlapping ovals. The most outstanding aspect of the church is the ceiling with many frescoes. On the altar is a statue of St. Margaret. In 1964 the crypt of the original 10th-century church was discovered below the choir and is open to the public. In 1993, the 1000th anniversary of the monastery's founding, the restored first floor with its fine frescoes and the crypt with the original foundations and a few skeletons were opened to the public for the first time. Saturday is a busy time for the church with several weddings occurring while we were there. While at the monastery, a lecture was presented on the religious situation in the country, and we had lunch.
During free time that afternoon, I again visited Old Town Square. From the viewing gallery of Old Town Hall Tower, there were great views of Old Town Square as well as buildings almost as far as could be seen. The castle on the hill stood high above the buildings' roofs.
The shadow of the Old Town Hall Tower crossed through the center of the square toward the Jan Hus Monument, a large statue to the religious reformer and Czech hero. He was burned at the stake after being called a heretic by the Council of Constance in 1415. The monument was unveiled in 1915, the 500th anniversary of his death.
The Church of St. Nicholas on the square had been the Old Town parish church and meeting place until Tyn Church was built in the 14th century. There has been a church on the site since the 12th century. In the 1600's the church became part of a monastery, one of many monasteries closed in 1781. The present church was built in 1735. In World War I the church was used by the troops of Prague's garrison. The officer in charge restored the church using artists who would otherwise have been sent to the front. At the war's end the church was given to the Czechoslovak Hussite Church. The dome has outstanding frescoes, and the nave has a huge crown-shaped chandelier. Its white facade has many statues. The building is now used for summer concerts.
The Golz-Konsky Palace's pink and white stucco facade faces the square. The building is used by the National Gallery for temporary art exhibitions. Many colorful Romanesque and Gothic houses also front the square, most of them now being used as restaurants, cafes, shops, and galleries.
Dominating the square are the steeples of the Church of Our Lady before Tyn. The Gothic structure was begun in 1365. The church became associated with the reform movement in Bohemia, and for 200 years until 1620 it was the main Hussite church in Prague. Much of the interior was rebuilt in Baroque style in the 17th century.
Soon after I returned to the hotel by tram, the group went by bus to the Mozart Museum. Bertramka is a 17th-century farmhouse enlarged in the second half of the 18th century to convert it into a suburban villa. Mozart and his wife stayed here as guests in 1787 when he was working on "Don Giovanni." He composed the overture to the opera in the garden pavilion just a few hours before its premier. As early as 1838 the villa was turned into a shrine to Mozart, although very little familiar to Mozart survived a fire in 1871. The museum had memorabilia and a piano Mozart used. The series of concerts at Bertramka during September celebrated five years of existence. Young talented musicians premier music composed by Czech composers who are inspired by Mozart's music, his life, or the environment of Bertramka.
A lecture was presented Sunday morning by the same professor who lectured Tuesday on political issues of the Czech Republic and central Europe.
We were given money by Elderhostel's representative for lunch on our own during the free afternoon. With two members of the group, I returned to Prague Castle for a second look and more pictures. We had lunch at a cafe just outside the castle walls. After enjoying the castle and walking down 100 steps, we found that taking the wrong tram, staying on it until the end of the line, not being able to understand the conductor, and waiting for the next tram considerably delayed our return to the hotel. We had just a few minutes before the group left the hotel for our farewell dinner in Prague.
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