A Little More Prague

I'm trying not to bombard you too much with long posts..... so I'm splitting things up a bit more.....

Climbed a huge hill to get this view!

Prague is a city with a very rich culture and interesting history. Unfortunately for the residents of Prague this history has often been violent. Prague was once the economic capital of Europe and the heart of the Austrian Empire. It has seen many political and religious occupations and uprisings. Perhaps it is Prague’s history that has turned it into a nation of artistically inclined Atheists. The city is rich with art and architecture and is home to many great musicians.

Old Town Square and the Cathedral

On the first day in Prague, we went on a walking tour of the city. It was a 2 hour tour and only covered one of the districts of Prague. The district is not that big, but it is packed with history and stories. A few of my favorites – for various reasons…

1.     The Astronomical clock was a huge technological feat in it’s day. Prague was so proud of its clock. People would come from all over Europe to see this clock. The people of Prague were so concerned that the clock maker might build another one for a different country that they gouged his eyes out. Well, naturally this guy was a little angry so he decided to get revenge. He committed suicide by throwing himself into the gears of the clock. It took over 200 years to find someone else smart enough to fix the Astronomical clock.

2.     Wenceslas Square, named for St. Wenceslas (however, there are many things in Prague named for King Wenceslas and they should not be confused), is the favorite site for protests. In 1989s demonstrators took to the square and all shook their keys and rid Prague and the rest of the Czech Republic of communism. The jingling of keys is now a universal sign of intimidation.

3.     During German occupation of Prague during WWII, Hitler got word that on top of Rudolfinum Concert Hall (also known as Dvorak Hall) were statues of famous composers. One of those composers was Mahler, a Jewish composer. Hitler ordered workers to remove his statue. When the workers got up to the roof, they had no idea which statue was Mahler so they took down the statue that “looked Jewish.” When they got it to the ground, they found out that it was not Mahler, but in fact it was Wagner! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. They took down Hitler’s absolute favorite GERMAN composer because they thought here looked Jewish. Probably the best “life lesson” story I’ve ever heard.

After the tour, Brandon and I walked along the Vltava (the Moldau) to the New Town. This was a much longer walk than we anticipated. Prague is a small city compared to London but it's still a lot of city to walk! We didn't figure out the public transport until the last day! We walked up a massive hill to see the "High Castle" and cemetery where all of the notable Czechs are buried. Then we walked down the hill to find a pub for dinner. It was delicious - don't know if I was just hungry or if it really was that good!

After dinner, we went to hear the New Prague Radio Symphony. They were actually a string chamber orchestra so I was a little bit disappointed. The concert was in a fabulous church and we got their early enough to sit in the front row so I had a great view. The concert was entirely made up of well known easy to listen to pieces of music. Frustratingly, I was part of the most unintelligent musical audience. No one knew when to applaud and I could see the performers getting frustrated. Oh well, it was still pretty cool to hear music by Czech composers played in Prague where they really are treated as National Heroes. Even though I was clearly at a concert full of tourists, Prague has a huge classical music scene. I’ve felt it here in London, but I could almost taste the excitement for and the respect of classical music all over the city. 

St. Nicholas Church

National Theater. Many of Mozart's operas premiered here.

The rest of Prague to follow!