Prague Overview

7/28/2019 Prague Overview

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TOP 10 in Prague

1. Prague CasTle

Climb the Old Castle Steps to Prague Castle and visitits courtyards and the interiors o the Old Royal Palace.From St. Vitus Cathedral, head to the Golden Lane a ormer haven or alchemists and charlatans.

2. Vyehrad

Soak up the atmosphere o the Vyehrad ortiedsettlement, where beore the arrival o Christianitypagan princes prayed to their orest idols and wheretoday stands one o the most beautiul churches inPrague.

3. PalaCe gardens

Relax on the terraces o the Baroque gardens belowPrague Castle and stroll through the narrow, steepstreets o the Lesser Town.

4. Charles Bridge

Take an early morning walk across the medieval stonebridge, beore its magnicent Baroque statues arebesieged by crowds o tourists.

5. Old TOwn squarewiThThe asTrOnOmiCalClOCk

Do not orget that the Old Town Square is the true hearto Prague. Whats more, at the top o every hour youcan see a procession o the Apostles on the Old TownHall Astronomical Clock! Then, while enjoying a beeror coee under Baroque arcades, you can observe thebustle on the square and admire the towers o TnChurch.

6. The JewishTOwnOf JOsefOV

Follow the ootsteps o Franz Kaka and Pragues amousrabbis to the narrow lanes o the ormer Jewish ghetto.

7. The infanT JesusOf Prague

Visit the Church o Our Lady Victorious, where pilgrimspray to the amous Inant Jesus o Prague or protectionand help.

8. muniCiPal hOuse

Go to a concert o Mozart or Vivaldi at the MunicipalHouse, the most magnicent Czech Art Nouveaubuilding.

9. PeTn hill

Surrounded by trees on the top o Petn, you will orgetthat you are in the heart o a metropolis.

10. esTaTes TheaTre

Go to the Estates Theatre to see the opera The Marriageo Figaro, where it was personally conducted by thegenius Wolgang Amadeus Mozart in 1787. This operahas played here ever since.

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Points of interest, history, cultural events,happenings everything to help you get to knowthe diverse face of Prague.

TOP 10 in PragueDiscover Prague! Our top picks will take you to itsmost beautiful spots.

A guIded T our of P rAgue

We will lead you to famous monuments and placesfull of history and trace the footsteps of celebratedpersonalities, all with the high-quality commentaryof professional tour guides.

Prague is said to be the heart o Europe and is sometimes called the mother ocities. Over the centuries, people have invented such nicknames or Prague as theCity o a Hundred Spires, Golden Prague or Magic Prague always celebrating itsarchitectural and spiritual richness and its mystical attraction. You will discoverthe glorious history o this ormer imperial and royal city, which today is the livelyand modern capital o the Czech Republic, at almost every step on Pragues storiedstreets.

exPlAnATIon of symbols

A QR code links to the websitewww.pawc.cwhere you can purchase the serviceonline.

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Prague has always been a living organism, where over the centuries all Europeanarchitectural styles have appeared. Prague now boasts a totally unique andextensive historical city centre, which since 1992 has been a protected UNESCOWorld Heritage Site.

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In the Royal Garden in ront o the Queen Anne

Summer Palace you will see the Renaissance

Singing Fountain. The sound o water alling

on a bronze bowl recalls the distant ringing o

Pragues bells. Careully position your ear below

the bottom o the lower bowl and let yoursel be

transported.

Take aboat trip on the Vltava River and visit

the Troja Chateau with its beautiul gardens,

art gallery and wine cellars. Near the chateau is

a popular zoo and botanical garden. Steamboats

sail rom the Ran Embankment (Ranovo

nbe) daily at 9:30, 12:30 and 15:30 rom late

March to late October.


gOThiCand rOmanesqueglOry

The oldest Romanesque church building in Prague is

the 11th-century Rotunda o St. Martin at Vyehradwith circumerential walls nearly a metre thick. Themost amous, o course, is the Basilica o St. George atPrague Castle, in whose interior we can see the tomb othe Czech patron St. Ludmila.

Gothic architecture experienced its greatest period oexpansion in Prague in the 14th century, during thereign o the Holy Roman Emperor and Bohemian KingCharles IV. St. Vitus Cathedral and the Old RoyalPalace at Prague Castle are among the jewels oEuropean architectural heritage.

A photo o the Charles Bridge with the silhouette oPrague Castle in the background this has become thevisual symbol o the city o Prague. The bridge, with 31statues and a massive tower at either end, is more thanhal a kilometre long. Its most amous decoration isa Baroque statue o St. John o Nepomuk.

The Old Town Hall complex is made up o a 70-metretower, three adjacent houses, and its biggest attraction:the Astronomical Clock, where at every hour wooden

statues o the twelve Apostles le past.

