Praha «Prague»

The capital of the Czech Republic is also the most important urban conservation area.. Since 1992, the 866 -acre historic center of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List..

Prague is a unique complex of monuments towering high above the city, surrounded by the Prague Castle, which incidentally is a figurehead of all artistic trends and styles.. The historical center of the city extends along both banks of the Vltava River and consists of 6 parts, formerly separate towns, which were joined together in the 18th century: the Old Town, Josefov «the preserved part of the former Jewish Town - now part of the Old Town», the New Town, the Lesser Town HradÄ�any and VyÅ¡ehrad.. Here you will also find most of the historic monuments, museums and galleries..

History

Around 870 Prague Castle was founded..
1085 Prague becomes a royal city - the seat of the first Bohemian King Vratislav I
1346 - 1378 Charles IV reign - Prague becomes the capital of the Bohemian Kingdom and the Holy Roman Empire of German Nations
1784 - 1848 the rebirth of the Czech nation, the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the emergence of Czech institutions
1918 Declaration of independence of Czechoslovakia, Prague becomes the capital of the new state
1968 Prague Spring - Socialism is to be introduced with a ´human face´, occupation by the 5 Armies of the Warsaw Pact States
1993 1 January - Division of the Federation, emergence of the independent Czech Republic
1999 12 March - accession of the Czech Republic to NATO
2004 1 May - accession of the Czech Republic to the EU
Sights

Prague Castle

National cultural monument and symbol of the more than thousand years of development of the Czech S. taates.. Since its foundation in the last quarter of the 9th century, the castle has been continuously developed over the past eleven centuries.. It is a monumental complex of churches, fortifications, as well as residential and office buildings, representative of all architectural styles and eras.. The area is surrounded by numerous beautiful gardens that invite you for a walk.. Originally it was the residence of the princes and kings of Bohemia, since 1918 it is the seat of the president..

Charles Bridge

The oldest Prague bridge was built in place of the Judith Bridge, which fell victim in 1342 to a flood disaster.. The Stone or Prague Bridge has been called Charles Bridge since 1870 and was built by Charles IV in 1357 and completed in 1402.. The bridge is fortified on both sides by towers «Lesser Town Bridge Towers, Old Town Bridge Tower».. From 1683 to 1928, the piers were occupied by 30 statues and statues of saints.. The length of the bridge is 515 m, the width 10 m..

 

Bridge towers

The smaller tower is Romanesque and dates from the 12th century.. These are the rest of the Judith Bridge.. The higher tower is 200 years younger «1464» and its late Gothic style reminiscent of Parler´s Old Town bridge tower..

 

Old Town Hall

The Town Hall was built in 1338 as the seat of self-government of the Old Town.. The oldest gothic part of the complex, which also includes the tower and the oriel chapel with rich coat of arms decoration, dates from the second half of the 14th century.. At the astronomical clock of the tower «beginning of the 15th century» the twelve apostles appear on every full hour between 9.00 and 21.00 o´clock.. In the lower part of the calendar with zodiac signs by Josef Manes «1865» is appropriate.. The Neo-Gothic East Wing was destroyed on May 8, 1945 and never rebuilt.. From the tower you have a beautiful view over the whole of Prague..

 

Prague´s Jewish Quarter

The Prague Jewish Town «Josefov» or the Jewish Quarter was built in the 13th century.. Most of the district was destroyed between 1893 and 1913.. Only 6 synagogues, the old Jewish cemetery, the ceremonial hall and the old Jewish town hall were preserved.. These buildings are all part of the Jewish Museum.. In 1991, the place had 2354 inhabitants.. In 2001, Josefov consisted of 66 houses, where 1997 people lived..

Nowadays, Josefov is the living testimony to the history of the Prague Jews, as these buildings are the most preserved complex of Jewish monuments in Europe..

Powder Tower

The Prague Powder Tower is a 65 meter high Gothic tower, named after the black powder stored there until the end of the 17th century..

 

St. Nicholas Church

The St. Nicholas Church is one of the most important buildings of the ´Prague Baroque´, with a dominating dome and a bell tower..

Petrin hill view tower

The Petrin lookout tower is located on the 327 meter high Petrin Hill in the west of the city.. The 60 meter high tower was opened on the occasion of the industrial exhibition on 20 August 1891 as a miniature replica of the Paris Eiffel Tower and provides a comprehensive view of Prague and the surrounding area.. In 1953, a television broadcast antenna was installed on the tower.. In 1991, the tower was opened again after several years of renovation work for the public..

Church of the Victorious Virgin

The Prague Jesulein or Prague Infant Jesus is one of the most famous images of Jesus Christ in the world.. It is located in the Church of the Victory in the Carmelite Monastery.. The statue is a 45 cm Renaissance wax figure representing the baby Jesus at the age of about three. It is the work of an unknown artist from the 16th century..

Prague Loreto

A Marian shrine with a replica of the sacred house - the Santa Casa «G. Orsi, 1626 - 1627» and the baroque Christi-Geburt church «KI Dienzenhofer, 1734 - 1735 », surrounded by a cloister with chapels.. In the tower is a carillon with 27 Loreto bells, which every hour «8. 00 - 18 00 clock» the Marian song ´Greetings you are a thousand times, oh Maria´ play.. Very valuable is the so-called Loreto treasure, a collection of sacred art objects from the 16th - 18th centuries.. The most precious gem is a diamond monstrance adorned with 6222 diamonds..

Vysehrad

According to ancient legend Vysehard is the oldest seat of the Bohemian tribal princes, the legendary princess Libuse and the first Premyslids.. In fact, the local fortification, later called the Prague Castle, was built around the middle of the 10th century.. In the second half of the 11th and the 1st half of the 12th century Vysehrad became the headquarters of the Premyslid princes.. At this time, a generous building activity developed here.. In the area you will find, among other things, the valuable Romanesque St. Martin´s Rotunda from the 11th century «visit - only for pre-ordered groups», the Gothic St. Peter and Paul Church «Neo-Gothic - rebuilt at the end of the 19th century». Century», the cemetery of Vysehrad, which serves since 1869 as a burial place of significant personalities of the Czech nation and with a common honor vault.. Underground, the originals of some Baroque statues from the Charles Bridge are kept.. The area of ​​Vysehrad is accessible all day..


~rudi-beate~rudi-reise~, 2012-01-18