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Prague Castle
Prague Castle is undoubtedly the most popular and visited sight in Prague. Its history goes back to the 9th century and has always been the seat of the Czech rulers. Still today it is the residence of the government of the Czech Republic. Important for the silhouette of the building complex is the wing which was designed by Nicolaus Pacassi in a classicistic style. It shapes the atmosphere of the castle and makes it appear more as a castle than a fortress. The castle is located on the hill Hradschin. The building complex includes the chapel Heilig-Kreuz, several inner wards, the castle gallery, the National Galery, a memorial obelisk, an area of armed forces with Mihulka tower (Praná vě) and Matthias Arch (Matyáova brána) and the Golden Alleyway (Zlatá ulička). There are also some gardens like the kings garden, the wall garden and the paradise garden around the castle.
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Small Quarter
Small Quarter (Malá Strana) is squeezed on the hill between the Prague Castle and Vltava river. Narrow streets, Renaissance buildings and palaces, Baroque churches and palaces give Malá Strana its present charm. Passing the palace of the royal commander Wallenstein the way leads to the baroque gardens of the nobility of Malá Strana. The area where most of the people would like to live is the ring around the Malá Strana with the St. Niklas church as its centre. Another sight is the Church of Jesus on the Maltese Square. Further one from the peninsula Kampa you reach the lively bridge alleyway and the Charles Bridge.
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Kampa
Kampa is the most picturesque part of Mala Strana. As a matter of fact it is a peninsula. Tourists often call it Prague's Venice because buildings rise straight out of the water. The small creek Certovka separates the Kampa from the mainland. Due to many floodings of the Vltava the peninsula was only cultivated in the 15th century. South of the Charles Bridge you can find some small houses with incredible signs. Cafés and small shops attract a lot of tourists who stroll through the narrow streets. During the summer months the park is meeting point of tourists and locals likewise.
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Charles Bridge
The most famous bridge in Prague was completed in about 1400. Coming from the alleyways of the Old Town you reach the Charles Bridge, the actual centre of the city. With its 520 m it presents itself as a stage for the people who pass it no matter if day or night. The first bridge for the merchants that used to pass the city from west to east was a wooden one which could not resist the water. So Charles IV. wanted to built a strong bridge which in the end took 100 years. Neither Charles IV. nor his architect survived the completion. Nowadays the bridge is the centre of cultural life. Cartoonists, musicians, string puppetists and salesmen characterise the picture of the bridge. A special charm is given to the bridge by the numerous baroque sculptures which are a contrast to the strict gothic architecture. The 30 statues and groups of statues were made within a time of 200 years. The one made between the 17th and 18th century are an example of culmination of Bohemian statuary. The best view on the bridge gives the Smetana embankment.
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Old Town
The Old Town has been the working heart of Prague ever since the 10th century. A walk through the Old Town leads from the Powder Tower, an old city gate of Prague, to the ring of the Old Town. On your way you pass a lot of old trade houses which mostly have a gothic inside and Romanesque basements. Going through the narrow paths and streets you pass the Charles University and finally reach the Charles Bridge by passing the river Vltava. Behind the Powder Tower lies the street Celetná, where you can find boutiques, old wine cellars and typical glass goods. Special attraction does the alleyway receive from the baroque buildings. The ring of the Old Town is the most beautiful square of the city. The facades of the buildings are unique and variegated. In front of medieval trade houses you can listen to Jazz or have a stroll over the market. The jewel of the square is the city hall with the astronomic clock.
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Wenceslas Square
The Wenceslas square lies in the New Town of Prague. It has always been the centre of cultural, financial and everyday life. There are a lot of theatres, cinemas, restaurants, shops, stores and banks around. Nevertheless, it has two faces, one very elegant and worldly during the day, the other one shrill and erotic during the night. With its 750 m of length and 60 m width it rather looks like a boulevard whose appearance is shaped by hotels, boutiques, cinemas and theatres.
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The Old Jewish Quarter (Josefov)
Prague's former Jewish ghetto is located in the Old Town within Kaprova, Dlouha and Kozi streets. At the end of the 19th century a high number of the old ghetto building were replaced by nice houses in Wilhelminian style. Nevertheless, the buildings still give the impression of the Old Jewish town. Several rich collections document the Jewish culture in Bohemia and Moravia. The Jewish town was built due to the discrimination of Jewish people by their Christian fellow citizen. Despite the circumstances a rich intellectual und cultural life existed in the ghetto. Today there are still some synagogues, the city hall and the Jewish commentary, where all Jewish people were buried until 1787. But the space in the ghetto was rare so the corpses had to be buried on top of each other. That is the reason why the 12.000 graves lie on different levels.
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Jewish City Hall
This is the only Jewish City Hall outside of Israel. More than 40.000 Jews used to live in Prague before WWII, during the socialist regime there were about 800. Since 1989 there are more people who start admitting their belief so the community rose again to 1500 people. The Hall is characterised by two big clocks at the baroque tower of the building. One clock has a clock-face in Hebrew. Its hands run in the different direction.
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Palace Valdtejn
Next to the metrostation Malostranská, which is the most beautiful in the whole city, are the former horse stables of the palace Valdtejn. The ancestral seat of the family lies next to a big stone in the forest of North Bohemia. The protestant Valdtejn was engaged with the Catholic king and earned a lot of assets during the Thirty Years War. For this reason he was able to by 26 houses and three gardens at the foot of the hill in order to build the profane palace. Five courtyards were located around the building. In 1634 the king had Valdtejn killed because he was afraid of his high ambitions. The façade of the building seems very simple. Today it is the seat of the Czech senate. The gardens include a three parted Sala terrene and bronze statues of Adrian de Vries.
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