The Church o Our Lady beore Tn, with two80-metre towers, was in its time the tallest building inPrague. The church is the burial place o the Danishastronomer Tycho Brahe.

ThesTOryOfThe asTrOnOmiCal ClOCk

The ame o the Prague Astronomical Clock spreadthroughout Europe. Many wanted the Czech clockmakerMaster Hanu to construct in their city an equally wondrousinstrument or measuring time. The Prague city councillorsdid not want to lose the uniqueness o their clock, so theyhad Master Hanu blinded. Other legends are told aboutthe Old Town Astronomical Clock. One says that when theinstrument stops working, war will come to the land.

Pragues renaissanCeBeauTy

One o Pragues rst buildings in the Italian Renaissance styleis the imposing Schwarzenberg Palace on Hradany Square(Hradansk nmst). Nearby stands Martinic Palace, whereseveral episodes o the popular historical series Borgia wereshot. Both palaces are notable or their outstanding sgratodecoration.

BarOquePearlsOf PragueIt is said about the Church o St. Nicholas in the Lesser Townthat it is the most valuable Baroque building north o the Alps.Its interior is decorated with huge rescoes with scenes rom thelie o St. Nicholas. The composer W. A. Mozart rarely missed anopportunity to play the churchs organ with its our thousandpipes.

The Clementinum is one o the greatest Baroque complexesin Central Europe. The most interesting places here are the68-metre Astronomical Tower and the Baroque library hall withunique globes rom the 18th century. Here you will also nd theoldest Czech meteorological station.

The Baroque gardens situated on the slopes below PragueCastle and in the Lesser Town will entice you to relax. Be surenot to miss the terraced Vrtbov Garden and the garden oWallenstein Palace.

A magnifcent textbooko architecture.

Discover thecitysmostbeautiulbuildingsand

thehistory o their origins.

Astronomical Clock on the Old Town Square Church o St. Nicholas Tourists at Troja Chateau Interiors o the Clementinum

Singing Fountain

Old Town Square

St. Georges Basilica

Prague arChiTeCTure


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Prague arChiTeCTure

symmeTriCal ClassiCisT and emPiresTyles

Classicism was inspired by the ancient world, eliminating theostentatious ornamentation o the Baroque period and embracingausterity and simplicity. A prime example is the Estates Theatreon the street Ovocn trh (Fruit Market). W. A. Mozart liked it somuch that he had precisely this theatre in mind when writing hisopera Don Giovanni, which had its world premire here in 1787.

The Czech-born lm director Milo Forman shot scenes or hisOscar-winning lm Amadeus here. Other examples o Classicismand the Empire style in Prague are the Church o the Holy Crosson Na Pkop street, the U Hybern building on the Square othe Republic (Nmst Republiky) and the Kinsk Villa at the ooto Petn Hill.

hisTOriCisTarChiTeCTureOfThe 19ThCenTury

The Neo-Renaissance building o the monumentalNationalMuseum, which occupies the entire top o Wenceslas Square, iso crucial importance to the Czech nation, as is theRudolfnumbuilding on Jan Palach Square (Nmst Jana Palacha), which hostsmajor concerts. The beautiul building o the National Theatreis the representative stage o the Czech Republic and one o the

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Visit the villa o the sculptor and graphic artist

Frantiek Bleknear Prague Castle. The Art Nouveau

building with its rough brick acade was intended

by the artist to express elds o grain (the columns)

and a scythe, which is represented by the unusual

semicircular layout o the house. A permanent

exhibition presents Bleks sculptural works rom his peak

creative period.

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Visit the amous Neo-Renaissance Pell Villa

(Pellova 10), which today houses a permanent

exhibition o the works o Czech artist Ji Anderle

and his collection o Arican art.

Go to see Mozarts opera The Marriage o Figaro

at the Estates Theatre, presented in the original

Italian with English subtitles.

the prominent personalities o the time, such asthe world-amous painter Alons Mucha. You canvisit its perectly preserved Art Nouveau ca, andyou can do likewise at the Grand Hotel Evropa(Wenceslas Square, 25-27).

Also signicant is the Pojiovna Praha building(Nrodn 7), whose acade is decorated witha large and colourul Czech lion; the IndustrialPalace at the Exhibition Grounds in Holeovice,where exhibitions and airs have been held sincethe 19th century; and the lavish VinohradyTheatre on Peace Square (Nmst Mru), whichin its day became the symbol o the wealth o theVinohrady quarter.

gemsOf Prague arT nOuVeau

Art Nouveau architecture is characterized by its richornamentation with a wealth o foral motis, all distinctivelydecorated in ceramic, gold, enamel and coloured cutglass. It was in ull bloom in the early 20th century whenthe grand representational building o the Royal City oPrague the Municipal House (Nmst Republiky 5)was constructed. The regal appearance o this building iscrowned with outstanding artistic decoration by many o

symbols o Czech identity. Because o its richgold decoration, this theatre on the bankso the Vltava River is oten called the goldenchapel.

