Prague

9. Prague

1. BASIC INFORMATION

• the capital city and the largest city of the Czech Republic

• located slightly north of the centre of Bohemia on the Vltava River (the longest river in the Czech Republic)

• about 1 300 000 inhabitants

• area almost 500 square kilometres

• political centre - the seat of Czech president (Prague Castle), Czech Parliament and Government

• also seat of many state and international institutions

• cultural, academic, tourist and economic centre of the country

• „Heart of Europe“, „City of a hundred spires“

• divided into 10 municipal districts and 22 administrative districts

• the old centre of Prague consists of 5 historical districts - Old Town

- New Town

- Josefov (the former Jewish Town)

- Lesser Quarter

- Hradčany (the Castle District)

2. PLACES OF INTEREST / TOURIST ATTRACTIONS / FAMOUS BUILDINGS

PRAGUE CASTLE

• built in 9th century

• the official office of the President

• the largest ancient castle in the world

• the area of Prague Castle includes St. Vitus Cathedral, Basilica of St. George and Royal Garden of Prague Castle

ST. VITUS CATHEDRAL

• built by Charles IV.

• the largest church in the country

• gothic style

• seat of Archbishop of Prague

• in cathedral’s coronation chamber are kept the coronations jewels

• also in the Cathedral are St. Wenceslav‘s (the patron saint of Bohemia) remains and the Royal tomb

WENCESLAS SQUARE

• one of the main Prague’s squares

• part of the New Town - built by Charles IV.

• place of traditional setting for demonstrations or celebrations

• statue of St. Wenceslas

• National Museum

• a lot of shops, markets, hotels

CHARLES BRIDGE

• built by Charles IV.

• medieval stone arch bridge that crosses the Vltava River

• length 515 metres

• open-air gallery of unique Baroque statues - one of them is a statue of St. John of Nepomuk

• pedestrian only

OLD TOWN SQUARE

• between Wenceslas Square and Charles Bridge

• part of the Old Town

• Prague Orloj - medieval astronomical clock on the Old Town Hall (it still works since 1410)

• statue of Jan Hus

• markest - especialy on Christmas

• gothic Churh of Our Lady before Týn

• St. Nicholas Church

VYŠEHRAD CASTLE

• historic fort on the east bank of the Vltava River

• inside the fort is the Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul

• Vyšehrad cemetery - there are buried famous Czechs (Karel Čapek, Milada Horáková…)

PETŘÍN LOOKOUT TOWER

• in the centre of Prague

• on the hill Petřín - almost entirely covered with parks

• it resembles the Eiffel Tower

• apart from the tower there is a mirror labyrinth and the Prague Municipall Observatory

GOLDEN LANE

• street situated in Prague Castle

• originally built in the 16th century to house Rudolf II's castle guards, it takes its name from the goldsmiths that lived there in the 17th century

• tiny houses, painted in bright colours

• connected with Dalibor Tower, which used to be a dungeon

LENNON WALL

• John Lennon = symbol of freedom and western culture for people in Czechoslovakia, who wrote here messages against the regime

3. TRANSPORT

• Prague Integrated Transport - public transport system