Exploring Prague with Road Scholars

Contents

From Budapest to Prague
Prague overview
Our First Evening
The Lesser Town
The Old Town
The Jewish Quarter
The New Town
Prague Castle
Music in Prague

The second part of our Road Scholar tour was a visit to Prague, the other "Jewel of Central Europe". After our visit to Budapest (see separate travelogue—opens in a new window), we left the Mamaisson hotel after breakfast and took a bus heading North West. We followed the Danube upstream, crossed into Slovakia, skirted Austria, passed by Bratislava, and entered Czechia.

We stopped for lunch in Lednice, the site of Castle Lednice. We had a little time after lunch to explore the castle grounds. More a palace than a castle, it was reconstructed as a summer residence for the Princes of Liechtenstein in the early 19th century.

When we arrived the castle was hosting a wedding party, so we spent the available time admiring the formal gardens and the less formal flower beds. We enjoyed the lawns and woodlands.

After leaving Lednice, we arrived in Prague as it started to get dark, so there was time only to explore the area close to our hotel. We began to get a sense for the compleity of the city.

A trading hub developed during the 9th century around Prague Castle, and became well known by the 14th-century as a center of European culture. Originally it consisted of four independent sections, but they unified in 1784 to become one city. It became the capital of an independent nation during the 20th century. The four sections still have different characteristics. Here is a brief description of each.

. This is the area that developed around Prague Castle, one of the largest castles in the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The region nearby features historic palaces, church buildings, and extensive gardens. It has been occupied by the ruling classes since the 9th century.

This is a charming Baroque area below Prague Castle, stretching down to the Vltava river (the Moldau in German). The area features cobbled streets, Baroque palaces, historic churches, embassies, and charming pubs and cafés.

This occupies the area on the Right bank of the river. Buildings in the Old Town have a rich history, with old, narrow streets that can become very crowded. At the north end of the area, The Jewish Quarter is the best preserved complex of historical Jewish monuments in Europe. The Old Town Square is the focal point for tourist activity.

A sprawling district on the Right bank, mostly south of the Old Town. It was never really "new", but a significant medieval urban development. A mix of historic squares, modern commerce, and administrative buildings. Our hotel was in the New Town, within easy walking distance of the Old Town.

On our arrival, the narrow streets in central Prague forced us to park the bus a short distance from our hotel. We parked near a tram station, which provided a good view of the city's trams.

Nearby was the Masaryk train station, the oldest railway station in Prague, dating to 1845. The beautiful Empire architecture, with elements of Neo-Renaissance and Classicism, has been preserved almost unchanged. Nearby, by way of contrast, was the Masaryčka building, one of the few contemporary style buildings we came across.

The hotel itself was tucked into a tightly clustered row of commercial buildings. The main feature of the hotel lobby was the elevator that used intricate ironwork and Art Nouveau floral motifs.

Next morning we encountered near the hotel a very different structure, the Powder Tower, dividing the Prague New Town from the Old Town. The Powder Tower was one of the original city gates. It was intended to be a gunpowder store, but was never used that way.

The first full day began as a chilly, wet morning. We took a tram to the Lesser Town, the area below Prague Castle. It lies on the West bank of the Vltava River, linked by the Charles Bridge to Old Town.

We set off to see the Charles Bridge, the oldest bridge in the city, and one of the most popular areas for tourists. The total absence of motorized vehicles on the bridge attracts many pedestrians, even in wet weather. Our tour began at the church of St. Nicholas, on the Left (or West) bank of the river.

The entrance to the Charles Bridge is marked by the Lesser Town Bridge Tower. Ignoring the rain, a couple had posed here for a wedding portrait. The couple was sheltered by the arch of the tower, but the photographer (left) was soaked. Other people enduring the rain were runners, who did not seem to be as happy as the bridal couple.

After dodging the happy couple and the less than happy runners, we were treated to a view of the Vltava River, with the Old Town and New Town on the East bank. At the boundary of the two towns was the National Theatre, which we would visit later for the performance of an opera.

Nearer to the end of the bridge one gets a good view of the Smetana Museum. Smetana of course is one of the best known Czech composers, second only to Dvorak. His best known work is "Ma Vlast", or "My Homeland", the central theme of which is "The Moldau", i.e., "The Vltava".

The most obvious feature of the Charles Bridge is the thirty Baroque statues lining the bridge. They were installed primarily between 1683 and 1714 by prominent Czech sculptors. They feature a variety of themes—religious, historical, or local legend.

Crucifix and Calvary is one statue with an obvious religious theme. Another is a statue repesenting the saints John of Matha, Felix of Valois, and Ivan. Further along is a statue of Saint Vitus with this whimsical element showing a lion at the feet of St. Vitus.