Among church buildings, noteworthy onesare the Neo-Gothic Church o St. Ludmila on

Peace Square (Nmst Mru) in the Vinohradyquarter and the Basilica o Sts. Peter andPaul at Vyehrad, which is one o thedominant landmarks o Prague.

Municipal House

Villa o Frantiek Blek interiors

Church o St. Ludmila Estates Theatre

National Museum


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Prague CuBism Prague CasTle

At the ancient seat o Bohemian kings you will encounter unique buildings rom many

architectural periods, rom the Middle Ages to the 20th century. Today the castle is the seat o

the president o the Czech Republic, yet a large part o the complex is still open to the public.

St. Vitus Cathedral (1) is the largest and most importantchurch in Prague. Dont miss the Art Nouveau windowby Alons Mucha, the Gothic tombs o Czech kings orthe Chapel o St. Wenceslas, the patron saint o thenation. Inside the chapel, which is richly decorated withsemi-precious stones, there is a room that protects theCzech crown jewels a crown, sceptre and orb. Theyare displayed on special occasions. Do not overlook thevaluable mosaic above the Golden Gate next to theentrance to the south tower, rom which you can enjoyspectacular views.

The Old Royal Palace (2) served as the residence oCzech kings until the 16th century. During a tour othe palace you will see the great Vladislav Hall with itsmagnicent late Gothic vaulting.

The St. George Basilica (3) enjoys renown as one othe oldest religious buildings in Central Europe. It wasounded as early as 920, and with the exception o the

acade, which was lavishly rebuilt in the Baroque style, itretains its Romanesque character.

The colourul little houses with tiny windows andchimneys in the Golden Lane (4) is where until the mid-20th century cratsmen and artists lived, including FranzKaka.

The Queen Anne Summer Palace (5) in the RoyalGarden was built or estivities but also or rest andrelaxation. In the park in ront o it is the Singing Fountain.

The Daliborka Tower (6) was part o the castleortications. Today you can see the oundations o thedungeon, and the tower oers a beautiul view o theDeer Moat (7) below Prague Castle a wooded ravinewhere Emperor Rudol II went to hunt game. The BaroqueRiding School (8), which is more than 90 metres long,was where the nobility came to hone their equestrianskills. It now holds exhibitions o ne art.

Sharp edges, geometric orms and crystalline structures these are the typicalelements that adorn the acades and also the interiors o buildings created in theunique architectural style o Czech Cubism.

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On a walk through the centre o Prague, dont overlook the unique

Cubist lamppost made o articial stone, metal and glass on Jungmann

Square (Jungmannovo nmst). Credited with the preservation o this

lamppost was the world-amous Czech architect Jan K aplick, who

designed such buildings as the Lords Media Centre in London.

Visit the most amous Cubist building, theHouse at the Black Madonna (Ovocntrh 19), designed by the leading CzecharchitectJose Gor. It houses an originalCubist ca with beautiul chandeliers and lightxtures and also the Kubista shop, where youcan buy products such as jewellery, ceramicsand light xtures by designers inspired by thisstyle. Note the Baroque statue o the BlackMadonna on the corner o the house, whichgave the building its name.

a walkingTOurOf Prague CuBism

Take a walk past three o the most beautiulCubist residential buildings in Prague, designedby the architect Jose Chochol and locatedbelow Vyehrad. Not ar rom the Vto tramstop is the opulent Kovaovic Villa (Libuina 3).On the corner o Neklanova and Pemyslovastreets is a masterpiece o architectural Cubism a our-storey residential building.Andbeside the tram line leading rom the city centreto Podol below Vyehrad Rock stands the two-storeyTriple House.

House at the Black Madonna

Panorama o the Hradany quarter

st ceramics Pavel Jank

ovic Villa

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Do not miss the ceremonial passing o the

standards and changing o the guard at Prague

Castle, which is held with great anare every day

at noon in the castles rst courtyard.


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PanOramiC Prague

The tower o the Old Town Hall oers the mostcomortable ascent it is completely wheelchair-accessible. From the nearly 60-metre tower you willhave a beautiul view o the Old Town Square and

the roos o the nearby houses.The Petn Tower (in Petn Gardens), which is theyounger sister o the Eiel Tower, has the moststairs 299. It measures only 60 meters, but it is setin a beautiul location on top oPetn Hill, whichis popular with Prague residents as a place or walks.In good weather, you can catch a glimpse o pMountain in the distance, a hallowed place in Czechhistory.

The ikov TV Tower aords the most distantviews. Pragues tallest structure (216 metres), it hasa panoramic terrace rom which on a c lear day youcan even see the peaks o the Krkonoe Mountainsin north-east Bohemia. The sculptor David ernmounted huge sculptures o climbing babies onthe towers exterior.

