Prague

ABOUT PRAGUE

THE OLD TOWN AND JEWISH TOWN

Old Town is full of important monuments, shops and restaurants and contains one of the most popular tourist routes. The centre of this part is called The Old Town Square and offers numerous prominent landmarks. The most popular is the unique Old Town Hall with the Astronomical Clock, St. Nicholas Church, the Church of Our Lady before Tyn, Kinsky Palace, House at the Stone Bell and the Jan Hus monument in the heart of the square. There are many significant buildings around the square including Klementinum, The Municipal Hall and The Powder Tower. The Old Town also takes in the Jewish Quarter, which currently manages five synagogues: the Maisel Synagogue, the Pinkas Synagogue, Spanish Synagogue, the Klausen Synagogue and the Ceremonial Hall of the Burial Society; and the Old Jewish Cemetery.

THE PRAGUE CASTLE

The Prague Castle was most likely founded in about 880. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Prague Castle - originally the seat of the rulers and later the President of The Czech Republic - is the largest coherent castle complex in the world, with an area of almost 70,000 m². A UNESCO World Heritage site consists of a large-scale composition of palaces and ecclesiastical buildings of various architectural styles - Strahov Library from 1146, with more than 200 000 volumes, The Loretto with the second most valuable church treasury in the Czech Republic , and The Cathedral of St. Vitus, an excellent example of Gothic architecture, containing tombs of many Bohemian Kings and Holy Roman Emperors. The Old Royal Palace, The Basilique of St. George, Rosenberg, Lobkowicz and Schwarzenberg Palaces, Royal Summer Palace, Daliborka Tower, The Golden Lane - formed by small houses with beautiful colourful facades associated with alchemists who served to emperor Rudolph II trying to find a method of gold production, can all be found in the complex of Prague Castle, together with 6 beautiful gardens.

LESSER TOWN

Lesser Town was founded in 1257. Nowadays many old palaces and ancient burgher houses can be found there, each with its typical home sign. The most extensive and unforgettable building is the Wallenstein Palace with five courtyards and the garden, which is set in a French Park. There are also many interesting churches in the Lesser Town. The finest one is St. Nicolas Church, masterpiece of Christoph and Kilian Dientzenhofer, with the painting of an apotheosis of St. Nicolas. The famous statue of the Holy Infant Jesus of Prague is in the Church of Our Lady Victorious. The Lesser Town is connected to The Old Town by Charles Bridge, founded in 1357 by emperor Charles IV. The bridge is 516 meters long and 9.5 meters wide, built of sandstone blocks and decorated with 30 statues, most of which come from the period 1706-1714.

THEATRES AND MUSIC

There are three significant stages for ballet and opera lovers in Prague - The National Theatre, The Estate Theatre and The State Opera House. Another form of theatre with a long tradition is the Black Theatre, which uses striking combinations of lighting effects, music and actors’ performances. . If you long for an extraordinary experience a visit to a puppet performance, which has a very long tradition in the Czech Republic, would not disappoint you. Many seasonal festivals are held in Prague throughout the year such as The Summer Shakespeare Festival.
Prague classical concerts are staged in stunning concert halls, such Smetana´s Hall or in Rudolfinum and churches located in the heart of the city and there are regular classic music festivals - The Prague Spring and Strings of Autumn. And you must certainly not forget O2 Arena (formerly known as the Sazka Arena) to watch a concert of one of your favourite contemporary bands.

GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS

The National Gallery has many branches in several places. Permanent exhibitions feature Medieval Art in Bohemia and Central Europe, 19th century art from classicism to romanticism, European Art from the Classical Era to the Baroque, Baroque in Bohemia, The Art of Asia and The Ancient World and Art of the 20th and 21st centuries with famous The Slavic Epic from Alfons Mucha. The privately owned Lobkowicz Palace is home of The Lobkowicz Collection with master works by Canaletto, Brueghel the Elder, Cranach and Velázquez, musical instruments and original scores and manuscripts by Beethoven and Mozart. There are many other galleries including Kampa Museum with its permanent exhibition of Modern Central European Art, Rudolfinum or DOX Gallery with modern art.
More than a hundred of Museums can call Prague home. Anyone can choose for the vast array, for they are suitable for everyone from little children to older adults. Among the most popular are The Museum of Capital of Prague - which contains The Langweil model of the city, The National Museum, The Technical Museum, The Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, Alfons Mucha Museum, Franz Kafka Museum, The Kingdom of Railways, Petřín Hill with mirror maze, The Museum of Public Transport´s History, Planetarium, Czech Museum of Music, Dvorak´s Museum, Smetana´s Museum, Lapidary - the exhibition of Stone Monuments, Military History Institute and others.

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