The lion is important, as indicated by a statue of the knight Bruncvik. According to legend, Bruncvík was a Czech prince who hoped to achieve a coat of arms featuring a lion. During his travels, Bruncvík befriends a lion, and acquires a magic sword. The lion became the symbol of the Czech state.

The Monastery of Knights of the Cross marks the end of the bridge. The Old Town Bridge Tower at the East end matches the tower at the West end. The end of the bridge marks the beginning of the Prague Old Town.

At the East end of the bridge is a statue of Charles IV, the Charles after whom the bridge was named of course.

From there we followed a pathway through the Klementinum Library, Prague's second-largest building complex after Prague Castle. It is said to house "the most beautiful library in the world". Unfortunately, we saw nothing of the interior, although later we came back here for a concert.

On leaving the Klementinum we were in the middle of the Old Town. The first place we saw was the New City Hall, the city hall since 1948, but in fact a Romanesque church until 1798.

In the center of a small square was the Malé náměstí fountain, the city's oldest fountain, dating to the 16th century, surrounded by interesting buildings. The House at the Minute, for example, is a good example of Renaissance townhouse architecture. The facade depicts scenes from biblical and mythological sources and Renaissance legends. The technique, "sgraffito", involves scratching designs into layers of plaster to reveal contrasting colors, creating intricate patterns on buildings.

We found ourselves heading for the center of the Old Town. We passed the Clock Tower, entered a large open area, and found ourselves facing one of the most impressive Gothic religious buildings in Prague. It was built between the mid-14th and early 16th centuries. It is unfortunate that these views of the church are now blocked by more recent construction.

Mounted on the wall of the Clock Tower is one of the best known features in Prague, the Astronomical Clock. The astronomical dial represents the position of the sun and moon, and a remarkably complex construction allows someone to read the time in three different ways, as well as the time of sunrise and sunset.

Above the clock are windows that open on every hour to display the "Walk of the Apostles", a show of moving Apostle figures and other sculptures, including a skeleton representing Death striking the time.

In the center of the Old Town Square is a memorial to Jan Hus, the 14th century Church reformer. His criticism of the Catholic Church led to his arrest and burning at the stake. In the memorial Hus stands surrounded by his supporters and a young mother who symbolises national rebirth.

Around the Square are a number of interesting buildings. The Church of Saint Nicholas, though not as well known as its namesake in the Lesser Town, is a grand example of Prague's Baroque architecture, frescoed with statues and marble decorations. Appropriately, it belongs to the Hussite church.

The beautiful Rococo-style Kinský Palace is a former palace and now an art museum. The Dali, Saudek, Warhol Museum, as implied by the name, is an art gallery that presents the work of these three artists in novel ways, including their connections to Czech culture.

A Jewish Ghetto was created in the 13th century, when Jewish people were ordered to move to the area north of Old Town. The area subsequently suffered from a series of abuses, culminating with the occupation of Czechslovakia by the Nazis. Fortunately, several invaluable historical structures survived, and the Jewish Quarter is now the best preserved complex of Jewish monuments in Europe.

The Old New Synagogue is one of Prague’s longest standing Jewish sites, and the oldest active synagogue in Europe. Built in 1270, it was one of Prague’s first Gothic style buildings.

For over 700 years, this was Prague’s main synagogue. It has been in continuous use for divine services since the last quarter of the 13th century, except during the Nazi occupation.

The Maisel Synagogue was constructed in late 16th century. After World War II it became a depository for the Jewish Museum. The building was restored and became part of the museum. One of the most touching exhibits is an illustrated account of the suffering of the jews leading up to and during the war.

One of Prague’s most moving memorials is located in the Pinkas Synagogue. The names of every murdered Czech Jew are carved into the walls. The names are grouped by village, indicating how widespread the Jewish community was prior to World War II.

The Old Jewish Cemetery is an important Jewish monument in the middle of the Jewish Quarter. The cemetery was active from the first half of the 15th century until 1786. The cemetery continually struggled with lack of space. If necessary, a new layer of soil was heaped up on an available area so that other bodies could be buried above old ones. As many as twelve layers of graves now exist in some sections. The old gravestones were replanted on the new level.

The result offers an interesting picture of the development of gravestones. The oldest are plain, yet as the years passed the number of ornaments began to increase. "Tumbas", concrete chambers resembling little houses, appeared in baroque times.

By this time we were feeling quite hungry and tired. We stopped at a seafood restaurant nearby and had an excellent lunch, perhaps the best of our trip.

Just East of the Old Town Square is a dramatic building, the Storch House. It was built in 1897. The beautiful facade is adorned with figurative paintings that depict St. Wenceslas, patron saint of Bohemia, and the three Magi.