Panoramic views o Prague are truly breathtaking. When you look out over the cityrom the Prague Castle, you see will why it is called the City o a Hundred Spires countless towers and the spires o churches and other buildings rise above it.

ue rom the tower o the Old Town Hall

The Lesser Town with the Church o St. Nicholas

The most beautiul view o the Prague Castle complex isyour reward or climbing the 287 steps to the observationdeck o the tower oSt. Vitus Cathedral. Inside the toweris the largest Czech bell, nicknamed Zikmund.

Other Prague towers are certainly worth a visit thebelltower o the Church o St. Nicholas in the Lesser

Town, theOld Town and Lesser Town towers o theCharles Bridge, and the Powder Tower.

Views o Prague will open up beore you not only romPragues towers but also rom the surrounding hilltop

parks you will enjoy a birds-eye view rom Vyehrad,Petn, Hradany or Letn Plain.

The view rom Petn

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The most beautiul photographs o the panorama o the

Prague Castle with the Charles Bridge can be taken rom the

Smetana Embankment (Smetanovo nbe).

You can see a virtual panorama o Prague on the website

stovezata.praha.eu. It captures360 views o the city rom

Prague towers.

On the large map, look or the symbol. It indicates the

places that will oer you the loveliest views o Prague.


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Jewish PraguesPiriTual Prague

Jews began settling in Prague as early as the 11th century, and the magnicent oldsynagogues in the area o Prague known as Joseov show that Prague has alwaysbeen an important centre o religious and social lie or the Jewish Community inCentral Europe.

TheMaisel Synagogue (1) wascommissioned by a wealthy primas o thePrague Jewish Community, MordechaiMaisel, nearly ve centuries ago, as wasthe largest synagogue in the ghetto, theKlausen Synagogue (5). In the PinkasSynagogue (2), visitors see a very unusualexhibition more than 4,000 drawings byJewish children who were interned at the

Terezn concentration camp in northernBohemia, many o whom died at the handso the Nazis. The walls are hand-inscribed

with some 80,000 names o Czech Jews whoperished under the Nazi regime. At the OldJewish Cemetery (3), among the 12,000tombstones you will nd the grave o RabbiLw, who, according to ancient legend,created an articial being the Golem.

The building o the ormerceremonialhall (4) and charnel house was designedin a pseudo-Romanesque style at thebeginning o the 20th century and is nowan exhibition venue. The oldest and mostbeautiul Jewish temple is the Old-NewSynagogue (6), which boasts massive brickgables. According to legend, it is in the attichere that the abled Golem i s stowed. Thegorgeous Spanish Synagogue (7) standson the site where Jews rom Spain settledwhen they were expelled by Queen Isabellao Castile in the 15th century.

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It is said about Prague native Franz

Kaka that nowhere but in Prague

could his novels Metamorphosis, The

Castle and The Trial have originated.

Visit the Ca Louvre (Nrodn 22),

where Kaka used to go and where the

physicist Albert Einstein also liked to

stop on his visits to Prague. Do not miss

the Ca Slavia, which was requented

not only by Franz Kaka but later by the

writer Milan Kundera.

On the tombstone o Rabbi Lw,

tourists leave little notes with secret

wishes. It is said that the rabbi is able

to ull the pilgrimswishes. Recently,Michelle Obama did this, and you, too,

can try it.


Prague ormed over the centuries as a crossroads o Christian and Jewish cultures.Dozens o churches, rom the Romanesque to modern times, as well as manycelebrated Jewish synagogues, bear silent witness to the citys rich spiritual lie.

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In the Church o Our Lady Victorious you can view a collection o

gowns in which the Carmelite Nuns dress the Inant Jesus o Prague

according to liturgical customs.

In May each year, Venetian gondolas and dozens o historic ships with

musicians sail down the Vltava River in the Midsummer Navalis,

a beautiul spectacle o lights, music and reworks in honour o

St. John o Nepomuk.

An important pilgrimage site in Prague is the Loreto a complex encompassing the Holy Hut and the pilgrimageChurch o the Nativity o Our Lord. Listen to the uniquecarillon that chimes at the top o every hour. A rarity is theLoreta Treasure, whose most precious object is a monstrancedecorated with 6,222 diamonds.

Pilgrims rom all over the world fock to the Church o Our

Lady Victorious (Karmelitsk 9) and pray to the Inant Jesus oPrague or protection, healing and help in conceiving a child.

The statuette, which is 47 centimetres high, comes rom Spainand portrays Jesus in benediction.

The Old Jewish Cemetery

Statue o St. John o Nepomuk on the Charles Bridge

The Inant Jesus o Prague

Statue o Franz Kaka in ront o the Spanish Synagogue

Prague inthe ootsteps o

Franz Kaka. Wheredidthe

amouswriter go, wheredidhe

live, andwheredidhe ulflhis

secretaspirations?

JewishPrague. Whatwastheold

Jewish ghettolike?Theateo its

locations, residentsand prominent

personalities.

CzeChsainTs

The most amous is St. John o Nepomuk, whois one o the Czech patrons and is widely knownaround the world. He was martyred in 1393and his body was thrown into the Vltava Riverrom the Charles Bridge. Statues o St. John oNepomuk are a traditional eature o the Czech

countryside; you will recognize them by theirhalos with ve stars.

The main Czech patron saint and a symbolo Czech statehood is the Czech princeSt. Wenceslas, whose monumental equestrianstatue can be seen at the top o WenceslasSquare.


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magiC PraguerOmanTiC Prague

Prague is a city tailor-made or romance. Evening strolls through the narrow streetsin the glow o old street lamps, exploring hal-orgotten nooks and corners o theOld Town, wandering through the blooming orchards on Petn Hill, a boat ride onthe Vltava River, a picnic on the grass along the river banks all these romanticexperiences are at your ngertips in Prague.

Romantic Kampa is located in the Lesser Town, just belowthe Charles Bridge. Originally it was an island separated

rom the mainland by the ertovka mill race. Waterwheelscan be seen to this day, as well as picturesque houses andsmall squares rom which you can head to beautiul parkland near the river.

Other islands are also romantic you can relax pleasantly onthe grass on Steleck (Shooting) Island at sunset thereis an especially breathtaking view o the National Theatrerom here. An ideal place or romantic walks is Letn Parkabove the Vltava River, and a popular place or picnics is theormer game parkStromovka.

Right in the city centre rises Petn Hill, where particularly inMay, amongst the fowering cherry trees, romance hangs inthe air. At its top you will nd a l ook-out tower and a pavilionwith a mirror maze. For more than a century, visitors havebeen able to reach the top o the hill via a unique unicular.

TI PObserve how Prague graduallylights up ater dusk,

or example rom the outlook platorm at Prague Castle.

First to be illuminated are buildings rom the 10th

century, and at an interval o 3 minutes structures rom

the ollowing centuries are lighted.

On Slovansk (Slavic) Island, you can rent a rowboat

or a pedal boat and see the Charles Bridge, the art

museum at Sova Mills and Steleck Island rom the

water, just as it was seen by raters who or centuries

foated wood down the Vltava.

Prague is a city o legends and ghost stories. Some have their origins in medievaltimes, but many o them belong purely to the realm o antasy. On yourwanderings through Prague, let yoursel become swept up in the old tales aboutheadless knights, devils and wizards.

The best-known legend o old Prague is about the Golem.It is said that this articial man was created rom clay bythe Jewish scholar Rabbi Lw to serve him and protectthe Jewish ghetto. According to the tale, the rabbi hid theGolem in the attic o the Old-New Synagogue.

The painting The Death o St. Francis Xavier, which canbe seen in the Church o St. Nicholas in the Lesser Town,allegedly holds a mystery. It is said that whoever is able todecipher its secret while contemplating the painting willreceive enormous wealth.

metana Embankment

A perormance by the Laterna Magika ensemble

The Golden LaneThe painting Death o St. Francis Xavier, Church o St. Nicholas

A view o Prague with Petn Hill

A wedding in romantic Prague

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See one o the Laterna Magika

perormances at the New Stage o

the National Theatre (Nrodn tda 4),

which use no words but work with

a combination o lm projections,

dance, music, light and pantomime.

In the production Legends o Magic

Prague, or example, the Golem and

alchemists rom the court o Emperor

Rudolph II appear. More at

www.laterna.cz


Prague by night,or on the trail

o Prague legends andghosts.

Aheadle ssknight, buriedtreasure,

aburningman wherewillyou

encounter them in Prague?

On one o the pillars o the Charles Bridge is a columnwith the Knight Bruncvk. According to a medieval Czechlegend, Bruncvk rescued a lion rom a dragon, and thelion then accompanied him on his travels. It is said thatthis is how the lion became part o the emblem o Czechkings. The story goes that Bruncvks legendary sword wasembedded in the one o the pillars o the bridge ater theknights death, and it is said that it will appear again whenthe Czech nation is experiencing its worst times.


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Culinary Prague

Today, Prague is a cosmopolitan city where side by side we nd restaurants withcuisines rom around the world. In this babel o avours and aromas, however, youwill still easily recognize a typical Czech restaurant with toothsome dishes, Czechbeer on draught and excellent Moravian wine.

For centuries, traditional Czech cooking was infuenced byother nations due to its location in the centre o Europe,and likewise Czech cuisine had a big infuence on Austrianand Bavarian cooking. Yet it still maintains a very distinctivecharacter. Popular Czech dishes include variations o sauceswith meat and dumplings, roast poultry, reshwater sh,hearty soups, sweet buns, and cold meals that are a perectaccompaniment to beer.