From here it is about a quarter mile walk to the Old Town/New Town boundary, past newer architecture. The Ventana Hotel is a luxury hotel, and the Golden Angel apartment building offers elegant apartments for rent. This is a location where one can obtain very modern "classic" cars for hire.

As one approaches the New Town border, one's eye may be caught by an unusual sculpture high on the wall of a building. This is "The Black Madonna", a remnant from an earlier building on the site. "Black Madonna" refers to statues and paintings of the Virgin Mary with dark skin that were prevalent in Western Christianity in Medieval times, and linked to pagan goddess cults.

The upper floors of the building are used by the Museum of Czech Cubism. The cubist theme is carried over to the Cubist style café on the ground floor. There is no obvious link between Cubism and the Black Madonnas though.

A little east of the Black Madonna is the Powder Tower, the official entrance to New Town, and just a few yards from our hotel.

In a different direction, next to the river, at the junction of the New Town with the Old Town, is the National Theatre. This is the primary theatre of Czechia, a symbol of national identity. We visited the theatre one evening to see an opera, Carmen (see the later section on music in Prague).

On the boundary between Old Town and New Town, and not far from our hotel, was the Municipal House, an Art Nouveau building constructed in the early 20th century. The café, restaurants, bars, salons, and halls are perfect examples of Art Nouveau interiors, each decorated by leading artists and sculptors.

The Municipal House Entrance presents a typical Art Nouveau introduction. The reception area continues the extravagant welcome, as we approach the doors to Smetana Hall. A similar theme is maintained by the interior of the hall.

Grégr Hall is an equally striking room, famous for classical chamber concerts and its Art Nouveau interior.

The National Art Gallery in Prague is divided among seven separate buildings in different locations. The only one we visited was the largest, and technically not in the New Town. Access is via New Town however, to a more recently developed area across the Vlatava.

It is set in the Trade Fair Palace, itself a building with an interesting history. It was originally constructed in 1925 to serve as a hall for trade fairs. It was closed after a six-day-long fire broke out in 1974. Renovation of the building proceded very slowly; it was completed in the 1990s.

The building is the largest Functionalist style building in the world. Functionalism prioritizes utility, simplicity, and efficiency over ornamentation. It is hard to imagine a building more different from the Baroque, Rococo, Art Nouveau, and other styles we had seen so far.

A guide took us around a section devoted to contemporary Czech painters who had tried to create a uniquely Czech style. Paintings by František Kupka provide good examples, "Amorpha, Fugue in Two Colors" and "Piano Keys, Lake". These are paintings in the Orphism style (based on the Greek cult of Orpheus), and linking visual art to music.

Outside the building is a metal sculpture, "Kadish", by Aleš Veselý. It employs older Czech traditions to reflect Veselý's experiences during World War II and the subsequent Soviet occupation.

One morning we took a bus and a tram to the Prague Castle. It is an enormous complex of buildings, and we saw only a portion. We entered through the courtyard, passed through a portrait gallery, and emerged just outside the Archbishop’s Palace.

We passed an entrace to the official office and residence of the President of Czechia, just in time for the hourly changing of the Guard. We paused briefly to admire the exterior of St. Vitus's Cathedral, the largest and most important church in the country.

We navigated the maze of narrow streets in the Castle Quarter, found our way to a tram stop, and returned to our hotel.

Music features prominently in the city, as might be expected in a place boasting composers like Dvorak and Smetana.

As mentioned earlier, one evening we attended the performance of an opera, Bizet's Carmen, at the National Theatre. Of course, neither Bizet (French) nor Carmen (Spanish) are associated in an obvious way with Czechia, but it was a chance to see the beautiful opera house of which Prague is so proud. The soprano playing Carmen was excellent; we thoroughly enjoyed her performance. Otherwise, we felt that poor accoustics were distracting.

One afternoon we attended a concert of Baroque music at the Lobkowicz Palace. The privately owned palace, built in the mid-16th century, is located within the Prague Castle complex. It now houses the largest privately owned art collection in Czechia.

One section of the palace is used to display its collection of musical intruments and old scores of well known pieces, for example, Beethoven's last quartets and his third symphony, the Eroica.

We had independently purchased tickets for a performance of old classics at the Mirror Chapel. an appendage to the Klementinum library. It developed from a chapel dedicated in the 11th century to Saint Clement; the current chapel was built in 1724. We had previously passed by the library without seeing the interior. The concert gave us an excellent view of the chapel's marbled walls and floors, stucco ornamentation, muted colours, and ceiling frescos.

Another rarity is having two different organs placed in the hall. One is installed in the gallery, where it fits harmoniously with the color scheme. The other is set behind the stage. One of the performers was an organist, so he used this organ to perform three organ solos.

Other Pitz Vacations