Many gourmands set o to Prague in search o excellentCzech beer. It is oered by most restaurants and bars.

These days, the best beer is being poured in the so-calledbrewpubs, which are large, oten multi-storey, restaurantswhere beer is brewed on site in brass tanks. The best oodsto enjoy with beer are spicy goulash, roast duck, roast porkknee or, when you are not terribly hungry, sausages pickled invinegar called utopenci, literally drowned men.

erlooking the Mandarin Hotel

The Alcron at the Radisson Blu Hotel

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Gastronomy at the highest level can be experienced at theAlcron restaurant in the Radisson Blu Hotel (tpnsk 40) and atLa Degustation Bohme Bourgeoise (Hatalsk 18), which boasta Michelin star.

When dining at a restaurant, order the popular Czech dish svkovna smetan tenderloinin cream sauce. Your plate will arrivewith a slice o quality bee with dumplings, all bathing in a mild yetfavourul sauce made rom vegetables and cream.

I you are looking or a quality restaurant, choose onethat is marked with the Czech Specials sticker. Thisdesignation guarantees high-quality Czech cuisine ina pleasant environment. Look or more about Czechcuisine at www.czechspecials.cz.

Visit Pragues armersmarkets , where ood producers rom theCzech countryside come to sell their products homemade cheese,sausages, ham, sh delicacies, sweets and wine. Large armersmarkets take place seasonally, or example, at George o PodbradySquare (Nmst Jiho z Podbrad) and along the waterront near thePalack Bridge.

A romantic table or two

Bee tenderloin in cream sauce


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VClaV haVels PraguemusiCal Prague

You can learn about the lie oAntonn Dvok, whose SymphonyNo. 9, known as From the New World, was heard when Americanastronauts rst landed on the Moon, at a museum in Villa America(Ke Karlovu 20). The Museum o Bedich Smetana, where youcan hear, or example, his symphonic poem Vltava, is located ina historical building near the Charles Bridge (Novotnho lvka 1).

My Praguers understand me this is the amous declarationthe genius Wolgang Amadeus Mozart made to expresshis relationship to the people o Prague. His stays in Pragueare associated primarily with the Estates Theatre, where heconducted the world premiere o one o his operas, and theChurch o St. Nicholas, where he played the organ.

dOnTmissamusiCfesTiVal

Prague Spring, a estival o classical music, is held in May andJune at such venues as the Rudolnum and the Municipal House.Strings o Autumn, a estival whose programme creates a bridgebetween musical genres, takes place in the all at places including theRudolnum and the Estates Theatre. The Summer Nights Dreamestival holds concerts at the end o summer on foating stages onthe Vltava River near the Charles Bridge. United Islands is a multi-genre estival taking place on Pragues islands in the summer.

When one mentions Czech music, many will immediately think o the composersAntonn Dvok and Bedich Smetana, who were inspired by Prague to create theirworld-known musical masterpieces.

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Visit the Czech Museum o Music

(Karmelitsk 2/4), where you can see a piano

that belonged to Bedich Smetana and listen to

original recordings o musical compositions.

A thrilling marriage o music, water and light

eects takes place at the Kik Fountain at

the Vstavit exhibition grounds in Holeovice.

Especially in the summer season, do not miss

a ballet perormance to the music o Tchaikovskys

Swan Lake or The Nutcracker.

www.krizikovaontana.cz


On Wenceslas Square at the end o the 1980s,demonstrations took place against the communistregime. At that time Vclav Havel was the leader o thedemocratic opposition, and in November 1989 he gavea speech rom the balcony o the Melantrich building(Vclavsk nmst 36) above the crowded square thatcharted a path to democracy.

Nearby stands the Lucerna Palace (Vodikova 36),which was built in the early 20th century by thegrandather o Vclav Havel. In its time, Lucerna was the

epitome o modernity it had a cinema, ca, dance halland music club. In the spacious arcades o the complexhangs rom the ceiling an unconventional equestrianstatue o Prince Wenceslas. The sculpture was made byCzech artist David ern, who also created, among other

works, the black babies crawling up the ikov TV Tower.

Visit the places where Vclav Havel went with BillClinton, Madeleine Albright or Mick Jagger or a beeror coee.

You simply must start at the Ca Slavia, directly acrossrom the National Theatre. This is where Havel used tocome as a student to meet with poets and intellectuals.Franz Kaka requented the same ca in his day. Fromthe ca there is a wonderul view o the Prague Castle.On the street Nrodn tda is the Reduta Theatre,

where Bill Clinton played the saxophone or Vclav Haveland other guests. On the picturesque St. Anna Square(Anensk nmst 5) is the Theatre on the Balustrade,where Vclav Havel began as a stage technician and laterpresented his theatrical plays.

Various locations in the centre o Prague are associated with the ormer CzechPresident Vclav Havel (19362011). This writer, dissident and prisoner o thecommunist regime is considered around the world to be one o the most importantgures in the modern history and culture o Central and Eastern Europe.

ThroughPrague insearch o music.

In theootsteps o Antonn Dvok, W. A. Mozart,

Bedich Smetana, alltheway totheJohn

Lennon Wall.

ene rom a perormance o the opera Don Giovanni

Vclav Havel

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Visit the permanent exhibition Vclav Havel:

a Czech Myth, or Havel in a Nutshell at the

Montmartre Gallery (etzov 7). The exhibition

documents the lie o Vclav Havel and charts the

changes in Czech society in his time.


Prague inthe modernera. Discover

theplacesassociatedwith themodern

history o the heart o Europe.

Lucerna Palace


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memOriesOf Prague

I you want to bring back rom Prague somethingtruly exclusive, you should not orget about jewellerywith Bohemian garnets. Working with garnets hasbeen a tradition here since the 14th century, and itis said that these gemstones have miraculous andhealing properties. A shop oering guaranteedauthenticity is located at Dlouh Street 28.

The most traditional and most sought-ater Czech

crat industry is the manuacture o high-qualityart

glass. In Prague you can nd a shop on every cornerselling traditional hand-cut vases, bowls, drinkingglasses and various types o glass gurines. Thebest-known brands o glass are Moser ( Na Pkop 12)and Preciosa (Jindisk 19). I you are looking oroutstanding Czech glass in contemporary designs,then you should not overlook the leading Czech glassartists: Rony Plesl, Ji Pelcl, Boek pek and OlgojChorchoj.

Fans omodern design should not miss the KehkGallery (Osadn 35), where on display and also orsale are masterul products by designers rom theCzech Republic and countries around the world.At the Modernista shop (Celetn 12) you can buyglass, porcelain and jewellery, ranging rom Czech

From our trips and journeys we bring home experiences and memories. Some mayhave a tangible orm. We can hang them on a wall, place them on a shel, or eatand drink them. Also, however, we can wear them or read or listen to them thereis a wide range o such memories you can take back rom Prague.

Cubist and Functionalist pieces through objects bycontemporary Czech designers. Do not miss the salesgallery DOX by Qubus (Pouptova 1). Its selection refectsthe absolute peak o Czech design and conceptualcreation, such as the Qubus Design studio (Rmov 3),ounded by the successul young Czech designers MaximVelovsk and Jakub Berdych.

Joyul shopping

Moser glass showroom

TI P

Visit the international Designblokexhibition, which

takes place at Prague galleries and shops in the rst week o

October each year and regularly showcases leading Czech

and international designers o urniture, jewellery, glass, home

accessories and other decorative items.

Bring your children a handmade puppet or perhaps a plush

Krteek gure, the mole rom a popular Czech animated series.

Also a great hit with children are wooden or tin retro toys.

Women who like to dress in high-quality andoriginal clothing will be delighted, or example, bythe boutique o the designer Klra Nademlnsk(Dlouh 3), which oers luxury pret-a-porter womensclothing. At the same address you will also nd theexclusive boutique o the designer Beata Rajsk,which targets more conservative lovers o ashion,and the boutique o the artist and designer NataliRuden.

International luxury ashion brands can be ound inshops on Pask Street, which branches o the Old

Town Square.

Rony Plesl vase Maxim Velovsk Golden Line

A ashion show at Designblok


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22 23

a samPleiTinerary

DAY ONEThe rst day you will denitely want to begin in theHradany quarter. Start rom Pohoelec near theinteresting ernn Palace, which houses the Ministryo Foreign Aairs. Stop at the Loreto , with its Holy Hutand a valuable treasury, and listen to its carillon. Walkthrough the Strahov Monastery and climb the PetnTower, which rises above the city to a height o nearly300 metres. From here, the entire city unolds beoreyour eyes. When you head back to Hradany Square,stop at the Marian Plague Column and the statue othe rst Czechoslovak president, T. G. Masaryk. Thenyou are greeted by Prague Castle. Set aside enoughtime or a tour o this most important o Prague sights.At the castle, be sure to visit the Cathedral o Sts. Vitus,Wenceslas and Adalbert and the Golden Lane, wherealchemists once lived in the miniature houses. I youarrive at the rst courtyard o the castle by noon, you

will see the ceremonial changing o the guard withan unusual musical accompaniment. From April toNovember, you can also view the beautiul gardens oPrague Castle.

DAY TWOOn your second day in Prague, explore the areasbelow the castle. Tour the picturesque Old Town andthe Lesser Town. Start at the Municipal House, romwhere you will head down Celetn Street, wherethe writer Franz Kaka lived at No. 2 and 3, towardsthe Old Town Square. Stop at the House at the BlackMadonna (Ovocn trh 19), where you can visit a shopto buy a unique Cubist piece o jewellery or vase. Onthe Old Town Square, do not miss the show put onby the Prague Astronomical Clockat the top o the

Prague is a city ull o surprises. Just one day to discover the city certainly will not be

enough. We present some ideas on how to choose rom the best that Prague has toofer when you are in the city or only one or two days. Let it inspire you

hour and the picturesque acades o the buildingsin the shadow o the Church o Our Lady Beore Tn.From here, it is only a short walk to the Old JewishQuarter o Joseov. You will denitely want to see theOld-New Synagogue and the Old Jewish Cemetery. I inthis area you nd yoursel at the intersection o Dunand Vzesk streets, you will see a wittily conceivedstatue o Franz Kaka. I you came here to shop, youcan now head to the elegant Pask Street, where anarray o international luxury brands have their shops. Tocontinue exploring the city, you should not miss a walkacross the Charles Bridge. It is the oldest extant bridgeacross the Vltava River in Prague and the second oldeststone bridge in the Czech Republic. On the other sideo the bridge you enter the picturesque Lesser Town.Descend the steps at the end o the Charles Bridgeand head towards the river and you will nd yourselin the area o the Lesser Town called Kampa. Thereare many restaurants and cas here, a large park, and

a museum o contemporary art. Through the entireneighbourhood fows a branch o the Vltava River calledertovka with romantic nooks and a watermill.

eta The Vltava River with the Charles Bridge

Changing o the Castle Guard

ADDITIONAL DAYS

whaTelsenOTTOmiss:

VyehradHead upstream along the Vltava River to a rockypromontory on which rises the oldest Bohemian royalresidence, Vyehrad. Vyehrad is a place ull o historyand is surrounded by many legends. From here you willhave a spectacular view o Prague, and in the summermonths it comes alive with culture plays and concertsare held in an open-air theatre.

danCing hOuse

On the Ran Embankment (Ranovo nbe) you willcertainly be swept away by the Dancing House, a buildingrom the 1990s. It got its name because the two towersrecall the dancers Ginger Rogers (the glass tower)and Fred Astaire (the concrete one). The building was

designed by the architects Frank Gehry and Vlado Miluni,and the interiors were designed in part by the Czech-born architect Eva Jiin. In 1996 the building receiveda prestigious award rom the American magazine Time.

PeTnafTerdark

Petn Hill is at its most romantic at sunset. Go downjezd Street and rom here you can continue either onoot along winding paths surrounded by ruit trees or byunicular all the way to the top. Just below the lookouttower you can have un in the mirror maze.

Dancing House

Vyehrad


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27

KEEP AN EYE OUT

FOR CHEAPER

PARKING

ONLINE RESERVATIONS

AT WWW.PRG.AERO

Park comfortably and conveniently

in our secure garages. Online

reservations for covered parking areas

available online at discount prices.

Reach the World

from750 CZKper week

Relax onboardCzech Airlineswherever you fly

Enjoy our onboard service for affordable fares.Book now at czechairlines.com

CzechTourism inormation centrewww.czchti.c

Staromstsk nm. 5, Prague 1Vinohradsk 46, Prague 2

Tourist inormation centreswww.pawc.c

Staromstsk nmst 1 Old Town HallRytsk 31

Hall o the Main Railway StationLesser Town Bridge Tower (AprilOctober)

Vclav Havel International Airport, Terminal 2

Map key

Railway station

Coach station

Metro station

Church-chapel-synagogue

Lookout points

Quay

UNESCO zone limits

Published byCzechTourism, Vinohradsk 46, 120 41 Prague 2

Ocial tourist presentation o the Czech Republicwww.czchti.c

andCapital City o Prague, Marinsk nm. 2, 110 00 Prague 1

www.paha.

1st printing, Prague 2012

Text: Stanislav koda and CzechTourismTranslation: Mimi Fronczak Rogers

Photos: Tom Brabec and Patrik Boreck, Pavel Hroch, Miroslav Krob,Roman Maleek, Moser, Petr Naic, Ladislav Renner, the National Theatre/Hana Smejkalov, Libor Svek, Gabriel Urbnek, Michal Vitsek, archives

o CzechTourism and the Municipality o the Capital City o Prague,PragueWeddings.com, stock photography agencies: Thinkstock, Isia,

Fotky&oto, PromediaMaps: PLANstudio spol. s r. o., www.praguecityline.cz

Graphic design: M. I. P. Group, a.s.Production: F.P. Print s.r.o.

ISBN: 978-80-87560-17-4

Despite careul research, the inormation contained in this brochure issubject to change.

Not or sale.

map th Pa mt


15/15

www.czechtourism.com

www.praguewelcome.com

Pa

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